Tried With Fire

Last night, I finished listening to the audio version of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books by Karen Swallow Prior. I started re-listening this morning, and I want to go back and underline my print copy. On Reading Well looks at 12 works of Western literature in light of 12 virtues. But it's much more much more than books as moral fables or the print equivalent of Christian movies that spell out everything you are supposed to believe by the credits. Reading for virtue goes deeper than that. It requires thinking critically and making connections that may not be obvious. It requires soul-searching on the part of the reader, and just as a work of literature develops characters, reading well should develop our character as we read. This is an excerpt from Tenth of December by George Saunders as an example of the virtue - kindness. This virtue has devolved into mere niceness but it means more. Kindness is "to treat someone like family." (pg. 207)...

Mother: I've never grown old before. Daughter: None of us have. Mother: Is there a book that I can read that can help me know what to do? Daughter: There may be, but what works for one person may not work for everyone. So we have to trust God. When my sister related this conversation she had with our mom, I had to smile. This is Mom and her methodology to a T. Do the research, learn the rules, then do it right. This showed in her organization, efficiency, and thinking through and planning for everything to the smallest detail. This is how she functioned until the fall in the form of dementia began to manifest. Thus every glimpse that it is still Mom and not the disease is encouraging, But the details are much more elusive now. My mom compensates by jotting down lists on scraps of paper to help her remember what to do. I've come across those lists, and I marvel at her efforts. I also weep a little because, barring a miracle, I don't think she will get her memory bac...

I journey forth rejoicing From this dark vale of tears To heavenly joy and freedom From earthly bonds and fears Where Christ our Lord shall gather All His redeemed again, His kingdom to inherit-- Goodnight, goodnight till then Why thus so sadly weeping Beloved ones of my heart? The Lord is good and gracious Though now He bids us part Oft have we met in gladness And we shall meet again All sorrow left behind us-- Goodnight, goodnight till then I go to see His glory Whom we have loved below I go, the blessed angels The holy saints to know. Our lovely ones departed I go to find again And wait for you to join us-- Goodnight, goodnight till then I hear the Savior calling-- The joyful hour has come The angel-guards are ready To guide me to our home Where Christ our Lord shall gather All His redeemed again, His kingdom to inherit-- Goodnight, goodnight till then

My dad finished his race and was called home last night. We lost someone we love, but we are rejoicing for his gain. He will never experience sin, sickness, pain, sadness, or worry ever again. And one day we will be reunited with him and be with the Lord forever. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we ...

I'm posting at Out of the Ordinary today: When you have loved ones who are aging and declining, it's hard to avoid facing death, and it is sobering. For some reason, the phrase "Death is the great equalizer" came to mind the other night, so I googled it. References to Shakespeare came up, but the Bible describes this far better than any literature could. "The wages of sin is death"  This statement certainly encompasses us all no matter our station in life, bank account, or IQ score. In Adam all die, and none of us are exempt. But the verse doesn't end there, thank God. Read the rest here .

There have been so many advances in public health and medicine that we live longer and healthier lives. While this is a wonderful blessing from God, have we forgotten that we are mortal? Do we believe that we will always be as healthy as we were in our prime with no diminution of mind or physical strength because conventional medicine (or alternative therapies) can provide a cure for everything? As a result of this, have we lost the ability to walk alongside loved ones who face aging and dying? These are questions raised in Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. The author is a Harvard-trained surgeon who is on the faculty of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, so he knows of what he speaks. In his career as a physician, he has noticed the lack in the medical profession and even in society-at-large of helping people who face illness, disability, and death. These issues are treated solely as medical problems so the soul-care (my word) is absent when hard decisions need to be made. F...

Big Bun sporting airplane ears in 2009 Big Bun took a sudden downturn last week-end. Although his appetite was almost back to normal, his back legs became progressively weaker, and he lost the use of his left front paw. Thus he was unable to sit up or walk. I took care of him as best I could by bringing food and water right to his mouth and changing his bedding as often as necessary, but this could not go on. So on Monday, he took his last visit to the vet, and we said goodbye. I had what I thought would be my big cry on Sunday evening as I sat next to him and gave him pets. However, there was another deluge when the vet came to take him away. So after more than a decade, there are no bunnies in the house. Even though they were never noisy, it seems even quieter. I had hoped Big Bun would live a little longer following Lizzy's loss, but it was not to be. Was it grief, old age, or a combination of the two? I will never know. I am in no hurry to adopt another bunny at the mo...

Lizzy 2003-2015 Last week was rough emotionally. One of my beloved bunnies, Lizzy, took a rapid downturn. She was unable to use her back legs and unable to eat or drink. By the time we got to the vet's office, her front paws were even weaker. Diagnostic testing could be done, but to what end? Even if the cause was discovered, what treatment could be done that would make any difference to a rabbit who was as old as the maximum average life span? There was only one viable choice given Lizzy's precarious condition, but it still wasn't easy. The vet reassured me that I had made the right decision given her symptoms and age. The entire staff were very kind and compassionate, but I still bawled like a baby and held her as long as I could until it was time to say goodbye. The next day, my last bunny stopped eating for no apparent reason and began to show the same weakness in his limbs. So it was back to the vet again. I know I shouldn't have favorites, but in my opinion,...

We meet to part, but part to meet When earthly labors are complete, To join in yet more blest employ, In an eternal world of joy. This is the last stanza of the Southern Seminary hymn . Pastor Ryan quoted this in his sermon yesterday on 1 Thess. 4: 13-18 , a text that is typically used at funerals.  But when we consider life, we don't know what our days may hold. This past year, there have been those who didn't expect to lose family or friends.  This coming year, we may say farewell (at least in this life) to loved ones, friends, or this may be the year God calls us to glory.  But though we may part for now, we have the hope of meeting again. God will keep us safe in Christ , whether we go in advance or are alive when Christ returns.   "Therefore, encourage one another with these words." Even so come, Lord Jesus! Listen to the sermon  here . The changes of God's children are for the better. Death to them is but a gathe...

Atheists Bemoan the Commercialization of Meaninglessness  at Tom in the Box. Absolutely hilarious. Why Lie to Your Kids About Santa? at the Cripplegate. 5 Thoughts on Christmas from Frank Turk. A repost worth reposting. Finally, R.C. Sproul, Jr.'s wife Denise died of leukemia. She leaves behind her husband and 8 children, ages 2-18. My friend, Teresa , posted this article by R.C. Jr. which was written earlier this month: "It is a good and proper thing that I should, and you as well if you are willing, pray that God would make Denise well, that He would allow us to grow old together. It is, however, a better thing to pray that I would be a faithful husband to my love, and a faithful father to the children He has blessed us with. It is less important that He believe me and my conviction, that the kingdom would be better with her here. It is more important that I believe Him and His promise that the gates of hell will not prevail (Matthew 16:18) , and that He who h...

I've been considering my mortality. Maybe it's because I'm older. Maybe it's because I know of saints who are suffering from serious illness. But our lives are a vapor. However long God has given us is just an instant compared to eternity.  Here are some thoughts worth considering by John Flavel: 1. The believer's living time is his laboring time, but his dying time is his harvest time. 2. The believer's living time is his fighting time, but his dying time is his conquering and triumphing time. 3. The believer's living time is his tiresome and weary time, but his dying time is his resting and sleeping time. 4. The believer's living time is his waiting and longing time, but his dying time is his time of enjoying that for which he has wished and waited. Triumphing Over Sinful Fear by John Flavel, Reformation Heritage, pgs. 95-96. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also The body they may kill, God's truth abideth still His kingdom is for...

We awoke this morning to find that Rusty, the guinea pig, had died in his sleep. We had taken him to the vet last week because his appetite was steadily decreasing each day and to check for an upper respiratory infection. After a thorough exam and administering subcutaneous fluids, there wasn't much the vet could do except blood work. Even if we did the blood tests and found that one of his organ systems was failing, there are very little treatment options, if any, for small mammals. We knew it was only a matter of time before either Rusty would die, we would have to force feed him, or put him to sleep if he was slowly staving himself to death. I am thankful he died naturally according to God's sovereign timing. Although Rusty was eating less and less, he did not appear to be in any pain. So our pet population is down to the two rabbits. Lizzy is 7, and Big Bun is 5, which is the youngest estimate for their ages. Bunnies live 8-10 years so we may have them for a while....

I received word this evening that my aunt may only have a few days to live. She was diagnosed with cancer of the pleural cavity and was undergoing chemo. She took a turn for the worse yesterday and was hospitalized. The doctors discovered her right lung was not functioning, and her system was toxic with carbon dioxide. My aunt and uncle are believers as well as their children. In speaking with my sister, she said to pray that it would not be too soon, meaning my aunt's death, and to pray that God would be in control. Lest I point the finger, I was that way for most of my life - having a morbid uncertainty whether events were God's will or not. But I gently said to her that God numbers our days. It will not be too soon or too late. He is in control, even over the spread of our aunt's cancer. But after I hung up, I had to ask myself would I feel this way if it was my mom who was dying? Or my daughter? Or myself? Would I be secure in God's sovereign plan, knowing that noth...