Mary Ellen's Granddaughter

Go ahead and pre-order. You'll love it!

2011-02-02T13:14:00.000-06:00

http://www.amazon.com/Ashes-Fire-Consuming-Worship/dp/B004L35GBU

Happy Place

2011-01-28T12:15:00.000-06:00

Kid Update

2009-06-15T22:12:00.002-05:00

Tax Day Tea Party in Dallas

2009-04-15T21:28:00.004-05:00

Easter Dress

2009-04-12T13:34:00.002-05:00

This morning, my four-year-old daughter looked at me in my Easter dress and said, "Mom, is that what you're gonna wear?"

"Yes."

"Mom, that's a terrible Easter costume."

I asked , "What's wrong with it?"

She said, "You don't look anything like a rabbit."

I Shall Return

2009-04-01T23:46:00.003-05:00

Yes, my last post really was in December. I'm taking a little break from blogging, but can be found twittering during my hiatus. Check back, when the time is right, I shall return.

Thompson Elves

2008-12-07T21:41:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thanksgiving Keepsake

2008-11-24T15:10:00.002-06:00

Senior Adults Gone Wild

2008-11-24T12:13:00.003-06:00

If you can't think of anything to be thankful for this season, be thankful that THIS has never happened at your church.

Time to Thaw the Turkey!!

2008-11-23T20:21:00.002-06:00

You can run, but you can't hide!

Thanksgiving Craft

2008-11-17T20:05:00.002-06:00

My daughter and I just did a trial run on this Thanksgiving project and I can assure you it is EASY! She's 3 and could almost make them alone. We're so proud of our turkey pictured above. You need:

Oreos

Candy Corn

Malt Balls or Milk Duds

Red Jelly Bean or Red M&M or Red Skittles

White frosting

Directions:

Open the Oreo (try to keep the cream all on one cookie)

Stick candy corn to the Oreo cream

Glob some frosting on the other half of the oreo and stick the "tail" cookie to the "base"

Attach a Malt Ball or Milk Dud to the frosting glob (this will help hold the "tail" cookie up)

Glob a bit more frosting atop the Malt Ball or Milk Dud

Stick the Jelly Bean/M&M/Skittle on top

Let these sit for a few hours (or even overnight) so the frosting can harden

I think I may use mine as placecard holders. Enjoy!

Tina Fey as Parah Salin, I mean... Sarah Palin

2008-09-14T22:14:00.001-05:00

For all of you with a 9pm bedtime - here's something funny that happened while you were asnooze.

Where in the World is Allie Bear (and Tobie)

2008-08-29T14:51:00.006-05:00

A few videos from last week's travels...

American Idol

2008-08-17T23:05:00.003-05:00

Okay, if you really know me you'll know how much I love this story. You just must, must, must read it because if you have a pulse you'll love it too. Thanks to Sue Smith for mentioning it. (Just for my friends who aren't so techno-savvy: hover over the words, "this story" in the first sentence and click. I just don't want anyone to miss this!!)

Catching Up

2008-08-11T18:18:00.000-05:00

A few highlights from recent weeks...

In July our daughter, Allie, led a McDonald's restroom full of women in a stirring rendition of, "Angels We Have Heard On High." Where, oh where was the videocamera? ...On second thought that might have been misinterpreted in a bathroom.

Speaking of bathrooms... I managed to drop my Treo phone in the toilet at Hyde Chapel on the YMCA of the Rockies campground last week. That was a great experience. If you call me and it seems that I'm yelling, it's because I still don't want to hold the phone too close to my mouth. I'm sure you'll understand.

While dining at the Bald Pate Inn in the Rockies last week we saw a bear take a stroll through the woods. He eventually walked right up to the restaurant window and looked my daughter meaningfully in the eye. Neat!

Another recent highlight of our Rocky Mountain trip was watching my nearly *# year-old mother jump on one of those trampoline bungee things. Brave woman!

I'll try to capture some deeper thoughts for my next post. Meanwhile, thanks for reading!

Never too much Emily

2008-07-30T22:36:00.000-05:00

This world is not conclusion;

A sequel stands beyond,

Invisible, as music,

But positive, as sound.

It beckons and it baffles;

Philosophies don’t know,

And through a riddle, at the last,

Sagacity must go.

To guess it puzzles scholars;

To gain it, men have shown

Contempt of generations,

And crucifixion known.

Emily Dickinson (1830-86)

Meet Brooke Fraser

2008-07-13T00:13:00.000-05:00

I Like This

Ewwww... but true

2008-07-10T12:14:00.005-05:00

After a sponsored two year visit to the United States ,

Michelangelo's famous statue of David is returning to Italy ......

Proud sponsors: McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, Starbucks

Thanks to my anonymous pal who shared this with me.

Benjamin Zander - Classical Music and Shining Eyes

2008-06-30T15:28:00.001-05:00

Five or six years ago I got to sit in the room and hear this wonderful talk. I've never forgotten it. Maybe you'll enjoy it too.

Girl Power

2008-06-25T23:26:00.001-05:00

It's No Fun Fighting Anymore

2008-06-10T21:47:00.002-05:00

Today I read Dorothy Sayers wonderful essay, "The Lost Tools of Learning." The following is a favorite section:

"Are you occasionally perturbed by the things written by adult men and women for adult men and women to read? We find a well-known biologist writing in a weekly paper to the effect that: 'It is an argument against the existence of a Creator' (I think he put it more strongly; but since I have, most unfortunately, mislaid the reference, I will put his claim at its lowest) - 'an argument against the existence of a Creator that the same kind of variations which are produced by natural selection can be produced at will by stock-breeders.' One might feel tempted to say that it is rather an argument for the existence of a Creator. Actually, of course, it is neither; all it proves is that the same material causes (recombination of the chromosomes by cross-breeding and so forth) are sufficient to account for all observed variations - just as the various combinations of the same thirteen semitones are materially sufficient to account for Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and the noise a cat makes by walking on the keys. But the cat's performance neither proves nor disproves the existence of Beethoven; and all that is proved by the biologist's argument is that he was unable to distinguish between a material and a final cause."

Ahhhh, sweet logic. It falls beautifully on the ear in this season of ridiculous rhetoric and inelegant "debates." Wouldn't it be lovely (and helpful) if everyone had Sayer's skill set. I'd like to see a good fight.

Allie Reads!

2008-06-04T09:29:00.002-05:00

Check it out

Write About Jesus

2008-05-28T10:45:00.002-05:00

My friend Sue Smith just experienced the tragedy of accidently erasing her blog. The only upside is that it gives her friends a good opportunity to spread the word about her new cyber location. Sue is a fantastic songwriter and uses her site "Write About Jesus" to help other writers learn the craft. Please visit and get to know her work. Enjoy!

Introducing Miss Tobie Quinn

2008-05-12T22:47:00.003-05:00

2008-04-23T23:16:00.002-05:00

I think maybe the biggest thing we're getting wrong in our culture is the way we address our failures. More education will not solve everything. Most people, fully informed, will still choose to do whatever wrong they desire to do. What we need is more repentance.

