Why I love Jesus

Posted on July 12, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Irene at The Green Greek tagged me for a meme to list 5 reasons why I love Jesus. Thanks, Irene!

1. I love Jesus because He loves me.

I John 4:19: We love him, because he first loved us.

2. I love Him because He has answered my prayers.

Psalm 116:1: I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

3. I love Him because He gave His life to save me.

Romans 5:8-9: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

4. I love Him because He is God.

Colossians 2:9: For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

5. I love Him because, even though He is fully God, because He became a man He understands and sympathizes with my weakness and temptations.

Hebrews 2: 17-18: Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour [aid, help]them that are tempted.

Can I add a few more? 🙂

6. I love Him because in Him we have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

I Corinthians 1:30: But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.

7. I love Him because in Him I have redemption.

Romans 3: 24-25: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God…

8. I love Him because He is the way, the truth, and the life, and through Him we can come to the Father.

John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

9. I love Him because there is no condemnation to those who are in Him.

Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

10. I love Him because nothing can separate us from His love.

Romans 8:38-39: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

11. I love Him because He causes us to triumph.
II Corinthians 2:14: Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

12. I love Him because in Him all things are made new.

II Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

13. I love Him because through Him we are reconciled to God.

II Corinthians 5:18: And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

Ephesians 2:13: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

14. I love Him because he is my peace.

Ephesians 2:14: For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.

15. I love Him because by faith in Him I became a child of God.

Galatians 3:26: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

There are multitudes more reasons, but I think I’ll stop there. And since I have thirteen plus listed here, I think I’ll make a Thursday Thirteen of this post. 🙂

If you’d like to do this meme, too, let me know in the comments.

Booking Through Thursday: Celluloid

Posted on July 12, 2007 by Barbara Harper

The Booking Through Thursday question for this week is:

1. In your opinion, what is the best translation of a book to a movie?
2. The worst?
3. Had you read the book before seeing the movie, and did that make a difference? (Personally, all other things being equal, I usually prefer whichever I was introduced to first.)

And, by all means, expand this to as long a list as you like. I’m notoriously awful myself at narrowing down to one favorite ANYTHING. So, feel free to list as many “good” or “bad” movie-from-books as you like. (Heaven knows that’s what I’ll be doing….)

One of the best was Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I had seen the film before reading the book, but the film made me want to read the book, and I was delighted to find the film kept very closely to the book. I liked the film version of Sense and Sensibility much better than the book.

I loved the first Anne of Green Gables film, and I felt it was very close to the book. That film also inspried me to read the whole series of Anne books plus several other things L. M. Montgomery has written. The second film, Anne of Avonlea, strayed from the book but was still pretty good. The third, Anne of Green Gables, The Continuing Story, was a total disappointment. By this time I had read all the books and I thought the one about Anne’s first year of marriage was so sweet, and I hoped they would make a film of it. I know a film can’t capture every detail of a book, and there are some scenes of narration that might need to be acted out somehow, etc. — but when you basically just use the characters and the setting and then write your own story, that’s fanfic, not an adaptation. I get all frustrated and stirred up every time I think of this film too much, so let’s move on..

I thought the whole Lord of the Rings series was excellent. I had seen the first film without reading the book, and read the book afterward. Then with the second film I read the book first. Reading the book first enhances the understanding of what’s going on in the film, but it takes the edge off the anticipation of wondering what’s next. I tended to think more in terms of “how are they going to film this?” rather than what was coming next in the story. But seeing the film first made some of the book seem dull — I kept wanting to get to the scenes I had seen in the film. I did see the third film but haven’t read the book yet.

