Church Shaped Bushels

Been pondering this:

"No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light."  Luke 11:33

And then, consequently, this:

"What causes most trouble for Christians of all ages is not legalism or lack of faith or theological controversies; it is Jesus Himself, who bestows freedom so openhandedly and dangerously on those who do not know what to do with it. The church always get panic-stricken for fear of the turmoil that Christ creates when He comes on the scene; and so it takes His freedom under its own management for the protection of the souls entrusted to it, in order to dispense it in homeopathic doses when it seems necessary. The church claims to represent Jesus on earth, but in fact it often supplants Him. It must tremble in all its joints when confronted with His portrait. Ecclesiastical traditions and laws have domesticated Jesus and today all the churches are living off the success of the attempt." (Ernst Kasemann, German theologian)

And then wondering why so many spiritual gifts are exercised only within the four walls of the church building.  And why the message of redemption is often only preached to the redeemed.  If the redeemed say so, shouldn't we sometimes say it in the presence of those who are not?  And if tongues is a sign to the unbeliever, why do we only do it in front of other people who speak in tongues?  And are we becoming so seeker sensitive that in essence we are hiding our candle in a big church shaped bushel?

Fool's Paradise

"As long as I remain under the refuge of innocence I am living in a  fool's paradise.  If I have never been a blackguard, the reason is a mixture of cowardice and the protection of civilized life; but when I an undressed before God, I find that Jesus Christ is right in His diagnosis."

(Oswald Chambers, July 26, My Utmost For His Highest)

The Fairies

"Now it is well known that the little creatures commonly called fairies, though there are many different kinds of fairies in Fairyland, have an exceedingly dislike to untidiness.  Indeed, they are quite spiteful to slovenly people.  Being used to all the lovely ways of the trees and flowers, and to the neatness of the birds and all woodland creatures, it makes them feel miserable, even in their deep woods and on their grassy carpets, to think that within the same moonlight lies a dirty, uncomfortable, slovenly house.  And this makes them angry with people that live in it, and they would gladly drive them out of the world if they could.  They want the whole earth nice and clean.  So they pinch the maids black and blue and play them all manner of uncomfortable tricks."  From The Golden Key by George MacDonald

I don't want to tempt any fairies to pinch me and would rather draw on their good graces.  So, I think that I shall devote the next several hours to tidying up.  It certainly would be lovely if the whole earth were neat and clean--including the little piece over which I have dominion.

(Artwork from here on Flickr.)

His Truth Is Marching On!

"Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day [Fourth of July]?  Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity"?


-- John Quincy Adams, 1837, speech at Newburyport, MA

I Love Homeschooling!

Or rather, I love backyard schooling.

"What a splendid day!" said Anne, drawing a long breath.  "Isn't it good to be alive on a  day like this?  I pity the people who aren't born yet for missing it.  They may have good days, of course, but they can never have this one.  And it's splendider still to have such a lovely way to go to school by, isn't it?" (Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery)

Be not conformed....

"Reader, you must know that an interesting fate (sometimes involving rats, sometimes not) awaits almost everyone, mouse or man, who does not conform."

From The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

(By the way, if you saw the movie, try to wipe it from your mind and read the book.  It's exeedingly better!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"No one should ever say that it was my ignorance if I did or showed forth anything however small according to God's good pleasure; but let this be your conclusion and let it so be thought, that - as is the perfect truth - it was the gift of God. "

"The Lord opened the understanding of my unbelieving heart, so that I should recall my sins."

"I arise today

Through the strength of heaven:

Light of sun,

Radiance of moon,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of wind,

Depth of sea,

Stability of earth,

Firmness of rock."

 
(All quotes from Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland.)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dr. Alveda King

Yesterday being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, as a family we watched Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech.  After we watched it, I asked the kids (those old enough) to write their own "I Have A Dream" speech.  Israel wrote about how he wished countries would treat each other more kindly and respect people that are different, especially China and Mongolia.  Meg wrote about how she wished people wouldn't look for peace apart from Jesus and how they shouldn't put "peace signs" (which mean peace apart from Jesus.  Did you know that?) on purses and phones.  Luc wrote about how he wished babies and children would be safe.

I think Dr. King would agree with all of these dreams.  Certainly his niece, Dr. Alveda King, does.  She writes via Priests for Life, "If financial pressures cause us to stop loving our neighbors, to think only of ourselves, we have lost much more than money," added Dr. King. "If we stop giving to charity, cease donating our time to help others, or, in the extreme, abort a baby for financial reasons, we literally sacrifice the eternal for the temporary.... As my uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, 'The time is always right to do what is right'."

A Woman's Christmas

As days darken early, and street lamps guide us home, the affinity for home deepens, especially for a woman. And what could be more in tune with a woman's generous nature than the time of winter holidays? Now more than ever, she looks for new ways to delight and comfort. Holiday greens, candles, ribbons, and gift wraps are gathered; gift lists scrolled; pantries readied with the freshest spices. Guest rooms sparkle; thoughtful comforts await the arrival of loved ones. And while all acts of generosity are divine, perhaps it is the small touch, the personal touch, that elevates the season's pleasures high above the realm of obligation-a sprig of holly tied to a guests bedstead, a basket of warm muffins for new parents, a red rose boutonniere for a dapper uncle. It is the way presents are wrapped and delivered, the care put into their selection, the thought behind every kind gesture, that characterize a woman's holiday. (A Woman's Christmas by Arlene Hamilton Stewart)

For where is any author in the world
Teaches such beauty as a woman's eye?
--William Shakespeare

Trying to decide....

....whether to spend the afternoon cleaning my desk or doing a craft project and catching bugs with the kids to feed to the praying mantis.

"At the worst, a house unkempt

cannot be so distressful as a life unlived."

~Dame Rose Macauley

Although, I've used this excuse for about six months now and my desk is looking mighty scary. Too bad clutter is not a valid decorating motif.

The Charm of Big Families

In The Wind in the Willows, Rat says to Mole (speaking of boats, but just pretend he's talking about big families and it's pretty accurate):

"Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not. Look here! If you've really nothing else on hand this morning, supposing we drop down the river together, and have a long day of it?"

There's always stuff to do around here be it chores, school or play. You can always count on there being dishes to wash, laundry to fold, meals to cook, books to read, games to play, calls to return, parties to plan, papers to file, bills to pay, races to run, movies to watch, cards to write, cars to wash, tea to sip, bathrooms to clean, candles to light, prayers to say, songs to sing, babies to rock, cookies to bake, and love to share.

When people see our big family traipsing through the market or walking to the park or leaving for church squeaking clean or arriving at church slightly dirty because a few of us have already fallen down in the dirt, they say things like, "My! You're busy" or "You have your hands full!"

But, the way I see it, isn't that the point? Since when is the goal to have your hands empty?

Whether I get it all done or whether I don't, it doesn't really matter. Whose tombstone ever said, "She was always caught up with her mending" anyway?

Enjoy. Just enjoy.

Ecc. 2:24
There is nothing better for a man,

than that he should eat and drink,

and that he should make

his soul enjoy good in his labour.

This also I saw,

that it was from the hand of God.

G.K. Chesterton on Politics

"When a politician is in opposition he is an expert on the means to some end; and when he is in office he is an expert on the obstacles to it."

Being Right All The Time

This is so me, sometimes.

I have never seen an episode of House. However, I find the commercials hysterical. Here's a great little scene. A woman says to Dr. House, "How is it you always think you're right?!" He replies, "I don't. I just find it difficult to operate on the opposite assumption."

Brilliant.

In reading a pro-life debate on a blog recently, someone intended to put the pro-life activist in her place by saying something to the effect of "You're just never wrong are you? You just think you're always right?"

Why is that an insult to tell someone, "You think you're right"? This is committing intellectual suicide! Well of course they think they are right and so do you and so do I! If you didn't think you were right, then you don't really have any belief system at all! I think it's the kind of argument one adult gives to another when they've been backed into an intellectual corner. It's akin to the kid on the playground who when he has nothing left to says says, "Really?! Well, I'm rubber and you're glue...." or chants something like, "Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider, girls go to Mars to get more candy bars!"

Ouch. That really hurts.

G.K. Chesterton sums up my feels exactly (as he always seems to):

"A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert--himself. The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt--the Divine Reason....The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a nail in his boot that prevented him from going on. For the old humility made a man doubtful about his efforts, which might make him work harder. But the new humility makes a man doubtful of his aims, which will make him stop working altogether.