Reflection for the Day

2008-03-13T12:27:00.002-05:00

"Wisdom knows when deceit is righteous (Josh. 2:1-7) and when a good deed is wicked (Matt. 23)." David Raymond

I wish I could post the whole article from which this quote comes. If anyone can point me to a link, please do.

Assurance from The Valley of Vision

2008-02-25T08:32:00.002-06:00

ALMIGHTY GOD,
I am loved with everlasting love,

clothed in eternal righteousness,

my peace flowing like a river,

my comforts many and large,

my joy and triumph unutterable,

my soul lively with a knowledge of salvation,

my sense of justification unclouded.

I have scarce anything to pray for;

Jesus smiles upon my soul as a ray of heaven

and my supplications are swallowed up in praise.

How sweet is the glorious doctrine of election

when based upon thy Word

and wrought inwardly within the soul!

I bless thee that thou wilt keep the sinner thou hast loved,

and hast engaged that he will not forsake thee,

else I would never get to heaven.

I wrong the work of grace in my heart

if I deny my new nature and my eternal life.

If Jesus were not my righteousness and redemption,

I would sink into nethermost hell

by my misdoings, shortcomings, unbelief, unlove;

If Jesus were not by the power of his Spirit my sanctification,

there is no sin I should not commit.

O when shall I have his mind!

when shall I be conformed to his image?

All the good things of life are less than nothing

when compared with his love,

and with one glimpse of thy electing favour.

All the treasures of a million worlds could not make me richer, happier, more contented,

for his unsearchable riches are mine.

One moment of communion with him, one view of his grace,

is ineffable, inestimable.

But O God, I could not long after thy presence

if I did not know the sweetness of it;

And such I could not know except by thy Spirit in my heart,

nor love thee at all unless thou didst

elect me, call me, adopt me, save me.

I bless thee for the covenant of grace.

This prayer comes from the book, "The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions." It contains a number of prayers drawn from Puritan literature.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T17:11:00.002-06:00

The Evil Look

2008-02-01T14:55:00.000-06:00

This Made Me Smile

Redneck Pet Carrier, Wedding Cake, and Quote

2008-01-30T12:06:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Amy's "S4TD"

2008-01-28T18:39:00.000-06:00

There is a balm in Gilead To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead To heal the sin sick soul.
Some times I feel discouraged, And think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit Revives my soul again.

There is a balm in Gilead To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead To heal the sin sick soul.
If you can not sing like angels, If you can not preach like Paul,
Go home and tell your neighbor, He died to save us all.

There is a balm in Gilead To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead To heal the sin sick soul.

Save a Snowflake With Superglue

2007-12-24T17:54:00.000-06:00

Learn how here

Ring Out, Wild Bells

2007-12-24T17:47:00.000-06:00

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

A Little Holdiay Fun - Click Here

2007-12-05T13:04:00.001-06:00

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1178164107

Beowulf

2007-12-02T15:52:00.001-06:00

You must see it, and you must see it in 3D. Discussion anyone?

One More Reason You Need a Passport to Go to Arkansas

2007-11-28T10:10:00.000-06:00

Well Then...

2007-11-19T17:31:00.000-06:00

So… my husband and I attended a luncheon at our church today where we heard a lot of good information about church growth, trends, attendance etc. Afterwards we took a walk by the lake. We were just finishing our stroll and conversation. Most of our discussion had been about how during the last year we’ve had a significantly difficult time finding people who want to talk about Jesus. Our ministry experiences contain a lot of talk about growing our church, reaching our community, and keeping things organized but we’ve really missed discipleship and The Bible. Sometimes we ask ourselves why we feel like we’re running on empty and we recognize it’s because we don’t find nearly enough opportunities to talk deeply with others about scripture and about who God really is.

Anyway… no kidding, I say to my husband, “I just don’t know how to find people who want to talk about Jesus.” Exactly one second later two Mormon missionaries come whizzing up on their bikes and without one bit of apology or shyness utter exactly this, “Excuse me, do you happen to know anyone in the area we might be able to spend time with in order to help them know more about Jesus Christ.” I didn’t even know what to say next.

Halloween Fun

2007-11-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Reformation Day!

2007-10-31T10:53:00.000-05:00

Whales

2007-10-08T14:42:00.000-05:00

When I ask my daughter to tell me the story of Jonah (from the Bible), she starts with, "There was this whale..." I've gotta admit, that is the most striking part of the story. Jonah disobeys God and tries to run away by boarding a boat that finds itself in one giant, God-sized storm. Eventually Jonah goes overboard. He's swallowed by a whale, rides around inside it for three days, then he's vomitted onto a beach for a second chance.

When I was a kid and heard that story, it made me feel really scared. I took away the message that if you disobey God He'll send a whale to eat you. God can be scary and I still can't get around that. It would be wrong for me to tell my daughter that story and act like it doesn't scare me too. It does, but it's a fear best faced. I've been whale bait a few times and I've learned something. The whale is an ambulance, a rescue vehicle, an angel of mercy in the sea of life that would otherwise swallow us to its depths with no hope of surfacing.

It's better to be consumed by the whale than by the ocean.

Bring It On

2007-10-04T12:05:00.000-05:00

2007-09-05T17:33:00.001-05:00

No evil dooms us hopelessly except the evil we love, and desire to continue in, and make no effort to escape from.
George Eliot (1819–80)

Pachelbel Bedtime

2007-08-21T23:14:00.001-05:00

I have no idea who this guy is, but I thought this was pretty impressive...

Watch the video

Allie's YouTube Debut

2007-08-11T18:42:00.000-05:00

Arkansas Razorbacks Fight Song

Follow the Link

2007-08-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

The Road We Travel: intruder in the house

"He who has ears; let him hear." Matthew 13:9

Get You Some "Ultra Clutch"

2007-08-08T15:33:00.000-05:00

So, on opening day I saw the film, "Hairspray." My friend Rachel and I guffawed, giggled, snorted, and amen-ed all the way through it. Loudly. If we hadn't been sitting in the middle of the theater we might have danced. (I'll know to sit in the back next time.) I don't know when I've had that much fun at the movies.

I'm a little ashamed of myself because I almost blogged about it immediately but didn't because 1) the urgent exercised it's hateful tyranny and 2) I thought some snobby smart sounding reviewer might say it wasn't any good and then I'd feel silly. Well, neither of those are good enough reasons. I can't stop thinking about it and I don't care who knows. I loved it, loved it, loved it and you will too. Go!

Home Again, Home Again

2007-08-07T00:04:00.000-05:00

Wish You Were Here

2007-07-30T22:58:00.000-05:00

Therefore shall ye lay up my words in your PDA

2007-07-14T09:50:00.000-05:00

Wait, that's not right.

Having been inclined toward intellectual laziness during that summer between third and fourth grade, I spent three months solidifying my case. I had a shiny pink calculator, plenty of spare batteries, and a section of valuable brain real estate I wanted to set aside for loftier things - maybe Shakespeare. Memorizing multiplication tables seemed ridiculous.

Eventually, I succumbed. The twelves still require a little counting on my fingers, but... I find that inclination is still with me. I have stopped memorizing. I only know 5 people's phone numbers. I don't have a home phone (just a cell), and so even my most frequently called numbers are accessed by name or speed dial. This morning I ran across a Reuters piece on the topic titled, "Remember Your Home Phone Number? Forget It!"

