Long day

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And has shed his own blood for my soul.

My sin—O the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
"Even so"—it is well with my soul.

Horatio Spafford

Goodbye, 2011

O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me
except the days are passed in Thy presence,
in Thy service, to Thy glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides,
sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from Thee,
but may rely on Thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth Thy praise;
testify Thy love,
advance Thy kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with Thee, O Father as my harbour,
Thee, O Son, at my helm,
Thee O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to Thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.

Give me Thy grace to sanctify me,
Thy comforts to cheer,
Thy wisdom to teach,
Thy right hand to guide,
Thy counsel to instruct,
Thy law to judge,
Thy presence to stabilize.
May Thy fear by my awe,
Thy triumphs my joy.

How's that for business?

Highlighting America's pragmatism from the beginning:

The first American painters were generally self-taught portrait or sign painters. Their work was flat, sharply outlined, and lacking in focal point. Portraiture was, not surprisingly, the most sought-after art form, since politics stressed respect for the individual. Itinerant limners, as early painters were called, painted faceless single or group portraits in the winter and, in spring, sought customers and filled in the blanks.

(The Annotated Mona Lisa p. 72)

Oh, the possibilities for today. Haha.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thou Great and Only Potentate,
Thou hast made summer and winter,
day and night;
each of these revolutions serves our welfare
and is full of Thy care and kindness.
Thy bounty is seen
in the relations that train us,
the laws that defend us,
the homes that shelter us,
the food that builds us,
the raiment that comforts us,
the continuance of our health, members, senses, understanding, memory, affection, will.
But as the stars fade before the rising sun,
Thou hast eclipsed all these benefits
in the wisdom and grace that purposed
redemption by Jesus Thy son.
Blessed be Thy mercy that laid help on
one that is mighty and willing,
one that is able to save to the uttermost.
Make us deeply sensible of our need of His saving grace,
of the blood that cleanses,
of the rest He has promised.
And impute to us that righteousness which
justifies the guilty,
gives them a title to eternal life,
and possession of the Spirit.
May we love the freeness of salvation,
and joy in its holiness;
Give us faith to grasp Thy promises,
that are our hope,
provide for every exigency,
and prevent every evil;
Keep our hearts from straying after forbidden pleasures;
May Thy will bind all our wishes;
Let us live out of the world as to its spirit, maxim, manners,
but live in it as the sphere of our action and usefulness;
May we be alive to every call of duty,
accepting without question
Thy determination of our circumstances and our service. 

The Valley of Vision - "Bounty"

Brilliant

Shakespearean Insults

Happy Reformation Day!

Post Tenebras Lux

2 things (photo edition)

1. Oh, America. No comment necessary.

2. I was at the library, and discovered they have Rob Bell's Love Wins. After reading for a while, I came across this:

Whoever thought to put a Ray Comfort tract in there is brilliant! hahahaha!

Going insane is busy work

It's been a while, and I miss this little forgotten blog. Here are my excuses for not writing on here -

• I got a job at my library. It is the best job ever. God is good to me.
• My usual load of self-inflicted, insanity-producing schoolwork. Somewhere along the road I decided to shake things up this year and do 2 history courses simultaneously, one being AP. Why, you ask? Why not? I answer. 
  
• I'm officially taking over the library at my church, now that I'm a hotshot working at a real library and all. The colleges are going to think I'M SO COOL!!!!
  
• Applying to college and every club in sight
  
• Cramming homework for our homeschool co-op the day it's due and then hijacking class conversations with rhapsodies of the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge. No, I'm not obsessed. (blinking eyes and twitching head)

But leaving such bleak business aside, guess what? I have found a new beloved author to adore! And who might that be?

P.G. Wodehouse!

I never gave the short story genre a second glance because it seemed impossible to weave a satisfying story together in 25 pages. And maybe that's true when it comes to the drama department, but not so with comedy. The plot of each story is hilariously brilliant, and from a historical standpoint, all the British slang from the late teens and early 20's is fun to read. After reading just one of these stories, you will forever live in awe of Jeeves the Butler.

Somehow Autumn snuck up and surprised me. Are those trees really changing? Reader, the best time of the year is upon us. Enter cornmazes, bonfires and mums. And Reformation Day. And Thanksgiving. And discounted Halloween candy.

Obsession

So today I discovered how to write a sonnet, and, being me, I wanted to try it out myself (mistake #1). After about a minute's deliberation of what to write about, it hit me - of course I was destined to start my poetic career by turning my favorite novel into a sonnet! (mistake # 2) After hours of grueling work trying find words that rhyme with "gallAHNT" and cursing iambic pentameter, I got so cracked up by what I created that I have decided to post it here for my your entertainment. (undoubtedly mistake # 3) So without further ado, I give you,

Sense and Sensibility Condensed into 14 Lines

To Devon came two sisters father-lost
   The first, of in-law's modest brother fond,
   Was wise and kind; the second, passion-toss'd,
   To be a true Romantic daily long'd.
The younger girl a pair of suitors gain'd:
   Laconic Col'nel and urbane gallant.
   The elder sister by a tale was pain'd -
   Her beau an ill engagement long had got.
The suave hero was found to be a rake -
   It nearly killed the jilted girl; meanwhile
   Shy Edward lost, for revok'd birthright's sake,
   His vain fiance to his brother's pile.
He wed Elinor at last - happy man -
   And Colonel Brandon won his Marianne.

Hahahahhahahaha!

Well howbout that...

Today, back in 79 AD, Mt. Vesuvius erupted. (Today must have been a dreadfully unlucky day for the Romans, because later, in 410, the city got sacked.) You know you're fascinated.

Acting up again in 1858

AAAND, in 1456, Gutenberg finished printing the first printed Bible. How cool is that?