Everyone loves a give-away...

Check out the delicious give-away here.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. RDW...

Meg and her Mom

Purify my perceptions...

"My feelings are not God. God is God. My feelings do not define truth. God's word defines truth. My feelings are echoes and responses to what my mind perceives. And sometimes--many times--my feelings are out of sync with the truth. When that happens--and it happens every day in some measure--I try not to bend the truth to justify my imperfect feelings, but rather, I plead with God: Purify my perceptions of your truth and transform my feelings so that they are in sync with the truth.

That's the way I live my life every day. I hope you are with me in that battle."

- John Piper, Finally Alive, pages 165-166

(HT: JH)

Freedom dies a little today...

Thanks to CR via twitter

Sabbath Sentiments

We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to whom we must cleave, whom alone we must serve, whom only we must worship, in whom alone we put our trust. Who is eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible; one in substance and yet distinct in three persons, the Father , the Son, and the Holy Ghost. By whom we confess and believe all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, to have been created, to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided by His inscrutable providence for such end as His eternal wisdom, goodness, and justice have appointed, and to manifestation of His own glory.
~The Scots Confession of 1560: Of God

The end of publishing...

Thanks, Elsa, for pointing out this clever ad!

When Helping Hurts

I attended a webinar recently, presented by the folks from the Chalmers Center at Covenant College, on relief work and long-term aid in Haiti. (Thanks Randy, for pointing this out.) I was challenged in my understanding of works of mercy, and felt the few hours were well worth it. So much so, as a matter of fact, I ordered their book and donated to them. That doesn't happen often!

But what was more important is that the Lord used that webinar as a start at a deeper understanding of what Scripture has to say about poverty and our attitude towards the poor. This is one of those transformational ideas. I keep wondering, why did I never define poverty the way they define it? This is so clear, why didn't I understand? I think the Lord is using it in the great overhaul of my mind known as mind renewal.

The folks at Chalmers Center are offering a more general webinar on the content of their book. I am excited to read the book and hear the authors! The webinars begin next week, March 24, and I recommend all of you, Gentle Readers, who are interested in helpin the poor, head over there on Wednesdays for a few weeks. I am sure it will be well worth the time! You can register for free here. I am sure you'll be hearing more about this as i try to spread the word...

A poke at corporate culture...

The sons of my friend Lynne recently entered this short film in a competition. They did an excellent job, and I thought I would share the fruit of their labors!

Meet the Puritans

Great give-away at J C Ryle Quotes. Check it out.

Warriors, not figure skaters...

Pulpit Highlights - Phil Johnson from Grace Community Church on Vimeo.

Sabbath Sentiments

Whatever My God Ordains Is Right by Samuel Rodergast, 1676, translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1863

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
His holy will abideth;
I will be still whate’er He doth;
And follow where He guideth;
He is my God; though dark my road,
He holds me that I shall not fall:
Wherefore to Him I leave it all.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
He never will deceive me;
He leads me by the proper path:
I know He will not leave me.
I take, content, what He hath sent;
His hand can turn my griefs away,
And patiently I wait His day.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
His loving thought attends me;
No poison can be in the cup
That my Physician sends me.
My God is true; each morn anew
I’ll trust His grace unending,
My life to Him commending.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
He is my Friend and Father;
He suffers naught to do me harm,
Though many storms may gather,
Now I may know both joy and woe,
Some day I shall see clearly
That He hath loved me dearly.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
Though now this cup, in drinking,
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it, all unshrinking.
My God is true; each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,
And pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
Here shall my stand be taken;
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
Yet I am not forsaken.
My Father’s care is round me there;
He holds me that I shall not fall:
And so to Him I leave it all.

Knowing ourselves...

He that has any feeling of his own sinfulness, ought to thank God for it. That very sense of weakness, wickedness, and corruption, which perhaps makes you uncomfortable, is in reality a token for good, and a cause for praise. The first step towards being really good, is to feel bad. The preparation for heaven, is to know that we deserve hell. Before we can be counted righteous we must know ourselves to be miserable sinners. Before we can have inward happiness and peace with God, we must learn to be ashamed and confounded because of our manifold transgressions. Before we can rejoice in a well-grounded hope, we must be taught to say, “Unclean, unclean! God, be merciful to me a sinner!”

