Odds and Ends...

Apologies for taking so long to update the blog. The health struggles continued much of the interim but thanks be to God, are seeming to show improvement, which I pray is not temporary. I also pray that if it is temporary that the Lord will uphold my spirit in the process.

This evening I enjoyed listening to an MP3 file from Sermonaudio preached by Robert Godfrey on the so called "Reforming Queen" Jeanne D'Albret. I found it encouraging, perhaps you might as well. It can be found at
http://tinyurl.com/he8eo

Trying to learn a bit more about J.Gresham Machen I note this.....Sometimes I find the simply put sentence about a spiritual reality to be the most profound. J.Gresham Machen's last known sentence on Jan 1st 1937, dying at the age of 56, he sent by telegram to his good friend and colleague at Westminster Seminary, John Murry, the following...

"I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it."

I could write that quote every day on this blog and be quite content that there is nothing more to say. Goodnight, will write soon Lord willing.

Sweet baby's news...

I don't know when I started calling my dear daughter "Sweet baby" but it happened somewhere along the way. I also refer to her as RJ when writing due to laziness on my part. In the spirit of "web anonymity" I shall use one or the other interchangeably in this wee piece.

I was asked this last week by said "child" (Age 25.5) what I'd like the grandchildren to call me. I got half a sentence through a response about how Benjamin and Emily (Dear Husband's grand babies who I've been blessed to call my own as well) were going to call me "Mama Lucy" (Long story which I shall spare you) at which point I realized that she was not referring to what "those" grand babies called me but rather what her children would call me?...I sure am slow on the uptake, not swift enough to be a grandma! Well I don't know the answer to her question but I am most pleased to announce that my own dear girl is by God's merciful providence, carrying their first child. She is said to be "due" Lord willing, February 22. Her mother (that's me) thinks it would be uber cool if she could give birth on Feb 16th as that would make her the third generation of my women to have given birth on that date. She respectfully declined to think that was in any way cool.

My observation this far, pregnancy is far more nerve wracking and looks way more "miserable" experientially from without. She has a horrid cold now and is missing the "ability" to take Nyquil. I'm half tempted to have a swig of the stuff in her honor, her lack of being able to take it makes the horrid green stuff suddenly seem mythical in goodness.

On another note, we have come to accept, with reluctance, that my ongoing "iron loss" concerns are enough that our much anticipated trip to the home of my heart, Scotland, will not be booked for September. We hope to visit our dear friends abroad as soon as God will enable us to do so.

For those who have enquired as to what is going on physically with me, things are still pretty much same old same old, with my having about 5 weeks of "bad" followed by the last few days being exceptionally good. I am still downing as much 150mg iron as I can, about 6o pills in the last 90 days which the doctor assures me is a heroic effort. I hope to have blood drawn soon to see if I have made any improvement or if I am least keeping from falling further into the iron deficiency hole. Also, thank you for your prayers, my Asthma is doing much better provided I stay on my medication.

It did occur to me to start asking folk to pray specifically that God would, in mercy, end my excessive bleeding by natural means. This is what the husband and I both hope and pray for. For those who might wonder, he is as eager to see me avoid major surgery as I am to avoid it.

I think often of all my dear friends whom I have not been able to see but who are in my thoughts and prayers.it is lovely to be able to keep up with you both through whatever means available. I know I owe a few notes and replies, please pardon, especially my dear friend to the North, you know who you are.

For those who as, my dear friend Seonag is praise God, continuing her struggle with cancer and has been able by God's grace to enjoy the goodness of God throughout. She has had many precious visits with family and friends and has been able to go up to her island homeland to spend time with her 90 year old father and siblings. She hopes to be able to go visit there again in a fortnight or so, for those of you praying for her. She has some nerve pain and other concerns but is otherwise doing remarkably well.

Sadly a dear sister in Christ, Susan Harding, has been called home after a difficult battle with cancer, much to the completeness of her joy, but to our sorrow. She was an amazing example of Godly womanhood and Christian service and I shall always be glad that I was privileged to know her evey briefly. I look forward to praising the Lord with her in glory. Please remember her husband John and their 5 children and their families at this time.

Sorry for the delay in getting an update out, I find I often have only so much energy and have to ration it for whatever is most urgent or pressing.

Way to go Girl!

Congratulations are in order for Miss H....hope your graduation day is lovely and full of happy memories.
Sure it's only a wee pause on your chosen path, but you've worked hard, enjoy your day!!!

Commanded to Hope

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have posted. I was afflicted with Asthma a couple weeks ago, was gloriously improved by being put on Prednisone, was praise God, able to enjoy daughter and Son-in-law's visit while animated by said drug, and am now seriously declined as I come off the meds. I need a Pulmonologist and they are booked up till I don't know when. (I haven't been able to get them to say, I was told that the lady who does the appointments will call me, not the other way around, and that if I am too bad before then, go to the emergency room.) Please pray I am able to get the Asthma under control. My GP doesn't have anything else to offer and he is apparently afraid to keep me on steroids.

Meanwhile, my spirits are reasonably good, though I have that kind of almost creepy resigned peacefulness I associate with feeling unable to breathe well but it's pleasant enough whatever the cause. I am trying to move very slowly and talk little so as not to start myself up with the struggling for air and coughing fits which only make me worse. I am so thrilled and excited that I felt "well" for a week on steroids and that that week in providence coincided with Rj's visit. We didn't "do" much really, but we did have sweet fellowship of the mother daughter sort. Will tell more later, but need to rest now. Please pray I find a Pulmonologist to see me soon.

Picture above is looking down over Boise from Bogus basin road. The quote below from Calvin is just perfect for my heart right now...I want to write it out and meditate upon God's mercy demonstrated in what Calvin says.

"I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.

And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.

The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.

As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee." Psalm 87

While unbelievers abound in wealth and flourish in reputation and authority--one sees the poor church subjected to infinite dangers and ills (what is more, one sees her overwhelmed, just like a ship ready to sink):her happiness consists primarily in the eternal state that God has established for her in his kingdom.

The circumstance of the time in which this psalm was written will help us to understand it better. For although the people had then returned from Babylon where they had long been held captive; although the church had been gathered together as in a body, so as to be no longer dispersed as she had been; although the temple had been built and the altar erected to offer the sacrifices, and the whole divine service had been restored; nevertheless, because only a handful of people had returned to the holy land, in comparison with the great multitude that left it, and because what was left of them decreased daily, because of the attacks and assaults of enemies, so that the condition of this people was very contemptible; and also because the temples did not have such majesty as before; all this made it very hard for the faithful to expect good from the time to come; and furthermore, it seemed impossible for them ever to be restored to the estate, to the state from which they had fallen.

Therefore, as they bought to mind their defeat and undoing, and thought on all the ills by which they were continually burdened, the danger existed that they might be overwhelmed and finally fall into despair and give way altogether. So, the goal of the Psalm is to comfort them, lest they be disheartened in their afflictions. To do this, God not only promises them that they shall recover what they lost, but he commands them to hope for much more; namely an incomparable glory, as he had also promised them by his prophet Haggai (2:1), that the majesty of the second temple would be greater than that of the first one.

God meant for this comfort to have such power and import for the faithful of that time, that it would not only be able to raise them up again so they would not be cast down by so many ills, but that it might even be able to draw them back out of the sepulchre, so to speak, and lift them right up to Heaven. Now since we know about the things predicted about those times have been fulfilled, we have very little grace, if the experience of the ancient fathers, joined together with the promises of God, are not enough to confirm our faith and double it.

Calvin's exposition on Psalm 87