Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Barbara Harper

It’s been a busy week! I’m thankful there’s nothing on the agenda for Friday and Saturday. There are always things to be done, and I hope to get to some of them. But we have a little more breathing room now.

I’m joining with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to share some of the week’s blessings.

1. My dear husband’s birthday. The local kids came over and we Facetimed with Jeremy.

2. Our nephew-in-law’s memorial service. We’re sorry that he is gone so soon, and we ache for his family. But we were thankful his service was live-streamed. His wife (our niece) and children all spoke–I was amazed they were able to. I don’t know if I could. I enjoyed seeing their different personalities come out in their reflections. It was good to hear testimonies from others as well. It’s amazing how many lives one person can touch.

3. An impromptu dinner out. We had some errands to run Wednesday afternoon. As we finished up, we began to talk about eating out somewhere and decided to text and see if the kids were free to join us. Jesse had other plans, but Jason, Mittu, and Timothy met us at a local Mexican food restaurant.

4. Healing. I had a follow-up visit with the doctor to check on the cellulitis on my leg. It looks much better, though it’s not entirely healed. But he didn’t prescribe any more antibiotics (Yay!) and didn’t schedule me to come in again–he just said to call if it starts to look worse. That was the outcome I was hoping for.

5. Budding trees and bushes. More signs of spring! The whole area is full of fluffy white trees–Bradford pears, I think. And though I am not generally fond of yellow, the forsythia bushes in the neighborhood are a cheerful sight.

Our weather forecast is predicting that winter will have another fling next week, hopefully the last one. We’ve had both the heater and AC on this week. But I am happy we can switch between them at the push of a button.

How was your week?

Review: Light Upon Light

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Barbara Harper

In Sarah Arthur’s introduction to Light Upon Light: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, she writes:

Many of us, when charting the timeline of our lives, can point to a moment when a story or poem happened. It happened the way an accident or a record-breaking snowfall happened: it was perhaps expected, perhaps not. One moment we were performing the usual routine–pouring cereal, say, or opening the mail–and the next moment we sat motionless with a book in our hands, eyes unfocused, a wave of words washing over us as relentlessly as a newsreel.

I’ve had that experience of being stopped in my tracks by a poem or piece of literature, staring out the window or up at the ceiling while the words reverberated in my mind. So I looked forward to such experiences in the pieces Sarah compiled.

There are eighteen sections, beginning the first week in Advent and continuing on until the ninth week of Epiphany. I don’t come from a church background that observes Epiphany, but I knew some churches celebrated it as the time the wise men found the Christ child. I didn’t realize it was observed for several weeks.

Each section has a theme, from Annunciations, to Sojourners, to Love’s Offices, etc. The section begins with an opening prayer, usually taken from a poem. A few Scripture passages are suggested, then several readings from different works are included. There are no assigned readings for specified days: the reader is allowed to meander at his or her own pace.

I loved the idea of this book. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy many of the selections. Some I didn’t “get” (my fault). Some were a little off theologically.

I tended to like the classical selections better than the contemporary ones. I don’t have anything against modern literature. I read modern writers all the time. But in this case, the modern pieces were most often the ones I questioned, or the ones that seemed more mystical than biblically accurate.

I did find a few nuggets that spoke to me. There were a couple of old familiar favorites, like an excerpt from Dickens’ The Christmas Carol and G. H. Chesterton’s “The House of Christmas.”

There were some new-to-me treasures, like “Hymn on the Nativity of My Savior” by Ben Johnson, “Moonless Darkness” by Gerald Manley Hopkins, “Ring Out the Wild Bells” by Tennyson, and a handful of others.

The introduction says, “Some of the works in this collection are obviously seasonal, some obviously Christian. Some are neither.” I know even secular work can express spiritual truth, so I don’t have a problem with it being included–as long as it’s not misleading. I have more trouble with spiritual works that are inaccurate.

I suppose if I had looked at the book as a collection of literary pieces on certain themes revolving around the holidays, my expectations would have been different. Looking at the introduction again after finishing the book, I see that’s how it was presented. My disappointment came from thinking the book was from a distinctly Christian viewpoint and finding it wasn’t. It seemed more in the “spiritual” rather than Christian vein.

