Villette - Chapters 12-15

Beginning with a sickness of one of Madame Beck's children, a Dr. John (as they call him) frequently visits the school. Lucy's suspicions begin to arise when the doctor continues to call even when nobody seems to be sick. Madame Beck pays more attention to her own appearance, and seems to light up when the doctor is in the room. Could there be something amiss?

Meanwhile, Lucy and Genevra hang out with each other quite often. Genevra, who has by now shown herself to be a hopeless flirt, repeatedly mentions a certain "Isidore" - an unfortunate young man who has developed an ardent affection for her. It's the typical infatuated/duped-guy-willing-to-jump-off-cliff-for-flighty-girl situation. I always find those to be among the top 5 most annoying situations in a book. JUST GET OVER HER, FOOL. Ah, I feel better now.

At the back of the garden behind the school is a tree-lined alley, which has become a favorite haunt of Lucy's. While sitting there one day, a box mysteriously drops from the window of a house nearby. Inside is a bouquet of flowers and a sappy love note. Out of the blue, Dr. John appears on the scene, intent on recovering the box and its contents. Suddenly they spot Madame Beck characteristically approaching, presumably to investigate the commotion. Dr. John disappears. Madame Beck acts suspiciously.

I found what happens next to be rather funny - Madame Beck (after searching Lucy's things again) leaves the house in an obvious fashion, and Dr. John comes for a visit. He and Lucy end up alone in a room and talk about the box, and he reveals that, although he didn't write the note, he knows who did and for whom it was intended. He's about to tell when the door suddenly makes a noise which is followed by a sneeze, and Madame Beck cooly walks through the room. The poor woman is found out in spite of her tricks.

The end of the school year comes and the school puts on a ball. During the festivities, the questions of what was going on with Madame Beck & the young Dr. John, and the identities of the two apparent lovers are resolved -

• Madame Beck had a crush on Dr. John.
  
• Dr. John turns out to be Isidore.
  
• The box/love note were from a rival - an empty-headed pretty boy. Lucy tries to show him that Genevra isn't exactly a fine catch, but he tells her she's being too severe. I like how she sets him straight -

“I love Miss Fanshawe far more than De Hamal [the rival] loves any human being, and would care for and guard her better than he. Respecting De Hamal, I fear she is under an illusion. The man’s character is known to me, all his antecedents, all his scrapes. He is not worthy of your beautiful young friend.”

“My ‘beautiful young friend’ ought to know that, and to know or feel who is worthy of her,” said I. “If her beauty or her brains will not serve her so far, she merits the sharp lesson of experience.”

“Are you not a little severe?”

“I am excessively severe—more severe than I choose to show you. You should hear the strictures with which I favour my ‘beautiful young friend,’ only that you would be unutterably shocked at my want of tender considerateness for her delicate nature.”

“She is so lovely, one cannot but be loving towards her. You—every woman older than herself must feel for such a simple, innocent, girlish fairy a sort of motherly or elder-sisterly fondness. Graceful angel! Does not your heart yearn towards her when she pours into your ear her pure, childlike confidences? How you are privileged!” And he sighed.

“I cut short these confidences somewhat abruptly now and then,” said I. “But excuse me, Dr. John; may I change the theme for one instant? What a godlike person is that De Hamal! What a nose on his face—perfect! Model one in putty or clay, you could not make a better or straighter or neater; and then, such classic lips and chin; and his bearing—sublime.”

“De Hamal is an unutterable puppy, besides being a very white-livered hero.”

“You, Dr. John, and every man of a less refined mould than he, must feel for him a sort of admiring affection, such as Mars and the coarser deities may be supposed to have borne the young, graceful Apollo.”

“An unprincipled, gambling little jackanapes!” said Dr. John curtly, “whom, with one hand, I could lift up by the waistband any day, and lay low in the kennel if I liked.”

“The sweet seraph!” said I. “What a cruel idea! Are you not a little severe, Dr. John?”

HAHA.

Anyways, school ends and as Lucy has nowhere to go, she stays in Villette. The utter loneliness of the situation depresses her, and she develops a fever. She wanders around town and ends up in a confessional, spilling everything out to a priest, who asks her to see him the next day. I was so scared while reading that she'd do it, but to my relief, Lucy stands him up and does not become a papist. Ah.

I really like Lucy. She's sensible, philosophical, analytical, curious, and has a travel bug. She slightly reminds me of Jane Eyre. Interesting how Charlotte Bronte uses a similar type of heroine in her novels. I wonder if it's the same in Shirley and The Professor? I heard that Jane Eyre was slightly auto-biographical. I heard the same of Villette. And The Professor. Perhaps she wrote the books with herself in mind as the heroine, sort of getting to imagine what her life could have been like in different situations? That'd be an interesting thing to keep in mind as I keep reading.

Wow, this got long.

Villette - Chapters 3-11

Last week I was busy and never got around to writing a Junto post, so I'm combining the two-weeks' worth of reading here.

So far, I love this book. The characters are absolutely fascinating, the plot is unpredictable, and there's a lot of food for thought.

Despite what I first believed, Paulina and Graham became good friends. After a while, Polly's father sent for her to go to the continent with him, and shortly afterwards Lucy Snowe returned to her own family. Eight years go by - Lucy and the Brettons fall out of contact, a family member dies, and Lucy finds herself left to make her way in the world. After a brief time taking care of a dying elderly lady, Lucy travels to London and decides to go to Europe. She boards a ship and meets a rather superficial young lady named Genevra Fanshaw, who happens to mention that she goes to a boarding school in a town called Villette.

Upon landing in France, Lucy and Genevra part ways and Lucy is undecided about what to do next. She spontaneously decides to go to Villette and see what the town has to offer. After arriving in the town, she was directed to an inn and upon reaching the destination realizes that she made a wrong turn - she had reached the aforementioned boarding school instead. Figuring this was too providential a circumstance to ignore, she calls on the head mistress - Madame Beck - and despite not speaking a word of French, she lands a job.

Madame Beck is a curious character. The personification of stoicism, tact, and reserve, she rarely lets on to what she's really thinking. She's easy to work for - her rules are moderate and never gets angry. But she has her flaws. She is obsessed with the approval of others. If her students dislike a teacher, the teacher's fired; she avoids confrontations by placing others in stressful situations in her stead. Also, her only motivation is self interest. Reason, emotion, coercion are nothing. If, however, you show her that a particular move would considerably benefit herself, you've won her over. Her method of governing her school is disturbingly unconventional but rather amusing - espionage. It sort of reminded me of The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe - she and her spies are everywhere. During Lucy's first night there, Madame Beck snuck into her room, went through her trunks, and duplicated her keys in an attempt to understand her character. This woman both creeps me out and cracks me up.

I found it funny in chapter 8 that Lucy commanded the respect of a classroom of rowdy girls by ripping one girl's English paper in two and locking another delinquent in a book closet. Ha. Just think about the "abuse" lawsuits that probably would have resulted nowadays.

I love how Lucy describes herself as living two lives - that of the outside world, and that of her mind. I never realized that other people saw their lives like that too.

This is a good book.

The Character of Rebekah...

...is the title of one of the chapters in one of my favorite books, Female Piety. I thought I'd post some particularly good excerpts from the chapter - the graces demonstrated by Rebekah in Genesis are still lovely in the sight of God today. You can read the rest of the chapter here, if you're so inclined.

