Providential Dullness: An Easter Meditation. We give the disciples a hard time for missing that Jesus said He would rise again, but Luke 18:34 says, “this saying was hid from them.” Why would that be? Some good answers in this piece.
The Ones in the Front Row.“I cannot control the reception my children’s God-given callings receive out there in the wide world. But I can raise them to be appreciators of beauty, loveliness, and skill. Then, maybe they will be the ones in the front row, clapping their hearts out, whistling, standing and cheering at all the beauty the world holds for them.”
Thanks For Raising the Man of My Dreams! I hate mother-in-law jokes and did long before I became a m-i-l. I did have relatively good relationship with mine. Here are some good thoughts to enhance that relationship.
For those who like Christian fiction, especially free Christian fiction, there’s a Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt going on this weekend with a possibility of winning 17-34 books from 30+ authors. Some of the individual authors are hosting their own giveaways as well.
Responding to the Increasingly Short Shelf-Life of Worship songs, HT to Challies. Songleaders/music pastors/worship leaders have an abundance of songs to choose from, and being able to project the words for all to see enables us to sing more than just what’s in the hymnbook. That’s good in many ways but complicates things in other ways. Though this was written to song leaders and such, it helped me to see what big job it is to choose songs from the multitude we have available. I especially appreciated his caveat that some songs are for just a season. It used to bother me that we heard some songs often for a while and then not at all – kind of like a current “hit” – but then I realized that even the older hymn-writers wrote many songs that we know nothing about now, so that must have happened then, too.
This is a neat overview of the Bible for kids, showing how it all points to Christ:
I didn’t do one of these last week because I only had two or three – and now this week I have several. That’s how it goes sometimes. But here is some noteworthy reading found in the last couple of weeks:
Solid Food for Little Ones. A list of books for young children that teach about God. Keeping in mind for future reference when my little grandson gets older.
Remember Card Catalogs? As a former librarian and avid reader, I loved this piece about people who take the old cards from library card catalogs and illustrate them.
I thought this was really cool. With a nerdy family who loves the Marvel universe films, Iron Man being one on them, I loved this video of Robert Downey, Jr. (aka Iron Man) delivering a bionic arm to a boy who has only a partially developed right arm.
And for Jan Karon fans, I saw on her Facebook page this announcement about her newest book coming out this fall!
I loved hearing her talk and watching her expressiveness! I also saw this post on her Facebook page saying that there might be a movie about Mitford and asking for suggestions about who should play which part. I hope if this comes to pass that they let her have creative control. I have mixed feelings – I love the books and would definitely see any film made from them, but I’m not sure I’d want any images other than the ones in my head. 🙂 But we’ll see.
Forgive me for blogging about mostly books the last couple of weeks. I just happened to have finished several at once (a couple were really short), plus it has been a busy time, and somehow book reviews are easier for me to do than other posts where I am thinking through something. I do have a couple of the latter percolating on the back burner and hope to be able to finish them soon. Meanwhile, here is some interesting reading I’ve come across the last couple of weeks:
Why You Should Think Twice Before Badmouthing Obama. I am not a fan of the man but I cringe to see Christians calling him names when we are called to honor our authorities, even when we disagree with them.
Some of you might recognize the character and the take-off from a quote in The Princess Bride. 🙂 I do feel that way about Daylight Savings Time, though! And it seems earlier this year. Don’t forget to turn your clocks ahead tonight.
It has been almost a month since I’ve shared links that I have found interesting for one reason for another, so I hope you’ll forgive a longer list this time, and I hope you find something of interest among them:
Intimacy or Familiarity. Sometimes it is good to read large portions of the Bible to get the overall view, sometimes it is good to hone in on a smaller passage for a longer time. Love the truth that Bible study doesn’t have to be either/or, but that we need both.
When To Overlook a Fault. This is something I’ve struggled with – when to confront and when to overlook.
When Pain Enters, HT to Lisa. Setting aside the Calvinist/non-Calvinist arguments over which so many disagree, there are some good thoughts from one in pain about how God uses it.
Spurgeon on Christians Who Rail Against the Times. HT to Challies. Of course we observe the times and interpret them in light of what the Bible has to say, but I do get frustrated with those Christians whose constant theme is harping about how bad the times are. Evidently there were those even in Spurgeon’s day. I love what he had to say: “What have you and I to do with the times, except to serve God in them?” “We must not be “Woe! Woe!” Christians. We must be “Grace! Grace!” Christians.”
Forty Portraits in Forty Years, HT to Challies. One photographer took a photo of four sisters once a year over 40 years. Fascinating to see the progression.
Adding Beauty. Love this philosophy of decorating and making home “homey.”
Why Missionaries Hate Airports from my real-life friend and missionary, Lou Ann. I always love glimpses into aspects of missionary life that we might not have thought of or realized.
Dear Moms: It’s OK to Be Unremarkable. Nothing wrong with gleaning neat ideas from Pinterest, posting pictures on Facebook, or making 3-layer cakes, but the point is well-made that we don’t need to “compete” in all these areas.
And in the “You think YOU’VE got snow” category, Kathie, one of my FFF friends in Prince Edward Isle, showed 16-foot snow banks in her area and shared this funny clip:
Its been another good week with some thought-provoking posts to ponder:
Open Roof Hospitality. Very convicting to me. If I had been the lady of the house whose roof was being torn up so people could bring their paralytic friend to Jesus, my first emotion would not have been gratitude and joy, I’m sure.
Six Observations About Speaking to Pastors Right Before They Preach. Although these are especially true for pastors for obvious reasons, many of them hold true for anyone. Once when my husband was the head usher in a very tightly packed church and was trying to find seats for people right before the service, someone who was also a neighbor chose that moment to tell him that he thought the lawn mower that we often let him borrow had been stolen. Hard to concentrate on anything in the service after that. 🙂
A Response to “No, You’re Not Running Late. You Are Rude and Inconsiderate.” Good balance. People who are chronically late do need to realize the impact their lateness has on others and work on some time management skills, but we need to be careful not to sit in judgement whenever someone is late, for reasons the author delineates.
Are You Doing Too Much? Something we all need to evaluate periodically, especially if we’re feeling stressed or drained.
The Trail of Bible Documents. A good and clear explanation of them the different manuscripts Bible translators use.
Finally, this is one of the most beautiful renditions of “Silent Night” I have ever heard. I wish they had done more than the first stanza, but the harmonies and expression are just beautiful.
Which Promises Are For Me? There are many reasons it is not good to pick a promise out of context from Scripture and apply it to a situation it wasn’t meant for. Excellent thoughts from Jen about understanding and applying promises in the Word.
And, finally, I lived in Houston for 6 years, and when a fellow former Houstonian posted this on Facebook, it cracked me up. Houston isn’t really that bad when it snows.
Stray Thoughts 