Tried With Fire

The saying goes that "A friend in need is a friend indeed." Well, I writing at Out of the Ordinary today abut a true and safe friend. I was overwhelmed with a pile of work. I was stuck in traffic. I was tired and didn't know where I would find the wherewithal to "do it myself," but I couldn't see any other way out. It may not have been a full blown meltdown, but I vented my frustration. Initially, there was some relief, but that feeling was quickly replaced with shame. I should have known better. I should have done better. I shouldn't be feeling this way as a Christian. But here I was, and even though I knew the truth in my head, my emotions weren't lining up as quickly as I would like. Hence more shame. Thankfully, God came to the rescue in the form of a friend... Read the post here .

This perfection of God fits him to be a special object of trust. If he were forgetful, what comfort could we have in any promise? How could we depend upon him, if he were ignorant of our state? His compassion to pity us, his readiness to relieve us, his power to protect and assist us, would be insignificant, without his omniscience to inform his goodness, and direct the arm of his power. This perfection is, as it were, God’s office of intelligence: as you go to your memorandum-book to know what you are to do, so doth God to his omniscience; this perfection is God’s eye, to acquaint him with the necessities of his church, and directs all his other attributes in their exercise for and about his people. You may depend upon his mercy that hath promised, and upon his truth to erform [sic] (perform?); upon his sufficiency to supply you, and his goodness to receive you, and his righteousness to reward you; because he hath an infinite understanding to know you and your wants, you and your...

ht: You're All Just Jealous of my Jetpack

Left: The struggle to make sense of life when a parent leaves , Jonathan C. Edwards, Rainer Publishing, July 2016, 198 pages. When my ex-husband moved out and made it clear that he intended to pursue a divorce, I met another Christian woman who had been in my situation. She told me that the awful stories about children growing up with divorced parents don't have to come true. In fact, she believed that they could come through relatively unscathed. She meant to encourage me, but this was idealistic. If the obvious rebellion and acting out one usually thinks of is absent, then it would be easy to think that kids came through with nary a scratch. But given that divorce is such a traumatic event, how can children not be affected by it? How can there not be wounds when the foundation of their security has crumbled beneath them? What is really going on beneath the surface? Left pulls back the curtain on what it's like to be a child of divorce. Jonathan Edwards (not the Puritan...

The omnipresence of God is a comfort in sharp afflictions. Good men have a comfort in this presence in their nasty prisons, oppressing tribunals; in the overflowing waters or scorching flames he is still with them (Isa. 43:2); and many times by his presence keeps the bush from consuming, when it seems to be all in a flame. In afflictions God shows himself most present, when friends are most absent: “When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord shall take me up” (Psalm 27:10), then God will stoop and gather me into his protection; or, (Heb.) “shall gather me,” alluding to those tribes that were to bring up the rear in the Israelites’ march, to take care that none were left behind, and exposed to famine or wild beasts, by reason of some disease that disenabled them to keep pace with their brethren. He that is the sanctuary of his people in all calamities, is more present with them to support them, than their adversaries can be present with them to afflict them (Psalm 4:2), a ...

Helping you let the opinions of strangers on the internet determine your quality of life:

There's been a recent post by a well-known Baptist pastor on making church membership more meaningful. One of his points advocates that children be denied baptism and church membership. (See point 5 here. )  I can see why my Presbyterian friends would object to this. As a 1689 Baptist, I would respectfully disagree with the Presbyterians on who is a member of the covenant of grace, but I would also respectfully disagree with Pastor Dever. (Of note, what follows is solely my opinion and not meant to reflect the opinions of my local church.) If Baptists believe that those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and given new life are members of the covenant of grace, why would we deny them baptism? If adults and children are saved in the same manner, then why is the covenant sign denied to one group and not the other? If children need to grow in maturity and may have lapses, don't adults? Does anyone walk so perfectly as a Christian that there was never a moment of doubt...