Review: All We Thought We Knew

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Barbara Harper

In All We Thought We Knew, a novel by Michelle Shocklee, Mattie Taylor was adamantly against the Viet Nam war. So she was stunned when her twin brother, Mark, and his best friend joined the military. She blamed her father for not discouraging Mark from going. Then Mark died in the war. The day after his funeral, Mattie left for the hippie movement in California.

Now, a year later, Mattie receives news that her mother is dying and wants to see her. Though Mattie still bristles with anger over the war, she rushes home to see her mother.

Mattie’s mom, Ava, wants Mattie to read some old letters hidden away in a shoebox. Mattie isn’t very motivated–she doesn’t know the people addressed in the letters nor the senders. But she reads a letter or two at a time to placate her mother.

Ava had become a young widow during WW2 when her new husband was killed at Pearl Harbor. Ava lived with her unkind mother-in-law on the horse farm her husband, Mark, had intended to sell. When the military opens a base nearby and sends out a notice that they are hiring civilians, Ava applies for a job to help support herself and her mother-in-law.

Part of Ava’s job is to update the ever-changing personnel files. One day this takes her to a German detainee, Gunther. She learns that Gunther had come from Germany to America before the war to study medicine and become a doctor. Yet when America joined the war, officials rounded up German citizens and detained them at military bases as enemy aliens. Some were allowed to work on the base. Gunther’s medical experience opens a door for him to work as an orderly while under guard.

The point of view switches back and forth from Mattie in 1969 and Ava and Gunther in 1942, slowly unraveling the mystery of what ties the three together.

Though I have read several novels set in WW2, this is the first one that has touched on German detainees in America. It’s heartbreaking that they were gathered up and treated as Nazis, even though some fled their country because of Nazism.

It was also interesting to see the inner workings of a couple of temporary military bases in the WW2 section of the story and the horse farm in the 1960s section.

Mattie got on my nerves a bit. She’s totally self-centered–her opinion is the only right one in her eyes. But there was hope that she would mature and grow through the novel, and she did. I liked the way the others in her life patiently dealt with her anger, doubts, and questions.

I felt the “reveal” of the mystery was pretty obvious by the time it came out (to everyone but Mattie). But overall I enjoyed the book.

How Do We Delight In the Lord?

Posted on March 8, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

Whenever I’ve heard teaching or preaching on this verse, the emphasis has always been on the second half. We’re taught that this verse isn’t a blank check for whatever our hearts might want. Instead, as we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires we ought to have. The better we know Him and delight in Him, the more our desires will align with His.

However, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the first part of the verse explained–unless I have forgotten it. It seems to be assumed that we know what it means to delight in something.

And we do. “Delight” carries the connotation of pleasure and joy. We delight in people–a husband, child, grandchild, or friend. We might take pleasure in a special gift, heirloom, or a just-right or longed-for purchase. We take joy in special occasions–graduation, wedding days, dinner with friends.

But do we take joy in God?

We’re often thankful for our salvation, answered prayer, the beauty of creation, and many other gifts from God. And that’s good.

But do we delight in Him?

Here are some ways that are a help to me–perhaps they will be to you, too.

Delight in God’s Word.

The Bible is the primary way God speaks to us in our day. There will be times our Bible reading might seem a little dry, but God promises “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The more we read the Bible with a heart to know God, the more we’ll delight in it, and then in Him. Psalm 119 calls God’s Word a delight ten different times.

Aside from specific study, have you ever opened the Bible to find exactly what you needed for the moment? Fellow blogger Nancy Ruegg calls this experience Bible Hugs. I don’t know how many times I have been pondering a question, issue, or need, and my scheduled Bible reading for the day addressed the very thing I was thinking about.. That makes me feel so seen and loved by my Father.

One quick example: I was in the hospital thirty years ago undergoing tests for what would eventually be diagnosed as transverse myelitis. I was scheduled for an MRI, which was fairly new at the time. Any medical personnel who came into my room asked me if I was claustrophobic. I wasn’t sure–I had never been in a position that would cause me to feel claustrophobia. But their questions were making me that way! They explained that some people are bothered by being surrounded by the MRI machine and having to be still through the somewhat lengthy scan. They could give me something to relax me for it, but would need to know if I wanted it early enough to order it and then for it to be administered in time.

