In everything, give thanks

Looking back on this day, this weekend...Thank you, Father, for gifts, large and small. Keep me mindful and filled with praise.

133. Rain, rain, more rain - still needed around here

134. Surrogate big brothers

135. Babies to love on in nursery, even when they are unhappy

136. Owls every night

137. A finished job - moving Joel into a new bedroom

138. My new desk and places to put things

139. Smooth, cool sheets to slide into at night

140. Rest from work

141. Appreciative sons

142. Unexpected opportunities for M

143. Foot rubs

144. A new month ahead and a new resolution, fresh starts

145. More females than males around the dinner table at lunch - rare occurence!

146. Andrew adjusting well and enjoying Furman

147. Jonathan's new job

148. Erin's extra teaching opportunities

149. Thomas's safe travel

150. Getting to speak to all four far away children today.

And now for the soccer scores

The boys' soccer team is 2-0 so far. 5-2 win on Thursday, 6-0 win on Friday. Good start to the season with a new coach. Go CCS!

Where Madison sleeps

Every morning Madison makes his way to Coty's office where he snoozes while Coty works. No fluffy reading material...er...pillow for this cat!

Who, me???

Well, I'll be! My friend, Jen gave me a blog award. Thanks, Jen. I appreciate your kind words. Jen is an amazing woman whose life is full of caring for and teaching her six children. She is one of the most creative people I have ever met. I'm not sure where she comes up with all the ideas she does for activities to make learning fun but she is always doing something amazing. She also has the largest collection of children's books of anyone I know and she's always discovering more reading treasures to share with her gang. Honestly, I don't know how she does it all...and what's more, Jen does all she does with a smile on her face while living with fibromyalgia. I do not think I've ever heard her complain about her health. She is, instead, full of thanksgiving to the Lord for his goodness. I know she would say it is the Lord's enabling. In April, 2006, her youngest, Camden, was born 3 months early. I remember seeing him the day after he was born in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He was the tiniest baby I've ever seen. Today is a healthy, happy, adorable 2 year old and such a blessing to this sweet family.

When Jen and her family lived in NC, I taught some of her kids in Sunday School. I loved having them in my class. They were always inquisitive and fun, but for the first few months her daughter, Annie, never spoke. I was just getting to know the family and didn't know why Annie would not talk in Sunday School. Was she shy? Did she have a problem with her speech? What was going on? And then one day, I invited the kids to come over to our house to play. For the very first time, I heard Annie talk!!!! After that, she always spoke in class. How I enjoyed her comments and her artistic bent. I do miss those kids and their lively little selves - always something interesting going on with them.

Here are the rules of this "I love your blog" award that Jen so sweetly bestowed on me:

1. Link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Include the award on your blog.
3. Pass it on to 7 worthy bloggers with links to their blogs on yours.
4.Notify your recipients.

So here are my picks:

Ann at Holy Experience and Tonia at Study in Brown are online friends whose blogs always encourage and inspire. They are women of deep spiritual insight and grace.

Amber at brighthouse is my dear, dear friend who juggles mothering her 5 sons, homeschooling, gardening, and many, many creative endeavors. Her husband, David, is the artisan in wood whose etsy shop is in my sidebar. I wish Amber had more time to write but she's way too busy with life at brighthouse to sit down at the computer and write about it very often. She is a faithful friend, walking companion, gardening collaborator (when she has time to garden!) and creative inspiration for me. I love to sit and drink tea with her and I can't wait to go to SAFF with her this fall.

Bonnie at Being Transformed is more my age. Let's just say, an "experienced" mom with grown children and some still at home. Her blog is full of art, poetry, books, and vignettes of daily life.

Erica at The View from Africa is a young woman who moved to our city, joined our church, blessed our lives for two years, and then followed God's call to move to Kenya to teach at Rift Valley Academy. I am so glad she keeps us posted on life at the edge of the Rift Valley. I love her writing and her amazing photographs. I hope, hope, hope I will be able to return to Kenya and visit her one of these days.

