All in one day.

 Friday.
 We had a day of two events that have nothing in common besides that they were all in one day. 

We were on the road by dark-thirty in the morning, and arrived at our friend's farm by 7:30.

A beautiful, foggy morning! The pastures with their horses (or cows) looked so picturesque.

The Chickens. Or "The Meat"

Bringing in the chickens

Ben

Sophia was a little bit shy at first, but by the end she was in there catching the chickens

Cameron after a -ahem!- water hose war...

How many clowns fit in the car ?

"The last melon!"... or chicken. We had started cleaning when the last chicken was discovered, it also was one of the heaviest.

Literally, when we got home, we showered, talked, then went to our next event:

Bruce Munsterman and  Peter Steigerwald.

A dear friend of ours gave us tickets to join him at KHCB's 50th anniversary celebration at 1st Baptist.Though I'm not a dedicated radio listener (for any station) it was neat to see all the talkshow host in person and see all the volunteers too.

Kristyn Getty reading some scripture.

Part of the celebration was a little concert from Keith and Kristyn Getty. They sang "By Faith", "In Christ Alone", "The Power of the Cross", a beautiful lullaby to their daughter, and a unique rendition of  "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".

Space shuttle astronaut, Colonel Jeff  William, gave a testimony of his time in space looking at the world...

John MacArthur was the speaker for the evening.

He spoke on Isaiah 53

Not what My Hands Have Done

The Grand Canyon

Another favorite -actually, I think all of these songs have been my favorite- that gives such a poignant reminder of "not what my hands have done". A dear friend of ours from church pointed out how by just reading the beginning of each verse there is such a beautiful picture of redemption.

 Let's see, "Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;" no works righteousness, self-help, can save us. Not just plain save us, but save, " guilty soul" us. Guilty before who? God. "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight," {Psalm 51:4}. 

" And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light." Isn't funny to think of all the things the Bible records God said and it happened? That may seem like such a vast and childish thought at first, but go read and ponder. This same Lord that has spoken so much, is the same Lord that, "can speak to me of grace;". In this second verse is the solution to the first verse, "Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;"

  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." {2 Corinthians 4:5-6}

This third verse pretty much fly's in the face of all other thinking (christian or not), "Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;"  It is Christ, and only Him, that can clean our slate, erase sin, and clear the guilty soul. His sinless life in a sinful and fallen world was, and is, significant. Therefore His death was just as significant because He took on God's full wrath, though there was no sin in Him, yet, "We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God." {Romans 6:9-10} It is Christ's who saves us. Where have we gotten the idea that there is a corner of us that is untainted by sin to choose God? There is nothing here about what we do besides sinning (but later praising and loving).

"I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine; ", the  sinner is now resting in the loving and gracious arms of the Savior that he has been speaking of. Not only does he rest in, but also blesses the, "Christ of God". This Christ of God, connects to same God that the sinner can't make peace with in verse 1. Also there is such firm trust and reassurance in this verse.

This last verse, "I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;" is a continued growth from the previous verse. Reminds me of the first question in one of our church's catechism, "What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." He truly is The All in All, the great I AM, and Lord! And He, "calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light." This last verse kinda sums up the hymn, reminding, that is God who saves, pardons, and loves. It is only through Christ that we love and forgive. 
"  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 
{1 John 4:9-10}

Not What My Hands Have Done

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He Who saveth me, and freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.

-Horatius Bonar

stay calm and go camping

In the case that you haven't kept up with my wedding planning venture, I've been a wee busy lately.
The past few months have been quite the roller coaster, having a full mental plate while having a hand in planning three different weddings has made for one pretty tired, petite person; with everything going on right now, I can sense that a good, salty cry is in order (along with a hot bath and a glass of wine!), if only I could spare the time... I feel as if my to-do list is continually growing and I'm continually scurrying around trying to get things done; no sooner is one item completed than another unfinished item appears. It goes without saying that I'm tired. and discouraged. Quite a few things are weighing heavy on my mind and I have a long to-do list to boot. As much as I love and appreciate things to be in ship shape and Bristol fashion, I just don't have the energy or strength to do them. Tired and discouraged, I tell you.

