Fine Gold from Yorkshire

No, I'm not speaking of Yorkshire Gold Tea, though I'm sure I would like it. :) 

Fine Gold from Yorkshire is another stellar biography by Faith Cook. Its 152 pages contain brief biographies of 21 people who hail from Yorkshire.  Even though I'm not from England and thus am not familiar with the geography, towns, and history she mentions, I was captivated by these brief stories of people's lives, struggles, hearing the Gospel, believing, serving, and dying. 

When one of my nieces was younger she read a biography and was sad that the person died. Spoiler alert: it happens in every biography and in every life! 

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, (Hebrews 9.27)

Though some may see it as depressing, it is actually soul-strengthening on every three to ten pages, to read things such as: 

"Among his last words was a simple assurance of Christ's goodness. 'How kind he is to me!' he whispered."  

"She died ... trusting in God ... deeply assured that a better existence lay before her. She believed, she hoped, and declared her belief with her last breath. She was twenty-nine; she had not lived in vain."

"And a mere two months later his long-suffering wife Martha followed him to the land of joy where sorrow and infirmity is gone forever."

"His last whispered prayer with strength swiftly ebbing, was 'Lord, save souls, do not let them perish.'"

"And at the age of seventy-seven this faithful servant of Jesus Christ was taken from the trials and sorrows of this life to that better land where tears and pain are gone forever."

"... exclaiming to another pastor shortly before he died, 'I thank God that I am near home. Oh what a weight of glory is awaiting us, God's poor exiles.'"

"At last in March 1857 this noble son of Yorkshire exchanged earth for heaven - for that better country where all sorrows are gone forever."

Obviously the book is about a lot more than death! These lives were rich with service to the Lord and for the Kingdom.  Despite not having heard of most of these folks from Yorkshire, there are others whom you and I have no doubt heard of  - Hudson Taylor, John Wycliffe, William Wilberforce, et al. 

Almost every book by Faith Cook is on my To Be Read list. I heartily commend her books to you! (If you're local, I have some you can borrow.)

Jen Wilkin on New Year's

Jen Wilkin posted this last year, and I want to remember it. Maybe you do, too?

However last year went for you, however this year will go, the God of infinite years stands witness and watch. He can be trusted. 

Our limited vantage point on time may justifiably cause us to question how all can be made right. Sometimes more than one human lifetime must pass before grief can resolve into understanding, before justice is served, before bitter is made sweet. He holds all time in His hands - past, present, and future.

Some of us traverse years of happiness flecked only here and there with sorrow. Others walk a different path. We need the Lord, and we need one another to keep planting one foot firmly in front of another - to carry and be carried in our turn. We take up the precious and terrible burden of this life, together, and present ourselves, together, at the start of a New Year, as living sacrifices, mindful that time is a gift, mindful that it is God alone who establishes the work of our hands.

Thank you, O God who Was, and Is, and Is to Come, for this threshold upon which we stand, which You surround behind and before. We commit this year to Your care.

We resolve to trust You collectively when individual faith falters.

We resolve to lend courage to one another, that all may have spiritual daily bread.

We resolve to recognize with closer attention Your daily goodness to us, to savor joyful moments, to offer regular gratitude in our prayers.

Indeed, may this be the year our thanksgiving outstrips and overruns our asking. For that would be 365 days well-numbered and well-spent, no matter what they may give or take. 

We look to the saints who have gone before us, who bear witness to Your faithfulness to all generations. We renew our trust that You will be faithful to ours. All time is Yours, O Lord. Help us to steward well the years You entrust to us. Amen.

Uncle Rob

Did you ever read Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor? This blog post is a little bit about an ordinary pastor, one of hundreds of thousands that have lived and died and are not even remembered today.  

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My dad's three aunts attended The Asheville Normal and Collegiate Institute, a higher education college for future women teachers in the mountains. It was formed in 1892 (as an expansion of the Home Industrial School) with the goals of providing higher education for young women from the southern Appalachians and of training teachers, particularly for rural schools.