Lisa at Scotty and Lisa's big fat blog. Scotty and Lisa were also at our church a few years ago and we have the high privilege of supporting them as missionaries in Bolivia. I love to read their stories of God's leading as they plant this church, their adventures in their new country, their home life and food talk. And I can't wait to hear about the birth of their first child any day now!

Kristin at Getting Stitched on the Farm is another creative inspiration. I don't know Kristin personally, but I feel like I know her life a bit. She lives in NW Massachusetts near where we used to live and reading her blog evokes memories of a different time and place in my life. I love reading about the sheep, the farm projects, the land, and knitting. Kristin's love of color has encouraged me to branch out a bit and play with color.

Now, I know the award rules said pick 7 but I would be remiss if I didn't mention my two favorite bloggers in the whole world. Neither of them write very often, but when they do, I love to read. They write about very different things.

Erin speaks mostly of husband, home, and horses. She very sporadically chronicles her life as a young married woman living and working in the country. After training horses, teaching lessons, and managing a very large and busy horse farm all day, I expect she doesn't have much energy left to write. I love the life she is carving out with Luke as they grow together. She is a beautiful daughter, inside and out, and I don't get to see her nearly enough because she lives so far away. I miss her like crazy and her blog is one little way I get to feel a bit closer to her.

Jonathan, my oldest son, has been a traveler these past few years; to Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries his junior year in college and this past summer after graduating, to India. He is a passionate, funny, thoughtful young man who asks lots of hard questions and doesn't accept pat answers. He loves music, children, traveling, his friends and his family, and more. And we love him. We all miss his humor and I especially miss his hugs and long conversations. I can't wait to see him at Christmas time and maybe, just maybe, Lord willing, I'll go to India with him next summer. As my friend, Lori, says, "dreams are free."

Erin and Jonathan are two very different children. They grew up under the same roof and went to the same college but they are traveling their own distinct paths. God has his unique plans for each one and the unfolding is exciting to see. I count it one of the greatest gifts of my life to be their mother. I also thank God that they continue to walk with Him. That is a very great joy to this mother's heart.

Erin might write a blog post when I let her know I mentioned her in the context of this award (I hope so!) and Jonathan will probably roll his eyes. I don't expect to see the award graphic on his blog, but I do hope he knows how much his mom loves to read every word he writes.

Thanks again, Jen. I feel honored by your words and have enjoyed the opportunity to think about some of my favorite blogs and why I love them.

After the rain

After 8 plus inches of rain over the last few days, our creek was transformed from a trickle to a torrent. The water rose higher than I've ever seen it, almost to the base of the treehouse. Incredible! The video above was taken on Wednesday morning after the water had receded a bit.

The sun came out in the morning yesterday and the rain-soaked woods glistened in the brightness.

Last sermon in the series

This past Sunday, Coty preached the last sermon in the series, "Running the Race of Faith to Win the Crown of Righteousness." You can find the audio file to the sermon, "Maintain Your Form and Finish Well in the Race of Faith" here.

This one's for Sara

I mentioned recently that I've been reading through Amy Carmichael's poetry. The following poem is one I read the other day that made me think of dear Sara P. who is headed for South Africa very soon and whose "ministry of song" has blessed me and many others.

Ministry of Song
by Amy Carmichael

For joy of song that Thou has given us, Lord,
Brave battle song, like flashing of a sword,
Love's jewel song, alight with golden word--
Our adoring alleluia.

For sweet and mystic power of melody
That wings the soul so swiftly up to Thee,
Harpers of God - for their great ministry --
We adore Thee. Alleluia.

Forgive us, Lord, that ever we have failed
When, had we sung, we should have far out-sailed
Mist of the earth, and risen and prevailed,
And adored Thee. Alleluia!

O let us live and breathe no otherwhere
Than in the clearness of the upper air,
Fulfilled with song to Thee who reignest there.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Work Hard Yet Relax...

Sorry - in my distraction with the beach trip and getting Andrew off last week, I forgot to post the link to the latest sermon in the series "Running the Race of Faith." Unfortunately, the audio didn't work last Sunday but here is a link to a written version of last week's sermon, "Work Hard Yet Relax During the Race of Faith."