Mostly, I think the information storage available today creates more solutions than problems. However, some things need to be inscribed indelibly on the mind, heart, and consciousness beyond the threat of a low battery or the danger of being tucked away in a sub folder and lost. I confess it, I have to use BibleGateway.com every single day. I've got to get back to memorizing scripture. I had to use it to look up Deuteronomy 11:18 before I wrote this blog. Look it up yourself.

You Are Behind the Wheel

2007-07-12T14:28:00.000-05:00

Let the measure of success be the health of our relationships. Nothing else is so telling about a person. Relationships grade our ability to follow through, repent, reconcile, serve, sustain, celebrate, give, and on and on. All relationships count because every man images the divine. Even very brief relationships matter.

The interaction between drivers is a short and almost anonymous relationship. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they drive. It’s like Cliff’s Notes on what people believe about interacting with others. Character may well be who we are when no-one is looking, but it’s also who we are “just for a moment every now and then.” I think driving allows a little glimpse into the soul. Relationships at a 4-way stop are short. Most people consider these encounters to be anonymous so they act like… themselves.

I hope no woman I know will continue dating a man who curses, yells, or expresses violent thoughts toward another driver – it’s just a matter of time, sister. Likewise, I wouldn’t employ someone to lead who couldn’t negotiate that whose-turn-is-it moment at an intersection. People who only read the map once they’re on the interstate or put their seat belt on while backing up scare me for other reasons. Parking is a little more relational because you’re likely to encounter people for longer periods of time there. Double-parkers of the world: get over yourself. Your ability to cope with dirty looks and eye rolling is gross. You should care a little bit what other people think. Red light runners and speeders: everyone else’s schedule is important to them too. Tire squealers: I hope your momma catches you. As for the people who pick their noses, well, your offense is in a different category. Just get some tissues. Please.

My driving sins mostly include me being completely oblivious to the world around me: sitting through a green light, looking too much at the side of the road and not enough at the road, speeding because I don’t know the speed limit, talking on the phone or to my daughter in the backseat. I think that sums me up pretty fairly.

How’s your driving? Kleenex?

Independence Day at Independence Hall

2007-07-08T22:56:00.001-05:00

Allie and Ben Franklin Froggie finally gets some respect

Downtown with DaddyAppreciating the Liberty Bell

Church Age and Evangelism

2007-06-28T15:44:00.000-05:00

A church that is 3 years old adds 1 convert per member per year; at age 7, 1 convert per 7 members; and at age 50, only 1 convert per 85 member.

Source: Center for U.S. Missions

He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven

2007-06-26T17:02:00.000-05:00

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and the half-light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

William Butler Yeats

2007-06-26T15:57:00.000-05:00

Meet Mike Huckabee

Bible Study and Spurgeon

2007-06-09T21:51:00.000-05:00

One of the great gifts bestowed upon me by my time in England was the discovery of English prayer and devotional books. Spurgeon's morning and evening meditations are my favorite.

Today's evening meditation reads:

"Search the Scriptures."—John 5:39.

The Greek word here rendered search signifies a strict, close, diligent, curious search, such as men make when they are seeking gold, or hunters when they are in earnest after game. We must not rest content with having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but with the candle of the Spirit we must deliberately seek out the hidden meaning of the word. Holy Scripture requires searching—much of it can only be learned by careful study. There is milk for babes, but also meat for strong men. The rabbis wisely say that a mountain of matter hangs upon every word, yea, upon every title of Scripture. Tertullian exclaims, "I adore the fulness of the Scriptures." No man who merely skims the book of God can profit thereby; we must dig and mine until we obtain the hid treasure. The door of the word only opens to the key of diligence. The Scriptures claim searching. They are the writings of God, bearing the divine stamp and imprimatur—who shall dare to treat them with levity? He who despises them despises the God who wrote them. God forbid that any of us should leave our Bibles to become swift witnesses against us in the great day of account. The word of God will repay searching. God does not bid us sift a mountain of chaff with here and there a grain of wheat in it, but the Bible is winnowed corn—we have but to open the granary door and find it. Scripture grows upon the student. It is full of surprises. Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to the searching eye it glows with splendour of revelation, like a vast temple paved with wrought gold, and roofed with rubies, emeralds, and all manner of gems. No merchandise like the merchandise of Scripture truth. Lastly, the Scriptures reveal Jesus: "They are they which testify of Me." No more powerful motive can be urged upon Bible readers than this: he who finds Jesus finds life, heaven, all things. Happy he who, searching his Bible, discovers his Saviour.

If you're not lucky enough to have Spurgeon's wonderful book nearby, you can visit here for a daily dose.

Wonderfully Made

2007-05-29T10:43:00.000-05:00

This content (more or less) was posted previously in February on my friend Rick Thompson's site. We were co-blogging 40 days of devotionals for the Lent season. These thoughts helped me, so I'm posting them again here.

Because she is mine she is perfect. My daughter is wonderfully made. She’s creative and smart and tenderhearted and brave and a million other things that I adore. You, however, might not be able to see these qualities. In fact, there’s a good chance you’d meet her and think, “Wow, that kid is kind of a brat.” …In that case, we’d both be right.

I dreamed a dream of a child that would always obey, always listen, always respond to teaching, and always want to do what I want. Ummm, things aren’t quite that way. Hey, I’m flexible – I dreamed another dream of a child that would be quick to repent, grateful for forgiveness, and responsive to very, very gentle discipline. Ummm, that plan seems to be a no-go too. She’s not an easy one; but I love her too much to let her hit the dog, run in front of cars, open the door to a hot oven, undo her seat belt, and you don’t want to know the rest of this list. She has had some very bad ideas.

So have I. That’s what I’m spending 40 days saying to God. Most of my confession goes like this, “God, I’ve been stupid and insanely stubborn about it. I don’t know why I act like I know more than You do. I don’t. God You are smarter than me – I admit it. Save me from my bad ideas. Help me love Your ideas. Please.”God requires that I obey perfectly, but He knows I can’t, so He sent Jesus to do it for me. Through His word He encourages me to be quick to repent, grateful for forgiveness, and responsive to His gentle discipline. Sometimes I’m not. He loves me too much to ignore my mistakes so I lose one freedom after another. Simple concepts like, “Have no other gods before Me” get incredibly complicated. The Ten Commandments turn into the ten thousand commandments until I get absolutely strangled by the difficulty of living a life I’m not capable of living and nearly drowned in a sea of guilt and shame that should be underneath my feet. Like Peter, I finally cry out, “Lord save me!” and He does. Then for at least a few moments things get simple again.

I long for my life to be a beautiful reflection of Jesus or better yet a window you can see straight through all the way to who He is. God help me, I don’t want to be a cautionary tale. The truth is, just like my daughter, I’m a wonderful brat – a bit of both. Jesus, the great storyteller will use my life to teach everything He can: the good, the bad, and the ugly. My pastor, Rick, often reminds us “He who knows me the best, loves me the most.” Amazing. Jesus will never patronize and He will never pretend; and one day when He presents me to God our Father He say this, “Because she is mine, she is perfect.”