I am posting at Out of the Ordinary today with a slightly modified repost from this blog from 2009, in which I was contemplating growing older. When the world still tells you to try to turn back the clock as much as humanly possible, it never hurts to remember that Proverbs says Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised and Gray hair is a crown of glory . Read the post here .

Eagle Nebula Psalm 102:26, 27.—They shall perish but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old as a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.  The essence of God, with all the perfections of his nature, are pronounced the same, without any variation from eternity to eternity; so that the text doth not only assert the eternal duration of God, but his immutability in that duration. His eternity is signified in that expression, “Thou shalt endure;” his immutability in this, “Thou art the same.” To endure, argues indeed his immutability as well as eternity; for what endures, is not changed, and what is changed, doth not endure; but “Thou art the same” doth more fully signify it. He could not be the same if he could be changed into any other thing than what he is; the Psalmist therefore puts not thou halt been, or shalt be, but thou art the same, without any alteration. “Thou art the...

"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government." But compared to this election cycle, it might not be that bad...

I am thankful for - Catching up on sleep after catching up on work after vacation. That first cup of tea. Working air conditioning and one that is more efficient. The electric bill still goes up in the summer but not nearly as much as before. The pleasure of making something beautiful with your own hands. I misread the instructions, so I have to backtrack 6 rows, but at least I haven't dropped any stitches. Audiobooks to go along with the knitting. Small group meeting after many weeks apart. Midweek fellowship is a blessing. Time to ponder serious issues. I used to write more in the heat of the moment, but I am content to let posts sit longer before they get published. If my goal is to encourage people to think about how they think, I should do the same, and it is worth the time it takes. Seeing how scripture and doctrine are woven together. My pastor and the pastoral intern are preaching about the historical Adam, and the intern is teaching a class on Christolog...

"Thou hast been our dwelling-place; thou hast kept open house for us, sheltered us against storms, and preserved us from mischief, as a house doth an inhabitant from wind and weather; and that not in one or two, but in all generations. Some think an allusion is here made to the ark, to which they were to have recourse in all emergencies. Our refuge and defence hath not been from created things; not from the ark, but from the God of the ark. Observe, God is a perpetual refuge and security to his people. His providence is not confined to one generation; it is not one age only that tastes of his bounty and compassion. His eye never yet slept, nor hath he suffered the little ship of his church to be swallowed up, though it hath been tossed upon the waves; he hath always been a haven to preserve us, a house to secure us; he hath always had compassions to pity us, and power to protect us; he hath had a face to shine, when the world hath had an angry countenance to frown. He bro...

Olympic Hide and Seek:

I'm at Out of the Ordinary today with a review of Unashamed: Shame: the feeling of "not good enough," acccording to our own standard or our perception of someone else's standard for us. It's what keeps us from being honest about our own struggles, sins, and less-than-perfect moments. Fear of shame drives us to perfectionism in all areas of our lives, so there would be no imperfection for others to notice and judge.  (pp. 57-58) The word "shame" conjures up many memories for me - all unpleasant: - Wondering if God could possibly forgive me again after committing the same sin yet again. - Being mocked for looking different or dressing out of style. - Being scolded for normal human failings like forgetting something or not making the wisest choice. But the ones that haunt me the most are where I have been the one doling out the shame, and I long to lay these feelings to rest once and for all. But where do I go for help and healing from the shame...

Unashamed is a very timely book that has convicted and comforted me. Lord willing, I will post a review at Out of the Ordinary tomorrow. In the meantime, perhaps you can relate to the following quote. I can. "Performance shame comes from trying to perform for the wrong audience - those around us. It comes from the lie that our work, success, and accomplishments are what we need to feel good about ourselves. Performance shame makes us think that our worth is tied to our performance, and when we are plagued by performance shame, everything becomes a performance. Underneath we are asking the questions, Am I loved? Have I done enough to belong? Do I have value apart from my contributions and work? ... The things we do to try to cover up our shame bring us more shame than before... Or we feel exposed that we have not been good enough to outweigh our sins before God. We increase our involvement at church or in our community showing up at every service project, and begin to look ...