I reflected a lot on these words from Matthew:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me. For I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

Coty pointed out that a yoke is used on a beast of burden. In Jesus' day it would have signified the hardest work that could be done by man or beast. And yet Jesus told his hearers and he tells us to yoke ourselves to Him in order to find rest. An apparent contradiction until you embrace the truth that it is Jesus in us that does the work. "I strive," as Colossians 1:29 says, "with all HIS energy that so powerfully works in me."

It is hard to apply this work/rest principle. As Coty said, we fall into prayerless striving, acting as if our hard work will accomplish God's purposes. More running images and analogies were once again helpful in illuminating the Word and helping us all to understand and apply. I do hope you will read and be blessed and encouraged.

One more beach trip

I'm skipping back in time but last week before we took Andrew to Furman, we got in one more short beach trip. I love the way time on our two night/one full day trip seemed to stretch out. Seems like it was much longer than that. It was so full and so relaxed. The car ride down was fun with lots of recollecting and story telling. When we got there Tuesday night, some of us headed down for a walk on the beach. The moon was up and casting a long trail of glimmering light across the waves. Perfect night for a walk on the beach.

Wednesday morning after breakfast, the guys started out with bocce ball...


then we all headed to the beach for chicken fights in the waves...

beach volleyball, Pinckney style...


and sitting...

That evening brought more stories and good food on the porch at Flo's Place...


What a sweet last get-away with all the guys before this round of college departures.

Andrew's off to Furman

I just have to say that having two sons twenty months apart is a huge blessing EXCEPT when they go off to college two years in a row. Last August it was Thomas. This year, it's Andrew. At the moment it feels like a "one-two punch" - not really fun. Yes, I am excited for my boys, proud of their accomplishments, thankful for the opportunities ahead, and so aware of God's grace in their lives. But oh my goodness, how I am going to miss them! I may be a puddle on the floor come Monday noon. We said good-bye to Andrew today and Monday morning, Thomas leaves again for Covenant. It's going to seem very quiet around here.

Friday morning we loaded up the van...

and posed for a picture with everyone who's still at home. My smile betrayed how I was really feeling. We'd had a sweet prayer time at breakfast but my fragile mother's emotions made my throat tight and my tears close. When it came my turn, I just had to glance over at Coty and shake my head "no, not right now." What a blessing, though to listen as the others offered prayers of thanksgiving and petition for this precious son, brother, and friend.

Once we got on the road, I was OK. We rolled onto the gorgeous Furman campus and found Andrew's dorm. The rest of the day was spent getting him moved in, taking care of freshman business like meeting his RA's, getting his student ID photo, taking his computer to get it configured to the campus network, and attending a session for parents on the transition to college. None of that felt very new since we've been through this three times before.

Andrew has a nice dorm room - lots of space, big closet, beautiful view.

Here's the view from his dorm window. He can see the north end of the lake and across the way, intramural fields, and the organic garden at the end of the Cliff's Cottage. The following pictures are a few sights from our afternoon walk around campus.

The fountains at the front entrance

The Furman belltower and lake.

Sitting by the lake outside the dining hall. It really is a lovely campus

We were happy to get to meet Andrew's roommate, Radoslav, who is from Bulgaria. I can't imagine a better roommate for an international student than Andrew. All of his experience living and traveling abroad and his interest in international affairs, geography, and other cultures make him a very understanding young man. And his compassionate heart and helpful spirit will I'm sure bless Radoslav as he gets used to college life in the US. Rado's arrival at Furman on Thursday was his very first time in the states.

On Saturday morning while Andrew was in a hall meeting, I got to spend a little more time visiting the gardens at Cliffs Cottage with my mom and dad (more on that in another post). In the afternoon, we attended the main welcoming program , made a run to the store for a few food items and other dorm necessities, and met Andrew's academic adviser.

Then, it was time to say good-bye. I wasn't looking forward to that...

Big hug...

and a big effort to smile! I really tried.