That day, the reading in my Daily Light on the Daily Path devotional was full of verses about stillness, like, “Sit still, my daughter,” “Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted,: “Be still, and know that I am God,” “In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, ” “Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still,” “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” Those calmed my heart. I recited them to myself while in the MRI machine and even dozed off.

Study God’s attributes.

At first, that might sound like a dry academic pursuit. Instead, such a study leads to worship and joy.

As an example, a friend and I are studying God’s attributes in None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different From Us and Why That’s a Good Thing by Jen Wilkin.

The first chapter deals with God’s infinity. Jen points out that it is impossible to measure Him in any way. David says “his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). Solomon said the highest heaven could not contain God (1 Kings 8:27).

God Himself measures the waters, the heavens, and the mountains, but “Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord?” (Isaiah 40:12-13).

God’s greatness inspires awe and worship, but also fear. What might a God that big do to us? Does He even notice us or care about us?

Yes, Jen says. He knows the number of our hairs (Luke 12:7). He measures our sorrows and tears (Psalm 56:8). He measures our sins, yet “his immeasurable grace exceeds them” (Romans 4:7-8; 5:20).

When I read this book the first time, I was amazed how meditating on God’s attributes increased my faith: “God can take care of anything! What do I have to worry about?” But learning about Him more deeply also spilled over into love for Him and delight in Him.

Mardi Collier had a similar experience as a result of Bible study. She and her husband, Ken, served at The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center in various capacities for years (at one time, he was the president). When she talked with her husband about wanting to know God better, he suggested she start in the psalms and make note of every verse that said something about God. She made a notebook and started a new page every time she saw a new attribute of God, adding to each page as she found other verses. Her study expanded to the rest of the Bible. That project eventually became a book: What Do I Know About My God?

So as we read the Bible, we don’t just get through the scheduled reading for the day: we look for God. What does the passage say about God? But we don’t just read it academically. We read it personally.

Remember what God has done.

Psalm 150:2 tells us to “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!” We marvel at God’s hand throughout history as we read the Bible. Not only does He demonstrate His wisdom and ability in leading and providing for and protecting His often unappreciative people, He also shows His love and compassion for them.

But God didn’t just work in history. He works in our lives today. David writes in Psalm 63:5-8: “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” Whether making a list with pen (or computer) or lying awake and thinking in the middle of the night, recounting God’s work in our lives causes us to joy in Him.

Some years ago, I was encouraged to write down my “Ebenezers.” The word means “stone of help” and comes from 1 Samuel 7:12, where Samuel placed a stone as a memorial of God’s help and called it “Ebenezer.” God helps us every day in big and small ways, but I made a list of some special times when I particularly saw God’s hand at work (that list can be found here.)

Pray.

Prayer is a big subject with many facets, but for our purposes today, I’ll just say there’s nothing like a direct answer to a personal prayer–or the realization that God’s “no” was the best response–to inspire our delight in the Lord.

Read and sing hymns.

Colossians 3:16 says we are taught and admonished as we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Music and poetry have a way of engaging our minds as well as our emotions and can feed our delight in the Lord.

I can hardly sing “Is He Worthy?” without getting teary. “God of Heaven,” “Behold Our God,” and “O God Beyond All Praising” all transport me into instant worship.

Another favorite is the lesser-known but lovely “O God My Joy” (lyrics and background information here), based on Psalm 43:3-4: “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.”

And then there are the multitudes of hymns that are testimonies of what God has done in our lives.

See God’s hand in creation.

Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Have you ever been stopped in your tracks by a gorgeous sunset, beautiful flowers, or majestic mountain scenes and marveled at God’s handiwork?

Then David wrote in Psalm 8:3-4: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” The God of such grandeur knows and loves and cares for us!

Turn thoughts to God all through the day.

We don’t have to confine our worship or our delight in the Lord to our time in the Bible with Him or in prayer. As we go about our daily tasks, we can pray, sing, or think about God’s character, words, and deeds.

What helps you most to delight in the Lord?

