I tried to quickly update sidebar to reflect Rebecca's new URL and in my haste I got the whole thing all messed up.  If you see that your link is gone, don't worry.  It's only temporary.  I won't have time to work on it until later, but I will fix it.  In the mean time, why don't you go visit Rebecca in her new spiffy digs?

March 31
Presence of Mind

Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. (Proverbs 3:25-26)

WHEN God is abroad in judgments, He would not have His people alarmed. He has not come forth to harm but to defend the righteous.

He would have them manifest courage. We who enjoy the presence of God ought to display presence of mind. Since the Lord Himself may suddenly come, we ought not to be surprised at anything sudden. Serenity under the rush and roar of unexpected evils is a precious gift of divine love.

The Lord would have His chosen display discrimination so that they may see that the desolation of the wicked is not a real calamity to the universe. Sin alone is evil; the punishment which follows thereupon is as a preserving salt to keep society from putrefying. We should be far more shocked at the sin which deserves hell than at the hell which comes out of sin.

So, too, should the Lord's people exhibit great quietness of spirit. Satan and his serpent seed are full of all subtlety; but those who walk with God shall not be taken in their deceitful snares. Go on, believer in Jesus, and let the Lord be thy confidence.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

March 30
Prayer, Thanksgiving, Praise

Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

NO care but all prayer. No anxiety but much joyful communion with God. Carry your desires to the Lord of your life, the guardian of your soul. Go to Him with two portions of prayer and one of fragrant praise. Do not pray doubtfully but thankfully. Consider that you have your petitions, and therefore thank God for His grace. He is giving you grace; give Him thanks, Hide nothing. Allow no want to lie rankling in your bosom; "make known your requests." Run not to man. Go only to your God, the Father of Jesus, who loves you in Him.

This shall bring you God's own peace. You shall not be able to understand the peace which you shall enjoy. It will enfold you in its infinite embrace. Heart and mind through Christ Jesus shall be steeped in a sea of rest. Come life or death, poverty, pain, slander, you shall dwell in Jesus above every rolling wind or darkening cloud. Will you not obey this dear command?

Yes, Lord, I do believe thee; but, I beseech thee, help mine unbelief.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
  
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
 

So many things remind me that George is not here.  Some are expected.  When I go down to put a load of laundry in, he isn't there, racing me to the washer.  When I come in the back door, he isn't lounging there right in front of the door.  No meowing in the morning to be fed.

 But just now, I had a rather unpleasant reminder of George's absence.  A smelly litter box.

 You see, George was a fanatic neat-nik when it came to the litter box he shared with Buster.  Buster did not share George's fastidious litter box habits.  He would hop in, leave a bomb, and go take a nap.  So whenever George would see Buster making his way to the litter box, he would wait nearby until Buster would finish and then go cover up whatever Buster left behind.  A true Felix and Oscar relationship.

 I miss my "Felix."

March 29
Dauntless Faith

I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee. (Acts 18:10)

So long as the Lord had work for Paul to do in Corinth, the fury of the mob was restrained. The Jews opposed themselves and blasphemed; but they could neither stop the preaching of the gospel nor the conversion of the hearers. God has power over the most violent minds. He makes the wrath of man to praise Him when it breaks forth, but He still more displays His goodness when He restrains it; and He can restrain it. "By the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone, till thy people pass over, I Lord."

Do not, therefore, feel any fear of man when you know that you are doing your duty. Go straight on, as Jesus would have done, and those who oppose shall be as a bruised reed and as smoking flax. Many a time men have had cause to fear because they were themselves afraid; but a dauntless faith in God brushes fear aside like the cobwebs in a giant's path. No man can harm us unless the Lord permits. He who makes the devil himself to flee at a word can certainly control the devil's agents. Maybe they are already more afraid of you than you are of them. Therefore, go forward, and where you looked to meet with foes you will find friends.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

March 28
Lead the Way

The Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:13)

If we obey the Lord, He will compel our adversaries to see that His blessing rests upon us. Though this be a promise of the law, yet it stands good to the people of God; for Jesus has removed the curse, but He has established the blessing.

It is for saints to lead the way among men by holy influence: they are not to be the tail, to be dragged hither and thither by others. We must not yield to the spirit of the age, but compel the age to do homage to Christ. If the Lord be with us, we shalt not crave toleration for religion, but we shall seek to seat it on the throne of society. Has not the Lord Jesus made His people priests'' Surely they are to teach and must not be learners from the philosophies of unbelievers. Are we not in Christ made kings to reign upon the earth? How, then can we be the servants of custom, the slaves of human opinion?

