Tried With Fire

I hope to get a night of uninterrupted sleep. Friday night, I awoke to the sound of something squeaking in the walls. At least I hope it was in the walls. It was too high pitched to be raccoons, and there is no way any raccoon could get in the house again, I hope. Most likely, it was mice. I had visions of waking up like Pa Ingalls with a mouse on my head, biting my hair off for its nest. Thankfully, the mice weren't that bold. These are the times when it would be nice to have a cat to deter these pesky little intruders. Last night or rather this morning, the phone rang at the unearthly hour of 3:45 AM. My first reaction was, "Oh no! Family emergency!" I didn't recognize the number so I let the answering machine take the call. I assumed it was a wrong number, but I was a still little worried. In my groggy state, I began to remind myself of the sovereignty of God even over strange calls in the night to help settle myself down. I did eventually fall back asleep. When I ...

The Painful Discipline of Our Heavenly Father , Hebrews 12: 3-11 - John Piper, August 24, 1997. From the sermon: Will you accept the mystery of God's providence in the pain of your life, and (as verse 11 says) be trained by it for the sake of good and peace and holiness and righteousness and life?

There was less snow than predicted. We got about 6 inches which is still quite bit for this part of Virginia. More might be coming tonight so it's not over yet. I shoveled a path to the car this afternoon. It was starting to sleet so I cleaned off the car to keep it from becoming encased in ice. There is a thick layer of slush under the snow which will be treacherous when it freezes tonight. Sunday service was cancelled due to the weather and driving conditions. I spent the day doing chores and working on my orthopedics test. When I listen to something too much I start hearing things that aren't there. I need to listen to the dictation one more time and send if off to my instructor. I'm on my own this week-end, and it's very quiet. The most talkative thing in the house right now is the guinea pig. There's a pot of improvisational bean soup on the stove and a loaf of bread in the bread machine. I'm looking forward to spending the evening reading some Martyn Lloy...

If we are not our own, but the Lord's, it is plain what error we must flee, and to what purpose all our deeds must be directed. We are not our own, therefore neither our reason nor our will should guide us in our thoughts and actions. We are not our own, therefore we should not seek what is expedient to the flesh. We are not our own, therefore let us forget ourselves and our own interests as far as possible. But we are God's own; to him, therefore, let us live and die. We are God's own; therefore let his wisdom and will dominate all our actions. We are God's own; therefore let every part of our existence be directed towards him as our only legitimate goal. Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life ~ John Calvin, Baker Book House, pages 20-21.

There's a winter storm watch for our area beginning tonight through Saturday evening. We haven't had any significant snow like this in seven years. I'm too old to play in the snow. However, this will be conducive for soup making and bread baking. From the National Weather Service: SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST LATE FRIDAY EVENING. THE SNOW MAY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS SATURDAY... AND WILL CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON... BEFORE TAPERING OFF TO SNOW SHOWERS IN THE EVENING. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE AN AVERAGE OF 8 AND 12 INCHES OF SNOW ALONG THE VIRGINIA... NORTH CAROLINA BORDER WITH LESSER ACCUMULATION TOWARD THE ALBEMARLE SOUND WHERE SLEET WILL MIX WITH THE SNOW ON SATURDAY.

Often we read history as atheists or deists, rather than as Christians. To read of events, without observing God in them, is to read as atheists; to read, and not observe how all events conduce to carry on the work of redemption, is to read as deists. John Brown of Haddington (1722-1787) From Words Old and New ~ Horatius Bonar, Banner of Truth Trust, page 288.

I wasn't raised to think a great deal about or dwell on my ethnic ancestry. I grew up in a little town where you could count the number of Asian families on one hand. I didn't go to school or to church with people who looked like me. I was never sent to Chinese school like other Chinese American children to learn the language and preserve the cultural heritage. Consequently, there was some outward and private disapproval, because my sister and I were too American to suit some folks. This disapproval came from extended family as well as other Chinese American believers. My parents deliberately chose to worship with people who were externally different from themselves. They deliberately chose not to isolate our family based on our background. My parents were given an opportunity to make a new life in this country. Because of that, they felt it would be wrong to take advantage of those opportunities afforded in America and not become a part of the country that opened its doors to ...

