Miscellany

I think I've finally turned a corner on this cold/flu I've had for weeks, so now it's time to catch up a little around here.

~ You may have heard of the tsunami warning here in Hawaii today.  We no longer live on the beach, so we felt pretty safe, and we're very thankful that it turned out to be very uneventful. We didn't even lose power.

~ PalmPilot's family had an exchange student from Chile live with them for a year in high school. PalmPilot's parents took PalmGirl to visit Quique and his family there a few years ago.  We are praying that they are safe.

~ PalmBoy sent back his intent to enroll at Covenant College, and we had to send a check with it.  It's official!

~ We read part of Livy's War With Hannibal for Omnibus IV, and I recently came across this article about the destruction of Carthage.

~ We have our orders to Rome, so I think it's actually going to happen.  We're not sure where we'll be stationed after our six months there, but London is high on the list of possibilities.  Any of you have any good information for me about living there?

~ What Laura says is the "best book ever" came in the mail a few days ago.  I'm hoping to get to it on spring break.

~ I'm signing off now to watch a movie with my husband.  Happy weekend!

Quote of the Day

From In the Beginning Was the Word: Language -- a God-Centered Approach by Vern Poythress:

The variations in people's stories are not merely random but express the wisdom of God, who knows how to apply the work of Christ to the particulars...The variations show the meaning of the general pattern, as well as the general pattern showing the meaning of the variations. God's redemption is cosmic, when Christ works to redeem us; it is also particular, when Christ's work is applied to us and to the details in our lives.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 44

A theme of Psalm 44 is persecution of the faithful.  Honestly, I along with most folks I know here don't know what persecution on account of our faith really looks like.   It's not, as some would have us believe, having someone tell us "Happy Holidays" at Walmart instead of Merry Christmas.  We live in a time and place of great privilege and freedom. That's not to say that we don't suffer, but that suffering doesn't take the form of persecution for most people I know.   But Christians around the world even as I type this face the worst kinds of persecution, and in our easy lives, we should not forget them.

Henry Law calls us to remember those who have gone before us and suffered horrible pains and deaths because of their faith in the one true God:

...our fathers in the faith have trodden this path before us. Mark the great multitude, which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, which stand before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

That thought takes my breath away. Just imagine all the faithful throughout millenia whose faith has been purified by the fire of true persecution. Imagine them going before us and now praising their Savior.   Don't you just want to be there?!

It's A Great Month

.... for PalmBoy!  He just found out that he's been accepted to the only college he wanted to attend -- Covenant College.  This in addition to earning Eagle Scout has made February a very good month for him.  I'm so happy for him, and we're glad that he'll be going to Covenant.

It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that our nest will begin emptying this summer. This is the time of year that I really begin making decisions about the next year's homeschooling, and it sure is odd to only do that for one student!  But, as odd as it feels, it's also right that he leave the nest and begin living that life for we've been working to prepare him.  I can't tell you how thankful I am for our son and how God has worked in him and given us grace upon grace.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 43

Psalm 43 seems to me to be a continuation of Psalm 42, with the refrain I love:

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

But what got my attention in today's reading was verse 2 and Henry Law's commentary: (emphasis mine)

It is the province of faith to realize that in all seeming weakness there is really strength. But where is the treasure-house of strength? It is not in self. For man unaided is a broken reed, --light as the chaff before the wind -- powerless as an infant in a giant's grasp. But his strength is firm as the everlasting hills. It is Jehovah in His might. While he trembles, he can still cry, Thou art the God of my strength.

I really need that reminder on a daily basis as I'm prone to believe the lie of self-sufficiency.  "For I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

Hymn for the Lord's Day and Every Day

Apropos my post on Psalm 42 and Henry Law's observation that "The covenant is for ever settled in heaven. Hope, therefore, should never fail," the lyrics of The Christian's Hope Can Never Fail are stuck in my head and heart this morning:

We travel through a barren land,
With dangers thick on every hand;
But Jesus guides us through the vale;
O, The Christian’s hope can never fail.