My dad found postcards in our house from his aunts, describing their Sunday afternoon train rides out to see the progress on the construction of The Biltmore! (Google tells me that Biltmore was constructed between 1889-1895. My dad was under the impression that the train tracks were built to carry construction materials to the building site.)

His other two aunts returned home, one to teach locally.  Aunt Rebecca then taught in a rural school in the mountains of western North Carolina.  

I wish I could remember the name of the school or community where she taught. My Facebook feed is filled with primarily news from WNC and the flood relief efforts.  Today I read where Micaville School in Avery County is closing permanently because of the flood damage.  

That rang a bell, and I wonder if that is where she lived and taught. That history is now lost. As a local man said at my dad's visitation, "It's as if a library burned down." True.

At any rate, she met a widowed minister while there, and in 1905, when she was 29, she married 46 year old Uncle Rob.  His first wife had died, and their children would have been 15, 12, and 8. I am unclear of the details, but I don't remember hearing that they lived with Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Rob.  

For a short time, Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Rob lived in Missouri, and I think their four children (three who lived past infancy) were born there. 

From 1916-1932 they lived in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where Uncle Rob pastored a church there.  At some point after that, they moved back to Aunt Rebecca's childhood home and built a retirement cottage on the farm.  Uncle Rob died when my dad was 14, and Aunt Rebecca when my dad was 19.  He walked by their house going to and from school every day.   

The main story in family lore from that time period is of Dad walking home from school one day and stopping to see Aunt Rebecca.  Mr. Hershey or Mr. Reese (whom they would have known from their church in Hershey, PA) had just stopped by on his way to Florida and left a case of Reese's cups. And ever since, Reese's have been the favorite chocolate for many in our extended family. :) 

In March 1933, the area had some tornadoes, and the church building was destroyed, as well as the second story porch of the farmhouse.  I was delighted to find this pastoral letter that Uncle Rob wrote the "folks at home" after receiving a letter from them, assuring them of their safety.  

And that is basically all I know about Uncle Rob & Aunt Rebecca.  I wonder about so many details of the ministry they had, how his older children fared, the souls that are in heaven because of their faithfulness, and so much more.   

We have lost touch with Uncle Rob & Aunt Rebecca's family.  Their children were older than my dad. Two never married, but kept in touch until they died in the 1980s.  One passed away in 2013 at 99, and my parents and aunt attended his funeral in Atlanta.  I hope his children and grandchildren share the faith that their great-grandparents had in the Lord Jesus.  

Midnight Mercies

I received an advance PDF copy of Christine M. Chappell's new book, "Midnight Mercies: Walking with God through Depression in Motherhood," and was happy to be included in the launch team. 

Whether you are a hopeful mom, a depressed mom, or know a mom, you will benefit from this book.  Christine Chappell shares from her personal experience as well as the lives of Moses, Elijah, Naomi, and other biblical characters, to illustrate the merciful way the Lord approaches and cares for His children in distress.

The eight 10-page chapters (on hopelessness, weariness, sadness, anger, anxiety, shame, loneliness, and hope) read very quickly, but also include lots of Bible references to look up on your own for further study.  Each chapter concludes with a one sentence action step and verse, a truth to remember, and a few reflections for personal application.

Although Chappell does not shirk from describing the pain of walking through depression (specifically as a mom), the book is filled with hope and truth (but not in a preachy, condemning way).  Chappell gently identifies the common experiences of depression, gently shows how God moved towards a depressed person in the Bible, and gently encourages the reader to look to Christ and move forward in faith despite one’s feelings or circumstances, gently reminding the reader that “Depression we feel, but God we trust.” 

I highly commend this book to you!

12

We recently celebrated 12 years of marriage.  Well, technically we didn't celebrate, because that's on hold until we can go out for a quick meal while the children are at VBS and possibly have a few nights away if our babysitter doesn't have to show up for jury duty.  Let's say the calendar marked 12 years of marriage.  :)

I'm late to the "in this house" decor, but couldn't pass this up when I saw it for BOGO free at Dollar General Saturday.  We certainly need lots of grace for our many mistakes!

