Author Archives: Barbara Harper

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About Barbara Harper

https://barbarah.wordpress.com

Happy Resurrection Day!

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Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.  John 11:25.

empty-tomb-2.jpg
The strife is o’er, the battle done;
The victory of life is won;
The song of triumph has begun:
Alleluia!

The powers of death have done their worst;
But Christ their legions hath dispersed;
Let shouts of holy joy outburst:
Alleluia!

The three sad days are quickly sped;
He rises glorious from the dead;
All glory to our risen Head!
Alleluia!

He closed the yawning gates of hell;
The bars from heaven’s high portals fell;
Let hymns of praise His triumphs tell!
Alleluia!

Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee,
From death’s dread sting Thy servants free,
That we may live, and sing to Thee:
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

~ Author Unknown

May you have a wonderful joyous, blessed Easter remembering the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!

That Day at Calvary

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I stood one day at Calvary,
Where Jesus bled and died.
I never knew He loved me so;
For me He was crucified.
And as I stood there in my sin,
His love reached down to me;
And, oh, the shame that filled my soul,
That day at Calvary.

I knelt one day at Calvary,
My eyes were filled with tears,
To think such love I had refused
Throughout these wasted years;
And as I knelt I heard Him say,
“I did it all for thee”;
And, oh, the love that filled my soul,
That day at Calvary.

I prayed one day at Calvary,
“I’m Thine forevermore;
Forgive me, Lord, for all my sin,
My lost estate restore,”
And as I prayed, to me He gave
Salvation full and free;
And, oh, the peace that filled my soul
That day at Calvary.

~ Walt Huntley

(You can hear a snippet of this by going to this site and clicking on “That Day at Calvary.” I tried to find it on Youtube but only found a different song by the same name that was jazzier and didn’t seem to fit the words.)

Face the Cross

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I posted this about a year and a half ago, but it seems fitting contemplation for this Easter week. I first heard this beautiful hymn on the Wilds CD Creator, Redeemer, and King, and it literally stopped me in my tracks. You can hear the full version here.

Upon the cross of Jesus my eye at times can see
The very dying form of One who suffered there for me.

Face the cross, He hangs there in your place.
See the Lamb upon the killing tree.
Stand and look into the Savior’s face
As on the cross, He dies for you and me.

Face the cross and see the dying Son.
See the Lamb upon the killing tree.
See His anguish and His tears of love.
Face the cross, He dies to set us free.

Turn not away, turn not away.
His nail-pierced hands are reaching out to you, to you.

Look upon the One without a sin,.
Spotless Lamb upon the killing tree.
Feel His pain and love from deep within,
So great a price, yet paid so willingly.

Turn not away, turn not away,
Face the cross, face the cross.

Face the One who suffers in your place,
See the Lamb, upon the killing tree.
Light of the world, now clothed in darkness grim
As on the cross, He hangs in agony.

Face the cross and turn not away, turn not away.
His nail-pierced hands are reaching out to you.

Turn not away, behold His wounded side.
Turn not away, behold the crucified.
Face the cross, He hangs there in your place.
Face the cross, and see the King of Grace.
Face the cross, face the cross.

– Words by Herb Fromach, music by David Lantz

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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Joyce From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly Wednesday Hodgepodge of questions for fun and for getting to know each other.

Here are the questions for this week:

1. What are your plans for Easter Day/weekend?

I’m not really sure yet — this will be a different kind of Easter for us since my oldest son now lives out of state and my middle son and daughter-in-law will be out of town to visit her mom and attend a friend’s wedding. We likely won’t have our usual egg hunt (with money in plastic eggs) with just one teen-ager at home. I don’t know if we’ll do Easter baskets. I do know our church is having a special, longer Sunday morning service and no evening service. And we’ll have our usual Easter dinner of ham and some kind of potatoes.

2. Besides Jesus, what one person from The Bible would you most like to meet and why?

I’ve been thinking about this question off and on since I saw them yesterday (Joyce posts the questions a day ahead) and have found it very hard to choose one, but I think I’d choose Martha. I tend to be like her and would love to hear more about how she balanced serving with worship.

3. What is one modern day convenience you didn’t have as a child that was easy to live without?

That’s hard to say as I lived without them easily seeing I didn’t know about them then. 🙂 But I have gotten quite dependent on my dishwasher, microwave, cell phone, computer, and GPS. And fast food. But I think one feature of many modern conveniences that I could easily live without is the beeping signals. The microwave, washer, dryer, coffeemaker, and I don’t know what all else beeps or buzzes when they are done and it drives me buggy. With most of them I know when they are about to be done, and if I don’t come running immediately it isn’t a disaster. Thankfully most of them have an option to turn off the signal. I can hardly eat in some fast food places because of the incessant machinery noise.

