Thursday, December 23, 2010


I've just finished a lovely book - James Good's Famous Women of the Reformed Church. The final chapter - the only one about an American woman, was on Mrs. Thomas Doremus, a woman who gave herself to constant industry for the advancement of God's kingdom.

There were two secrets to her wonderful life, personal consecration and untiring activity. Thus when the Woman's Missionary Society met at her house and she was asked if this or that could be done, her reply was "All I have is the Lord's" For her to live was Christ.

Her activity was as great as her consecration. Her favorite text was, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might." As her health was generally delicate and she suffered for many years from pulmonary troubles, she often said "I do today for fear tomorrow will never come."

"Well, here is her epitaph, written 1800 years ago by St. Paul, 'Well reported of for good works, she hath brought up children, she hath lodged strangers, she hath washed the saints' feet, she hath relieved the afflicted, she hath diligently followed every good work.'"
Reading about such zealous lives inspires me to more diligent and faithful service in the kingdom. I want this to be said of me! Soli Deo gloria!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

"God is the best Master.

'There is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants...there hath not failed one word of all his good promise' (1 Kings 8:23,56)

In our wants, he relieves us,
in our weakness, he pities us...

He waits on his servants. Was there ever such a Master?
'...He shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them' (Luke12:37)

When we are sick, he makes our bed
:
'Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness' (Ps 41:3)

He holds our head when we are fainting.

Other masters may forget their servants, and cast them off when they are old, but God will not: 'Thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me' (Isa. 44:21)

It is a slander to say, 'God is a hard Master'.

- Thomas Watson, The Godly Man's Picture

Thursday, December 2, 2010

"Let it never be said that the Church of God has no feeling of patriotism for the Holy City, for the Heavenly Land and for her glorious King enthroned above. To us, Christian patriotism means love to the Church of God, for-

“There our best friends, our kindred dwell,

There God our Savior reigns.”


Let us have loyalty, by all means; but, chiefly, loyalty to Christ. Let us have true patriotism; but, especially that patriotism which consists in love to “the land of the living” of which Christ is the one King and Ruler.
- C. H. Spurgeon

Thursday, November 25, 2010

"Thanks to God for my Redeemer" - and before I could thank him for more, I saw that there are a million worlds of good bound up in this - this one lovely, majestic, mighty and merciful Person, without whom I would have no good thing.

Thanks to Him who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, who surely will also with Him, freely give us all things.

Thanks to the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Thanks to the righteous Servant who makes me to be accounted righteous, bearing my iniquities.

Thanks to Him who is determined that I will not perish, who will pursue me with goodness and mercy all the days of my life, and will take me to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Thanks to Him who stands at the door and knocks, wanting to come in and eat with me - him and me? yes - God and sinner - reconciled, eating food together. He is that gracious.

Oh, my Redeemer...enough for me.

"I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.'"

- Psalm 16:2,
ESV




Monday, November 1, 2010

Some fresh glory just got spilled on the air. The sun is happily sweeping it up with a crisp autumn breeze, but is not succeeding in making anything more tidy - just scattering fragrant leafy light all over the place. I think that it isn't trying very hard, but it's okay. We like glory.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

" ....Further up the ladder of death he went, exclaiming, 'Art not Thou from everlasting, O Lord my God. I shall not die but live.' And in the last seconds before he was with Christ, Mr Sickerfoot, as sure of foot and as full of faith as Joshua, lifted the napkin from his face, crying, The Covenants! The Covenants! They shall yet be Scotland's reviving.' Captain William Govan, intently watching, stood by. His martial shoulders were squared. Gazing lovingly at the dangling dead minister of Christ, he thought of Calvary's Tree. 'It is sweet! It is sweet!' he cried, 'otherwise how durst I look with courage upon the corpse of him who hangs there, and smile upon these sticks and that gibbet as the very Gates of Heaven.' The hangman had him prepared. The brave soldier taking a ring from a finger, gave it to a friend, asking him to carry it to his wife, and to tell her that he died in humble confidence and found the Cross of Christ sweet, and that Christ had done all for him, and that it was by Him alone that he was justified. Someone called to him to look up to the Lord Jesus, and he smilingly said, 'He looks down and smiles at me.' As he ascended the ladder there rang out from him across the crowds these words: 'Dear friends, pledge this cup of suffering as I have done before you sin, for sin and suffering have been presented to me and I h ave chosen the suffering part.' The rope adjusted, he ended his witness with, 'Praise and glory be to Christ forever.' A little pause, a little prayer, the signal given, and all was over, and he too swung in the fresh summer air."

