All Around You, The Mercy and Bounty of God

"As a chamber hung round about with looking-glasses represents the face upon every turn, 

thus all the world doth the mercy and bounty of God..."

~Anthony Burgess, 1656

            This morning's sunrise--aren't those clouds amazing?

Ta-Dah!

Emma finished the afghan she's been making for my Mom (her MeMaw)! We're so proud of her! Isn't it a beautiful stitch? We're especially grateful to our friend and neighbor who is such a patient and generous teacher and has helped Emma every step of the way.

A Bit of a Mom Brag and Why Men Should Read Fiction

My Corey has written a delightful piece for The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. I'm so proud of him!

"I have no quarrel with non-fiction. I love reading about history and theology and philosophy and culture. I love Paul Johnson and John Calvin and Aristotle and Ken Myers. What I do not love is a reading pile that makes no room for stories about magic rings and an Earth that isn’t quite Above and isn’t quite Below but is very comfortably in the Middle. If you have no use for Elfland (as Chesterton calls it), do not take it as a reflection of your mighty intelligence; take it as a reflection of your lack thereof. Real men step into Elfland and become as children again, and they are better men for it."

You can read the rest here: Casting Out Pearls: Men and Reading Fiction

Thankful Thursday~To Know There's Work on Monday

My God, how gracious He has been! Mountain Man will have work to return to on Monday! Thanks be to God!

"Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."

~G. K. Chesterton

I am happy that, for now, we aren't facing unemployment, that we've been shaken up a bit and are moved to consider other options. And I am in wonder, for God has been so merciful to us, so merciful. May He keep us from ever ceasing to wonder at His mercies.

Thank you all so very much for your prayers. Thank you!

With love,

Trisha

Such Teachers May We Be

I know aged Christians who seem every time they speak, to drop diamonds and emeralds from their lips; one could wish to treasure up every syllable they utter, not because there is anything very ingenious or original in any sentence, but because there is a sound of abundance of rain in every word; a divine depth, a sacred sweetness, a leaping of life, even in each broken utterance which is born on their lips. You say, "That man knows more than he tells. He does not expose all his wares in the window. He has been in the secret place of communion. His face shines though his voice falters." Such teachers may you and I prove in our riper years, having light in ourselves and illuminating all who are within the range of our influence. What God has led us to understand, may we be the means of communicating by our ordinary conversation, by speech easy, simple, unostentatious, yet earnest, faithful, and heavenly minded.
~C. H. Spurgeon

Columbus Lectures by Dr. George Grant

Be a myth-buster, and listen to these lectures by Dr. George Grant about Columbus. The first lecture is FREE.

Columbus and the Old World

Happy Columbus Day!

Large Families and Jacob's God

The Rev. Moses Browne had twelve children. On one remarking to him, "Sir, you have just as many children as Jacob," he replied, "Yes, and I have Jacob's God to provide for them."

~G. S. Bowes, in Spurgeon's Treasury of David

******

My Mountain Man received notice that unless there's an end to this government shutdown, he'll be without work after next Friday. I've cried a lot of tears since then, and I've borrowed a bit of trouble, too, as I imagined living without his paycheck. What can we sell? What expenses can we cut? How is God calling me to repentance? How can I keep my eyes fixed on Christ and just do the next thing? How can I be a cheerful mother and an encouraging wife? Where can I get a job?

Facing a period of no income with a large family is trying in its own way. The amount of food we consume in a week, many families consume in a month. With lots of Blessings, there is usually someone who needs something right now--a new pair of shoes or a visit to the dentist or a new toothbrush.

Some large families, homeschooling families at that, are wealthy and can afford educational trips to Scotland or can build mega-sized homes debt free, but many of us struggle each month to figure out how to make the food budget stretch just a bit more.

And then there are those prejudices inherent to a child-hating society. "What?! You have all of those children, but you don't ________________." (Fill in any of the expectations our culture has of what makes for a worthy childhood.)

We think child abuse is depriving a child of extra-curricular activities or having her own designer bedroom. We equate "good parent" with one who has a college fund for each child and massive amounts of cash set aside for a rainy day.

We often expect large families to look into the future in ways we'd never ask smaller families to do--"Yes, you may have this many children as long as you can easily pay for and anticipate every need and emergency that will happen over the next 20 years. Otherwise, you are completely irresponsible."

And Christians can be the worst, for they spout about trusting in the Lord and walking by faith and not by sight, and they cry for His daily bread, but they don't really mean daily, as in having to rely on God to provide for this week's groceries or even today's car repairs. That would be foolish. What they really mean is, "The wise man has at least six months' income set aside to cover every possible emergency," and they say this as they raise their eyebrows and wonder why you have all of those children and are worrying about medical bills and how far you can make a tank of gas last.

And it's hard not to feel a bit of the shame.

Am I saying that we should all live paycheck to paycheck, that there's some greater holiness in doing so? Of course not, and there certainly isn't anything romantic about it. It can be a blessing to not have to worry each day about having "enough, " and it's a blessing to be able to give to those in need, right when they need it.

Yet, it is true that God uses both abundance and need to teach contentment and make us more like Christ. Need doesn't know what it's like to just take a trip on a whim or buy brand new living room furniture or give a thousand dollars to the visiting missionary or see in advance that the year's bills are paid, and Abundance might not know what it's like to whisper a prayer of thanks over "just enough" and rejoice over God's miraculous provision.

Yes, Jacob's God is the God of large families, too, and we can trust in His provision, whether it comes in the form of a large bank account or a small one. Whether His provision comes in knowing there's enough money for many days ahead or simply for the next couple of weeks.

And when you are tempted to despair and you hear, pounding in your head, our culture's accusations that you are irresponsible for having so many children when you don't have the next 20 years perfectly provided for (because they really do, you know), remember this:

"He gives children, not as a penalty nor as a burden, but as a favour. They are a token for good if men know how to receive them and educate them. They are 'doubtful' blessings only because we are doubtful persons. Where society is rightly ordered children are regarded, not as an incumbrance, but as an inheritance; and they are received, not with regret, but as a reward."
~Spurgeon

"...a large number of children means a large number of trials; but when these are met by faith in the Lord, it also means a mass of love, and a multitude of joys."
~Spurgeon

With love,
Trisha

In Just 90 Minutes

When my Mountain Man first moved us to the Land of Enchantment, I was not enchanted at all. I missed the green. The green. The green. I missed southern tea and polite people and fried foods and houses with big front porches and swings. I missed suits and ties and ladies putting on their best clothing for the Queen of Days. The brown landscape, the often-rude natives, the obsession with organic foods, the adobe houses, and the beach-wear worn to church left me feeling very out of place.

I cried several times a week for the first 6 months of our living here. I was the contentious woman that a man dreads coming home to. My favorite question to ask was, "Why in the world did you bring us here?" followed with a very passionate, "I hate it here!" God's sovereignty was a foreign concept to me, so everything was my Beloved's fault, and I was just wondering why God didn't put an end to all of my misery. All I knew was how barren the landscape was and how barren my heart felt.

Here we are, 15 years later, still living in the desert. I have majestic mountains right outside my window, and I can't look at those mountains without thinking of the greatness of God. I witness some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world. In other words, I can see the beauty that was here all along, the beauty that my fist-pounding, temper-tantrum-throwing self refused to see.

We took a walk last week, a nature walk. 90 minutes of stopping along the way to wonder at the earth declaring the glory of God, with its asters and buffalo gourds and unidentified works of His hands. So much  of HIS goodness seen in just 90 minutes, and I marveled at it all. Wait! There are cows and horses and anthills and wildflowers and grasshoppers and...

But most of all, it was a walk down the memory-lane of God's goodness to me, reminders in purple and green and blue and orange, and in the form of little people with the cutest legs ever and the happiest smiles, little people who see life and marvels and God's goodness wherever they are. How could I have ever thought God set me in a barren place?

What a wonder it is that He gives us eyes to see.

How to Make Grandma Smile

Thankful Thursday~Even Piglet Noticed

Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, 

it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.

~A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

 

I'm thankful for moments like this when our children are helping one another. I'm grateful for the mothering instinct that God gives little girls.

 I'm thankful for children who enjoy food.

 I'm thankful to be part of a family of book lovers--right down to the littlest guy.

I'm thankful for children who love the outdoors and who always find amazing things to do with the resources He has provided.

 This is one of the most beautiful flower bouquets I've ever received. Why? Because they are from my sister, Catherine, whose husband recently died of cancer. But, it gets even better. I sent her this exact flower arrangement in remembrance of her wedding anniversary. She loved them so much and wanted me to be able to enjoy the same beauty, so she sent some to me. To know that we're both looking at the same flowers is a precious gift, a tying of the heartstrings across these many miles.

 And what better thing is there to do when on Daddy's lap than to look at a book?

Last, but not least, Grandma has arrived. :)

With love,
Trisha

Decisions, Decisions~A Pictorial

***No children or books or chocolate were hurt during the 45 seconds that this event took place. No staging or coaxing were required, as this is the natural behavior of babies from chocolate-hoarding-book-loving families.