4. Are you more right brained or left brained? If you don’t know what that means there is an interesting little quiz here.

According to the quiz, I’m 56% left-brained and 44% right-brained. Some of the analysis seemed fairly accurate, some a little “off,” but that’s the way with most of these types of quizzes. According to this list (just googled it and found this chart, not clicking on the weird links!), I’d say I am more left-brained. But the analysis of the quiz mentions a lot about math, and I am not a math person, and says I am not very verbal, whereas I would say I am.

5. What is something you intended to do today but didn’t? Why?

I need to send some cards that I have been meaning to sign and address for days now. I’m not sure why I haven’t gotten to them yet — just distracted by other things, I guess.

6. Cadbury Creme Eggs or Reeses peanut butter?

Reese’s!!!

7. Who was your favorite cartoon character when you were a child?

Underdog.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My knee was hurting to the point of hardly being able to walk on it last night, but thankfully it is better today except in certain positions (which I am trying to avoid.) My knees were x-rayed some time last year before we left SC, because they do give me trouble some times….but I don’t remember the results of the x-rays. 😳 I think it just indicated beginning arthritis. I’ve had a fear of someday needing knee replacement due to age and weight, and after hearing about what was involved from a friend who had both knees replaced at the same time, I want to avoid that! Last night I was all set to call the doctor first thing this morning, but I am thankful for a reprieve! This is the first time they’ve given me much trouble here since our new house does not have stairs. I do have a physical scheduled soon, so I’ll mention it then. (Edited to add: I may have spoken too soon about it being better — it just started up again just before lunch time. 😦 Hoping ibuprofen nips it in the bud.)

Just popping in to say hello…

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This has been an odd day. I’ve had a few post ideas in mind, but none would coalesce into a post. I was very tired and sleepy (and therefore cranky… 😳 ) yesterday, but when I tried to take a nap, I couldn’t get to sleep, and every time I dozed off in my desk chair, something would happen to wake me up. This morning when I was falling asleep in my chair at 9 a.m., I climbed back into bed, and I think I’m caught up on my sleep now though I slept much longer than intended. I’m in a much pleasanter frame of mind, anyway! But my thoughts still aren’t coming together enough to say anything of importance.

I’m not sure what the deal is, but I have noticed that when I have a very busy period of time, it takes me longer to “recover” — I seem to have a few days of malaise after having a few days of intense busyness. So I’ll just assume that is what is going on, and hopefully I’ll be back up to par tomorrow.

But now I need to try to salvage the day and go get something accomplished!

(Blog cartoon from We Blog Cartoons.)

The Week In Words

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Welcome to The Week In Words, where we share quotes from the last week’s reading. If something you read this past week  inspired you, caused you to laugh, cry, think, dream, or just resonated with you in some way, please share it with us, attributing it to its source, which can be a book, newspaper, blog, Facebook — anything that you read. More information is here.

I thought I’d share a few quotes related to Easter this week. Many of them have appeared on my blog in past years.

God expects from men something more…at such times, and that it were much to be wished for the credit of their religion as well as the satisfaction of their conscience that their Easter devotions would in some measure come up to their Easter dress. — Robert South

People say the cross is a sign of how much man is worth. That’s not true. The cross is a sign of how depraved we really are, that it took the death of God’s own Son. The only thing that could save a people like us was the death of God’s own Son under the wrath of His own Father paying the price, rising again from the dead. Powerful to say, this is the Gospel of Jesus. — Paul Washer

We greatly need the cheer of this precious Easter truth. We make too little of the place our Lord has gone to prepare for us. We rob ourselves greatly when we try to reduce heaven to a mere state of ecstatic feeling. We need the cheer which comes of having the eye of faith fixed on the better country and the city that hath the foundations. Such a certainty of an inheritance that is real and that cannot fade away goes far to mitigate the pangs which come of the fires and floods and disasters and frauds which so often despoil God’s people of their earthly possessions; for we know that the things seen are temporal, but the things not seen are eternal, and they are only a few heart-beats away. – E.P. Goodwin

IF you come to seek His face, not in the empty sepulchre, but in the living power of His presence, as indeed realizing that He has finished His glorious work, and is alive for evermore, then your hearts will be full of true Easter joy, and that joy will shed itself abroad in your homes. And let your joy not end with the hymns and the prayers and the communions in His house. Take with you the joy of Easter to the home, and make that home bright with more unselfish love, more hearty service; take it into your work, and do all in the name of the Lord Jesus; take it to your heart, and let that heart rise anew on Easter wings to a higher, a gladder, a fuller life; take it to the dear grave-side and say there the two words “Jesus lives!” and find in them the secret of calm expectation, the hope of eternal reunion. – John Ellerton

There are many tombs where we may be held if we succumb to the powers of sin and death. Hatred, self-pity, bitterness, resentment–these are tombs. By the power that raised Jesus Christ from that sealed and guarded tomb we may be delivered from whatever seals us off from life. Jesus came to give us life, nothing less than life, “abundant” life….Do you know someone you are praying for who is living in the darkness of such a tomb? Has it seemed that there is no more possibility of getting through to him than to someone buried? Resentment has sealed him off from any approach. Pray for the power of the resurrection to release him. Refuse, by the grace of God, to be held back by his bitterness. Then ask the Lord to help you to meet him next time in the consciousness of Christ risen. Instead of dreading the meeting because of the thought of former disastrous meetings, face it with joy. Christ is risen! Christ is risen! — Elisabeth Elliot, “Death Shall Not Hold Us,” from A Lamp For My Feet

If you’ve read anything that particularly spoke to you that you’d like to share, please either list it in the comments below or write a post on your blog and then put the link to that post (not your general blog link) in Mr. Linky below. I do ask that only family-friendly quotes be included. I hope you’ll visit some of the other participants as well and glean some great thoughts to ponder.

And please do comment even if you don’t have quotes to share!

Waiting For Spring

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Though cloudy skies, and northern blasts,
Retard the gentle spring awhile;
The sun will conqu’ror prove at last,
And nature wear a vernal smile.

The promise, which from age to age,
Has brought the changing seasons round;
Again shall calm the winter’s rage,
Perfume the air, and paint the ground.

The virtue of that first command,
I know still does, and will prevail;
That while the earth itself shall stand,
The spring and summer shall not fail.

Such changes are for us decreed;
Believers have their winters too;
But spring shall certainly succeed,
And all their former life renew.

Winter and spring have each their use,
And each, in turn, his people know;
One kills the weeds their hearts produce,
The other makes their graces grow.

Though like dead trees awhile they seem,
Yet having life within their root,
The welcome spring’s reviving beam
Draws forth their blossoms, leaves, and fruit.

But if the tree indeed be dead,
It feels no change, though spring return,
Its leafless naked, barren head,
Proclaims it only fit to burn.

Dear LORD, afford our souls a spring,
Thou know’st our winter has been long;
Shine forth, and warm our hearts to sing,
And thy rich grace shall be our song.

-John Newton, 1779, from Olney Hymns, vol. 2, hymn 31

Laudable Linkage and Cool Videos

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I didn’t have quite as much time for web surfing this week, but here are a few noteworthy things I did see:

The Unsaved Christian. Someone on Facebook linked to this. At first I balked at the title because someone is not a Christian if unsaved, so this seemed like a misnomer, but the article explains what she means and gently but clearly sounds a needed warning.

Winning Your Friends to Christ, HT to Susan.

Grace Spots.

Responding to the Scandal. If you saw the recent 20/20 report on abuse within IFB churches, this is the best response I have seen, HT to my son, Jeremy. I’ve been thinking about writing a post about this issue, but this hasn’t been a week I could have extended thoughtful time at the computer. But Dr. Bauder says just about everything I would say and more, and much better.

Homemade Note Pads are presented as a Teacher Appreciation Gift, but they’d be good for anyone.

Styrofoam Wall Art. I forget where I saw the link to this. I’ve seen similar ideas using canvas, but this would be cheaper.

Timelapse Video of San Francisco-to-Paris flight Captures Aurora Borealis. Neat article and video.

This is pretty funny. I can see how they do some of it, but they do the change-out pretty fast!

Have a great Saturday! We had storms through the night and lost power this morning, but I am so glad it is back on now!

Friday’s Fave Five

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Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five, hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story, in which we can share five of our favorite things from the last week. This has been a wonderful exercise in looking for and appreciating the good things God blesses us with. Click on the button to learn more, then go to Susanne’s to read others’ faves and link up your own.

