Last month, Rebecca hosted a Recipe Round-up.  She asked for "quick fix" recipes and we  all got a lot of great recipes.  Being the greedy recipe hound that I am, I suggested that we might keep this going.  So, I will be hosting May's  Recipe Round-up here at Hiraeth.

 I'm taking Rebecca's lead, so here's how it will work:

 

. . .if there is any real victory in my life, it must not be thought of as my victory or my perfection.  Such a notion does not fit the scriptural picture of man or God's dealing with us since man has sinned.  It is not my victory, it is always Christ's victory; it is never my work or holiness, it is always Christ's work and Christ's holiness.  When I begin to think and to grow in the idea of my victory, there is really no true victory.  To the extent that I am thinking about my sanctification, there is no real sanctification.  I must see it always as Jesus Christ's.

Francis Schaeffer, True Spirituality, pg. 85 

April 30
The Overcomer's Reward

To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Revelation 2:17)

MY HEART, be thou stirred up to persevere in the holy war, for the reward of victory is great. Today we eat of heavenly food which falls about our camps; the food of the wilderness, the food which comes from heaven, the food which never fails the pilgrims to Canaan. But there is reserved for us in Christ Jesus a still higher degree of spiritual life and a food for it which, as yet, is hidden from our experience. In the golden pot which was laid up in the ark there was a portion of manna hidden away, which though kept for ages never grew stale. No one ever saw it; it was hid with the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies. Even so, the highest life of the believer is hid with Christ, in God. We shall come to it soon, Being made victorious through the grace of our Lord Jesus, we shall eat of the King's meat and feed upon royal dainties. We shall feed upon Jesus. He is our "hidden manna," as well as the manna of the wilderness. He is all in all to us in our highest, as well as in our lowest, estate. He helps us to fight, gives us the victory, and then is Himself our reward. Lord, help me to overcome.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 Six impossible things before breakfast:

A virgin gave birth to a son.

Luke 1: 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

The blind received sight, the deaf hearing, the lame walked, the hungry were fed with scraps and were full.

Luke 7: 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.

He answered not a word.

Mark 15:4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

For the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross.

Hebrews 12:2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

He rose from the dead.

Matthew 28:6  He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.

He ascended into Heaven.Acts 1:11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

 

April 29
Forget and Forgive

Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee. (Proverbs 20:22)

BE not in haste. Let anger cool down. Say nothing and do nothing to avenge yourself. You will be sure to act unwisely if you take up the cudgels and fight your own battles; and, certainly, you will not show the spirit of the Lord Jesus. It is nobler to forgive and let the offense pass. To let an injury rankle in your bosom and to meditate revenge is to keep old wounds open and to make new ones. Better forget and forgive.

Peradventure, you say that you must do something or be a great loser; then do what this morning's promise advises: "Wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee." This advice will not cost you money but is worth far more, Be calm and quiet. Wait upon the Lord; tell Him your grievance; spread Rabshakeh's letter before the Lord, and this of itself will be an ease to your burdened mind. Besides, there is the promise "He shall save thee." God will find a way of deliverance for you. How He will do it neither you nor I can guess, but do it He will.  If the Lord saves you, this will be a deal better than getting into petty quarrels and covering yourself with filth by wrestling with the unclean. Be no more angry. Leave your suit with the Judge of all.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Lewis Carroll 

This quote caught my attention this morning.  For one thing, it's sort of comical. For another, if you think about it for 30 seconds, you will see that it is profound.  I'll share my thoughts on it, but I'd like to hear your thoughts, too.  

 What comes to your mind when you read this quote?

April 28
It Becomes Mutual

I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

HERE is a mutual interest. Each belongs to each. God is the portion of His people, and the chosen people are the portion of their God. The saints find in God their chief possession, and He reckons them to be His peculiar treasure. What a mine of comfort lies in this fact for each believer!

This happy condition of mutual interest leads to mutual consideration. God will always think of His own people, and they will always think of Him. This day my God will perform all things for me; what can I do for Him? My thoughts ought to run toward Him, for He thinketh upon me. Let me make sure that it is so and not be content with merely admitting that so it ought to be.

This, again, leads to mutual fellowship. God dwells in us, and we dwell in Him; He walks with us, and we walk with God....

