Hello friends! Thought I’d write a little post before I pick up my book and transition into reading time. I’m now at home and though I did enjoy my time at coffeeshop, it’s so nice now just to be home and relax on the couch with dinner in the oven. The chicken, potatoes, carrots & onions are roasting and I am most excited for the point about an hour and some minutes from now when it’s done and I can fill my plate. Ah simple pleasures. Though I was going to play some of my still-in-progress next classical playlist, I couldn’t resist turning on the TV and putting the baseball on instead. Cleveland vs. White Sox Game 5, winner shall advance to face the Rays in the ALCS! I do love playoff baseball and I love having a game on while I read. A baseball game is just sedate enough that I can have it on and still focus on my book. I’m excited by this one – just started it last night. It’s a book by Gavin Ortlund called “Why Christianity Makes Sense” and while he doesn’t have to convince me, I’m already finding my heart encouraged as he talks about the truths of Christianity and the beauty found therein. Speaking of. I think this post has rambled on enough and it is time for it to end. Much love to you all. Rest in our Lord this night. Peace and love.
Tag: thanksgiving
Swamplands
Hello friends!! Happy Saturday and blessings be upon you. I shan’t write long. Burritos are in the oven and dinner shall be enjoyed shortly. And I hope to read a couple chapters of Lewis before then. But just thought I’d write a few words as I finally sit down and rest this day. It’s been a good Saturday but a busy one! Up and out the door before 6 to go to discipleship group. Good times were had there, then some errands before back home to see Dani. Then soon enough…off to book club at 10 to discuss the previously reviewed Jurassic Park. Solid discussion even if the book itself was not my favourite! Grateful for those friends. Following that…back home again for lunch and some more time with Dani. Then at 2? Off down south to go to a birthday party for little Ella (Daniel and Eunice’s daughter who is somehow now 9…what). Enjoyed some quality discussion times with the dads there and my heart was much encouraged. Sometimes kid birthday parties are worth it after all eh? Eventually drove back north and home again for the final time. Football on the TV! Haven’t watched the Gators this season and so it was a treat to watch them take it to Ole Miss (ranked 5 currently). Florida looked…good? They actually have a competent offense now? The mind boggles. It was a good football day elsewhere as well, as Iowa took out Michigan. Go Hawkeyes! While the football was footballing, I was also cooking and prepping for the burritos now residing in the oven. Now? Kitchen clean, freshly showered and about to enjoy a bit of reading. It is good to be busy and accomplish things and talk to all the peoples but…well, it’s also good to rest. Thankful to my Father God for granting me such. Also grateful for dear friends and family…some of my favourite moments of the day were my car phone conversations with Dad and Laura. Ah how I miss them.
Well. I’ve rambled enough. Time to close this laptop and open a book.
Small Things
Hello friends! Quick Wednesday morning post before work kicks up into high gear. Most grateful that my body was able to wake up so expeditiously this morning and I enjoyed a lovely long time of reading as I sipped my coffee. Read one of my all-time fav passages (Psalm 27! Always oh so encouraging) and also some beautiful words in Isaiah and Matthew. Bonus reading in John Owen Vol. 7 – still plugging away, I think I’m almost halfway done! Though the current material on apostasy isn’t quite as warming for my soul as some of the previous reading I’ve done in Owen, still good and needful words contained therein. Finally rolled on towards the office here and arrived only five minutes past six. I suppose that may be an absurd start time to some, but I do love mornings and getting an early start is never a bad thing. Now I take small sips of the slightly subpar work coffee and prepare for a busy day. I am tempted to sigh and fret as I consider what approaches, yet no. I lift my eyes to heaven and acknowledge the God who is and lift my voice to heaven and thank the God who cares. Let’s think on love and beauty this fine day. Have a lovely one, dear friends!
Thanksgiving
Around the table our voices raise as we sing before we pray. It’s a tradition that some may deride as old fashioned yet for us it stirs our souls and feels only right to worship as we start this feast that’s set before us. Our voices align in unity of purpose even with the voices that are dropped to sound in harmony. My eyes close as the last notes rise and fall and then resolve and then the amen sounds as is only proper when the doxology is sung. Then without even a word being said we raise our hands and join them together. I feel hers in mine and she squeezes slightly. And then my sister on the other side grabs mine and holds it lightly. And we bow our heads and then my father prays to the father of us all. There is thanks given and praise raised and of course mention made of each one of us that around that table stands and of the blessings that have rained down innumerable upon us. I sigh in my heart and let my own prayer rise silent but no less fervent to the invisible heights above where the risen one sits at the right hand of glory. The prayer goes on but only for a few more ticks of the clock, for of course while prayer is good, so is eating and to be sure it’s best to eat while the food is still hot. The amen sounds again and this time we turn to each other and smile and drop hands and pull our chairs back and sit with more or less commotion depending on who is sitting next to who. And then right when my fork is dug in and the perfect bite is about to be raised there’s a voice that pierces through. What about a toast she says? And though a part of me wants to just take a bite, I cannot say a word against so I take my glass of crimson red and raise it high and say my piece. Glory glory to our King. No matter what comes and no matter who goes, no matter the waves and no matter the storm, it is good for us to rest in the peace that comes with knowing our Lord. It is good for us to be here together in this place.
