Help me to always be devoted, confident, obedient, resigned, childlike in my trust of thee, to love thee with soul, body, mind, strength, to love my fellow-man as I love myself, to be saved from unregenerate temper, hard thoughts, slanderous words, meanness, unkind manners, to master my tongue and keep the door of my lips. Fill me with grace daily, that my life be a fountain of sweet water. That’s the Puritan prayer we’ve been discussing for some weeks... Read more
Continuing on with the Puritan prayer we’ve been discussing: Help me to always be devoted, confident, obedient, resigned, childlike in my trust of thee, to love thee with soul, body, mind, strength, to love my fellow-man as I love myself, to be saved from unregenerate temper, hard thoughts, slanderous words, meanness, unkind manners, to master my tongue and keep the door of my lips. Fill me with grace daily, that my life be a fountain of sweet water. We’ve discussed... Read more
A few weeks ago at church, a friend came up to me and, as a conversation starter, asked me what I knew. I had to laugh, because as of late, I’ve been contemplating about how life is strange, in that, when you’re young, it feels as though you know a lot. But the older you get, you start to realize just how big the world is, and how little you know about it. You also start to realize that most... Read more
Not long ago, I quoted a quip from The Valley of Vision, a book of prayers written by the Puritans. It goes like this: Help me to always be devoted, confident, obedient, resigned, childlike in my trust of Thee, to love Thee with soul, body, mind strength, to love my fellow-man as I love myself, to be saved from unregenerate temper, hard thoughts, slanderous words, meanness, unkind manners, to master my tongue and keep the door of my lips. ... Read more
Still in a bit of a crisis with my gimpy leg, so I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to write tonight or in the near future. Sitting isn’t helpful. Standing is excruciating after sitting. And I can’t seem to manage walking and typing simultaneously. In my defense, walking and chewing gum are still doable, even with the pain and gimp. Since I’m in so much pain and it’s difficult to think about anything else, let’s discuss that.... Read more
Getting the deck painted. Making all the food. Hunting the mangy little mouse in my house. Finally getting the basement bathroom cleaned. Reading four books. Keeping up with my spiritual devotions. Praying. Answering all the text messages. Writing everything I want to write. Going to all the doctor’s appointments. Taking care of Mom. Assisting a daughter with sick children. I’m trying to get all the things done, but all the things keep growing in number, and also – I... Read more
She who limps still walks. Those were words I read on a Facebook meme last week. I saved the meme to my phone, because they remind me my limp isn’t keeping me from walking – or even standing. It’s keeping me from doing a lot of things I want and need to do, but hey, I’m still upright. Still walking. Still striving … even if I’m not thriving. I’ve had a slight limp, off and on, for about four... Read more
It seems most women, married or unmarried, either pursue a career these days or split their time in between being homemakers and a career women. Then there are the full-time homemakers and moms, who, though they’ve dwindled in numbers, do still exist. One method of living is not better, more right, or more wrong than the other method. What works for one family may not work for the other, and flexibility, especially when it comes to the home, is... Read more
The Bible says all creation groans, and I hear it. I hear it in the trees that struggle to survive, in wilting flowers, in strawberries that never get ripe enough to enjoy. I hear it in the wild, destructive tornadoes. I hear it in the floods, in sickness, in human responses to evil committed against another, but especially against innocent children. It’s a rough world we live in. Much has gone awry. Creation does indeed groan, and we, being... Read more
Ask any Christian what the most difficult part of his or her faith is, and that Christian will likely say “Prayer.” This Christian concurs. It feels more productive and important to be doing … something … anything with my hands. Besides cleaning toilets, literally any task seems more worthwhile than having what feels like a one-sided conversation. What I forget is that prayer is not a one-sided conversation (unless I make it so). I forget that, in prayer, I’m conversing... Read more
Felix Culpa
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