Wilson Wisdom

One of my favorite authors is Douglas Wilson. I love what he writes and how he writes. Here is one of his gems: "Young Christian people should seek to become the kind of person that the kind of person they would want to marry would want to marry."

Learn from Others' Mistakes

I love Vicki Bentley's article "Twenty-Three Years & Seventeen Kids Ago." Vicki is a homeschool mom and addresses enjoying your children, teaching children responsibility, and letting children make mistakes, among other gems. She will be a featured speaker at the MACHE homeschool conference and curriculum fair (Rochester). You can read the whole article at www.everydayhomemaking.com.

Location for Jamie Soles

Jamie Soles will be singing this Wednesday evening at 7:00 P.M. at Fairview Lutheran at 4215 Fairview Avenue, Minnetonka. Admission is free. I know this conflicts with some Wednesday night activities. If you are not free you can listen to some of his music online and buy a CD if you wish.

Poetry on Jezebel and Christ....

Jezebel Fell; Jesus Arose

Jezebel, used to having her own way,

vowed for Naboth's "No" there'd be hell to pay.

Worthless fellows were bribed to tell a lie:

"He cursed God and King -- stone this rebel guy!"

Painted face hosts tea under lush grape vines

But justice is not silenced by cakes and wines.

Nothing nullifies God's Word, clear and loud,

God gives grace to the meek, unseats the proud.

When Jehu came to town, Jezebel fell.

Hands and skull spoke that dogs had eaten well.

Jesus, stubborn to do his Father's will,

refused to bow to Satan on the hill.

He didn't come to drink tea in a vineyard

But to be the grapes, crushed and stomped down hard.

Worthless fellows were called to tell a lie:

"He'll wreak the temple -- crucify this guy!"

Cup of wrath drunk by the Innocent;

Justice served, hell paid, for those who repent.

We Gentile dogs don't feast on Jezebel.

Christ arose, by faith on Him we sup full well.

Jeannette Paulson 12/09

Paulson home flooded in 2009

If we have eyes to see, God sent a flood of grace in 2009 -- none of which we deserved and all of which we received with too little thanks......
First of all,
receiving the new mercies of the Lord every morning -- opportunity to be washed again from sin in the blood of the lamb,
enjoying health, home, jokes, flowers, food and the ability to think one thought after another,

feasting on Pastor John Piper's sermons on the gospel of John,

learning at Visionary Women to pray for our children and childrens' children and childrens' childrens' children,

hiking with Frieswicks on breath-taking Barn Bluff overlook the Mississippi,

swimming lessons early on cool summer mornings,

sewing doll quilts and doll clothes with Murphys,

discussing How to Write a Story by Lee Roddy with young writers,

Harlan and Jeannette helping in Sunday School with a staggering new curriculum: Rejoicing in God's Good Design: A Study for Youth on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood,

David working as an R.N. and living with Christian friends,

Joseph graduating with a B.A. in business from Thomas Edison,

Hannah getting a tooth implant and working in an assisted-living home in Rosemount,

Ruthiey selling shoes at Kohls,

Ruthiey, Andrew, and Stephen learning piano with gifted Mrs. Shepherd,

Stephen picking up guitar,

Esther and Abigail learning art with gifted Mrs. Mann,

and Hannah helping mom make a handy three-week menu.

These are God's gifts to us in 2009. Remembering them should shame us into a stubborn refusal, by His grace, to despair and quit. Remembering them should fill us with anticipation for God's continued gifts of grace on grace. He is GOOD.

Jamie Soles is coming to town!!

No, it is not Santa. It is Jamie Soles. I have blogged about him before, and now he is coming to Minnetonka on January 13. I do not have more detail that this right now but I wanted to give you a head's up. Check below for reviews. Here is what Dan Glover says about Jamie:

He does a wonderful job of simultaneously combining humour, gravity, solemnity, triumph, education, joy and praise as he retells many of the best and least known Bible stories from both the Old and New Testaments. Generally, each album progresses from creation to fall to redemption and shows God’s grace to His people throughout the full and continuous story of Scripture, culminating in Jesus Christ.

http://www.solmusic.ca/reviews.php

C.S. Lewis on Progress

"we all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive."