Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing

by Charles Wesley

Music adapted from a Mendelssohn cantata

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

~

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

~

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Ephesians 2: 13-17

Lyrics from http://www.carols.org.uk/hark_the_herald_angels_sing.htm

"Gentle Joys": some of my favorite Christmas books

1. A Woman's Christmas: Returning to the Gentle Joys of the Season by Arlene Hamilton Stewart (Victoria magazine). This is my favorite "scenario" Christmas book... I would love to have the kind of lovely, classic, feminine, perfect Christmas season that it describes.

2. Simply SenseSational Christmas by Terry Willits. A beautiful Christ-centered, home-centered book.

3. The Twelve Teas of Christmas by Emilie Barnes, illustrated by Sandy Lyman Clough. A book full of charming ideas to celebrate "friendship," "family," "warmth," "peace," "dreams," and "stillness," to name a few.

4. Christ in the Carols by Christopher and Melodie Lane. A small treasure, full of the lyrics to some of the most inspired music of our age, along with Scripture, and often, the stories behind the songs.

Peace on earth, good will to men...

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And mild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn, the households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:14

Lyrics courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Heard_the_Bells_on_Christmas_Day

Image courtesy of antiqueclipart.com

Small joys

This Christmas season, we've made an effort to enjoy some of the small joys of the season.





One recent evening, I took a shower with a special holiday scent, then joined a purring cat in my dressed-for-Christmas bed to read a special Christmas book.








(I've been reading the Nativity Trilogy by Bodie & Brock Thoene... currently on the middle story, Fifth Seal.)

In Memory

Grandma

1913 - 2007

An autumn craft

Saturday afternoon and evening we enjoyed some seasonal pleasures, gathering to watch football games and have chili. Since I don't watch football in great detail, so to speak, I found a project that had been in my craft basket for a very long time... beeswax candle kits. You just roll sheets of beeswax snugly around a wick. They're simple, quick to make, and of course, practical. Long before the final touchdown, I had a dozen new candles.

...her candle goeth not out by night.
Proverbs 31:18b

Our harvest

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Genesis 8:22

We've been blessed with a really large pear tree in our backyard. It's beautiful... it blooms heavily in the spring...

Most years, it produces abundantly. Sadly, though, we haven't thought that they made great "eating" pears, but with preparation, they make good cooking pears.

The harvest is a little smaller than average this year, but we brought in a few handfuls of pears this week, and this afternoon, my mother prepared a pear cake (a variation of a fresh apple cake) that we love. And, Jon decided to experiment with our dehydrator, so the kitchen is now filled with the lingering scents of warm pear cake... and softly sweet wafts of drying pear slices.

(The pears pictured by the cake are now in the dehydrator.)

And, this is a chance to display another "lovely thing"... my mother's "cake" doily.

Recipe for "Apple-Dapple Cake" (we substitute pears :))

Mix well:
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tblsp. vanilla

Add and mix well:
3 cups flour

1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda

Fold in:

3 cups finely chopped tart apples (or pears!)

1 1/2 cups black walnuts (or other nut)

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour in a bundt pan.

Working in the wood

... the two of them were working together, Mr. Redmay wielding the saw and Louisa feeding him the branches, to be reduced, in a matter of seconds, to piles of logs. The air was filled with the scent of sawdust. James thought they looked both businesslike and companionable... Louisa seemed tired, but she leaned against James's shoulder and said with great satisfaction, "Just look at it all. Could you believe we'd have got so many logs off just a few branches?"
By Rosamunde Pilcher in "Home for the Day"

A large oak limb had fallen at my aunt & uncle's house, and since we're hoping to hook up our wood stove for this winter, Jon and I headed over there three days this week to cut it up for firewood. Jon ran the chainsaw, and I tried to be a useful assistant. We enjoyed nearly perfect weather, picnic lunches, time to just talk... and the truly satisfying feeling of real productivity!

The first workday he de-limbed it and started on some of the smaller branches.

Here's the limb at the beginning of the second work day...

And here's what it looked like by the end of the third...

We still have to transport the wood to our house, and it still has to be split, but what a blessing that downed limb will be for us. The wood is dense and heavy... I found even these wheels hard to roll, and some of the cuts with the chainsaw took more than 5 minutes for the saw to make it through the thickness of the log. We think it will burn beautifully!

