Hello Everyone,

We took the kids to Crackerbarrel for breakfast this morning.  I found a book there titled, Sunflower Houses, A Book for Children and Their Grown-Ups, by Sharon Lovejoy.  It’s so whimsical!  It’s all about gardens and what we can do with the things we grow–magical, creative things for fun.  For instance, little girl, why don’t you dangle those pretty flowers as earrings?  Why not make a leaf hat or a leaf vest?  Why not braid that long stemmed clover together to make a wreath?  How fun! 

We listened to “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” radio theatre on the way to and from breakfast.  Focus on the Family has done an outstanding job with it and those of us who understood the story loved it.  (Caleb fell asleep and David had more important things on his mind)

I went to the mall yesterday.  I spent several hours at Barnes and Nobles.  I ate lunch while looking through the latest Paula Dean magazine.  She has a baby grandson now and he was on the cover with her–so precious!  After lunch I gathered a stack of books and sat in a big chair with my new leather journal and a couple of pencils and sat and read and sat and sat and read and read and read.  It was wonderful to lose myself in books.  I looked through one that was about “literature that every English person should read” or something like that. . . .anyway, Shakespeare was in it, the King James Bible, and several godly men like John Bunyan, John and Charles Wesley, Isaac Newton, William Cowper, and Isaac Watts.  It was a proud moment for me as I thought about how these men were Christians and used their God-given talents in writing for His glory.  And the world recognized their gift (not that it matters, it doesn’t), but still–to have their works included as great examples of literature was inspiring to me.  I sat there, reading portions of their works and was blessed.  I wrote down several good quotes.  Here is one by John Wesley that I particularly enjoyed:

“You dwell at ease in the land; there is no war
in your coasts; and so you are quiet and
unconcerned.  You go on in the same even track of outward
duties, and are content there to abide.
And do you wonder, meantime, that your
soul is dead?  O stir yourself up before the Lord!
Arise, and shake yourself from the dust;
wrestle with God for the mighty blessing;
pour out your soul unto God in prayer,
and continue therein with all
perseverance!  Watch!  Awake out of
sleep; and keep awake!  Otherwise there is nothing to
be expected, but that you will be alienated
more and more from the light and love of God. . . .”

When life is easy and good, I slip oh so easily into forgetting about God.  I forget to think about Him and pray all the time.  This quote reminds me keep awake spiritually!  We can be exhausted physically but still be awake spiritually, you know.  It doesn’t even matter how we feel or look in our bodies–our souls are beautiful, restful, peaceful, and working to glorify God when we are His children.

I bought some books with a gift certificate.  I bought 3 books by C.S. Lewis:  Mere Christianity, Surprised by Joy, and A Grief Observed.  I also bought a book titled Things I want my Daughters to Know, by Alexandra Stoddard, and the book, How to Photograph your Life, by Nick Kelsh.

A number of you asked about the book by Martin Lloyd-Jones that I added to my blog-entry yesterday.  The book is very good, very beneficial to our Christian life.  Some of the chapters deal with issues like: feelings, trials, discipline, the peace of God, faith, false teaching, sin, being weary in well-doing, and chastening.  His writing style is pleasant and easy to read.  You feel as though you are reading something from an author who cares about and loves his readers.  Each chapter is preceded by a Scripture passage.  Personally, I have enjoyed every bit of it and I would recommend it to any saved person who has a hunger to learn more about God and the Bible.   Here is a quote:  (dealing with being spiritually weary in well-doing)

“There are some people who are not happy unless they are always doing something, and they do not always realize that what they are out for is the thrill and the excitement of the activity..  As certainly as we live in that way, we will get exhausted, we will become tired, and equally certainly our greatest enemy will come in, and that is self.  Self says that we are important.  We have to admit that it has not all been for the glory of God, but for our own glory.  If we are working to satisfy and please self in any shape or form, the end is always going to be weariness and tiredness.  How important it is to ask ourselves about the motive in connection with our work!”

This can be applied in everyone’s life, but in my case I thought of my role as Mother.  This is the job that God has given to me and I can glorify God with it or I can glorify myself with it.  The result of self-glorification is spiritual weariness, tiredness, or even depression. 

We are taking the kids to Battleship Cove tomorrow.  Jacob will be 10 on Sunday and we wanted to take him on a special trip.  It is in Massachusetts about 2 hours from us.

I will leave you with one more quote from Jones:

“Come to the Word of God.  Stop asking questions.  Start with the promises in the right order.  Say: ‘I want the truth whatever it costs me.’  Bind yourself to it, submit yourself to it, come in utter submission as a little child and plead with Him to give you clear sight, perfect vision, and to make you whole.  And as you do so it is my privilege to remind you that He can do it.  Yea, more, I promise you in His Blessed Name that He will do it.  He never leaves anything incomplete.”  ~D.Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in the chapter titled “Men as Trees, Walking”, based on Mark 8:22-26

Love, Shanda