...[Jonathan] Edwards was one of the most brilliant and creative minds ever produced by America. His contribution to aesthetic theory was almost as important as his contribution to theology. His interests were mostly academic; he spent long hours each day in his study. He did not speak to his audiences extemporaneously. He read his sermons, which were tightly knit and closely reasoned expositions of theological doctrine. Audiences may have been moved emotionally by Edwards' language, but they were, first and foremost, required to understand it. If this preoccupation with literacy and learning be a 'form of insanity" as Coswell said of religious life in America, then let there be more of it. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, religious thought and institutions in America were dominated by an austere, learned, and intellectual form of discourse that is largely absent from religious life today. No clearer example of the difference between earlier and modern forms of...

I wonder if could request an Infra lock box?

Is affliction good? Can it be good to endure bereavement, to suffer injustice, to bear pain? Some day we shall know that many of the best things in life--are the fruit of these very bitter experiences. Our redemption--comes from the sorrow and suffering of Jesus Christ. Just so, the best blessings and the holiest beauties of God's saints--are the harvest of pain. We must not forget that the things which are painful, are also parts of Christ's chosen way for us, and that they are always good. In all our life Christ is making us--making godly people of us, fashioning Christian character, transforming us into His beautiful image. Let not life's pains and trials dismay you. Submit to God, accept the providences that come as part of His discipline, and take the lessons, the enrichings which He sends. Some day you will know that you have learned many of your sweetest songs--in the darkness. J. R. Miller, "Afterward You Will Understand" 1909.

I thought I would pass along some interesting facts about human physiology. The more I study, the more I am in awe at how God has formed us. Did you know... The kidneys are more than just the main site of our personal waste water treatment plant. When the red blood count is low, the kidneys secrete the hormone used to stimulate production of new red blood cells. 1.5 million red blood cells are produced and destroyed in the human body every second. A red blood cell does not have a nucleus and is unable to divide or repair itself. It only lasts about 120 days. At that point specialized cells break down the molecules. The amino acids are used by the body to build other cells. Iron is stripped and stored in the liver and spleen to build more red blood cells when the diet does not contain enough iron. Some of the remainder is converted to bilirubin which is an antioxidant, protecting cells from free radicals. It is not unusual for the clavicle (collar bone) to break during the birth process...

Let not the troubled heart say, Where is my perfect repenting? Where is my perfect obedience? but rather ask, Where is God's forgiving? Where is God's not imputing? How hardly is the soul drawn off from resting in itself! It is not thy doing, but God's doing. Thou must consider not what do I, but what God doth. Do not, then, look for Christ in the grave, when He is risen. Do not pore into thyself for this treasure, when it is to be looked for from heaven. Anthony Burgess (? - 1664) From Words Old and New ~ Horatius Bonar, Banner of Truth Trust, page 237.

I was lying in bed last night looking at the ceiling. I was thinking that the ceiling was probably not going to fall on top of me, unlike what happened in Haiti. When these catastrophic events take place, you are forced to think about the brevity of life. You are also forced to consider what is really important in the light of eternity. It is hard to look at the pictures and hear the stories of the suffering. I am glad of the opportunity to be able to give, but I wish I could do something more. But there is one thing that I can do. I can pray for Haiti, and I can pray, "Come, Lord Jesus."

I just finished listening to John Piper's sermons ( part 1 & part 2 ) - Subjected to Futility in Hope . (ht: Rebecca writes ) I regularly listen to sermons on suffering, which may sound strange, but I find great comfort in them. I didn't have any theology of suffering when the bottom fell out in my life, so I appreciate Piper's preaching on suffering. I forget too easily so I need to be reminded that there is a design to all that is happening. I need to hear messages that will get me past the "Why me?" and bring me to "It will be worth it in the end." One thing that Piper mentions is how we need to understand why God's children suffer so we can encourage one another when everything gives way. I get the impression that he deliberately preaches on suffering to prepare his church members to stand when their time comes. Last week in our small group, I looked around the room at the brothers and sisters who were there. Some, if not all, have been thr...

