The Good Portion

Happy "Black Friday" one and all. I've been short on posting lately partly because of my in-laws being in town, and partly because I've been overwhelmingly exhausted. My sister-in-law's first question, of course, is "Are you pregnant?" To which I can answer with a confident negative at the moment. So I've started taking iron. It may be helping. I did not have the steady headache today that I had yesterday and the day before. This morning I had the day off and somehow managed to sleep until 10:30, which is practically unheard of in my little world. And in spite of that I was still exhausted all day. By way of update: we spent Thanksgiving with Paul's family, at his brother's house eating the traditional fare. Then we took a plate over to my mother and watched her eat it. Later we played Cranium Pop Five with Pat and Andi, and Terry and Dixie. After my in-laws headed back to their hotel, we played a game of the Bible Edition of Outburst, which...

It's living up to it's name. So far here in the "Excited States of Hysteria" (a term I first heard today, in an unrelated blog comment from a native Canadian) the shopping death toll stands at three. What can I say? What can anyone say to a nation of people who trade their lives for baubles? "Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life ? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.'" Matthew 16:24-27 The only thing worth trading our life for is Christ. Everything else, is baubles.

It's Thanksgiving weekend. My in-laws are in town. We're having a great time; but it's not blogging time. That'll have to wait. For now, John Piper takes a pretty good stab at a difficult question: Why doesn't God just eliminate the devil now?

Well, I finally made it, just about two weeks behind the pack, though I’ve no idea where the rest of the pack is. This was our final reading from Jonathan Edwards’ work, Religious Affections, the most recent classic in Reading the Classics Together over at www.challies.com. (Next week we being Lewis'classic, Mere Christianity.) I’ll admit, this last assignment seemed like the longest of all the readings. It took me over two weeks to read, and toward the beginning I really had a hard time slogging through. However, that didn’t last too long; and ultimately I was rewarded for sticking with it. I had another run-in with his system of numbering points, only this time I abandoned trying to make sense of his outline.(Again, I don’t recommend reading Edwards at bedtime. I only do, because that’s often the only time I can spare.) I will summarize his ideas below, mainly with quotes. I apologize for the length, but It's tough to narrow down 80 pages of meat. First, Edwards considers “ C...

The enemy prowls around, and it can feel - in my self-centered soul - that I'm the single focus of his evil intentions. I can also feel - in my self-centered soul - that I'm the only one who names the name of Christ who gropes through such dreadfully dark places from time to time. So now I give thanks to God for the encouragement of brothers and sisters in Christ(those dead and those still living) as we walk through our "dark night of the soul". Today Tim Challies posted this prayer from the Valley of Vision: O Lord, Bend my hands and cut them off, for I have often struck thee with a wayward will, when these fingers should embrace thee by faith. I am not yet weaned from all created glory, honour, wisdom, and esteem of others, for I have a secret motive to eye my name in all I do. Let me not only speak the word sin, but see the thing itself. Give me to view a discovered sinfulness, to know that though my sins are crucified they are never wholly mortified. Hatred, mali...

Our little church is on the verge of going confessional*. What that means, to those unfamiliar with the term, is that we are about to adopt a formal confession of faith, in particular the 1689 Baptist Confession of faith. We are in the process of reviewing it individually as members in order to determine if there are any portions with which we are not in full agreement. When we do adopt it, either in full or with modifications, it will become the profession which must be adhered to by anyone desiring the office of elder within the church. (Prospective members will not need to hold to this fuller confession, but to our church's much simpler affirmation of faith statement.) With this in mind, I found an article in the August edition of Tabletalk Magazine called "This We Believe" by Carl R. Trueman extremely helpful. His is an excellent argument on behalf of creeds and confessions, which, I think, we would all do well to read. I've reproduced it below. (All emphasis i...

again, so........ever wonder what the internet is doing to your brain? Me either. But now that there's this fascinating little scientific report available, I can say it's really interesting: http://searchengineland.com/are-our-brains-becoming-googlized-15421.php . Take a look!

she aint what she used to be; and she don't want to be what she was. I'm tired, overworked, but otherwise pretty happy. I'd rather be this way, than the hopeless, unsaved wretch I was four years ago. The holidays are coming, and there's not much rest in sight, but God has never failed to give me the grace to do what He's given me to do. Everybody wants a clean house for the holidays, and I'm a gal that makes houses clean - well, except my house. That's all I've got. Told you I was tired.

Well, I do, and apparently John Piper is no stranger to this helpless, pointless emotional state. Here's a really helpful little blog entry to help address this condition: http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1499_How_I_Approach_God_When_Feeling_Rotten/

in the right to life struggle. Here's the link to an encouraging, albeit strange, story of the conversion of a Serbian from an abortionist to a pro-life advocate: www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111304.html. I'll leave you to puzzle out the theoligical issues on your own time.

Let us do what we can, while we can, to put a stop to this act. Thanks to Barry for bringing this petition to my attention.

then I saw this: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/14/nebraska.safe.haven/index.html I'm really at a loss for words here.

By David over at http://www.boomerinthepew.com/ . "Here's how it works: I am supposed to pick up the nearest book with at least 123 pages, turn to the 123rd page, find the 5th sentence, and then post the three sentences immediately after that. " So, I'm seated dead even in between a set of Funk & Wagnalls Dictionaries, and Martin Luther's, Bondage of the Will. For the sake of making it potentially interesting, I've chosen the latter. Here are my three sentences: "But even supposing the same works be attributed to God and to man - what do these similitudes prove? Nothing more, than that the creature co-operates with the operating God ! But are we now disputing about co-operation, and not rather concerning the power and operation of 'Free-will,' as of itself!" How do you like them apples? It is now my duty to tag 5 more hapless victims. Let me not be found to be slack in any duty! I tag: Angela Jeri Andi Paul Lynn If anyone else wants to p...