By the way, as I think about my daughter’s disobedience, it occurs to me that a lot of times I set her up for failure. Not enough rest, no snack, too much stimulation – she’s not mature enough to overcome those obstacles. She behaves better in environments that acknowledge who she is. Likewise, most of my mistakes happen when I set myself up for failure. I need to know who I am and who I’m not and engage life accordingly.Toward that end, today I’m meditating on Psalm 139. I hope it will be helpful to you too.

1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

2007-05-21T17:10:00.000-05:00

"May the Lord direct your hearts

into God's love and Christ's perseverance."

Maybe Nike Is On To Something...

2007-05-17T14:07:00.000-05:00

Although I’m not in the mood for this line of thinking today, discipline is important. Many, many times it’s the only thing that stands between us and success. We blame our lack of talent, inspiration, opportunity, resource, or whatever but what we’re really missing is a work ethic. Nothing much was ever accomplished spiritually or physically by frolicking from one delightful experience to the next. Some things are work. Ask William Wilberforce, Booker T. Washington, Lance Armstrong, and the Energizer Bunny. Now off to my calling I go.

If

2007-05-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,'
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Kipling

Thanks (once again) to Amy for reminding me of a great poem!

Postcard from a Fat and Happy Bookworm

2007-05-01T22:41:00.000-05:00

The strange thing about loving certain books (and, I guess, songs too) is developing a relationship with the author. They become your friend. This seems to happen particularly when I read a number of works by the same writer and find the threads and themes that comprise the story they have to tell the world. Knowing someone’s lens and looking through their window is quite personal, so it’s strange to me that these conversations go only one way. U2, Susan Howatch, C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Booker T. Washington, heck even Sue Grafton have told me so much about themselves that I know them pretty well. I like this circle of folks a lot, and I suspect they’d like me a little too since they’ve had a significant role in making me who I am.

I’ve made a new friend. His name is Tim Powers and he’s wonderfully strange. He loves history and magic and Ireland and Jesus and women and swordfighting and time travel and some other complicated things. He might wish he was practical and logical but he’s had about fifty too many run-ins with the supernatural and the prophetic to write off mystery. He can acknowledge brokenness and pain and real evil but he’s not at home among those things. He keeps them where they belong. He’s not at home anywhere quite yet, but he’s having a fascinating time traveling in that direction. I like him a lot.

So far I’ve read, “The Anubis Gates” and “The Drawing of the Dark.” They were deeply good. If you’re looking for a new friend, meet Tim Powers.

Friendship

2007-04-24T16:51:00.000-05:00

"I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends."

Walt Whitman

Birches - Robert Frost

2007-04-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

WHEN I see birches bend to left and right

Across the line of straighter darker trees,

I like to think some boy's been swinging them.

But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay.

Ice-storms do that. Often you must have seen them

Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning

After a rain. They click upon themselves

As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored

As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.

Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells

Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust—

Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away

You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.

They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,

And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed

So low for long, they never right themselves:

You may see their trunks arching in the woods

Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground

Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair

Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.

But I was going to say when Truth broke in

With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm

(Now am I free to be poetical?)

I should prefer to have some boy bend them

As he went out and in to fetch the cows—

Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,

Whose only play was what he found himself,

Summer or winter, and could play alone.

One by one he subdued his father's trees

By riding them down over and over again

Until he took the stiffness out of them,

And not one but hung limp, not one was left

For him to conquer. He learned all there was

To learn about not launching out too soon

And so not carrying the tree away

Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise

To the top branches, climbing carefully

With the same pains you use to fill a cup

Up to the brim, and even above the brim.

Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,

Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.

So was I once myself a swinger of birches;

And so I dream of going back to be.

It's when I'm weary of considerations,

And life is too much like a pathless wood

Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs

Broken across it, and one eye is weeping

From a twig's having lashed across it open.

I'd like to get away from earth awhile

And then come back to it and begin over.

May no fate wilfully misunderstand me

And half grant what I wish and snatch me away

Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:

I don't know where it's likely to go better.

I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,

And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk

Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,

But dipped its top and set me down again.

That would be good both going and coming back.

One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.

Missing Cambridge

2007-04-16T09:10:00.000-05:00

A Pimm's from Brown's, a good book, a long afternoon, and a sunny spot... perfection.

Come Ye Sinners

2007-04-08T23:04:00.000-05:00

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,

Weak and wounded, sick and sore;

Jesus ready stands to save you,

Full of pity, love and power.

Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,

God’s free bounty glorify;

True belief and true repentance,

Every grace that brings you nigh.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,

Lost and ruined by the fall;

If you tarry till you’re better,

You will never come at all.

Lo! th’incarnate God ascended,

Pleads the merit of His blood:

Venture on Him, venture wholly,

Let no other trust intrude.

Let not conscience make you linger,

Not of fitness fondly dream;

All the fitness He requireth

Is to feel your need of Him.

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms;

In the arms of my dear Savior,

O there are ten thousand charms.

Joseph Hart (1712-1768)

2007-04-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

There is no Frigate like a Book To take us Lands away,

Nor any Coursers like a Page of prancing Poetry.

This Traverse may the poorest take Without oppress of Toll

How frugal is the Chariot That bears the Human Soul

Emily Dickinson

Walking on Water

2007-03-29T15:09:00.001-05:00

Thanks for sharing this, Rex.

For My Cambridge Friends...

2007-03-22T09:18:00.000-05:00

Just passing along a wonderful invitation - go if you can!

Christian Heritage warmly invites you to
Commemorate the bi-centenary of the passing of the Anti-Slave Trade Act

25 March 1807

and the Opening of the

FREEDOM & FAITH:

Wilberforce, Slavery & Abolition Exhibition

Speaker: Lady Elizabeth Catherwood

Sunday 25 March 2007

4.00pm Round Church, Bridge Street, Cambridge

Followed by refreshments

A Quick Dose of Chesterton

2007-03-20T16:06:00.000-05:00

The Donkey

When fishes flew and forests walked

And figs grew upon thorn

Some moment when the moon was blood

Then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry

And ears like errant wings

The devil's walking parody

On all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,

Of ancient crooked will;

Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,

I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;

One far fierce hour and sweet:

There was a shout about my ears,

And palms before my feet.

2007-03-20T16:04:00.000-05:00

The refusal of God to explain His design is itself a burning hint of His design. The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man.

Forward to the Book of Job

2007-03-20T15:50:00.000-05:00

And it seemed to me that existence was itself so very eccentric a legacy that I could not complain of not understanding the limitations of the vision when I did not understand the vision they limited. The frame was no stranger than the picture.

Orthodoxy

You Can Do Both

2007-03-16T00:45:00.000-05:00

See "Amazing Grace." It's worth the trip to the theater.

Get Thee To A Science Book

2007-03-08T16:25:00.000-06:00

"In China, Bill Gates is Britney Spears.

In America, Britney Spears is Britney Spears.

This is our problem."

