It is difficult to define Hiraeth, but to me it means the consciousness of man being out of his home area and that which is dear to him. That is why it can be felt even among a host of peoples amidst nature's beauty. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
. . like a Christian yearning for Heaven. . .
Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 06:57AM TO THE STATES
To the States or any one of them, or any city of the States, Resist
much, obey little,
Once unquestioning obedience, once fully enslaved,
Once fully enslaved, no nation, state, city of this earth, ever
afterward resumes its liberty.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 06:00AM LOOK, YE SAINTS, THE SIGHT IS GLORIOUS!
Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious;
See the Man of Sorrows now;
From the fight returned victorious,
Ev'ry knee to him shall bow:
Crown him! crown him!
Crowns become the Victor's brow.
Crown the Saviour, angels, crown him;
Rich the trophies Jesus brings;
In the seat of pow'r enthrone him,
While the vault of heaven rings:
Crown him! crown him!
Crown the Saviour King of kings.
Sinners in derision crowned him
Mocking thus the Saviour's claim;
Saints and angels crowd around him,
Own his title, praise his Name:
Crown him! crown him!
Spread abroad the Victor's fame!
Hark! those bursts of acclamation!
Hark! those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station;
O what joy the sight affords!
Crown him! crown him!
King of kings, and Lord of lords.
Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 05:11PM Scripture tells us in no uncertain terms that rejection of heresy is just as important, and indeed is of a piece with positive theology. They are the flip side of the very same coin. You cannot hold positive theology without also rejecting the corresponding error. Rev. Lane Keister
Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 11:07AM 
Sunday afternoon, Tom and I had our pictures taken with our grandchildren. Everyone who knows me knows I HATE having my picture taken and I avoid it whenever I possibly can. But even I can't resist having my picture taken with my grandkids.
This one cracks me up. I love the kinetic pictures rather than the posed ones. Elliott is 2 and a real squirmy worm. I think that comes out in this picture.
I'll share from the photo shoot later, but for now, this one makes me smile.
Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 07:26AM WHEN I READ THE BOOK
When I read the book, the biography famous,
And is this then (said I) what the author calls a man's life?
And so will some one when I am dead and gone write my life?
(As if any man really knew aught of my life,
Why even I myself I often think know little or nothing of my real life,
Only a few hints, a few diffused faint clews and indirections
I seek for my own use to trace out here.)
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 02:10PM October 20th and we haven't had to run the furnace yet. So far we've been able to leave the windows open (or at least cracked). It's a brilliant autumn day--64 degrees and sunny. The sky is so blue today.
Elliott and I have been playing outside this afternoon. Elliott likes me to draw 'choo-choo's' on the sidewalk so he can take a train ride; sometimes sitting in the engine car, sometimes running back and forth the length of the train yelling, "Choo! Choo!"
Grandma got hot and tired so Sam's playing with him now. He draws pictures for Elliott; Sponge Bob and Gary, Patrick and Squidward, Blues Clues. Sam's much better at drawing than I am. Even Elliott has that figured out!
He'll be a chalky mess when he comes in. Bath time!
Maddie is napping in our room. She is such a good little napper. She's crawling all over the place now and pulling up and furniture cruising--she'll be walking before you know it!
Prayer meeting at our house tonight. I used to worry about getting the house cleaned up before everyone arrived--now I'm just happy if I can get the toys picked up!
Less than two weeks until the election. I'll be glad when the political ads are over, how about you?
Here comes Elliott! Off to the bathtub!
Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 07:45AM HARK, 'TIS THE SHEPHERD'S VOICE
Hark! 'tis the Shepherd's voice I hear,
Out in the desert dark and drear,
Calling the sheep who've gone astray
Far from the Shepherd's fold away.
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring them in, from the fields of sin;
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring the wandering ones to Jesus.
Who'll go and help this Shepherd kind,
Help him the wand'ring ones to find?
Who'll bring the lost ones to the fold,
Where they'll be sheltered from the cold?
Out in the desert hear their cry,
Out on the mountains wild and high;
Hark! 'tis the Master speaks to thee,
"Go find my sheep where'er they be."
Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 11:02AM "So what does it mean for me and for you and for us as the people of God to be able to come to Him in the Name of Jesus, and using His Name come and say to Him, 'Holy Father'. . .if when we pray we say 'Our Holy Father' then that means that the church which He purchased with His blood is the Holy Family."
Sinclair Ferguson, Hallowed Be Your Name
Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 08:58AM I'm thankful for these familiar verses and the comfort they bring:
Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
I'm joining my friend, Kim from the Upward Call, and others in giving thanks to God on Thursdays in 2010. Won't you join us?
Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 09:36PM There's no place like home.
