Quote of the Week: James M. Barrie

Always be a little kinder than necessary.

James M. Barrie

Sunday Hymn: Forever Settled in the Heavens

Psalm 119:89-97

For ever settled in the heavens
Thy Word, O Lord, shall firmly stand;
Thy faithfulness shall never fail;
The earth abides at thy command.

Thy word and works unmoved remain,
Thine every purpose to fulfil;
All things are thine and thee obey,
And all as servants wait thy will.

I should have perished in my woe
Had not I loved thy law divine;
That law I never can forget;
O save me, Lord, for I am thine.

The wicked would destroy my soul,
But in thy truth is refuge sure;
Exceeding broad is thy command,
And in perfection shall endure.

Trinity Hymnal  #54    

Good Morning, New Year

You have a fun name:  1-1-11.  I hope you are a fun year.

For the start of a New Year

The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.                                                                                                 
- G.K. Chesterton

Look back with reverence and give thanks. 
Look ahead with vision and faith and with all the excitement of a child.  
- St. Flavia

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life. 
 - Jonathon Edwards, from his Resolutions

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown. And he replied: Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way. 
- Minnie L. Haskins

Glory to God in highest heaven, 
Who unto man His Son hath given; 
While angels sing with tender mirth, 
A glad new year to all the earth. 
- Martin Luther

Happy New Year!

Thankful Thursday

I'm having a lovely Christmas break; Tom home for 11 days in a row, a beautiful Christmas Eve service followed by dinner with the family and presents with our grandchildren, late mornings with a second cup of coffee in my jammies, running errands with Tom, resting and reading and cooking and eating and generally relaxing and enjoying myself.  

I wasn't planning on returning to the blog until after the first of the year, but I did want to jump in on the last Thankful Thursday of 2010.  Oh!  I have so much to be thankful for!  In some ways, it was a tough year with Jake's continuing medical problems.  There were times of fear and concern and worry and anxiety but just knowing that God is good and not only has a plan for all this, He has a purpose has given us all hope and comfort.  I am thankful for the hard times because it really causes us to place our trust in God and to rest in Him.

I'm also thankful for a successful year of business.  My last 'job' for 2010 went out the door last night and it felt good to have completed a year of work.  I closed the books on 2010 today and--YIPPEE!!!--I made a profit!  It wasn't much but most businesses finish in the red for the first year, so I am pleased.  I have wedding envelopes arriving on Monday, so I'll have work to do next week and I've got work scheduled into October, so that feels really good!

I'm thankful for our little church.  We're now in the fourth year since starting our church, Christ Covenant Presbyterian, and each week, as I pray during the worship service, I thank God for bringing us together, sustaining us, guiding and directing us.  We are hoping to call an organizing Pastor in the new year, so I am looking forward with excitement and anticipation to see what God has in store for us!

---------

I've written more of this post TWICE and lost it TWICE and I'm running out of steam to re-write it again, so I will simply close this rambling post by saying what I most wanted to say on this last Thankful Thursday of 2010:

I am so thankful for the love of Christ and the mercy and grace He has shown me by granting me salvation; for sustaining me, for convicting me of sin, for comforting and encouraging me.

Thanks be to God for His indexpressible Gift!

(And after all that, I forgot to publish this post on Thursday. . .)

All This Night My Heart Rejoices: Choir

Sunday Hymn: All this Night my Heart Rejoices

ALL MY HEART THIS NIGHT REJOICES

All my heart this night rejoices
As I hear
Far and near
Sweetest angel voices.
"Christ is born," their choirs are singing
Till the air
Everywhere
Now with joy is ringing.

Forth today the Conqueror goeth,
Who the foe,
Sin and woe,
Death and hell, o'erthroweth.
God is man, man to deliver;
His dear Son
Now is one
With our blood forever.

Shall we still dread God's displeasure,
Who, to save,
Freely gave
His most cherished treasure?
To redeem us, he hath given
His own Son
From the throne
Of his might in heaven.

He becomes the Lamb that taketh
Sin away
And for aye
Full atonement maketh.
For our life his own he tenders;
And our race,
By his grace,
Meet for glory renders.

Hark! a voice from yonder manger,
Soft and sweet,
Doth entreat:
"Flee from woe and danger,
Brethren, from all ills that grieve you
You are freed;
All you need
I will surely give you."

