Mother was waxing eloquent on Sunday afternoon, and looking up from her reading, declared with a chuckle:

"To avoid confusion we use confessions, and we use catechisms to define our dogmas."

....Hebrew or poetic parallelism may be defined in turn, but I think Mother's defies classification.

Self Smitten and Annihilated

I was quite struck by these words of John Calvin on the nature of true repentance:

"It is a most difficult and arduous achievement to renounce ourselves, and lay aside our natural disposition. For the flesh must not be thought to be destroyed unless every thing that we have of our own is abolished. But seeing that all the desires of the flesh are enmity against God (Rom. 8:7), the first step to the obedience of his law is the renouncement of our own nature.
...As we are naturally averse to God, unless self-denial precede, we shall never tend to that which is right. Hence we are so often enjoined to put off the old man, to renounce the world and the flesh, to forsake our lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of our mind. Moreover, the very name mortification reminds us how difficult it is to forget our former nature, because we hence infer that we cannot be trained to the fear of God, and learn the first principles of piety, unless we are violently smitten with the sword of the Spirit and annihilated, as if God were declaring, that to be ranked among his sons there must be a destruction of our ordinary nature."

- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, III.III.8

The Death of Athaliah - Gustave Dore

"Vapors"

life flies, life flies,

oh how swift its vapors rise,

though they sparkle in the light,

or roll darkly in the night,

they will pass like hasty breath,

and how quickly comes our death.

but our Savior dauntless stands,

see, He holds our trembling hands,

sweet might grasps the trusting soul,

saying "your stone too will roll."

- Alyssa Colby - 4-6-2009

"...be not afraid"

A storm? But He who rules all things,
From rolling dice to hearts of kings,
Still speaks; my frightened heart is stayed
By, "It is I; be not afraid."

AFC-6-22-09

Advice to my deceitful heart concerning its prayers...

Do not presume to counsel the One who has all knowledge. Though you plead your case before Him, do not consider it His wisdom to precisely comply with you, nor count your desires more sovereign than His. Is He not God? Does He not do as he pleases in the heavens and on the earth?
And yet, He has told you to pray - as a means for accomplishing His will....did you begin to think there was any other purpose for prayer?

Let not your prayers be the cries of a revolutionary in the streets, or the whisperings of a counselor sidling behind the throne, but the requests of a loyal subject bowing before the King, who delights in nothing so much as in seeing the will of the King be done.

“your Father in heaven…makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
- Matthew 5:45

“God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance”
- Romans 2:4

Sun bright and sweet casts widening smiles
Across the earth’s awakening face
And sparks soft grass with glowing life
And all is green and all is grace.

In still-bare treetops blithe birds sing
Bared people walk with happy eyes
In sun and warmth, the strength of spring
For them, they know not otherwise.

Each heart leaps forth to grasp the boon
Of nature’s smiles, plans pleasant ways
To revel in the vivid gift
Of soft blue skies and sunny days

Men who their Maker disregard
Yet think to own His smiles as theirs
For to the unjust He gives light
Although they take it unawares.

And saints whose eyes are winter-worn
Whose hearts grow sad o’er present sin
In spring hear resurrection’s voice
And hope their battles soon to win.

In spring, few weary, warring souls
Are loathe to lay their armor off
For heaven’s rays seem bright on earth
Sin old, a thing at which we’d scoff.

But though the resurrection’s call
Rings glad in warm breeze and bird’s cry
These give but hope, not solid change
Saints’ wars end not until they die.

Though heav’n seems here, it’s yet to come
Spring’s not war’s lull, but kind supply
Of sweet refreshment in the fray
That girds us with peculiar joy.

God’s mercies to men good and bad
Are meant to humble all their pride
Spring shows His grace and patience great
Toward sinful men who Him despise.

Soul, see God’s kindness in the spring
As grace to all unworthy men
Remembering that a greater grace
That spring foresees to you is giv’n.

-AFC, April 17, 2009

Prayer II - All My Want

Grant, oh Thou my Lord

That when all my wants are supplied

And petitions answered

And desires fulfilled

That I may not cease to pray

Or neglect to seek Thy presence

Or lose care to draw near Thee

That I may not grow full and forget Thee

But continue to cry out to Thee

Not for temporal wants

Or earthly desires

Or anything outside Thyself that Thou wouldst give me

But for Thyself

That I may see and know more of Thee

That I may walk more closely with Thee

And be holy as Thou art holy.

What greater thing, my Lord, can Thy grace give me -

What fuller overflow of fullness canst Thou pour out

Upon my soul

Than Thy own fullness, sweetness, goodness

Might and mercy?

Oh pillar of cloud and flame that leads me day and night

Thou art the rock that goeth with me, quenching thirst

And manna, heaven-sent to feed my soul

Thy mighty, saving joy doth flow like milk and honey

Thy power doth conquer all my foes.

Oh Christ, who ever meets my need,

In every wilderness

And in green valleys,

When I am brought to feel no wants,

Grant me never to forget that Thou Thyself art all to me.