Extraordinary

Ponder this breath-taking mystery with me. Imagine.

Imagine the piercing cry as a newborn baby leaves the warmth of the womb to enter a cold world.

Imagine the little ears; perhaps the first sounds they heard were the lowing and bleating of common animals.

Imagine the tiny hands with the extraordinarily small and perfectly formed fingers that we find so amazing and beautiful with every new baby we welcome into this world.

The birth of a baby. What an amazing event, no? It has never ceased to awe, though it has been happening regularly for centuries upon centuries. Yet this birth was different…perplexing, actually. This story is one of the most commonly told, widely known sequence of events. Yet the extraordinary reality has begun to deteriorate. Think on this for just a moment.


That cry that announced THIS Baby’s birth came from the same mouth that spoke this world into existence. “Let there be light,” was spoken into nothingness, and nothingness obeyed.

Those little ears that listened to the sounds of a common Israeli stable were the same ears that heard a symphony of angels singing with all their full splendor.

And those tiny hands were the same hands that would be nailed to a wooden cross to remove the sins of the world. Not a figurative removal. A literal, total removal of sin and shame. Extraordinary.

When Mary carried THIS Baby in her womb, she was in fact carrying her Savior. Extraordinary. When she rocked that helpless Infant to sleep, she was rocking the God of the universe. Is your mind boggled yet?
This is where the English language fails us. What words can we use to describe this phenomenon?
Extraordinary falls miserably short.

Wishing you all a blessed, Christ-filled Christmas.

posted by Lydia

"Let it be done to me...."

Early this morning I was contemplating this passage of Scripture in my devotions.

Luke 1:26-38

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
And the angel departed from her.

I thought of what it would have been like for me to be Mary....I have a hard time imagining. Until recently, I have never really thought how this news of a child growing in her must have affected Mary. She was betrothed. As she said, she had not known a man. I wonder what that nine months for Mary must have been like. I wonder if she worried about her reputation and other peoples remarks.

Her reply to the angel tells much, I think. "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."

She might have had doubts and worries and heartbreaking days, but her trust was in the Lord. "Let it be to me...." I love those words! I pray that my heart's cry would be the same. No matter the circumstances and hard times that I must go through, it is of the Lord.

The Lord....who sees the big picture that my mind cannot comprehend.

Mary was a part of redemptive history. What could God possibly have in store for me?

"Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."

Posted by: Carissa

Lord's Day

From the breaking of the dawn

To the setting of the sun,

I will stand on every promise of Your Word.

Words of power, strong to save,

That will never pass away,

I will stand on every promise of Your Word.

For Your covenant is sure,

And on this I am secure—

I can stand on every promise of Your Word.

When I stumble and I sin,

Condemnation pressing in,

I will stand on every promise of Your Word.

You are faithful to forgive

That in freedom I might live,

So I stand on every promise of Your Word.

Guilt to innocence restored,

You remember sins no more—

So I'll stand on every promise of Your Word.

When I'm faced with anguished choice,

I will listen for Your voice,

And I'll stand on every promise of Your Word.

Through this dark and troubled land

You will guide me with Your hand

As I stand on every promise of Your Word.

And You've promised to complete

Every work begun in me—

So I'll stand on every promise of Your Word.

Hope that lifts me from despair,

Love that casts out ev'ry fear,

As I stand on every promise of Your Word.

Not forsaken, not alone,

For the Comforter has come,

And I stand on every promise of Your Word.

Grace sufficient, grace for me,

Grace for all who will believe—

We will stand on every promise of Your Word.

~Getty & Townsend~

posted by Lydia

Oh Christmas Tree

Our oh so very crowded Christmas tree.
posted by: Caroline

Inspired...

...in the form of poetry =). This doesn't happen every day, so I feel that I should seize the opportunity and share what the Lord has put on my heart over that past few weeks. All I'm missing is a clever name for the title...

My heart, O God, was heavy, burdened with my sin
My soul, my soul was weary, buffeted by darkness within.

I cried out in deepest anguish, “My God, why do You tarry?”
And yet my stubborn heart refused my troubles to You to carry.

You called to my in my dark despair, “My child, what hinders your walk?
“Come closer My precious child. I want you to come and talk.”

I stumbled into Your presence, my shattered heart in my hands
Unworthy I stood before You, guilty before the Law’s demands.

My heart was to full to form the words; Your Spirit spoke for me
I stood blinded before Your staggering grace; You opened my eyes to see.

You reached out as a tender Father and took my into Your arms
You wiped away each tear from my eye and quieted all my alarms.

My every care I then made known, I laid them at Your feet
Your peace then found my troubled soul before Your mercy seat.

I sought forgiveness for my sins and that was freely given
As far as the east is from the west, thus far have my sins been driven.

