Veteran’s Day Parade

Posted on November 11, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I’m afraid I wasn’t really thinking about veterans as I made my way to the parade that year.

My husband’s friend was our city councilman, and he asked my husband if he could drive him in our oldest son’s convertible for the Veteran’s Day parade. As I drove the kids downtown to “see Daddy” and “see Jeremy’s car,” I was thinking of finding a parking place where there wasn’t too much traffic and where there was a restroom nearby in case any of us needed one, wondering whether I should get out the folding chairs from the back of the van and whether we’d need sweaters. I found a suitable place near the end of the parade route, and we scrambled out of the van to line up on the sidewalk.

As we listened to the marching bands and saw the waving city officials, I noticed a man in a wheelchair next to us with a woman I assume was his daughter. He was a veteran, as evidenced by his uniform jacket and VFW hat. I noticed other old men scattered here and there throughout the few attendees with at least a VFW or uniform hat, some with full uniform on, some in wheelchairs or with canes.

I knew, of course, that Veteran’s Day is observed to honor those who have fought to defend our country. But seeing those uniforms up and down the street really brought it home. They weren’t just out to spend a few minutes of time on a day off. They were out to honor and support each other and their country as they always had.

I felt like I should turn to the man in the wheelchair next to me and say, “Thank you.” I didn’t, but I wish I had.

I do now. I appreciate and thank the veterans and those currently serving as well as the families they leave behind in order to protect and defend the rest of us. They continue serving even after they come home: seven veterans who did not know my father or the rest of our family honored him as a brother with a 21-gun salute at his funeral. One of the most poignant images at my father-in-law’s funeral was the salute from his fellow veterans.

Thank you. It doesn’t seem enough just to say it, but it is heartfelt. Thank you.

Randomness

Posted on November 9, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I caught a cold a few days ago and felt really bleah Saturday. Better now. Some.

Dontcha hate it when you blow your nose and gunk comes out of your eye?

Why doesn’t someone invent a self-cleaning refrigerator?

My husband was away this weekend. We’re used to his coming and going through the week, but weekends seem a little forlorn without him.

Our church is having a missions conference this week — great stuff so far.

One of the missionaries is the patriarch of this family, and I am loving their CDs!!

On to bed — to sleep, perchance to breathe.

Actually breathing isn’t so much a problem — drippiness is — but I just liked the way that sounded. 🙂

Book Review: Stepping Into Sunlight

Posted on November 8, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Stepping Into Sunlight by Sharon Hinck is the story of Penny Sullivan, who, just after a move to a new town and just before her husband’s deployment as a Navy Chaplain, witnesses a horrific crime and a threat to her own life. Though trying to assure her near and extended family that everything is fine, she begins to suffer nightmares and panic attacks. With her husband away and no new friends or church yet, she has no support system, and she is reluctant to take it to the Lord because of the lingering question: Where was He when this happened, and why didn’t He prevent it?

She tries to put a brave face on things so that no one will worry about her and so that she can take care of the young son who depends on her, but she finds herself increasing afraid and unable to take up even the ordinary tasks of life.

Help comes in various ways: a nosy, advice-giving neighbor, a DVD she discovers of message her husband made for her, a quirky couple who run a little mission church nearby, and a support group she eventually makes herself attend. Thinking her usual planning and goal-making skills will help pull her out of the quagmire she is in, she lists several things to do, one of which is “Penny’s Project,” an attempt to do one kind thing for someone each day.

I have to admit when I first read that idea, I cringed a little. It brought up images of the Boy Scout doing his good deed for the day helping a little old lady across the street (whether she wants him to or not) rather than a lifestyle or character of kindness. But the more I got into the story, the more it made sense. Penny discovers that, with grocery store delivery, ordering things she needs online, and even online discussion forums, she can almost function from her home without interacting with others, and this project is her baby-steps attempt to extend herself beyond her four walls and her own problems. It is not a bad goal in itself: how many of us miss opportunities to exercise kindness because we’re not actively seeking them?

If you have ever suffered panic attacks, you’ll find realistic portrayals of them in this book. If you know someone who suffers them, you’ll understand a little more what they are going through in this book. Sharon always writes realistically (even in her fantasy books, the characters, feelings, and struggles are very true-to-life) and draws you into the heart of the character while providing unexpected pockets of humor throughout. I highly recommend this book.

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on November 7, 2008 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.

1. No more political ads or calls! At least for a while.

2. This live webcam of a box of puppies brought to my attention by my son. Very cute and very relaxing to watch! The only downside is not being able to pick one up. It will likely only be up a few more weeks.