The above has pretty much been my current petition before the Lord recently; I suppose that starting off the morning with this mindset can be dangerous. While I have been bringing these things and more before my Faithful Father, I am keenly aware of my finite state; there are so many things that I don't know, but after all, it's His will that shall come to pass and all for His glory. Our God is so kind to bring such comfort and peace with His sovereignty; it is cliche but maintaining the focus on Him and His will truly does do the soul good. While I may be swirling in a sea of confusion and discouragements, I can lean on His everlasting arms, knowing that His purposes will come to pass and for His glory; that whatever events or things that come to pass in my life, I can rest in the fact that the Lord has been preparing me for just that situation, I truly have all that I need in Him (here's a great reminder of this). There's also a merciful peace in looking back at God's past mercies, how He's provided for my every need, how He has brought His will to pass. What can I truly dread or fear (or be stressed out about or lose sleep over or...) when trusting in His sovereignty and goodness?

So, my family and I will be heading out tomorrow to go camping. Not as a result of my looming to-do list, it just so happens that while I'm struggling to get things done, we're going on a family camping trip! Nothing could be more timely, truly. While it's not relaxing to pack and prepare for the trip (more lists!!), I can imagine the rest that will be there once we set up camp, very timely indeed. Yes, ladies and gents, I'll be taking a knitting project (honestly, how can one not knit in chilly weather??) and my journal (I have a certain ideal about writing while on a camping trip, it just seems fitting somehow). After more scurrying around tomorrow, packing up the car, and finalizing a few things at home, we'll be off for the Central Texas hillcountry until Sunday. Quite fitting indeed.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

               (Psalm 91:1-2 ESV)

(it's an old one but here is my favorite rendition of this wonderful hymn, enjoy :)

good morning

To say each morning,

"I must have things weariful, painful to bear today, and they shall all be offered up beforehand as my heart's sacrifice; they shall be, not fought against, but received calmly and as welcome, for His sake who suffers them to come,"

gives a dignity, a purpose, nay a very joy to what otherwise is all cheerless annoyance.

~H.L. Sidney Lear

Dear E,

Dear E,

How strange it is that you are gone! Yesterday we were doing family worship and remembered that it was your day to pick the songs. :(
Oh, btw, as I was causally scrolling through your blog feed, my eye caught this post from one of YOUR blog list. An irresistible grin/smirk came over my face and I was going to email it to you but decided to add it to my letter. Who would have thought that there is someone else that likes Andrew Peterson, and is excited enough to blog about it!
I felt like saying, " See, Ted walks to work." (Monster's Inc.) 

 Moving on to other great things...

I have been intending almost every night to just sit down and upload the Kindle to Amazon (and eventually sell it).

As you can see I got a little camera happy with the reflections.

I recovered those iPhone boxes. Do you like them?

Yesterday mom and I were busy bees. Well, I was wanna-be-busy-bee, I had a bunch of things I wanted to do, so I half did everything! At the same time. But I did finish my school.

I finished glossing your signs on Saturday, but the Loyd's weren't there. Oh, well.

One of Mica's delectable gluten free loaves.

I have also been listening to my new album. I am having trouble deciding my favorite.

I have been having some major water kefir problems. I'll save my theories for later, but I've cleaned the grains and am crossing up fingers for good water kefir.
  We all are so excited for your return. Come back with plenty of stories (and tea)!

Love,
Caro :)

P.S I found this neat behind the scenes

clip, when I was listening to a version of "I Dreamed a Dream".
 

Lord Most High

As the picture states, it's from 1994!

Not my most favorite artist's, but these are some songs I enjoy -actually Mica prompted me to post Lord Most High, because it reminded her of her time in Dubai- and they have very worshipful lyrics.

