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7 Joyful Tidings; or, Stuff to Be Glad About

Jun20

“[I]f God took the trouble to tell us eight hundred times to be glad and rejoice, He must want us to do it—–SOME.” ~Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter.

1) How Sunday School Sparked Revival in Egypt’s Oldest Church, from Christianity Today.

“We have been blown away by their care for the next generation. It takes two years of training to even teach a kindergartener.”

2) Even the writer of Ecclesiastes knew that not everything is meaningless:

3) The Things That Count by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Now, dear, it isn’t the bold things,
Great deeds of valour and might,
That count the most in the summing up of life at the end of the day.
But it is the doing of old things,
Small acts that are just and right;
And doing them over and over again, no matter what others say;
In smiling at fate, when you want to cry, and in keeping at work when you want to play—
Dear, those are the things that count.
And, dear, it isn’t the new ways
Where the wonder-seekers crowd
That lead us into the land of content, or help us to find our own.
But it is keeping to true ways,
Though the music is not so loud,
And there may be many a shadowed spot where we journey along alone;
In flinging a prayer at the face of fear, and in changing into a song a groan—
Dear, these are the things that count.
My dear, it isn’t the loud part
Of creeds that are pleasing to God,
Not the chant of a prayer, or the hum of a hymn, or a jubilant shout or song.
But it is the beautiful proud part
Of walking with feet faith-shod;
And in loving, loving, loving through all, no matter how things go wrong;
In trusting ever, though dark the day, and in keeping your hope when the way seems long—
Dear, these are the things that count.

4) Texas Builder Dan Phillips Turns Trash into Treasure

5) Some lovely old (new-to-me) books in my library:

6) Some relatively new books look as if they might be good news:

The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall (Knopf, May 2018) is said to be the fifth and final book in the Penderwicks series, and I have it in my reading queue. I’ve read good things about the finale, and I’m looking forward to reuniting with the Penderwicks and friends.

“Golden Hill by Francis Spufford (Scribner, 2017) is set in 1746 New York, pop. 7,000. When a young, handsome man hops off a boat from London with a promissory note for 1,000 pounds—a fortune in those days—locals whisper and conspire: Who’s he? A spy? Royalty? Con man? What results is a well-researched, comical, lyrical, action-packed story of wit-sparring lovers, local politics, Shakespeare, and mysteries.” —World magazine reporter Sophia Lee

The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel. Recommended by Ann Bogel at Modern Mrs. Darcy.

The Black Widow (Gabriel Allon Series Book 16) by Daniel Silva is recommended by both Marvin Olasky and Ann Bogel, so maybe I should read the first fifteen books in this series of spy novels, or should I just jump into this latest and greatest one?

7) Today I want to tell those that I love: be careful what stories you tell yourself. Be kind to yourself. Expect kindness from others. Give other people the benefit of the doubt. Don’t assume evil motives or hidden hostility.
Above all, TRUST in God’s love and concern for the person He created and sustains in you. You truly are His, redeemed, bought with a price, forgiven, renewed, the apple of His eye.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Lists and Links from January

Jan31

Redeemed Reader: Here Be Dragons, Mega Fantasy and Sci-FI Booklist (all ages)

Amy at Hope Is the Word gives an annotated list of the books she read, both alone and with her children, in January 2018. It’s a good list.

The following articles I thought worth sharing on my Facebook page in January, and now I’m sharing them here:

My Larry Nassar Testimony Went Viral. But THere’s More to the Gospel Than Forgiveness. Interview by Morgan Lee at Christianity Today with Rachel Denhollander.

When Someone You Admire Does Something Disgusting by Russell Moore.

“Notice how, inside and outside the church, people are loudly denunciatory of the evil behavior of their political, religious, or cultural opponents, and yet, when the same thing is true of their allies, they are muted or even found attempting justifications for the behavior. Whenever this is the case, you can be sure that these people don’t believe in morality or truth or justice, but in their allies. They believe in power. They believe in themselves.”

The Greatest Showman (or at Least, the Fairly Decent Showman) by Jenna Badeker at The Rabbit Room.

“It is by no means lesser to indulge in a speedier denouement. We all need breaks from our waiting seasons. We are drawn to fiction for varying reasons, and happiness is a good one. I am not in the camp of the stuffy critic (who is an actual character in the movie). I have already listened to the soundtrack a few times since seeing the movie and probably will again. The Greatest Showman provides an uplifting experience to its viewers, and there is a place for that. But . . .”

Why We Forget Most of the Books We Read by Julie Beck. January 26, 2018, The Atlantic. (This article, without referencing Charlotte Mason or homeschooling at all, presents a good, research-based argument for Charlotte Mason-style short lessons and readings.)

“The lesson from his binge-watching study is that if you want to remember the things you watch and read, space them out. I used to get irritated in school when an English-class syllabus would have us read only three chapters a week, but there was a good reason for that. Memories get reinforced the more you recall them.”

And a couple of blog posts that I thought were inspiring or informative:

To Whoever Took Our Bike: We Are Praying For You by Jennifer Love.
To Whoever Took Our Bike Part II: Unexpected Happy Endings.

Thriving in a Special Needs Marriage at Ambling Grace.

I’m looking forward to February—and more growing, learning, reading, and becoming.

Olympic Athletes: We’ve All Got a Story

Jul31

Like millions around the world, I like watching the Olympics every four years, even though I hardly ever watch sports any other time. I watch the gymnasts and the swimmers and the runners and marvel at what they can do with body that God has given them. But even more than watching the feats of athletic prowess, I enjoy reading and hearing the stories of those athletes who have trained themselves to physical preeminence, and who are also pursuing spiritual maturity in Christ. Here a links to few stories I’ve found inspiring:

Sarah Scherer, who will vie for a gold medal in the air rifle competition at the London Olympics, draws strength from her faith in God after a tragedy shook her life two years ago.

Missy Franklin, swimming gold medalist:

Brady Ellison, archery: “I just step on the field and try to let how I shoot, how I behave and how I act in my life represent myself and God. If people like that, they do; if they don’t, they don’t.”

Francena McCorory, track.

Ryan Hall, marathoner. “I was a runner who happened to be a Christian. I needed to become a Christian who happened to be a runner.”