In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My comforter my All in all, here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless babe! This gift of love and righteousness scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on the cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied, For every sin
on Him was Laid; here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain.
Then, bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory, sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the powr of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He re-turns or calls me home, here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
In Christ Alone
by keith getty and stuart townend
Thursday, July 20, 2006
hummm
A nice quiet afternoon is here and so I must pounce upon it and write another entry for my blog. A thousand things are screaming at me: laundry, more cooking for tonight,
Garden planning in the fall, finishing my real-estate book, planning the Great Books
Curriculum for the fall, well I’m sure there are more things but this is why I find it hard to keep up with this blogging thing. Did I mention laundry? I have a bone to pick with whoever invented the internet, it steals my time.
What a fantastic week this turned out to be! ( you can see I’m greatly in need of a thesaurus! ) Caleb’s 2nd birthday was celebrated on Saturday. We also had our wonderful friend, Mr. Andrew Sandlin (www.christianculture.com) come and visit us Sunday afternoon. Poor Andrew, we had a great time picking at his brain with all our questions.
I had a brief meeting this week with Heather Clayton, and we are going to begin putting some guitar and piano together! Now, convincing Heather to get a bit funky with her beat, or get the groove on will be a challenge (she knows : ) ) but I think we will eventually get there! Now the grand finale of the week: my potatoes are ready for harvest! I know, it’s a boring life but there is nothing like taking those potatoes out of the soft, dark soil and seeing the fruits of your labor right before your eyes.. and tasting them in your mouth.
Mr. Sandlin’s sermon Sunday morning made me realize something and posed a somewhat scary question in my mind: Why are reformed people afraid of Jesus? His holy name is just not spoken with the kind of fervor, love, fanaticism, and frequency one would expect from such a fanatical group. Yes, we’re fanatical but maybe our fanaticism is more directed at Calvin and the Westminster Confession. Sometimes there is an akwardness in speaking about Jesus, we don’t want people to think we’re charismatic or baptistic or something. But, if we speak not the name of Jesus, then what do we have to boast in? Surely I have been guilty of boasting in theology, or a church father, or a modern day writer. This is not all bad, but boasting in Jesus Christ and his work on the cross, AND the resurrection trumps every theologian, every preacher, every man-written book that has ever existed or ever will exist. I love theology, books, and Godly preachers, but our, the church’s, zeal has to be about one thing first and foremost: Jesus Christ, who is alive and living in every one of his precious children. So, to quote a totally hip euro: “How shall we then live?”…. as a church, as a preacher as a nation, as fathers and mothers, as husbands and wives, as children, as artists, as scientists, as teachers, as disciples to each other, as……..well I do need to go finish that laundry.
Monday, June 26, 2006
summer love
I can't believe it's June. I have been behind in my blogging and I know you all are just dying to read another post. Can you hear the sarcasm dripping thickly? This summer has been going wonderfully. Anna has started violin and every Tuesday we make the trek to Winchester to grocery shop, partake in violin, swim and garden. I decided to put a garden in at Josh's parents house. Judy has more than enough space and is generous enough to share as much as I need. What a blessing it has been, both as a space to grow some food and as an object lesson for Anna and Caleb. They can see how the Lord must provide food through rain and sunshine, heat and bugs. Anna can't believe that Jesus created all those vegetable plants and friut and that they have been growing all over the world since Adam and Eve. To think how large the plants must have been, thriving in the glory of living in a world with no sin. Caleb enjoys helping to mulch the potatoes and dig in the empty beds, making sure no weeds are able to come up and show their faces to him.
Sunday we heard a sermon on Job. I must say it cut me deep. Job had great wealth, many children, and such a comfortable joyous life. When Satan came to the LORD and wanted to test Job, surely he thought Job would "curse God and die". But when Job heard the news about his cattle, children, and servants (all his wealth and family) and how they had been destroyed......."Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he FELL TO THE GROUND AND WORSHIPED. And he said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1:20-21)
When I have come to difficult situations there are times when I think woe is me. The fact that I would do that is sad.. to see what Job went through and how he fell to the ground and worshiped God when we sometimes can't accept God's plan in our lives when it comes to small things is tragic. I am thankful that despite having nothing good in me, not even the ability to call on the name of the LORD, He called me to be his child. Now, we are his children and he demands a holy life from us, set apart from the world, and one that is glowing hot with the gospel of Christ!