Les Miserables is a play or musical rather than a film, but I saw it on a video of the 10th anniversary of it. In that video it wasn’t acted out, but the characters were in costume and sang most of the songs. I had checked it out from the library when I saw it there on the shelves and decided to see what all the fuss was about. I fell in love with the gorgeous music and the story. But when I looked up the whole set of lyrics, there were some very vulgar places that made it so that I don’t think I could ever see the play in good conscience. I did read the book and loved it and want to read it again some time. It’s a wonderful story of love and redemption. I’m told it is hard to find a copy of the whole original book because there were long tedious parts in it about industrialization, etc., but the two abridged versions I read were wonderful and contained no vulgarity at all, even when dealing with Fantine’s profession. I did later see a film adaptation with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush that I thought was truly awful.

I loved Little Women with Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder. I saw a couple of older versions but I don’t remember much about them.

I thought the book The End of the Spear was much better than the film.

Probably several more examples are going to come to mind all through the day. 🙂

An award!

Posted on July 11, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Janeen at Our Story is a sweet lady who writes about her life and family. They have had to deal with a lot of severe allergies in her children. I don’t know how she keeps up with all that’s involved. It would be a challenge! She graciously awarded me the “Rockin’ Girl Blogger Award,” saying, “The title of Barbara’s blog is accurate. Her blog is about her life, her family, her religion. It’s written with love and faith. It’s a joy to read.”

Update: Tamara at Training Hearts also gave me this award for the Wordless Wednesday picture below.

Update: Alice at “Hello, My Name Is Alice” also nominated me, saying, “I am glad to have found a godly Christian woman who blogs thoughtfully. She dispenses doses of Bible verses I found to be comforting and timely. Thanks for your wonderful entries, Barbara!” That’s so sweet, Alice. I do want to be a blessing and I’m glad you think I am.

Thanks so much, Janeen and Tamara! I don’t think I’ve ever been called “rockin'” before. 🙂 Just for fun I looked it up at dictionary.com and found these definitions:

1. To move back and forth or from side to side, especially gently or rhythmically. Yep, did that with my guys when they were little in a rocking chair. I miss that sometimes.

2. To sway violently, as from a blow or shock. Yes, I’ve been rocked by news that way sometimes.

3. To be washed and panned in a cradle or in a rocker. Used of ores. Washed, yes, panned, no. 🙂

4. Music To play or dance to rock ‘n’ roll. Mmm, nope, not a rock fan.

I also looked it up in the Urban Dictionary and found one definition was “something that’s really cool!”

It’s nice that someone thinks I’m cool!

I’m supposed to pass this on but I think most everyone I know who might like it already has it. 🙂

Wordless Wednesday

Posted on July 10, 2007 by Barbara Harper

See more Wordless Wednesdays at 5 Minutes For Mom and the Wordless Wednesday Hub.

I see from some of the comments maybe a word of explanation is in order. 🙂 This was taken several years ago at Callaway Gardens Butterfly Center in Georgia. This is a case with several cocoons (or chrysalises? I always get them mixed up). I like this picture not only because they are beautiful (I never knew they could be shiny) but also because I think my husband’s reflection in the glass of the case is neat.

Book Review: The Restorer

Posted on July 10, 2007 by Barbara Harper

I’ve written here before about Sharon Hinck‘s books, The Secret Life of Becky Miller and Renovating Becky Miller, and how they spoke to my heart. So when I first knew that she was writing another book, The Restorer, I knew it was a must-read.

It’s a different genre than the Becky Miller books — in a way. I suppose you could call all three “mom-lit,” though I am sure they would appeal to others as well. The heroine of all three books is an ordinary mom dealing with life and faith. But Susan Mitchell of The Restorer is pulled into an alternate reality or parallel universe, so this book is more of a fantasy.

One of the things I like best about it is that at first it doesn’t feel like a fantasy. It feels very real, especially when Susan first finds herself in a very different place from home. The confusion and rationalization she experiences are, I think, exactly what anyone would go through if they really did find themselves in her situation.

Susan finds herself in a reluctant leadership role designed to draw people back to “the Verses” which tell of “the One.” She struggles with whether she can handle it and how she’s supposed to handle it since she is unlike previous Restorers. There are some wonderful unexpected twists, spots of humor, and most of all truths about reliance on the One. I don’t want to tell too much about the story because I think readers will enjoy the discovery along the way, and I don’t want to take away from that. It’s very loosely based on Deborah’s story in the book of Judges.

