Am I A Soldier of The Cross? I'm not sure...

Am I A Soldier Of The Cross?
Isaac Watts

Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause
or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize
And sailed thru bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign:
Increase my courage, Lord;
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy word.

a quick list of the things i've been reading lately

here is a list of some of the books and such that i have been into the last few weeks/months:

Changes That Heal - almost finished with this. some good insights into myself, esp. as it relates to becoming and adult and learning to live with both good and bad at one time. Gail probably would like this back on her shelf sometime this year.

See Poverty...Be the Difference. another swiped from Gail's library. Actually, she recommended it, and it is very enlightening. some rough spots that i am unsure of, but overall, it made me want to dig in and find out more. probably finish this next month.

The Shack - was surprised i actually like parts of this--no, more like learned from parts of this book. i might even consider reading it a second time and taking notes a la Adler style.

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy/The Money Mystery/Bluestocking Guide to Economics- school reading for Jessie's classes, and am I ever happy to be reading these. my economics class in highschool either did not stick or did not contain this information. pretty sure history will be repeating itself.

Johnny Tremain - planned to just skim this to keep up with Jess's lit. reading, but am finding myself trying to steal a few minutes here and there to see what happens next. the history aspect is, surprisingly enjoyable.

The Taming of the Shrew - Shakespeare makes me laugh. if i were to take up a second persona, i'd have to speak shakespearean english--it's just too good to not make some use of it in one's life.

articles on welltellme.com, thebulkherbstore.com, and beeyoutiful.com - a whole host of things that i continue to learn about health and nutrition are always parading themselves in front of me and i am finding myself becoming more committed, in little bits, toward a purer way of living and eating. too expensive to do all at once, but i can always do something a little each day. healthcare needs to be our personal responsibility and knowledge can never be taken away, regardless of who is president.

world magazine - current events and more. i have less time and tolerance than i used to for tv and radio news, so this keeps me fairly informed at a doable pace. plus the journalism is real and biblically based in reason.

Celebration of Discipline - put this one off long enough and though i half regret it, i probably would not have been in the proper frame of mind to receive what foster has to say on this topic.

that's all i can think of at the moment. there are a whole host of things i wish to get to and read in the very near future. just a few titles:

John Adams
1776
Systematic Theology
Jacobs Geometry
Stepping Heavenward (I know, Alice Nichols. I know.)
Sense and Sensibility
Nourishing Traditions
Amusing Ourselves to Death
The Gift of Music: Great Composers and Their Influence
Invitation to the Classics
Mystery of History Vol. 1-3
How Should We Then Live (I've started this book 3 different times)
How to Read a Book
Life Together
Moby Dick
A Patriot's History of the United States
A Thomas Jefferson Education
The Well-Trained Mind

...and the list goes on...

Thank God for good books!

the mess of the day--a la joy

13 snooze hits
oats and nutty bars
taxi service for 1

grumpy baby
sleepy campers
tp supply running low

18 phone calls divided by 6 people = brain on sizzle
add a plate, catch one falling, borrow a stick and keep going

taxi round 2
prepare for takeoff
mental gymnastics
change is inevitable

spaghetti and bananas
forgetting the thing i remembered
plan B in motion
time to beat the clock

sons and daughters
husband too
fade to gray
in bookland

ahhh...peace.

back to work
grinding brakes
wisdom shared
help received

home sweet home
tea and cake
musical cram session
writing fragmented thoughts

the end

mac attack

I've been getting the itch for a new mac again. not a brand new, straight-from-apple-heaven mac; just something that can run leopard, i can load alot of stuff on, and makes life more productive again. I used to have that mac...and then they released the new OS (that was 3 "cats" ago), or the iphone came out, or some other "necessity" was invented that created problems for those of us who aren't slaves to upgrades. But sometimes it's easier to be a slave, it would seem. I've found my productivity diminishing by the moment, as this old faithful G3 iMac cranks out the daily assignments I demand of her. But is it ever slow! I can't run Leopard, can't update itunes, can't load all my songs or photos, can't play youtube videos, can't play a dvd period, can't load word or excel (i know, everyone is using pages, now...), and the list goes on. My drive for simplicity and a streamlined vehicle in which to arrive there just came to a screeching halt. So now I find myself at that place where I have begun to wonder if now is the time to pray and ask God for my simple life to be returned to me in the form of a highly efficient piece of silicon heaven. In addition, I am actually catching myself daydreaming about adding an iPhone to the mix. I know, I know. Why do I fight it? It's in my blood, this apple flavored techie thing. And the synchronicity--ahh, the beauty. And the ultimate money wasting, time hogging "upgrade" to my life that is appearing to be more and more inevitable?? Texting. That's right. I may have to actually begin paying to have someone tell me in type what could have been verbalized just as easily, and that I am ALREADY PAYING FOR. I still don't get it, yet I do. All these things that I love and hate, are coming soon to a phone bill and bank statement near me. So I pray for God's provision for these "needs", because, in reality, I do need them. The complexities of life can only be avoided for so long before it comes to the point where I am actually avoiding the people and relationships that I need to be a part of the most. To be ACCESSIBLE is to be PRODUCTIVE. However much it may appear to slow me down, that is the very thing that needs to happen. Slowing down MY version of productivity to be available to God and what He wants me to produce for his Kingdom. This stuff always takes time. And time is what I need to make more space for via technology. So here's to macheads, gearheads, twitterheads, techie types, and regular wives, moms, and Christians everywhere who want to be used by God for His glory... :-)

good afternoon, good evening, and good night

I don't have any grand ideas on how to change the world, make money, or keep up with friends and family through this blog. I simply want to talk about ideas and thoughts that I have from time to time, whether anyone reads them or not.