I’m rejoicing with thankfulness for many things, but I only have time to mention a few, . . . I wanted to get these few down before we leave town for the week!
We’re planning to head south in the morning, and plan to spend a few days with family in Mississippi. Frankly, we’re mostly going to see our daughter and her family which includes five of our grandchildren. The grandchildren have plans for us to help them with a garden next week, so it won’t be all fun and games, but we’re both looking forward to time with them. And that is of course one of the things we’re most thankful for – all of our grandchildren, which I feel blessed to be able to say are being taught and trained well and, most especially, they are being instructed in the Truth that the Bible contains. Several have become of an age to be baptized, and I feel like they all eventually will. This is a source of great joy to me!
I’m also thankful that Spring has arrived. There are jonquils blooming along side the road in lots of places. Henderson, our city of residence, has many parks and one of the parks is located along the Ohio River, and it has a “drive through” road which I like to take a shortcut through on my way home. Every Spring the hillsides on one side of the road – not the side with all the picnic tables, playground equipment, and ball fields – are covered with jonquils and daffodils and Spring beauties. It is heartening to drive through there after the winter we’ve had. I enjoyed my ride through the park yesterday, not as a shortcut but just to see the yellow flowers everywhere!
I read somewhere that last week was “Daughter Week” . . . is this a Hallmark Holiday? I had never heard this before, but since I always take something for my daughter anyway when we go to visit her and her family, I didn’t “observe” it outwardly. But I have to say I was blessed with a wonderfully sweet daughter? And I’m so proud of her, and the choices she has made, and the way she runs her household and is bringing up her children! She has always been a joy!
I mailed the April Bible Reading Schedules yesterday, and was so glad to check that off before we left. We plan to return on March 28, and that would still have given me time to get them out, but I was just thrilled to be able to have it done and over with until late April when it’ll be time to send out the May schedules (which I have already prepared – just not the letter I send with the schedules that I hope will encourage the Bible readers.) But that’s for later . . .
I’ll close with some comments about the March 13 reading in Philip Yancey’s book titled Grace Notes. He starts out with the following statement: “The Cross is the central image of Christianity.” And then he goes on to tell of an incident in theologian Karl Barth’s experience. The reason this reading meant so much to me is that when I was growing up in the south among a group of energetic Southern Baptist folks (who were and are good friends), they’d often ask me if I was saved, and if so WHEN was I saved? They’d be able to tell of dramatic experiences and I don’t doubt their experiences, I just didn’t have a dramatic experience. I was brought up to love Jesus, and I never doubted His love for me. Philip Yancey tells of a similar experience of Karl Barth in the following paragraph:
“When a questioner tried to pin down the theologian Karl Barth on when he had been “saved,” Barth replied, “It happened one afternoon in A.D. 34 when Jesus died on the cross.””
If I’m ever again asked about the time of my salvation, this is going to be my answer also. Now I have knowledgeable and learned friends who take issue with some of Karl Barth’s theology, but I believe he’s right on with his response here.
Blessings to all,
Elaine
We’re planning to head south in the morning, and plan to spend a few days with family in Mississippi. Frankly, we’re mostly going to see our daughter and her family which includes five of our grandchildren. The grandchildren have plans for us to help them with a garden next week, so it won’t be all fun and games, but we’re both looking forward to time with them. And that is of course one of the things we’re most thankful for – all of our grandchildren, which I feel blessed to be able to say are being taught and trained well and, most especially, they are being instructed in the Truth that the Bible contains. Several have become of an age to be baptized, and I feel like they all eventually will. This is a source of great joy to me!
I’m also thankful that Spring has arrived. There are jonquils blooming along side the road in lots of places. Henderson, our city of residence, has many parks and one of the parks is located along the Ohio River, and it has a “drive through” road which I like to take a shortcut through on my way home. Every Spring the hillsides on one side of the road – not the side with all the picnic tables, playground equipment, and ball fields – are covered with jonquils and daffodils and Spring beauties. It is heartening to drive through there after the winter we’ve had. I enjoyed my ride through the park yesterday, not as a shortcut but just to see the yellow flowers everywhere!
I read somewhere that last week was “Daughter Week” . . . is this a Hallmark Holiday? I had never heard this before, but since I always take something for my daughter anyway when we go to visit her and her family, I didn’t “observe” it outwardly. But I have to say I was blessed with a wonderfully sweet daughter? And I’m so proud of her, and the choices she has made, and the way she runs her household and is bringing up her children! She has always been a joy!
I mailed the April Bible Reading Schedules yesterday, and was so glad to check that off before we left. We plan to return on March 28, and that would still have given me time to get them out, but I was just thrilled to be able to have it done and over with until late April when it’ll be time to send out the May schedules (which I have already prepared – just not the letter I send with the schedules that I hope will encourage the Bible readers.) But that’s for later . . .
I’ll close with some comments about the March 13 reading in Philip Yancey’s book titled Grace Notes. He starts out with the following statement: “The Cross is the central image of Christianity.” And then he goes on to tell of an incident in theologian Karl Barth’s experience. The reason this reading meant so much to me is that when I was growing up in the south among a group of energetic Southern Baptist folks (who were and are good friends), they’d often ask me if I was saved, and if so WHEN was I saved? They’d be able to tell of dramatic experiences and I don’t doubt their experiences, I just didn’t have a dramatic experience. I was brought up to love Jesus, and I never doubted His love for me. Philip Yancey tells of a similar experience of Karl Barth in the following paragraph:
“When a questioner tried to pin down the theologian Karl Barth on when he had been “saved,” Barth replied, “It happened one afternoon in A.D. 34 when Jesus died on the cross.””
If I’m ever again asked about the time of my salvation, this is going to be my answer also. Now I have knowledgeable and learned friends who take issue with some of Karl Barth’s theology, but I believe he’s right on with his response here.
Blessings to all,
Elaine
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