 

In the past three days, I have received the following text from a friend, quoting her devotional that day:

“Most marriages have rough spots because humans marry other humans,”

 read this in another friend's anniversary post on FB:

"In any marriage of two humans, there’s gonna be so much sin flying back and forth," 

 and read this in another friend's IG post:

Today marriage looks like

“I want to kill you” in the morning,

and

“There’s no one I more respect, admire, and love” in the evening.

True, all!

Thankful for marriage, forgiveness, and grace!

Thankful ~ hymn memories & expository preaching

 

This is the hymn that came to mind as our pastor preached from Philippians 4.8-9 this Sunday.  I see that Indelible Grace has a version also (this link is worth looking at for the devotional comments).  I have only sung it privately to the tune of "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus."

Hast thou heard Him, seen Him, known Him?
  Is not thine a captured heart?
Chief among ten thousand own Him;
  Joyful choose the better part.

Ch: Captivated by His beauty,
Worthy tribute haste to bring;
Let His peerless worth constrain thee,
  Crown Him now unrivaled King.

What has stripped the seeming beauty
  From the idols of the earth?
Not a sense of right or duty,
  But the sight of peerless worth.

Ch: Captivated by His beauty,
Worthy tribute haste to bring;
Let His peerless worth constrain thee,
  Crown Him now unrivaled King.

’Tis that look that melted Peter,
  ’Tis that face that Stephen saw,
’Tis that heart that wept with Mary,
  Can alone from idols draw:

Ch: Captivated by His beauty,
Worthy tribute haste to bring;
Let His peerless worth constrain thee,
  Crown Him now unrivaled King.

And this link includes a few more verses.

Had you ever heard this hymn?

Little-isms

Ran across these quotes from the children last year.  Smile.

Little Guy saw a bunch of Wall Street Journals stacked up for recycling and was aghast.  He wondered if a president had died.  Closer investigation revealed it was Ruth Ginsburg's casket.  He's concerned for our country.

Little Miss wants to wear hearing aids so badly, just like LG. So she’s always trying to convince me. “I not hear.” And I remind her that yes, she can hear. She is undaunted. “I not hear God.” I guess she won that argument. ;)

Thoughts from China

::from the archives::

{October 4, 2011}

 

I wasn't even there for the sermon, but it's one that stands out in my memory.

A pastor from the underground church in China was the special speaker that Sunday in College Town, USA.  After lunch, my roommate and I routinely told of what our sermons had been about that day.  And so I heard this man's impassioned plea to the American Church, thanks to my roommate.

Before communism, the believers saw the writing on the wall and knew things would be changing.  They did three things to prepare, and he urged American believers to do the same.

They memorized Scripture, they prayed together whenever they could, and they made sure their bodies were in shape.

This pastor had endured multiple terms in a prison camp, with all the accompanying physical hardships and hard labor.  Yet, his body was strong enough to survive.

A word to the wise, perhaps?

Barnhouse on the Fruit of the Spirit

Love is the key.
Joy is love singing.
Peace is love resting.
Long-suffering is love enduring.
Kindness is love touching.
Goodness is love’s character.
Faithfulness is love’s habit.
Gentleness is love’s self-forgetfulness.
Self-control is love holding the reins.

Donald Grey Barnhouse on the fruit (singular) of the Spirit as love (Gal. 5:22), and what that divinely produced Spirit wrought love looks like toward God and others as we walk by faith in the Spirit rather than the self produced acts of the flesh (Gal. 5:6).

As quoted by Rose Marie Miller, Nothing Is Impossible With God, Ch. 12.

Speech is more than pronunciation

Little Guy went with me to take Little Miss to the doctor the other day. When the doctor walked in and asked his name, he answered, and volunteered info about himself and spoke loudly and clearly.  She asked if he’s in kindergarten, and he always gets a puzzled look and I explain, “His school calls it Primary.”  She asked me which school, so I answered (and she had heard phenomenal things about it). Again LG piped up and said enthusiastically, loudly, and clearly (& at an appropriate time), “And I LOVE it!”

Later, at the library, he spoke up to the librarian and explained what we were going to do (without realizing that SHE was the one who was going to do it), “We’re going to get my library card!”