James Guthrie, martyr of the Covenanters. God make us like him.



(http://www.newble.co.uk/guthriew/jamesmem.html)

Monday, August 30, 2010

A sadly worn little copy of George Herbert's poems, which I discovered in the used book store around the corner and down the street, has proven itself far more precious than the two dollars I paid for it. Now that I have fixed the cover (stiff fusible interfacing wrapped in cotton fabric) my dear friend is much better prepared for the frequent handling he receives.


Herbert is intensely devotional as well as a lover of colorful words. Hence I like him very much; his verse is like good medicine. Here is the one poem that I cannot get out of my head for the love of it:

"The Dawning"

Awake, sad heart, whom sorrow ever drowns ;
Take up thine eyes, which feed on earth ;
Unfold thy forehead, gathered into frowns ;
Thy Saviour comes, and with Him mirth :
Awake, awake,
And with a thankful heart His comforts take.
But thou dost still lament, and pine, and cry,
And feel His death, but not His victory.

Arise, sad heart ; if thou dost not withstand,
Christ's resurrection thine may be ;
Do not by hanging down break from the hand
Which, as it riseth, raiseth thee :
Arise, Arise;
And with His burial linen drie thine eyes.
Christ left His grave-clothes, that we might, when grief
Draws tears or blood, not want a handkerchief.


Love!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

the very Definition of all that is Beautiful and Good


"God is dependent upon nothing beyond his own being...There were no principles of truth, goodness, or beauty that were next to or above God according to which he patterned the world. The principles of truth, goodness, and beauty are to be thought of as identical with God's being; they are the attributes of God."

"When man fell it was therefore his attempt to do without God in every respect. Man sought his ideals of truth, goodness, and beauty somewhere beyond God, either directly within himself or in the universe about him...man had interpreted the universe under the direction of God, but now he sought to interpret the universe without reference to God."

- Cornelius Van Til, The Defense of the Faith

How we need to know this God! It is an extraordinary comfort to the beauty-loving and believing soul that the God whom we look forward to knowing for all of eternity is the very definition of all that is beautiful and good. Any good thing we love here is derivative of His great goodness and beauty.

Friday, July 23, 2010


"When tyrants reign, let us first remember our faults, which are chastised by such scourges; and, therefore, humility will restrain our impatience. Besides, it is not in our power to remedy these evils, and all that remains for us is to implore the assistance of the Lord, in whose hand are the hearts of mean and the revolutions of kingdoms."
- John Calvin, Institutes, aphorism 98

Sunday, July 18, 2010

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. "
- James 4:10, ESV

I can confess and bemoan my sinfulness without being humble. Self-examination that ends with the mournful declaration, 'I'm a terrible person' may not be true humility, because it can leave me more self-righteous than I was before. The goal of seeing my sin is, after realizing all that I am in my self, that I childlike, needy, trusting, run to Jesus and rejoice in Him as Savior.
After I have seen all of my failures, I must refuse to exult in the discerning depth of my self-awareness. Humility's final look is toward the Lord. To know my own weakness and wretchedness, and yet freely exult in a mighty and gracious Savior, is the most humble act of all.

Friday, June 25, 2010

"It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates most, that will prove the choicest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian."

- Thomas Brooks

Friday, June 11, 2010

Part of Something Beautiful

The Castle of Alcalá de Guadaira by David Roberts

"let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." - 1 Peter 3:4
The beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is dreadfully underrated. It doesn't look like much. Humanity's eyes are so dazzled and their ears so dulled by the flash and noise of loud-spirited women, that they can hardly see the pure beauty of harmony. Momentary sensations seem more attractive than the enduring wonder of a life increasingly submitted to God. Striking every key on a piano, or pouring all the paints in the box onto a canvas might attract people's attention with noise and color, but it is not beauty, because it has no harmony. A beautiful and lasting piece of art comes from careful attention to order and design.