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on March 7, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Some of the good blogging found this week:

Bible Hugs. “Not long ago I meant to type into the search box, biblehub.com, a site I visit frequently for research. (If you’ve not visited there, it’s well worth exploring.) But this time, instead of hub I typed hug. Bible hug. After a slight snicker, I thought, Wait—scripture does offer hugs-of-sorts, in the form of encouragement, comfort, and assurance—providing occasions when I can almost feel God’s embrace. Sometimes those hugs have come in preparation for what’s to come, sometimes in the midst of pain or trouble, and other times after the fact.”

To Cover an Offense is to Forgive, HT to Challies. This is a helpful explanation of two different terms in the Bible and what the involve–covering and offense and overlooking an offense.

God, the Lord of Time. “Planning my weeks and my days is a constant exercise in frustration. Invariably I write down only a small portion of the things I desperately need to accomplish. Invariably, my attempts at modest expectations are far too ambitious and I enter the following week looking at more than half of what I had hoped to complete. Rinse and repeat.”

A Desire Is not Always Sinful, HT to Challies. “The Bible certainly has its warnings about misplaced and unleashed desires, but Scripture attests that to be human is to have desire. Fears identify those things that are important to you.”

Venting vs. Complaining: What’s the Difference? “I just needed to vent. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve muttered this phrase to my husband, my mom, and my friends over the past few months. But as I’ve read through the book of Numbers, watching God’s people continuously complain—and seeing His anger kindled against them when they do—the Holy Spirit has gently prodded me to take a closer look at myself. I’d like to invite you along on this journey too.”

Should Christians Feel Guilty for Being Patriotic? HT to Challies. I don’t usually post reviews of books I haven’t read, but this made some excellent points.

A Treasure Chest for Thoughts, HT to Challies. “A book is a treasure chest for thoughts. Crack open the covers, and you’ll find a wealth of ideas in its words. They can take you out of yourself and show you new places and new perspectives.”

A Shy Guy’s Guide to Big Groups, HT to Challies. Much of this resonated with me! “Dear brother or sister, I feel your plight. But instead of taking personality tests and being trapped in the results, making peace with the discomfort and awkwardness, what if we focused outside of ourselves on others? What if we took the counsel of a voice instructor and aimed at being generous with our energy?”

God often removes what we lean on so we learn to lean on Him alone. Author Unknown

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Barbara Harper

It’s the first Friday of March! Even though it is not officially spring yet, I couldn’t wait to use the spring FFF graphic. I’m joining Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to cultivate gratefulness by recounting God’s blessings of the week.

1. Running into an old friend at the store. I had dashed in to look for some Easter things while waiting for a prescription to be filled. We had a good chat for about 15-20 minutes and caught up with each other’s families and people we both knew. That brightened my whole week.

2. Dinner at Jason and Mittu’s house. Though we’ve gotten together at our house or other places, and they’ve made dinner for us several times, we had not been to their house since before Christmas for various reasons. Their central air was out for a while, I sprained something in my back earlier this year that made me unable to navigate the slope in their yard or their stairs, etc. So it was fun to visit over there.

3. Buds and blossoms. I’ve seen daffodils and pansies blooming this week and one tree (not sure what kind) starting to bud. I love seeing signs of spring!

4. Healing. I have cellulitis in one leg again. 😦 It’s odd I have gotten it this time of year each of the last three years. Though it was an ordeal each time before, this time it seems to be healing well so far. Antibiotics usually negatively affect my digestive system since I have issues with that anyway. But probiotics and IB Guard have helped tone that down a bit.

5. A husband that buys the groceries. Though he does multitudes of other things that I appreciate, this is one of the things I am most grateful for. I tried to avoid asking him when he was working 50+ hours a week. But he has assured me that he doesn’t mind. And since he has retired, I don’t feel as guilty. 🙂 Plus, sometimes he brings a surprise home–something to grill for dinner or something he saw that was marked down.

I hope your March is starting out well!

Review: Rebel With a Cause

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Franklin Graham’s autobiography, Rebel With a Cause, was not on my radar. However, someone gave it to me. I don’t always pray about what book to read next, but when I did a few weeks ago, I couldn’t get this book off my mind.