Have you, dear friend, taken up your true position for Jesus? Too many are silent because diffident, if not cowardly. Should we allow the name of the Lord Jesus to be kept in the background? Should our religion drag along as a tail? Should it not rather lead the way and be the ruling force with ourselves and others?

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Rest in Peace, George.  We loved you. 

This year's first spring flower.

The daffodills, narcissis, tulips, and hyacinth are all up in leaf, but not in bloom.  I can't wait!

The mint and parsleys, sage and chives have made an appearance, too, but are still too small to cut.

Have you ever been in one of those situations in which you were going along, cheerful and happy and enthusiastic and excited about a project and all of a sudden, WHAM!!  You get a phone call, or in my case, an email, that says, "You've offended me."  Oh, not in so many words but, nevertheless, the message is clear.  Your actions have been invested with motivations and intentions that you never in your wildest dreams imagined, but there you are.  Someone has been offended, someone has been hurt. 

This happened to me recently and it was devastating.  Someone dear to me had been offended.  And to tell the truth, as I read the email, I became offended myself.  How in the world could she think that?  Doesn't she know me well enough after all these years to know that that is not how I think, nor how I operate?  How quickly I went from, "oh, no!" to "why me?"  That's the way it is with a strong offense.  We so often respond with a strong defense.  But relationships are not football games and I knew I had to deal with this.

I was still reeling from the email when I came across this post at Lisa Writes.  Her post gave me courage to do the right thing.  I apologized to the offended person and did my best to smooth things over and begin again.  I wish I could say that it was received in the spirit it was given.  It was not.  My words of apology and reconciliation came back to me in a form I did not recognize, twisted again.

Lisa republished her post this morning and it spoke to me, yet again.  I realized that I hadn't done enough.  It's not enough to  do the right thing and then if it doesn't work, to go into defensive mode.  No, the offenses may have morphed, but that doesn't give me the right to go into defensive mode. 

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.  Romans 12:18

If it is possible. . .presumes it may not be possible.  I don't know.  Paul doesn't address the "other" person in this passage. 

. . . as much as depends on you. . .I know now that I haven't done "as much as depends upon me."

. . .live peaceably with all men.  I'm painfully aware that the subject of that sentence is still "you"--meaning me and not the other person.  I'm also painfully aware that this is an imperative sentence.  A command. 

I must do as much as depends on me to live at peace with this person I dearly love.

March 27
Drawing Near to God

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. (James 4:8)

The nearer we come to God, the more graciously will He reveal Himself to us. When the prodigal comes to his father, his father runs to meet him. When the wandering dove returns to the ark, Noah puts out his hand to pull her in unto him, When the tender wife seeks her husband's society, he comes to her on wings of love. Come then, dear friend, let us draw nigh to God who so graciously awaits us, yea, comes to meet us.

Did you ever notice that passage in Isaiah 58:9? There the Lord seems to put Himself at the disposal of His people, saying to them, "Here I am." As much as to say—"What have you to say to me? What can I do for you? I am waiting to bless you." How can we hesitate to draw near? God is nigh to forgive, to bless, to comfort, to help, to quicken, to deliver. Let it be the main point with us to get near to God. This done, all is done. If we draw near to others, they may before long grow weary of us and leave us; but if we seek the Lord alone, no change will come over His mind, but He will continue to come nearer and yet nearer to us by fuller and more joyful fellowship.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Yesterday was a gorgeous spring day here in my neck of the woods.  So gorgeous that I forgot to update the Quote of the Week!  I had a quote picked out but this morning I read something simple but profound and so I changed my mind.

"The day I began to read the Bible for myself, with solid study methods, in contextual truth, seeing Scripture interpret Scripture was the day my mind began to be renewed and my life transformed. (Rom 12:2)"

Elle, A Complete Thought

This is a small excerpt from her post linking John Piper's article about hearing the voice of God.  You've seen it everywhere, haven't you?  Of course you have; it's a must read.

March 26
The Care of the Poor

The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing. (Psalm 41:3)

REMEMBER that this is a promise to the man who considers the poor. Are you one of these? Then take home the text.

See how in the hour of sickness the God of the poor will bless the man who cares for the poor! The everlasting arms shall stay up his soul as friendly hands and downy pillows stay up the body of the sick. How tender and sympathizing is this image; how near it brings our God to our infirmities and sicknesses! Whoever heard this of the old heathen Jove, or of the gods of India or China! This is language peculiar to the God of Israel; He it is who deigns to become nurse and attendant upon good men. If He smites with one hand, He sustains with the other. Oh, it is blessed fainting when one falls upon the Lord's own bosom and is born thereon' Grace is the best of restoratives; divine love is the safest stimulant for the languishing patient; it makes the soul strong as a giant, even when the bones are breaking through the skin. No physician like the Lord, no tonic like His promise, no wine like His love.

