A happy birthday, laudable links, and thoughts about Lent

Posted on February 20, 2010 by Barbara Harper

Today is Mittu’s birthday!

Hope you’re having a wonderful birthday! You are a sweet, lovely addition to our family — I can’t imagine our family without you!

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They went for a super-quick trip back to see Mittu’s mom and friends in OK for her birthday, and we’ll celebrate here when they get back.

This is one of those areas as a relatively new mother-in-law where I’m never quite sure what to do. Do we do the birthday traditions we always do? Or would they rather do something different? We’ve tried to always keep the lines of communications and options open, to offer but to let them know we won’t be offended if they want to make other plans.

We’re dog-sitting little Spresso, who doesn’t quite understand what’s going on. He finally stopped barking, but I haven’t seen him lie down or even sit down yet. We did take him back to their house to sleep at night — he’s used to being alone in their laundry room at night, so we felt he’d probably feel more at home there. As excitable as he is normally, I can only imagine how he’ll react when they get back! Our dog, Suzie, doesn’t quite know what to make of him.

I didn’t get a nap yesterday like I thought I would except for briefly dozing off in the computer chair, but I did fall asleep on the couch about 8:30 or so. I woke up and went to bed around 4 and then woke up again I think around 7 this morning. So I think I’m caught up again! I feel back-to-normal now.

On Saturday I often share interesting links I’ve seen through the week, and today just have a few:

Arguments Against Anxiety by Justin Taylor. I don’t know who Justin Taylor is and failed to note where I saw the link to this, but this is a great list.

A Whole New Perspective on the children’s song “Zacchaeus” by Mocha With Linda.

Bobbi at Blogging Along has some good thoughts in a Lenten Rant. I’ve never quite understood Lent, even though I was in the Lutheran church as a child and then again a few years as a teen, or felt compelled to observe it since there is no example or instruction about it in the Bible. Christ fasted for 40 days, but that was at the beginning of His public ministry and was nowhere near the time of His death or resurrection. I can see how it could be a deep spiritual exercise, but giving up something for 40 days just to say I did so for Lent doesn’t seem to be so. No offense to anyone who does observe it and gain from it spiritually.

I do, however, like the idea of reading through the narratives of Christ’s last week on earth, His death, and resurrection in the weeks leading up to Easter (or Resurrection Sunday, as some prefer to call it). BibleGateway has a daily plan for that here: you can click on different days in the calendar on the top left if you’re behind, and you can click on a drop-down menu for the Bible version you prefer.

I mentioned yesterday I ordered Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter, various thoughts and essays from as far back as Jonathan Edwards, C. H. Spurgeon, and Martin Luther up to current day John Mac Arthur and others, covering different aspects of Christ’s death and resurrection, compiled by Nancy Guthrie. It just arrived yesterday, and I flipped through it a bit and am looking forward to delving into it. I’m in Genesis right now in my Bible reading and want to get to the end of that before taking a break for this book.

Last Saturday there were a few inches of snow on the ground: this Saturday it’s sunny and shirt-sleeve warm. I love it.

Happy Saturday!

Friday’s Fave Five and Jury Duty

Posted on February 19, 2010 by Barbara Harper

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts a “Friday Fave Five” in which we share our five favorite things from the past week. Click on the button to read more of the details, and you can visit Susanne to see the list of others’ favorites or to join in.

Here are my faves for the week:

1. Dinner at Outback! We don’t go there often, and we don’t usually go to restaurants around Valentine’s Day because they’re so busy. But when Jim offered to take the family to Outback the night before Valentine’s Day, well, I wasn’t going to turn him down! It did take a long time to get seated — they told us 45 minutes, but it ended up being almost two hours — but once we got to eat, everything was wonderful.

2. Valentine’s Day! It’s probably my favorite holiday, maybe vying with Christmas. We don’t usually do gifts, but we did exchange cards, I made my little chocolate heart cupcakes, and hubby surprised me with some Lindt truffles!

I pretty much only use tablecloths on holidays, maybe sometimes on special occasions, and I cannot find a pink tablecloth that isn’t peachy-looking, but I did spread this square pink one over the oval ivory one to make it more Valentiney:

I only had 6 pink napkins and we had 7 people, so I used both pink and ivory and alternated them. I liked the effect.

3. Snow Friday night! Nice and fluffy! And most of the snow melting Saturday afternoon! Yes, those are both favorites! I like it when it’s around long enough to play in a little, and then melts away.

