Sunday's Hymn: Who Hath Believed

Who hath believed after hearing the message,
To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
He shall grow up as a plant new and tender,
And as a root out of a barren field.

He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement of our peace was upon him,
And with his stripes we are healed.

He was despised and by all men rejected,
Weighted with sorrows, acquainted with grief;
Smitten, afflicted, by God was forsaken,
He suffered alone; no one could bring relief.

Like as a lamb he was brought to the slaughter,
Speechless as sheep to the shearers was led;
He was cut off from the land of the living,
For our transgressions on Calvary bled.

From Isaiah 53:1-8
Richard J. Oliver
Tune: He Was Wounded for Our Transgressions, Richard J. Oliver

Thankful....

...Friday. Oops. Thankful Thursday flitted into my mind a couple of times yesterday but then I'd get busy again and the thought was gone. Not that I didn't have things to be thankful for, believe me. For one thing, it was a lovely sunny morning and Charlie and I had a delightful walk.

And then there was this lovely sight outside my kitchen window:
I know I've posted them other years but I just never can resist taking a new picture of these every spring.

And since it is Friday now, I'm going to tell you how thankful I am that Andy is working from home today! He normally works from home one day a week but that hasn't happened for the last few months because of big projects at work that necessitated his being present on site. So its nice to have him back with us.

Several of my thankful blogging friends are joining in praising God for His good gifts to us each Thursday. Please feel free to join us!

Quotable

The God of the law and the God of the Gospel is the same God--unchanged, unchangeable. His mercy beams forth more gloriously in the Gospel than in the law, but His holiness is not obscured by the effulgence of His mercy. No, the displeasure of God against sin is more strongly marked in the sacrifice of His Son, than in all the hecatombs of victims which bled on the Jewish altars; and we may rest assured, that "if he who despised Moses' law died without mercy, he will be accounted worthy of much sorer punishment, who treads under foot the Son of God, treats as unclean the sanctifying blood of the covenant, and does despite to the Spirit of grace." The Gospel despiser, the impenitent apostate, will find that there is no wrath like the wrath of contemned, abused mercy, and that it is indeed "a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." The belief of the infinitely energetic holiness of God, manifesting itself both in the sufferings of Christ and in the peculiarly sore punishment of the despiser and neglecter of the Gospel, is admirably fitted to produce that "which is in perfect harmony with that grateful love which arises from the faith of the truth as it is in Jesus.~John Brown, Hebrews, commentary on Hebrews 12:28-29

Sunday's Hymn: Arm of the Lord, Awake, Awake!

Arm of the Lord, awake, awake!
Put on thy strength, the nations shake,
And let the world, adoring, see
Triumphs of mercy wrought by thee.

Say to the heathen from thy throne:
"I am Jehovah, God alone."
Thy voice their idols shall confound,
And cast their altars to the ground.

Let Zion's time of favor come;
O bring the tribes of Israel home;
And let our wond'ring eyes behold
Gentile and Jews in Jesus' fold.

Almighty God, thy grace proclaim
In ev'ry clime of every name;
Let adverse pow'rs before thee fall,
And crown the Saviour Lord of all.

William Shrubsole, 1795
Tune: Truro, Psalmodia Evangelica, 1789

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for a bit of sunshine this afternoon in which to take Charlie for a short walk. It was a short one because the temperature was only 38 degrees F. and there was a little breeze to make it feel even cooler. Charlie is 15 now and old guys get cold in that kind of weather. But it was nice to get out in the fresh air for a quick trip around the block.

I'm even more thankful for this exhilarating reminder from our Hebrews passage for this week:

You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.~Hebrews 12:22-24

I'm joining with Kim of The Upward Call and many others in posting my thanksgiving to God each Thursday of 2011. Here's your invitation to join in!

Sunday's Hymn: Awake, My Soul

Awake, my soul, stretch ev'ry nerve,
And press with vigor on;
A heav'nly race demands thy zeal,
And an immortal crown.

A cloud of witnesses around
Hold thee in full survey;
Forget the steps already trod,
And onward urge thy way.

'Tis God's all-animating voice
That calls thee from on high;
'Tis his own hand presents the prize
To thine aspiring eye.

That prize with peerless glories bright,
Which shall new lustre boast,
When victors' wreaths and monarch's gems
Shall blend in common dust.

Blest Saviour, introduced by thee,
Have I my race begun;
And, crowned with vict'ry, at thy feet
I'll lay my honors down.

Philip Doddridge, 1755
Tune: Christmas, George Frederick Handel, 1728

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that its March. I do like all of the seasons but I am very ready for winter to be over and spring to arrive. That happens on Sunday, March 20th this year. At least, that's what the calendar says and I'm ready for warmer days, robins and daffodils!

I'm also thankful for leftovers for dinner tonight.

And my warm, soft Charlie sleeping in my lap.

And that Andy will be home in less than an hour.

I am thankful.

Sunday's Hymn: Like a River Glorious

Like a river glorious
Is God's perfect peace,
Over all victorious
In its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth
Fuller ev'ry day,
Perfect, yet it groweth
Deeper all the way.

Stayed upon Jehovah,
Hearts are fully blest,
Finding, as he promised,
Perfect peace and rest.

Hidden in the hollow
Of his blessed hand,
Never foe can follow,
Never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry,
Not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry
Touch the spirit there.

Ev'ry joy or trial
Falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial
By the Sun of Love.
We may trust him fully
All for us to do;
They who trust him wholly
Find him wholly true.

Frances R. Havergal, 1878
Tune: Like a River, James Mountain, 1844-1933

Quotable

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.~Isaiah 41:10

Thankful Thursday

Andy is in Corsicana, TX this week for his job. I miss him and I'm thankful that he comes home on Saturday. That's the day after tomorrow!

Like Rosemary, it seems that things often go awry when Andy is out of town. We had the furnace in one of the rentals repaired last week and I was feeling so thankful that that happened while Andy was still here. Well, the tenant called yesterday to say it wasn't working again. I was out and by the time we spoke, he had talked to someone else who had suggested turning the thermostat completely off and waiting a half hour to restart the furnace. It worked! At least for now, and I'm so thankful for that.

Still, its been a long week and I'm especially thankful for a dear friend who has invited me to join her family for dinner tomorrow night.

Oh, and one more thing I'm thankful for...snowdrops peeking up through the snow! They keep getting buried again by another inch or two of snow that then recedes in time for the next batch but I know they are there!

I intend to post my thankful thoughts each Thursday along with Kim of The Upward Call and others. Please join in!

Sunday's Hymn: Amazing Grace

Amazing grace—how sweet the sound—
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found—
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

And when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.

John Newton, 1779
Tune: Amazing Grace, traditional American melody, Arr. by Edwin O. Excell, 1851-1921

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful to be just about over the flu. I faithfully got my flu shot back in October but I know that those shots are a mix of the strains that people in the know think will be the problem ones in a particular year. At least for me, they guessed wrong this year. It was not pleasant but I was so thankful for this promise from the passage of Isaiah which was part of last week's study:

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.~Isaiah 41:10

Kim from The Upward Call and several others of us are posting our thanksgiving to our great God each Thursday. Please join in!

Kitchen Improvements: Phase I

Field Stone Cottage dates to the 1930's. The kitchen has been redone, probably multiple times, since then. The latest upgrades predate our ownership of the cottage which is now into its seventh year. My best guess would be late 1980's or early 1990's. The kitchen is really lovely but it is lacking in both usable cupboard space and working countertop space.
Andy and I debated on how to proceed on improvements and came up with a four point plan. Phase One: We decided that the two lower corner cupboards just had to have lazy susans installed! I was sick of having to get down on the floor, flashlight in hand, to try to find anything in the far reaches of those chasms!
So we visited our local big box home improvement centers and Andy searched for retrofit lazy susans online. We decided on these models.
After some emails back and forth between Andy and Allen to get the sizing right, we ordered four of these lazy susans on February 2nd. They arrived this past Friday, the 11th and Andy installed them on Saturday. He was really pleased with how quickly and easily the project went! I wasn't much help since I had the flu. Andy even took the pictures! But I'm really pleased with the outcome!

Sunday's Hymn: Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me

Jesus, Saviour, pilot me
Over life's tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rock and treach'rous shoal;
Chart and compass came from thee:
Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.

As a mother stills her child,
Thou canst hush the ocean wild;
Boist'rous waves obey thy will
When thou sayest to them, "Be still."
Wondrous Sovereign of the sea,
Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.

When at last I near the shore,
And the fearful breakers roar
'Twixt me and the peaceful rest,
Then, while leaning on thy breast,
May I hear thee say to me,
"Fear not, I will pilot thee."

Edward Hopper, 1871
Tune: Pilot, John E. Gould, 1871

Thankful Thursday

I hurt my back on Saturday, moving a piece of furniture around...I know....dumb, dumb, dumb. Anyway, I am so thankful that my back is just about back to normal today. I am thankful that God healed my back even though it was totally my fault that it got hurt. I'm thankful that He also heals my spiritual condition when I turn to Him in repentance for sins that are totally my doing, my disobedience.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.~1 John 1:9

What are you thankful for today? Please join in the thanksgiving started by Kim from The Upward Call!

Sunday's Hymn: How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints of the Lord

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

"Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed;
I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

"When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

"When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

"E'en down to old age all my people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake."

"K" in Rippon's Selection, 1787
Tune: Adeste Fideles, Unknown, probably 18th century

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that Emily is making lasagna for dinner tonight. I had a doctor's appointment late this afternoon so not having to rush home to fix dinner was especially appreciated. We're all hungry now plus lasagna is a favorite of every one of us so we're smelling that delicious aroma with eager anticipation! Can't wait!

What are you thankful for tonight? Kim of The Upward Call and several others of us are posting our thankful thoughts each Thursday. Please join in!

Blizzard: The Clean-up

It starts with Andy raking the snow off the roof edges as far up as he can reach with the roof rake. We have to get the heavy accumulation off so it doesn't slide off when the sun comes out and hurt someone. Snow is heavy! I didn't think of taking a picture of that part today but it was the first time Andy ever wore his snowshoes to do it!

Then he uses the snow blower to get around the cars as best he can and get to the sidewalk to do that around the corner to the second driveway. Living on a corner has pros and cons. But one pro is the second drive to move the cars between when removing snow. When the smaller drive and the front walk and Charlie's area are clear, we move the cars over to that drive and Andy does the big drive. We do have a two car garage on the side with the big driveway but we have three vehicles and a boat so the truck and the boat get the garage.

With this much snow, its taken some time and we had a lunch break in the middle but Andy is finishing it up now. That means its time for some hot chocolate!

Blizzard: The Morning After

View out the window.
The local newspaper says its 18 inches.

Looking up the street.

I love Charlie's reaction!

Evening Snow

You may have heard that our part of the country is getting a pretty good storm tonight and tomorrow. In fact, they are calling it a blizzard...and it is blowing and snowing mightily out there! But it sure did make for some nice pictures earlier this evening!