Franklin Graham is the son of well-known evangelist Billy Graham. In his earliest days, Franklin didn’t have a clear picture of what his father did. He just knew he was gone much of the time. He was quite a handful as a child. I enjoyed some of his mother’s creative and unconventional ways of dealing with him.

Franklin loved where his family lived in NC, motorcycles or almost anything with an engine, guns, and fun, even if it got him into trouble. And it frequently did.

In his first or second year of college, he went on a trip to help two single female missionaries–not for any spiritual reasons, but for a chance to go to a foreign country. He saw their work and simple trust in God and wanted to help more. He began to organize supplies for them, little realizing that this would eventually lead to his life’s work.

Franklin writes of the different male figures in his life who influenced him, mostly for good, in his father’s absence. One day, everything came together to convince him and help him be willing to surrender his life to God.

By his own admission, he was never much of a student. But he finally got serious about his studies and finished college whole married to his wife, Jane Austin.

I had thought that he began Samaritan’s Purse, but, actually, a man named Bill Pierce did. Franklin went on many mission trips with Bill. When Bill knew he was dying of cancer, he talked to Franklin about taking over SP when he was gone. After thinking and praying much, and waiting for the SP board to come to the same conclusion, Franklin agreed.

The SP website states, “Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I appreciated that, whenever they heard of a need, Franklin, or, later, one of his team would go investigate the situation first. They’d try to discern exactly what the need was, whether and how they could help, and who could facilitate the efforts there. They made it clear that they would share Christ while there, and most of the time that was not a problem.

Franklin shares story after story of horrific needs and miraculous supply of both provisions and people to help. My heart was touched by those here and in various countries who stepped in to meet needs.

In later years, Franklin felt he might be called to be an evangelist. But he knew he was where God wanted him at SP. He didn’t want to be compared to his father or look like he was following in his footsteps. Then others began to tell him they thought he was called to be an evangelist as well. Finally one evangelist convinced Franklin to come along with him and help with his meetings. Franklin did, and then began to preach at meetings himself. He concluded that Jesus preached as well as helped people with their physical needs, so Franklin did not have to choose one or the other.

This book was published in 1997 when both his parents were still alive. They contributed a few words at the end.

He doesn’t say anything about Operation Christmas Child in this book. I assume that was started after this book was written. I just saw there is a separate book about that ministry.

While I wouldn’t endorse everything written or all the people and organizations Franklin and his ministry associated with, I was blessed by how God worked in and through him.

Review: Barnaby Rudge

Posted on March 3, 2026 by Barbara Harper

The title character in Charles Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge is a young man in his twenties with the mind of a five-year-old. He’s often called an “idiot” in the book–not in derision, but that was the main word they used at the time for someone with mental or processing deficiencies.

Barnaby lives with his widowed mother in a small village a few miles from London. His father had been the steward of Reuben Haredale, owner of a manor called the Warren. Both men were murdered twenty-two years before. The missing gardener was assumed to be the culprit. Locals still told the story of the murder, especially on the anniversary of it. Some say they see a ghost of one of the murdered men each year on that date.

Barnaby has a pet raven, Grip, who talks and interacts in the story in surprising ways. Dickens says Grip is based on two pet ravens he had. Wikipedia posits that Grip was the inspiration for Poe’s poem, “The Raven.”

Reuben Haredale’s brother, Geoffrey, now lives at the Warren with his orphaned niece, Emma, as her guardian. Emma is in love with Edward Chester, the son of Sir John Chester. But neither Geoffrey nor Sir John will agree to the match because of the disparity in each family’s financial situation, in their religion (the Haredales are Catholic, the Chesters Protestant), but mostly because the two men have been strong enemies since their school days.

Various people in the village, including Barnaby, have helped the young couple by delivering messages and aiding their rendezvous, but their guardians put a stop to it.

The Maypole is a tavern and inn in the village, run by John Willet. John’s son, Joe, feels oppressed by his father’s treating him like a child, especially in front of the clientele. He decides to run away and become a soldier. First he stops to confess his love to Dolly Varden, the locksmith’s daughter. But, though she likes him, she’s a flirt and doesn’t give him any encouragement.

Hugh is the gruff hostler at the Maypole inn. His mother had been hanged for stealing when her husband had been “pressed” into military service and some of their belongings has been seized for debts. Hugh was just a child when this happened and had a rough upbringing.

