Faith, as from the Canaanite Woman in Matthew 15

'This woman is next of all an example to those who think they have been repulsed in their endeavours after salvation. Have you been praying, and have you not succeeded? Have you sought the Lord, and do you seem to be more unhappy than ever? Have you made attempts at reformation and amendment, and believed that you made them in the divine strength, and have they failed? Yet trust in Him whose blood has not lost its efficacy, whose promise has not lost its truth, and whose arm has not lost its power to save. Cling to the cross, sinner. If the earth sink beneath thee, cling on; if storms should rage, and all the floods be out, and even God Himself seem to be against thee, cling to the cross. There is thy hope. Thou canst not perish there.'
-Humility and How to Get It by Charles Spurgeon

Old (Classic) Poems

In this poem, found in The Treasury of David, v's are written as u's and e's were extremely popular, which makes for an interesting read. :) But it is a great poem, based partially on psalm 36.

Thy mercie Lord doth to the HEAUENS extend,
Thy faithfullnes doth to the CLOUDES assend;
Thy justice stedfast as a MOUNTAINE is,
Thy JUDGMENTS deepe as is the great Abisse;
Thy noble mercies saue all liueinge thinges,
The sonnes of men creepe underneath thy winges:
With thy great plenty they are fedd at will,
And of thy pleasure's streame they drinke their fill;
For euen the well of life remaines with thee,
And in thy glorious light wee light shall see.

-Sir John Davies.

And I love this one, written by Jeroninus Segerson, while he was in prison at Antwerp (he was a Baptist martyr). He wrote it to his wife, Lysken, who also was a prisoner there, 1551. (From The Treasury of David.)

In lonesome cell, guarded and strong I lie,
Bound by Christ's love, his truth to testify,
Though walls be thick, the door no hand unclose,
God is my strength, my solace, and repose.

Photo Set #2

Keys to Delightful Springtime Memories by hismercysurrounding

(This is for a contest.)

Sweet Sojourn - Photo Set

Sweet Sojourn by hismercysurrounding

(This was fun, and was made as a possibly contest entry. Polyvore is not without its pitfalls, though, so I'm not sure I'd recommend it.)

Another Post on Reading

If you haven't read this post by Chantel yet, please do! Especially if you are an avid reader.

The Reading Balance

Verses and Message

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. - Galatians 5:22-24

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. - 1 Peter 1:5-7

~~~~

My brother, Joel, gives a message here that I needed to hear. We can be too accepting or too condemning, and I have fallen on both sides at times, but probably more often the latter (in my heart if not outwardly). Here's his message:

Teaching and Correcting in Love and Humility

Are You a Good Person Poll Results & New Poll

4 people answered "Yes"
4 people answered "In general"
3 people answered "No"
3 people answered "Not very"
No one answered "Other"

Well, if you think you are a good person on your own merit, you are sadly mistaken, as the Bible clearly states there are none good but God, and no one is righteous, not even one. However, this could be a bit of a trick question, as we are considered righteous in Christ by His merit alone.

A new poll is up about sleep habits.

What's a Girl to Read?

This article by Elisabeth Allen is very good...something I wish I could have read when I was younger.

What's a Girl to Read?

Video About Idolitry

This is thought-provoking (though I don't like the picture supposedly portraying Jesus). I have been struggling with these things off and on, and not just TV/movies, but computer and other things, too. There is a way in which we can use these things--the heart is what is important--but sometimes we may have to "turn it off." Or, as Matthew and Mark warn, pluck it out.

'And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into *** fire—where
‘ Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’
-Mark 19:47

Don't Expect Instant Maturity

This blessed me. Please take a listen!

Favorite Books

For ylcf.org's March of Books, here are some more of my favorite tomes. I especially love vintage books and illustrations, and these first two red books are also very special to me because they are from my late father's library (as are many of the theological books in my library--he was a pastor). I have not read these two, yet, but I look forward to doing so (carefully)!

A lovely old book from my dad's library, along with some family lace cuffs and a doily.

A charming illustration (there are nearly a dozen inside).

And the second book is one that has a few familiar hymns (without the music written out) as well as many unfamiliar. We have some old hymnals with music that I think are from my mom or dad's library, which are a lot of fun to play through. Perhaps I'll take photos of those later.

A shelf full to the brim of treasured books--mostly from my father in the front row

This next book actually has my brother, John's, name in the front, but I'm not sure he wants it anymore (I will ask). It is a sweet old book that I read once upon a time and would like to read again.

My First Bible

For the 2011 March of Books we were asked to take photos and tell about our favorite copy of a favorite book.

My favorite and most special book is my Bible, and this one means much, a Precious Moments version...the pages long since coming out. It was the first Bible of my very own, given me by a family friend when I was six years old, shortly before moving from NY to FL. My sister, Grace, made this cover for it, and I loved to trace the pattern of the flowers with my fingers. Inside, I highlighted and underlined verses that I liked or had memorized. I remember often reading over the little story lessons that went with certain gray-shaded verses.

These truly were precious moments, though at the time I was not yet born again and to me it was basically just a pretty and poetic book to look at, despite being taught its eternal worth. I am thankful for the seeds planted there, the passages read and memorized with my family.

Hammock Days

There's nothing else like the sensation of resting off the ground, rocking gently, and looking up at a crisp cerulean sky, web of branches, and sunlight sparkling on leaves. I love to watch the birds--even vultures--circling and flapping, and hear the myriad of voices lifted in song. The warmth hits with intensity, but feels good for the moment.

Cool breezes shiver the limbs above, and occasionally a butterfly will ride hopscotch in the air. These are moments that make a smile stretch my face, and praises to God come more readily. Sickness is fading, and I know there has been a reason for it. Maybe to look at God's creation and truly enjoy health when it comes.


Praises be to God for all His gifts! Sight, sound, feeling, smelling, friendship, memory...and most of all...the gift of His eternal love through Christ Jesus. What mercy to us stingy, selfish beings!

Book Review

The Bible And The Closet Or How We May Read The Scriptures With The Most Spiritual Profit: And Secret Prayer Successfully Managed (1842) by Thomas Watson

This early work is inspiring and informative. The language is beautiful, with many Biblical examples set forth for our edification. This is a book I may want to read several times in years to come. It's available for free online on google books, so I'd recommend checking it out! He addresses questions on prayer near the end, and thoughts on ejaculatory prayer.

I give it four of five stars.