A woman living in cheerful acquiescence to the Creator's design is beautiful because she has been brought into a place of harmony. Living as God designed her to live, she stands where she was meant to be. Like one true note in a great symphony, or one true stroke in a great painting, she is beautiful because she has become a willing part of a greater beauty. By so doing, she becomes both less (because she has given up herself) and more (because she is part of something greater). Those who know and love that something greater can see the true beauty of her life, and the greater thing to which it points - the redemptive purpose of an all-wise God. She may be disdained by those who cannot see that something greater. Those who cannot see are often the majority, and those who love the Creator are all too few. But only for now...

"Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints."

- Revelation 19:6-8, ESV


Friday, June 4, 2010

"A smiling welcome"


"The Lord be praised for all His tender mercies and loving-kindnesses - unceasing and unwearying as His love. My continual shortcomings, and oftcoming for forgiveness again and again, does not exhaust Him. I should have wearied out the whole host of heaven before this ; but Jesus is never wearied with hearing the cries of His poor tried and tempted saints. Always are they welcome, and I think the oftener I go the more welcome I am. Not a frown upon that countenance towards one who really feels his need of Him. A smiling welcome, fraught with mighty blessings, which, while it gladdens the heart, fills the soul with a humbling sense of its own vileness, - humbled in self, exalted in Christ."
- Mary Winslow

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

A Dear Old Hymn


"I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." - Philippians 4:11, ESV

Looking through an oldMoravian hymnal awhile ago, I found this 
lovely 'spiritual song', which encourages the believer to look from
the world to Christ. Later, I composed a tune to it (which
I am not
technologically proficient enough to post) but the words

are the most precious part.


"Look Up My Soul To Christ"
Look up, my soul, to Christ thy joy,
With a believing mind ;
With all the ills which thee annoy,
The way to Jesus find :
Here in this world thou hast no home,
Nor lasting joy; to Jesus come,
He is the pearl of greatest price,
Who all thy wants supplies.

Steadfast in faith to Jesus cleave,
His faithfulness review,
And every burden with him leave,
Whose love is daily new :
His ways with thee are just and right,
He puts thy enemies to flight:
However threatening they appear,
Take courage, he is near.

Lift up thy heart to him on high,
And leave this sordid earth;
Behold, with a believing eye,
God's excellence and worth :
Devote thy life, thy all, to him,
Who did thy soul from death redeem,
In love to thee the cross endured,
And life for thee procured.

Arise, and seek the things above;
Let heaven be all thy aim,
Where Jesus dwells in bliss and love,
And earth, and sin, disclaim:
The world, and all its empty joy,
His potent breath will once destroy;
Abiding rest, and peace of mind,

In Christ alone we find.

Y. C. Schade, 1666-98,

Thursday, April 1, 2010

"They All Wear Uniforms..."

"There is a global war on between Christ and Satan. All men are participants in this war. They all wear uniforms; they are all for or against God."

- Cornelius Van Til

...and what is the uniform of the godly woman? She wears one in this battle, one that proclaims the beauty of God's commands. What will it look like? Scripture will be her guide; let her be wary of a uniform designed by the enemy.

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."
- 2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV



Wednesday, February 24, 2010

A short word on hearts and parents

My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe my ways."
- Proverbs 23:26, ESV

Muril's Return of the Prodigal Son

If the Lord has given us a godly father and mother, how greatly we ought to prize them, and embrace their wisdom and guidance! It is a sad and foolish thing when we (young people in general) see our parents as a hindrance to our desires and dreams instead of our most trusted counselors and confidants.

Before Christ saved me, I would have quoted "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" and preferred the 'freedom' of letting my heart be broken by the young man I 'loved' than that I should humble myself and submit to my parents in matters of the heart. It took a mighty work of God's saving grace in my heart to change me from someone who despised my parent's love and counsel to someone who desires and seeks it - not because they are perfect, but because it is HIS way, and being His way is the best way.

To see our parents' faults and yet give them our hearts is sometimes hard and often humbling. But God ordains that we submit to and honor our imperfect parents, obeying them in the Lord, and humble submission to His order invites His blessing. As the divine Son submitted to the divine Father, so we whom He has redeemed submit our fallible selves to our fallible parents. In this way we reflect our love for the one who was 'obedient even to death'. It may mean the death of our pride and the growth of our wisdom in ways that we never imagined.

Godly parents are among the very greatest blessings God can give to a child. How we should honor them and the One who gave them to us!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Some Thoughts on Education

"The Young Schoolmistress" by Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin

In many earlier civilizations, there were not schools as we know them today. Young people were 'discipled' into adult-hood by their parents, grandparents and community. When they knew what their parents knew, and were able to do what their parents had done, their education was complete and a new generation was prepared to raise the next generation. (Examples of such societies would be ancient Israel or early Native Americans.) Many today would view these societies as ' primitive' compared to the highly developed societies of today, but such should consider what justifies this view, and what real advantage in quality of life have been gained by our supposed progress.

Other societies did have schools, usually for the purpose of educating young men for a set purpose - such as being a lawyer or doctor. Young men often learned a trade from their father, or were apprenticed to another tradesman. After being taught what to do, they were evaluated by the quality of their work - their ability to do as their teacher had done. Young women's education was mostly in the home where they were trained to be capable in domestic affairs.

America 's educational system really is a fairly recent one. Some of its elements are based upon the ancient Greek system of education. But one of the most important things to note about today's public school is that many of its elements come from philosophies based on the Darwinian theory of evolution, which began to be widely disseminated in the late 1800's. The Darwinian theory of evolution does not view man as God's creature, made as male and female, in God's image to have dominion in the earth. Instead, it considers man to be an independent being of highly developed instinct and ability, who is continuing by stages to evolve to higher levels of instinct and ability. Based on this theory, man is to be understood by his instincts, grouped according to level of development of those instincts, and then educated in a way that appeals to the instinct of the stage and prepares to move on to the next stage. John Dewey was one of the foremost applicators of the Darwinian Theory to the process of education and his educational theories are widely influential today.

Unlike Darwin, the Christian believes that man is divinely created, male and female, in God's image, but fallen through sin. Man, being in God's image, has mind, will, and emotions - all of which are to be exercised to their fullest capacity in glorifying God, and all of which are corrupted by sin. The Christian educational process therefore, involves seeking to undo the effects of sin on the mind, will and emotions. It does this first, by leading children to the knowledge of their Creator and exhorting them through instruction and discipline to repent of the rebellion of their personhood (mind, will and emotions) against God and His laws, and accept the free redemption of their whole being which has been accomplished by Christ. It does this, secondly, by seeking to naturally cultivate the mind, will and emotions to their fullest capacity, so that the redeemed person will be equipped to live out in the world the purpose for which they were created and redeemed by Christ.

When considering what form this Christian education should take, Christians should not think that they need to use the forms of the world. "The world" system is controlled by the evil one, in opposition to Christ, and is "passing away" (1 John 2), while Christ's kingdom is advancing through His obedient people. If Christians want to raise their children to live out the redemption of Christ in the world and advance his kingdom against the enemy, sending their children to be trained in the enemy's camp is not the recipe for success! Far better form them to be trained by those who love Christ's kingdom and are preparing them to advance it in the world - not by weapons of warfare but by the knowledge of the gospel, deeds of love and the capturing of every thought and to make it obedient to Christ.

The Christian view calls for an education based upon and driven by the word of God. It does not demand classrooms or grade-levels. It demands men and women of wisdom and discipline, who love the Creator and Redeemer, who love the knowledge of the truth, who are willing to pour their love and knowledge into their children's lives, and who exhort them through word and discipline toward the obedience of faith. Believers of vision should be willing to start from these foundations and build upward in forming educational methods. To take the forms and methods of Dewey, and other Christ-less philosophers, and 'sanctify' these methods by injecting into them Christian elements, is a mediocre attempt at best. Instead, Christians should look for the methods which best fit the Scriptural commands for training children.

