Hey All,
On accident I posted tons of new pictures on Micaiah's blog. I actually run both accounts, although I seem to have forgotten my password for this one. Thank goodness for automatic sign-in on my computer. Instead of loading everything to this account, go on his and take a peek at the new pictures Tool Man and Katriel. See you later.
alia
Just about every year, I prescribe for myself a serious course of reading . By the time beach weather sets in, my high standards are gradually laid aside and I take up light, entertaining reading. Oh well. For now, however, I will take advantage of my strong resolutions and soak up all the valuable knowledge and worthy sentiments my mind and imagination can absorb. I try to stick to a biography or history book, a classic, and a theology book all at once. Right now, I am reading Jane Erye (For the third time - the best books are like best friends, you enjoy revisiting them), His Excellency (a biography of George Washington in honor of President's Day), and Institutes of Christian Religion - The First and Second Books by John Calvin. Reading Calvin is intense - it is incredibally engaging and requires every ounce of energy to comprehend fully his meaning. I am going slowly; in fact, I read the the first chapter three times, just because it was so good and I was afraid I had missed out on something. Here's one of my favorite thoughts from that first chapter:
"We cannot aspire to Him in earnest, until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves...For since we are all naturally prone to hypocrisy, any semblance of righteousness is quite enough to satisfy us instead of righteousness itself."
O God, Help me to raise my eyes to You, ever upward and never inward, and may your radiance and brillance so enlighten my heart, that beholding You I am dazzled by True Righteousness and Wisdom, and Purity!
"The moon shall be confounded and the Sun ashamed when the LORD of Hosts shall reign."
We finished reading this book about the life of Adoniram Judson. He was a missionary to Burma. He had hard times. He was thrown into prison once and all three of his wives died and many of his children. But he trusted in the Lord and knew that everything would be all right in the end. He just wanted to tell them in Burma about God.
Dad very methodically drinks his morning cup of coffee
We are not sure but we think Katie just might have an imaginary friend
A very tired,pregnant Emily making late night final preparations for wedding
Hi everyone. Tim and I are going to have a family blog (Tim is keeping his personal blog) over at timandem.vox.com.
Look for baby pictures, family stuff, etc. over at our new site!
We have been reading to Andrew from a biography about Adonirom Judson and we took a little field trip up to Plymouth this week to see his grave marker and show him the other historical sights there. I am glad that he is interested in history (because both of his parents are) and I am glad that we live in a part of the country where we have historical sites to visit. We plan on bringing him to where Edwards preached, where the first Baptist church in America is in Providence, and some of the other church history sites around here in New England, in the future. Our prayer is that he will have a deeper sense of his heritage as a result. Growing up, my father took us to all of these same places and I know it helped me to develop a love for church history and an appreciation of how God sovereignly used these men and woman to build up His Church.
Burial Hill, where Adonirom Judson's grave marker lies, is probably the oldest or one of the oldest cemeteries in America. Many of the Pilgrims are buried there. They originally used the hill as a site for their fort, where they had a commanding view of the harbor. It is still a spectacular view. Even more awe-inspiring is just walking around and gazing at the cracked, moss covered gravestones, looking at the art work on these ancient tombs, and attempting to read the faded,elegiac poems upon them, carved in archaic script. An aura of peace pervades and there is a great, enveloping sense of life among the dead. I know it sounds odd and perhaps I am too sentimental, but this paradox did not originate with me, it comes from the Word of God where we told to lose our lives in order to save them. Many who are memorialized on Burial Hill chose suffering, sacrifice, and self-denial for the cause of liberty in Christ, as in the case of the Separatists, and for the sake of the Gospel, as in the case of Adonirom and Ann Judson. This strikes me as such a stark contrast to modern day Americans and modern day Christians, who live from one materialistic and self-centered experience to the next. God, spare me from such a hollow,empty life as that! It is no life at all.
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth..." Hebrews 11:13
I ran out of room from my old webpage and they wanted me to buy more room. I figured I would move on to bigger and better ( and Free) things!!!!
Here are some pictures we took lastweek in the snow!!! Yes we had snow. We even had a "snow" day. The kids were very excited!!! Mom was not. People who don't generally get snow can't drive in it, if you know what I mean!!!
I did post recently on my other "blog" so be sure to check it out one last time!!! http://ncrinhi.wordpress.com/