4. A snowy Valentine message from Jesse, my youngest:

5. Cleaning out my desk and discovering a $25 award certificate to Amazon.com that I had forgotten about! I ordered three books totaling a little over $30, qualified for free shipping, and with my certificate only paid something like $5.87. One of the books is Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter, various thoughts and essays compiled by Nancy Guthrie in the same style as Come, Though Long Expected Jesus which I read and enjoyed before Christmas. I’m looking forward to using it to prepare my heart for Easter.

BONUS:

The Olympics! I mentioned that yesterday so I won’t elaborate.

I also mentioned yesterday that an unfavorite part of the week was receiving a summons for jury duty, and a few people wanted to know why I felt that way. Well, for one thing, there are other things I would rather do with my time, and I admit that is selfish. But I am also the most indecisive person I know. It takes me a long time to come to most decisions. I can see both sides of an issue or the pros and cons of each side of an decision and have a hard time unless it is just really clear-cut. The thought of having to evaluate a situation that is going to impact someone’s life unnerves me. Of course, for one-day duty it’s not likely there will be any major cases.

I’m surprised some of you have never been called! I wish they could rework it so that only people who wanted to could sign up to serve…but then they probably wouldn’t have enough people.

I’m feeling a little loopy this morning. I woke up at 3 a.m. to take Jason and Mittu to the airport for an early flight to see Mittu’s mom. It’s really strange being out and about so early! I’m not sleepy yet, but I feel just a little “off.” I think I foresee another nap in my future. 🙂

Ups and Downs

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Barbara Harper

UP: I had a really good, thoughtful post pretty much composed in my head in the shower at about 5:15 this morning.

DOWN: By the time I got to the computer at 8:15, it wasn’t flowing. I remembered parts of it, but it just wasn’t coming together. I’ll work on it and see what happens.

UP: I only got five hours of sleep last night and was up late a few night this week, so when I was falling asleep in y computer chair this morning. I decided to take a nap.

DOWN: I slept much longer than I intended to and now have a bit of a headache.

UP: But my mind is clearer and I am more alert.

DOWN: I got summoned for jury duty.

UP: It’s only for a day rather than a week. I requested to be excused due to medical issues that make it hard to stay seated for more than an hour and a half at a time. I don’t know if it will be regarded a legitimate request or not, but I felt it was better to bring it up now than not mention it and have it become an issue then.

DOWN: All of us except Jesse have taken turns being sick with some kind of cold/sinus issue.

UP: All of us are better…

DOWN: …except Jim. He’s actually better, but things seem to have settled in his throat. I thought for sure he had strep, but he went to the doctor Monday, who said it was just raw and inflamed. Every time he talks for very long, he starts coughing…and a lot of his job involves talking. The doctor did prescribe some medicine, so hopefully he’ll be on the mend here soon.

UP: I am loving the Olympics. I am watching more than I usually do — I think perhaps because of viewing history in the moment and in context rather than in short clips on the news. Loved especially Canada’s first gold on its own soil with Alexandre Bilodeau (who seems like a genuinely nice guy. I don’t know how anyone can do moguls and keep their knees for very long, though), Anton Ohno’s speed skating, the men’s short program in figure skating Tuesday night, especially Evan Lysacek’s routine, and Shaun White’s gold medal snowboarding last night. Looking forward to the men’s long program in skating tonight.

Wednesday’s Random Dozen

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Barbara Harper

Linda at 2nd cup of coffee created and hosts the Random Dozen meme every Wednesday. You can answer the questions on your blog and link up to Linda’s plus find more participants there.

1. If you could compete in one Olympic event (not necessarily winter sports) what would it be?

Figure skating. It looks so graceful.

2. Do remember a specific Olympic moment from the past?

Oh, plenty. Just a few: Mary Lou Retton’s perfect 10s in gymnastics. Torvill and Dean’s Bolero. The Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding fiasco. Kerri Strug’s injured vault. Michael Phelp’s swimming events in the last summer Olympics.

3. Have you ever known anyone who competed in the Olympics?

No.

4. If everyday activities were Olympic-worthy, which activity would you have a gold medal in?

I dunno. Eating? Sleeping? Reading?

5. Do you know anything about your ethnic heritage?

Like many Americans, it’s a mix. I know German and Black Dutch are in there, I think some Irish, and purportedly a little Cherokee.

6. Do you enjoy sleeping late?

Yes! “Late” these days, though, is 7 or 8. I don’t like feeling like I lost a big chunk of the day if I sleep any later than that.

7. Have you ever performed CPR on anyone? Do you know how?

No and no. I should probably learn that.

8. Name one country you’d like to visit and explain why.

Theoretically, because my dislike for travel overrides my desire to see them, Ireland or Scotland. Love the accents and the music.