According to the Scriptures, fathers and mothers are held primarily responsible for the education of their children. (Deut. 6:7, Psalm 78:5) In Proverbs, children are commanded to listen to their father’s instruction and to not forsake their mother’s teaching (Proverbs 1:8; 6:20). In the New Testament, fathers are commanded to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Parents should see the education of their children in the fear of God as their privilege and their responsibility. If a school is to play a role in a child’s education, it should be seen as merely supplemental. The current public school system in America has stepped far out of its proper bounds in efforts to control the education of citizens’ children. Government-funded education is not a child’s right, nor is the education of children the government’s responsibility. The education of children is the parent’s responsibility, and if they should choose to seek the assistance of a trained teacher for their child’s education, they must make that choice with wisdom and discretion. Therefore, if a trained teacher or tutor gives themselves to the education of children other than their own, they should see themselves as assisting the childrens’ parents in educating their children, and not as a servant of an institution which aims to train children after its own philosophy regardless of the parents.


When an earthly government becomes oppressive, Christians who live in it may have to submit to elements of the secular education system because of law. Obedience to civil law should be practiced as Christ commands, but always second to obedience to Christ. Necessitated obedience to government requirements should not be an excuse to give in to the system altogether. Christians should remember that they are engaged in a battle for the knowledge of the truth. They should make the most of every liberty and opportunity to train their children in a Christ-honoring manner, so that their children will come to honor Christ and teach their children to honor Him - in reading and math, science and history, grammar and logic - 'for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen'. (Romans 11:36, ESV)

(a response to someone's comment on children needing to learn how to be "salt and light")

I do heartily believe that Christians are to be salt and light in the world. However, as regards children, I think that they should not be sent into the world on their own until they have a firmly developed faith in Christ, and a personal desire to be salt and light. Until then they should be learning how to interact with the world alongside their Christian parents, under their leadership. Think about building a structure- while the structure is in progress, it should be sheltered because it is incomplete and not equipped to face the elements. Children who are sent out into the world (i. e. the public school system) to be 'salt and light' while they are still early in the process of forming their worldview are often not ready to do so. Instead of influencing the culture, because they are so impressionable, they are influenced by it. In the end, their potential to influence the culture for Christ has been lessened. Children should see their parents engaging in their world in an active Christian way. Parents should be teaching their children to do the same while in the home, preparing them for the day when as young adults they will be leaders in their own homes and communities. Build the ship, then put it out to sea.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

"Morning" by Moritz von Schwind

Oswald Chamber's wonderfully helpful advice about getting out of bed in the morning:

"Get up first and think about it later."

How often it has come to mind at the most needful moments! :o)


(from the audio-book Abandoned to God- the life of Oswald Chambers, by David McCasland)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Is Titus 2:4-5 only for married women?

Some scraps of my thoughts on women's roles.

Let's see... It commands young woman to be 'philandros' and 'philoteknos' - that is "man lovers" and "children lovers" This can be applied to loving father, brothers, and siblings, as well as mothers (who can be the "older women" previously mentioned). Certainly a tender-hearted love for parents and siblings is an adornment to the gospel in a single woman...
When it speaks of subjection to husbands (Gr: 'aner', as opposed to above 'andros', though English translations put "husband" in both cases) it probably applies to marriage. But I think it is foolish for a young woman to skip over the one passage in the entire New Testament which speaks specifically to young women, because she is unmarried and it mentions elements of married life. If I cannot follow this, what else do I follow? What the world tells me to do? If I decide to put this passage in the 'married' box, and look elsewhere for a guide to my single years, I'll miss out big time.

Here's a thought - I'm picturing two garments - one a lovely dress that doesn't quite fit yet (Titus 2 womanhood), and the other a rather mud-stained one-size fits all uniform (what the world does). When a Christian young lady wants to know what to wear into God's kingdom, isn't the lovely garment of Titus 2 womanhood - perhaps a little baggy in some places, but overall beautiful, better than the mud-stained uniform? By the time she grows into it, she will have learned to wear it with ease...