Topic: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Reformed History Speaker: Dr. Michael Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary When: March 26-28, 2010 Where: Grace Baptist Chapel Hampton, Virginia

No theology here. Just a video showing some of the joys of house rabbit ownership. ht: Disapproving Rabbits

From Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Chapter 19 Wants of the Times: I cannot withhold my conviction that the professing church is as much damaged by laxity and indistinctness about matters of doctrine within, as it is by skeptics and unbelievers without. Myriads of professing Christians nowadays seem utterly unable to distinguish things that differ. Like people afflicted with color blindness, they are incapable of discerning what is true and what is false, what is sound and what is unsound. If a preacher of religion is only clever and eloquent and earnest, they appear to think he is all right, however strange and heterogeneous his sermons may be. They are destitute of spiritual sense, apparently, and cannot detect error. Popery or Protestantism, an atonement or no atonement, a personal Holy Spirit or no Holy Spirit, future punishment or no future punishment, "high" church or "low" church or "broad" church, Trinitarianism, Arianism, or Unitarianism, nothing comes a...

I know it's not nearly as cold here as elsewhere in the world, but it has been cold enough for me. Our normal temperatures should be in the 40-50 degree range, so 20-30 degree days are very cold for our neck of the woods. Our older home is not well insulated, and we are feeling the chill settle in. Even the bunnies with their built-in fur suits are parking out in front of the radiator. I will admit that I am a wimp when it comes to the cold. If I lived in Laura Ingalls Wilder's time, I would have either gone back East or been buried along the trail. Stay warm!

Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones arrived in the mail last week. I haven't started reading it yet because I promised myself to finish some other books first. I did glance at the table of contents, though, which made it quite difficult to not start. It looks like it will be very helpful book I am two chapters away from finishing Holiness by J.C. Ryle. I have been blessed by this book as it clearly lays out basic truths about the Christian faith and Christian life. Ryle is extremely readable. His writing style is very entreatable, and yet he doesn't mince words telling it like it is. Ryle also has a knack for asking very probing and convicting questions. I know I will be returning to this book often. Here is quote from Holiness from chapter 18, Unsearchable Riches : The best Christian among us knows but little of his glorious Savior, even after he has learned to believe. We see through a glass darkly. We do not realize the "unsearchable riches" there are ...

Hope you don't mind me rambling on. The house is on the market. So far 2 people have come to see the place but no offers. The brothers and sisters have been such a help. They've helped me pack up and hide the clutter, move boxes and furniture, put up window shades, and caulk flashing around the chimney in the cold. My best friend's family want to spend a Saturday doing some yard cleanup. I am very thankful for all the help and humbled by everyone's kindness. This has coincided with starting school again after a break for the holidays. It will take some creativity on our part to get school done when we only have 1 hour's notice to tidy the house and be gone. It has been a little stressful getting the house presentable every time we go out just in case someone calls for an appointment. I will admit that the house is much cleaner! We thoroughly enjoyed the symphony concert on Friday night. We were high up in the balcony, but we had a great view of the soloist and the o...

I have been greatly blessed by Words Old and New by Horatius Bonar. I may be posting many gems from this book which have encouraged and challenged me. I hope these quotes will encourage you as well. Today's quote is from Charles Wolfe (1791-1823), an Irish poet and curate. His words are very applicable given the trend to throw out the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. How has God's mercy been shewn? By visiting the sentence on sin to the uttermost. He did not fling us His mercy indolently from His throne; but He executed sentence to the uttermost upon His only-begotten Son. His mercy does not consist in extinguishing His justice, but in executing it upon the head of the Son in whom He was well-pleased. Awful mercy! Terrible forgiveness! Mercy that we must not dare trifle with!

We are going to the symphony tonight! My daughter's piano teacher has two extra tickets for tonight's concert with the Virginia Symphony. Best of all, Norman Krieger is performing the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2, my favorite piano concerto by my favorite orchestral composer. I'm looking forward to this evening.

What are all thy sorrows, thy cares, and thy losses, viewed in the light of this happy condition? Tell me of thy poverty and many privations, I will reply, "Yes; but then think of thy justification!' Tell me of thy disappointed hopes and blasted schemes; 'Yes, but thy justification!' Tell me of thy change of circumstances and the painful contrast of the present with the past; 'Yes, but thy justification!' Tell me of thy friends departed and thy now desolate condition; Yes, but thy justification!' Thus, to every tale of want or woe, when that tale comes from the lips of a believer in Christ, I will bring up that one sweet, soothing melody for the troubled spirit, - justification by faith. John Angell James (1785-1859) from Words Old and New ~ Horatius Bonar, Banner of Truth Trust, page 333.