And, oh my, does a girl sleep good when she's worked in the wood! :)

She is not afraid of the snow for her household: ...

Proverbs 31:21a

The mercies of the Lord

I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 89:1

A rainy evening

...for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
I Kings 18:41b

The thunder is rumbling, and the rain has been pouring for hours on our drought-stricken land.
Thank you, Lord!

Sweet "stuff"

My little Oliver (so named because since he was small, he's been black ... and round -- like an olive! -- albeit a fuzzy one) looking out my bedroom windows the other morning. His ears have been "curly" for years now, because of injury, but it certainly gives him a very cute look.






"Ollie, look at Mom!"

The token of the covenant

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Genesis 9: 12-17

This "token of the covenant" was visible from our front yard this evening.

Lily

On Easter weekend 2001, one of our wild outdoor cats had 3 little grey kittens. I was charmed with the little white-nosed one, and we watched their progress. The little mother cat wasn't very good at mothering, though, and kept them out in the dirt, and then on our deck. The babies struggled with eye infections, and my little white nose developed a serious problem with her eyes. We watched the struggle... she wasn't able to learn to eat, and her mother gobbled up the food that we tried to slip out to her when she was alone. The little family would go out into the back yard to play in the evenings, but little white nose wasn't able to make the trip... she couldn't see, and apparently, she was weak. But, she loved her little family, and she'd be so glad to see them when they came back from playtime. We were afraid to interfere with the family dynamics of an untamed mother cat, though, and just watched. Mother's milk started to fail, though, and little white nose failed, too, getting thinner instead of growing. And then, one day, she was gone.

I don't remember now how much time passed. At least a full day, maybe two -- ? We were afraid the worst had happened, and my mother planned to look for her little body the next day. I lay in bed that night, sad, and prayed for a miracle... that I'd have my little white nose in the bed with me in the morning. It didn't even seem like a realistic prayer to me, but it was certainly what I wanted.

The doorbell rang early the next morning, and my mother answered. Our neighbor was standing there with a box... with a rolled up towel... and my little white nose tucked in between two towel "sausage rolls." He said, "I thought this might be yours." My mother said, "Yes." He said, "I think it might be blind." My mother said, "Yes." And, he told her how they'd tried to feed her, and that the milk they'd offered had soured.

So, my mother took the baby, got me, and we headed to the kitchen. She warmed 1/2 & 1/2 and got out our cat feeding syringe, and dropped warm milk in the baby's mouth... and she swallowed, and swallowed, and swallowed. We debated about how often kittens would need to be fed, and thought maybe every four hours or something. We tried to "offer" her to our old kitty, thinking that Honey might like a baby to sleep with, but Honey said "no" to that idea. :) So, I took the baby with me, and went back to bed.

Lord, help Thou my unbelief!

I think it was about two hours later when we tried warm 1/2 & 1/2 again, and boy, this time, it wasn't about just swallowing... it was about slurping! And, she just got better and stronger from there!

She did lose one eye, and the other is noticeably impaired... but SHE doesn't seem to know that, and she certainly didn't let it slow her down.

Her name is Lily (because she was born on Easter weekend -- she's an Easter Lily :)), and she is my baby. And when I was playing with my camera a few nights ago, she decided that she would go ahead and go to sleep... in my bed. :) I joined her shortly.

Angel Face roses

Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Luke 12:27

My mother gave me an Angel Face tree rose several years ago (for my birthday, I believe). We loved the name, and the roses were beautiful... lavender (almost mauve), ruffly, sweet-scented (smelled just like a rose!), and they bloomed from spring 'til November! Simply perfect.

The tree rose didn't make it, but we found a regular version of Angel Face this year that came home to live in a barrel by the back steps. It's faithfully produced lovely flowers for us this year, in spite of the drought. These two came in today. My pictures don't do them justice, but the flowers are lovely.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
Isaiah 40:8

Times of refreshing

Relaxing Tea* Image courtesy of allposters.com

We've had a breath of fresh air blow through our home! (Well, Jon sometimes might be better described as a gusty gale... :) He makes things happen!) We'd gotten "stuck in a rut" and were falling behind. The house needed repair, and we needed a boost. And, to make a long story short, Jon called and said he was coming home to help.