9. Have you ever fixed up a couple romantically?

Only once, and that cured me. My sophomore year in college the guy I was dating and I set up his roommate and mine. They seemed perfect for each other. He really liked her, but she did not like him in that way, and it turned out very awkward for all of us over several weeks.

10. What is the last book you read?

Words Unspoken by Elizabeth Musser. Excellent.

11. Do you enjoy sleeping late? NO, YOU write the question! How’s that for random??

Do you ever add something on to a to-do list AFTER you’ve completed it just for the satisfaction of crossing it off? I have, occasionally. 🙂 I frequently make lists for myself but in the course of doing those things see other things that need to be done, or do something I forgot to list.

12. What is your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant?

It’s hard to name just one favorite restaurant, but I do usually have a favorite dish at each one. At Outback, it’s the Drover’s Platter which has both chicken and ribs, and I have enough left over for lunch the next day. At Fatz, babyback ribs. At Red Lobster, popcorn shrimp. At Cracker Barrel, usually their chicken and dumplings, though I also like their meatloaf and sugar-cured ham. At one local Mexican food place, Chicken chimichangas.

And now I am hungry….

Happy Wednesday!

A loss in the blogosphere

Posted on February 16, 2010 by Barbara Harper

Quite often on a “blogiversary” post or a blogging meme, many bloggers who have been at it for any length of time will comment that, whatever their reasons for starting a blog, one of the things that surprised them was the sense of community among bloggers. Once we find certain blogging friends, they become true friends.

I was very saddened to learn yesterday that a member of the blogging community had passed away. Dr. John at Dr. John’s Fortress went Home on Monday. I didn’t know him very well — I read his blog here and there, and we occasionally crossed paths when we participated in the same memes. But what I knew of him came mostly from his comments on mutual friends’ blogs. And one thing stood out: being a pastor wasn’t just a job from which he was retired: a pastor is what and who he was in his very essence.

Somehow we don’t think about heaven much until someone dies. Elisabeth Elliot once wrote than one reason we don’t know much about it is that we wouldn’t be able to concentrate on what we’re to do here if we knew all the dazzling glory awaiting us there. We do know there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, pain or sin and that God is there. That’s plenty to ponder and to look forward to! I am so grateful He made a way for sinners to be washed, cleansed, forgiven and fit for heaven, and that we can know that those who trusted in Him for their salvation are experiencing heaven’s joys as soon as they pass on.

We couldn’t wish them back from what they are experiencing now. But we do miss them, incredibly, achingly. Through time, grace, love and support, that ache will lessen to some degree, though it will never go away completely until we join them there. If you’re so led, I invite you to join me in prayer for the family and friends of Dr. John in the days ahead. And if you don’t know whether you would be joining that reunion in heaven, please read the verses linked above or read more here.

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am. John 17:24a.

The Week In Words

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Barbara Harper

Melissa at Breath of Life hosts a weekly carnival called The Week In Words,which involves sharing some words from your reading. Melissa explains,

“Playing along is simple, just write a post of the quote(s) that spoke to you during the week (attributed, of course) and link back here [at Melissa‘s]. They can be from any written source, i.e. magazine, newspaper, blog, book. The only requirement is that they be words you read.”

One quote that really stood out to me from a book I am reading is one I want to save for when I discuss that book after I finish reading it. But there were two that really spoke to me this week from the devotional book Our Daily Walk by F. B. Meyer.

From the reading for Feb. 9:

Let us claim the promise–“They that wait on the Lord shall change their strength.” Too often in the past we have depended on the stimulus of services, sermons, conventions which have made the embers glow again on the heart’s altar. We have gone back to our homes, to our daily calling, with a new zeal and impulse that has lasted for weeks or months. Then we have found ourselves flagging again; we have run and got weary; we have walked and become faint.

To all such comes the word; if you would once more mount up and run and walk, you must change your strength. Time tells on us! Moods influence us! Circumstances impede us! Satan blows cold blasts on our heart-fires and cools them! Sins pile up their debris between us and God! From all these let us turn once more to Jesus and wait on Him. “My soul, wait thou only upon the Lord, for my expectation is from Him.” Look not back, but forward! Not down, but up! Not in, but out! Never to your own heart, but keep looking to Jesus, made near and living by the grace of the Holy Spirit. So shall you change your strength, as you wait upon the Lord.

PRAYER
Thou knowest, Lord, how often I am sorely let and hindered in running the race which is set before me. May Thy bountiful grace and mercy come to my help, that I may finish my course with joy, and receive the crown of life. AMEN.