Huge sorrows meet us as we go,
And devils aim to overthrow;
But vile infernals can’t prevail;
O, The Christian’s hope shall never fail.

Sometimes we’re tempted to despair,
But Jesus makes us then His care;
Though numerous foes our souls assail;
O, The Christian’s hope can never fail.

We trust upon the sacred word,
The oath and promise of the Lord;
And safely through each tempest sail;
O, The Christian’s hope can never fail.

Thanks to Kristen at This Classical Life for having the lyrics all nicely typed up so I could cut and paste. :-)  You can get the album here or here.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 42

I especially love Psalm 42 for its picture of the psalmist preaching to himself.  Here is verse 11:

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Now, Henry Law:

Expostulation with the soul is repeated. Trials will return; and they must be met with renewal of spiritual reasoning. The covenant is for ever settled in heaven. Hope, therefore, should never fail. Deliverance will surely come. The voice of praise will again shout, "He is the health of my countenance, and my God."

"The covenant is for ever settled in heaven. Hope, therefore, should never fail." I love that.  And now, if I can just remember to remind myself that when I'm tempted to despair!

Through the Psalms: Psalm 41

Henry Law has a commentary on Psalm 41 (verses 1-3)  that is at odds with our culture's view of suffering:

Tender compassion for the poor and suffering is the fruit of the Spirit in the minds of believers. It is a sweet feature in the family of faith. The Lord regards such with peculiar love. But they are not exempt from trouble. Their heavenward march is through much tribulation: sickness often assails their frames, languor depresses them, and weakness holds them to a bed of suffering. But they are not deserted -- nay, they now are compassed with peculiar mercies. When heart and flesh appear to fail, the inner man is renewed with especial strength. Welcome all sickness which brings Jesus to the bedside!

History Repeating Itself

Don't miss this rather interesting op-ed on Barack Obama and the Parallel to Jimmy Carter.  Some of us have thought they were similar since the Obama campaign, but here is a point-by-point look.

Hat tip:  Instapundit

Through the Psalms: Psalm 40

Psalm 40 includes both praises and pleas.  I love verse 17 -- "But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks  upon me..."  Henry Law concludes:

Deep consciousness of poverty continually abides. In us, that is in our flesh, there dwelleth no good thing. Yet we are rich and have all things in the gracious care of our God. His thoughts of love are ever on His people. He is their help and their deliverer, and their cry gives Him no rest, "Make no tarrying, O my God."

Oh, what a Father we have!

Through the Psalms: Psalm 39

Here's another reminder that this world is not my home.  In Psalm 39, the psalmist refers to himself as a sojourner.  Henry Law observes:

When troubles increase, prayers should wax more earnest. It is good to realize that this is not our rest. Our abiding city is not upon earth. Where are our fathers? Are we better than they? But they are gone; and as they went, we follow. But it should be our deep desire that our last days should be our best, and that as life fades our faith should more exalt the praises of our God. For this we need increase of grace.

"It is good to realize that this is not our rest."  That's quite possibly the understatement of the year.

Quote of the Day

From Francis Schaeffer's Art and the Bible:

We are not being true to the artist as a man if we consider his art work junk simply because we differ with his outlook on life. Christian schools, Christian parents and Christian pastors often have turned off young people at just this point. Because the schools, the pastors and the parents did not make a distinction between technical excellence and content, the whole of much great art has been rejected by scorn or ridicule. Instead, if the artist's technical excellence is high, he is to be praised for this, even if we differ from his world view. Man must be treated fairly as man.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 38

In Psalm 38, the psalmist laments his sin and its consequences. Henry Law comments on verses 6 through 8:

The Spirit still draws back the veil and shows in fearful tints the deep afflictions of the awakened conscience. Trouble occupies the heart. The head hangs down. The stooping gait is evidence of failing strength. Let those who seek to find delight in sin ponder this portrait. Through the whole day, from rising to declining sun, mourning is the constant comrade. The falling tears, the sighing heart, proclaim that misery presents no respite. The ruined health adds woe to woe. Loud lamentations prove that deep disquietude prevails within. Who can contemplate these results, and not detest the cruel monster!