He and Jenn arrived on Monday, and since then, a rotten window has been removed and its replacement ordered, the lawnmower was determined to be unfixable and its replacement bought (and the grass is cut!), the porch is nearly mended, and our jungle-y yard is being brought under control. AND, he's working up plans to help us with a grey water system, re-wire the house, and repair our little leaky bathroom.

It's felt so good to have things being accomplished and moving forward. With all of this productivity swirling around me, I've been freed up to be domestic... I tidy the kitchen, and vacuum, and dust with Pledge, and work on the laundry, and one afternoon got to trim the geraniums for cuttings to root... my very favorite kind of days! I love housework -- I love the feeling of restoring order and beauty to home. I was even able to sit down with Grandma one afternoon and read!

And, as Jon said, "We bring news from the outside world." Jon & I stayed up late last night, and he told me about cricket and toad-in-the-hole and a journeyman's lunch. It's been so interesting! And, Jenn & I lingered at the table one afternoon and talked about Anne Lindbergh's writing, and how nice it was to just have quiet time to recharge, and what the beach was like in winter (I'd love to find out for myself some day!). The conversation has been refreshing and stimulating.

We've been able to talk about dreams a little. I showed them my "daydream" cottage garden book, and Jon said, "You'd really like one, wouldn't you?" (Me: "Oh, yes!") "Well, then I think you should have one." Just the words made my heart feel better. But, he's actually started working on plans to make a cottage garden happen for me. Things like that make me remember why I love him. It's good to remember.

And, we're together.

Music that stirred my spirit

Click here and scroll down to read the story behind the song, the lyrics, and listen to the song "Midnight Warrior."

Homecoming

Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far...
Isaiah 60:4a

My brother and his wife have returned safely from a sojourn abroad. Tonight, we'll gather at the table together... and fill every seat!

Sunday evening tea tray

"Taking tea" always seemed like such a lovely "scenario" to me. I was charmed by the idea from the time I was pretty young -- I assume I got the idea from my books. It had always been an idea, though, until several years ago when we decided to actually try it.

For many years, my younger brother worked most Sundays, we began to prepare a tea tray for his arrival home on Sunday evenings.

It suited us beautifully... we'd typically have a big, traditional, Southern Sunday dinner in the middle of the day, and a light, cozy meal seemed perfect to close the day.

I wasn't surprised that my mother and I enjoyed it, but I was a little surprised to have Drew enjoy it!

We usually have some sort of quick bread or biscuits or muffins to go with our pot of tea. The tray is simple... slightly mismatched :), with big mugs, a tea pot (or two! especially in chilly weather) snug in a cozy, a bowl of sugar cubes (a special treat from our little local grocery), and creamer filled with half & half. The food usually has to be carried on a separate tray!

Then, we join together in a sitting area, usually our den. Sometimes, at Christmas, we'll carry our trays to the living room to be by the tree.

He doesn't work Sundays very often now, and obviously, the summer heat isn't always a conducive feeling to having a tea tray. But, he worked today, and as we face a very busy month, we thought a tea tray tonight would feel good. And, indeed it did!

Tonight's tray had a big pot of Tetley British Blend, which is a simple, sturdy black tea. (Well, to be precise, I think it was British Blend... we'd taken the tea out of the package awhile back and put it in a canister.) And the food was Yorkshire pudding!

We ate together as a storm brewed in the distance... and just sat and talked ... and were together.

Pretty knit bedspreads

I believe my cousin was the first of us to discover hand-knitted bedspreads on eBay. Oh, her finds were so pretty! When we first started shopping for our own, the prices tended to be prohibitive. But, after a good bit of patience, my mother has been able to gather a beautiful collection for the family... and I believe that some of them cost as little as $5.00!

She and I were sorting them recently, gathering them together, and putting the ones not currently in use on a quilt rack. I already had one of my own upstairs, but she shared some of what I thought were the prettiest with me. :)

I know that someone somewhere put many hours (hundreds? thousands?) into making something so lovely... what a blessing from a stranger!