Taking dominion always, with our thoughts and actions, teaching our children in the way of the LORD, this is my prayer.
Psalm 32: Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteour; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Sunday we heard a sermon on Job. I must say it cut me deep. Job had great wealth, many children, and such a comfortable joyous life. When Satan came to the LORD and wanted to test Job, surely he thought Job would "curse God and die". But when Job heard the news about his cattle, children, and servants (all his wealth and family) and how they had been destroyed......."Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he FELL TO THE GROUND AND WORSHIPED. And he said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1:20-21)
When I have come to difficult situations there are times when I think woe is me. The fact that I would do that is sad.. to see what Job went through and how he fell to the ground and worshiped God when we sometimes can't accept God's plan in our lives when it comes to small things is tragic. I am thankful that despite having nothing good in me, not even the ability to call on the name of the LORD, He called me to be his child. Now, we are his children and he demands a holy life from us, set apart from the world, and one that is glowing hot with the gospel of Christ!
Taking dominion always, with our thoughts and actions, teaching our children in the way of the LORD, this is my prayer.
Psalm 32: Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteour; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Snow fall softly
Snow fall softly now. I am ready for your fluffiness to envelop me. Wind, rain and the gray colors of winter are here. I suppose the trees are still lookin' a bit spiffy but let's ignore that, I'm in a poetic mood. I want fluffy snow. That being said...Thanksgiving is almost here. We had a meal at my parent's house last Saturday with my parents, Travis, Erin and Herb. Our turkey and it's accesories were scrumptious. It's nice to enjoy and remember how our country began back with that first meal in 1621. God has done wonderful things for our country but how fast we forget them.
It's interesting to note that the Pilgrims did not like the Church of England. Thus, they left it and became the separatists. Whatever the reason, be it right or wrong, they were independent thinkers, people who were guided by their convictions and desire to live a life in the world but not a life that was of the word.
People have so many misconceptions about Pilgrims (puritans). We think for instance that they wore drab, unfashionable, boring clothes. We think that the puritans were against sex. The list goes on and on but I just picked out these two things. I think it's easy for Christians today to forget what the puritans stood for and really lived out. We like to put on our pietistic faces, dress in ultra-conservative or unfashionable clothes, look down on others sins and think how righteous we are in these works. The puritans were anything but unfashionable. Granted, the women's bellies and boosoms were probably not falling out of their clothes but they were fashionable and well dressed. They didn't go around in drab black clothing, that was just for Sundays. They dressed in the clothes and styles that were popular then: colorful clothes, powdered wigs, fancy coats and shoes. How about the Puritans and their view of sex? An influential Puritan leader said that sex was "one of the most proper and essential acts of marriage". There was a case of a Puritan woman complaining to her pastor and then to the whole congregation that her husband was neglecting their sex life and the church proceeded to excommunicate the man! Thomas Hooker wrote: " The man whose heart is endeared to the woman he loves...dreams of her in the night, hath her in his eye and apprehension when he awakes, museth on her as he sits at the table, walks with her when he travels...She lies in his bosom, and his heart trusts in her, which forceth all to confess that the stream of his affection, like a mighty current, runs with full tide and strength."
So, let's be like the Puritans..let's live in the world. On the surface the Puritans looked like anyone else you may see walking around (um, except for the Indians, and for the fact that they were in the wilderness of America alone.) but talk with them and look at their families, their way of living, their ordering in the home, the way they educated their children, their Sunday activities and you would see a stark contrast between them and the world they lived in. Oh, and most of this stuff I brought up is from a fantastic book: WORLDLY SAINTS: The Puritans As They Really Were by Leland Ryken. It's a fantastic book sure to inspire and encourage everyone in their faith while living in this world.
It's interesting to note that the Pilgrims did not like the Church of England. Thus, they left it and became the separatists. Whatever the reason, be it right or wrong, they were independent thinkers, people who were guided by their convictions and desire to live a life in the world but not a life that was of the word.
People have so many misconceptions about Pilgrims (puritans). We think for instance that they wore drab, unfashionable, boring clothes. We think that the puritans were against sex. The list goes on and on but I just picked out these two things. I think it's easy for Christians today to forget what the puritans stood for and really lived out. We like to put on our pietistic faces, dress in ultra-conservative or unfashionable clothes, look down on others sins and think how righteous we are in these works. The puritans were anything but unfashionable. Granted, the women's bellies and boosoms were probably not falling out of their clothes but they were fashionable and well dressed. They didn't go around in drab black clothing, that was just for Sundays. They dressed in the clothes and styles that were popular then: colorful clothes, powdered wigs, fancy coats and shoes. How about the Puritans and their view of sex? An influential Puritan leader said that sex was "one of the most proper and essential acts of marriage". There was a case of a Puritan woman complaining to her pastor and then to the whole congregation that her husband was neglecting their sex life and the church proceeded to excommunicate the man! Thomas Hooker wrote: " The man whose heart is endeared to the woman he loves...dreams of her in the night, hath her in his eye and apprehension when he awakes, museth on her as he sits at the table, walks with her when he travels...She lies in his bosom, and his heart trusts in her, which forceth all to confess that the stream of his affection, like a mighty current, runs with full tide and strength."
So, let's be like the Puritans..let's live in the world. On the surface the Puritans looked like anyone else you may see walking around (um, except for the Indians, and for the fact that they were in the wilderness of America alone.) but talk with them and look at their families, their way of living, their ordering in the home, the way they educated their children, their Sunday activities and you would see a stark contrast between them and the world they lived in. Oh, and most of this stuff I brought up is from a fantastic book: WORLDLY SAINTS: The Puritans As They Really Were by Leland Ryken. It's a fantastic book sure to inspire and encourage everyone in their faith while living in this world.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
ah, the chillins
I will say, learning is so much fun. When do kids loose that attitude? Anna certainly isn't coming even close to loosing it. When a little one begs you to read to them and teach them their lessons, it just sends a little spark shooting through your whole being. We are trying phonics again and it's going quite well. It's so awesome to see them sounding their sounds and first words out. She's taking a Science class at the Cottage School and has made some wonderfull things like the Body Book..pictures of bones, organs and muscles..and yesterday she made a nerve necklace. When she got into the car she was proud to inform me that nerves talk to each other. I took her to the Chiropractor the other day and she drew a cute little spine, with a head, hip bones and 2 legs!!! The artist has arrived. That seems to be her big thing she LOVES.
Caleb is fascinated by 2 things: talking and moving around. Does that sound familiar?? He loves to walk to the vitamin drawer first thing in the morning and point saying: "viiimeen, viimeen!!" I think he likes the Vitamin C's. Then he walks to the fridge and says"apo, apo!" (apple for those of you not fluent in baby-eese) then he likes to go and say "cheero, cheero" (cheerio)
Let's see, some other words he's been jabbin' for a while are: mamma, dadda, ball, milk, juice, "anna!!", no no, mine, down, c'mon, doggy, sasa (salsa), thank you, please, more, book, bible, and amen. I don't remember seeing kids talk so much so young, it's probably because Anna talks at him so much along with everyone else. He is the biggest ham in the world though and thinks he can get away with anything cause of his looks. HA!