Observe the COURTEOUS affability of this interesting young woman [Rebekah]. Here was a stranger, a servant, though evidently a servant of a wealthy master; and yet how respectful, how gentle, how affable was her address. Josephus, fond of adding in his paraphrastic manner to the terseness and simplicity of the Scripture narrative, relates that there were other young women with Rebekah, who were asked for water, but refused; and that she reproved them for their churlishness. COURTESY is a befitting grace in both sexes, but most so in the female. While rudeness, which is a 'blemish' upon masculine character, is a 'blot' upon feminine character. A female churl is a monstrosity, from which we turn away with insufferable disgust. Courtesy is one of the cheapest exercises of virtue; it costs even less than rudeness—for the latter, except in hearts that are petrified into stone, must put the subject of it to some expense of feeling. Even a rough voice issuing from female lips is disagreeable, much more rough manners exhibited by a female form.

There are various things which prevent the exercise of courtesy. In some cases, it is to be traced to pride, a vice which befits a demon, but not a woman. In others it is the result of an absolute bad disposition—a morose, sour, and ill-conditioned mind, which knows no congenial seasons, and experiences no soft emotions. Some are petulant and peevish, and when putting on a mood of civility, are easily driven from it by the slightest touch of their irritability. Be courteous then; it is, if not of the solid substance of holiness, at least its polish. It is a Christian grace; for an apostle has said, "Be compassionate and courteous."

Akin to this was Rebekah's KINDNESS. There was not only an external affability of manner—but a real benevolence of disposition. Here was a stranger, tired and faint with a day's journey in a hot country, asking her kind offices to procure a supply of water for himself and his weary animals. To grant his request for himself, would have cost her no great labor; but it must have been a considerable effort to draw water enough for a number of thirsty camels! And this is more apparent when you know the construction of eastern wells, which are not like ours, but are a kind of sunken cistern, to which you descend by a flight of steps. How many tiresome descents must this young creature have made, before she satisfied the thirst of Eleazar's camels...

Insensibility in a man is bad enough, but worse in a woman. An unfeeling woman is a contradiction in terms, for the female heart has ever been found the dwelling-place of kindness, where the misery of others, when all other hopes have failed, is sure to find an asylum. In what age, or in what country in the world, has woman forfeited her character as the ministering angel of humanity? When and where has the female bosom disowned the claims of misery and repudiated the virtue of benevolence? Arctic snows have not frozen up the springs of mercy in the female heart, nor tropical suns dried them up. Tyranny has not crushed it out, nor barbarism extinguished it. Look at Mr. Park, when alone in the midst of Africa, and lying down to die in poverty and despair, found by the black women of that wild land, carried to their tent, fed, clad, and cherished amid the tender strains of the impromptu song, with which they cheered the feelings of his heart and expressed the benevolence of their own. Young women, cherish in your bosoms the purest philanthropy. Abhor selfishness—you are made for kindness. Oppose not the design of your Creator. Do no violence to your own nature. A stony heart does not behoove you. A tearless woman is a revolting scene in our sorrowful world. She may be pure and beautiful as the marble statue—but if withal she is as hard and cold, who can admire her?

MODESTY is the most attractive of all female graces. What is intelligence without it, but bolder impudence; or beauty but a more seductive snare? There is, I know, a reserve that degenerates into repulsive pride; as on the other hand, there is a frankness that corrupts into forwardness. Woman is intended neither to avoid man by a bashful timidity, nor to court him by an obtrusive advance. A genuine modesty guards against each extreme. It is that semi-transparent veil, which by revealing half her excellence, makes more lovely that which it reveals, and excites desire to know the rest. It is her shield as well as her veil, repelling all the darts with which, either by acts, by words, or by looks, any one would dare to assail her purity. It is also her ornament, investing all her other excellences with additional charms, the blush of purity upon the cheek of beauty. It is her power, by which she subdues every heart that is worth the conquest. Yes, what is not modesty to woman? Lay not aside your veil. Cast not away your shield. Divest not yourselves of your brightest ornament. Enfeeble not your power to influence others. Avoid everything in which the absence of this virtue can show itself.

Villette - Chapters 1 & 2

In every book I read, it's the characters that usually make or break the story for me. I'm fascinated by simply studying people - how they think, express themselves, behave, interact, etc., etc. When I read a story in which the author has done a great job of developing the characters, it makes the book come alive for me. While I didn't particularly enjoy the plot of Jane Eyre, it was the personalities and relationship of Jane and Mr. Rochester that made me really like reading it. So I have high hopes for the characters in Villette. So far, there's:

• Lucy Snowe, the heroine. As she's the narrator(-ess?), I haven't really gotten to see what she's like quite yet. At this point the setting and background info is still being presented. But I want to like her. :-)
  
• Paulina Home. I'm sorry, but this kid bugs me. I'm guessing she's 4 or 5-ish, but she acts very much like an adult. It's hyper-maturity that is border-line insolence. She acts very affectedly and puts on airs with people older than her. It's incredibly annoying. Ugh.
• Mrs. Bretton, Lucy's godmother. Lucy has come to live with her for a while.
  
• Graham Bretton, Mrs. Bretton's 16 year old son. As the narator puts it, he's "a spoiled, whimsical child;" he immediately picks up on Paulina's weirdness, and begins a series of attempts at mortifying her. Normally his type of character would slightly disgust me, but as he's annoying someone I find annoying, I like him. Muahahaha.

I leave off with this passage that I found highly amusing/gratifying:

She [Paulina] wished Mrs. Bretton and myself good-night; she seemed hesitating whether Graham’s deserts entitled him to the same attention, when he caught her up with one hand, and with that one hand held her poised aloft above his head. She saw herself thus lifted up on high in the glass over the fireplace. The suddenness, the freedom, the disrespect of the action were too much.

‘For shame, Mr. Graham!” was her indignant cry; “put me down!” And when again on her feet—“I wonder what you I would think of me if I were to treat you in that way, lifting you with my hand” (raising that mighty member), “as Warren lifts the little cat.”

So saying, she departed.

Villette

Maddie & I have decided to get back on track with the Junto. We're going to turn over a new leaf (pun not intended...maybe) and begin reading Villette by Charlotte Bronte. Maddie assures me that it isn't all sappiness like some of the other Bronte books I've read....

*coughWutheringHeightscough*

Yeah, yeah, I'm the biggest slacker on earth with the Junto, which is rendered more heinous when you consider the fact that I'm the co-reviver of this endeavor. Oh well. This time, however, I promise, cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye that I'll keep up with this one. (By the way, who's the weirdo that came up with that phrase?) Maybe I'll still write about Common Sense from time to time. We'll see.

Many people claim that Bronte based this book off her own experience as a governess in Belgium. But they also say the same of her other book, The Professor. I guess I'll have to read both and find out for myself. :-)

Villette was published in 1853. Here's some events of the year that I found interesting:

• March 5th - Howard Pyle, who wrote famous versions of Robin Hood and King Arthur, was born
• March 30th - Vincent van Gogh was born
• Millard Filmore & James Pierce were Presidents
• Charles Dickens published Bleak House

I know, I know, this is probably the lamest introduction post for a book....ever.....but as this is a novel, I didn't want to do too much studying before I read the book in case it'd spoil the plot for me. Don't you hate it when that happens?


We're going to try and do a Junto post every Monday, so (hopefully...ha) I'll write more next week!