We're home now and it's still hard for me to believe that Andrew's really gone to college. Tomorrow morning I'll probably listen for him when I'm getting ready for church and have the same sinking feeling I did last year when I realized that Thomas wasn't here. It's hard to get used to the silence of a dear son gone off to college. But I will. By God's grace.

And by God's grace, Andrew will dive into life at Furman and thrive and grow and become more and more the man God intends him to be. I'm excited about that...or I will be when I get adjust to the smaller family size around the dinner table and the missing red cello case in the living room...

Thank you this morning for...

116. Men who gather early on a Saturday morning to "care for the sheep" discussing the needs and plans for our little body of believers

117. Friends who pitch in

118. Friends who understand my tears

119. Fresh baked bread

120. Fresh picked tomatoes

121. A healed foot

122. Summer flowers

123. Cool, fresh morning

124. Husband who gets choked up speaking words of dedication over a precious little one.


125. Son who reaches out to people not like him

126. Compassionate son who sheds tears over another's hurt

127. Son who greets me with outstretched arms waiting for a hug

128. Son who sings and plays notices Mother's mood

129. Friends who come to swim and sit and talk and don't feel the need to rush off

130. The porch, the swing, the morning quiet

131. The music of chirping crickets

132. Online friends who encourage and inspire, especially Tonia and...

132. Ann, who started this Gratitude Community

What's happening in the rest of the garden...

Today we did no digging, no shoveling, no lifting heavy stones, no building. The dirty shoes stayed lined against the walkway awaiting another day's work.

I gave us all a rest from the wall building. In the push to get this major job done I have really neglected my garden so today was a day for weeding, deadheading, and just seeing what's been going on in the garden while my head has been turned.

I am wondering if my Meyer lemons will ever turn yellow???

And I am loving that the deep purple peppers are prolific this year. Such lovelies.

And I am a little put out with this over eager zinnia that is taking over the garden. She sticks her perky orange flowers in everywhere and doesn't mind falling all over the calendulas beside her and the peppers next terrace down. But she's full of flowers for summer bouquets so I guess I'll overlook her rambunctious habits. I just have to remember not to plant such a vigorous spreader in this spot next summer!

I weeded, moved pots, cleaned the deck, trimmed another overabundant plant, the autumn clematis that is taking over the deck railing. Note to self...move this plant next spring. I am also happy that the Lady Banks rose has grown so well this summer. But, I think she's going to need an arbor to climb on. Another note to self...think about building a rose arbor.

This whole wall project has made me look at and think about my back garden in a whole different way. I am so much happier with how it is going to look and work, happy that the unsightly sinkhole is gone, pleased to have another sunny space to plant, and dreaming about how to reclaim a couple of other sunny areas for things like strawberries, blueberries and more herbs.

Tomorrow we're back to shoveling dirt and hopefully will have the wall all done by early next week. Pictures soon....

Soccer's started

The day Joel has been waiting for all summer came about two weeks ago - the beginning of soccer practice for the fall season. He and Matthew will be playing for Covenant Classical School again. We're so glad they let homeschoolers join their teams. First game - August 26.

Notice the ace bandage on J's leg. The day before practice started, he was playing volleyball. In true Joel style, he dove off the volleyball court to get a ball and landed on a sharp rock. We made a trip to Urgent Care ( what a misnomer!) and he came home with four stitches. It did not slow him down much. We just wrapped it in an ace bandage and he was good to go. Tough guy!

A woman on a mission

I have been working outside all day today. Except for the hour when I came in at lunch, famished, and when I excused myself from shoveling dirt to make dinner for hungry workers, I have spent the entire day outside working on the wall. At this moment I am dirty and smelly and salty and very, very tired. I may not be able to move tomorrow. But the wall is nearing completion.

