Bravery

The bravest 

are surely those who have the clearest vision 

of what is before them, 

glory and danger alike, 

and yet notwithstanding, 

go out to meet it.

Thucydides

The Circle

He drew a circle that shut me out

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But love and I had the wit to win;

We drew a circle that took him in.

Edwin Markham

Curried Lentils

Here's an easy, tasty, satisfying, healthy dish for you.

Curried Lentils

Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes:

1 c lentils

3 c water

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 bay leaf

1 t salt

Meanwhile, sauté:

¼ c margarine

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Add:

1 t salt

1-2 T curry powder

Fry briefly and add to cooked lentils, along with:

2 T lemon juice

chopped parsley

Serve over rice.

(Serves 6)

Are We Entitled?

Today's blog is written by Susan Barnes of the blog Abooklook.  I thought that this post was especially good.  Susan also has a Bible study site where you can go through a book of the Bible with her, reading a chapter a day.  Here is her blog.

Devotional Thought : 1 Corinthians 11:25

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 1 Corinthians 11:25

We have taken communion so many times it is easy to take our forgiveness for granted. We may even start to feel entitled to God’s blessings. We get lulled into thinking that because we believe in God in a godless world; because we adhere to moral absolutes in an immoral world; because we treat others well in a loveless world, we are somehow entitled to God’s blessings and protection.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, the minor prophets, all dispel the myth that God promises a reasonable limit on catastrophes for his people. Back then the Jews thought they were safe in Jerusalem. After all God had promised David that one of his descendants would always sit on the throne and the Messiah would come from his line. They thought God had guaranteed them protection. However they found themselves living in exile, with no king, Jerusalem in ruins, and the temple destroyed. Some days we may feel the same. Where is the blessing and protection of God?

We underestimate our sin and God’s determination to rid us of all that is unholy in our lives. It seems God will use crises and tragedies to achieve our sanctification. Hannah Hurnard describes God’s love like this, in Hinds’ Feet on High Places: Love is beautiful, but it is also terrible – terrible in its determination to allow nothing blemished or unworthy to remain in the beloved.

Communion eliminates any sense of entitlement to God’s blessings. Communion reminds us it was our sins that put God’s Son on a cross. We are not entitled to anything; however He is entitled to our very lives.

"Do You Speak Deutsch?"

(I wonder in what language these folks cried when they were babies!)

Sprechen Sie What??

You might think that a baby's cry is like a universal language, that all babies cry alike.  But there is evidence that newborns cry in the native language of their parents!  Last fall NPR reported on a study revealing that the sound of a baby's cry mimics the lilt of the language heard while in the womb.  Here is the audio segment and corresponding article.

Happy Birthday, Peach

Today is the birthday of my sister, Peach.  She turned two when Tim and Ted were only two days old; the three of them grew up more like triplets.  They took care of her, and she took care of them.

Music has been the hallmark of Peach's life.  Shortly after college she spent a year touring with a group called Free Spirit, with whom she traveled to most of the United States and parts of Europe.  Whether as a soloist or member of a worship team or choir, she has loved to sing as much as people have enjoyed hearing her.

Peach is a master storyteller and she's got a great sense of humor.  When she talks about Sally sitting on the poof-bang machine during one of their Free Spirit concerts, you can see the smoke rising and the hole in Sally's dress.  You feel like you're the one falling off the steps into the sanctuary when she describes taking too long a break during a concert and getting back after the lights have gone down.  And she always gets the punch line right.  How I envy that!

Most of her working life has been in ministry to children and senior adults, people who have been blessed by her nurturing and loving spirit over the years.

She loves cats and rabbits and roses and musicals and her nieces and nephews.  Her home, an apartment that she, Dad, Mom and Tim remodeled, is like one you might see in a magazine.  It is lovely, extremely livable, warm and inviting -- just like Peach herself.