To me the best of Christian fiction has a good story, a sense of humor, an interesting plot, characters and conflicts that seem genuine, and it conveys Biblical truth something like an extended parable, speaking simply to the heart without browbeating. And I believe Sharon Hinck is among the best of Christian fiction writers.

Let me know if you read this book and what you think.

Time Travel Tuesday: First Car Experience

Posted on July 10, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Our Time Travel Tuesday topic this week, hosted as always by My Life as Annie, is our first car or first driving experiences.

The first time I ever drove anything at all, my dad had been washing the car — perhaps I had been helping him, I don’t remember — but it was getting close to time for me to take Driver’s Ed., so he told me to pull the car from where he had parked it to wash it back up to its usual parking space beside the fence. He got in the passenger seat, but he didn’t tell me anything about what all the different pedals and dials were. I guess he figured I had been in a car enough to know the basics. I started the car and he showed me how to put it in reverse so we could back it from where it was, then pull forward. I stepped on the gas pedal for the first time — way too hard — and we went zooming back. He said, “Step on the brake! Step on the brake!”

I said, “Where’s the brake?!!”

And I backed over the mailbox. I didn’t just run into it. I knocked it over.

I’ve written before about my dad’s temper, and I was waiting for the fireworks to start — but he burst out laughing. Thankfully!

I’ve never had my very own car. I always drove the family car. I don’t even know what most cars are unless I see it on the outside somewhere. One time the family car, the second one I drove, was some kind of big long thing. A guy at church asked me once what color it was supposed to be. I said I thought it was black, but it was a little faded. Then I remembered my mom always called it Ol’ Purple. That just hadn’t registered with me before, and I was horrified that I had been driving around a purple car!

I still drive the family car, but as all four drivers in the house have their own vehicles, for all practical purposes our champagne-colored (though we call it tan) mini-van, which I unashamedly love, is “my” car.

Feel free to join in on the car and driving edition of Time Travel Tuesday here.

Though everything goes wrong…

Posted on July 8, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Sometimes life throws people for a loop. Even Christians. And I think maybe for Christians the hardest part is that we thought we had figured out how God was going to handle it. We pray, sure that we know what would best glorify the Lord in a certain situation — and then nothing happens like we planned. And, worse, not only is the prayer seemingly unanswered, but disaster strikes, resulting in confusion, pain, and loss.

A couple I once knew were on deputation for the mission field when their young son was stricken with leukemia. Not only did they have to deal with the heartbreak of a seriously ill child, but when there was no miraculous healing, no improvement from the treatments, and trial upon trial rolled in on them, they had to rethink their whole life’s work, wondering if they had been mistaken to think God wanted them on the mission field in the first place. One of the things they said that stayed with me was, “God isn’t who we thought He was.” They were shaken, not just in their circumstances, but to the core of their faith.

These folks hung on in faith, though shaken. But I have known people who, when wounded or dismayed by the events of life, turn on the Lord like a wounded animal might snap at the hand of one trying to help.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the little book of Habakkuk, only 3 chapters long tucked in the minor prophets. He starts out his prayer by saying, “O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?” Then he registers his complaint with the Lord about how things are going. The answer he gets certainly wasn’t what he was expecting: not only is the Lord not going to relieve Habakkuk’s (and Israel’s) problems just yet, but He reveals something worse is about to happen. The Chaldeans are coming as a judgment upon Israel. Habakkuk argues back to the Lord, that, no, this can’t be! One of the things God says in response to Habakkuk is, “the righteous shall live by his faith” (2:4b). All of chapter 3 is a prayer of Habakkuk in response to what God has told him, and he ends it this way:

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.

Though everything is going wrong, I will take joy in the God of my salvation, He is my strength.