Lord George Gordon, head of the Protestant Association, comes through the village on his way to London. He’s protesting the Papists Act, which lessened in some degree discrimination against Catholics set in the Popery Act of 1698. Though Gordon is fictionalized in the novel, he was a real historical character who really did protest the Papists Act, which stirred up anti-Catholic sentiment and resulted in several days of riots, looting, burning of Catholic homes, storming Newgate prison, and threatening anyone who did business with or helped Catholics. Wikipedia says the rioting “was the most destructive in the history of London.”

The novel’s characters get caught up on opposite sides, resulting in tragedy or near-tragedy for some and the emergence of heroism in others.

Some years ago, I set myself a mission to read all the Dickens’ novels that I wasn’t familiar with. I had previously read A Tale of Two Cities (two or three times–my favorite), David Copperfield (second favorite), Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist. Barnaby Rudge was the last one I got to

Barnaby was one of his earliest novels written, but it was the fifth one published. It wasn’t a complete flop, but it didn’t sell nearly as well as his others. I think the lack of interest in it may have been because it was presented as a story about the Gordon Riots some sixty years after they happened. The subtitle of the book is A Tale of the Riots of Eighty. In fact, one reason this book is the last of his I read was that it did not sound at all exciting. It looks like it wasn’t thought to be exciting even in 1840. But I trusted that he would write a good, colorful, redemptive story. And he did.

Saying Barnaby is about the Gordon Riots is like saying A Tale of Two Cities is about the French Revolution. It is, but it’s more about the lives of Charles Darnay, Lucie Manette and her father, and Sydney Carton and how their lives intersect amid the happenings of the Revolution.

Barnaby Rudge is the same way. It’s not an encyclopedia entry. It shares the history of the times in the lives of mostly fictional characters.

It might seem strange that animosity against Catholics could grow into such monstrous rioting and pillaging. But England had fought wars in the past over Catholicism.

Dickens says in his introduction that he had “no sympathy with the Romish Church, although he acknowledges, as most men do, some esteemed friends among the followers of its creed.” He felt his descriptions were impartial. He definitely painted the rioters as villainous. He also says in his introduction:

It is unnecessary to say, that those shameful tumults, while they reflect indelible disgrace upon the time in which they occurred, and all who had act or part in them, teach a good lesson. That what we falsely call a religious cry is easily raised by men who have no religion, and who in their daily practice set at nought the commonest principles of right and wrong; that it is begotten of intolerance and persecution; that it is senseless, besotted, inveterate, and unmerciful; all History teaches us. But perhaps we do not know it in our hearts too well.

I’ve often marveled at riots in our own time. It seems incongruous that people mad about something in society would take it out on their neighbors who had no part in the situation, There’s a kind of madness in the midst of a wild mob. Then again, in this time as well as in Dickens’ not all the rioters and looters were acting for their cause. Some of Dickens’ characters didn’t care about religion at all–some were anti-authority of any kind, some thought it was fun, some just got caught up in the crowd, some were taking advantage of the situation for personal gain.

The riots are the main subject of the middle part of the book. Gordon isn’t even mentioned until about a third of the way through. The first third sets up the characters and situations mentioned, plus many others, and the last third tells the aftermath and wraps up the various threads.

I wondered why the book was named for Barnaby. Perhaps because of his innocence, perhaps because Dickens often brings to the forefront how society treats the poor and marginalized.

Dickens doesn’t say in his introduction which characters are based on real people except Gordon and the young woman who was hanged. He does say that “in the description of the principal outrages, reference has been had to the best authorities of that time, such as they are; and that the account given in this Tale, of all the main features of the Riots, is substantially correct.”

I enjoyed the book very much, despite being not very excited when I started it. It contains Dickens’ trademark humor and pathos along with an array of characters ranging from decent, salt-of-the-earth types, to quirky ones, to villains.

My favorite characters are Gabriel Varden (the locksmith) and Joe Willet.

I listened to the audiobook, marvelously read by Jason Watkins. He did such a good job not only with the sound of the different characters’ voices and accents, but with infusing their personalities in his voice. I also got the Kindle version for reference. You can find the Kindle versions for a lot of classics ranging from free to a couple of dollars.

