"...The glorious might of God that we need to see and trust is the power of God to turn all our detours and obstacles into glorious outcomes. If we believed that our hold-up at the red light was God's keeping us back from an accident about to happen, we would be patient and happy. If we believed that our broken leg was God's way of revealing early cancer in the x-ray so that we would survive, we would not murmur at the inconvenience. If we believed that the middle-of-the-night phone call was God's way of waking us to smell smoke in the basement, we would not grumble at the loss of sleep. The key to patience is faith in the future grace of God's "glorious might" to transform all our interruptions into rewards.
In other words, the strength of patience hangs on our capacity to believe that God is up to something good for us in all our delays and detours. This requires great faith in future grace, because the evidence is seldom evident.
It's such a beautiful, autumn day in Charlotte, North Carolina. And I've been thoroughly enjoying it. I've spent the past several hours with Calvin right next to my open bedroom window. The breeze was blowing in and the sun is shining. I had my water bottle full of water with no ice and a pencil to mark "all the best stuff." And now, Book Two of the Institutes is done! It has been wonderful to spend the whole afternoon reading about how completely all-sufficient my Savior is. Basking in the sunlight and the Son of Righteousness!“The happiness promised us in Christ does not consist in outward advantages—such as leading a joyous and peaceful life, having rich possessions, being safe from all harm, and abounding with delights such as the flesh commonly longs after. No, our happiness belongs to the heavenly life.
Christ enriches his people with all things necessary for the eternal salvation of souls and fortifies them with courage to stand unconquerable against all the assaults of spiritual enemies. From this we infer that he rules—inwardly and outwardly—more for our own sake than his.
Thus it is that we may patiently pass through this life with its misery, hunger, cold, contempt, reproaches, and other troubles—content with this one thing: that our King will never leave us destitute, but will provide for our needs until, our warfare ended, we are called to triumph.”
What a wonderful way to begin the work-week: being reminded that all our joy is in the Savior! I hope you are all enjoying your Monday.
Glorifying and enjoying Him forever,
Miss Blair
I am just basking in this glorious weather!!! This is my absolute, favorite time of year. Fall has such energy in the air. It's the back-to-school feel accompanied by the leftover summer projects. It's the football weather. Autumn Saturday afternoons in our house sound like the neighbor kids playing outside, street noise blowing through our open windows, 
football games on TV, (enthusiastic cheering) and Sunday's laundry. I love the sounds of fall. Does anyone, like me, think that cars driving on the pavement sound different in the fall than they do in Spring and Summer? And the light looks different, right? It seems brightly filtered.
(besides bouquets of sharpened pencils, scotch tape...etc). Speaking of apples, I can't wait to go to the orchard. Definitely the season's highlight. I've been knitting up a storm too (filling family orders...one of the scarfs will be blue and orange striped for one of my brother's favourite teams, Auburn.) Oh, and it's almost closet cleaning time too, when all the cold weather clothes replace the warm weather clothes.You must be so busy -- I've been checking your website every day and THERE ARE NO NEW POSTS!!! Of course, I know all you do all day is sit around and drink hot tea -- oh wait, you drink WATER WITH NO ICE -- and wait for your maid to finish cleaning. Yeah, right?!?!?
It really has been seven years since September 11, 2001. What a terrifying day for our nation. A day that began all the security regulations in the airport. A day that caused men to fall to their knees. A day that started a war. A day that snatched the life out of thousands of our fellow citizens. And, a day that saved lives.And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God; who are called according to His purpose.
My ways are so much higher than your ways; My thoughts than your thoughts.
Why Sarah Palin Inspires Us
Posted September 6, 2008, by Elizabeth
The nation is aglow over the manifold triumphs of women over the last century, reaching their climax during this years’ election. Women have never been so close to holding the “highest” position in the country, that of Chief Executive, and woman’s collective journey has been a major political theme this month. In Senator Hillary Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, she made an impressive statement, putting a face on how far our nation has come: “My mother was born before women could vote. My daughter got to vote for her mother for president.”
Powerful women on all sides are taking big strides — and will be bequeathing quite a future to their daughters. That means us. How should we see this future, and how should we respond to their example?
In the opinion of just two of these American daughters, this picture is troubling, and brings with it promises of more trouble. Part of the tragedy, as we see it, is that it’s not just secular feminists who are excited about this future. Christians across the nation are cheering the entrance of Mrs. Palin, forgetting that, according to the biblical qualifications for a civil magistrate, she as a woman is not qualified to hold this office (Ex. 18:21, Pro. 31:23, 1 Tim. 2:12).[1] We believe that Mrs. Palin’s appointment as civil ruler, and indeed the feminist strides that made it possible, are a judgment from God (Isa. 3:12). We’re already suffering from one consequence of this judgment more severely than America realizes.
An exultant Ann Coulter scored a bulls eye in (unwittingly) identifying this judgment in the title of her first piece on Palin:
“The Best Man Turned Out To Be A Woman.”
To be honest, we’re impressed with Sarah Palin. She is a remarkably talented, well-spoken woman. She has many fine policies. And we like her practical, moose-hunting style of femininity. But it is not a day to rejoice when the best man in the room happens to be a woman —
nor is it a cause for cheer when men can’t compete with women in doing their own job. During this year’s unprecedented election, the key players have been strong women and flaky men. This is a sign of judgment. The scenario is reminiscent of Gloria Steinem’s boast, “We are becoming the men we wanted to marry.” Men have been stepping into the background — women are trying to become the men they wish existed. We challenge any young woman to see this as a happy prospect. It’s hard to be inspired by the abdication of real men and the subsequent rise of pseudo-men.
(Interestingly, Gloria Steinem has little confidence that American women will go for Palin, who, in Steinem’s words, “opposes everything most other women want and need.”[2] We believe she underestimates the inconsistency of Evangelical feminists. Ms. Steinem, on the other hand, remains one of the most consistent men in the room; she will not compromise her radical left-wing principles just to support another woman.)
American Christians may be turning their ears from the plain teachings of Scripture to harken to what they believe is “the crying need of the moment.” They may decide our desperate need for a conservative VP trumps the teachings of Scripture. But we know from Scripture that we are to fear God, and not men — not even liberals. It has been rightly noted that people usually get the government they deserve. If we continue to make pragmatic compromises based on fear of man, God may see fit to continue chastising us with the government we deserve. God is on the Throne, regardless of who is in the White House, and He declares: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Psa. 3:6)
The people are right that America has desperate, crying needs. However, Mrs. Palin’s nomination for the Vice Presidency is not answering the cry — it is making it louder. Looking back over the last year, what’s glaringly obvious is that what America needs is more qualified male leaders. The real cry of the moment is: Give us men!
Seeing women in leadership does not inspire men to be better leaders. We believe Sarah Palin’s example will not inspire men to be men — it will inspire them to make way for more Sarah Palins.
So how are strong women supposed to respond when men are not being men?
The example of the prophetess Deborah, though set in a time of more severe judgment than ours, gives interesting insights. She was living in a time when “the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord” (Judges 4:1), “Village life ceased” (Judges 5:7), and the leaders had not been leading (Judges 5:2). Despite the desperation of the time, Deborah clearly did not become a civil magistrate or “judge” in the modern sense of the word, nor did she run for any kind of office, nor did she sit in the gates (Judges 4:5). Even when pushed toward positions of leadership, Deborah never actually took the reins of authority, but rather extended them to Barak and stood supportively behind him (Judges 4:6, 4:14). Deborah succeeded in bringing a man into leadership, rather than take the leadership herself.
So why are we inspired by Sarah Palin? Because her example puts a stronger fire in us to answer the cry, the way we believe God intended. We are more inspired than ever to help our father, brothers, husbands and sons to fill the role we are not called to fill.
It has rightly been observed that women have already been elected to the highest position they can hold, and that any “promotion” in the civil sphere would be a step backward. Their womanly sphere is where this hurting nation needs them most.
So let us resolve to give the world what it really needs, in the way that only women can give it. We have our work cut out for us, building strength into our men; It will call out every gift and talent within us. In doing so, we’re not just answering the cry — we’re obeying God, Who holds our first allegiance.
Mrs. Palin, you have inspired us to take stronger action for our God and for our country.
As for us, we don’t aspire to become the presidents we wish we could vote for. We aspire to raise them.
____________________________
Footnotes:1. Many excellent, timely articles have already been written on the qualifications for civil magistrate and the role of women — go here for a directory.
2. “Palin: Wrong Woman, Wrong Message,” by Gloria Steinem
Any thoughts? Agree?/Disagree? I'm interested in anyone's perspective...
"And if you ask where Christ is to be found, I will answer, in your own heart and nowhere else. But you will say to me that it is your own heart that keeps you such a stranger to Christ, and keeps Him such a stranger to you, because your heart is a very den of devils. Now to that I answer that your finding this to be the real state of your heart is already the finding of Christ in your heart. For nothing else, and no one else but Christ, can make manifest to you the sin and misery that is in you. And the Christ who discovers sin is the very same Christ who takes all sin away. Be you sure, that as soon as your sin and your misery make your heart absolutely unbearable to yourself, that is Christ already in you of a truth. For Christ first comes to your heart as the Discoverer and Reprover of your sin. Acknowledge then His presence, and His power, and His grace, in making you to know the plague of your own heart; and then He that wounded you will heal you; and He who showed you the den of devils that is within you, He will not leave you till He has made your heart into a holy temple, for the indwelling of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. ~ Alexander Whyte
"Labor therefore diligently, that not only out of the time of temptation, but also in the danger and conflict of death, when your conscience is thoroughly afraid with the remembrance of your sins past, and the devil assaults you with great violence, going about to overwhelm you with heaps, floods, and whole seas of sins, to terrify you, to draw you from Christ, and to drive you to despair; that then, I say, you may be able to say with sure confidence, Christ the Son of God was given, not for the righteous and holy, but for the unrighteous and sinners. If I were righteous and had no sin, I should have no need of Christ to be my reconciler. Why then, Oh you peevish Satan, will you make me to be holy, and to seek righteousness in myself, when in very deed I have nothing in my but sins, and most grievous sins? Not feigned or trifling sins, but such as are against the first table; to wit, great infidelity, doubting, despair, contempt for God, hatred, ignorance, and blaspheming of God, unthankfulness, abusing of God's name, neglecting, loathing, and despising the word of God, and such like." ~ Martin Luther
