Price of Gas: July 3, 2008

Well, here it is...the price of gas in Crystal Lake, IL for today. Its up a whopping 8 cents per gallon this week! Makes me even more thankful to have Andy working from home one day a week.

How about you? Any changes is gas prices in your neck of the woods? Rebecca has the scoop on prices all over the world for comparison. Why not add your "neck" to the mix?

Andy Works

Yesterday was the first day of a new routine for us. Andy will now be working from home one day per week! I know its not like he's home to spend time with me on those days but I just like having him in the house with me. There was a time when he worked out of our home every day (for a different company) and I loved it!

But back to yesterday. Here he is hard at it on the screen porch.


And...we got to have lunch out there together!


Life is good.

Chew on This: Psalm 4

1⁾Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.
3But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The LORD hears when I call to Him.
4Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
5Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the LORD.
6Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?"
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD!
7You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
8In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.

The first thought I had upon reading this psalm was in relation to the phrase "Oh God of my righteousness!" He surely is God of my righteousness! I have not one iota of righteousness of my own. All that is credited to me in the way of righteousness comes from Him through Christ and that surely is "relief in distress." So since He has such an interest, such a stake, in me why would I ever doubt that He would hear my prayer? Why do I worry so about the uncertainties of life?

Similarly, in verse 2, any honor I have is from God but that is a reproach in the eyes of the world. Something to mock and laugh at while they love what is worthless and deceptive.

But I belong to God who hears when I call. That's the God of the universe I belong to! Think about that and tremble before Him, I tell myself. I offer my obedience, poor as it is, and trust in Him.

The light of the face of God shines on me! That gives me more gladness, more pleasure to contemplate than any earthly affluence. My complete sense of safety is dependent only on Him. And I am His. I can rest completely in that knowledge.

For me, a sinner prone to worry excessively, I can draw comfort, oh so much comfort, in the words of this psalm of David!

One last thought about the references to lying in bed. In verse 4, the psalmist says, "Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still." And in verse 8, "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety." These references make me think of the way worries become magnified at night when I go to bed and lay there thinking of all the concerns of the day. It can make me restless and far from sleep, for sure! But my only safety in all situations comes from the Lord. In Him, I can not only lie down, but also sleep in peace, turning all concerns over to Him, remembering that in Him is my safety, my security.

Dear Father, I am ashamed of all the times I do worry about all kinds of earthly concerns and forget where my only safety is. I ask your forgiveness and I thank you for the peace that only comes from knowing You.

Leslie at Light Came, invites us to share our meditations on this psalm. Read what she and others say and then share your thoughts as well.

Sunday's Hymn: Jesus Lives and So Shall I

Jesus lives, and so shall I.
Death! thy sting is gone forever!
He who deigned for me to die,
Lives, the bands of death to sever.
He shall raise me from the dust:
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and reigns supreme,
And, his kingdom still remaining,
I shall also be with him,
Ever living, ever reigning.
God has promised: be it must:
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and by his grace,
Vict'ry o'er my passions giving,
I will cleanse my heart and ways,
Ever to his glory living.
Me he raises from the dust.
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, I know full well
Nought from him my heart can sever,
Life nor death nor powers of hell,
Joy nor grief, hence forth forever.
None of all his saints is lost;
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and death is now
But my entrance into glory.
Courage, then, my soul, for thou
Hast a crown of life before thee;
Thou shalt find thy hopes were just;
Jesus is the Christian's Trust.

Christian F. Gellert, 1757

Sprayed and so thankful!

A wonderful thing happened this morning! Besides being our 32nd wedding anniversary that is...and thank you all for the kind words and warm wishes on that.

But the thing I'm referring to now as wonderful is much more mundane. Our neighborhood was sprayed for mosquitoes at 4:30 this morning! It has been a terrible week for the little blood suckers. Well, actually, its been a good week for them. A terrible week for us as far as being in the same vicinity as them. After a fairly cool and pleasant spring, it got warm and humid quite quickly and...you all know about the rain in the Midwest, right? Perfect mosquito weather! I no longer cared how bad those weeds got, I was on strike from feeding mosquitoes! I was only going out the minimal amount with Charlie and that with a very bad attitude. But today is a lovely, low humidity, sunshiny, slightly breezy day with, most importantly, very few mosquitoes! Thank you, God!

32 Years of Marriage

Today is an important day for me and Andy. It is our 32nd wedding anniversary! This is not a wedding picture, I do realize, but it is my favorite picture of us from that time period. But to be honest, I would not care to return to that time period. Neither of us are the same people we were in that picture and for that I am thankful. We've both grown through God's grace and I'd never want to return to what we were. I would like to take a moment though, right here on the internet, to praise and thank our gracious God for the husband He gave me, the husband who, in His infinite wisdom, He knew was perfect for me. And you know what? Andy is still the perfect husband for me! Thank you God for 32 years of marriage to a kind and loving husband and for using our marriage as Your instrument to grow us both. I am a blessed woman!

Jane Austen, anyone?

Anybody else a Jane Austen fan? I am! I love the movies as well as the books. And yes, I think Pride and Prejudice is really Jane Austen at her best. Funny, dramatic, romantic but also shaking her head at the world she lived in and the people who populated it.

I belong to a book discussion group at the public library in a neighboring community and, in July, we each read a book of our choice and then do a "book report" on it and present our book to the rest of the group. I love biographies too so often my choice is a biography. This year I read Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence and wholeheartedly enjoyed it. The unique thing about this particular biography of Jane Austen is that it interweaves her personal relationships and experiences with the stories she tells in her classic novels showing how her life affected her art. I found the biography thoroughly engaging but its been a while since I read some of the novels so I'm planning to reread the biography along with the novels in the order in which Jane Austen wrote them.

Meanwhile, I'd love to hear which Jane Austen novel you particularly enjoy. Or which movie of which novel is your favorite. Has anyone read any of the other biographies of Jane Austen? I'd love to get some Jane Austen discussion going here.

Price of Gas: June 26, 2008

I had tea with Kim this morning, always a treat, and made a stop at the library before heading home via the gas station. Here's what I found for the price of gas in Crystal Lake, IL today. Its down one cent which I know is better than up but still I wish it was better news. But it is more or less stable these last couple of weeks and the fact that it is not steeply climbing at the moment is something to be thankful for.

How much are you paying for gas these days? Rebecca is keeping track of prices from all over the world so stop by the Yukon and leave a comment for her about your local prices. See you there.

Re-entered!

I totally agree with Elle that re-entry after vacation is a beast! And this time, its been the hardest ever for me. Maybe its part of the getting older thing. That's another ugly animal but don't worry. I won't go into all that now.

Really, I just want to say that I think I'm finally back! I thought I was almost here on Saturday but had a bit of a setback Sunday and yesterday. But now...its going to be okay. The yard is about where it would have been had we not left for a week. Notice, I didn't say it was all up to snuff but when is that ever going to happen? Same thing with the house. Anyway, I'm feeling good this afternoon. I can handle the undone aspects of life at the cottage now.

Sunday's Hymn: The God of Abraham Praise

The God of Abraham praise,
Who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of everlasting days,
And God of love:
Jehovah! great I AM!
By earth and heav'n confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name,
For ever blest.

The God of Abraham praise,
At whose supreme command
From earth I rise, and seek the joys
At his right hand:
I all on earth forsake,
Its wisdom, fame, and power;
And him my only portion make,
My Shield and Tower.

He by himself hath sworn,
I on his oath depend;
I shall, on eagle's wings upborne,
To heav'n ascend:
I shall behold his face,
I shall his power adore,
And sing the wonders of his grace
For evermore.

The goodly land I see,
With peace and plenty blest,
A land of sacred liberty
And endless rest;
There milk and honey flow,
And oil and wine abound,
And trees of life for ever grow,
With mercy crowned.

There dwells the Lord our King,
The Lord our righteousness;
Triumphant over the world and sin,
The Prince of Peace
On Zion's sacred height
His kingdom still maintains,
And glorious with his saints in light
For ever reigns.

The whole triumphant host
Give thanks to God on high;
Hail Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
They ever cry:
Hail Abraham's God and mine!
I join the heavenly lays
All might and majesty are thine,
And endless praise.

These words are from The Yig­dal (doxology) of Dan­i­el ben Ju­dah, a Jew­ish judge in Rome, cir­ca 1400, par­a­phrased by Thomas Olivers, cir­ca 1765. The lyr­ics are based on the 13 creeds of Mos­es Mai­mon­i­des (cir­ca 1130-1204).