~ J.C. Ryle, Old Paths, “Our Sins”, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1999], 155.

HT: JCR Quotes

Immensely long perspective...

Albert Jay Nock on classical education:

The literature of Greece and Rome comprise the longest and fullest continuous record available to us of what the human mind has been busy about in practically every department of spiritual and social activity... The record covers twenty-five hundred consecutive years o the human mind's operations in poetry, drama, law, agriculture, philosophy, architecture, natural history, philology, rhetoric, astronomy, politics, medicine, theology, geography, everything. Hence the mind that has attentively canvassed this record is not only a disciplined mind but an experienced mind; a mind that instinctively views any contemporary phenomenon from the vantage-point of an immensely long perspective attained through this profound and weighty experience of the human spirit's operations. If I may paraphrase the words of Emerson, this discipline brings us into the feeling of an immense longevity, and maintains us in it.
~T. L. Simmons, Climbing Parnassus, pp.156-157

No Accident...

no accident from Puritan Reformed on Vimeo.

HT: TC

Some thoughts on love...

Many years ago, I was introduced to the concept of "love languages", based on Gary Chapman's book. I have found the identifying of others' predispositions to be often helpful. But Justin Taylor, in reviewing ideas from David Powlison, over at the First Things blog, has hit the nail on the head in regards to just how self-centered we can all become. Taylor quotes in part:

Powlison summarizes Chapman’s “full working philosophy” as follows:

“I’ll find out where you itch, and I’ll scratch your back, so you feel better. Along the way, I’ll let you know my itches in a non-demanding manner. You’ll feel good about me because your itches are being scratched, so eventually you’ll probably scratch my back, too.”

But therein lies the problem: Chapman takes an “is” and turns it into an “ought”:

Unwittingly [Chapman] exalts the observation that “even tax collectors, gentiles, and sinners love those who love them” (Matt. 5:46f; Luke 6:32ff) into his guiding principle for human relationships. This is the dynamo that makes his entire model go. This is the instinct that he appeals to in his readers. If I scratch your back, you’ll tend to scratch mine. If you’re happy to see me, I’ll tend to be happy to see you, too. So, 5LL teaches you how to become aware of what others want, and then tells you to give that to them. This is the principle behind How to Win Friends and Influence People and The 30-second Manager. It’s the dynamic at work in hundreds of other books on “relational skills,” or “attending skills,” or “salesmanship,” or “how to find the love you want.” Identify the felt need and meet it, and, odds are, your relationships will go pretty well.

I find these thoughts very provocative this morning. What exactly is my motivation in sharing my "felt needs" with my husband? Am I seeking his good, or my own gratification? Hmmm...

Couple this (no pun intended)with the excellent series on the "Myths of Marriage" by Glen Knecht being run (in parts) at the blog of First Pres, Jackson, MS, and I have lots to think about today. May God keep me from my default desire to please myself, and give me the grace to love my husband, and others, well.

Midweek Miscellany

With a photo of pruning a mesquite tree, how about if I prune away a few finds I have been saving for you, Gentle Reader?

Poem of the day: from my friend KL, a beauty by Christina Rosetti

Cartoon of the Day: Took this to my composition class to share today. I will pull it out when I am in my grammar-Nazi mood.

Chocolate of the Day (or month): My friend Renee is doing a whole month of chocolate recipes. Check them out! And last month, she did a month of house-cleaning challenges, each one to take no more than 5 minutes. They were fun: so check out her January posts as well.

Frightening Cultural Trend of the Day: Check out this story from Dr. Veith.

Economics Visual of the Day: Here's a picture of how the US's debt stacks up.

Movie Moment of the Day: I haven't seen Avatar, and am not all that interested in seeing it, but this made me laugh.

Thoughts on being a theologian...

DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.

HT: JH

Vincit qui patitur...

When dealing with my own laziness, or the laziness of my charges, I often have to remind myself that insisting on hard work is actually a kindness to myself and my students, not some sort of torture. As T. L. Simmons quotes older maxims,

Nil sine magno vita labore dedit mortalibus. Life gives nothing to us without tremendous work and sacrifice. Vincit qui patitur. One who suffers also conquers.
~Tacy Lee Simmons, Climbing Parnassus, p.165

Wednesday without words