And, before we got out of the van, I had rolled down the windows to say hi to a relative, and LG called out his window, appropriately (in volume, emotion, and speech), “I’m going to get my library card!”

It seemed so natural, but I want to pause and celebrate the milestone of maturity that he did not have 6 months ago to speak up to others. Yay, Little Guy!!

Year-end

4 nights of overnight guests staying with us.

1 day of packing.

1 day of driving.

5 days and 6 nights staying with my parents.

Celebrating late Christmas, 50th anniversary, and two birthdays.

1 day of driving.

1 visit to Urgent Care.

Lots of steroids, antibiotics, and anesthetic cough meds.

More new stuffed animals, baby dolls, and fun toys than I can count.

1 stuffed van (ha!).

2 broken baby monitor cords (They've been in constant use for almost 5 years, and thankfully the company offers replacements for sale).

Oh, and Contentment! Ha!  When we were opening gifts on the 25th, and people asked what I opened, I showed them a 31-day devotional and said, "I got contentment!"  If only... :) 

Seriously, though, may 2019 be one of contentment as we gladly accept from God's hand all that He sends. 

Lord, I am willing

To receive what You give;

To lack what You withhold;

To relinquish what You take;

To suffer what You inflict;

To be what You require;

And to do what You send me to do. 

~ quoted in I Exalt You, O God, Jerry Bridges, p. 19

LG-isms

Look at all that snow!! I can't believe it!

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No crying, Little Miss! [wait for it...] I'm the only one who can cry.

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Day after LM's first birthday, "Is she two now?!"

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Leading up to her birthday, "She will be ONE!  And then she can hold her bottle with her hands!!"  [not really]

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A few days after LM's first birthday, overhearing me talking with Jim about a compromise we needed to make, and emphatically saying, "We're one, so...," Little Guy exclaimed in astonishment, waving his hand at Jim and me and Little Miss, "You three are all ONE?!?  I'm four!"

10 Prayers for the New Year

Christina Fox does not disappoint.

While the list of things we could pray for this year is endless, I've created a list to get us started. Will you join me in praying these things for ourselves and others?

1. That we would know the love of Christ:

Go here to continue reading. 

http://www.christinafox.com/blog/2017/12/27/ten-prayers-for-the-new-year

The fruit of the Spirit is ...

Fruit of the Spirit in Japanese

Love is the key.
Joy is love singing.
Peace is love resting.
Long-suffering is love enduring.
Kindness is love touching.
Goodness is love’s character.
Faithfulness is love’s habit.
Gentleness is love’s self-forgetfulness.
Self-control is love holding the reins. 

Donald Grey Barnhouse on the fruit (singular) of the Spirit as love (Gal. 5:22), and what that divinely produced Spirit wrought love looks like toward God and others as we walk by faith in the Spirit rather than the self produced acts of the flesh (Gal. 5:6).

As quoted by Rose Marie Miller, Nothing Is Impossible With God, Ch. 12.

Free from the law

Our pastor is preaching through Galatians. 

Last week he quoted another pastor about these four types of people. I couldn't take notes on his summary fast enough, so was happily surprised to see Tim Challies link to them on his blog the next day.  Read here. 
 
Each week after the sermon, we've been singing a new-to-me hymn by Philip Bliss.  Have you heard it?  I found these words online, but am not sure they're the exact version we are singing.

	Free from the law—oh, happy condition! Jesus hath bled, and there is remission; Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall, Christ hath redeemed us once for all.
		Once for all—oh, sinner, receive it; Once for all—oh, doubter, believe it; Cling to the cross, the burden will fall,   Christ hath redeemed us once for all.
			There on the cross your burden upbearing, Thorns on His brow your Savior is wearing; Never again your sin need appall, You have been pardoned once for all.
		Now we are free—there’s no condemnation; Jesus provides a perfect salvation: “Come unto Me,” oh, hear His sweet call, Come, and He saves us once for all.
			Children of God—oh, glorious calling, Surely His grace will keep us from falling; Passing from death to life at His call, Blessed salvation once for all.