Doesn't it seem that our culture is deeply, deeply invested in avoiding just this kind of contemplation?  It's so easy to distract ourselves and continue in sin.  The psalmist recounted it all to God, however, and that meant he spent some time feeling it and thinking about it.  And that led to an increased dependence on God, gratitude, and a deeper understanding of mercy. I know I could stand to take a lesson from the psalmist.  What about you?

Through the Psalms: Psalm 37

Psalm 37 cautions us not to fret about evil men who prosper in this life or to be envious. We're to do what's contrary to our nature: have an eternal perspective and wait on the Lord. Henry Law on verses 34-36:

Line upon line, precept upon precept, forbid impatience. They call to the patience of hope and the obedient course. The promise is again and again repeated that we shall dwell eternally blessed in a new scene. A vivid picture shows how short-lived is ungodly prosperity. We see a tree of verdant beauty. Deep are its roots. Widespreading are its branches. We admire it to-day. To-morrow we seek it, and it is gone. Thus while we gaze, the wicked pass away.

Quote of the Day

From Doug Wilson:

The issue before the house is not whether or not to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." This whole thing is one of those pesky inescapable concepts, and this means that the debate before us is this -- to which group will we apply "don't ask, don't tell"? It is not whether, but which. The homosexuals or the evangelicals? Right now, a homosexual in the military has to keep his orientation to himself. If this policy is repealed, then the evangelicals and the homosexuals will switch places. Somebody will be disciplined inevitably, and we are talking about which group it will be.

What will be the effect on soldier-to-soldier relations? What will be the effect on two sailors submerged in the same submarine for a couple of months? Now, when this question is usually asked, it is asked with the assumption that I am raising the quesiton of one soldier or sailor hitting on the other one. Right now, he is not supposed to do that, or be open about his orientation. But that is not where my question lies. I am asking if the serviceman who is evangelical will be permitted to witness to his fellow serviceman, who is now out of the closet. Will he be allowed to believe that homosexuality is a sin that God will judge at the last day? Sure. Don't ask. Will he be allowed to call his fellow serviceman to repentance? Surely not. Don't tell.

Do go read the whole thing.

Quote of the Day

From Francis Schaeffer's Art and the Bible:

The arts and the sciences do have a place in the Christian life -- they are not peripheral. For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ and living within the norms of Scripture and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the lordship of Christ should include an interest in the arts. A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God, not just as tracts, mind you, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. An art work can be a doxology in itself.

My Eagle Scout

PalmBoy earned the rank of Eagle Scout tonight, and this mom is proud!  Congratulations, PalmBoy! I love seeing you stick with something and finishing well.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 36

Yes, I realize I skipped Psalms 32-35.  Actually, I read them, but didn't have the time to post, so I'm just moving on.  Henry Law's commentary on Psalm 36 contains a paragraph that especially got my attention today.  Psalm 36:6 praises God for His providential care of men and animals.  Law observes:

Ofttimes we are perplexed. We cannot read the purport. But nothing can cause God's righteousness to waver. It is fairly rooted as the everlasting hills. It is far easier to uproot their base than to subvert His equity. The orderings of His rule are far beyond our power to fathom. The lines of reason cannot descend into the deep abyss. But all is well. It is our wisdom to trust when we are weak to trace. We see a gracious hand preserve all living beings. The meanest of His creatures receive food. His care will not fail us.

I'm preaching that to myself today.

Miscellany

I thought last week was bad until this one came sauntering in and roughed me up.  The scuffle continues, so I'm behind on posting Psalms.  I've been reading them daily but have had no time to post, and I've decided that's okay. I hope to post thoughts on today's reading later today, but I've hoped a lot of things this week which haven't worked out.