Dorothy Gale, The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 07:20PM 
Saw these on a girl today, struggling her way into the building from the parking lot. She looked incredibly uncomfortable.
High heeled flip flops. What will they think of next?
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 09:44AM It was very light but it was frost! : D
Sunday, October 3, 2010 at 06:53AM O that I had a thousand voices
To praise my God with thousand tongues!
My heart, which in the Lord rejoices,
Would then proclaim in grateful songs
To all, wherever I might be,
What great things God hath done for me.
O all ye pow'rs that he implanted,
Arise, and silence keep no more;
Put forth the strength that he hath granted,
Your noblest work is to adore.
O my soul and body, be ye meet
With heartfelt praise your Lord to greet!
All creatures that have breath and motion,
That throng the earth, the sea, and sky,
Now join me in my heart's devotion,
Help me to raise his praises high.
My utmost pow'rs can ne'er aright
Declare the wonders of his might.
O father, deign thou, I beseech thee,
To listen to my earthly lays;
A nobler strain in heaven shall reach thee,
When I with angels hymn thy praise
And learn amid their choirs to sing
Loud hallelujahs to my King.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 07:08AM It's been a very long time since I've participated in Laura's In 15 Words or Less challenge. However, having just read a passage in Les Mis about convent life in Europe in the 1800's, today's image brought back thoughts about cloisters and monasteries and spiritual journeys that lead ever inward but do not lead to God:
Pocket Labyrinth
Seeking peace,
He enters the labyrinth.
Spiraling in, discovers
Prison cells within himself,
Not God.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 12:47PM Meet Hyatt.
Hyatt was running loose in our neighborhood, wandering in the street, and clearly lost, so I grabbed a leash and went out and brought him home with me. Thankfully, he had a tag with his name and a phone number so his 'dad' came and picked him up in a couple of hours.
We're pretty sure he's the 8th dog we've 'rescued.' Hyatt was a sweetie--quite the little gentleman. He's blind and diabetic, so it's a good thing he was able to make it home in short order.
Good time to remind you all to make sure your dogs have name tags and phone numbers! Ours do!
Monday, September 27, 2010 at 06:31PM "Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are" is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you re-read."
Francois Muriac
My read and re-read list includes Les Miserables, (my favorite!) The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, The Harry Potter Series, Gone with the Wind, The Stand, The Thirteenth Tale, and many, many others. When I have a few more moments, I'll add a list of theological/doctrinal favorites that I have read and re-read.
So, what have YOU re-read?
Kim from Hiraeth
Here's a short list of my favorite theological 're-read' books:
Holiness of God, RC Sproul
Christ of the Covenants, O. Palmer Robertson
The Christian Life, Sinclair Ferguson
Knowing God, J. I Packer
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J. I. Packer
Pilgrims Progress, Paul Bunyan
True Spirituality, Francis Schaeffer
The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis
Feel free to add the theological/doctrinal books you've read again and again!
Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 06:27AM Has it really been a week since I posted? This past week has sped by! I missed my Thankful Thursday post and my Saturday quote of the week and never gave my blog a thought all week.
Business is picking up and I'm spending a lot more time at my drawing board. I've got a small corporate job lined up for next week; a small job but a big corporation--Discover Card International. I'm pretty excited about this job because it is the largest corporation I've ever worked for, but the pressure is on!
Took Eve to the vet this week for the dreaded 'is it time?' discussion. No decision was made but we learned a lot. She has a cataract that has become detached and is floating in one eye. The vet has never seen anything like it. Her fear is that she could develop severe glaucoma in a matter of hours if the cataract blocks the ducts in the eye. Also, there is a dark spot behind her eye which could be a tumor. That could contribute to her stumbling and falling. We thought it was because of her blindness or arthritis. The foot tumor should come off but the vet doesn't want to do it and it's not causing her pain or problems now, so it's really on the back burner. The vet is evaluating her condition for the potential of a sudden onset of emergency conditions. If she is not vulnerable to a traumatic, painful episode, then we will keep her with us for a while longer. But if we learn that it is possible for her to have a rapid onset of painful symptoms, then we'd rather have her go to sleep in dignity and composure with our other dog, Ivy, nearby and all the love of her family around her. I have to take her back next week after the vet has had a chance to consult with an opthomologist.
I have good news! Jake is beginning to feel the effects of the changes in his medication and his pacemaker settings. He's sleeping better at night and less during the day, his stamina is up, and he's coping with symptoms better. He goes this week for a 24 hour holter which should tell the tale about how the arrythmias are responding. We are all feeling encouraged and so thankful for his team of doctors!
I'm sure that there are other chatty things I could blog about but it's time to get ready for church. How about you? Did you have a good week?