Let Us Sing in Harmony she Said Eagerly to Me
The vegetables have been chopped. The chicken thighs are roasting in the oven. Soon enough I will heat up the stove and begin the process which shall presumedly end in a delightfully yummy chicken and barley soup. For now though, I can sit here and blissfully rest. I say that as if I have been strenuously working all day, which is most certainly not the case. Still yet, I am grateful for this moment. Dani and I had a lovely walk here there and everywhere (a little over 4.5 miles I believe) and oh how wonderful was it to enjoy this early December day in all its shy beauty! The fading evening light washed over us as we walked and it did my soul good to breathe in the wintry air this day. Now I think perhaps a book is about to be opened. Multiple books even. The candle is lit, as is only proper. And soon enough the scents of chicken soup shall waft their way throughout our little home and I shall then – even as I am now – sing praises to my Lord. Too often do I forget that all these things that have been given me come from my God. On that note, I am away. My soul thrills to to read a few words now on Christ and his marvelous work for me. I sit at the foot of the cross and weep for love.
Tidbits
A lovely Thanksgiving morning here. Slept in past 630am, which is almost unheard of these days. Showered, got the coffee going. And then although usually I would sit in my cozy corner chair and have my quiet time, could I pass up an early morning Thanksgiving walk when it’s as glorious outside as it is? A beautiful 48 degrees when I stepped outside, coffee mug in hand. Down the street I went and then meandered my way down the MKT trail heartily enjoying the fresh crisp air, breathing deep and feeling gloriously vibrantly alive. I confess I don’t enjoy many things more than an early morning walk in the cold, sipping fresh hot coffee as I go. And there’s something about the early morning walks that bring out the best in people. Usually when I walk this trail, though the people watching is superb, one doesn’t address people as they pass. But early morning times feel special, as if we are all part of a private club that knows these times are the best times to be out and about and walking and that everyone else is missing out, really. So down the trail I walk, exchanging smiles and good mornings with the people I pass. There are many joggers of course, and a few dog-walkers (like the young mom and child that I pass as they let their dog sniff and take his time) but there are also walkers like me, enjoying the excuse to wear a warm hoodie and walk down the trail this lovely Thanksgiving morning. Eventually I reached my usual turning point and I turned around and began walking back home. I was stunned anew by the beauty I saw above and around me, seeing the leftovers of the sunrise strewn across the eastern sky. Homeward now! No less beautiful was this leg of the walk even though now my heart felt full to bursting. Prayers were said and more smiles were exchanged with the walkers that I passed. Soon enough, my legs found their way back inside the house, where somehow the apartment had done such a good job holding its residual heat that I felt I was stepping inside an oven! A 20-degree differential will do that, I suppose.
Now I finish the remnants of my coffee and think it’s time to brew another cup. Soon enough the Dani will wake and then we will begin to think of walk round 2. But for now, I will enjoy the flickering candle on the table, the Tchaikovsky playing in the background and soon a book upon the lap and a hot mug in my hand. I have oh so many things to be thankful for this day.
Sunward
A lovely Thankgiving Eve is at hand! Finally oh finally a cold front approaches and it appears we will have near perfect weather the next few days. Highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s? Yes please. And the sun shines! It very well may be a bit silly how happy such glorious weather makes me, but I will not deny such. Many long walks await!! And now I enjoy sipping on my coffee and preparing for another day of work, knowing that work is good and all that but…also grateful that this is my last full day of work for a good few days. Looking forward to a Thanksgiving holiday here with Dani in which we shall make far too much good food and enjoy wonderful rest and the bountiful gifts we have been given. At times we all over-complicate our lives, do we not? So in this Thanksgiving season, I long to pull back a bit and spend unhurried time on that which truly matters – devoting myself to those whom I hold most dear and luxuriating in quiet times of prayer and praise to the God whom I love so. Praise God from whom all blessings flow indeed.
That Arrogant, Ignorant Cadre of Youth
Hello friends!! Thought I’d write for a minute this calm Saturday evening…been a lovely day (hanging out with my friend Marina in downtown Tampa…lovely time of good conversations in the riverside breezes…) and then this evening has been a splendid time with the family…dinner of Best New York pizza and then watching the rest of Captain America with the family (been introducing Mom & Dad to Marvel movies…Dad rather liked Iron Man and I think Mom is a fan of Cap!). Now Maryanne and Laura and Mom are watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie…and I may be sneaking a peek every now and again myself as I write this. So classic. Dad is prepping for message tomorrow…and I suppose I will sit down myself and watch the rest of this episode.
Very thankful for the goodness of the Lord in all things.
A Moment of Thanks, nay – a Festival of Thanksgiving
So it is about half two this Thanksgiving afternoon. And I sit here in the family room at the computer, tapping away on this keyboard for a bare few minutes that I have free. Maryanne is strumming away on the ukulele and Laura is on the couch attempting to not feel sick(sad day!), Caisson is finishing up the mashed potatoes while Dad decides that the stuffing is most definitely at the right level of done-ness…and Mom is resting for a moment after she’s done most of the work prepping the simply lovely-looking dining room. For the moment of the Thanksgiving feast is almost at hand…Steve and Vickie and Ted and Norraine should be walking through our door at any moment and then an afternoon of far too much delicious food and even more abundant conversations of love and laughter awaits…and the pervading mercies of the Lord thrill our souls.
Have a most lovely day of Thanksgiving, my dear friends. My heart is full of gratitude for you all. My heart is full of that peace which surpasses all comprehension. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
A Foretaste of Things to Come
Guess what? It’s the coldest day thus far this season and it is beautiful. 40 degrees outside…and I love it. Got to wear my black wool coat to work for the first time in ages. This cold weather is just blissful. Long may it continue. Also today, apart from the usual work nonsense, we have our office Thanksgiving lunch! As I walked in the building, saw the whole lobby/break room area full of tables and chairs for our upcoming feast. Hurrah! Yes, I will have to eat semi-quickly since I have a Transocean meeting (AT Transocean) at 1pm that I will have to depart for, but still. Thanksgiving feasts are never to be taken for granted. And speaking of such…tonight, Becky and Mary Beth are hosting a Thanksgiving potluck at their apartment! I will attempt to make an apple pie to bring to that – we shall see how it turns out. I’m excited for a relaxing night of yummy food and fun conversation with good friends.
Now quickly before I begin the work tasks of the day…a couple words on my reading this morning. Firstly, sobering words from 2 Chronicles 12. We start with King Rehoboam (the son of Solomon), who seemed to be doing ok in earlier chapters. Yes, he’d made some mistakes, but it seems the people of the land were genuinely seeking after God, to obey and honour Him. But what do we see in the first verse of chapter 12? “When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him forsook the law of the Lord.” Oh. Well then. Is that something we need to beware of in our own lives? As much as we know and are confident that our Lord God will surely complete His work in us – He shall never forsake us – pride is not yet dead in us, is it? When we are in a good place, when we are ‘established and strong’, is it not tempting to slack off and rest in our own accomplishments? When you stand, take heed – lest you fall. Ever be seeking the Lord in your life, during the full years as well as the lean years. Ever be humbling yourself before the Lord…because if not, you shall be humbled. As in this passage, when God uses King Shisak of Egypt (with armies innumerable) to conquer throughout the land and humble the people. And so eventually Rehoboam and the people of Judah do humble themselves…and God has mercy and compassion yet He still proclaims that “they will become his slaves so that they will learn the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.’ Let us crave that we may be in service to the Lord, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. The yoke of other gods is not near so fun as we may like to think.
And secondly? A couple verses in James 5. He’s speaking to Christians that are apparently weary from suffering and impatient for the return of Christ. James has been giving them many comforting words (as well as severe exhortations!), and now He’s going to continue to comfort them with examples of God’s compassion and mercy. What example does he choose? Verse 10 – “As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” Hm. I have to say, if I was looking for an encouraging example of God’s mercy…I would probably not be happy with the example of Job. Wait, God – I don’t want that. Job went through terrible things! He lost everything – possessions, children, health! The only things he didn’t lose was his blaspheming wife and his depressing friends. You’re saying that I should look to Job and be encouraged at God’s mercy? I don’t want that mercy! I want no part of the book of Job, nope. But now – look at the key phrase in this verse, you “have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings…” We may not partake in sufferings as severe as Job’s. I pray that you do not. But you know what, we may. And even if our sufferings aren’t quite as bad as all that, we still suffer, do we not? We still have physical pains, mental anguish and emotional turmoil that plague us. But we cannot focus on that. To focus and fix our minds on ourselves rob us of the joy that comes at looking to Christ and recognizing that we have a higher hope, that God indeed causes all things to work together for good for those that love Him. And so the end of all things will indeed show the mercy and lovingkindness of the Lord – when we are with Christ forever. We may suffer now. But not forever. The outcome of the Lord’s dealings with us? Life eternal. And even in this life, we see the blessings of the Lord. See and be thankful and praise the Lord for every small mercy that our Lord grants us in this life. All praises to Him, now and forever. Our Lord is full of compassion and oh so merciful. May the knowledge of that glorious truth warm our hearts this day.