The words I spoke You already knew, for nothing is hid from Thee
You know the inner workings of my secret heart far better than even me.

I came before you in mortification, anxiousness, and despair
I left with peace and joy in my soul, my broken heart repaired.

For my every need You know full well, You hold my tears in Your hand
And Your tender mercies You’ll bestow upon me until righteous in Heaven I stand.

written and posted by Lydia

Upon a Fine Fall Day

A cold, crisp fall day with *gasp* sunshine in the forecast! Off for a walk to my familiar haunt with backpack and heavy book in tow.

Down my street, up a hill, and through a golf course I go. A golf course?

Yes, a golf course.

Amazing how peaceful it can be in mid-November!

The days grow ever shorter this time of year, and the sun drops all too quickly.

Self portrait. With thanks to the tree who so willingly volunteered itself as a tripod. Ah, trees are so patient =).

Arriving at my destination. A tiny graveyard is a perfect reading spot. Ever noticed? The hush, the stillness. Pause. Reflect.

"But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

"The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

"Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!

"Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul." ~Ho­ra­tio G. Spaf­ford

Wishing you all a peaceful, reflective autumn.

posted by Lydia

Musing

I've been reading a wonderful book by Noel Piper entitled Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God. It has been giving me much food for thought over the past couple of days!

Tonight, I was reading about a doctor missionary to Africa named Helen Roseveare. This incident, recorded in her own words, has really left an impression on me:

"My tears overflowed in the infinite sense of joy that filled my heart. They surged around us, shaking our hands a hundred times, chatting and laughing...and slowly I slipped to the back of the veranda, leaning against the wall, emotionally overwhelmed...

Suddenly, quietly, there was dear Tamoma...her gentle eyes looking deeply into mine...'Ninakupenda,' she said- 'I love you'- and hugged me!...She'd never met me before...But she loved me!...

From that moment, Tamoma and [her paster husband] Ndugu took me into their hearts...as their own child...It was my first introduction to a Christian family who obeyed literally Christ's command to His disciples: 'Love one another,' that thereby 'all men will know that you are My disciples' (John 13:35)

That a senior woman of different culture and a different language...was willing to offer me Christ's love without first 'getting to know' me, to evaluate whether I was worth loving or not, was a quite extraordinary experience. Nothing else in my first month honestly caused me more culture shock, but this one act- a warmhearted hug...a gentle comment: 'I love you'- this caused me a lot of personal heart searching.

Would I have loved Tamoma with the same unquestioning warmth if our situations had been reversed? Was it merely a matter of the proverbial British reserve...or was it really something much more fundamental, a lack of holy Christlikeness on my part?

'But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us' (Romans 5:8).

Christ loved me enough to die for me while I was yet His enemy. If God had waited for me to learn to love Him before He died, I would never have been saved. I knew that with my head, but when I met someone who behaved in such a completely Christlike way, I was amazed."

This has caused me much heart searching myself. Does God's love shine through me? I am not my own. Do I live my life in the light of that conviction? Musing...

posted by Lydia

Great Is His Faithfulness!

Great is They faithfulness, oh God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not.

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be!

~

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

~

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed They hand hath provided;

Great is They faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Posted by: Carissa

Mystery

He is…

…a listening God. Do you believe this?

He is…the God who is everywhere. Present with His entire Being in every square inch of space.

He is…the God who called out to Moses from the burning bush, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

He is…the great I AM. The God who was to be worshiped with perfect holiness in the Tabernacle less the worshiper be struck dead.

He is…a listening God.

This is a mystery. How can we explain it?

He is…the mysterious three-in-one. The Holy Trinity, the perfection of beauty and harmony.

He is…the One who parted the red sea, tore down the walls of Jericho, and scattered the mighty nations of the earth with the breath of His mouth.

He is…the God who created all out of naught and continues to hold it in place. He is the One who keeps our feet planted firmly on the ground and holds the sun, moon, and stars in their heavenly courses.

He is…a listening God.

This is a mystery. How can we explain it?

He is…the wise Maker who knits the baby together in its mother’s womb.

He is…the powerful Persuader who convinces the hardest heart of sin.

He is…the all-seeing Eye who notices when so much as a sparrow falls to the ground.

He is…a listening God.

This is a mystery. How can we explain it?

He is…the God who not only gives me unlimited communion with Himself, but also the command to draw near.

He is…the God who hears us when we call out for help to fix the car, find the keys, or begin yet another day.

And He is the God who beckons me as a Father and says, “Come closer, My child. Let’s talk.”

He is the God who sees my struggles, sympathizes with my pain, and holds all of my tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8).

He is the God to whom I can run when my heart is shattered in pieces and the weight of sin presses heavy upon me.

He is the God into whose presence I can freely come, even when my heart is full and words inadequate.