And from Feb. 10:

“Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.”– Jn 2:5, 6, 7.

DO NOT forget the necessity of obeying the inner voice of Christ, which may be recognised by these three signs–it never asks questions, but is decisive and imperative; it is not unreasonable nor impossible; it calls for an obedience which costs us some sacrifice of our own way and will. “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it!”

Do as you are told. It was a severe test to obedient faith to fill up those big jars, which stood in the vestibule of the house. Each would contain about twenty gallons, and as they were probably nearly empty, it would be a long and tedious business to fill them, especially at a time when guests required other attention… “They filled them up to the brim!”

In your obedience, always give Christ brimful measure. It may be a very small thing He asks you to dot–to teach a class of children, to pay a visit to some sick man or woman, to write a letter, to speak a word of comfort, to hold out the helping hand, to give the glass of cold water, but see to it that your response is hearty and brimful! The jar is your opportunity! A very common and ordinary one! An act that may seem needless or inconvenient; but out of it may come the greatest achievement of your life! When the Lord calls you into co-partnership, be sure not to say: “‘Please do not ask me!” Nay, serve Him to the brim! He never asks you to do one small act for Him, without being prepared to add His Almighty grace to your weakness, thereby perfecting the act. It is an amazing thing that He should want our help. Let us give Him to the brim, and, as we do so, we shall see a wonderful and beautiful thing, which is “hidden from wise and prudent, but revealed to babes”. “The servants who drew the water knew.” Many of us realise that this miracle is constantly taking place. We fill our waterpots to the brim with water; but at the end of days of careful preparation we sadly review the result, and say to ourselves: “After all, it is very poor stuff, only water at the best!” But as we pour it out in service to others, we know that the Master has been collaborating with us, and has turned the water into wine! There are secrets between the Lord and those who obey Him! It is blessed when we are workers together with Christ. He knows, and you know. A smile passes between you and Him, and it is enough! The best wine is always kept in reserve!

PRAYER

Enable me to do not only what I like to do, but what I ought. Cause me to be faithful in a little, and in common tasks to learn Thy deep lessons of obedience, patience, and conscientiousness. AMEN.

Microfiction Monday

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Barbara Harper

microfictionmonday

Susan at Stony River has begun a Microfiction Monday wherein participants write a story in 140 characters or less based on a particular image that Susan has chosen for the day. Design 215’s Character Counter helps keep track of the number of characters. It’s a fun exercise in creative conciseness…or concise creativity… You can visit Susan’s to see some very creative stories for today.

The picture for today and my take on it:

“Let’s go see the pirate ship!”

“But what about the roller coaster?”

“I really want to see the pirate ship!”

Sigh. “Okay, Dad.”

Here Is Love

Posted on February 14, 2010 by Barbara Harper

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. I John 4:9-10.

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

Let me all Thy love accepting,
Love Thee, ever all my days;
Let me seek Thy kingdom only
And my life be to Thy praise;
Thou alone shalt be my glory,
Nothing in the world I see.
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me,
Thou Thyself hast set me free.

In Thy truth Thou dost direct me
By Thy Spirit through Thy Word;
And Thy grace my need is meeting,
As I trust in Thee, my Lord.
Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring
Thy great love and power on me,
Without measure, full and boundless,
Drawing out my heart to Thee.

Oh, how marvelous; oh, how glorious,
Is my Savior’s love for me!
Oh, how marvelous; oh, how glorious,
Is my Savior’s love for me!

— William Rees, 1803-1883.

An excerpt can be heard here.

Valentine’s links and favorites

Posted on February 13, 2010 by Barbara Harper

(Graphic courtesy of Until Then graphics.)

I admit it. I love Valentine’s Day. Maybe it’s because of all the pink and heart shapes. 🙂 No, not really. Well, I do love those…but I’ve mentioned before I love “special” days, days to do a little something different, days to have an excuse to show someone you care. Not that you need an excuse….doing so on “ordinary” days is special, too.

We’ve always celebrated Valentine’s Day as a family, not just as a couple (though I like the romantic part, too!). We don’t exchange gifts — there is no need for that, and it is sandwiched in between Christmas and a birthday, so we don’t need to be spending the money. It’s usually pretty simple: I make a nice dinner and heart-shaped cupcakes; my husband and I exchange cards; I get cards for the kids. Some years I do more.