Thomas Friedman from The World is Flat

A Prayer for the Lent Season

2007-03-06T21:40:00.000-06:00

I love this prayer from the puritan prayerbook titled, "The Valley of Vision"

O God Of Grace

Thou hast imputed my sin to my substitute,
and hast imputed his righteousness to my soul,
clothing me with a bridegroom's robe,
decking me with jewels of holiness.

But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;
my best prayers are stained with sin;
my penitential tears are so much impurity;
my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin;
my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance;
I need my tears to be washed;
I have no robe to bring to cover my sins,
no loom to weave my own righteousness;

I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,
and by grace am always receiving change of raiment,
for thou dost always justify the ungodly;
I am always going into the far country,
and always returning home as a prodigal,
always saying, Father, forgive me,
and thou art always bringing forth the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it,
every evening return in it,
go out to the days' work in it,
be married in it,
be wound in death in it,
stand before the great white throne in it,
enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding righteousness of salvation,
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace.

Sabbath Joy

2007-03-04T21:17:00.000-06:00

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

My Schedule is the Chair, My Ambition is the Dog

2007-02-28T15:44:00.000-06:00

One More... I Can't Help Myself

2007-02-26T22:22:00.000-06:00

"It is wrong to fiddle while Rome is burning, but it is quite right to study the theory of hydraulics while Rome is burning."

Chesterton (From "What's Wrong With The World")

More from Chesterton

2007-02-26T22:18:00.000-06:00

"The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid."

Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton

2007-02-24T13:54:00.000-06:00

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."

Thanks Amy, for reminding me of this...

2007-02-22T23:08:00.000-06:00

“All that is gold does not glitter,

not all those who wander are lost;

the old that is strong does not wither,

deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

a light from the shadows shall spring;

renewed shall be blade that was broken,

the crownless again shall be king.”

—J.R.R. Tolkien

Dogs Allowed

2007-02-20T23:23:00.000-06:00

Desperate For Beauty

2007-02-18T18:20:00.000-06:00

Single Awareness Day

2007-02-04T21:33:00.000-06:00

That's what two of my witty and wonderful friends call February 14.

http://http://www.stannespublichouse.com/ontap/2007/index.php

This link will take you to five conversations (in mp3 format) regarding a new book called, "Getting Serious About Getting Married." I thought the conversation was more than thought provoking. Check it out.

Up, Up, and Away

2007-01-27T00:04:00.000-06:00

I tied a note with my name, phone number, and address to almost every balloon I got my hands on during childhood. I know at least one of them must have landed in someone’s yard. Nobody ever called, nobody ever wrote. It was very sad.

I wanted to know what became of things that flew up, up, and out of view. I wanted to know if they floated gracefully back to Earth or popped, how far they traveled, and whether someone my age had found them. The only thing I learned was that balloons are not very good messengers.

My 2-year-old daughter loves balloons. She yells out when she sees them and demands touching privileges. Watching her reminds me of my old habit. I imagine tying balloons around her wrist and then wonder how many it would take to get her airborne. Don’t panic – I’m not planning to experiment. Somewhere in that weird little daydream it hit me that I will send her into the world and into greater adventures than any balloon has seen.

She will move forward in time with all sorts of notes tied on and tucked in. They’ll say, “My parents thought ___ was really important,” “I responded and reacted to everything they ever said or did,” “I believe ____ about God, the meaning of life, and... caffeine use.” Maybe the metaphor should be less balloon and more time capsule. Everything about her will tell a story to those with ears about the collected wisdom of those from whom she came.

I want to pack her up with less, “Clifford the Big Red Dog” and more Narnia, less Picasso and more Rembrandt, less BackStreetBoys and more Bach.

Psalm 127:4 “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.”

Mass Emailing

2007-01-08T16:52:00.000-06:00

Below is a copy of the only mass email I've received that's worth sharing...

I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.

Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face, disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan.

I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

Thank you too for all the endless advice Andy Rooney has given us. I can live a better life now because he's told us how to fix everything.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 that was dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

Oh, and don't forget this one either!I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

If you don't send this information to at least 47,000 people in the next 47 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:47 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 47 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to someone-or-other. Good luck with that.

AND a scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain and sexual activity read blogs and email with their hand on the mouse. Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late...

Happy New Year

2007-01-04T15:59:00.000-06:00

Suddenly I can’t get a treadmill at the gym (at least not one that’s not in the front row – humiliating!) I demand justice. I call for a system of frequent-flyer advantages. I am a regular and I WANT MY SPOT BACK! I have been driven to the swimming pool (not so popular with the exercise newbies in the January cold – wimps!). I choose goggle-face (it only lasts about 2 hours) in return for some privacy. All this annoyance too shall pass. If history serves as a predictor I’ll be back in my corner of the gym by Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I can wait.

Actually, I love this time of year (treadmill mania notwithstanding). New beginnings, resolutions, better habits being formed, and hope that this 365 day journey will be grander, nobler, finer, and higher than the last. So far, so good. I do find myself plagued by a recurring dream. The narrative is thus: I’m stuck (missed my imaginary boat) in Lindos, Rhodes (a Greek Isle). I go into a little hole-in-the-wall tavern to eat and find the only other diners are Bono and the Edge. Joy! They’ve apparently been dying to meet me their entire lives too so the three of us become fast friends. The recurring aspect of the dream may have something to do with me painstakingly coaching myself back to that little restaurant every night before sleeping. I’m telling you the conversation is fascinating! This situation will not be helped by the fact that my friend Dulce just gave me a fabulous U2 coffee-table book as a belated Christmas gift. You can’t fight destiny.

Uniting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and (my imaginary friends) the U2 boys and the treadmill situation is this. When I have managed to score an acceptably located treadmill this week, I’ve been listening over and over and over to “When Love Comes To Town” (U2 and B.B. King) and “In The Name of Love.” I’m pretty sure my exercising neighbors think I’m having some sort of bizarre charismatic experience while running and they’re not too far off. I beg of you, friends, if you don’t have these songs on your iPod; run [do not walk] to find your USB cable and get thee to the iTunes store. I personally guarantee they will make you run faster, further, happier, and with a lot more soul.

By the way, if you’ve got a favorite must-run-to tune, do let me know, because I have many-a-mile to go between now and January 15.

Wenceslas

2006-12-19T21:32:00.000-06:00

"Good King Wenceslas" is one carol I haven't yet sung this year. I'm a little nervous about belting out the word, "wine" in a Baptist church, plus the whole thing is a little long and clumsy for singing publicly. Many have criticized the marchy rhythm and powerful language, but for my part they work well to drive the message home. This song convicts and inspires me upon each hearing. Its narrative captures the generosity the season should inspire in our lives all year long. I guess it's really a Boxing Day carol (a wonderful, forgotten [by Americans] holiday that also teaches us generosity) as the Good King looks out on the feast of Stephen (which occurs the day after Christmas). Wenceslas, a Bohemian Duke, became Bohemia's most famous martyr and patron Saint. Though the song is under-used, Wenceslas himself was recognized on Bohemian coins and his crown served as the symbol of Czech independence. He did much to advance the spread of Christianity in Bohemia. May we all be so generous, thoughtful, and eager to bless the poor.

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gathering winter fuel

"Hither page and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear them thither
"Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know now how
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.