On God, life, and books

Two things that hit me lately:

1. When we say that we're here to glorify God, do we really understand what we're saying? Every thing we say, do, and think should be for HIM! Every time we start something new, it should be to serve Him. We have to be actively watching ourselves. We have to be living each moment as Colossians 3:17 says: "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Boy am I bad at that!

2. Worldliness doesn't always come in the same packaging. I think when most people hear it, we imagine an obsession with pop culture, a slavish following of the latest fashions, a desire to be "cool," materialism, etc, etc. But that's only one type. Any undo affection for things that aren't of God is worldliness. I'm a total culprit. I have an Athenian tendency - I'm a lover of ideas. I've found myself wanting to study the Bible, not necessarily to understand God better, but to learn something new. I get in trouble with my parents because I'll extend my schoolwork as long as I can each day. (Bring on the nerd jokes) I oftentimes find myself valuing things based on how much I learned from them. Although Proverbs says we should pursue knowledge, devotion to it at the expense of primarily seeking God is a disgusting form of worldliness. Solomon tried it, and ultimately it let him down.

But how good is Christ, that He would take responsibility for all that guilt of mine so that I can live with Him for eternity! Just think about that. Why on earth would God do that for anyone? There's simply no adjective that can be used to describe Him.

On another note....I just came across this book: A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen. Alright. At first, I was rather interested, but then I started thinking about the title. Not only does it have arguably the #1 literary cliche of all time as its main part, the subtitle had me almost laughing. The way I see it, the book's written by 33 people who have been made to feel slightly guilty & insecure about reading 200-year old chick lit, trying to show the world that they have intelligent reasons for doing so. And notice the qualifier "great." I guess the book would be irrelevant if the subtitle was: 33 Unknowns on Why We Read Jane Austen. But I guess the topic of the book isn't too bad since I'm a quasi-Janeite myself - I'll always be a die-hard fan of Elinor Dashwood & Edward Ferrars......and J.A. is pretty intellectual. :-)

Speaking of books, this one looks really cool. Who'd have thought that Isaac Watts wasn't just a hymn writer?

Plato's wish fulfilled in Christ

J.R. Miller:

Plato expressed a desire that the moral law might become a living personage, that men seeing it thus incarnate, might be charmed by its beauty. Plato's wish was fulfilled in Jesus Christ! The holiness and the beauty of the divine law were revealed in Him. The Beatitudes contain an outline of the ideal life--but the Beatitudes are only a transcript of the life of Christ Himself! What He taught about love--was but His own love stated in a course of living lessons for His friends to learn. When He said that we should be patient, gentle, thoughtful, forgiving, and kind--He was only saying, "Follow Me!"

If we could gather from the most godly people who ever have lived, the little fragments of lovely character which have blossomed out in each, and bring all these fragments into one personality--we would have the beauty of Jesus Christ! In one person you find gentleness, in another meekness, in another purity of heart, in another humility, in another kindness, in another patience. But in the holiest of men, there are only two or three qualities of ideal beauty--along with much that is stained and blemished, mingled with these qualities. In Christ, however, all that is excellent is found, with no flaw!

"You are absolutely beautiful, my Beloved; there is no flaw in You!" Song of Songs 4:7

Reformation Day - 3 Things

1. Isn't it interesting how God will use seemingly insignificant actions in our lives to change the world? 492 years ago today, Luther, a relatively obscure monk in a little town in Germany, had just nailed a piece of paper to the door of a church. Little did he know that he had changed the course of western history. You really never know what God is going to do with your life.
   
   
2. There's 2 books I've read about the Reformation that I really enjoyed, so I thought I'd mention them for the occasion:
   
   The Reformation by T.M. Lindsay. This book totally enlightened the way I saw the Reformation. It tells the story of the Reformation from the beginning with Luther to the end during the 30 Years War. It explains its progress in countries you rarely hear of it happening in, like Scandinavia or the Netherlands. And the book doesn't leave you with merely the events of the Reformation - the last section of the book is devoted to the ideas and principles that fueled the movement. I'm of the opinion that every Christian should read this book. :-) Google Books also has it for online reading here.
   
   Ladies of the Reformation by J.H. Alexander. To sum it up, this book is about the great women behind the great men of the Reformation. In the back there's a handy timeline comparing important dates in the lives of each of these women. Also included throughout the book are interesting old-fashioned pictures of the places mentioned and portraits of some of the women.
   
   
3. This day makes me especially thankful for my Bible. Not only can I read it in my own language, I may do so without fear of being executed for it. God's Word is an incredibly priceless gift. One of the greatest experiences is the lightbulb moment that comes when you're reading the Bible, and a verse you've never noticed before suddenly stands out and God uses it to teach you something new, or remind you of something important. There are so many "Christians" out there today who let theirs sit on a shelf and collect dust. What a tragedy! They don't realize that they're groping in the darkness, without a lamp for their feet or a light for their path.

On Meditation

Thomas Watson:

Without meditation the truths that we know will never affect our hearts. Deuteronomy 6:6: "These words which I command this day shall be in thine heart." How can the Word be in the heart unless it is wrought in by meditation? As a hammer drives a nail to the head, so meditation drives a truth to the heart. It is not the taking in of food, but the stomach's digesting it that turns it into nourishment. Just so, it is not the taking in of a truth at the ear, but the meditating on it, that is the digestion of it in the mind, that makes it nourish. Without meditation, the word preached may increase notion, but not affection. There is as much difference between the knowledge of a truth and the meditation on a truth as there is between the light of a torch and the light of the sun. Set up a lamp or torch in the garden and it has no influence. But the sun has a sweet influence: it makes the plants to grow and the herbs to flourish. Just so, knowledge is like a torch lighted in the understanding that has little or no influence; it does not make a man the better. But meditation is like the shining of the sun. It operates upon the affections; it warms the heart and makes it more holy. Meditation fetches life in a truth. There are many truths that lie, as it were, in the heart dead. But these truths, when we meditate upon them, begin to have life and heat in them. It is meditation that makes a Christian.

Humility

Henry Scougal:

That which makes anybody esteem us, is their knowledge or apprehension of some little good, and their ignorance of a great deal of evil that may be in us; were they thoroughly acquainted with us, they would quickly change their opinion.

The thoughts that pass in our heart in the best and most serious day of our life, being exposed unto public view, would render us either hateful or ridiculous; and now, however we conceal our failings from one another; yet sure we are conscious of them ourselves, and some serious reflections upon them would much qualify and allay the vanity of our spirits. Thus holy men have come really to think worse of themselves than any other person in the world: not but that they knew that gross and scandalous vices are in their nature more heinous than the surprisals of temptations and infirmity, but because they are much more intent on their own miscarriages, than on those of their neighbors, and did consider all the aggravations of the one, and everything that might be supposed to diminish and alleviate the other.

But it is well observed by a pious writer, that the deepest and most pure humility does not so much arise from the consideration of our own faults and defects, as from a calm and quiet contemplation of the divine purity and goodness. Our spots never appear so clearly as when we place them before this infinite Light; and we never seem less in our own eyes than when we look down upon ourselves from on high. Oh! how little, how nothing do all those shadows of perfection then appear, for which we are wont to value ourselves! That humility which comes from a view of our own sinfulness and misery, is more turbulent and boisterous, but the other lays us full as low, and wants nothing but that anguish and vexation wherewith our souls are apt to boil when they are the nearest object of our thoughts.