Now, those who know me, don’t worry — I am not facing any disasters or faith-shaking situations at the moment. I have in the past, and I am sure I likely will again in the future. Anyone who lives for any length of time will. It would take too long and be too tedious to trace the train of thought that led to this post, but I’ll just say that I know several people going through various degrees of trials right now, and I have seen various responses. The last thing anyone needs is one of the miserable comforters like Job had. There have been whole books written on the subject of the trials of life that I’m sure I can’t add to or condense down to a single blog post. Grief, confusion, pain — those are all normal responses. In many of the Psalms David pour out all of those things to the Lord. But it is just on my heart to encourage anyone reading this who is going through one of life’s trying times in this way: cling to the Lord. Cling to what you know of Him. Encourage yourself in His Word. Hang on for dear life. Charles Spurgeon in the June 22 entry of Morning and Evening puts it like this:

“That those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”
Hebrews 12:27

We have many things in our possession at the present moment which can be shaken, and it ill becomes a Christian man to set much store by them, for there is nothing stable beneath these rolling skies; change is written upon all things. Yet, we have certain “things which cannot be shaken,” and I invite you this evening to think of them, that if the things which can be shaken should all be taken away, you may derive real comfort from the things that cannot be shaken, which will remain. Whatever your losses have been, or may be, you enjoy present salvation. You are standing at the foot of his cross, trusting alone in the merit of Jesus’ precious blood, and no rise or fall of the markets can interfere with your salvation in him; no breaking of banks, no failures and bankruptcies can touch that. Then you are a child of God this evening. God is your Father. No change of circumstances can ever rob you of that. Although by losses brought to poverty, and stripped bare, you can say, “He is my Father still. In my Father’s house are many mansions; therefore will I not be troubled.” You have another permanent blessing, namely, the love of Jesus Christ. He who is God and Man loves you with all the strength of his affectionate nature—nothing can affect that. The fig tree may not blossom, and the flocks may cease from the field, it matters not to the man who can sing, “My Beloved is mine, and I am his.” Our best portion and richest heritage we cannot lose. Whatever troubles come, let us play the man; let us show that we are not such little children as to be cast down by what may happen in this poor fleeting state of time. Our country is Immanuel’s land, our hope is above the sky, and therefore, calm as the summer’s ocean; we will see the wreck of everything earthborn, and yet rejoice in the God of our salvation.

Summer reading list

Posted on July 7, 2007 by Barbara Harper

I forgot to mention in all of spring’s busy-ness that I won a book in one of Katrina’s Books-Galore give-aways! I received not just a copy, but an autographed copy of Scrap Everything by Leslie Gould. Thank you Katrina and Leslie! Leslie is a new author to me, and I am looking forward to exploring this book!

These are the other books I hope to read this summer:

The Ultimate Weight Solution by Dr. Phil McGraw. I started it for the Spring Reading Thing but haven’t finished. It’s good — I just have to labor more with non-fiction.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman. This was also on my spring list, but I just didn’t get to it. I had to order it because neither the library nor the bookstore had it.

True Light by Terri Blackstock. This just came out in early June. It’s the third in a series.

The Restorer by Sharon Hinck. In progress, loving it!

Cassidy by Lori Wick. Lori, Terri, and Sharon are all authors whose books I eagerly anticipate before they hit the shelves and usually get them as soon as I can.

The Potluck Club Takes the Cake by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson. I first picked this up when it caught my eye on the shelf in my Christian bookstore. I wondered about it at first — Christian characters should be flawed, because real Christians are, but these ladies FLAWED! It was neat to see how they all grew in their faith through the series. A different touch in this series is that every chapter is written from the point of view of one of the characters.

Summer by Karen Kingsbury, next to the last, I think, of the Baxter family series, coming out later this summer.

Only two other non-fiction titles, though I have many stacked up on my shelves: Spirit of the Rainforest: A Yanomamo Shaman’s Story by Mark Ritchie, recommended by Jungle Mom, and In the Best Possible Light by Beneth Peters Jones, about Biblical femininity. I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic for a long time and am looking forward to what she has to say.