3. The weather this week has been just perfect: no rain, a little breezy, a little cool in the mornings and a little warm in the afternoon.

4. Our ladies’ meeting Monday night where we watched a DVD titled Peace Child from the book by the same name, reviewed here. It’s just amazing how God opened the hearts of headhunters and cannibals who thought Judas was the hero of the story because they valued treachery and caused them to understand the gospel. A scene at the end with a native hut filled with former headhunters singing hymns is just thrilling. And the missionaries, I am sure, do not want to be thought of as extraordinary Christians, but rather just faithful Christians who took Him at His word and trusted Him not only for their personal safety but for wisdom to know how to reach these people with His love, yet their example is still inspiring.

Plus the fellowship at the meetings is always a blessing. And the hostess made loaded potato soup, which I love, and even sent some of the leftovers home with us!

Then some of the same ladies plus a couple more met again last night to have another session to make cards for our missionaries for Christmas. I so appreciated their willingness to come out another night in the same week( had to meet this week because next week is missions conference), and once again enjoyed the fellowship and the creativity. It is so much fun to do that kind of thing in a group and get inspired by other people’s ideas.

5. Homemade banana bread! Though it doesn’t last long around here.

I enjoy this opportunity to look back over the good things from the week! It extends the enjoyment of and thankfulness for them a little longer.

Poetry Friday: Dirge for Two Veterans

Posted on November 7, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I don’t remember now how I discovered “Dirge for Two Veterans” by Walt Whitman, from Leaves of Grass, but when I did a few weeks ago I knew I wanted to save it for the Poetry Friday before Veteran’s Day. Poetry Friday is hosted this week by Check It Out.

The last sunbeam
Lightly falls from the finish’d Sabbath,
On the pavement here, and there beyond it is looking,
Down a new-made double grave.

Lo, the moon ascending,
Up from the east the silvery round moon,
Beautiful over the house-tops, ghastly, phantom moon,
Immense and silent moon.

I see a sad procession,
And I hear the sound of coming full-key’d bugles,
All the channels of the city streets they’re flooding,
As with voices and with tears.

I hear the great drums pounding,
And the small drums steady whirring,
And every blow of the great convulsive drums,
Strikes me through and through.

For the son is brought with the father,
(In the foremost ranks of the fierce assault they fell,
Two veterans son and father dropt together,
And the double grave awaits them.)

Now nearer blow the bugles,
And the drums strike more convulsive,
And the daylight o’er the pavement quite has faded,
And the strong dead-march enwraps me.

In the eastern sky up-buoying,
The sorrowful vast phantom moves illumin’d,
(‘Tis some mother’s large transparent face,
In heaven brighter growing.)

O strong dead-march you please me!
O moon immense with your silvery face you soothe me!
O my soldiers twain! O my veterans passing to burial!
What I have I also give you.

The moon gives you light,
And the bugles and the drums give you music,
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,
My heart gives you love.

Blogging for peace…

Posted on November 6, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I have been tagged by several bloggers to participate in a “Blog Blast for Peace.” I am afraid they might be a little disappointed, though, because I can’t do it exactly like what they have in mind.

There are two reasons. One, I don’t think world peace will come because bloggers or others write about how much we want it. And two, the conflicts between nations stem from the same conflicts in individual human hearts.

James 4:1-3 (NKJV) says,

1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Wars come, ultimately, because nations lust, primarily for power or property. Of course, sometimes nations go to war to defend against that lust of other nations as Great Britain and the USA did against the Nazi regime. I think in some cases like that war is justified though every diplomatic means should be employed first.

But the point is, wars occur for the same reason individual human conflicts occur, and they won’t cease until individual human conflict ceases. And human conflict will not cease until human hearts are changed.

Ephesians 2: 13-18 says:

13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” In John 16:33 He says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

In studying Bible prophecy, it is only when Christ comes to reign that there will be peace on earth. In fact the passage that says “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” is in a prophetic section talking about the reign of Christ. As it gets closer to that time, He said, in Matthew 24:

5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Until that time, though, individual believers can have peace with Him, first, and then peace with others. As the Ephesians 2 passage mentioned above, Christ Jesus made peace for those who will believe on Him by offering Himself, shedding His blood to suffer the punishment for those sins and redeem us.

Psalm 85:10 says, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” If a judge set free a guilty man out of mercy, we would say that wasn’t just — especially if we were the ones sinned against by the guilty man. But because Jesus took those sins on Himself and paid the penalty for them, He satisfied the demands for justice, and God is now able to grant mercy, and thereby peace, to those who believe on Christ as Lord and Savior.

Colossians 1 says,

19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

And then once we believe on Him, we have His peace in our hearts. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

And once we have His peace in our hearts, we can have peace with others. Galatians 5:22-23a says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance.” Colossians 3:14-15 says, “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (II Timothy 2:22). “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:6 says, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

Certainly we do need to speak up against unjust wars, and it is good to be a peacemaker, but total peace won’t come until the Prince of Peace reigns, in individual hearts and in nations.

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Romans 15:13.

“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” II Peter 3:14.

Booking Through Thursday: Presents!

Posted on November 6, 2008 by Barbara Harper

The weekly Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

What, if any, memorable or special book have you ever gotten as a present? Birthday or otherwise. What made it so notable? The person who gave it? The book itself? The “gift aura?”

I receive a lot of books as presents. Our family likes to have ideas of what the recipient would like, so books are almost always on my list, specific books at that. Though I love and appreciate them, there is none that particularly stands out except my first Bible that I received some time during my elementary years from the church I was attending. I don’t remember if it was a general gift or a reward for Sunday School attendance or what. But my mother kept it put away and wouldn’t let me have it except for church. I’m sure she just didn’t want me to mess it up in some way, but I remember even then thinking, “It’s not going to do me much good to have it if I can’t read it!” Still, though, perhaps that experience as well as teaching about how special a book the Bible is taught me to respect it. I believe in respecting and taking care of all books, as we discussed last time, and I believe the Bible is meant to be studied rather than showcased, so I do highlight and underline and jot notes in it. But I hate to see it on the floor or under other books or stuffed with other papers or with food or drink on top of it.

“Above all theologies, and creeds, and catechisms, and books, and hymns, must the Word be meditated on, that we may grow in the knowledge of all its parts and in assimilation to its models. Our souls must be steeped in it; not in certain favorite parts of it, but the whole. We must know it, not from the report of others but from our own experience and vision,…Another cannot breathe the air for us, nor eat for us, nor drink for us.”
–Horatius Bonar from They Walked With God

Read the Bible, and it brings you into the association of the best people that ever lived. You stand beside Moses and learn of his meekness; beside Job and learn his patience; beside Abraham and learn of his faith; beside Daniel and learn of his courage to do right; beside Isaiah and learn his fiery indignation toward the evildoer; beside Paul and catch something of his enthusiasm; beside Christ, and you feel His love.

~ Charles H. Spurgeon

Paper-crafting Thursday: Fall card

Posted on November 6, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home hosts Paper-Crafting Thursday where we can show cards, bookmarks, etc. that we have made — or, I would guess, that others have made and given us.

This card is one I stamped several years ago.

It was stamped with a “rainbow” stamp of different colors side-by-side that were allowed to “bleed” into each other. I think I had made a few like this, and this was the last one, but I messed up the note I was writing inside — it just wasn’t coming out right. But I didn’t want to throw this away, so it has been sitting in a box for years. With all the card-making inspiration of the last few weeks, I decided to see what I could do with it.

By the way, the row of leaves was made with this stamp, turning it each time, so it looked like the leaves were being blown by.

This is the new, remade card:

Post-election blues

Posted on November 5, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Well, the election did not go the way some of us wanted, and there are varying degrees of feelings about that.

I’ve been heartened, though, to see on Facebook and various peoples’ blogs reminders that “promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalm 75:6-7) and “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes” (Psalm 118:8-9). I wonder if we would be reminding ourselves of those things if the candidate that we wanted had won? I think as Christians we can fall into the trap of “trusting in man” when the “right” candidate wins. Perhaps the Lord will use this to call us to greater prayer and dependence on Him.

And we have to remember that just because Obama was elected doesn’t mean he will automatically be able to do everything he wants to do. Study the issues, be aware (maybe even more aware than you would otherwise have been), write to him and to your representatives, using your voice and influence in those issues which concern you. And above all else, as I mentioned yesterday, pray “for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (I Timothy 2:2). If I remember correctly, Paul wrote that while either Nero or one of the Herods was in power, neither of which was conducive to Christian values. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Proverbs 21:1).

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
~ Maltbie D. Babcock

(Updated to add: Chris Anderson shared some similar thoughts but expanded to many more good ones today.)

A prayer for our leaders

Posted on November 4, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks,
be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority;
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

I Timothy 2:1-2