(pp. 131-132 in The Life of God in the Soul of Man)

Common Sense - The Reshaping and Redefining of America

I think the guy's great, but there are 3 things I don't like about Glenn Beck:

1. He's a little apocalyptic. As I said before, it's a non sequitur to state that because America is in an economic recession and we have a liberal president in office, we're on the brink of destruction. Not every crisis has an ugly conclusion. Of course, the 5th century Romans didn't have much to look forward to, but it's dangerous to adopt chronic pessimism when it comes to politics.
   
2. He occasionally makes unrealistic generalizations. I hardly believe that there are nearly as many Americans disillusioned with the system as he surmises. The ironic truth is, humans have a tendency to be apathetic when it comes to big issues. Take abortion for instance: There's only a minority of citizens who are polemical about it. The rest don't give the matter much thought.
   
3. He's prone to president-bashing. Sure, I don't have any plans on joining an Obama fan club any time soon either. But there's a difference between disagreeing with the man's bad policies and dwelling on them. The book of Romans entreats us to live in respect and subjection to our rulers. And who was the audience that it was adressed to? The Christians living under Nero!

All that aside, there are many things I do like about Glenn Beck - his message, humor, etc. He is passionate about bringing America back to the values it was founded upon.

He's right about our government being out of control.

Our leaders repeatedly demonstrate selfishness in their policies. Its more important for them to create an America based on their ideologies than do what's best for the common man. Both Republicans and Democrats do this, and it seems like the middle class often gets the short end of the stick.

I find it ironic that America, being a democracy, is all about making government accessible to the common man. But nowadays we're falling into the same age old trap as many other governments have - you have to be rich if you want to land a seat in the Senate. We're slowly on our way to becoming an oligarchy.

The government is also begining to expand far too much into the personal lives of us Americans. Who cares how your kids are educated, as long as they get a good education! We shouldn't be expected to tone down our religion just because it may be offensive to others. And it isn't the government's job to decide what kind of health insurance everybody gets. I find it insulting that the government treats us citizens like morons who can't make a rational decision for ourselves.

I said that it doesnt follow that America will likely be ruined because of our country's present state of affairs. But if we do merely watch everything happen, without taking a responsible part in our government, we very well could be. We should thank God for giving us a free country, and be wise stewards of His gift.

2 Things.....

.....that stood out to me in the preaching at church today:

1. The simple sections in the Bible explain the harder ones. For example, we would read one of the Gospels to help us understand Who the Suffering Servant is in Isaiah 53, not vice-versa. All too often - especially when it comes to the end times - people do the opposite. They take the passages in Daniel & Revelation (two of the hardest books to understand in the Bible) on eschatology and fit what they say into the rest of what Scripture has to say on the topic. It doesn't make sense.
   
2. The Jewish leaders in the Gospels knew that Christ was from God. (John 3:2) The reason why they hated Him was because He was a threat to their power - many people were interested in His teaching, thus rejecting theirs. I can't imagine how you could justify killing GOD! Christ knew all this, yet He still asked God to forgive them while they were reviling Him as He hung on the cross! What a wondrous Savior we have!

2 Things that annoy me, a cool quote, and conclusive evidence that I'm a nerd

It occurred to me, after writing that title, that it sort of resembles the table-of-contents-titles Puritans gave their books. Cool.

Anyways, sorry for not posting much lately.....you'd think that summer provides a bunch of time to get a gazillion things done, so you make a list of a gazillion and one things to do. I ended up accomplishing....oh, I'll be generous.......maybe.......4.5? [Doesn't it amuse you when researchers proudly report that the average family has 1.5 children? HA!] Oh well. Now that the school year's back, and I have more time to write :-), I'll try to write more boring posts like I did before.

Irritating thing #1: Lately I was thinking about churches that believe that children should remain with their parents at all times so that the fathers can oversee everything the kid learns there; therefore there's no separate Sunday schools, etc. Why on earth would you go to a church if you don't trust the teaching enough to let your kids to be taught by an elder without you being around? Why should you be learning there? The elders of a church are shepherds to the whole flock - both the adults and the children.

Irritating thing #2: I've been reading a book called The Civilization of the Middle Ages. I'm on page 40, and so far the author has taught me this about Christianity (among other things):

1. Our doctrines are borrowed from Platonic and Stoic philosophies. [Hmmmm......I guess he never read Colossians 2:8.....wouldn't it be strange for Paul to warn us against the very philosophies that he "borrowed" our major doctrines from?]
2. The Holy Spirit is the pre-incarnate Christ.
3. Christ didn't consider Himself THE Messiah.
4. Some guy tacked on the ending of Job later on because the story seemed too bleak.

Note to author: Maybe you should read the Bible before you tell people what it teaches.

On a more orthodox note, here's what I read this morning by Henry Scrougal:

The love of the world, and the love of God, are like the scales of a balance, as the one falls, the other rises: when our natural inclinations prosper, and the creature is exalted in our soul, religion is faint, and languishes; but when earthly objects wither away, and lose their beauty, and the soul begins to cool and flag in its prosecution of them, then the seeds of grace take root, and the divine life begins to flourish and prevail. (The Life of God in the Soul of Man, p. 113)

So true!

Later on this week I'll REALLY TRY to get a real post out, since the arduous first week of school is over. Here I come to the sobering evidence that I really am a nerd:

1. I was excited for school to start. Teenagers aren't supposed to be that way.
2. I made a list of medieval great books that I want to read this year, and the result was not the normal 8 or so. It wasn't 12. Nor 18. For crying out loud, IT WAS 24!!!!! I shocked myself! This is the bibliophile's version of the "your eyes are too big for your stomach" syndrome. How on earth am I going to pull this one off? This will take super-human capabilities to accomplish....and the last time I checked, I'm not extremely gifted like that. Yikes.
3. I enjoy reading the aforesaid books. And I used to wonder why I didn't have many friends.......

I need a 12-step program.

Lovers of the Word

Thomas Watson:

Do we love the written Word? What sums of money the martyrs gave for a few leaves of the Bible! Do we make the Word our bosom friend? As Moses often had "the rod of God" in his hand, so we should have "the Book of God" in our hand. When we need direction, do we consult this sacred oracle? When we find corruptions strong, do we make use of this "sword of the Spirit" to hew them down? When we are disconsolate, do we go to this bottle of the water of life for comfort? Then we are lovers of the Word! But alas, how can they who are seldom conversant with the Scriptures say they love them? Their eyes begin to be sore when they look at a Bible. The two testaments are hung up like rusty armor, which is seldom or never made use of. The Lord wrote the law with his own finger—but though God took pains to write, men will not take pains to read.

Why we have the Scriptures

The Bible is one of the most influential yet undervalued books in our day. It's the core of Western Civilization. Most of the Great Books were influenced by its teachings. Numerous lives have been lost over conflicting interpretations of it. Governments have been based on those described within its pages.

Yet many of us give it little notice each day. How many Americans can recite the 10 Commandments, or quote a verse within context? We disregard the most influential text in history.

Perhaps we would appreciate it more if we thought more deeply about why we have the Bible, and what people went through to give it to us.

Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to men whom He charged with proclaiming His will to His people. The people hated the prophets. As Hebrews puts it, these men "experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two...." and why? They loved God, and were committed to declaring His message at any cost. After Christ's life on earth, His disciples painstakingly recorded His ministry. The Apostles wrote letters of encouragement, instruction, and admonition to their fledgling churches while in prision.