Grow in grace

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
II Peter 3:18

Length of days

Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deuteronomy 5:16



We have that seen that promise fulfilled in my grandmother's life. I believe that it is fair to say that she made it a priority to honor her parents. And, today, she celebrated her 94th birthday.

Be holy

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
I Peter 1: 15-16

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:48

Trust in the Lord

Lavender


Thyme


Rosemary


Mint

These lovely pictures by Carolyn Shores Wright are courtesy of allposters.com.

And, a little note... we have all four of these herbs growing in containers right now. Most of them are on the front porch and steps, but we moved some of the mint around to the side yard by the driveway.

Jane Austen movies

There should be some nice TV to look forward to next winter... beginning on January 13, 2008, Masterpiece Theatre will be airing six Jane Austen movies, several of them new.

I usually enjoy the Jane Austen movies more than I like reading the books (I find her writing style occasionally cumbersome, with lots of extremely long, hard-to-follow sentences). Some of the Jane Austen movies have become my all-time favorites, including "Persuasion" (1995) with Ciaran Hinds and "Pride & Prejudice" (1995) with Colin Firth. I also really enjoyed Emma Thompson's version of "Sense & Sensibility" (1995).

Hmm, until I looked those up just now, I didn't realize what a good year 1995 was for excellent movies! :)

How nice to have something to look forward to after the holidays! I love scenarios... can't you just imagine curling up by the fire with a cup of tea and a soft throw ... and a new Jane Austen movie!... on a winter's evening?

Christ, our High Priest

Last Sunday night, I sat down to eat a bowl of peaches that we'd been glad to find locally... and found something even better. I stumbled into the last part of a movie/documentary airing on TBN about the Ark of the Covenant. The final "theory" that they presented for the possible location of the Ark -- was under the Temple Mount. A spokesman for the Temple Institute, an organization preparing for the Third Temple, said that they did not need to make a new Ark, because they knew where it was. The movie also contended that if you asked Israeli government officials, they would tell you that the Ark was in Israel, and that they knew where it was. I found this fascinating, and spent some time this week doing internet research. And, internet research leads all sorts of places...

The Temple Institute website has pictures of the vessels that they have prepared for the next Temple, including parts of the High Priest's garments. I found the High Priest's crown especially beautiful, with its (Hebrew?) inscription reading "Holy to G-d." Pictures of other parts of the garments are also available, including the stones of remembrance.

This train of thought led to pondering Jesus as our High Priest, and finally, later in the week, my daily Bible reading brought me to Hebrews.

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Hebrews 6:19-20

By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Hebrews 7: 22-27

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Hebrews 8:1-2

Words of Truth

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Matthew 12:36-37

Tasting a good thing

O taste and see that the LORD is good: ...
Psalm 34:8a

Today, I enjoyed a "real" (i.e., from the backyard, ripened on the windowsill) tomato sandwich on soft white bread with mayonnaise and salt. What a treat! We had looked forward to such treats when we returned to the south, but they hadn't come along as often as I'd hoped. That makes the small parade of tomatoes gracing the windowsill this summer that much more special.

What a blessing that sandwich was this afternoon!

Thank you, Lord, for the food! It was delicious, and nutritious, and I enjoyed it very much! :)

Delighting in the Lord

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psalm 37:4

How do I delight myself in You, Lord?

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; ...
Isaiah 58:13-14a

Ebbie

I lost a little friend today... a little furry friend who liked to chase butterflies, and drink half & half, and offer very loud opinions.

I'm grateful for the years God gave me with her. She was truly one of His lovely creations.

A virtuous woman

I want to be like this...

	Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
	The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
	She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
	She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
	She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
	She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
	She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
	She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
	She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
	She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
	She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
	She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
	She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
	Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
	She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
	Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
	She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
	She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
	Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
	Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
	Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
	Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. Proverbs 31: 10-31 I want to work willingly with my hands and not to eat the bread of idleness. Some days, I do better than others!

Lovely things

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.
Philippians 4:8



I've so enjoyed looking at some of the lovely things that other Christian ladies have posted online that I thought I might share some of my favorite things, too.

I'm particularly fond of lists (my own and other people's :)). If some of my favorite books or movies appear on someone else's list ... I like to assume that I might really enjoy some of their other favorites as well.