"At any street corner we may meet a man who utters the frantic and blasphemous statement that he may be wrong. Every day one comes across somebody who says that of course his view may not be the right one. Of course his view must be the right one, or it is not his view. We are on the road to producing a race of men too mentally modest to believe in the multiplication table. We are in danger of seeing philosophers who doubt the law of gravity as being a mere fancy of their own. Scoffers of old time were too proud to be convinced; but these are too humble to be convinced. The meek do inherit the earth; but the modern sceptics are too meek even to claim their inheritance."

And the way I figure it is that if something is worth believing it is also worth defending. And if you cannot defend it, argue it, or support it, for the sake of sanity--abandon it! And "I feel like...." is not a defense, an argument, or a support. Try again.

Whew! Just had to get that off my chest! We will now continue with our regularly scheduled post-election angst.

A Message from Dr. King

Dr. Alveda King, that is, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If financial pressures cause us to stop loving our neighbors, to think only of ourselves, we have lost much more than money," added Dr. King. "If we stop giving to charity, cease donating our time to help others, or, in the extreme, abort a baby for financial reasons, we literally sacrifice the eternal for the temporary."

"Ultimately, what bring us the greatest rewards or the worst scars are the choices we make that have spiritual consequences," said Dr. King. "In the end, we don't look back at our lives and think of refinanced mortgages or stock trades, but of those we loved. Let us trust God and love Him by loving others in good times and bad. As my uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, 'The time is always right to do what is right'."

GK Chesterton

"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue."

(Do you not just LOVE Chesterton?! I'm almost through with Orthodoxy and found it fascinating! I can't wait to meet him in heaven one day!)

And in honor of the Heroes season beginning tonight (you better believe that I have snacks and cocoa ready! Kids off to bed! Daddy and Mommy are caught up in our own fairytale-ish show.):

"Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons are real. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed."

Ruth Bell Graham On Marriage....

"I pity the married couple who expect too much from one another. It is a foolish woman who expects her husband to be to her what only Jesus Christ can be: always ready to forgive, totally understaning, unendingly patient, invariably tender and loving, unfailing in every area, anticipating every need, and making more than adequate provision. Such expectations put a man under an impossible strain."

(From It's My Turn by Ruth Bell Graham)

And just for fun....

Daja:

108 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Gana:

122 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

What a real woman looks like...

“I don’t know what this celebrity obsession of getting your pre-baby body back in the shortest time possible is all about. It’s the most unhealthy thing and it’s horrifying that you should somehow get back into a size two a couple of weeks after giving birth. So plan on seeing me podgy and fat, knocking around in Malibu and proud of it.”

--Minnie Driver (From Baby Center)

Change-worshippers

"It is true that a man (a silly man) might make change itself his object or ideal. But as an ideal, change itself becomes unchangeable. If the change-worshipper wishes to estimate his own progress, he must be sternly loyal to the ideal of change; he must not begin to flirt gaily with the ideal of monotony. Progress itself cannot progress. It is worth remark, in passing, that when Tennyson, in a wild and rather weak manner, welcomed the idea of infinite alteration in society, he instinctively took a metaphor which suggests an imprisoned tedium. He wrote--

Let the great world spin for ever down the ringing grooves of change.

He thought of change itself as an unchangeable groove; and so it is. Change is about the narrowest and hardest groove that a man can get into.

The main point here, however, is that this idea of a fundamental alteration in the standard is one of the things that make thought about the past or future simply impossible. The theory of a complete change of standards in human history does not merely deprive us of the pleasure of honouring our fathers; it deprives us even of the more modern and aristocratic pleasure of despising them." (G.K. Chesterton)

C.S. Lewis on Church

"It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects--education, building, missions, holding services....The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose."

"When I first became a Christian, about fourteen years ago, I thought that I do it on my own, by retiring to my room and reading theology, and I wouldn't go to churches and Gospel Halls;...I disliked very much their hymns, which I considered to be fifth-rate poems set to sixth-rate music. But as i went on I saw the great merit of it. I came up against different people of quite different outlooks and different education, and then gradually my conceit just began peeling off. I realized that the hymns (which were just sixth-rate music) were, nonetheless, being sun with devotion and benefit by an old saint in elastic-side boots in the opposite pew, and then you realize that you aren't fit to clean those boots. It gets you out of your solitary conceit."

Good Friday Meditation....The Crucifix

"Keep your eyes on the cruxifix, for Jesus without the cross is a man without a mission, and the cross without Jesus is a burden without a reliever." (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen)

The crucifix on the Fuller Seminary Campus