It has been a super-busy week! Here are some of the highlights:

1. Cookies, cookies, everywhere. Jesse’s school lets the seniors sell baked goods at lunch time to fundraise for their senior trip. This year’s seniors have already gone on their trip, so now the juniors can get a head start on next year. The way they do it is that each one who wants to participate signs up to bring baked goods for an entire week — and this was our week. I’ve made double or triple batches of seven different kinds of cookies this week. Even that was less than I thought I’d have to do — the band was away for a competition a few days, which cut into his sales a bit, so he had leftovers to bring back some days. Of course the family has enjoyed a few of the extras, but I don’t want to have to make any more cookies for a while now.

2. Dogwoods after all. I feel like such a ninny — I said last week I was enjoying seeing the dogwoods in bloom around town but missed having some in our yard. Then what did I discover in my back yard this week:

I’m afraid I don’t recognize them when they’re dormant or leafy, just when they’re blooming. 😳 But I was glad to see that that’s what those trees are! They’re fairly small yet — just about 6-8 feet. So it will be nice to watch them grow.

3. Good AC with a vent right by the oven. I feel bad mentioning AC when some of you still have snow, but we’ve needed it this week. Having a vent right by the stove really helped as much as I had the oven on this week.

4. Plenty of counter space. The kitchen was one of the things I loved about this house, and when three of us were in there getting a meal ready this past weekend, I was so glad there was room to do so comfortably. That was impossible in our last house! And then when making cookies, I used to have to leave them on the table to cool, but now there is enough counter space to keep everything in the kitchen.

5. This tree, which I think my husband said was a Japanese Maple, is placed so that it gives us privacy in front of the house, plus I like the way the window on the door frames it. It’s fairly small as well now.

I’m also glad for antibiotics. My husband has a monster ear infection with what the doctor called a virulent bacteria and missed two days of work earlier in the week. His ear is still painful and swollen a bit, but it’s much better than it was and he’s feeling closer to normal than he was.

We had to get up early last Saturday to get Jesse to his ACT test, so I am really looking forward to getting to sleep in and not having any obligations tomorrow.

Happy weekend!

Looking Up

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Quilly has started a once a month Quilldancing Writing Assignment. She gives a prompt and we come up with a story based on it in 500 words or less.

I’ve had to sit out the last couple of months. My first attempt back in January was way over the word limit, and even with cutting out over 200 words, it was still over the word count. This one is a bit under — I had started it a while back and then forgot about it, so I hadn’t developed it any further until this morning. But I like it as is, so I think I am going to pronounce last time’s overage and this one’s lower count as balanced. 🙂

The prompt for today is:

As we all know, “April showers bring May flowers”. This month’s story should include a sudden rain fall and a recalcitrant umbrella. And, since this is National Poetry Month, your story should include a bit of poetry. You can write it yourself or use somebody else’s (be sure to give credit where credit is due); it can rhyme or not; as you wish. See you on the 15th!

My story:

Susan awoke with a start and looked with bleary eyes at her alarm clock. “Oh, no! That thing failed to go off again!” She needed a more reliable clock, but no time to think about that now: she flew into high gear trying to get ready for work.

Along the way, a series of small calamities multiplied her frustrations. The blouse she wanted to wear had a spot on it. In her haste making breakfast her sausage biscuit wasn’t quite warm enough before she had to wolf it down on the go. A train crossing the street out of her neighborhood delayed her even more. She couldn’t miss her boss’s scowl as she scurried to her place. She discovered they were shorthanded, and she ended up having to work through her lunch hour. Her customers seemed particularly demanding and impatient. 5:00 could not come soon enough.

When she finally clocked out, she dashed over to the electronics store to find a new alarm clock. Purchase in hand, she exited the store to discover the clouds that had been threatening all day had finally erupted into a sudden storm. As she unfolded her umbrella, she commented to herself, “I’m glad I brought this thing. At least something went right today.” She had had to park her car quite a ways away, and less than halfway there a gust of wind blew her umbrella inside out.  Cradling her purchase in her elbow, she tried to reach the mechanism on her umbrella to close it while simultaneously trying to jiggle the thing back into its proper form, all to no avail.

Soaked from her struggles, she was on the verge of either screaming or crying when she became aware that a shadow had passed over and she wasn’t feeling the rain any more. She looked up to see a large black umbrella over her. She turned around to look up into the face of its owner. Tall. Handsome. Smiling brown eyes. Crooked grin.

“You know how it is with an April day,” he said.

Her wet bangs were plastered to her forehead and dripping into her eyes. “What?”

“You know that old poem by Robert Frost? “ He quoted with a flourish:

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You’re one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you’re two months back in the middle of March.

She smiled. “Well, that certainly does sound like April.”

He handed her a handkerchief and asked, “Bad day?”

“It’s starting to get better.”