Time for the Hodgepodge

Once again, it's time for the Hodgepodge.

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 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOYCE!!!
(She writes the questions;
we write the answers. Why not join us!)

1. I'm celebrating a birthday this week so a question relating to aging feels appropriate. Douglas MacArthur is quoted as saying, 'You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair." Would you agree? If not why not?

Faith in God gives us hope and casts out fear.  I've seen a lack of faith produce cynicism and bitterness. Without God, it is impossible to deal with the horrific things we see going on in the world. (See #2.)

My trust is in Jesus, God in the flesh, who gives us forgiveness, life and hope beyond the immediate. Do I feel it? No. I know it. I choose to put my trust in Him, who paid for my sin and who will ultimately judge the world and bring justice. As (St.) Peter said, when Jesus asked if they were going to leave him also,  "Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."

 "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” John 8:31-32
John 1:14–16, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”

To choose not to believe in God by default means to choose to believe in chance, in fate, in purposelessness (I tried to find a shorter word), hopelessness and despair. Jesus said 'You're either for me or against me.' (Matt. 12:30) There is no in between.

These are things I want in my life: grace, truth, forgiveness, freedom, hope. I choose to put my trust in Jesus. I choose to believe. And what happens if you run up against doubt? Then you choose again to put your trust in God. For someone like me, there's not an emotional cloud that settles upon me. Remember, if you've ever noticed on my sidebar, my personality type is ISTJ. :-) But the alternative to faith is empty, devoid of joy or hope or certainty of justice or a future.

2. What remarkable feat, interesting piece of trivia, or historical event occurred on your birth day and month? Not necessarily in your birthyear, just the same date/same month.

Unfortunately, they are things we would like to think that humans would not do to one another, but even as I sit in my comfortable house in Wisconsin, things like this are still going on in the world. We just choose not to notice:

Deportation of 70,000 Jews from Lodz Poland to Auschwitz begins 1944

Enola Gay drops atom bomb on Hiroshima 1945

3. Describe a time or circumstance where you wanted to 'have your cake and eat it too.'

I want to live in beautiful Wisconsin and have Mediterranean temperatures. I know.


4. What's something you do that makes you feel young? Something that makes you feel old?

Spending time with my grandchildren makes me feel younger. Realizing how old my children are makes me feel old. Doing things outdoors, breathing the fresh Wisconsin air makes me feel young(er); watching the mainstream news media get excited about celebrities, football players, and Beyonce, but reporting almost nothing about the important things happening in the world makes me feel old(er) and sad. And disgusted. And furious.

5. When did you last do something that was 'a piece of cake'?

I don't know.

6.  Beef, wine, and cheese all improve with age. What's something else you'd add to that list? (not necessarily food or beverage) 

Wisdom improves (grows) with age and experience, something many of the young seem to forget. In this society I think we foolishly treat the young as though they are wise and treat the old as though they are irrelevant.

7. If I were to have a giveaway when we hit Volume 200, what should I give away? By my calculations we'll hit Volume 200 on November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving, which means whoever wins would have whatever it is in time for Christmas.

Two Hundred! That is incredible, Joyce, Congratulations! So for the giveaway, let's see. Two hundred turkeys?  OR an Amazon.com gift card!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I know there are people out there who think that bloggers should keep their faith to themselves. I don't agree. Why on earth would we do that? When we see a world suffering, when we see injustice abound, why would we not share with others a Savior who brings hope, justice, life, and joy. Goodness knows the faithless certainly don't keep silent. Neither should we. If someone were dying of a disease, wouldn't we let them know there is a cure.

What is our purpose?

The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks,
What is the chief end of man?

The answer: (contrary to the little girl who answered, 'His head, of course.')  :-) (and naturally, I think of that every single time!!)

Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

I Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.



Psalm 147:11 The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.



'All that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.'  - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Author, Second Chance - A Tale of Two Puppies

Check out my handcrafted soaps at Soap'n'Such

Why My Mother Loved Springtime

 The flowering crab in the back yard.

We've had a lot of rain the past few days, and with the intermittent sunshine and warmer weather, everything is really popping...

...even quack grass.

Spring was my mother's favorite season. In Wisconsin you have to reconcile yourself to the fact that springtime does not start on March 21, but more toward the end of April, or even the beginning of May.  March is usually our snowiest month. April is usually cold and rainy. But once it warms up and things start blooming, it's hard not to love this time of year! I think from now on I'll plan to expect springtime on May 1 and not get my hopes up any sooner.

These are some photos which I took last week and am just now getting around to posting!

Beautiful wood violets

I realize that some think of them as noxious weeds.

 Bleeding Heart

Next to daffodils, my favorite. My grandma always had a bleeding heart plant.

 Silver Leaf and Hostas

At least I think this is called 'silver leaf.' I was once given 11 small leaves, I stuck the stem end of each leaf into the soil, and in no time I had a flower bed full of this stuff. It must be contained or it will take over everything, kinda like mint or snow-on-the-mountain. 

 I'm not the only one who's enjoying the lilac.

 Plum Blossoms

The poor tree itself is such a wreck, and I've threatened to cut it down several times. But then it bursts forth these pretty and delicate blossoms -  and I repent of those mean thoughts.

 The First Picking of Asparagus

oh so delicious!!!!

I am so in awe of the Designer who thought all this stuff up, including every exquisite, functioning system and microscopic detail. And then to think that He gave us eyes to see it!

'You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. For you have created all things - and for your pleasure they are and were created.'  Revelation 4:11

Author, Second Chance - A Tale of Two Puppies

Check out my handcrafted soaps at Soap'n'Such

Magic Pebble Theology

This book can be purchased from Amazon, where I got the photo.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig is one of my all-time favorite children's books. Written for an audience of 4-8 year olds, it tells of Sylvester, an amiable donkey, discovering that a shiny pebble he found had the capacity to give him what he was wishing for. Sylvester experimented by wishing for several different things before concluding that this was true, of course.

My favorite line in the book is, 'What a lucky day this is!' thought Sylvester. 'From now on I can have anything I want. My father and mother can have anything they want. My relatives, my friends, and anybody at all can have anything anybody wants!'

Unfortunately, this idea is not uncommonly found within the Christian community - that if we pray the prayer or walk the aisle, then, like Sylvester, anybody at all can have anything anybody wants!! or so we believe. Under that assumption, many then go out into the big cruel world to test 'the magic pebble.'

When things go wrong, as they certainly always will in this fallen world, those who've gotten sucked into 'magic pebble theology' become disappointed, discouraged, disillusioned, ready to throw their magic pebble god out the window. (a god of our own making - not to be confused with the sovereign God of the Universe, the God of the Bible.)

God never promised us a life exempt from suffering, grief, and loss. The Bible does talk about peace that passes all understanding. That would imply that we have peace amidst trials, certainly not that we can expect peaceful lives. Jesus said to take up our cross and follow Him. Scripture also says that 'all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.' Romans 8:28. That's the good and the bad things. God uses all of them to His glory.

Hebrews Chapter 11 tells us of the lives of the saints, sinners saved by grace, who've gone before:

'[They] experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy) wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.


And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.'


THEREFORE, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus said, These things I have spoken to you, so that in ME you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage - I have overcome the world. - John 16:34 

I am so thankful for the real peace and joy and HOPE that a sovereign God gives the repentant sinner, His child, even in the midst of adversity.


This post is linked to Thankful Thursday. 
AND 
Just for the Joy of It.