Of course, I had a lot of help for which I am very thankful. This wall would not be going anywhere without my incredible helpers. As I watched my sons shoveling the mountain of dirt down the hill this afternoon, I remembered the note Thomas wrote to me when they gave me a copy of Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping last Christmas. Here's what he wrote:

"One copy of Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping is at this very moment flying through time and space, making an epic journey to your front door. It is on its way because it has heard that you are a woman on a mission. You are a woman who will stop at nothing until you have successfully changed a sinkhole in the backyard into a beautiful fire pit. You are a woman who isn't satisfied with cutting down a twenty foot tall tree, no you want your children to dig out the stump, too. When most people would stop at having an ok yard, you go the extra step and imagine it perfect. You imagine a terraced backyard with gardens that produce enough food to feed a family of eight. You are the ultimate Mother and deserve a copy of Taylor's Guide to Landscaping."

Well, the boys, with help from Gary and John, did dig out that stump and they are in the process of changing that sinkhole, not into a fire pit, those plans changed, but into a terraced garden behind a strong, beautiful retaining wall. I do not think I am the ultimate mother. After this wall building adventure, these boys may be thinking I am the ultimate slave-driver and questioning the wisdom of fueling my passion for gardening projects by giving me a book like Taylor's Guide, but I have to say that they are the greatest! And I do think they'll be pleased with their work when it's all said and done.

So, here's what we did today...

First job was to finish moving the gravel down off the hill and into the hole. I got up early and got most of that job done with shovel and hoe before the boys got up.


Next we had to remove blocks and do some leveling. We made some mistakes the other day that needed correcting. We'd also had to buy a few extra blocks. The extra blocks were stacked in front of the wall ready to be placed. Moving them to the wall was a little tricky because of the rain yesterday. The sloping clay soil in front of the wall made for some slippery footing. We worked slowly, methodically, course by course, leveling as we went, the joints staggered and gaps closed.

new blocks ready to go into place

We worked in shifts. Gary and Andrew joined me for the first shift; Matthew and Kennan for the second. Thomas and Joel did the grocery shopping so I could stay home and lent their "umph" a little later....you'll see.

Around 3:30 the dump truck with 12 yards of "rocky, compactible fill" arrived. Hooray for Craig's List. This was free fill. I just had to pay the delivery charge. The poor driver wasn't too happy about navigating my driveway and dumping the load down the hill. He managed to break two sizable Bradford Pear limbs on the way down the driveway but I assured him it was OK. Those trees are coming out this fall long so no great loss.

LOTS of rocky, compactible fill - just what we needed

The rest of the afternoon was spent moving dirt down the hill. Here's where Thomas and Joel jumped in. Boys were lined up the hill on the pile of dirt, shoveling, raking, and spreading. Matthew's job was compacting. He did a little entertaining at the same time!


Here' s a little video clip of the process. Unfortunately, I had the camera turned vertically and I can't figure out how to rotate it, to you'll just have to turn your head or tip your laptop. Sorry!



What's left to do? Finish shoveling fill, top off with 5 yards of topsoil, affix the caps to the top of the wall, clean up, decide what to plant, and figure out a way to adequately say thank you to all the young men who have helped me. I think that last one may be impossible.

The sound of rain

It's cooler this morning and raining softy. I was up early folding a mountain of clothes, listening to the news. Now my good old cat is sprawled out on the floor behind my chair and a cricket is chirping outside the window. Boys are beginning to stir, up for morning soccer practice. Today it is supposed to rain more. We need it. I am thankful for the sound of rain and imagine my garden happy this morning, soaking in refreshing water, plants perking up.

The electric teapot is on and about to boil and I'll make my coffee and head to the porch. I love the early morning with its freshness and promise. But before I go further in the activities of this day, I stop for water, living water.

I am looking forward to a cloudy, cool, rainy day. A change after days of heat and dry weather. I think I am very much like my garden - droopy and listless when I am dry, when I have not sat and read and meditated, but oh, so much happier and verdant, when the Word soaks into my soul.

Staying Focused and Alert

The third sermon, "Stay Focused and Alert in the Race of Faith," in the series Coty is currently preaching on running the race of faith has been posted on the DGCC website now.

