Sunday Reflections

God of Grace and God of Glory
text: Harry Emerson Fosdick
music: John Hughes

God of grace and God of glory, On Thy people pour Thy power;
Crown Thine ancient Church's story, Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage
For the facing of this hour, For the facing of this hour.

Lo! The hosts of evil round us, Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways!
From the fears that long have bound us, Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage,
For the living of these days, For the living of these days.

Cure Thy children's warring madness; Bend our pride to Thy control;
Shame our wanton, selfish gladness, Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom's goal, Lest we miss Thy kindom's goal.

Set our feet on lofty places, Gird our lives that they may be;
Armored with all Christ-like graces, In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee, That we fail not man nor Thee. Amen.

Wednesday Potpourri

I'm taking a break for my story for a few random things I've been wanting to post about.

First: Silas got glasses!!



Second: Prae grew the most awesome amaryllis. She had fun measuring it every few days and watching how fast it grew.



Third: We have been having fun with art at our house. We are trying our hand at sunsets and will soon cut out silhouettes from black paper to finish our projects. Then, I'm going to hang all three in our bathroom. Tonight our bible study is on "Art: Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder?" Can't wait...









Fourth: Prae is entering her Science project in the fair at the School of Mines. She did an experiment with M & M's and tested to see if people's favorite colors had anything to do with their choice of M & M's. She will get to spend the whole day there on Friday. They even get to go have lunch and shop at the Mall! :-) Not sure what that has to do with a science fair, but I think it is to give the judges time to do their judging - ha!




Fifth: I am enjoying my new job at the Police Department. I am working in Records and really like it so far. My hours are great and they are willing to work with my schedule, which is wonderful too!

And Last but not Least: We are having our families favorite meal tonight: Rice & Beans. I'm really not exaggerating!!! I will make homemade flour tortillas to go with it and it is really one of our favorite meals. Can't wait to pay off that house, and we're having so much fun coming up with good ways to do that. And really -- Rice and Beans are wonderful!!

The Battle Pt. 3

The sun warmed our faces as we all headed down the dirt path. The kids raced on ahead squealing and chasing each other, enjoying the chance to stretch their legs. Aticus and I walked behind them smiling at their youthful energy and playful bantering. We hadn't gone far when Titus ran back to us and started walking beside me.

"Could we get some candy today, Mom?" he pleaded with those dark brown eyes. "We haven't had some in awhile and your friend Lydia usually has some for sale."

"We'll see, Ti." His shoulders drooped just slightly.

The girls didn't want to miss out on the conversation so they stopped and waited until we caught up with them.

"Whatcha talkin' about?" Sadie wondered in her normal inquisitive manner.

"We were just discussing what we would be needing in town," I answered.

"Oh! I sure hope we can get something pretty for my hair. It is finally getting long like Prisca's and I need something to keep it out of my eyes. Something with feathers would be SO wonderful."

"Sadie, you should know better! Father and Mother have many more important things they need to buy today; namely, food." Priscilla said. "Mom, did you see how low our flour is getting? I couldn't even make pancakes this morning for fear we would run out. I was wondering, though, if we could check around town to see if there were any new books available."

Aticus chuckled and opened his mouth to answer but stopped when his eyes noticed movement far down the road. The rest of us looked to see what he was staring at and soon saw the figure too.

"Now who could that be?" wondered Priscilla.

"Whoever it is sure walks funny," added Sadie.

"Sadie, that's not polite," I scolded. "When we reach whomever it is I want all of you children to be on your best behavior!"

"Yes Mom," rang three voiced in unison.

It didn't take long and we could see the form was a man walking very slowly and he had a terrible limp. The man looked familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place him.

"Demas!" Aticus exclaimed as soon as he reached the man's side.

"Hello Aticus, Hanna, children." Demas replied in a rather weak voice.

"What happened, Dear Brother?" Aticus asked as the rest of us stood there gawking, not knowing what to say.

The last time we had all seen Demas he had brought us news from the King. He was one of the King's most trusted couriers. He was responsible for carrying the Word of the Master to many different districts in our land. To see him in this manner was definitely a shock to us all.

With misty eyes Demas shared his story with us. He told us that on his many travels from town to town he started hearing stories about a certain road. He knew exactly which road they were referring to and in fact, had passed it many times. He had never been tempted to go down it until he heard them talking. He found himself dwelling on that road more and more and would find excuses to pass by it more often than necessary. One day he made up his mind.

"Aticus, I made the turn and headed down the road. I loved this present world and all of the fleshly things it had to offer. I knew my breastplate would not be welcomed where I was going, so I took it off. I can't lie - I felt free and so much lighter skipping down that path. I was looking forward to giving in to my lusts and passions. But the enemy was watching my every move. Without my armor on I was an easy target. One of his arrows hit me in the chest, the other in the leg. I found myself crying out to the King, knowing He would be the only One who could save me from such injuries. He tended to my wounds and brought me back onto the narrow road. But because I chose the path of unrighteousness, I will never be the same." Demas paused to wipe a tear from his eye. "I can no longer carry His messages as I once did. I still share it, but not with the same vigor and effect. I thank the Lord for His forgiveness, and look forward to the day when the battle is done."

Aticus threw his arms around Demas and they clung to each other for awhile.

"Thank you for sharing with us, Demas. An important lesson for us all," he said, looking at each of the children. "We need to put our armor on daily, submit to the King, and resist the enemy. We are all susceptible and it is only by the King's grace that we are even in this army. Let us never think we are better than another Brother and yet always try to warn one another of dangers that we see."