If the reader has failed in his duty to the poor, let him see what he is losing and at once become their friend and helper.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

March 25
Refreshing Sleep

When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. (Proverbs 3:24)

Is the reader likely to be confined for a while to the bed by sickness! Let him go upstairs without distress with this promise upon his heart "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid."

When we go to bed at night, let this word smooth our pillow. We cannot guard ourselves in sleep, but the Lord will keep us through the night. Those who lie down under the protection of the Lord are as secure as kings and queens in their palaces, and a great deal more so. If with our lying down there is a laying down of all cares and ambitions, we shall get refreshment out of our beds such as the anxious and covetous never find in theirs. Ill dreams shall be banished, or even if they come, we shall wipe out the impression of them, knowing that they are only dreams.

If we sleep thus we shall do well. How sweetly Peter slept when even the angel's light did not wake him, and he needed a hard jog in the side to wake him up. And yet he was sentenced to die on the morrow. Thus have martyrs slept before their burning. "So he giveth his beloved sleep." To have sweet sleep we must have sweet lives, sweet tempers, sweet meditations, and sweet love.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Tonight I learned of the passing of a dear friend.  Jim was a servant.  A prayerful man, a kind hearted friend, a generous and godly saint.  He touched our lives in deep and lasting ways.  Jim was the pray-er for an entire community--Medina, Ohio.  When trials, or illness, or death touched a family, Jim was there.  He was there for us when our family was in need.  Who will be there the next time someone is in need and thinks, "We'll call Jim; he'll come."

O LORD, truly he was Your servant and now You have loosed his bonds.

This evening, I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

Thank you, Lord, for Jim. 

March 24
Established and Kept

But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

MEN are often as devoid of reason as of faith. There are with us still "unreasonable and wicked men." There is no use in arguing with them or trying to be at peace with them: they are false at heart and deceitful in speech. Well, what of this? Shall we worry ourselves with them? No; let us turn to the Lord, for He is faithful. No promise from His Word will ever be broken. He is neither unreasonable in His demands upon us nor unfaithful to our claims upon Him. We have a faithful God. Be this our joy.

He will stablish us so that wicked men shall not cause our downfall, and He will keep us so that none of the evils which now assail us shall really do us damage. What a blessing for us that we need not contend with men but are allowed to shelter ourselves in the Lord Jesus, who is in truest sympathy with us. There is one true heart, one faithful mind, one never changing love; there let us repose. The Lord will fulfill the purpose of His grace to us, His servants, and we need not allow a shadow of a fear to fall upon our spirits. Not all that men or devils can do can hinder us of the divine protection and provision. This day let us pray the Lord to stablish and keep us.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

I'll be doing some organizational "housekeeping" on the blog today, a little bit here and a little bit there, as I have time.  I need to better organize my stored resources and that will require moving pictures to new storage locations, which will require re-publishing some old posts.

I don't expect to be posting any more "real posts" today, so if I were you, I'd hit the "mark all as read" button when my posts show up today.   

I'm sorry for clogging up your Bloglines and feed readers but it really must be done.

Think of it as spring cleaning for the blog.  You really wouldn't want to go visit a friend when she's cleaning cupboards and moving furniture, would you?

Anyway, thanks for your patience! 

I hardly know how to introduce this post, other than to say that I want you to read it.

This song came to mind while I was reading. . .

March 23
A Sure Guide

I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. (Isaiah 42:16)

THINK of the infinitely glorious Jehovah acting as a Guide to the blind! What boundless condescension does this imply! A blind man cannot find a way which he does not know. Even when he knows the road, it is hard for him to traverse it; but a road which he has not known is quite out of the question for his unguided feet. Now, we are by nature blind as to the way of salvation, and yet the Lord leads us into it and brings us to Himself, and then opens our eyes. As to the future, we are all of us blind and cannot see an hour before us; but the Lord Jesus will lead us even to our journey's end. Blessed be His name!

We cannot guess in which way deliverance can possibly come to us, but the Lord knows, and He will lead us till we shall have escaped every danger. Happy are those who place their hand in that of the great Guide and leave their way and themselves entirely with Him. He will bring them all the way; and when He has brought them home to glory and has opened their eyes to see the way by which He has led them, what a song of gratitude will they sing unto their great Benefactor! Lord, lead Thy poor blind child this day, for I know not my way!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

I came across this old piece tonight while I was looking for something else.  I used to have it tacked to a bulletin board that hung above my drawing board, probably 20 years ago.  It's a rather large piece and I had to shrink it quite a bit to make it small enough to post to the web.

I was learning how to use a split nib and this was one of those practice sheets that I held on to because I liked the sentiment.  

File this one under "a walk down memory lane. . ."