Come, then, banish all your sadness,
One and all,
Great and small;
Come with songs of gladness.
Love him who with love is glowing;
Hail the star,
Near and far
Light and joy bestowing.

Dearest Lord, thee will I cherish.
Though my breath
Fail in death,
Yet I shall not perish,
But with thee abide for ever
There on high,
In that joy
Which can vanish never.

TRINITY HYMNAL  150

I know I just selected this one two weeks or so ago, but it is my favorite and it is the the refrain that was repeating in my brain on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  We sang it at Christmas Eve service and I thought my heart would burst.  If you're not familiar with this one, follow the link to the Trinity Hymnal and give it a listen.  

Sudden Hope, Sudden Glory

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

Merry Christmas!

'tis the Season to be Jolly!

Note to Self

Never wait until Dec. 23 to do your Christmas shopping. It is not wise.

Never accept new work after December 15.

Never plan on doing Christmas cards after 'the rush.'  You will not get them done.  You will feel frustrated.

Remember, I warned you. . .

Sunday Hymn: See Amid the Winter's Snow

See, amid the winter's snow,
Born for us on earth below,
See the tender Lamb appears,
Promised from eternal years.

Hail, thou ever blessed morn!
Hail, redemption's happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

Lo, within a manger lies
He who built the starry skies:
He who, throned in height sublime,
Sits amid the cherubim.

Say, ye holy shepherds, say,
What your joyful news today?
Wherefore have ye left your sheep
On the lonely mountain steep?

"As we watched at dead of night,
Lo! we saw a wondrous light;
Angels singing, peace on earth,
Told us of the Saviour's birth."

Sacred Infant, all divine,
What a tender love was thine,
Thus to come from highest bliss
Down to such a world as this!

Teach, O teach us, holy Child,
By thy face so meek and mild,
Teach us to resemble thee,
In thy sweet humility.

Trinity Hymnal #158

Sunday Hymn: All this Night my Heart Rejoices

(I can't sing this one without tears in my eyes and a catch in my throat.  Follow the link and read a long with the tune.  It's a wonderful hymn with the entire Gospel on display in it's lyrics)

ALL MY HEART THIS NIGHT REJOICES

All my heart this night rejoices
As I hear
Far and near
Sweetest angel voices.
"Christ is born," their choirs are singing
Till the air
Everywhere
Now with joy is ringing.

Forth today the Conqueror goeth,
Who the foe,
Sin and woe,
Death and hell, o'erthroweth.
God is man, man to deliver;
His dear Son
Now is one
With our blood forever.

Shall we still dread God's displeasure,
Who, to save,
Freely gave
His most cherished treasure?
To redeem us, he hath given
His own Son
From the throne
Of his might in heaven.

He becomes the Lamb that taketh
Sin away
And for aye
Full atonement maketh.
For our life his own he tenders;
And our race,
By his grace,
Meet for glory renders.

Hark! a voice from yonder manger,
Soft and sweet,
Doth entreat:
"Flee from woe and danger,
Brethren, from all ills that grieve you
You are freed;
All you need
I will surely give you."

Come, then, banish all your sadness,
One and all,
Great and small;
Come with songs of gladness.
Love him who with love is glowing;
Hail the star,
Near and far
Light and joy bestowing.

Dearest Lord, thee will I cherish.
Though my breath
Fail in death,
Yet I shall not perish,
But with thee abide for ever
There on high,
In that joy
Which can vanish never.

TRINITY HYMNAL  150

Belshazzar

Belshazzar had a letter, --
He never had but one;
Belshazzar's correspondent
Concluded and begun
In that immortal copy
The conscience of us all
Can read without its glasses
On revelation's wall.

Emily Dickinson

Maddie Cakes

 

REPOST: December 7th

(Originally posted in 2005)

No, not December 7th, 1941, although every year I do eventually remember that it is Pearl Harbor Day.

December 7th is important to me for another reason. It is my father's birthday. He was born on December 7, 1931 and if he were still alive he'd be 74 years old today.

Memories of my dad:

I remember he called me Rock or Rocky.

I remember waking up as a very little girl to the buzz of his electric razor.

I remember he smelled like Old Spice.

I remember him coming home for dinner, dressed in his Ohio State Highway Patrol uniform, and kissing my mom on his way through the kitchen and unbuckling his gun belt. When he returned to the kitchen the gun was no where to be seen. I learned years later from my mother that he had a nail at the back of the closet where he hung it out of sight and out of reach.

I remember him swinging me on the swing set in the back yard, singing an "Alvin and the Chipmunk" song--"OO EE OO AA Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang"

I remember him coming home for dinner while the three of us kids were sitting in front of the TV in our clean jammies, watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. He told my sister and me that if we ever brought a boy home with hair that long, he's "stomp him in a crack." (Tom had long hair and very huge sideburns when we started dating (hey, it was 1974!) and he never did "stomp him in a crack".

I remember him spraying us with the garden hose in the backyard on hot summer days. He was always "Raid" and we were always the bugs. We "died" very dramatically--lots of kicking legs and swirming on the grass.

I remember having orchestra concerts in Junior High and thinking that he wouldn't be able to get away from his job long enough to see the concert, but without fail, he was always there, standing in the doorway with his stetson in his hands. And when my part was over, he would melt away.

I remember coming home from a three week trip to France and how hard he hugged me when I got off the bus.

I remember him trying to teach me to drive. I was a bad driver and we were both frustrated. Tempers flaired and angry words spilled out. It was the only time I ever talked back to him. He told me to get in the passenger side and he drove us home and never said a word about the scene.

I remember how he shook hands with the boys I brought home to meet him. He had a reputation as "The Crusher". A man should have a firm handshake.

I remember the first time Tom came to eat at our house. Mom had fixed roast beef and my dad took a piece of bread, poured gravy over it and declared, "I don't know what you do at your house, but here we eat gravy bread!" Tom was relieved because they eat gravy bread at his house, too.

I remember another big hug on the day I got married. I thought I might faint from lack of air! I remember him putting a penny in my shoe for good luck.

I remember the day our first son, John was born. He was so "radiant." I know that is usually a word reserved for brides, but he was so happy that he glowed!

I remember the last time I talked to him. We were living about an hour or so apart. I called to talk to my mom about the birthday party I was planning for my niece, Katie, who was turning 1 year old in June of '83. Dad answered the phone. My dad wasn't much of a phone talker. Our conversations usually consisted of, "Hi Honey, how are you? How's my boy? Here's your mom." But this night it was different. He couldn't wait to tell me about how much he was enjoying his flying lessons. He had served on the U.S.S. Midway and had always loved being around airplanes but he had never flown. But now that he was semi-retired he was fulfilling one of his life long dreams. He told me that he had flown several times but that day he had done his first take off. Landings would be coming soon. He was like a kid on Christmas morning! I remember laughing together.

The next day, while he was up in the airplane doing what he loved to do, he suffered a massive heart attack. The man who was teaching him to fly said that Dad had said he didn't feel well and in the time it took for him to take over the controls and look back at him, he was gone.

Over the last few days, I have been contemplating the preciousness of time. Nothing brings home the brevity of life and the uncertainty of our days than the death of someone you love.

I remember my mom sending me to the top drawer of his dresser to find his dress uniform buttons, because he was going to be buried in his uniform. There I found, not only his buttons, but a whole drawer full of memories. Things we had made him as kids, things I had brought him from France, baby teeth, baby hair, grade cards, all the things that he had saved. Precious things.

I loved my dad.

Books: Lost and Found

A BOOK.

He ate and drank the precious words,
His spirit grew robust;
He knew no more that he was poor,
Nor that his frame was dust.
He danced along the dingy days,
And this bequest of wings
Was but a book. What liberty
A loosened spirit brings!

Emily Dickinson

Quote of the Week: Bonhoeffer

Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Sunday Hymn: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.

O come, thou Dayspring from on high
And cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

O come, thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

TRINITY HYMNAL #147

Tiddely Pom

The more it snows (Tiddely pom),

The more it goes (Tiddely pom),

The more it goes (Tiddely pom),

On snowing. And nobody knows (Tiddely pom),

How cold my toes (Tiddely pom),

How cold my toes (Tiddely pom),

Are growing.

A. A. Milne

(Because my toes are cold)