A Book Giveaway

When "free" and "book" are in the same sentence, it gets my attention.  Throw the word "education" in there, and I'm in for sure.  Megan at Half-Pint House is hosting a giveaway of her husband's new book, Learning Education.  Click on over and check it out.

18

I'm in a state of shock this morning.  My firstborn is 18.  Where did the years go?  How did he grow from this:

to this?

All at once it seems like I just had him and that he's always been in my life. And I just can't express how good God has been to this mother to give her such a son.

PalmBoy, I'm blessed by the young man you've grown up to be. Happy Birthday. I love you.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 65

Psalm 65 is a psalm of praise to God for His providence.  As I read, I couldn't help but see the contrasts between the psalmist's acknowledgment of God's hand in nature and the ancient poet Virgil's ode to rustic life in his Eclogues and Georgics. (It's Omnibus IV reading.)  The psalmist attributes it all to the one, true God of the Bible.  Virgil sings the praises of the pantheon of gods and he praises nature itself.  What a difference a Savior makes in one's perspective!

Henry Law on verses 5-13:

His power shines brightly through the realms of nature. The operations of His hand declare it. The mighty mountains stand fast through His resolve. The raging waves repose at His word: morning sweetly smiles, and evening closes on a rejoicing world. Refreshing streams irrigate the thirsty soil; abundance richly follows: the year displays God's goodness as its diadem: fertility follows where His feet are set. Pastures and valleys are luxuriant plenty. Praise, then is His just due. Let all within us praise His name.

Is it a beautiful springtime where you live?  Who made it?  "Praise, then is His just due."

Maybe I'm Nuts...

When I was younger, I hated nuts.  I could never understand why anyone would ruin perfectly good desserts like brownies or cookies with something as disgusting as pecans or walnuts.  And then, as in so many other ways, my first pregnancy changed me.  Suddenly I loved nuts -- in sweets, in salads, in main dishes, in anything edible.  I couldn't figure out what had been wrong with me before, and why I'd wasted so many years without the crunchy wonders of almonds, toasted pecans, macadamias, and walnuts.

Something similar recently happened to me with my reading.  For as long as I can remember, I've loved to read, but I've never cared for fantasy or science fiction stories.  Oh, I tried.  I read all of the Lord of the Rings series, and while I appreciated the quality of writing, I didn't love it. I found it a chore to read, and even the Narnia series didn't make me a fantasy lover.  Something was seriously wrong with this reader.  How could I not love those beloved classics?

Well, lo and behold, my reading tastes have changed this year, and it didn't take a pregnancy to do it! :-)   I found myself really enjoying  The Lost World and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas as we studied them in Omnibus IV.  And last night I started reading George MacDonald's Phantastes.  Oh, my. I'm in love.  It's beautifully written, and I can't wait to read more and get my hands on more of MacDonald's books.

I'm reading ahead of the PalmKids, and I told PalmGirl that she would love Phantastes.  She began reading it as she took the bus to play practice today, and she texted me that it was "phan-tastic!"   I'm glad she's caught on at an earlier age than her mother.

And I'm glad that at almost 42, I've found a whole new world of literature to love.

Quote of the Day

From James Lileks:

Add high taxes and feeling that government just might put its own needs ahead of yours, and you have discontent. Add the sense of overtaxation with the realization that we still have to go cap-in-hand to China to borrow the occasional trillion, you get something: an entirely new opportunity for the Republicans to squander.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 64

(I'm behind in posting again, and I'm catching up by posting the psalm I read today even though that means I'm skipping some posts.)  David pleads for help from the Lord in Psalm 64, and as he usually does, he ends the psalm with confidence and joy in his Savior.  Henry Law has a good reminder:

If our hope sprang only from this world, our hands might hang down in despair. If help came only from the sons of men, helpless indeed our state would be. How soon should we be trampled down by overwhelming hosts; how soon would Satan send forth his legions to sweep us into uttermost destruction. But God is our hope, our help, our strength, therefore unfailing victory must be on our side.

"But God..." The most beautiful phrase!  How does knowing "But God..." help you today?

Through the Psalms: Psalm 61

Psalm 61 is a psalm of confidence in the Lord.  David has seen His goodness.  Henry Law observes:

Prayer, which is our precious privilege, and should be our continuous delight, should ever be from the very depths of the heart, and in the earnest wrestlings of the soul. Can there be coldness, can there be weakness, can there be formality when we draw near to the immediate presence of our God, and pour into His listening ear our every want and our every desire? Here David is all zeal and all intense effort. He doubles expression to awaken a gracious hearing. Doubtless his need now was very great. But that need is no small blessing which raises us direct from earth and places us before our God.

I read that second sentence ("Can there be coldness...") and think, "Yes."  I don't think Law is attempting to lay on the guilt here, but instead is encouraging his readers to go to God with our troubles.  And he says that troubles which cause us to go to our heavenly Father are blessings.  Oh, to see that in the midst of trouble and not only after it's resolved!