At the close of the Canon, church councils met to determine which were the genuine books of the Bible, and which texts were imposters. A task as arduous as this could only have been successfully accomplished by the grace of God. The Confession states criteria by which we may know the true Biblical books -

1. The Heavenliness of the Matter
2. The Efficacy of the Doctrine [one book doesn't promote doctrine in contradiction to another's]
3. The Majesty of the Style
4. The Consent [or agreement] of all the Parts
5. The Scope of the Whole (Which is to Give all Glory to God)
6. The Full Discovery it Makes of the Only Way of Man's Salvation

During the Middle Ages, the Bible was undermined by Catholic dependence on the pope and tradition to dictate God's will for the church. Men gave their lives in defense of the Scriptures - they translated them into the common languages, stood up for correct interpretation of them, and circulated them among the laypeople.

Why all this? God has a reason for preserving His Word throughout all generations. Romans 1 states that all men instinctively know of God's existence; nature proclaims it everywhere we look. But looking at a tree isn't going to teach us in-depth theology. And so God mercifully gave us the His written Word - to proclaim Who He is, and how we might be saved.

The message is the most important in the world. Dont ignore the Book in which it's found. Would that we had the same love of the Scriptures that those who courageously went before us did.

Love to God

"If my father were weeping on his knees before me, my mother hanging on my neck behind me, my brethren sisters and kinsfolk howling on every side to retain me in a sinful course, I would fling my mother to the ground, run over my father, despise all my kindred, and tread them under my feet that I might run unto Christ."

- St. Jerome

"Let us test our godliness by this touchstone: Do we love God? Is he our treasure and center? Can we, with David, call God our "joy", yes, our "exceeding joy" (Psalm 43:4)? Do we delight in drawing near to him, and "come before his presence with singing"? (Psalm 100:2) Do we love him for his beauty more than his jewels? Do we love him, when he seems not to love us?"

- Thomas Watson

"He loves but little who tells how much he loves."

- John Boys

"We are never nearer Christ than when we find ourselves lost in a holy amazement at His unspeakable love."

- John Owen

How much do you love Christ?

Ironic providence

This morning I was reading from The Reformation by T. M. Lindsay, and came to the section on the Scottish reformation. The circumstances which helped bring it about amused me!

Back in the Middle Ages, Scotland was - like most European countries - predominantly Catholic. One of the primary priorities of the Scottish church was the education of the laypeople, and to its credit, a significant number of the people there were literate. During the medieval times, the typical monastery was a formidable repository of learning - monks scrupulously transcribed ancient manuscripts and also wrote many books of their own. Those of Scotland were no exception.

Because of the high standards of the typical Scotsman's education, they began to attract attention from notables abroad. Over on the continent, Charlemagne, in his quest for re-establishing the Roman Empire, was busy setting up the schools which would over time grow into many of the renowned universities of Europe still existent today. He sent for the Scottish scholars to be teachers in his schools.

Slowly, the ideas of Huss, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and others began to trickle into the universities. One by one the Scotsmen brought them back home with them. Before long, Presbyterianism had gained a considerable presence in the country.

Isn't it deliciously ironic that the Roman Catholic Church was a significant aid in bringing the Protestant Reformation - its nemesis - to Scotland? It reminds me of the story of Joseph and his brothers - they tried to kill him, but he turned around and became the second in command of Egypt, the most powerful nation in the world at that time.

This is why I love history. In a nutshell, it's the study of God's providence. Seeing what God has done in the lives of others - how He works everything out perfectly for His glory and the good of those who love Him - makes me readier to face what He has in store for me.

.....and of course, as in this case, it can be pretty entertaining as well. :-)

The 1689

When my family first started going to our church, it was studying the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. For those of my 5 readers who don't know what that is, allow me to enlighten you:

Way back in the 1600's, the English government wasn't a big fan of the Puritans. (I spose their lopping off of the king's head played a good part of it) A lot were ejected out of their pulpits and the churches went underground. Most of them were Presbyterians, some Congregationalists, and a few were Baptists. Now, nobody liked the Baptists because they confused them with another group called the Anabaptists, who back during the Reformation were essentially a group of crazies with an anarchist tendancy. Their trademark, however, was that of baptizing only those who confessed faith in Christ.

So not only did the Presbies dislike the Baptists, the English government wasn't a big fan either. My theological forefathers were tired of the misunderstanding, and wanted to show the mainline Puritans that we believe almost exactly the same as they do (aside from baby-baptizing.) A committee secretly got together and wrote a long document detailing what we believe the Bible says on all the major points of doctrine and the Christian life. It's basically a really long statement of beliefs with proofs from Scripture. The persecution from the government necessitated their keeping it secret until William and Mary passed the Tolleration Act 12 years later in 1689.

I mention this all because my church has started up the study again. I want to have a better understanding of it, so each Sunday afternoon, I'll post a blurb about the section we're on, things my pastor pointed out, and my own observations on it. Although my intent in doing this is mainly to help myself, I hope that whoever reads the posts will be encouraged to study their Bibles more and to think deeply about what they believe.

Common Sense - Introduction

From what I've read so far, this looks like it's going to be an extremely interesting book. The subtitle totally grabs me: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government. The less government I see, the better. The government is here to keep a group of people from acting wickedly - not to control a bunch of businesses or dictate how you educate your children.

2 Annoyances with this genre which I hope this book won't dredge up-

1. Reality isn't always the picture the author is painting it to be. Yes, its a fact that the country's a couple trillion in debt; but that China is most likely going to invade California and Iran's going to nuke New York because of said debt isn't. Point in case: Don't blindly believe the people running around screaming "APOCALYPSE!"

2. Authors have an exasperating tendency of ranting about the aforesaid doom without offering any solutions on how to prevent or deal with it. Message to all authors: Don't bother me with all the horrors that might happen if you aren't prepared to offer advice on how to handle them.

At the end of "A Note from the Author," Beck includes a quote from Martin Luther King which caught my eye:

The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.

The Bible differs - the hottest place in Hell is for those who were continually exposed to the Gospel and disregarded it. {Above is a telling specimen of the social gospel of Martin Luther King. Stop thinking he was some great Christian leader. He was simply a civil rights activist.}

One of the great mistakes made by many churches today is that they see themselves as places to "spread the word" about conservative politics. People are encouraged from the pulpit to vote republican, join such and such group against abortion, or call their senators to vote against some bill. But as my pastor pointed out, the church's concern is with the kingdom to come, not the present one. Remember when the Jews came to Christ in an attempt to name Him leader of a rebellion against Rome? He refused, because His business was that of the Kingdom of Heaven, not that of earth.

But that doesn't mean Christians should adopt a passive, fatalistic attitude towards state of our country. We ought to protect the hard-earned freedoms procured for us by our ancestors. Man was made to govern the earth, and its our duty to ensure that it is governed fairly. When there is liberty in a country, there's the opportunity to advance the Gospel.

The Bible has advice on how to help maintain our freedom of worship, and it doesn't include nagging senators or picketing in front of the capitol -

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Sieze the Day

William Jay:

The saints on earth have one privilege above the saints in heaven. It is in the means and opportunities of doing good. "The spirits of just men made perfect" cannot forgive injuries, cannot exercise candor, cannot teach transgressors the ways of God, cannot feed the hungry, nor clothe the naked. This is your privilege alone alone, Christians; and it will not be your privilege long.

(Lectures on Female Scripture Characters, p. 282)

5 Things

1. Tomorrow is John Calvin's 500th birthday. I'm celebrating by reading my Institutes.
   
   
2. This post over at Sacred Sandwich hits drolly close to home.
   
   
3. Listen to this podcast of R.C. Sproul. Out of all the modern day theologians, he's probably my favorite. Each time I read/hear something from him, I walk away learning something new and seeing the things he addresses in a different light.
   
   
4. Maddie and I are once again switching Junto books. (I know, I know. We're hopeless.) This time we're going to do Glenn Beck's Common Sense. We'll probably go back to Animal Farm later on. Maybe this time we'll finish it. :-)
   
   
5. Congratulations to my 3 readers for sticking with me to this, the 100th post on my blog. Huzzah. You survived my semi-coherent posts like this one. And by the looks of it, I have too. *grin*
   

True Religion

If only mine was an attitude more like this -

Lord God Almighty,

I ask not to be enrolled amongst the earthly 

great and rich,

but to be numbered with the spiritually blessed.

Make it my present, supreme, persevering concern

to obtain those blessings which are

spiritual in their nature,

eternal in their continuance,

satisfying in their possession.

Preserve me from a false estimate of the whole 

or a part of my character;

May I pay regard to 

my principles as well as my conduct,

my motives as well as my actions.

Help me 

never to mistake the excitement of my passions

for the renewing of the Holy Spirit,

never to judge my religion by occasional 

impressions and impulses, but by my 

constant and prevailing disposition.

May my heart be right with thee, 

and my life as becometh the gospel.

May I maintain a supreme regard to another 

and better world,

and feel and confess myself a stranger 

and a pilgrim here.

Afford me all the direction, defence, support, 

and consolation my journey hence requires,

and grant me a mind stayed upon thee.

Give me large abundance of the supply of 

the Spirit of Jesus,

that I may be prepared for every duty,

love thee in all my mercies,

submit to thee in every trial,

trust thee when walking in darkness,

have peace in thee amidst life’s changes.

Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief 

and uncertainties.

(The Valley of Vision)

Another miscellaneous post

1. What's the deal with the conservative media all hyped up about Wacko Jacko? They always pride themselves on being more accurate and reporting on pertinent things. So, that's why they're talking about Jackson 24/7 while North Korea is planning to launch a missile at Hawaii in 4 days. Of course.....people always make perfect sense.
   
   
2. Here's an interesting quote I came across by John Angell James: "Your first object of existence...should be the salvation of your soul; the next, the benefit of your fellow-creatures; and then comes the improvement of your mind."
   
   
3. This looks like a really interesting book. I want it.
   

The Humanization of God

We've all seen evidences of the new pet industry here in America. You can buy Fido a whole wardrobe, a trip to the spa, a stay at a luxury pet hotel, and countless other disgusting wastes of money. We're trying to turn irrational beasts into people.

But we haven't stopped at things lower than us. We've also moved on to God. Just look around you. He's irreverently and jokingly styled "The old guy upstairs;" "biographies" are written about Christ, the descriptions of which sound more like a romance novel than an exposition of our Savior's work on earth; pastors make crude remarks with Christ as the subject. What blasphemy!

But why do we do this? One word: Pride.

Each one of us is born with an overinflated ego. Ours is an autotheistic culture - we are our own gods. You can see its effects everywhere - our government is here to please the individual, not to serve the nation as a whole; doctors encourage us to have "me time" for our psychological well-being; people are sinking into gross debt because they don't have the money to buy all the things that they in their lack of self-control couldn't afford - or need. Our mission in life is an Epicurean one - to live for pleasure. Living for ourselves and worshiping ourselves is pretty much the same thing.

When you love something, you want other things to be like it. We measure everything we come in contact with against our ideal, whatever that may be. Take this for an example: Say somebody has a favorite book. They're going to compare every other book they read with their favorite to determine whether its good or not. They have a standard. And if you're a bibliophile, you're going to want to like the books you read - so in other words, you want the books you read to be similar in some way to your favorite.

We, as fallen humans, have set ourselves as our standard. We think we're pretty cool, and therefore try to make the rest of creation like us. And we haven't left our Creator alone.

We have it all backwards. Instead of comparing everything to ourselves, we ought to be comparing ourselves to God. Suddenly, we aren't as lovely as we imagine ourselves to be. And God becomes infinitely more holy. What right have we to bring Him down to our level? Where do we find permission to speak disrespectfully about Him? to thoughtlessly disobey what He commands us to do in His Word? to claim that He doesn't exist, simply because He's a threat to the Religion of the Self? There isn't any.

Sometimes we need to think more deeply about the seemingly simple statements in Scripture - the ones we pass by while reading without a thought.

Exodus 20:2 - "I am the LORD your God, who brought you...out of the house of slavery."

God is God - the Supreme Being. He's unimagineably holy. He deserves our respect.

God is our Lord - our Master. He gave us our lives - physically and spiritualy. We ought to give them back to God, as Hannah dedicated Samuel to Him.

God brought us out of the house of slavery - "But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life" (Romans 6:22) God saved us from eternal death. He deserves our love and gratitude.

Guard your heart

Thomas Watson:

The heart must be especially kept pure, because the heart is the chief seat or place of God's residence. God dwells in the heart. He takes up the heart for His own lodging (Isaiah 57:15; Ephesians 3:17), therefore it must be pure and holy. A king's palace must be kept from defilement, especially his presence-chamber. How holy that ought to be! If the body be the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19), the heart is the holy of holies. Oh take heed of defiling the room where God is to come. Let that room be washed with holy tears.

(The Beatitudes, p. 174)

Luther wasn't the only one who disliked indulgences....

The indulgence seller {Johan Tetzel} traveled under the protection of the Archbishop of Mainz, one of the seven Electors of Germany. In the autumn of 1517 he had passed through Middle Germany, and in October he reached Leipsic in Saxony. His presence had not been very welcome either to the princes, to the more earnest-minded of the parish clergy, or to the better disposed among the people. The princes did not like him, because he got so much money from the people and sent it all to Rome: he made the country poorer; and some princes would not allow him. to enter their territories until he had promised to give them a share.

The better class of the parish clergy did not like him, because wherever he went the people became more wicked; he sold the right of murdering an enemy for seven ducats; those who wished to rob a church were pardoned if they paid nine ducats; while the murder of father, mother, sister, or brother, cost only four ducats. The men and women who bought these indulgences naturally liked to get value for their money, and so crime abounded where the pardon-seller went.

Quiet people also objected to him, because his presence caused such a tumult and so many scandals. He sent men before him queerly dressed, who stuck up notices, and who went through the streets and along the country roads telling that he was coming, and boasting the excellence of the pardon tickets he had for sale. Here are some of these proclamations:—"The pardon makes those who buy it cleaner than baptism, purer even than Adam in a state of innocence in Paradise." "As soon as the money chinks in the bottom of the strong box, the buyer is pardoned and is free from sin." After these mountebanks came the pardon-seller with his assistant in a strong wagon, which was drawn up in the middle of the market-place. Then Tetzel appeared—on his one side an iron cage, in which were the pardon tickets hanging from the bars; on the other, a strong box, into which the money was thrown; and he puffed his wares like a quack doctor at a country fair.

(p. 4 in The Reformation: A Handbook, by T.M. Lindsay)

Sound Familiar?

How often do you hear, as soon as any attempt is made to bring people to seriousness; "Pray do not intermeddle with us. Go to heaven your own way, and leave us to go ours. Be as religious as you please, but keep your religion to yourselves." But this is enjoining on Christians an impossibility. "If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." And as they cannot, so the ought not to refuse such office of love. Only a Cain will ask, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Certainly you are. Are you not bound, "as you have opportunity, to do good unto all men"? If we are required to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to heal the sick, are we not much more bound to save the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus? Is not zeal important in proportion to the value of its object? Is time to be compared with eternity? Is not charity to the soul, the soul of charity?

(Lectures on Female Scripture Characters, p. 229, by William Jay)

He Sweetens Every Bitter Sip

Let us not be greatly discouraged at the many tribulations, difficulties and disappointments which lie in the path which leads to glory. Our Lord has plainly told us, that "in this world, you will have many trials and sorrows." Yet He has also made a suitable provision for every case we can meet with; and is Himself always near to those who call upon Him--as a sure refuge, an almighty strength, a never-failing, ever-present help in every time of trouble!

Jesus Himself was a man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief for our sakes. He drank the whole cup of unmixed wrath for us! Shall we then refuse to taste a sip of the cup of affliction at His appointment; especially when His wisdom and His love prepare it for us--and He proportions every circumstance to our strength; when He puts it into our hands, not in anger--but in tender mercy--to do us good, to bring us near to Himself; and when He sweetens every bitter sip with those comforts which none but He can give?

John Newton

The Importance in Persevering in Prayer

Who ever knew an eminently holy man, who did not spend much of his time in prayer ? Did ever a man exhibit much of the spirit of prayer, who did not devote much time to his closet ? Whitefield says, ' Whole days and weeks have I spent prostrate on the ground, in silent or vocal prayer.' ' Fall upon your knees, and grow there,' is the language of another, who knew that whereof he affirmed. These, in spirit, are but specimens of a feature in the experience of eminent piety, which is absolutely uniform.

It has been said, that no great work in literature or in science was ever wrought by a man who did not love solitude. We may lay it down as an elemental principle of religion, that no large growth in holiness was ever gained, by one who did not take time to be often, and long, alone with God. This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. No otherwise can the great central idea of God enter into a man's life, and dwell there supreme.

(pp. 93-94 in The Still Hour, by Austin Phelps)

The Great Business of Life

We must make piety the great business of life, to which everything else must give place. We must engage in the work with our whole souls, looking to Christ for strength against our spiritual enemies; following the example of Paul, "forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before; pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus;" and then we shall come off conquerors at last, "through him that has loved us, and given himself for us."

(Harvey Newcomb, The Young Lady's Guide, pp. 22-23)

An *almost* pointless post

Maddie & I decided to ditch A Vindication of the Rights of Women as, well, 1. We have short attention spans, 2. It's too hard (said in a tone of voice equivalent to that of a 7 year old who doesn't want to learn about fractions) and 3. ummm, this should probably be a mature and intelligent reason but I guess I don't have one. Se la vie. (Hey Maddie, there's some French for you!) So now we're going to try our hand(s) at Animal Farm by George Orwell. We are determined to not let talking pigs named Napoleon scare us away. So if you see a crazy post about the aforesaid character next week, well, you were warned.

Now I forgot what I was going to say next. Errrrggg. I'll blame it on Algebra. Ummmm.....oh yeah. If you truly take seriously some of the posts I've put here on not wasting your time, then don't go to this link. However, if I really didn't want you to go there, well, I wouldn't have posted that link, now would I? The site place is ADDICTING! Or maybe I'm easily amused. *grin*

William Jay again

It is in religion as it is in nature, the understanding sways the will and affections. "Wisdom is the principle thing;" therefore we are to "get wisdom, and with all our getting to get understanding." The Apostle prays for the Ephesians, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling." Till we see the evil of sin, we shall never abhor it, and mourn over it. Till we know Christ, we cannot desire Him, depend upon Him, apply to Him, rejoice in Him. Till we know Him, we can know nothing, feel nothing, possess nothing, enjoy nothing.

(Lectures on Female Scripture Characters, pp. 198-199)

A warning to church kids

Here's what I read this morning:

Perhaps some of the guiltiest individuals in our world are those who are decent in their conduct, but have enjoyed all the means of grace from their infancy, and yet have been insensible under them; who have constantly worshiped God, but have mocked Him with a solemn sound upon a thoughtless tongue; who have heard the words of eternal life, and trampled them under foot.

(Lectures on Female Scripture Characters, p. 187 by William Jay)

Wow.

Harvey Newcomb on Sanctification

How is the glory of God promoted by our growth in grace?

1. It is manifested to us by impressing his image upon our hearts, and by giving us a spiritual discovery of the excellence, purity, and loveliness, of his moral nature.

2. It is manifested to others, so far as we maintain a holy life; for thereby the moral image of Christ is exhibited, as the glory of the sun appears by the reflected light of the moon.

3. The glory of God is promoted by making others acquainted with the riches of free grace, and bringing them to Christ; for, by that means, they receive spiritual light to behold the beauty and glory of the divine perfections, and his image is stamped upon their souls.

(The Young Lady's Guide, p. 17)

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night....or...The Most Exciting Wednesday Night Church Service I've Been to Yet

Yes, now there's a lot of work for the deacons at church, yes, people got pretty scared, but last night was, to my teenage mind, one of the most interesting times I've had after church! Wondering why? Well, read on.

At the beginning of our midweek service, despite the overcast sky and possibility of rain, everything seemed fine. Midway through the sermon, it started raining. Soon, there was a downpour and with the combo of that, thunder, and lightning, it was pretty hard to hear the pastor preaching. It did add intersting sound effects. Then the lights momentarily went out! You can hear it in the sermon recording from last night.

Later on, I happened to turn around (face it, with all that going on, who's able to give their full attention to the sermon? *grin*), and I saw my dad motioning me to come out into the vestibule. He was standing next to the stairway going next to the basement and looked rather puzzled. He told me to check out what was going on down there. As I started to go down the steps, I heard water falling. Uh oh. There was water gushing through the window in the bathroom into an inch-deep lake the floor! For some reason, memories of Niagara Falls popped into my mind.

re-enactment of Noah's flood

I ran back up and told my dad what was going on; he told me to get one of the deacons. I showed him the "incident" and while everyone else was singing the closing hymn, (probably suspicious from seeing me walk in the sanctuary and grab a deacon) he got the shop vac out and started getting some of the water up. Soon there were a bunch of other people downstairs, and somebody came to their senses quickly enough to ask the brilliant question of whether or not there were other windows with the same problem. Sure enough, we ran into the "fellowship hall" as they call it, and there was another water-bearing window.

That's bad. Very bad. Not your typical, "Eh, this is lame" bad, but "Boy are we in for it!" bad. You see, we have a preschool that rents out that room, so all their stuff is in there.....right next to the aforesaid window. Not good.

trying to get the kiddie toys out of the water

There's a parsonage attached to the church, so I went to see if there was water coming into the basement in there. Yup. The floor was nearly covered in water in one of the storage rooms.

that was one wet carpet

I got back upstairs, and another deacon asked if he could use my camera to take pictures of what was going on outside. He and my parents kept coming in and out in the rain. A bunch of people gathered around the window and were talking about what we should do, since the rain was coming in through the window wells, and so the same deacon and one of our elders went out to take one more look. They were just outside the door when I heard what sounded like a canon go off; they scrambled back inside. Lightning had struck about 10 or 15 feet away from them! Everyone saw it but me. Figures. Being the good Calvinists that we are, we took it that God didn't want us going outside again!

After we all recovered from that, we went back downstairs and started mopping. The water had traveled from the paneled room out into another part of the basement so we started pushing it into a back room with a drain in the floor. There weren't enough mops, so we had to use brooms. It was.....interesting. One thing I learned: Brooms only work for about 10 minutes.

my sandals were soaked after that

My sister came into the room with a squeegie (or however you spell that) she found somewhere and started wiping the floor with it. I was convinced she was a genius.

brilliant younger siblings are very handy

After we got that "cleaned" up, we went back upstairs after doing more gawking, joking about how we could make a movie titled "Stranded at the Baptist Church" and wondering if there was any food available. Since there wasn't too much else we could do, we decided to go home. We left with my dad's fellow deacons spreading paperwork all over the desk in their office. The rain had just stopped. When we drove out of the car port, it started to downpour again........I wonder how long they stayed there last night!

Here's my dad's version of the story.

A.W. Pink on God's Holiness

Because God is holy He hates all sin. He loves everything which is in conformity to His laws, and loathes everything which is contrary to it. His Word plainly declares, "The froward is an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 3:32). And again, "The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 15:26). It follows, therefore, that He must necessarily punish sin. Sin can no more exist without demanding His punishment than without requiring His hatred of it. God has often forgiven sinners, but He never forgives sin; and the sinner is only forgiven on the ground of Another having borne his punishment; for "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22). Therefore we are told, "The Lord will, take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth Wrath for His enemies" (Nahum 1:2). For one sin God banished our first parents from Eden. For one sin all the posterity of Ham fell under a curse which remains over them to this day (Gen. 9:21). For one sin Moses was excluded from Canaan, Elisha’s servant smitten with leprosy, Ananias and Sapphira cut off out of the land of the living.

Herein we find proof for the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. The unregenerate do not really believe in the holiness of God. Their conception of His character is altogether one-sided. They fondly hope that His mercy will override everything else. "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether as thyself" (Ps. 50:21) is God’s charge against them. They think only of a "god" patterned after their own evil hearts. Hence their continuance in a course of mad folly. Such is the holiness ascribed to the Divine nature and character in Scripture that it clearly demonstrates their superhuman origin. The character attributed to the "gods" of the ancients and of modern heathendom are the very reverse of that immaculate purity which pertains to the true God. An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of all sin, was never invented by any of Adam’s fallen descendants! The fact is that nothing makes more manifest the terrible depravity of man’s heart and his enmity against the living God than to have set before him One who is infinitely and immutably holy. His own idea of sin is practically limited to what the world calls "crime." Anything short of that, man palliates as "defects," "mistakes," "infirmities," etc. And even where sin is owned at all, excuses and extenuations are made for it.

The "god" which the vast majority of professing Christians "love," is looked upon very much like an indulgent old man, who himself has no relish for folly, but leniently winks at the "indiscretions" of youth. But the Word says, "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity "(Ps. 5:5). And again, "God is angry with the wicked every day" (Ps. 7:11). But men refuse to believe in this God, and gnash their teeth when His hatred of sin is faithfully pressed upon their attention. No, sinful man was no more likely to devise a holy God than to create the Lake of fire in which he will be tormented for ever and ever.

(The Attributes of God, chapter 8)

Advice on Prayer

1. We are directed to watch unto prayer. When you approach the mercy-seat, watch against a careless spirit. Do not allow your mind to be drawn away by anything, however good and important in itself, from the object before you. If the adversary can divert your mind, on the way to that consecrated place, he will be almost sure to drive you away from it without a blessing.

2. We are required to watch not only unto, but in, prayer. Satan is never more busy with Christians than when he sees them on their knees. He well knows the power of prayer; and this makes him tremble.

"Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees."

You should, therefore, with the most untiring vigilance, watch in prayer against all wandering thoughts and distraction of mind. You will often experience, on such occasions, a sudden and vivid impression upon your mind, of something entirely foreign from what is before you; and this, we have reason to believe, is the temptation of Satan. If you are sufficiently upon your watch, you can banish it without diverting your thoughts or feelings from the subject of your prayer, and proceed as though nothing had happened. But, if the adversary succeeds in keeping these wild imaginations in view, so that you cannot proceed without distraction, turn and beseech God to give you help against his wiles. You have the promise, that if you resist the devil, he will flee from you. These remarks apply both to secret prayer and public worship.

(Harvey Newcomb, The Young Lady's Guide, pp. 129-130)

Advice to a Young Christian

As you are entering into a world wherein a variety of examples, methods of conduct, and maxims in religion will be presented to you, some plausible, some pernicious, and many destructive; if you value your conscience or you comfort, make the sacred word of God, which is to be the rule of your future judgment, the invariable rule of your disposition and practice. You will never find a more faithful counselor, a more advantageous guide, or a more cordial and constant friend, than in those sacred oracles of wisdom and truth, if you closely study and practice them. Let no day, therefore, pass over without some serious perusal of them, joined with humble, earnest prayer to God for wisdom to understand them, and power to conform to them.

Study the inimitable rules of wisdom and prudence in the Proverbs of Solomon, to direct your practice; the Psalms of David, to inspire your devotion; and the whole word of God, especially the New Testament, to form your faith, your hope, and your temper. Particularly, treasure up in your mind some passages relating to each revealed doctrine, each command duty, and each forbidden temper; that your belief may be directed by the wisdom, and your conscience awed by the authority of God, in every season of duty and temptation.

"Bind them continually upon thy heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee; for the commandment is a lamp; and the law is a light; and the reproofs of instruction are the way of life."

Proverbs 6:21-23

(The Publications of the American Tract Society, vol. 4, pp. 70-71)

Evening Devotion from Charles Spurgeon

“He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he."

Proverbs 16:20

WISDOM is man’s true strength; and, under its guidance, he best accomplishes the ends of his being. Wisely handling the matter of life, gives to man the richest enjoyment, and presents the noblest occupation for his powers; hence by it he finds good in the fullest sense. Without wisdom, man is as the wild ass’s colt, running hither and thither, wasting strength which might be profitably employed. Wisdom is the compass by which man is to steer across the trackless waste of life; without it he is a derelict vessel, the sport of winds and waves. A man must be prudent in such a world as this, or he will find no good, but be betrayed into unnumbered ills. The pilgrim will sorely wound his feet among the briers of the wood of life, if he do not pick his steps with the utmost caution. He who is in a wilderness infested with robber bands, must handle matters wisely if he would journey safely. If, I trained by the Great Teacher, we follow where He leads, we shall find good, even while in this dark abode; there are celestial fruits to be gathered this side of Eden’s bowers, and songs of paradise to be sung amid the groves of earth. But where shall this wisdom be found? Many have dreamed of it, but have not possessed it. Where shall we learn it? Let us listen to the voice of the Lord, for He hath declared the secret; He hath revealed to the sons of men wherein true wisdom lieth, and we have it in the text, “Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.” The true way to handle a matter wisely is to trust in the Lord. This is the sure clew to the most intricate labyrinths of life; follow it and find eternal bliss. He who trusts in the Lord has a diploma for wisdom granted by inspiration: happy is he now, and happier shall he be above. Lord, in this sweet eventide walk with me in the garden, and teach me the wisdom of faith.

(Morning & Evening, May 5 - Evening)