"Most of what happens is not the will of God." Don't worry. I haven't lost my mind. The above statement or at least something very similar was in a "sermon" my daughter heard while she was away. This has led to a very interesting discussion about this worldview versus a worldview based on the sovereignty of God. I would venture to guess that many people who consider themselves Christians would agree with the following: Suffering = Bad Bad = not God's will What I want from life (Is it really what I think I deserve and am entitled to? ) = Good Good = God's will As long as things are going relatively well, you can comfortably believe this worldview because nothing has happened to upset your apple cart. But what happens when suffering comes? When disaster strikes? What happens when you get sick or someone you love gets sick? What happens when a loved one dies? What happens when a marriage ends or a child rebels? What is your explanation ...

The house goes on the market today. The realtor took pictures and room measurements this morning. She said, "We'll keep our fingers crossed and say our prayers for your house to sell." As a Calvinist, I would have said, "We will prayerfully await the unfolding of God's ordained will." Inspired by Jonathan Edwards' resolutions, my resolve is to remember and rest in the absolute sovereignty of God. It actually may be exciting to see what God has in store for us. But if I forget, I have given my daughter permission to throw a penguin at me if I start wringing my hands like an open theist.

My daughter came home this evening after being away for a week. It is so good to have her back home. We spent the evening catching up. I always give her a synopsis of the sermon she missed that morning and share the things I had been reading. We share the normal every day items as well as things God has been dealing with in our lives. As we were talking tonight, she told me that she appreciated that I told her what she needed to hear, not just what she wanted to hear. It was encouraging and humbling at the same time. I don't think any parent ever feels they've done enough and wouldn't want the chance to do something differently. This makes me all the more grateful to the Lord for taking my imperfect attempts at parenting and using them in her life. The theological world view is very different when she's away. Consequently, she has had to wrestle with the differences and take a doctrinal stand on what she believes. I'm thankful that she wants to base her view of God ...

Another quote by Dr. John Brown: The ground of the sinner's hope is in God alone. That ground is sometimes represented to be the sovereign self-moved benignity of God; at other times the obedience to death of His incarnate only-begotten Son; and, at other times, the untrammelled revelation of mercy in 'the word of the truth of the gospel.' From Words Old and New ~ Horatius Bonar, Banner of Truth Trust, page 330.

A good friend came over Thursday to help me tackle the craft room. It's really the tiny third bedroom, but I use it as a sewing room. My mom taught me to sew in junior high, so I have been sewing clothes and other things ever since. Through the years, I picked up counted cross stitch, counted-thread needle work, knitting, quilting, and beading. Quilting can be a dangerous hobby. Not because you can cut yourself on the rotary cutter or prick your fingers when hand quilting, but because it can lead to fabric addiction. They say that the first step in overcoming an addition is admitting it. So I confess. In addition to being a biblioholic, I am a fabric-holic. Even though I sent away two copy paper boxes worth of fabric to Iraq, I still have at least 7 boxes of assorted fabric and 2 underbed storage containers of fat quarters and scraps. The main difficulty in organizing the craft room was figuring out what to do with all that fabric. My friend was able to stow the boxes out of sight...

I did not ring in the New Year. I was tired after a long day of tackling the last room in the house. It was good to be in bed by 11:30 PM. If there were fireworks, I slept through them. I am behind one session in school, so I could have started the next unit. However, reading about the gastrointestinal system didn't seem like a very festive thing for New Year's eve. I ended up reading theology with the bunny and playing some Brahms on the piano which was quite relaxing. I have decided to pare down the number of books I am trying to read at the same time. Due to life, my reading time is reduced. I try to squeeze it in whenever I can, but it's hard to pick up a book and get back into the flow of the author's thoughts. Therefore, I am going to finish the book on Calvin and Holiness by J.C. Ryle. I am eager to start Spiritual Depression by Lloyd-Jones. After reading reviews from other bloggers (Thank you, Kim & John ), I think this will be a very helpful book. The...