Spiritual Maturity Is Dependent

Posted on March 1, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Whether we have our own children, or nieces and nephews, or friends’ children, or little ones at church, we expect to see them grow. Even though we marvel at how quickly they seem to grow, we would be concerned if they didn’t.

We also assume that children will grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Moms might miss the cute antics of their little ones, but they’d be alarmed if their teenagers acted like toddlers.

Though there is an aspect of grief when children become adults and leave home, there is anticipation, too. We look forward to seeing what God will do in their lives.

As much as we miss our kids when they move away from home, we know something is wrong if they’re forty and still living in their parents’ basement, playing video games most of the day.

Maturity in the children we’re close to seems to be measured by their ability to stand on their own two feet–to function successfully as adults on their own. Though we welcome their coming to us for advice, and we love to help them in any way we can, we know we won’t be around forever.

Spiritually, though, we don’t grow independent from God. We don’t become spiritual adults as we move away from Him to live our own lives.

Instead, we grow spiritually when we realize how little we actually have control over, when we’re aware we need God every moment of every day. We grow more dependent on God as we mature.

How do we mature spiritually?

We take in His Word. 1 Peter 2:2, NKJV: “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” Acts 20:32: “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.“

We grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord. 2 Peter 3:16-18: “There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

We pray. Colossians 1:9-10: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

We learn from the leaders God gave the church. Ephesians 4:11-13: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

We develop discernment by learning to distinguish between good and evil. Hebrews 5:12-14: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Renew our minds. Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.“

Behold Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

What does spiritual maturity look like?

Stability. Ephesians 4:14: “That we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Awareness of our weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Endurance and hope. Romans 5:3-4: “Endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Fruit of the Holy Spirit evident in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

Jesus. Ephesians 4:13: “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Maturity doesn’t always accompany age. Some older people aren’t very mature at all, and some young people can display remarkable maturity. But the good news is, whatever stage we are in now, we can grow spiritually and become more and more like Christ.

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Some of the good blogging found this week:

He Is Strong Enough. “Now I have been a mother for 21 years, and I struggle to carry the burdens of four children on these two shoulders. I think back and wonder how my wonderful mom did it. And then I remember that she had a Savior who is in the business of carrying burdens–One who invited the weary and heavy-laden to come to Him for rest.”

A Testimony in Sorrow. “The odd thing about this time is that I remember God using me so much more than in the seasons of life when I believed I ‘had it all together.’ My brokenness was the platform for His glory. Yes, I was weak, but my face was constantly turned toward Him, relying on Him for every breath and step. So many people came to me during that time for counsel and I consistently told the Lord that I was not in the battle at the time; I was on ‘sabbatical’ from the Christian life. He would have to wait to use me until I was self-sustaining again. I was a mess and freely confessed to others that such was the case. The truth was, I couldn’t point to myself as the standard for their help anymore. I needed help; I was a beggar pointing other beggars to the Bread of Life.”

How Do I Start Sharing the Gospel in the New Year? “A pastor shared this with me, and I’m wondering if you feel the same way. He knows the gospel well. But he finds that the hardest part of sharing the good news of Christ is getting started. Many of us feel this way, don’t we? But what if we are making a false assumption that is stopping us in our tracks?”

Godly Motherhood and Pinterest Dreams: The Mom I Long to Be, HT to Challies. “We can make many assumptions about the photos we see. We can long for the perfection depicted in tiny boxes on a glowing screen. Yet what truly matters in the eyes of the Lord, the hearts of our children, and in our souls, is the glorious work God is doing through the holy and hard moments of mothering. For every Pinterest mother we crave to be, God is molding in us a beauty that cannot be captured in photos.”

15 Devotional Gleanings from Reading the Old Testament Law. “What we want to know as we read is: What was God teaching Israel through these portions of the Law? What does God teach His Church now through these same chapters?”

When You Want to Trace In Your Specific Clay-Like Conditions. “Maybe like me, you delight in being a clay jar filled with the treasure of Jesus, yet struggle when the clay feels extra fragile, sad, or worn out. In those conditions, I can be tempted to want to click a ‘return’ button as simply as it is to send back an unwanted Amazon package.”