And Now A Departure From Spiritual Topics...

2006-12-07T08:20:00.000-06:00

I love airplanes, but sometimes driving really is better.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061206/od_nm/airliner_flatulence_dc_1

Friendship

2006-11-29T13:32:00.000-06:00

No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth. Robert Southey (1744-1843)

Temptation

2006-11-28T04:13:00.000-06:00

From (of course) C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is.... A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means - the only complete realist.

Got Prayers?

2006-11-06T20:33:00.000-06:00

I want a heart to pray,

To pray and never cease;

Never to murmur at thy stay,

Or wish my sufferings less;

This blessings, above all,

Always to pray I want,-

Out of the deep on thee to call,

And never, never faint.

We all pass through seasons where prayer comes with great difficulty. Grief, shock, guilt, rage, fear, apathy and a million other emotions lead to times where we have a hard time talking to God All-Powerful. For this reason I'm grateful to the Book of Common Prayer. Its various editions, reprints, translations, and modernizations each preserve ways of addressing God that have served men and women in generations past. When I don't know what to say, sometimes it gets me started. Google search "Book of Common Prayer" to find a version for yourself. Read it until your soul reads for you.

Trinity: A Catapoem by Douglas Jones

2006-11-04T21:35:00.000-06:00

What follows below is a cut/paste job from a site called crededa.org. I subscribe to their bi-monthly magazine and read this there earlier this year. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since. Maybe someone else will enjoy this as much as I did. A note on the credenda/agenda site grants permission for all reprints provided appropriate credit is granted and yadda, yadda. I hope the previous sentences will suffice.

A catechism is never the solution. It might be jolt along the way, a means to focus our attention. The Spirit working through community shapes us far more. Catechisms can play a part in communities, especially families. Catechisms should feel like light, not a donkey load. We can sit around the table and use catechisms to help show our kids the grandeur of the gospel, but ultimately the kids see the gospel in the way we love them.
Within the Trinitarian revival of the last fifty years, we often hear complaint that many traditional catechisms, though glorious in many ways, fail to reveal the Father, Son, and Spirit at the heart of the gospel. Many catechisms will give obligatory reference to it as an abstract doctrine, but then quickly shift into a default unitarianism.
The catechism below tries, in some way, to fill part of the gap in traditional catechisms. Ideally, the church (or at least larger bodies of the church) should produce catechisms, not individuals. Consider this, then, an urging in that direction. At least this catechism doesn't try anything new. It simply draws on Trinitarian creedal insights from East and West over centuries of ancient, authoritative reflection by the Church. Many thanks to those theologian-friends and elders who read this and helped me make corrections; I'll protect your names.
It would seem that catechisms should be, first of all, works of art and imagination, instead of stiff academic prose. The Trinity delights, and we ought to try to express that in the way we show the Trinity to our children.
This catechism tries this by using concrete, poetic images instead of theoretical abstractions; it aims to tell something of a story, as well. It's written largely in iambic pentameter within an overall pattern of a chiasm, that common biblical literary structure. The catechism begins with the Trinity and works toward the centrality of Christ; it then turns and walks us through the Trinity again, from the perspective of the Church. As in any chiasm, the corresponding letters on each side aim to shed more light on each other. This catechism is aimed at nine and ten year olds, but I've seen its effectiveness with younger and older children, and adults, as well.
I would like nothing better than to see a thousand catechisms on the Trinity, each vying to delight the next generations in better and better ways.

Opening
A. Why do the heathen rage?
The Lord has called them to a feast, quite fat
with milk and honey, rich with meat and bread,
but they would rather die than take a bite.
B. Why do they love the dark and not the party?
The dark helps them pretend they are alone,
where they can play the king of all,
where no one pushes back against their face.
C. And why does God offer a feast?
God is a feast: come taste and see; sweeter
than honey. He is a party, a dance
named Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
D. But what sort of dance is the Lord?
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dance
like heroes after triumph, King David,
and those women whirling at God's wedding.
E. Wait, why does God have a wedding?
His joy bursts out, spilling; He wants to share
the pleasure of this dance. The Spirit woos;
the Father calls; the Son seeks out His bride.

Community
F. Why do Father, Son, and Spirit enjoy each other so much?
They have never been alone. Forever
side-by-side and through-and-through; they
have no secrets, and know each other inside out.
G. But some people who live long together despise one another.
But Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
give up life for one another, a sacrifice,
a gift received by each with greater thanks.
H. Why do they sacrifice for one another?
Each counts the other better, like friends who
brave a burning house to free a failing
friend; he cannot live without their breath.
I. But does that mean that God can die?
God cannot die; His sacrifice gives life,
more and more, a miracle of glory,
a light upholding light for evermore.
J. What do we call this mysterious connection of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
This sacrifice, this freedom, this excess
of joy that shapes all things, this dance of God,
this bond, this heart divine, we call: love.

Unity
K. So the three Gods love each other very much?
No, nein, nyet. Only one God lives and moves
and holds his own. Father, Son, and Spirit
are one, not three. Simple math is too loose.
L. Does this three-is-one not hurt your head?
No, we love the thrill. I am no judge
of God; no human mind would make this up.
We're too bland and flat to match His art.
M. But still, can you make any sense of God's oneness?
"The Lord our God is One" because the Son
indwells the Father, Father indwells Son,
Spirit in the Father, Spirit in the Son.
N. Is God also one from some other angle?
The Father brings forth the Son, begotten,
not made; the Son sends out the Spirit,
almighty, advancing from the Father.
O. Why is the oneness of God important?
We need not fear a thousand gods at war;
no petty squabbles with Zeus and Hera;
our One a handshake, a bond of harmony.

Particularity
P. So this one God must have three parts or wear three masks, a mask for Father, one for Son, one for Spirit?
No, nein, nyet. He wears no masks; God's truly
three, each unique. The Father's not the Son,
nor Spirit, Son, nor Father, Spirit.
Q. How is the Father unique?
The Father's known for origins, beginnings,
and the past. He gets the story started,
then betrayed, and speaks the Son, begotten.
R. How is the Son unique?
The Son is known for body, fully God
in flesh, the present, faithful Word, the king
and priest who comes to win his bride.
S. How is the Spirit unique?
The Spirit's known for power, giving life
to bones, the future. He brings relief and fire,
perfects with beauty, completes the story.
T. So some divine persons are better and some submit?
No, all are equal, wholly God on par,
none better, stronger, but the Son submits,
Spirit proceeds, none grasping for equality.

History
U. How, then, does God begin to draw us to His wedding?
At first, He pressed His face through matter,
His grin seen in whales, lions, ostriches,
that style shown in horses, locusts, marriage.
V. What marriage in creation is this?
Adam and Eve were married in the Garden,
a king and queen, enjoying peaches, hawks,
each other, sent to build bridges, phones, toys.
W. Why did they never accomplish these things?
They grew impatient, ungrateful, fussy;
they pictured God as simple, stingy, a rule.
God closed His dance and sent them off to grow.
X. Where did they go? What did they do?
Their numbers grew, and some loved Oneness,
as tyrants, others loved the Many, as
fragments; they could not dance the One-in-Three.
Y. How would they ever return to God's wedding?
God gave them wedding gifts: sweet law, good land,
and death; he gave big piles of promises,
free desert trips—but no groom, no Son or Spirit.
Z. Who could overcome such thirst? such darkness? such death?
The Trinity unveiled in flesh, in Jesus Christ,
the long awaited groom, the Son of God,
who came to free His dirtied bride, weeping
and torn, now longing for the dance. He
slayed her dragon, poured her water, fed her
bread and wine. He brought her new white clothes
and a new white name, Church. He pulled her close
and whispered: Rage no more, just kiss the Son.