In the meantime, here's a random collection of links and musings:

~ Did anyone ever doubt that the push for a sovereign Hawaiian homeland was about money and gambling?   Here we go:

Casino operations could take place on Hawaiian Home Lands under a bill that advanced out of the House Hawaiian Affairs Committee yesterday.

The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Hawaiian Homes Commission said they oppose House Bill 2759 but several others supported the idea.

The bill calls for 80 percent of revenues generated from gambling operations to go toward development of Hawaiian Homes communities. The remaining 20 percent would be deposited into the state general fund.

If this was really about what was best for native Hawaiian people, this would never be on the table (pun intended).

~ Since my most recent run-in with incompetent and unthinking government employees, my theory is that the reason government jobs are the only ones that seem safe and are growing these days is because of our education system.  What else are you going to do with graduates who have little ability to think critically?  Yes, stick them in a government office and put them in charge of a few forms.  There they can rule, enhance their self-esteem, and think small thoughts.  Yes, I'm sure there are some who can think, but the odds of running into one is pretty slim in my experience.  Public schools don't teach logic, and few private schools do, either, so a growing segment of our nation cannot make deductive inferences, recognize logical fallacies, or make valid and sound arguments.

  -- Edited to add that I hope I haven't offended any of my readers who are government employees.  But if you're reading my blog, odds are that you're not one of those workers that I'm talking about.  :-)

~ And on that subject, my dad forwarded me a cute email:

A redneck was stopped by a game warden in the Piedmont area of North Carolina recently with two ice chests full of fish. He was leavin' a cove well-known for its fishing.
The game warden asked the man, 'Do you have a license to catch those fish?'
'Naw, sir', replied the redneck. 'I ain't got none of them there licenses. You must understand, these here are my pet fish. Pet fish?' Yeah. Every night, I take these here
fish down to the lake and let 'em swim 'round for awhile. Then, when I whistle, they jump right back into these here ice chests and I take 'em home..'
'That's a bunch of hooey! Fish can't do that.'
The redneck looked at the warden for a moment and then said, 'It's the truth Mr. Government Man. I'll show ya. It really works.'
'O. K.', said the warden.. 'I've got to see this!'
The redneck poured the fish into the lake and stood and waited. After several minutes, the warden says, 'Well?'
'Well, what?,' says the redneck.
The warden says, 'When are you going to call them back?'
'Call who back?'
'The FISH,' replied the warden!
'What fish?,' replied the redneck.
..............

Moral of the story: We may not be as smart as some city slickers, but we ain't as dumb as some government employees.

~ Someone asked me the other day what I was going to do about a diploma or graduation ceremony for PalmBoy. Ummmmm. That's something I've totally overlooked in the years of actually educating him. Any suggestions?

~ I'm as stressed as I've ever been right now. My regular routine is packed enough, but now on the horizon is a major move. I'm praying for a quiet heart, and if you're so inclined, I'd appreciate a prayer or two from you.  I know anxiety is stupid, a waste of time, and a sign of unbelief.  Yet, it's my constant companion.  I'm bookmarking this post to mull over.

~ I'm freezing.  I know you don't believe me, but when it drops into the low 60s and you have single-wall construction and jalousie windows, inside is the same temperature as outside.  And the wind is blowing pretty hard. But what really freaks me out is looking at the high temps today for the cities we could end up in after Rome.  I hope PalmPilot is saving up to buy me lots of great boots and coats!

~ When someone spams my comments, I delete it, no questions asked.

~ I love, love, love my new Macbook.  And I love how it syncs up with my iPhone without cables.

~ When the US Government has a financial stake in a US car company, doesn't it seem fishy when it comes down hard on Toyota?

~ This man should be fired immediately.

~ That's more than enough for now.  Have a good Thursday!