I was struck by the difference between being alert and being focused. I hadn't made the distinction that Coty brought out. He exhorted us to be alert to the things that can divert us from our course in the race of faith but to keep our eyes focused on the goal of our faith, Jesus. Once again, he used a few racing images, including this one, the famous 1954 Commonwealth Games race between Roger Bannister and John Landy, in which Landy makes the error of turning his head at a crucial point in the race. (the head turn comes 3:25 minutes into the video)



I am continuing to delight in how Coty is connecting his love of running and racing to these biblical themes for the good of his hearers. As always, his prayer and mine, is that God gets all the glory.

This is for Jessica

Here's the link to the interview of Ammon Shea who wrote a book about his year spent reading the entire Oxford English Dictionary (all 21,730 pages!). Interesting, and lots of great word stories.

Playing outside

....After hearing a recent radio program completely devoted to the topic of play, I asked my kids to write for me some thoughts about memorable moments of play in their lives. I soon received a really wonderful email from my oldest son, Jonathan, who is now 22. You will see from what he wrote how vital the time playing outside in nature was to him.... I am quite sure that what he describes is a big part of why he is now such a creative, imaginative, smart, amazing young man. (Yes, I am bragging. Forgive me.)

Jonathan wrote,

“I think my favorite memories of playing as a kid, or at least the thing that was most constant about playing as a kid, was the woods behind our house in Massachusetts. Not so much just as woods per se, but in that they became a landscape for me where I told stories and had adventures, sometimes in the actual places, to scale, but more often taking the relatively small woods and expanding them in size into a world as a whole, with countries and histories and wars that I would tell (To myself, never to anyone else, and almost never written down, so I don't remember most of it). Rivers were oceans, rises in the land mountain ranges, the strip of un-forested land underneath the power lines a vast savanna, and the little rocky outcroppings in the middle of the Green River, great island nations. These places got named and re-named over and over again, I think mostly based on whatever I was reading at the time (If it was the Redwall books it was one thing, if it was Lord of the Rings it was something else, if it was Star Wars it was something else)...but I do remember that there were a few very involved story lines that went on for a long time, years, in fact, and that I'd go back to over and over again. Bits and pieces of these stories I used to tell to myself while I walked around in the woods ended up in stories that I wrote down, but most of it's just gone now...and I can't really remember specifics.
And then, of course, there was much more concrete playing out in the woods...climbing trees, swimming in the river...I especially used to love building dams across the river, again, sometimes with other people, a lot of times just by myself. I think I just loved the woods so much because no one was ever out there (If I ran into someone out there I'd usually hide until they went away), and so there was free rein for me to make them, and myself, whatever I wanted. They were my woods, and my imagination was liberated to fill them with adventures of the epic scale that I loved reading about...."

(Note: This is part of a post written for the ChildLight USA Weblog: Expounding on the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason. To read the entire post, go here.)

How we moved the rocks down the hill

Two boys worked most of the afternoon yesterday moving rocks while others did the tricky work of building the wall. Andrew said stacking the wall blocks was like building with huge legos. I cannot believe how much we got done.

The wall rises higher

The first course is laid and the drainage pipe positioned behind it.


Then lots of gravel for backfill and filling spaces in the wall stones. Next geogrid to give extra stability to this wall built in front of a sinkhole on clay soil.


Course by course, the wall rises higher...


and hard working guys take a break for root beer floats.

Construction continues...stay tuned!

At long last....

the retaining wall in front of the sinkhole is going up. The work of yesterday included finishing the excavation for the footings, making forms, and pouring the concrete footings for the wall.





It was HOT! My workers (sons and honorary sons) were sweating buckets but they kept working hard until the day's job was completed. I am so thankful for these young men and their hard work that I feel like crying. They are amazing.

Today the pallets of retaining wall stone arrived. Then came the gravel for backfill and the topsoil. All unloaded at the end of the driveway on top of the hill. There is no way to get a truck into our back yard because of the lay of the land and the trees. The guys had already carried all the wall blocks down the hill. I thought I had a revolt on my hands when they saw the dump truck filled with 7 yards of gravel backing down the driveway and they realized we were going to have to move all those rocks down to the site of the wall. Or maybe they thought I had lost my mind. Which is more likely. Nevertheless, they continued working like Trojans all afternoon.