Do the next thing

One of Elisabeth Elliot's quotes is, "Do the next thing."  Today on the Elisabeth Elliot quote page on Facebook, I discovered the fuller quote (and source):

Do it immediately;

Do it with prayer;

Do it reliantly,

casting all care;
Do it with reverence,
Tracing His Hand,
Who placed it before thee with
Earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence,
Safe 'neath His wing,
Leave all resultings,
DO THE NEXT THING.
~Old Saxon poem

I like the fuller meaning behind it.  And, I need to remember the fuller meaning. :)

Biographies

Have you read any good biographies lately?

I'm reading two, and have one on my to-read list.

Andrew Murray: Christ's Anointed Minister to South Africa is only $1.99 for Kindle.  Good deal!  I'm still not a regular reader of my Kindle or Kindle app, but this one is holding my attention.  Here's some info on the author's page. 

As a child, perhaps a young teen, I read many of Patricia M. St.John's books.  As a young adult, I greatly appreciated her autobiography. And now I'm enjoying her biography of her father. It is rich with quotes.  I've already given one copy away, and I'm not even halfway through!

For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr is on my mind since the Olympics are going on right now.  From the Amazon description:

In the spirit of The Boys in the Boat and Unbroken, For the Glory is both a compelling narrative of athletic heroism and a gripping story of faith in the darkest circumstances.

Can't wait to keep turning the pages of the first two and start the third!

Being productive

Being a mom of a little one FEELS like I'm not being productive.

One of my Christmas gifts was Tim Challies' new book, Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity.

I like his definition of productivity, especially because even a stay-at-home mom can hold onto it and pursue it:

"Therefore, productivity is effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God. It is taking all you’ve got and directing it each day to the good of others, trusting that this, in turn, glorifies God."

Challies is kicking off the year with a 10 days of productivity email group.  I think you can still sign up here. 

What is your best productivity tip?

Did she disciple you, too?

                              Elisabeth Elliot 

When passing through the gates of pearly splendor,
Victors, we rest with Thee, through endless days.

This past week, the one who wrote Through Gates of Splendor (based on the hymn quoted above & telling the story of the five Auca martyrs), passed through those gates herself. 

The articles and video below have helped me remember, celebrate, pause, thank God, grieve, and hopefully consecrate myself anew to the Savior to whom she pointed me and so many others. 

How did she most influence you?



Celebrating the Life of Elisabeth Elliot

video tribute by Christian leaders

10 Life-Changing things EE said

Classic Piper on EE

She Trusted and She Obeyed - a tribute

9 Things You Should Know About EE 

The "Drudgery" of Motherhood?

In a P.S. to one of Tara Barthel's recent blog posts, she quotes G. K. Chesterton.   As always, Chesterton is brilliant!  [Emphasis mine.]

“Babies need not to be taught a trade, but to be introduced to a world. To put the matter shortly, woman is generally shut up in a house with a human being at the time when he asks all the questions that there are, and some that there aren’t. It would be odd if she retained any of the narrowness of a specialist. Now if anyone says that this duty of general enlightenment (even when freed from modern rules and hours, and exercised more spontaneously by a more protected person) is in itself too exacting and oppressive, I can understand the view. I can only answer that our race has thought it worth while to cast this burden on women in order to keep common-sense in the world.

But when people begin to talk about this domestic duty as not merely difficult but trivial and dreary, I simply give up the question. For I cannot with the utmost energy of imagination conceive what they mean. When domesticity, for instance, is called drudgery, all the difficulty arises from a double meaning in the word. If drudgery only means dreadfully hard work, I admit the woman drudges in the home, as a man might drudge at the Cathedral of Amiens or drudge behind a gun at Trafalgar. But if it means that the hard work is more heavy because it is trifling, colorless and of small import to the soul, then as I say, I give it up; I do not know what the words mean.

To be Queen Elizabeth within a definite area, deciding sales, banquets, labors and holidays; to be Whiteley within a certain area, providing toys, boots, sheets cakes. and books, to be Aristotle within a certain area, teaching morals, manners, theology, and hygiene; I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people’s children about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one’s own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman’s function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute.” G.K. Chesterton