Caleb is fascinated by 2 things: talking and moving around. Does that sound familiar?? He loves to walk to the vitamin drawer first thing in the morning and point saying: "viiimeen, viimeen!!" I think he likes the Vitamin C's. Then he walks to the fridge and says"apo, apo!" (apple for those of you not fluent in baby-eese) then he likes to go and say "cheero, cheero" (cheerio)
Let's see, some other words he's been jabbin' for a while are: mamma, dadda, ball, milk, juice, "anna!!", no no, mine, down, c'mon, doggy, sasa (salsa), thank you, please, more, book, bible, and amen. I don't remember seeing kids talk so much so young, it's probably because Anna talks at him so much along with everyone else. He is the biggest ham in the world though and thinks he can get away with anything cause of his looks. HA!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
blog about schools
Well, I'm already falling behind on my blogging. Now with a new schedule it should be a bit easier to keep it up.I have an hour or so of free quiet time in the morning now! Josh has decided to leave at 6:30 a.m for work every day to beat the traffic....which brings me to my blogging subject today. You see, we have a problem with traffic in Northern VA. Lots of development, lots of change. Now, there are those who wish to stop/curtail/restrict development mostly because of the congestion and a need for increasing public services..and this of course raises taxes. Wait!!! Did I say a need for increasing government services? What might these services entail? Government Education. We CANNOT have children learning in crowded classrooms or in *gasp* trailers!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nevermind that our Founding Fathers who were well-educated, principled, hardworking statesmen didn't have nice brick school houses with state of the art equipment, atriums and giant football fields. I guess it is because in 2005 education has everything to do with WHERE something is taught and not HOW it is taught. The schools in Loudoun county are very good...just look at them, they are nicer than my house! I'm sure they must be providing fantastic education to their customers.
Let's remember-MORE MONEY DOES NOT EQUAL A BETTER EDUCATION. Contact me and I can get you figures. Moreover, why should I have to pay for people to educate their children the way they want, I would certainly never expect them to pay for educating my children in the manner in which I choose.
A side issue to all this is that this monster, known as Public School, is growing and demanding so much money, it is affecting God's people carrying out the dominion mandate. Taxes are out of control. When do you think Republicans will stand up to that challenge?? Probably not.
As Martin Luther said: "I am afraid that the schools will prove to be the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the hearts of the youth". Why can't our representatives in the political arena grasp these words and stand up to make a change?...hundreds of dollars a month in taxes for government schools is unacceptable.
Let's remember-MORE MONEY DOES NOT EQUAL A BETTER EDUCATION. Contact me and I can get you figures. Moreover, why should I have to pay for people to educate their children the way they want, I would certainly never expect them to pay for educating my children in the manner in which I choose.
A side issue to all this is that this monster, known as Public School, is growing and demanding so much money, it is affecting God's people carrying out the dominion mandate. Taxes are out of control. When do you think Republicans will stand up to that challenge?? Probably not.
As Martin Luther said: "I am afraid that the schools will prove to be the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the hearts of the youth". Why can't our representatives in the political arena grasp these words and stand up to make a change?...hundreds of dollars a month in taxes for government schools is unacceptable.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Blog It Up!
Hum, well here goes my first attempt at blogging. I don't really understand the point of blogging, especially if you aren't a well known, well respected person. Who really cares what I think? Maybe this is a result of our country's overly-fat sef-esteem issue. We think everyone wants to read what we have to say so we blog it up as if the whole word is waiting to read our opinion. Probably not. It may seem as though I am rather negative when it comes to blogging but here I am participating fully. Seems rather hypocrytical don't you think?
Truth be told, this is a great way to journal. I will admit, I can say more outrageous things because I can type much more than I can write in the same amount of time. This too provides ample incentive to Blog it Up.
Josh is at a Redskins game this evening. When children come along it's amazing how much you can enjoy quiet afternoons and evenings and not care if it's just you, a guitar, a piano, and a new blogspot. So, stay around, this will be the most exciting and fascinating blogspot you could ever lay your desperate little eyes on. And when you are done here check out www.worldnetdaily.com for your daily dose of what's REALLY going on in America.
Truth be told, this is a great way to journal. I will admit, I can say more outrageous things because I can type much more than I can write in the same amount of time. This too provides ample incentive to Blog it Up.
Josh is at a Redskins game this evening. When children come along it's amazing how much you can enjoy quiet afternoons and evenings and not care if it's just you, a guitar, a piano, and a new blogspot. So, stay around, this will be the most exciting and fascinating blogspot you could ever lay your desperate little eyes on. And when you are done here check out www.worldnetdaily.com for your daily dose of what's REALLY going on in America.
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