And He is the God who knows the inner workings of my very soul better than even I know it myself.

This is a sweet mystery that we cannot explain.

He is a listening God.

Will you ponder this mystery with me?

posted by Lydia

Second-Hand Coat

I feel
in her pockets; she wore nice cotton gloves,
kept a handkerchief box, washed her undies,
ate at the Holiday Inn, had a basement freezer,
belonged to a bridge club.
I think when I wake in the morning
that I have turned into her.
She hangs in the hall downstairs,
a shadow with pulled threads.
I slip her over my arms, skin of a matron.
Where are you? I say to myself, to the orphaned body,
and her coat says,
Get your purse, have you got your keys?
~Ruth Stone

I read this poem in English class a few weeks ago and liked it very much. I have worn second hand clothing all my life (I love thrift stores, garage sales, and hand-me-downs) and I thought this was kind of fun to think about the person that might have owned my "new" red coat.
While the three of us older girls were growing up, we were blessed by dresses hand down by girls in our church. Little girl after little girl wore the same pretty dresses with frills and lace collars. Abby, I think, was even able to wear some of the sweet dresses. Now we can't bare to throw some of these clothes away. Each dress has a story to it, just like this coat in the poem.

Posted by: Carissa

Happy Reformation Day!

Today marks exactly 492 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Catholic Church. Now THAT'S something worth celebrating! Here's one of my favorite scene from the movie Luther:

Happy Reformation Day!

posted by Lydia

Leaf Jumping

The view from our bedroom window.

Why climb down the latter when you can jump off?

Happy Fall everyone!

posted by: Caroline

Thinking...

My mind has been swirling with many thoughts and ideas over the past couple weeks. Shall I get your mind swirling too? :)

Caution: The following quotes are in no way related. I very much enjoy the element of unpredictable-ness.

Historically, controversies that have swirled around the meaning and implications of the Gospel, far from damaging the Church, have contributed to its vitality. Like a refiner's fire, intense theological debate has resulted in clarified belief, common vision, and invigorated ministry.

~Parker Williamson

It is safe to assume that no one is born an atheist...[atheism] is deliberately blind to and suppresses the most fundamental instinct of man, the deepest needs of the soul, the highest aspirations of the human spirit, and the longings of a heart that gropes after some higher Being.

~L. Berkhof

Missionaries are very human folks just doing what they're asked. Simply a bunch of nobodies trying to exalt Somebody.

~Jim Elliot

What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands upon our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore His goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and He has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be.

~Sarah Edwards (After the death of her husband, Johnathan Edwards)

The Spirit knows what the Father's will is, and He guides us in our prayers. Even when words are inadequate, He helps us by prayer "too deep for words". Think about how willing God is to help you, to aid you, to draw you to Himself.

~Elyse Fitzpatrick

"Slave" was the title by which "the great ones" of the Old Testament were known- Moses, Joshua, Caleb, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Job, Isaiah, and the prophets. By choosing to take the title doulos, we set ourselves in the great succession of those who found their freedom and their peace and their glory in perfect submission to the will of God. The only greatness to which we Christians can ever aspire is that of being the slave of God.

~Elizabeth George

If one must choose between reading the new books and reading the old, one must choose the old: not because they are necessarily better but because they contain precisely those truths of which our own age is neglectful. The standard of permanent Christianity must be kept clear in our minds and it is against that standard that we must test all contemporary thought. In fact, we must at all costs not move with the times. We serve One who said, "Heaven and Earth shall move with the times, but My words shall not move with the times."

~C.S. Lewis

My Lord, I did not choose You,

For that could never be;

My heart would still refuse You,

Had You not chosen me.

My heart knows none above You;

For Your rich grace I thirst;

I know that if I love You,

You must have loved me first.

~Josiah Conder

Still with me? Good! Here's one more:

What soul that hath any acquaintance with these things falls not down with reverence and astonishment? How glorious is He that is the Beloved of our souls!...When...our life, our peace, our joy, our inheritance, our eternity, our all, lies herein, shall not the thoughts of it always dwell in our hearts, always refresh and delight our souls?

~John Owen

Hope you enjoyed that mish-mash of quotes as much as I have!

posted by Lydia

My Sewing Space Has Been a Little Messy

Making stuffed animals for Operation Christmas Child.

posted by: Caroilne

Lord's Day

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones he came to save:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied -

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave he rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine -

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath.

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

~Stuart Townend & Keith Getty

posted by Lydia

Musing

"'Yes, every act of obedience is an act of worship,' he said.

'But why doen't we learn that sooner? Why do we waste our lives before we learn how to live?'

'I am not sure,' he returned, 'that we do not learn as fast as we are willing to learn. God does not force instruction upon us, but when we say, as Luther did, "More light, Lord, more light," the light comes.'