Added: Sweet Dreams Drive by Robin Lee Hatcher.

One Candle To Burn by Kay Washer

If I finish all those, I have a TBR list compiled from recommendations I’ve seen here and there. 🙂

Continuing on a weekly (for the first one) or daily basis:

Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged or Just Plain Tired Homemaker by Lynn Bowen Walker.

Daily Light on the Daily Path compiled by the Samuel Bagster family.

Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer.

And, of course, the Bible, best book ever. I’m currently in Esther, reading straight through: Job is next.

(Graphic courtesy of Anne’s Place)

Poor Suzie

Posted on July 6, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Our poor dear dog hates thunderstorms. It started raining this afternoon and Jesse put Suzie-the-dog in her cage where her doghouse is. She went straight in where it was dry and seemed fine. Then it started to thunder. I heard a little sound outside the door — and there she was. She had gotten out of the fenced area outside and come to the door of the house. So we let her in and dried her off and she sought refuge near a real live person.

We let her in at night and set up a partition between the sunroom and the rest of the house (there is tile out here, so it’s not so much a problem for the doggy smell and occasional accidents, but carpet everywhere else). But if there is any kind of storm, she pushes through and looks for somebody.

I can’t blame her. I don’t like thunderstorms either.

I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. Psalm 55:8

I wish I could tell her in a way she would understand that it will all be over in a little while.

For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psalm 107:25-31

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. Psalm 57:1

Show and Tell Friday: Pink roses

Posted on July 6, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home hosts “Show and Tell Friday” asking “Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, an antique find. Your show and tell can be old or new. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there’s a story behind your special something, that’s even better! If you would like to join in, all you have to do is post your “Show and Tell” on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky.“

I am drawn to pink roses. I just love them. I thought today I’d show you just a few of the things around my home with pink roses on them.

My stoneware is Pfaltzgraff’s Tea Rose pattern.

My living room furniture has pink roses in the fabric pattern.

This is a small topiary that I found at our Christian bookstore.

These aren’t pink, but I deliberately chose sheers with roses in the lace pattern. 🙂 The swags that go over these are also pink with very light roses in the pattern.

I bought the little heart-shaped vase and my husband bought the taller figure for me. I think it is possibly supposed to be a candle holder, but I have never put a candle in it. And you see a little of the living room wallpaper with pink roses on it behind them.

My husband bought this for me (doesn’t he have good taste? 🙂 ) I love how it fits in with the wallpaper. I am sorry it is dark and not very clear — I was having a hard time trying not to get my reflection in the glass and not having a glare from the flash.

I was delighted to find this for $2 or $3 at Hobby Lobby!

I didn’t get this just for the pink roses on the front. 🙂 It has beautiful letters, sayings, and illustrations in it. I got it at the Cracker Barrel restaurant years ago.

I also got this little pillow at Cracker Barrel. Some day I want to learn how to do ribbon embroidery.

Some friends from church bought a little coffee and gift shop and turned it into a restaurant. They sold off all the little gifts at clearance prices and this little miniature armoire was one I couldn’t resist.

I got tis print for about $6 at a frame shop and then found an inexpensive mat and frame for it. I loved everything about it — the Victorian feel, the peacefulness of the feel, the girl reading (another love of mine!), and the roses.

My husband got this for me at our Christian bookstore.

This is the carpet on our bedroom floor. It was here when we got here and probably has been here for ages — its discolored in places, but I just love it.

I got this years ago at a Home Interiors party and loved the front porch with flowers and the mom stopping what she was doing to hug her child and see what he had drawn.

Outside:

With the exception of the big wall print my husband bought, most of it wasn’t much money at all.

I know too much pink and too many roses can seem too sweet and cloying, and really, believe it or not, I try not to let it overpower the house. We do have some rooms with little or no pink or roses in them, my concession to living with all males. My husband doesn’t mind, but my sons complained about “all the flowers” when they were younger. I think they’ve gotten used to it now…though they may have been trying to tell me something here: