Self-Acquaintance

by rosemary. January 25th, 2012. Posted in Poems. 3 Comments.

Dear Lord! accept a sinful heart,
Which of itself complains,
And mourns, with much and frequent smart,
The evil it contains.

There fiery seeds of anger lurk,
Which often hurt my frame;
And wait but for the tempter’s work,
To fan them to a flame.

Legality holds out a bribe
To purchase life from Thee;
And Discontent would fain prescribe
How Thou shalt deal with me.

While Unbelief withstands Thy grace,
And puts the mercy by,
Presumption, with a brow of brass,
Says, “Give me, or I die!”

How eager are my thoughts to roam,
In quest of what they love!
But ah! when duty calls them home,
How heavily they move!

Oh, cleanse me in a Saviour’s blood,
Transform me by Thy power,
And make me Thy beloved abode,
And let me roam no more.

—William Cowper

Dental Spa

by rosemary. January 24th, 2012. Posted in Ordinary things. 2 Comments.

So I went to a much-dreaded dental appointment this morning, the first of several scheduled in my near future. As it turned out, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. State-of-the-art techniques and materials in the hands of a really nice hygienist really helped to keep me comfortable.

But the most surprising thing was to be taken to the ‘spa’ section of the office and receive a hand waxing before the procedure began. I said, “You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?” She laughed and said that was the idea. I’ve never had a hand waxing before, and it really felt good. Kept my hands all warm, and did at least partly distract me.

Does your hygienist do that?

On glorifying God

by rosemary. January 22nd, 2012. Posted in Quotes. 2 Comments.

Jude reminds us that life itself is about God’s glory, and everything else is subservient to that.  And that means these two things: It means, first, that everything in our lives must be subsumed to the agenda of glorifying Him…and that says something about our personal priorities.  And, secondly, it says that every situation of our lives must be read in light of His ultimate glory.  Hard things and evil things happening to us is not the big problem in this world; God not getting glory is the big problem in this world.  And that ought to burn very close to the core of our being, the desire to see God get the glory that is due His name.

But I want to tell you something: When you begin to burn for a desire for His glory and your own circumstances and situations become displaced and decentralized, what you find is in your concern for His glory not that your needs are not met, but you find that in living for His glory that He is the One from whom all blessings flow.  -Ligon Duncan, in a sermon on Jude 24-25

Read the whole sermon here.

Sunday Hymn: Rejoice the Lord is King

by rosemary. January 22nd, 2012. Posted in Hymns. 3 Comments.

Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Mortals give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,
And bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He all His foes shall quell, shall all our sins destroy,
And every bosom swell with pure seraphic joy;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!

-Charles Wesley, 1744

Thankful Thursday

by rosemary. January 19th, 2012. Posted in Giving Thanks. 3 Comments.

I’m thanking God….

that one of my sisters has reached the six year mark of being cancer free. Wonderful!

for our warm home. It was 1 degree F when I drove to work this morning–so cold! Even with gloves on, my hands never warmed up. A cup of hot coffee came to my rescue. I’m thankful for that too.

for the Bible, and that it is so readily available. I’m thankful that God has revealed Himself in His Word, and unlike most generations of people in history, we can hold it in our hands. Think about it.

that He is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy (Jude vs 24).

Random

by rosemary. January 18th, 2012. Posted in Ordinary things. 7 Comments.

This morning I drove to Milwaukee to see my sisters, take them to lunch, and check out the Home Goods store near their apartment building. Nary a thing caught my eye, at least anything I needed.

Harry attended a downtown business owners breakfast yesterday morning for the first time. The thing about a small town is, everybody notices what you’re doing. We eat in their restaurants, not so much because the food is good–because it mostly isn’t–but to support the local business and get to know the owners. My husband’s clients stay in the hotel, eat in local restaurants and spend money in the mom-and-pop shops. The “So what brings you to town” question* to our clients gets asked and answered frequently, so everyone is very aware of the folks who are there for week for biblical counseling and teaching. Curiosity mounts, and yesterday at the breakfast my husband was able to speak to several people about his ministry. We signed up to host a breakfast at our office in June, the first available date. They asked him to “give a talk” at our breakfast. Isn’t that fabulous? We have prayed for months for our town and that God would use us to make Himself known to the people there. We are frequently amazed as we meet people that they already know about us, and that my husband does “good work.” We thank God for these answers to prayer and we’re excited about whatever He has in store in the months ahead.

*I guess I should explain that our clients are not local. They come from all over the US and sometimes other countries, staying for a week of intensive counseling and teaching. Therefore, they make use of local business, who very much appreciate it.

Yesterday was bread-baking day, apparently. I made three loaves of cinnamon raisin bread–two to share–and a loaf of pumpkin cranberry bread. I like to make my family happy.

I wish the GOP candidates would just cut it out. Squabbling isn’t attractive.

It’s kind of different living in a place where it’s so cold that the snow doesn’t melt away when the sun comes out.

It really is Whole Wheat Bread

by rosemary. January 17th, 2012. Posted in Recipes. No Comments.

I emailed this recipe to one of my nieces this morning because she wanted to make a bread using as much whole wheat flour as she could, so I’m sharing it here in case anyone is interested. Some recipes using only whole wheat flour are dry and crumbly; this one is not. It’s dense, but good. When my sons were small, I used to barter these loaves with my neighbor. She would watch my younger son while I walked the older one to school. In return, she’d get loaves of warm, fragrant loaves of bread. A good trade for both of us.

Whole Wheat Bread

2 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. salt
6 cups whole wheat flour

Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Add the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. In a few minutes, when the yeast comes bubbling to the top, stir in half of the who wheat flour and beat very well, until the dough ceases to be grainy and becomes smooth and stretchy.

Add the salt and the remaining flour cup by cup, mixing well. Knead it in the bowl until it is no longer sticky, then turn it out onto a floured surface.

As the dough gets stiffer and harder to knead, sprinkle the remaining flour a little at a time on the kneading surface and knead the dough on top of it. Knead, push, and fold until the dough is soft and springy to touch, and return it to the bowl. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to double in bulk.

Grease two loaf pans or two 46-ounce juice cans. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into an oblong the length of the loaf pan, or, if you are using cans, mold the dough into an egg-shaped blob, pinching the dough tightly together at the seams. Slide the formed loaves into the pans and push down all around the sides so that no air is trapped below (important if you use the cans). Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees towards the end of the rising period. When the bread is rounded just above the rim, bake it for about 40 minutes. When you remove it from the pan and tap it on the sides or bottom, it should sound slightly hollow. The color should be a rich golden brown. Allow the bread to cool, then slice and serve.
Makes 2 loaves.

Dough can also be formed into rounded shape and baked on cookie sheets. It needs to be quite stiff for this free-form baking.
Also, raisins can be kneaded in if desired, and made into cinnamon swirl bread, following the usual process.

Monday, Monday…

by rosemary. January 16th, 2012. Posted in Homekeeping. 3 Comments.

Washing the laundry is what a woman does that nobody notices unless she hasn’t done it.  -Aunt Middle Mary, in Mrs. Dunwoody’s Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping

Sunday Hymn: Not What My Hands Have Done

by rosemary. January 15th, 2012. Posted in Hymns. 2 Comments.

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He who saveth me, and freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.

-Horatius Bonar, 1861

Thankful Thursday

by rosemary. January 12th, 2012. Posted in Giving Thanks. 3 Comments.

Winter returned today, bringing cold winds and snow. I’m thankful that I’m able to stay home and have a quiet day. The rest of the week has been busy, so this is very welcome.

I’m thankful for the Bible; that God reveals Himself to us through it.

I’m thankful that I have eyes to read and a brain that works well enough to think and understand. I’m thankful for hands that allow me to work and serve those around me.

I’m thankful for God’s sovereignty over every part of life. Inexpressible comfort.

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