I questioned myself after he had gone as to whether this could be true of me. Is there not in my heart some secret reluctance to know the truth, lest that knowledge should call to a higher and a holier life than I have yet lived?"

~From Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. E. Prentiss

posted by Lydia

Resolved

I ran across the following while reading a book by John Piper, and I was so excited to be able to find it again to share with you all! These were comments made by a man by the name of Dr. Clyde Kilby which he entitled "10 Resolutions for Mental Health":

1. At least once every day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me.

2. Instead of the accustomed idea of a mindless and endless evolutionary change to which we can neither add nor subtract, I shall suppose the universe guided by an Intelligence which, as Aristotle said of Greek drama, requires a beginning, a middle, and an end. I think this will save me from the cynicism expressed by Bertrand Russell before his death when he said: "There is darkness without, and when I die there will be darkness within. There is no splendor, no vastness anywhere, only triviality for a moment, and then nothing."

3. I shall not fall into the falsehood that this day, or any day, is merely another ambiguous and plodding twenty-four hours, but rather a unique event, filled, if I so wish, with worthy potentialities. I shall not be fool enough to suppose that trouble and pain are wholly evil parentheses in my existence, but just as likely ladders to be climbed toward moral and spiritual manhood.

4. I shall not turn my life into a thin, straight line which prefers abstractions to reality. I shall know what I am doing when I abstract, which of course I shall often have to do.

5. I shall not demean my own uniqueness by envy of others. I shall stop boring into myself to discover what psychological or social categories I might belong to. Mostly I shall simply forget about myself and do my work.

6. I shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis calls their "divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic" existence.

7. I shall sometimes look back at the freshness of vision I had in childhood and try, at least for a little while, to be, in the words of Lewis Carroll, the "child of the pure unclouded brow, and dreaming eyes of wonder."

8. I shall follow Darwin's advice and turn frequently to imaginative things such as good literature and good music, preferably, as Lewis suggests, an old book and timeless music.

9. I shall not allow the devilish onrush of this century to usurp all my energies but will instead, as Charles Williams suggested, "fulfill the moment as the moment." I shall try to live well just now because the only time that exists is now.

10. Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shall bet my life on the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the architect who calls himself Alpha and Omega.

posted by Lydia

Of Scriptures, Jefferson, and Traumatized Paramecium

I have some late-breaking news for you today.

We are blessed.

Why am I telling you this? Because it would appear, if my calculations are correct, that the span of a Christian’s memory is similar to that of a traumatized paramecium.

Very brief.

We have a thought…poof! It’s gone.

There are many ways in which I could go about proving this shamefully unoriginal thought, but I have one particular thing in mind. Get ready for some more bold unoriginal-ness.

The Bible.

When was the last time you pondered the extraordinary blessing of the scriptures? If you’re like me, not very often; more close to never. Why might this be? What has caused this loss of awe over God’s Word? For that is indeed what it is!

Have you ever envied the great giants of faith such as Abraham, Moses, and Samuel for having been able to hear the spoken word of the Living God? Well, there’s no need. We have God’s word given to us in a way that those men would never have been able to even fathom.

And yet…we take it for granted.

It has become the norm for the modern day church to preach heavily on the passages of scripture that give you the warm, pleasant, fuzzy feeling on the inside while tiptoeing around the difficult passages. The ones that may cause offence to the hearers. As James said in his epistle (one of those tough passages of scripture), “My brethren, these things ought not to be so!”

In a society where we want nothing more than comfort and convenience, can we really be surprised that this mentality has begun to creep into the church?

It reminds me uncomfortably of the Jefferson Bible. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, the Jefferson Bible is a book compiled by none other than Thomas Jefferson, and it consists of only what he wanted in the Holy Scriptures. Can you imagine? Yet when I picture Thomas Jefferson with a Bible in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, cutting here and tweaking there, the similarities between that and what is going on in our country today is shocking, disturbing at the very least.

Let me get on my soapbox for a minute.

Let’s take a very true and very over-used phrase: Jesus saves.

Now, is that true? Absolutely, and praise God that it is! And do we need to be reminded of this fact often? Oh my, yes (remember the traumatized paramecium). But what happens when that is one of the few preached doctrines in the church? Well, you have many church goers with the warm fuzzies, but how about defenders of the faith? You have children who are able to crank out an answer when asked what they learned in Sunday school, but how about being able to “give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15)?

What has happened to our priorities? When did the fear of the Lord and reverence for His Word give place to fear of offending?

Will you take the challenge with me to read God’s Word in its entirety? Will you read, “For God so loved the world” along side, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens”? It’s easier said than done, but I want to take this challenge.

Will you?

posted by Lydia