Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways. Reclothe us in our rightful mind, In purer lives They service find, In deeper rev'rence praise.
In simple trust like theirs who heard, Beside the Syrian sea, The gracious calling of the Lord, Let us, like them, without a word, Rise up and follow thee.
O Sabbath rest by Galilee, O calm of hills above, Where Jesus knelt to share with thee The silence of eternity, Interpreted by love!
Drop they still dews of quietness, Till all our strivings cease; Take from our souls the strain and stress, and Let our ordered lives confess The beauty of they peace.
Amen.
Words: John G. Whittier (w. 1872)
September 23, 2009
September 2, 2009
New LIfe, God's Miracle
In the midst of a typical evening at home, watching TV, eating dinner, cleaning the kitchen, time on the computer with friends...there she was. Attached to an email sent by our son, Kyle, was the first real picture of our next granddaughter, Olivia Kathryn Martin. We can see her face, and her developing small frame. As my husband pointed out, we can't call her "Peanut" anymore. She is a real, living breathing person. It just boggles my brain every time I think about women carrying life inside of our bodies. As a mother, I am still awestruck by God's miracle of life. Only our God in heaven could create this amazing reproduction of life.
Here she is. Olivia! Beautiful, perfect, little creature of God's creation and
she gets to be part of our family on earth. How privileged I feel. Why God thought Aidan and Regan and now Olivia should be in our family and part of our lives, I don't now. What I do know is I am so grateful for our granchildren. It has been such a joy to observe Aidan and Regan grow, learn and develop their own uniqueness. Soon we will be allowed to do the same with our unborn grandaughter. What an honor for us!
We are all looking forward with baited breath for November to meet Olivia, our third granddaughter. Her parents, Kyle and Amanda, are already wonderful parents to our yet to be born granddaughter.
My friend, reminded me of this special verse from God's word.
Here she is. Olivia! Beautiful, perfect, little creature of God's creation and
she gets to be part of our family on earth. How privileged I feel. Why God thought Aidan and Regan and now Olivia should be in our family and part of our lives, I don't now. What I do know is I am so grateful for our granchildren. It has been such a joy to observe Aidan and Regan grow, learn and develop their own uniqueness. Soon we will be allowed to do the same with our unborn grandaughter. What an honor for us!We are all looking forward with baited breath for November to meet Olivia, our third granddaughter. Her parents, Kyle and Amanda, are already wonderful parents to our yet to be born granddaughter.
My friend, reminded me of this special verse from God's word.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart. Jer.1:5
August 24, 2009
Are You Content?
Last Sunday morning at church our preacher talked about being content. Paul the apostle said, Philippians 4:11
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Then, the preacher proceeded to ask the question of my title, Are you content? In my mind, I replied, No. No, I am not.
Sometimes things just don't seem to go the way I thought they would. People aren't doing what I wish they would, circumstances are not easy to be content in and I have let down others as well as myself. Of course, there is no reason why I should be discontent, after all I am a Christian. If I have Christ in my life then everything else should be accepted for what it is.
Today, four days later, I continue to write this entry after an evening spent in true worship. Our church congregation is a very typical Church of Christ. It has been part of my discontentment over the past several years. I would term my husband and I as active members at church. My husband more than I because, as a man, he has opportunities offered to him that I, as a woman, do not. He leads the singing, he says prayers in worship, he reads scriptures in worship and teaches adult classes and serves communion. Don't take that statement the wrong way, I'm just explaining why he is able to be more active than I. Of course, I have the opportunity to be active through the Women's Ministry and teaching Sunday School, cooking meals, etc. To teach, it would have to be in children or ladies' class, cooking meals is not my thing and the woman's ministry seems outdated. *sigh*. As I stated in a previous blog, it is what it is.
Our congregation was lead by a former minister, in a Taize style worship service last night. Something our congregation possibly would not have embraced had we been more upfront and explained the worship style was borrowed from the Lutheran brethren. Instead it was billed as a time spent in peaceful worship, Welcome to the Quietness. And that it was. Peaceful and quiet. Worshipful, if you will. My part was with the small band of singers attempting to sing Taize without the aide of instruments. Acapella sounded okay, but would have been grander with a few instruments. Alas! as I think about this big step for many of us, it was a mere baby step for those Christians gathered at that place of worship. Still I'm very thankful that God opened hearts and allowed us the worship we sorely needed to be one with God.
This morning, I must admit, my soul is more at peace and content.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. John 14.27
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Then, the preacher proceeded to ask the question of my title, Are you content? In my mind, I replied, No. No, I am not.
Sometimes things just don't seem to go the way I thought they would. People aren't doing what I wish they would, circumstances are not easy to be content in and I have let down others as well as myself. Of course, there is no reason why I should be discontent, after all I am a Christian. If I have Christ in my life then everything else should be accepted for what it is.
Today, four days later, I continue to write this entry after an evening spent in true worship. Our church congregation is a very typical Church of Christ. It has been part of my discontentment over the past several years. I would term my husband and I as active members at church. My husband more than I because, as a man, he has opportunities offered to him that I, as a woman, do not. He leads the singing, he says prayers in worship, he reads scriptures in worship and teaches adult classes and serves communion. Don't take that statement the wrong way, I'm just explaining why he is able to be more active than I. Of course, I have the opportunity to be active through the Women's Ministry and teaching Sunday School, cooking meals, etc. To teach, it would have to be in children or ladies' class, cooking meals is not my thing and the woman's ministry seems outdated. *sigh*. As I stated in a previous blog, it is what it is.
Our congregation was lead by a former minister, in a Taize style worship service last night. Something our congregation possibly would not have embraced had we been more upfront and explained the worship style was borrowed from the Lutheran brethren. Instead it was billed as a time spent in peaceful worship, Welcome to the Quietness. And that it was. Peaceful and quiet. Worshipful, if you will. My part was with the small band of singers attempting to sing Taize without the aide of instruments. Acapella sounded okay, but would have been grander with a few instruments. Alas! as I think about this big step for many of us, it was a mere baby step for those Christians gathered at that place of worship. Still I'm very thankful that God opened hearts and allowed us the worship we sorely needed to be one with God.
This morning, I must admit, my soul is more at peace and content.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. John 14.27
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