History
Y'. How could the dirtied bride enter the Son's wedding?
Christ killed her sin upon His bloody cross;
Like Father and the Spirit, triune life
is death and gift, a dance of sacrifice.
X'. Where did the Son take her? What does she do?
United to His wife, He raised her from
the dead, ascended into heaven, and joined
the dance, the fellowship of Trinity.
W'. How can the bride not fall again, like in the Garden or the desert?
Unlike Mosaic saints, who strained without
a will, God poured the Spirit in His Church,
empowering us for loyalty and love.
V'. What is the purpose of this marriage of Son and Church?
This new Adam and Eve pick up the work
abandoned by the first—to raise a godly
seed, expand the feast, and build a garden city.
U'. How does God send us from the wedding?
He loads our arms with water, wine, and bread
and sends us cheering down the highway,
to fill the wedding hall with guests

Particularity
T'. How do connections in the Church somewhat reflect the Trinity?
The Church is one, a body joined by bone,
skin, and blood; some of us knees, some eyes, all
dependent, no toes surging to be lips.
S'. How does the Spirit shape the Church?
The Holy Spirit changes us, step-by-step,
matures us for divine surprises now
and evermore, expectations unimagined.
R'. How does the Son shape the Church?
The Son gives His body, His righteousness,
so we can share His throne beside the Father,
and join the song against His enemies.
Q'. How does the Father shape the Church?
The Father calls the Church to love the past,
learn its story, overcome, hear the Son,
and boldly walk through earth and heaven.
P'. How do the real differences between Father, Son, and Spirit reflect life?
God sends us death, disease, and war to help
us love the burning chasms bright within
His glory, depths beyond compare.

Unity
O'. Why is God's oneness important for the Church?
The Son prayed for union within His bride,
as Father dwelt in Him, and He in Father,
and so one day our splinters will connect.
N'. How do we indwell one another?
We indwell by giving up our life and strength
for others, making them more free and full,
and they, in love, return the gift to us.
M'. What does giving up life and strength look like?
The laws of God express the love of God,
they show us sacrifice and loyalty,
tenderness and jealousy, faith, hope, and gift.
L'. How do we learn these mysteries of love?
We do not learn them in a lab or draw
them in a proof. The Lord reveals these things
in Scripture and leads the Church to truth.
K'. How does Scripture go about showing Father, Son, and Spirit are one?
Scripture calls each one God and marks their work:
creating, saving, judging, all divine,
while saying none beside or like Him lives.

Community
J'. Why can't hermit-like gods of other religions love like the Trinity?
They "lived" alone from all eternity,
not sharing, giving, speaking to an equal;
they had no social skills, just solitude.
I'. Should we think of three first then one, or one first then three?
God's mystery declares for both, as one
ancient said, I cannot think one without
the three, nor three without the one.
H'. Is the will of God arbitrary, able to change any which way?
Loner gods live like that, with no one else
to press against, but Father, Son, and Spirit
submit their wills in love, creating one.
G'. Why is it often so hard for humans to get along together?
The modern world believes we're little gods,
each alone, each supreme, each full, each a bead,
disconnected, rolling for no goal.
F'. How can we imitate how the Father, Son, and Spirit enjoy each other?
For us, love must cover many little sins,
consider others as better than ourselves,
and keep our eyes on what's important.

Closing
E'. Why do Father, Son, and Spirit wish to share their life?
They find each other most intriguing—artists,
after all, of eagles in air, serpents on rock,
ships across sea, and men and women kissing.
D'. Why does God laugh at those who reject His gifts?
Loyalty: the Son turns tables for the Father,
the Spirit defends the Christ, the Father
mocks those who seek the Son's inheritance.
C'. Why does God give us a banquet in front of our enemies?
To show the smallness of their hearts; they so
hate their bodies and its hunger, they cannot
dance or bear the triumph of His grace.
B'. How do we come to love the wedding and not the dark?
By nothing in ourselves; God's foolishness
undoes ours; He gives new eyes; some He drags,
some He pushes, many come born inside.
A'. What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?
And why has He crowned us with such glory?
Praise God's excellent name—Father all-gracious,
victor, Son our mansion, Spirit our breath.

Reading Slowly

2006-10-01T16:11:00.000-05:00

I never feel bored. I have plenty to do. I don’t take things on just to fill the empty hours, so each addition to my life crowds out something else that’s rather dear. Oh, how I miss eight straight hours in Barnes & Noble renting my space by the cup of Chai and starting a new book every hour on the hour. I miss being in really great shape. I’m not a natural athlete, but I’ve been pretty strong before and a good deal swifter than I am now. I miss dropping everything to go to a great movie with a clever friend. I miss waking up really early, excited about working on something and letting that excitement run so uninterrupted that I’m still in my pajamas at 5 PM when I look up to find food. I traded my freedom in about twenty months ago (well, twenty plus nine). I’m pretty sure I traded up. The hilarious joys of having a toddler in the house mostly outweigh the luxuries lost.

I do miss the luxuries of less responsibility though, and the one I miss most is routine. I adore stability, schedules, order, and good use of time. These guideposts are hard to hold, and I’ve most certainly lost my grip. Adding insult to injury, this year I squeezed a move into the late summer months. It’s been a wonderful move. I’ve obsessed over paint colors, sent a truck of stuff away to charity never to be seen again (very liberating), spent tons of time in fabric stores (something I’ve never done at all before), met loads of interesting new friends, learned the backroads of a new city, managed to encourage grass to grown into a lawn, and etc., etc.. All this newness left me feeling a little exhausted and inevitably crowded out a thing or two formerly held sacrosanct.

In all the hubbub, I missed New Year’s. I’m going to go back and make it up, in about…errr three weeks (too busy 'til then). I’m not ten months late, just a few weeks. Emotionally, my year starts at Labor Day. By January I’m well into the swing of things, marking tasks off the list and starting to really hit my stride. I resent the interruption, and I try hard to ignore it. It’s pretty easy to miss, since I can’t stay awake past ten o’clock and the suspense created by a dropping ball fails to thrill me – but I digress. Anyway, ‘round about September I celebrate with fresh pencils, a journal, new lists of all sorts, and as much silence as I can create. I’m thinking of adding black-eyed peas to the event to make it official. Peas, crisp air, and a fresh start – yes!