I was inspired by Semicolon’s Love Links, Lists, and Quotes to post some of my own favorite quotes, poems, love songs, etc. So here goes:

Love poems:

To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet.
How Do I Love Thee by Elizabeth Barret Browning.
The Blue Robe by Wendell Berry.
They Sit Together on the Porch by Wendell Berry.
The Blue Bowl by Blanche Bane Kuder.
O, Wert Thou In The Cauld Blast by Robert Burns.
St .Valentine’s Day by Edgar Guest.
Teamwork by Richard Armour:

A splendid team, my wife and I:
She washes dishes, and I dry.
I sometimes pass her back a dish
To give another cleansing swish.
She sometimes holds up to the light
A glass I haven’t dried just right.
But mostly there is no complaint,
Or it is courteous and faint,
For I would never care to see
The washing job consigned to me,
And though the things I dry still drip,
She keeps me for companionship.

From Odgen Nash:

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it.
Whenever you’re right, shut up.

Love Quotes:

Quotes about love for Valentine’s Day.

Christian quotes about love.

C. S. Lewis on love.

From Jane Eyre: “To be together is for us to be at once as free as solitude, as gay as in company. We talk, I believe, all day long: to talk to each other is but a more animated and an audible thinking.”

“A happy marriage has in it all the pleasures of friendship, all the enjoyments of sense and reason, and, indeed, all the sweets of life.” –Joseph Addison.

“Marriage with a good woman is a harbour in the tempest of life; with a bad woman, it is a tempest in the harbour.” — J.P. Senn

From A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens: “”You anticipate what I would say, though you cannot know how earnestly I say it, how earnestly I feel it, without knowing my secret heart, and the hopes and fears and anxieties with which it has long been laden. Dear Doctor Manette, I love your daughter fondly, dearly, disinterestedly, devotedly. If ever there were love in the world, I love her. . . .”

Love songs:

“The Way You Look Tonight”
“Someone to Watch Over Me.”
“Unchained Melody”
“Star of the County Down”
“All I Ask of You”:

One of my favorite YouTube videos: scenes from different films set to “My Heart Will Go On” by the Irish Tenors. Love their harmony here!

Single on Valentine’s Day:

Singleness.
Valentine’s Day single?

Fun stuff:

Corny Valentine Jokes.
If you are a fan of the TV series Lost, you’d probably like these Lost-based Valentines.

Pearls of wisdom from Grandpa on having a long, happy marriage:

Whether a man winds up with the nest egg or a goose egg depends a lot on the kind of chick he marries.

Too many couples marry for better or for worse, but not for good.

When a man marries a woman, they become one. The trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

Trouble in marriage also often starts when a man gets so busy earning his salt that he forgets his sugar.

If a man has enough “horse sense” to treat his wife like a thoroughbred, she will never be an old nag.

Miscellaneous:

John 3:16 Valentine.
Valentine smoothies.
Your Divine Valentine.

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Barbara Harper

Here are my faves for the week:

1. Feeling better! I have still been foggy/draggy the last couple of days, but I’m a heap better than I was this time last week.

2. Ladies’ meeting at church Monday night. I seem to say that every month. But our guest speaker this month was a woman who works with the ladies and children at our local rescue mission. It was really neat to learn more about them, how they operate, what the Lord’s been doing there, and ways to help.

3. Valentine goodies. Mittu and I made the refreshments for the meeting, with a Valentine’s theme, and we had assorted heart-shaped cookies, brownies, and cupcakes left over. I usually make heart-shaped cupcakes for Valentine’s Day, but it’s been fun to have goodies all through the week.

4. Slushy orange juice. I am not a big fan of ginger ale, but we had some left over from the punch at the ladies’ meeting, and when that happens I like to partially freeze a cup of orange juice and then add a little ginger ale to it and stir it up til it’s slushy. It’s sooo good. But it made me cold afterward: I’ll have to try that again this summer.

5. Mini heart-shaped muffins for Jesse’s class. Sometimes I kind of miss doing all the fun things for parties for the kids’ classes (though, honestly, more often that not, I’m relieved not to have to any more). They have fewer parties and celebrations in high school, and that usually involves just sending soft drinks or money for pizza. But this morning I decided to whip up some mini-muffins from a mix to send to Jesse’s home room.

I have to admit…raspberries aren’t my favorites for muffins. But they were ok. I didn’t think to ask Jesse’s teacher ahead of time — hope it was ok to send them! If not, Jesse was going to pass them out at lunch.

Bonus:

This photo from the LEGO a day site.

They say we’re supposed to get a few inches of snow tonight. You just never know in our area, so we’ll see what happens. I wouldn’t mind if it passed us by, but I’m sure the kids would like some to play in since we just got ice last time. Speaking of ice — I was intrigued by how it froze around these pebbles just outside our door last time, so I thought I’d share them with you: