For Kolbi who thinks she does not deserve Muffinhood
Kolbi, dear, have you read your sidebar lately? I mean the little place where it says:
Kolbi has over 7 years of
experience in gratefully
submitting to the head
of her family, which has
ultimately led to peace
and contentment.
That is the essence of muffinness. If it helps, just think of yourself as an Urban Muffin. :-D
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Two Questions
A couple of my readers asked questions of other readers in the comments below that haven't been answered yet. Just thought I'd repost them here where they can be more easily seen. I'm sure they were overlooked when my comment system was not functioning properly, which btw, was entirely my own fault. Somehow I inserted a "return" in the line of Sensus Plenior's code, and that's what caused the malfunction. :-p
A couple of my readers asked questions of other readers in the comments below that haven't been answered yet. Just thought I'd repost them here where they can be more easily seen. I'm sure they were overlooked when my comment system was not functioning properly, which btw, was entirely my own fault. Somehow I inserted a "return" in the line of Sensus Plenior's code, and that's what caused the malfunction. :-p
From Robin to Christopher Witmer, sparked by the discussion on Covenant Theology:
Chris Wittmer, you said:
"Whether one agrees with your statement will tend to depend on how Israel is defined. It is certainly a statement that I agree with, but I see the faithful of Israel as a remmant that was taken into the church. (As an aside, I might add that I no longer read Romans 10-11 as describing something that remains as yet unfulfilled, but rather as already fulfilled. One could read those chapters as still having a future referent -- either partially or wholly -- without it making any difference to what you're saying.)"
WIthout giving up my own position on this matter, I want to ask you; if the faithful of Israel were taken into the church, then what do you do with the Nation of Israel and the Jews of today? Who are they and where do they fit in?
Thanks
Robin
Chris Wittmer, you said:
"Whether one agrees with your statement will tend to depend on how Israel is defined. It is certainly a statement that I agree with, but I see the faithful of Israel as a remmant that was taken into the church. (As an aside, I might add that I no longer read Romans 10-11 as describing something that remains as yet unfulfilled, but rather as already fulfilled. One could read those chapters as still having a future referent -- either partially or wholly -- without it making any difference to what you're saying.)"
WIthout giving up my own position on this matter, I want to ask you; if the faithful of Israel were taken into the church, then what do you do with the Nation of Israel and the Jews of today? Who are they and where do they fit in?
Thanks
Robin
From Jennifer to Robin on the topic of fathers and adult daughters:
you said "I will stand and give an account for how they were raised; they are responsible for their own sins past the age of reason "
where do you get this from Scripture? This seems to imply "they are responsible for their own sins past the age of reason, I am responsible for their sins prior to the age of reason." Or maybe it's better to ask "If they are responsible for their sins after the age of reason, who is responsible for their sins prior to it?"
I just don't see any support in Scripture for the whole concept of "age of reason." Which reminds me - are you using the term age of reason as synonomous with "age of accountability"?
you said "I will stand and give an account for how they were raised; they are responsible for their own sins past the age of reason "
where do you get this from Scripture? This seems to imply "they are responsible for their own sins past the age of reason, I am responsible for their sins prior to the age of reason." Or maybe it's better to ask "If they are responsible for their sins after the age of reason, who is responsible for their sins prior to it?"
I just don't see any support in Scripture for the whole concept of "age of reason." Which reminds me - are you using the term age of reason as synonomous with "age of accountability"?
Today Lilian is 14 months old and my blog is exactly two months younger. Many thanks to those of you who read this stuff, and especially to those of you who comment because you are what make blogging so fun.
Through blogging, I have learned some really important stuff, like the fact that I am a Numenorean, King Arthur (Monty Python's), an interpersonal thinker, Lucy (from Peanuts), Jean Valjean (still haven't read that!), a possum, the United Nations, the book of Romans, Elinor Dashwood, Meg March, Shetland wool, Moses, the Colussus of Rhodes, and I speak Dutch fluently!
To commemorate the day, I took this quiz:
Taken together, I would say that all this tells me I should spend a liitle more time learning from this part of the book of Romans!
Seriously now, one of the nicest things that happened to us last year was because of this blog - a group of lovely young people in Oklahoma began reading my blog and we spent a Sunday worshiping and fellowshiping together (it's at the bottom of the page), and have since become friends. Technology is pretty cool. :-)
But the first really cool thing that happened because of this blog: On March 28, Alexandra stumbled across my blog and commented. I was excited to find out that she was the very same Alexandra in Ukraine who had been a member of a church we visited in Midland, and for whom I had been praying for several months! We had never met before and still haven't met, but someday we will, someday....
Through blogging, I have learned some really important stuff, like the fact that I am a Numenorean, King Arthur (Monty Python's), an interpersonal thinker, Lucy (from Peanuts), Jean Valjean (still haven't read that!), a possum, the United Nations, the book of Romans, Elinor Dashwood, Meg March, Shetland wool, Moses, the Colussus of Rhodes, and I speak Dutch fluently!
To commemorate the day, I took this quiz:
 I am a Halo.I believe I am perfect. Others may not think so, but those others are wrong. What Sort of Hat Are You? |
Taken together, I would say that all this tells me I should spend a liitle more time learning from this part of the book of Romans!
Seriously now, one of the nicest things that happened to us last year was because of this blog - a group of lovely young people in Oklahoma began reading my blog and we spent a Sunday worshiping and fellowshiping together (it's at the bottom of the page), and have since become friends. Technology is pretty cool. :-)
But the first really cool thing that happened because of this blog: On March 28, Alexandra stumbled across my blog and commented. I was excited to find out that she was the very same Alexandra in Ukraine who had been a member of a church we visited in Midland, and for whom I had been praying for several months! We had never met before and still haven't met, but someday we will, someday....
She was born to discover the falsehood of her own opinions
Eight years ago my mom video-taped A&E's Pride and Prejudice and sent it to me. After watching it (in one sitting! I had no idea how long it was going to be!), and thoroughly enjoying the story, I checked the book out of the library. I had lived in this earth three decades, and it was the first time I had ever read anything by Jane Austen! (Hark! It is the voice of my readers, crying "Philistine!")
The book I checked out also had Sense and Sensiblilty in it, so I eagerly began to read it. What a stupid story! Elinor and Edward were the dullest romantic characters I'd ever read. I wished Marianne would just shut up and get over Willoughby. (Hark! It is the sound of my readers picking up stones!)
In spite of this disappointment, I read several more of Austen's novels, and by becoming more familiar with Jane Austen's world, I have learned to value what she valued.
Last week I finished reading Sense and Sensibility for the second time, and this time I saw that Elinor is not dull, she loves her family enough to guard her words so that she will not hurt those who are dear to her. Edward is not stupid, he is that unshakable man who keeps his word even when it hurts. Marianne wasn't whining, she was confessing her sins.
*******
Since I'm still scatter-brained and I can't think of anything sensible to say, here are some related links.
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew - lots of good basic information here. Explains titles (who outranks whom, and forms of address), social customs, basic etiquette, and lots more. Did you know that there was a special tax on man-servants? So only fairly wealthy people had a man-servant (the Bennets did not, but the Dashwoods - even after being disinherited - did!)
Jane Austen: Public Theologian article by Peter Leithart. Here's an interesting tidbit: "In a play, only the worst actors (like Bottom) want to change roles. The good actor has been assigned his role and does not want to become somebody else. If he did so, the play would fall apart... In a traditional society, the goal of life is to act well in the assigned role—to say your lines properly, to do what your role assigns to you." This is particularly encouraging when I'm feeling cranky and am tempted to act the way I feel. What I ought to do is to remind myself that I should act according to my role - I'm the wife, therefore I should act respectfully, or, I'm the mother, therefore I should act kindly.
A Man of His Word - article at Ladies Against Feminism about Edward Ferrars. Reading this article is what prompted me to go back and re-read the novel. I'm glad to have my original opinion of Sense and Sensibility proven false!
Eight years ago my mom video-taped A&E's Pride and Prejudice and sent it to me. After watching it (in one sitting! I had no idea how long it was going to be!), and thoroughly enjoying the story, I checked the book out of the library. I had lived in this earth three decades, and it was the first time I had ever read anything by Jane Austen! (Hark! It is the voice of my readers, crying "Philistine!")
The book I checked out also had Sense and Sensiblilty in it, so I eagerly began to read it. What a stupid story! Elinor and Edward were the dullest romantic characters I'd ever read. I wished Marianne would just shut up and get over Willoughby. (Hark! It is the sound of my readers picking up stones!)
In spite of this disappointment, I read several more of Austen's novels, and by becoming more familiar with Jane Austen's world, I have learned to value what she valued.
Last week I finished reading Sense and Sensibility for the second time, and this time I saw that Elinor is not dull, she loves her family enough to guard her words so that she will not hurt those who are dear to her. Edward is not stupid, he is that unshakable man who keeps his word even when it hurts. Marianne wasn't whining, she was confessing her sins.
*******
Since I'm still scatter-brained and I can't think of anything sensible to say, here are some related links.
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew - lots of good basic information here. Explains titles (who outranks whom, and forms of address), social customs, basic etiquette, and lots more. Did you know that there was a special tax on man-servants? So only fairly wealthy people had a man-servant (the Bennets did not, but the Dashwoods - even after being disinherited - did!)
Jane Austen: Public Theologian article by Peter Leithart. Here's an interesting tidbit: "In a play, only the worst actors (like Bottom) want to change roles. The good actor has been assigned his role and does not want to become somebody else. If he did so, the play would fall apart... In a traditional society, the goal of life is to act well in the assigned role—to say your lines properly, to do what your role assigns to you." This is particularly encouraging when I'm feeling cranky and am tempted to act the way I feel. What I ought to do is to remind myself that I should act according to my role - I'm the wife, therefore I should act respectfully, or, I'm the mother, therefore I should act kindly.
A Man of His Word - article at Ladies Against Feminism about Edward Ferrars. Reading this article is what prompted me to go back and re-read the novel. I'm glad to have my original opinion of Sense and Sensibility proven false!
Monday, March 8, 2004
I've been too scatter brained lately to put my thoughts together coherently, but I want to share a few things with y'all.
1. For Christmas Mike bought me Religion and the Rise of Western Culture: The Classic Study of Medieval Civilization, by Christopher Dawson, and I am absolutely loving it! There's been an awful lot of talk about cultural relevance lately, so reading this book has been a pleasure.
2. An article on the place of mercy ministries in the Church.
3. A prayer for ministers:
O LORD Jesus Christ, we beseech thee that the Ministers of thy Gospel, here and everywhere, may be true to their calling. Endue them with thy Holy Spirit, that the may remember the words of Holy Writ, that their understanding thereof may be enlightened, and that their witness may be in truth and with power, to the salvation of sinners and the edifying of saints. May they rightly and duly administer thy holy Sacraments, and by their life and doctrine set forth thy true and lively Word. May they be to all men wholesome examples in faith, word, love, chastity, and fidelity; that so thy Name may be glorified, who art, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
Amen.
1. For Christmas Mike bought me Religion and the Rise of Western Culture: The Classic Study of Medieval Civilization, by Christopher Dawson, and I am absolutely loving it! There's been an awful lot of talk about cultural relevance lately, so reading this book has been a pleasure.
The conversion of Western Europe was achieved not so much by the teaching of a new doctrine as by the manifestation of a new power, which invaded and subdued the barbarians of the West...
... the relation between religion and culture is not that of assimilation and permeation, but rather one of contradiction and contrast. The lives of the saints and ascetics impressed the barbarians because they were the manifestation of a way of life and a scale of values entirely opposed to all they had hitherto known and accepted....
The Western Church did not come to the barbarians with a civilizing mission or any conscious hopes of social progress, but with a tremendous message of diving judgment and divine salvation. Humanity was born under a curse, enslaved by the dark powers of cosmic evil and sinking ever deeper under the burden of its own guilt. Only by the way of the Cross and by the grace of the crucified Redeemer was it possible for men to extricate themselves from the massa damnata of unregenerate humanity and escape from the wreckage of a doomed world.
...
Meanwhile throughout the West the liturgy was becoming more and more the centre of Christian culture....
Whatever else might be lost, and however dark might be the prospects of Western society, the sacred order of the liturgy remained intact and, in it, the whole Christian world, Roman, Byzantine and barbarian, found an inner principle of unity. Moreover the liturgy was not only the bond of Christian unity. It was also the means by which the mind of the gentiles and barbarians was attuned to a new view of life and a new concept of history. It displayed in a visible, almost dramatic form what had happened and was to happen to the human race – the sacred history of man's creation and redemption and the providential dispensation that governed the course of history, the great theme which is so majestically unfolded in the prophecies and prayers of the Paschal liturgy.
2. An article on the place of mercy ministries in the Church.
3. A prayer for ministers:
O LORD Jesus Christ, we beseech thee that the Ministers of thy Gospel, here and everywhere, may be true to their calling. Endue them with thy Holy Spirit, that the may remember the words of Holy Writ, that their understanding thereof may be enlightened, and that their witness may be in truth and with power, to the salvation of sinners and the edifying of saints. May they rightly and duly administer thy holy Sacraments, and by their life and doctrine set forth thy true and lively Word. May they be to all men wholesome examples in faith, word, love, chastity, and fidelity; that so thy Name may be glorified, who art, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
Amen.
Friday, March 5, 2004
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Isaac and Hannah's baby, Serene Maria, was brought safely into this world yesterday afternoon. :-D
Isaac and Hannah's baby, Serene Maria, was brought safely into this world yesterday afternoon. :-D
Thursday, March 4, 2004
Garden update
My daffodils are blooming. Actually they were forced. That is, on Tuesday afternoon when I went out to the front garden, almost all my daffodil buds had been plucked from their bed under the peach tree and laid neatly upon the retaining wall. I put them in a glass of water and set it on the windowsill above my kitchen sink. Most of them are blooming now, and I hope that the four or five that are left in the garden will be blooming in the next few days. The muscari leaves are out, but I don't see any bloom stalks coming up yet.
The buds on the peach tree are swelling. I just planted it last fall - wonder how soon to expect fruit? In the same garden with the peach tree and the bulbs, resides the only blueberry that survived the summer. I'm going to plant two more this spring and that's it! I hope they live!
If I get as many tomatoes this year as I did last, I'm going to take some of them to the farmer's market once a week and sell them. A couple of years ago, Organic Gardening said that a nice way to make more sales at a farmer's market is to sell boquets, so this year I've started some seeds that (if I don't manage to kill them!) will grow into cutting flowers: delphiniums, cornflower, yarrow, carnations, wall flower, and daisies. Seeds are so cheap that I can sell boquets for a dollar or two and make almost all profit.
In the houseplant department, my Christmas Lily finally decided to bloom. Mike gave it to me Christmas 2001 and I cared for it according to directions, watering it until the foliage died down then storing it in the dark for several weeks before bringing it out in early November 2002, but that year it didn't bloom. Lots of leaves, but no blooms. So I faithfully cared for it again the rest of that season, watering it until the foliage died down et cetera, but it wasn't ready to go into the dark until the end of October, so it's only just now blooming. Strange plant. I suppose next year, if it blooms, it'll be an Easter Lily!
After killing two ficus trees, I finally figured out what I was doing wrong - I was keeping them too wet. As far as I can remember that is the only plant I've ever killed with kindness. Usually they die from neglect. :-( Well, the current victim is a month old and is putting out lots of baby leaves, so I guess it's happy. Oh, one other thing that may have made some difference. Lilian loves playing in the ficus's dirt, and I have never been able to train her to stop doing it, so I put a layer of Spanish moss on top of the dirt, and Lilian doesn't like it, so this one has had the pleasure of undisturbed roots. Of course, the week before I put the moss on it, John sprayed the dirt with Lysol All Purpose Orange Breeze cleaner. I scraped off the top layer of dirt and added a fresh layer, and it doesn't seem to have bothered the tree.
Hmm. Maybe when I plant my blueberries I should have John spray them with Lysol. ;-D
My daffodils are blooming. Actually they were forced. That is, on Tuesday afternoon when I went out to the front garden, almost all my daffodil buds had been plucked from their bed under the peach tree and laid neatly upon the retaining wall. I put them in a glass of water and set it on the windowsill above my kitchen sink. Most of them are blooming now, and I hope that the four or five that are left in the garden will be blooming in the next few days. The muscari leaves are out, but I don't see any bloom stalks coming up yet.
The buds on the peach tree are swelling. I just planted it last fall - wonder how soon to expect fruit? In the same garden with the peach tree and the bulbs, resides the only blueberry that survived the summer. I'm going to plant two more this spring and that's it! I hope they live!
If I get as many tomatoes this year as I did last, I'm going to take some of them to the farmer's market once a week and sell them. A couple of years ago, Organic Gardening said that a nice way to make more sales at a farmer's market is to sell boquets, so this year I've started some seeds that (if I don't manage to kill them!) will grow into cutting flowers: delphiniums, cornflower, yarrow, carnations, wall flower, and daisies. Seeds are so cheap that I can sell boquets for a dollar or two and make almost all profit.
In the houseplant department, my Christmas Lily finally decided to bloom. Mike gave it to me Christmas 2001 and I cared for it according to directions, watering it until the foliage died down then storing it in the dark for several weeks before bringing it out in early November 2002, but that year it didn't bloom. Lots of leaves, but no blooms. So I faithfully cared for it again the rest of that season, watering it until the foliage died down et cetera, but it wasn't ready to go into the dark until the end of October, so it's only just now blooming. Strange plant. I suppose next year, if it blooms, it'll be an Easter Lily!
After killing two ficus trees, I finally figured out what I was doing wrong - I was keeping them too wet. As far as I can remember that is the only plant I've ever killed with kindness. Usually they die from neglect. :-( Well, the current victim is a month old and is putting out lots of baby leaves, so I guess it's happy. Oh, one other thing that may have made some difference. Lilian loves playing in the ficus's dirt, and I have never been able to train her to stop doing it, so I put a layer of Spanish moss on top of the dirt, and Lilian doesn't like it, so this one has had the pleasure of undisturbed roots. Of course, the week before I put the moss on it, John sprayed the dirt with Lysol All Purpose Orange Breeze cleaner. I scraped off the top layer of dirt and added a fresh layer, and it doesn't seem to have bothered the tree.
Hmm. Maybe when I plant my blueberries I should have John spray them with Lysol. ;-D
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