Oh, for grace to treat the Lord as my God: to trust Him and to serve Him, as His Godhead deserves! Oh, that I could love, worship, adore, and obey Jehovah in spirit and in truth! This is my heart's desire. When I shall attain to it, I shall have found my heaven. Lord, help me! Be my God in helping me to know Thee as my God, for Jesus' sake.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

April 27
God Finished His Work

The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. (Psalm 138:8)

He who has begun will carry on the work which is being wrought within my soul. The Lord is concerned about everything that concerns me. All that is now good, but not perfect, the Lord will watch over, preserve, and carry out to completion. This is a great comfort. I could not perfect the work of grace myself. Of that I am quite sure, for I fail every day and have only held on so long as I have because the Lord has helped me. If the Lord were to leave me, all my past experience would go for nothing, and I should perish from the way. But the Lord will continue to bless me. He will perfect my faith, my love, my character, my lifework. He will do this because He has begun a work in me. He gave me the concern I feel, and, in a measure, He has fulfilled my gracious aspirations, He never leaves a work unfinished; this would not be for His glory, nor would it be like Him. He knows how to accomplish His gracious design, and though my own evil nature and the world and the devil all conspire to hinder Him, I do not doubt His promise. He will perfect that which concerneth me, and I will praise Him forever. Lord, let Thy gracious work make some advance this day!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

April 26
Gracious Dealing

And the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest. (Deuteronomy 15:18)

AN Israelitish master was to give his bondservant liberty in due time, and when he left his service he was to start him in life with a liberal portion, This was to be done heartily and cheerfully, and then the Lord promised to bless the generous act. The spirit of this precept, and, indeed, the whole law of Christ, binds us to treat people well. We ought to remember how the Lord has dealt with us, and that this renders it absolutely needful that we should deal graciously with others.   It becomes those to be generous who are the children of a gracious God. How can we expect our great Master to bless us in our business if we oppress those who serve us?

What a benediction is here set before the liberal mind! To be blessed in all that we do is to be blessed indeed. The Lord will send us this partly in prosperity, partly in content of mind, and partly in a sense of His favor, which is the best of all blessings. He can make us feel that we are under His special care and are surrounded by His peculiar love. This makes this earthly life a joyous prelude to the life to come. God's blessing is more than a fortune. It maketh rich and addeth no sorrow therewith.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

As you can see, they are not mine, they are Eve's grandpuppies.  These pups are out of her son, Archee, who was born from the last litter she had before she was "retired."  They are three days old in this picture.  Aren't they sweet?

 

No quotes for me, the characters in my favorite books are "real"  real to me!  I love this meme; it was fun, thanks, Kim!

Name three characters (from books)...
1). You wish were real so you could meet them.
The Bishop from Les Miserables:

It seemed as if it were a sort of rite with him, to prepare himself for sleep by meditating in presence of the great spectacle of the starry firmament. Sometimes at a late hour of the night, if the two women were awake, they would hear him slowly promenading the walks. He was there alone with himself, collected, tranquil, adoring, comparing the serenity of his heart with the serenity of the skies, moved in the darkness by the visible splendors of the constellations, and the invisible splendor of God, opening his soul to the thoughts which fall from the Unknown. pg. 61

What was more needed by this old man who divided the leisure hours of his life, where he had so little leisure, between gardening in the daytime and contemplation at night? Was not this narrow enclosure, with the sky for a background, enought to enable him to adore God in His most beautiful as well as in His most sublime works? Indeed, is not that all, and what more can be desired? A little garden to walk, and immensity to reflect opon. At his feet something to cultivate and gather; above his head something to study and meditate upon; a few flowers on the earth and all the stars in the sky. pg. 62

Johnny Wainwright from A Prayer for Owen Meany.  Johnny Wainwright is as haunting a character to me as Owen Meany is to most who have read this book.  The great themes of this quirky but unforgettable book include Providence, the Sovereignty of God, Sacrifice and Redemption, among others.  Johnny didn't get it.  I'd love to share the gospel with him.

Mr. Bliss from Tolkien's Children's Tale, Mr. Bliss.  Oh, I love children's tales and this is one of my favorites!  Written and illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien for the amusment of himself and his children, this book is hysterically funny.  I'm sure if I met Mr. Bliss I would have some rousing adventures.  I just hope I wouldn't be "too bruised" by them all!

2). You would like to be.

Faithful from Pilgrim's Progress.  The name sort of says it all.

Jean Valjean from Les Miserables.  Oh, to live through what he lived through and to die in full faith!

We must forgive them. . .Such are the distributions of God.  He is on high, He sees us all, and He knows what He does in the midst of the stars. . .I die happy.

I'm not sure I would've thought of it on my own, but I do like Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia (thanks, Kim!)

3). Who scare you.

Right now the scariest would be Morgoth from The Children of Hurin.  His curse against the Children of Hurin is so full of malice and rage and heartlessness that I found myself wincing as I read.

Next would probably be Javert, from Les Miserables.  He's probably the scariest of all.  To be so unyielding, to be so pitiless, to be so unapproachable:

    ~Now, if we admit for a moment that there is in every man some one of the species of the animal creation, it will be easy for us to describe the guardian of the peace, Javert.

    The peasants of the Astrurias believe that in every litter of wolves there is a dog, which is killed by the mother, lest on growing up it should devour the other little ones.

    Give a human face to this dog son of a wolf, and you will have Javert.

    ~This man was a compound of two sentiments very simple and very good in themselves, but he almost made them evil by his exaggeration of them, respect for authority and hatred of rebellion; and in his eyes, theft, murder, all crimes, were only forms of rebellion. . .He was stoical, serious, austere: a dreamer of stern dreams, humble and haughty, like all fanatics. His stare was cold and as piercing as a gimlet. His whole life was contained in these two words: waiting and watching.

Last, Stromboli, from Pinnochio.  I loved the story of Pinnochio as a child but I was very frightened of Stromboli, the puppeteer.  He, too, was without pity.

As I think about it, there is a common theme of the ones who scare me--lack of pity. 

 

I'm tagging Ellen, Leslie, and Allyson

April 25
What to Leave Children

The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. (Proverbs 20:7)

Anxiety about our family is natural, but we shall be wise if we turn it into care about our own character. If we walk before the Lord in integrity, we shall do more to bless our descendants than if we bequeathed them large estates. A father's holy life is a rich legacy for his sons.

The upright man leaves his heirs his example, and this in itself will be a mine of true wealth, How many men may trace their success in life to the example of their parents!

He leaves them also his repute. Men think better of us as the sons of a man who could be trusted, the successors of a tradesman of excellent repute, Oh, that all young men were anxious to keep up the family name!

Above all, he leaves his children his prayers and the blessing of a prayer-hearing God, and these make our offspring to be favored among the sons of men. God will save them even after we are dead. Oh, that they might be saved at once!

Our integrity may be God's means of saving our sons and daughters. If they see the truth of our religion proved by our lives, it may be that they will believe in Jesus for themselves. Lord, fulfill this word to my household!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Well, if it's going to end up on the shelf with the rest of my beloved Tolkien books, you know it had to have it's own bookmark. . . 

To celebrate the arrival of The Children of Hurin, I'm offering this bookmark, with two mounts of your choice of color, for $9; shipping included until May 1st. 

Don't care about Tolkien?  Well, have you visited the gallery lately?  There are some new designs!

April 24
Condition of Blessing

Bring ye all of the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:10)

Many read and plead this promise without noticing the condition upon which the blessing is promised. We cannot expect heaven to be opened or blessing poured out unless we pay our dues unto the Lord our God and to His cause. There would be no lack of funds for holy purposes if all professing Christians paid their fair share.

Many are poor because they rob God. Many churches, also, miss the visitation of the Spirit because they starve their ministries. If there is no temporal meat for God's servants, we need not wonder if their ministry has been little food in it for our souls. When missions pine for means and the work of the Lord is hindered by an empty treasury, how can we look for a large amount of soul-prosperity?

Come, come! What have I given of late? Have I been mean to my God? Have I stinted my Savior? This will never do. Let me give my Lord Jesus His tithe by helping the poor and aiding His work, and then I shall prove His power to bless me on a large scale.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Today was a happy, happy mail day!

Look what I got from my friend, Jill!  A beautifully hand knitted scarf and a sweet note that made me cry! Thank you, Jill!  I adore it and if I wasn't a scarf girl before, I am now!

 

 And my copy of The Children of Hurin came this afternoon!

 

There it is, just to the right of The Silmarillion.  Only it's not there any more, it is down from the shelf (where it posed for a picture only!) and is waiting for me to join my hubby and the dogs on the couch.  'Night, all.  I'm off to the First Age. . .or perhaps before.   Numenor, maybe?  Can't wait to find out!

The day has become increasingly dark.  The rain is waiting nearby, hovering over our little cottage, gathering the shadows and nudging them back into the corners of the rooms, lulling the dogs to sleep. 

I love rainy Mondays. 

April 23
No Fear of Death

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (Revelation 2:11)

The first death we must endure unless the Lord should suddenly come to His temple. For this let us abide in readiness, awaiting it without fear, since Jesus has transformed death from a dreary cavern into a passage leading to glory.

The thing to be feared is not the first but the second death, not the parting of the soul from the body but the final separation of the entire man from God. This is death indeed. This death kills all peace, joy, happiness, hope. When God is gone, all is gone. Such a death is far worse than ceasing to be: it is existence without the life which makes existence worth the having.

Now, if by God's grace we fight on to the end and conquer in the glorious war, no second death can lay its chill finger upon us, We shall have no fear of death and hell, for we shall receive a crown of life which fadeth not away. How this nerves us for the fight! Eternal life is worth a life's battle. To escape the hurt of the second death is a thing worth struggling for throughout a lifetime.

Lord, give us faith so that we may overcome, and then grant us grace to remain unharmed though sin and Satan dog our heels!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

O, Christian, antedate heaven for a few years.  Within a very little time thou shalt be rid of all thy trials and thy troubles.  Thine eyes now suffused with tears shall weep no longer.  Thou shall gaze in ineffable rapture upon the splendour of Him Who sits upon the throne.

Charles Spurgeon,
quoted in Tabletalk, April 2007