Apparently, and without realizing it, I fell a week behind in our on-line reading group over at http://www.challies.com/ . We are reading through Jonathan Edwards’ work Religious Affections. This last section, because of its length, has been divided into two readings. This is Part One of the final section: The Twelfth Sign. Edwards’ personal genius and orderly mind is becoming overwhelmingly evident, as he begins to gather all the ends from all the previous signs and uses this last sign as a drawstring of sorts to pull up and tie the whole great bundle together. This last sign is connected with and comprises every one previous. All the signs seem to be melding together into a very cohesive whole, the summation of the Christian life. I can think of little to add by way of commentary, so what follows will be mainly a compilation of quotes. For the sake of clarity, I will italicize my own words. "Gracious and holy affections have their exercise and fruit in Christian practice. ...

Paul and I both had today off, which was out of the ordinary. We had waffles for breakfast then hurried around to get errands finished before our appointment with the washer repairman, sometime between 1-3. He was a pleasant fellow, who informed us that the leak was coming from just where I thought it was (and was really hoping it wasn't). Then he quoted a couple of hour's labor, which I thought sounded about right. Then told me that the gasket did not come as just a gasket, but it came all of one piece with half the drum. So, instead of a rubber seal, I have to purchase a $179 half-drum (plus tax), with it's seal, making the repair, plus the cost of today's visit about $400. He also suggested I may be able to slow the leak, or perhaps stop if for a while by tightening the bolts (which I would have done by now if I actually owned a socket wrench, which I must have left behind when I moved). So, our plan of attack is to borrow my brother-in-law's socket wrench and se...

five hundred and twenty-five years ago was born a man who, by the providence of God, changed the world, Martin Luther . On that same date twenty years ago was born my daughter, Gina. What the hand of providence has in store for her remains to be seen, but, ironically enough and in spite of her Italian heritage, she will soon begin studying German, as part of her new major, Linguistics. My hope is that she, too, will leave a beautifully indelible little footprint of her own on the history of humanity.

This time it's from a pamphlet called Treasures dated March 1955 and distributed by The Hoover-Miner Funeral Home in Wabash, Indiana. Man Wanted! Wanted: A man for hard work and rapid promotion; a man who can find things to be done without the help of a manager and three assistants. A man who gets to work on time in the morning and does not imperil the lives of others in an attempt to be first out of the office at night. A man who listens carefully when he is spoken to and asks only enough questions to ensure the accurate carrying out of instructions. A man who moves quickly and makes as little noise as possible about it. A man who looks you straight in the eye and tells the truth every time. A man who does not pity himself for having to work. A man who is neat in appearance. A man who does not sulk for an hour's overtime in emergencies. A man who is cheerful, courteous to everyone, and determined to make good. This man is wanted ...

Last night I was plugging away at my obscure book stack. This is an odd assortment of books I need to put on-line for sale, but which are not straightforward and require more research than normal. These tend to get set aside to deal with later. Well, it's later and I'm dealing with them; and that's not really the point anyway. The point is, people leave things in books. I've got quite a collection of odd little bits I've found in books, which I don't really have the heart to throw away - a strange little treasure trove. Last night I pulled out a book that I know has been sitting for over a year waiting to be put online. The book once belonged to a Quaker minister, now deceased. That much I know. Inside was a clipping. Here's what it said: WE ARE NOT OUR OWN Rev. C.E. Carlson Missionary, Church of the United Brethren "What attracted me to Christianity," said an African pastor to me, "was seeing one of your missionaries, a person of ...

Here's our tertiary form of income - the used book business. Always in need of more shelf space, and more books of course. And a half-way decent picture of what has to be the most unphotogenic dog I've known, little Schubert. We keep saying we should have named him Stimpy, like in the cartoon. (I've only ever seen that cartoon a handful of times, while walking past a TV, but when Paul said it, I knew exactly what he talking about.) You can't tell it from this picture, but he has that desperate, wild-eyed look about him half the time. You can also see in this shot the absolutely dreadful wallpaper that we vowed would be the first thing to go when we moved in over a year ago. We've learned to mostly ignore it. It's now about 4 projects down on the list. And here are all the creatures who look to me for food, except Tony. They're all on the bed, looking very well-fed. Our house teems with life.

Before the election I wrote about the importance that we Christians take our role in our government seriously. I trust that on Tuesday we all did just that. Today, now all that is said and done, I'd like to exhort us not to forget Scripture's own exhortation: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1Tim.2:1-4) Let us (and I do mean me ) make this a priority for our daily prayers "first of all". As encouragement to that end I've provided a link to an excellent post regarding how to pray for our next president. If you have the time, I recommend following his links, which provide excellent insight into the heart of what it is ...

Here's a review of what sounds like an absolutely wonderful book, A Faith Worth Sharing, by C. John Miller. This is something for my Christmas list. Check it out. Maybe it will be one for yours as well.

I had my big job today, then went straight to the polls, just before a line began to form. So that's done and I can rest safe in God's sovereignty - and put some pictures online. Paul's been at it again with the camera. He takes pictures of the oddest things, but sometimes they're kind of wonderful. Can you see the pewter dutch boy & girl salt & pepper shakers peeking out from behind the plant on the windowsill? That's Mango on the bed. We call him the magnifiCat, for obvious reasons. He's like royalty around here. And that's our bed. It's pretty much all there's room for in our tiny bedroom. Well, and my heap-O-books. Lastly, these are pictures from our front porch. That long wall across the street is the back wall of a motel. The part you see on the bottom picture is where we looked out one morning to see the giant grafitti words: "Savage Indian Nation". And here I was all this time thinking I was in America, or maybe the motel is...