More pictures to come but now I must get into the kitchen and make a VERY NICE DINNER for my hard workers.

Train Through Pain...

The next sermon, "Train Through Pain Yet With Joy in the Race of Faith" in the series "Running the Race of Faith to Win the Crown of Righteousness" is now posted here.

A little personal side note...the day after Coty preached the first sermon in this series he went out for his run. Something didn't feel right and he came home nursing a hurting hamstring. Every time he's run since then he's had to be careful about that hamstring. He ices it after each run and is paying careful attention to the pain signals. As much as he'd like to run farther than he's doing, he doesn't want to get sidelined by a hamstring pull.

If you listen to this second sermon you'll hear about two kinds of pain and how runners must respond to both. You'll hear spiritual applications. It was interesting to me that this past week as he was preparing to preach on pain, God gave Coty some running pain in the form of the hamstring strain. Experience informing exposition. We benefit.

Thanks, sweetheart for allowing your pain to be used for the good of your hearers.

I love you,
B

The traps of discipline

Becoming more disciplined in my spiritual walk is a good thing. But I have found two traps as I set goals and work toward consistent Bible reading and prayer. I fall into these traps not only as I strive toward a disciplined life of time in the Word but as I endeavor toward Godly living in many areas - controlling my tongue, serving with joy, loving my neighbors.

If I am successful at sticking to a routine or make progress in godliness, I am tempted to think that my will-power has been the key to success. That's problem 1. Problem 2 is beating myself up when I fail and feeling that it's no use. I might as well just give up since I can't stick to it anyway. Both problems have ME at the center. I succeeded - yea, me! I failed, poor me.

God, not me, must be at the center. This week as I have thought more about discipline and consistency in running the race of faith, I been reminded again and again that Jesus is both the author (founder) and the finisher of my faith. I am saved by grace and I live by grace.

If you too are tempted to fall into the traps I fall into, I share with you a three little helps that I've contemplated this week - a poem, a sermon, and a prayer - to encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus and run with endurance the race marked out for you.

Thy Peter's Word
(Luke 22:32)

Lest I should faint before the race be run,
Lest I should quail before the fight be won,
O heavenly intercessor and my Lord,
Fulfill to me Thy comfortable word -
Thy Peter's word. How can I be afraid
If Thou dost say to me, "But I have prayed."

by Amy Carmichael in Mountain Breezes

I love this poem because it reminds me that Jesus is continually interceding for me and pleading with the Father for my good. I have a constant advocate. One of the Puritan prayers in Valley of Vision reminds me of the same thing:

While Jesus is representing me in heaven,
may I reflect him on earth,
While he pleads my cause, may I show forth
his praise.

The first part of this sermon, Sustained by All His Grace, by John Piper is particularly helpful in understanding how we live by grace.

And another prayer:

from "Grace In Trials"

Giver of all graces,
I look to thee for strength to maintain them in me,
for it is hard to practice what I believe...
Thy Holy Spirit is given to increase thy graces,
and I cannot preserve or improve them
unless he works continually in me.
May he confirm my trust in thy promised help,
and let me walk humbly in dependence up thee,
for Jesus sake.

from Valley of Vision

Father, enable me today to walk in dependence, running my race by grace in faith with endurance. Keep me from falling into these me-centered traps. Keep my eyes fixed on you, my heart steady in you. And thank you for the prospect of a day tomorrow to join with my brothers and sisters in Christ to worship, rejoice, fellowship, and rest.

Domestic diversion

Science teacher me kept slogging away the other day. When my brain was too fried to be productive anymore, I indulged my desire for domestic diversion. I made more progress here than on the biology syllabus.


This is the first little baby kimono I've done and I love this simple and highly adaptable pattern. Thanks, Amber for the loan of Mason Dixon Knitting which also has the bib pattern.

Now, back to the wonderful world of cells, microscopes, and dissecting!