I’m currently ramping up to the list-making portion of the festivities by marinating my brain in a very helpful book: How To Read Slowly by James W. Sire. It’s been such a reminder to me of the value of ideas. I now remember keenly that the bliss of long hours in Barnes & Noble was not about a caffeine buzz but rather it grew out of feasting on conversation with a brilliant mind on the pages of some wonderful book. I thank God for literacy. I thank God for people who invest isolated hours in the worthy pursuit of refining ideas and wrestling them onto the page. I thank God for how the printed word allows interaction across generations and oceans and barriers of all other kinds. I want to share a few thoughts from my current read in hopes that the Cliffs Notes may inspire someone else as much as they have awakened me.

In How To Read Slowly the author quotes Alvin Toffler saying, “When we think, we do not just think: we think with ideas. Our mind is not a blank, a tabula rasa. When we begin to think, we can do so only because our mind is already filled with all sorts of ideas with which to think.” The truth of this notion has helped me recommit to obeying Philippians 4:8, “…Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Mark 12:30 also springs to mind, “…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” This is not just a long way to say, “Love God.” It’s a list: do it four ways. I do better with some parts of this list than with others. Sire says, “Christians, of all people, should reflect the mind of their Maker. Learning to read well is a step toward loving God with your mind. It is a leap toward thinking God’s thoughts after him.”

These days – these brief, quickly passing days – require choosiness. It’s worth the effort. Time is precious. The mind and the heart (and for that matter the soul and the strength) require guarding. Good tools (in the form of excellent and true ideas) lead to better and more beautiful work. Keep filling the toolbox and get thee to the task!

Beauty's Authority

2006-09-07T20:30:00.000-05:00

http://www.leithart.com/archives/002342.php

2006-09-07T14:57:00.000-05:00

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

My name is Jayme and I'm addicted to YouTube.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves

2006-09-06T14:38:00.000-05:00

This book by Lynne Truss entertained and educated me in surprising ways. I needed a refresher course in punctuation, and I’m now fresh as a daisy. This review comes with a blinking red “Nerd Alert.” If you’re not interested in grammar and all of punctuation’s idiosyncrasies, move on now. Apart from the occasional off-color remark and a bit of objectionable language (including that one word I feel should be stricken from English) I can’t recommend Eats Shoots and Leaves highly enough. Anyone who renders commas and semicolons riveting must rank as a real writer. Hats off to Lynne Truss!

Here’s a selection from near the end of the book. You’ll know immediately whether this book is one for you. Truss’ conversational tone is at its peak here. She’ll either strike you as spectacularly odd or strangely charming.

A site called “halfbakery,” for example, encourages correspondents with
attractive names such as “gizmo” and “cheeselikesubstance” to swap ideas about punctuation reform. This is where the intriguing idea of using a tilde to sort out tricky plurals such as ‘bananas’ came from. In one rather thrilling exchange in 2001, moreover, a member of the halfbakery crowd proposed the use of the upside-down question mark as a marker for a rhetorical question. This suggestion hung there like a bat in a cave for eighteen months until, astonishingly, someone called “Drifting Snowflake” wrote in to explain that a rhetorical question mark (the reversed one) existed already, “invented in the 16th century, though only in use for about 30 years.” Gosh. I wonder if Drifting Snowflake is male and unmarried?

My favorite part of the book is the “Punctuation Repair Kit.” It’s handy for fixing all those strangely punctuated and sometimes ambiguous signs one encounters around town. A few examples from the book:

An entrance marked, “Pupil’s entrance” (On what must be a very selective school)

A lane designated, “Cyclist’s only” (His only what?)

A sign reading, “NO DOGS PLEASE” (When some dogs really do)

Most notably, the repair kit could have averted the episode from which the book takes its title. This is the text from the back of the book jacket.

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

“Why?” asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

“I’m a panda,” he says, at the door. “Look it up.”

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

“Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

http://eatsshootsandleaves.com/ESLquiz.html

O Holy Cow!

2006-08-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

http://webmail.pas.earthlink.net/wam/MsgAttachment?msgid=5960&attachno=1&folder=INBOX&x=1381784117

Recently my mom was telling me about my Great Grandma Cuff and how much she loved to attend church. Apparently Great Grandma Cuff would sing a "special" rather frequently in her little Baptist church. She could not carry a tune neither could she keep one to herself. To the great embarrasment of most of the family, she would regularly rise and declare that she was prepared to make a joyful noise.

This August day finds me listening to Christmas carols and preparing for a candlelight Christmas Eve church service. I am undeterred by the thermometer and rebellious toward the calendar. I hear reindeer on the rooftop and I can almost taste a snowflake! I'm trying to find one of those sleigh bell straps so I can shake it and remember the exact sound.

No sleigh bells are lying about and I can't get my Great Grandmother's bad voice out of my head. In honor of this particular moment I'm posting the worst rendition of a Christmas song I've ever heard. Since you probably don't have any eggnog in the fridge, see if you can whip up a little hot apple cider and click the link above. Enjoy!

FYI the link is to an MP3 file so choose itunes or windows media to play it.

I'm It

2006-08-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

My friend Rick tagged me. Here's a link to his answers.

http://roadwetravel.blogspot.com/2006/08/tagged-again.html

Here are my answers:

1. One book that changed your life: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

3. One book I’d want on a desert island: Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

4. One book that made me laugh: Sein Language by Jerry Seinfeld

5. One book that made me cry: The Alchemist by Paulo Cuelo

6. One book that you wish you had written: Poems for Young Readers by Robert Frost

7. One book you wish had never been written: I can't tell the truth without getting in trouble

8. One book that you are currently reading: Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss

9. One book that you’ve been meaning to read: Glory And Honor: The Music And Artistic Legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach by Greg Wilbur

Feel free to reply and tell me about your favorite books!

Out to Lunch -- Will Be Back Soon

2006-08-09T11:53:00.000-05:00

Today we close on our house. Tomorrow we'll have a few things delivered. I'm sitting in my new office being extremely productive. I should get back to the blogosphere in a regular way soon.

Please keep me on your reading list, it would be so lonely to just write to myself. I'm almost back!

I'm Still Here... Well, actually I'm somewhere else

2006-07-13T20:46:00.000-05:00

So this week I busied myself with a few matters. One week ago today packers raided my house in England and emptied the place. Friday we cleaned it and passed on the keys. Saturday we hugged as many friends as possible and tried hard not to cry. Sunday I flew to Oklahoma (toddler and dog in tow). Monday I arrived in Oklahoma late but just in time to make it to a first meeting with a real estate agent. Tuesday - more house hunting. Wednesday I started a new job. Today I made an offer on a house and bought a car. Busy!

Sorry for my silence in the blogosphere. I feel certain that vast hords of readers ruined perfectly good manicures chewing their nails while nervously awaiting my return. I genuinely regret causing such anxiety and hope my lengthy silence won't cost me the patronage of all three of my loyal fans. Do forgive me. I shall now return to my regularly scheduled postings!

Seriously, this week evidenced God's provision, protection, and peace in fresh and astounding ways. Dear friends, strangers, and circumstances participated in His giant outpouring of love and concern for little me. Once again, His kindness fills up all my need.

2006-07-04T02:56:00.000-05:00

Wet Fireworks

As we prepare for our own personal occasion of independence from Britain (an upcoming move back to The United States) we celebrate with a little Diet Coke and that famous mentos smile!