Awwwww

This is too cute:

Prayer of the Day

If you haven't yet taken a look at Scotty Smith's Heavenward blog, today's a good day to head over there.  The prayer today is "A Prayer About My Cluttered Spirit and God's Kindness".  "Cluttered spirit" is a perfect description of my heart lately, so I'm praying this prayer.  Here's how it begins:

Most gracious Father, I dare not take on today’s agenda without immersing my heart in the extraordinary good news and supply of the gospel. For I already feel a busy cluttered-spirit rearing its ugly head inside of me… wrangling over everything I need to get done and everyone I need to see. The control-meister in me is plotting orphan-like strategies just to make it through the day. In short, I really need the gospel today. I am so glad to know that your mercies are more than a match for my heart today, and every day.

Now go read the whole thing.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 60

David again seeks his God in trying times in Psalm 60.  He realizes that his ultimate help will not come from man.  Henry Law:

He sees that all his armaments are weak except upheld by God. He prays for this help. He believes that it will surely come. He believes that, through his God, valiant exploits would be performed, and that through his God his feet would crush the necks of His foes. We believe that through Jesus we too shall do valiantly, and that yet a little while and Satan will be crushed beneath our feet.

It's much easier for me to sit in the quiet of early morning and believe this. It's much more difficult to hang on it to it in the middle of a difficult circumstance or even in the busyness of day-to-day life. Oh, Lord, give me the faith that David had! Help my unbelief.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 59

David is still in peril in Psalm 59, and he continues to look to God as his only hope as he cries out for justice for his enemies.  He is an excellent model for how we should handle trouble, and really, few of us has the trouble he had of someone lurking to kill us!  As he so often does, he ends the psalm with praise.  Henry Law comments:

The joy of faith is a flame, which waters cannot quench. It has a life, which never can be slain. It has wings ever ready to soar on high. Paul and Silas, in their dungeon, prayed and sang praises. David, in his abode, closely besieged, professes that songs shall be on his lips. He announces the subject of his thanksgivings; they are the power, the strength, the mercy of his God. The same attributes are our property, our defence, our refuge, our shield. In the darkest days, then, let us sing. When hope seems gone, let us rejoice in the God of our salvation.

I haven't been falsely imprisoned, and to my knowledge no one is trying to kill me. No, my troubles are far more tame (at the moment), but they're the troubles I've been given in this season.  So, in my anxiety about how this move is going to come together, whether we can sell our house in this market, how I'm going to be in several places at once this month, how I'll get all my schoolwork done, a son leaving home for college, and how I can daily be gracious to my family as we go through these next few months of chaos, I really need to cling to the God of David, Paul, and Silas.  Therein lies my hope.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 58

In Psalm 58, the psalmist longs for justice.  And, as so often the case, my reading of the Psalms along with Henry Law's Daily Prayer and Praise commentary dovetails nicely with my reading through The Prophets Speak of Him for our Sunday School class.  In the chapter on Habbakuk, Anthony Selvaggio writes:

We too live in the gap between promise and fulfilment. Like Habakkuk, we see the injustice, violence and wickedness all around us. We see the wicked prosper and the righteous hemmed in on all sides. Haven't you ever cried out, 'How long, O Lord?' Haven't you ever climbed the watchtower waiting for an answer from God? Habakkuk is talking about real life; he is talking about having faith in God in the face of despair. This is a timeless message. It is as relevant today as it was when God spoke it through the prophet Habakkuk...

Or through the psalmist.  That longing for justice is in us because we're created in the image of our just God.  Yes, that longing in us isn't pure in this fallen world, but it's in us because justice will be done -- either in this world or the next.  As we wait, let us wait with faith in our faithful Savior.  Let's turn to God and take our longings to Him.

Happy Easter

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o'er His foes;

He arose a victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever with His saints to reign.

He arose,

He arose,

Hallelujah, Christ arose!

A Poem For Good Friday

At HouseBlog, Ben House posts a poem that is now one of my favorites.

Through the Psalms: Psalm 57

In Psalm 57, David again beseeches the Lord as he is in danger.  He at once pleas with God and affirms his trust in God.  Henry Law comments:

The help of mercy is here keenly felt. A reiterated cry calls down its aid. In prayer importunity can never be excessive. Sometimes answers are delayed that this sweet exercise may be prolonged. Abundant pleas enforce the soul'd desires. Here confidence in God is urged. It is a prevailing utterance, Help me, for in Thee is all my trust. As when storms give sign of near approach, or the hawk hovers in the sky, the affrighted brood seek shelter beneath the parent's wings, so the believer hides himself in God, and will not quit his refuge while perils are still near. Faith knows well the Covenant, and cries in full assurance that no good thing will be withholden, and that God, who begins the work of grace, will carry it to its end in glory.

"Faith knows well the Covenant...", that covenant that was sealed with Christ's blood.  Let's meditate on that covenant today.


(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Through the Psalms: Psalm 56

Again the psalmist cries out to God as he is betrayed and in peril.  In Psalm 56, David recognizes that God sees him and more than sees him.  Henry Law:

"Thou God seest me," is the sweet solace of the true believer. "He knoweth the way that I take," will make the rugged way seem smooth. If perils and distress so shake the heart that plentous tears give evidence of suffering, these tears are marked on high, and tender compassion will wipe them all away. The day is not yet come when there shall be no more tears. But the day is always present when they awaken sympathy in the Redeemer's breast. He who wept on earth will soon wipe all tears away.

God doesn't just watch us go through trials. He knows our trials. As we think of Christ's suffering this holy week, thank Him that He knows our suffering and that the suffering will one day be no more.