Lord Most High

From the ends of the earth (From the ends of the earth)
From the depth of the sea (From the depth of the sea)
From the height of the heaven (From the height of the heaven)
Your name we raise

From the hearts of the weak (From the hearts of the weak)
From the shouts of the strong (From the shouts of the strong)
From the lips of all people (From the lips of all people)
Your song we raise Lord

Throughout the endless ages
You have be crowed with praises
Lord most high
Exalted in every nation
Your're soverign of all creation
Lord most high
Be magnified

-Hillsong United

There isn't much more to note of this song, it's all there! Here is a little snippet of another song:

I Will Lift My Eyes

"God, my God, I cry out:
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near; calm my fear
 And take my doubt

[Intro]Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in

[Chorus]
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You "

-Bebo Norman

When I read the first few verses in Psalm 121, "I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth. "

I'm always reminded of this song's chorus (and vice versa). I love how the rest of this Psalm continues -kinda like this song does, but, you know, different-  with pointing up to the Lord, "I will lift my eyes", and ends with the comforting words of,

"The Lord will keep, your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore." 

Love,
    Caro :)

Goodbye Nealy's

The best way to think about the last two weeks with the Neal's is cramming three days to one, without the extra days of sleep. I can speak for all of us in saying that we loved every minute of it (cause hey, being exhausted with someone else so much better).

Monday was our "bumming around day", and unintentionally the first day of school for public schooled kids (everyone posting pictures of their kids, all neat and fresh, while we are in our PJ's eating breakfast from morn to eve). We watched movies, and made sure the blinds were shut all day!
 It was great.
Tuesday the Neal's and Mica went to the Vaughn's for the day, Elena baby-sat, and Mom and I cleaned. That was probably the quietest day.

Riding horses with our friends the Bingham's

Wednesday was all-day at the Binghams up in Conroe area, and our Christless Christianity  small group.
All the girls loved going horseback-riding -even Mrs. Jackie went riding. We also made cheese, (some of us) went four-wheeling, and played many rounds of foosball.

Johnny and David.

Making mozzarella goat cheese

 I wasn't around for the actually making of the cheese, but I helped stretch it! Stretching the cheese almost reminded me of warming polymer clay in your hands.

Jo -she was being really cute the day they left.

Thursday we packed a bit, had some friends from morn to afternoon and then had some more friends drop by after dinner.
Friday was busy; 9:30 piano, 10:15 violin, friend for lunch, and dare I mention packing and last minute errands!

Note that these are just the main events in between the basic everyday things (cleaning, blaring loud music while washing the dishes , answering questions, playing multiple rounds of cards and Mancala, laughing over daily incidents, dishing out fish oils,  and making salads)

Getting into the car, after giving hugs and kisses to the Neal's, I was so tired but I already missed them!
 No one to carry down from naptime, talk to at night, put in a headlock, answer wide-eyed questions, or help find their shoes.
Goodbye Nealy's!

The Church's One Foundation

Switzerland 08-14-2003

One of my favorite songs to sing at church!

I  like how this hymn establishes who the Church's One foundation is -Christ!
Then it continues "Her charter of salvation One Lord, one faith, one birth; One holy Name she blesses," which so distinctly reminds me of the Part in Ephesians, "There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

The Church's One Foundation

The church's one Foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation
By water and the Word:
From heav'n he came and sought her
To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her,
And for her life he died.

Elect from ev'ry nation,
Yet one o'er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food.
And to one hope she presses,
With ev'ry grace endued.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, "How long?"
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.

The church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain and cherish
Is with her to the end;
Though there be those that hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against or foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.

'Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace for evermore;
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great church victorious
Shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
With the God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with thee.

-Samuel J. Stone (1866) 

 

 As I was vacuuming the living room, I was thinking over what I liked in this song (I do most of my deep and contemplative thinking while I'm vacuuming, supposed to be drifting asleep, and showering), I marveled at how comforting it was to know,
"The church shall never perish! Her dear Lord to defend,".
 I just started reading through a new history book, "2,000 Years of Christ's Power", and it was talking about the beginning of the persecution from the Roman Emperors -okay, okay, it was Nero and Domitian, to all you history geeks- and after describing some of the torments the Christians went under, it said how the church grew in numbers and in unity, more than ever before.
Lastly, these lyrics came to mind I was looking over this song just now: 

" And the wicked roam the cities and the streets tonight
But when the God of love and thunder speaks tonight
Oh, I believe You will come
Your justice be done, but how long?

How long? How long?
How long until this curtain is lifted?
How long is this the song that we sing?
How long until the reckoning?"

Love,
           Caro :)