I went over and wrapped my own arms around Demas and told him we would come visit him very soon.

We continued down our little narrow path and I heard Demas yell to us: "Stand firm, Dear Friends" as we started to turn the corner.

The Battle Pt. 2

"Daddy!" Sadie squealed as she ran over to Aticus and threw her little arms around his legs. "Can we go now, Daddy? Please, please? We've been waiting for you, and all of our chores are done, and Ema and Mary and Lydia will all be waiting for me, and maybe we could even visit Grandpa and Grandma, and-"

"Whoa, Little Girl. I know you are excited and yes, we are going to town, but give me a few minutes before we do."

The look he shot me across the room told me it had already been a tough day even though the sun hadn't been up for very long.

"Look, Dad," Titus said as he came over holding out his hands. "I've been working on these all morning and I think they are turning out pretty well. Do you like them?"

Aticus gently took the small arrowheads from Titus' hands and inspected each one.

"Good work, Son. You are getting a very good eye for detail. These will be ready for me to help you mount soon."

"Have you had a hard day today, Father?" Priscilla asked.

"Prisca, Prisca -- you don't miss a thing, do you? Yes, I have seen some of the battle already this morning, but don't worry your pretty little head. I'm here now and soon we will all go for a nice stroll. But for now, will you please take your brother and sister outside so your Mom and I can talk a few things over?"

"Yes, Dad."

I could tell by the look on her face that she was not thrilled with the fact of being left out of the adult conversation, but she obediently took her sister's hand and led them all outside.
I went right over and wrapped my arms around Aticus and rested my head on his broad chest. I could feel the metal of his breast plate through his shirt. It's shape conformed to his chest so perfectly it had almost become a part of him. He ran his fingers through my hair and let out a soft sigh. He slumped onto a chair and patted the seat next to him.

"Oh, Hanna. The battle is fierce. Sometimes I wonder if I can go on. It seems as though we have fewer and fewer standing with us to fight. And what is worse is seeing those who say they have been called by the King stand by and do nothing. They don't even put their armor on, Hanna!" As he spoke, I could see the vein in his temple pulse as the blood rushed through his troubled body. He went on. "Content to spend their days doing what they please, they don't engage in the fight for truth. They don't care about the King's orders and have such a small understanding of what He asks of us. And it's not because there is nothing for them to do - so many are boldly attacking. It is a time for us to stand firm!"

I swallowed slowly and quickly searched my mind for the right words. Oh Lord, help me say the right things. Help me fill him with Your hope but to also let him know that I understand what he's so upset about.

"I know what you're saying, Aticus. I see it too. It is getting harder and harder to tell people the truth. But we can't give up! We cannot forget that our King is victorious. He is the One who opens their eyes to the truth. Our job is to speak it, He will cause them to hear it. Remember David's words, 'Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You. For Your lovingkindness is great above the heavens,And Your truth reaches to the skies.' We must keep our eyes on HIM, not the battle."

"Thank you, Hanna. You are right. Let's talk more about this later. I'm sure there are three very anxious children outside ready to get to town. We should get going."

To be continued...

"The Battle"

"I'm scared, Momma," Sadie whined as I leaned down to straighten and tie her little belt.

"Why do we even need to wear these things? Hardly anyone else does anymore and mine gets so heavy," complained Titus as he fidgeted with the leather belt around his waist.

"You know it's because we have been called by the King. He's given us our gear and we need to get it on so we can go!" Priscilla quickly explained in her common matter-of-fact tone. I glanced over at her and was again reminded of how much she had grown recently. Not only in height, but her mind was sharp and she was so anxious to get out in that battle. My heart quickened and I could feel a fear for her creep into my neck, but I forced my mind back to the TRUTH.

I paused and breathed a quick prayer for the right words.

"Children, we must hurry. Your father will be here soon to walk with us to town. Priscilla is exactly right. Our Almighty King has called us into this battle and we are fighting for the TRUTH. Many have come before us and have stood firm and fought well. Recently, though, it seems there are fewer and fewer soldiers."

Again I could feel that rush in my neck, but tried to keep my mind on my explanation.

"But we don't need to be afraid, Sadie. Our King has given us all that we need to be prepared. Look at your belt, for instance. Our Master knew we would need something to keep us all together, to keep our clothes close to our body and out of the way. Something to hang our weapons on and to show we are ready to face the enemy. When you put this on, my Dear Children, you are showing the world that you are committed to TRUTH."

"But Mom, Giles says that no one really knows the TRUTH anymore. He said that it's old fashioned to stand for something let alone to fight for it. I try to be strong, Mom, but I see the look in his eyes and most of the time I get scared and just start talking about something else. How do we know there is a right and wrong?"

"Titus, that is a very good question. To help you understand I'm going to have you three children do something for me. All of you close your eyes. No peeking. Now I want you to point to the North. No peeking, Sadie Girl."

Priscilla shot her arm out in her usual confident manner while the other two took longer to decide.

"Okay, open your eyes."

Little Sadie quickly glanced at her sister and swung her arm in the same direction to match Priscillla's.

"Those are all great guesses, but you are all wrong. North is straight that way," I said gently, pointing toward the tall oak in the distance.

"Priscilla, you seemed very sure of yourself when you were pointing. You thought you were dead on, didn't you?"

As she nodded I went on,

"Life is like that too. Many people think they are right, but haven't checked out their "facts" with the TRUTH. The King has given us His Word and all that He says is TRUTH. There is only one right way, Dear Children, and we must continue to stand for the TRUTH that we have been in trusted with. Come now, I hear your father coming. Let's not keep him waiting."

To be continued...