Tried With Fire

Fact: It's hard to believe this is Thanksgiving week. Fact: Our weather has been like a yo-yo. I was raking leaves in short sleeves yesterday and got some mosquito bites. Fact: After raking 7 huge bags, I looked up at my oak tree and saw all the green leaves still hanging on the branches. Fact: If my neighbor is right, I will be raking until next summer. Fact: I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving with family this year. Fact: This may be on the menu as well as a turkey: Fact: Blogging may be more sporadic this week. Fact: There's something even better than food, family, parades, football (which I don't watch) and Black Friday (which I will avoid like the plague). Fact: I'm grateful to be able to thank God for His unspeakable gift! Fact: I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving. Visit Larri at  Seams Inspired , to join in the Monday Facts fun.

Let's get those gray cells moving this morning... Fact: A fun quiz - jelly bean flavor or Yankee candle fragrance ? Fact: According to man's finite understanding, the universe is this big. Fact: Here's another fun site demonstrating the scale of God's creation. Fact: Do you know the most common words in the English language?  Find out here . Fact: If you think church history is boring, check out the Women of the Reformation series. You won't be disappointed. Fact: Here's book giveaway at  The Old Guys  that will definitely stretch your brain cells -  Overcoming Sin and Temptation  by John Owen. Have a blessed Monday! Visit Larri at  Seams Inspired , to join in the Monday Facts fun.

Fact: I like turning the clocks back rather than forward. Fact: I can always use an extra hour of sleep. Fact: It's nice to wake up and not feel as though it was still the middle of the night. Fact: Did you know the day daylight savings ends has a name? It's called... ht: Thirsty Theologian Fact: It will soon be time to put away the lawn mower. Of course I will be trading that for a rake. Fact: We have four sweet gum trees and an abundance of gum balls. We saw a squirrel actually eating the little nuisances. I'm hoping the other squirrels will join in the bounty and save me some raking. Fact: I do this every morning. Fact: And this... Fact: It's not too late to enter the Calvin giveaway . The winner will be drawn Wednesday morning. Fact: Time to put the kettle on and start some work. Have a blessed Monday! Visit Larri at  Seams Inspired , to join in the Monday Facts fun.

Fact:  Happy Reformation Day! ht: Justin Taylor Fact: The Women of the Reformation  series starts today. Be sure to check it out! Fact: Yesterday was quite full with Sunday school and worship in the morning. We did Zumba for 2 hours in the afternoon to raise money for breast cancer research. The evening ended with a church fellowship at our pastor's house including hot dogs, 'smores, and singing around the fire pit. In honor of reformation day, we sang A Mighty Fortress is our God . Fact: We had a great time at the costume party this past Saturday. The Queen of Hearts' tart was beautiful and delicious. But you can't go wrong with Nutella and mascarpone mousse. I must  get that recipe as well as her pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Fact: The elves have discovered a new substance called polyester with which to make their cloaks. It's a derivative from Treebeard's ancestors and the long dead trees of Fangorn. Mr. Underhill Fact: It takes one skein of ...

Fact: Our friends are throwing a costume party this week-end. Fact: Some adults enjoy dressing up as much as kids. Maybe even more. Fact: The hobbit in the house will need an elven cloak by Saturday. As Lady Galadriel and the elves of Lothlorien are busy this week, Mom and Jo-Ann Fabrics will have to suffice. Fact: For the LOTR obsessed, here's a collection of Middle-earth recipes . Instead of Frodo fingers (short, stubby bread sticks with a sliced almond on one end and a pepperocini ring on the other), we will probably bring a cheese ball with crackers to the party. Fact: These were a few possibilities for myself which were vetoed: The 95 theses/walking scroll, Arthur Dent from Hitch Hiker's Guide, and the 4th Doctor Who . Fact: But I have settled on: Jane Austen, but of course. Fact: I only need to figure out her headgear and work on my British accent. Have a blessed Monday! Visit Larri at  Seams Inspired , to join in the Monday Facts fun.

Fact: It's harder getting out of bed when the weather is cooler. Fact: But I did get up. Before the alarm. Fact: I often hear the squirrels leaping onto the roof from the trees and scurrying across it. Some days it sounds like they're either doing a tap routine or having a roller derby. Fact: I enjoy seeing the backyard birds. Last week we saw mourning doves, starlings, grackles, a brown thrasher, and a male Eastern twohee all within the span of 5 minutes from the kitchen window. We also had a red-bellied woodpecker and a hairy woodpecker at the sunroom window. Fact: We had a wonderful time with our small group last night. Dinner was baked ziti followed by smores and pumpkin ice cream around the fire pit. Thanks, Paul and Erika! Fact: Small group bonding reached a whole new level last night. Fact: I love these brothers and sisters. It is a blessing to be able to have fellowship, pray, cry  and laugh together. Believe me, there was plenty of laughter last night. ...

Fact: I love books.  New, used, old, and falling apart. Fact: Theology takes up the most room in my little library. Fact: I read much less fiction but still enjoy a cozy mystery, preferably British. Tea, crumpets, and Colonel Mustard in the library with the large-print ESV study Bible. Fact: You never know what treasures you might find at the thrift store. The Twain is leather bound. Fact: Library book sales are equally dangerous. Hardbacks for 50¢  and paperbacks for 25¢ are hard to resist.  Yesterday I found Hound of the Baskervilles (not to be confused with this ) and a hardback, wonderfully worn, 1944 edition of  The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.  This dictionary will also come in handy. Fact: I started reading Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. Don't worry. I'm not reading this for parenting wisdom. Neither was I raised in this manner. My parents were not "good" Chinese parents according to this book, because the gospel chang...

Fact: It feels like fall with the temps dropping into the 40's at night. Fact: We saw our first bright red maple leaf when we left church. Fact: I made applesauce bars in honor of the cooler weather. Fact: Pumpkin pudding will be next. Fact: We had a neighborhood cat on our roof last week. The crow's were squawking like crazy, so I looked out the window. Lo and behold, a small orange tabby with a fat, almost raccoon-like tail was sauntering across the roof. I wondered if I would need to call the fire department, but it shimmied down the sweet gum near the house. The kitty came back yesterday, hopped onto the deck railing, and kept staring at the roof as if it wanted to climb up there again. Fact: It's ragweed time. (achoo!) Fact: I'm slowly finishing my unfinished books. I want to start another one probably by a Puritan dead guy. Fact:  Looking at my modest library, I have more books than I will read in my lifetime. I really need to stop buying anymore, bu...

Fact: I would not be a good entomologist . Fact: It's rather disconcerting to open the front door and have 3 largish crickets leap at you to get inside out of the rain. Because of the wet weather, it has gotten to the point that we either open the door with a broom in hand to sweep out any invaders or we stamp our feet on the threshold to scare them away from the other side of the screen door. Fact: Last month, my daughter was getting some clothes from her closet when I heard a scream. Coming to her aid, she said there was a large 2+ inch (including legs) spider in her closet. With gloves on and vacuum at the ready, we shook the hanging clothes to find the arachnid, but Shelob , as my daughter affectionately called her, was nowhere to be found. A few days ago, upon picking up the broom to deal with the crickets, a light brown object scuttled under the arm chair. Thinking it was a camel cricket, I pushed the chair aside, and with a few swift strokes, the mighty broom dealt a fat...

Fact: I must be true Baptist. I made my first green bean casserole on Friday. Fact: Ack! I've had 2 senior moments this week. Fact: Looking forward to getting past Indian summer. I shouldn't complain because upper 80's are better than upper 90's, but it felt too hot to cut the weeds grass this week-end. Fact: I am an indifferent gardner. Probably because I don't like getting bitten by the mosquitos, and I dislike weeding. I had good intentions for the front bed in the spring but then the heat of summer arrived. I have good intentions to plant pansies now. We'll see if it becomes a reality. Fact: I'll be leading a workshop this Saturday on The Organized Hear t by Staci Eastin. Out of the mouth the heart speaks, and what's in our heart dictates how we order our lives. I'm praying this book and our discussion will help the women in our church in our rubber-meets-the-road sanctification. Fact: I can remember exactly where I was and what I was ...

From the Daily Press Fact: I am still amazed at God's mercy during Irene. Fact: Not that I didn't have my moments of fear, but events like these are wonderful opportunities to consider God's power and sovereignty. Fact: More than 623,000 customer's serviced by Dominion Virginia Power are still without electricity . Many people evacuated towards Richmond, but ironically 75% of the Richmond area lost power whereas only 50% of Hampton Roads was hit. This gives you an idea of the reach of the storm. Fact: The bunnies and I camped out with my pastor's family during the hurricane. It was a blessing and a relief to not be alone. Although nothing happened to the house, I think I would have been on high alert at every sound.  I especially enjoyed getting to know their 2 older children a bit more, and I even got to hold their new baby boy! Fact: During the hurricane, I had a whole afternoon to do nothing but read, which was a real treat. I finished The World Ti...

We had a wonderful week-end in Washington D.C. to meet some sisters in Christ for the first time. I now have faces to put to names. Hopefully more details in tomorrow's post. I have 2 umbrellas as souvenirs from our nation's capitol as we were completely unprepared for a few  summer thunderstorms. The Metro doesn't give very much time to get in and out of the trains. I'm a bit sore from all the walking, but it was good exercise. We were able to visit the National Air and Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History.  I think I prefer natural history.  IMO, God's creative genius dwarfs the best that man can do. We were able to attend Capitol Hill Baptist's Sunday morning service. Mark Dever did not preach, but I was blessed and challenged by the brother who gave the word from Ezekiel 33:1-11. Time to make my morning cup of tea and do some work.

Having been inspired by Gregg  and  Petra , who were inspired by  Larri , and not having the time to write much this morning, here are some miscellaneous facts: Fact: Our neighborhood was blanketed by smoke from the Great Dismal Swamp fire yesterday afternoon. Fact: We're having unusually cool weather for August. Believe me upper 80s is a relief for southeast Virginia. Fact: The car passed inspection this morning. Fact: You can friend dead theologians on Facebook. Fact: There's still time to enter the John Flavel book  giveaway . The name will be drawn Wednesday morning. Fact: Continuing to read The World Tilting Gospel by Dan Phillips.    It's scripture-saturated, very meaty, very accessible, very foundational. Really liking it so far. Fact: Praying and preparing for a workshop on The Organized Hear t by Staci Eastin. Fact: Off to do some work.