In Quietness

Does anyone else need this reminder today?

In returning and rest you shall be saved; 

in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for Him.

• Isaiah 40:15,18

(Photos of a prairie sunrise last week)

Bible Reading Plans

As the mantel clock was chiming in the New Year, I was finishing up the book that helped me study my way through the New Testament in 2021. Click here for a little read-aloud from the last day's entry to get an idea of the way the daily readings are put together in the ESV Daily Devotional New Testament.

After a whole year primarily in the New Testament, I am eager for more of the Old Testament again. So I have begun my second time through this study guide for Genesis, which is one of my favorite books of the Bible. [The Family Bible Study Series was developed for homeschool families.]

Do you have a Bible reading/study plan for 2022? What did you do for 2021?

I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts in the comments below! I believe I made the settings easier to leave comments recently, so you do not need a special account to join in.

One More Year... Grace for Grace

Happy New Year!



Click HERE to enjoy the below poem along with current footage of our snowy acres.

Χαρις επι Χαριτος
[Grace for Grace]

One more year since Christ was like us
    In a tent of clay;
One year less till He shall take us
    Home for aye.
Oh how bright the path before us!
Oh how great the glory o'er us!
Oh how strong the Hand that tore us
    From sin's sway!

One year less of toil and trouble,
    Till we see His face;
Each new step will gain us double
    In our race.
Less and less of tears and sinning,
More and more of work and winning,
Joy that ends in fresh beginning,
    Grace for grace.

by Agnes Smith Lewis, 1892
From How the Codex Was Found by Margaret Dunlop Gibson, 1893

Listen to the complete audiobook I recently published for free on YouTube or Librivox.org
See my previous post for more information about these sister-authors and their little book.

P.S. - I don't like putting in a plug like this but thought I'd just mention one time: Any time you choose to hit the "like" or "subscribe" buttons on my YouTube channel, you will help others see the truth and the reading recommendations I am trying to share on there. ~ Thank you!

How the Codex was Found - Audiobook

                

Exactly six months ago I first wrote about an adventurous pair of sisters named Agnes and Margaret. You can refresh your memory of the lives and adventures of these rather eccentric twins from Scotland by clicking here. But a brief excerpt will suffice for this post:

Even though Agnes and Margaret eventually became famous in the antiquarian/literary/biblical-scholarship/academic world of their day, being awarded multiple honorary doctorates, and even traveling the USA on a lecture tour - what we love was their relentless focus on doing all this to help demonstrate the reliability and historicity of the Scriptures. Their personal lives are also examples of trust in God's providence and seeing all of life through the lens of His word.

In that post I mentioned both the book that first introduced my own sister and me to these delightful twins, as well as the little book of their own publishing which I was in the process of turning into a public domain audiobook.

With the help of my LibriVox proof-listener (a retired minister), last week I finished recording the few words that were literally "Greek to me."

With a running time of just under 2.5 hours, this quick read is now available in a few formats - all available for free download at the following links:

Complete Audiobook on LibriVox

Complete Audiobook on YouTube

Free e-book in PDF scanned format

- Top image is the CD cover I designed for the LibriVox audiobook
- All other photos are licensed for creative commons non-commercial use

What Christmas is All About

My nephew's favorite book the day I was visiting was a good choice for December! Three times he pulled "A Charlie Brown Christmas" off his shelves to bring to me, climbing onto my lap and pointing to each character in turn.

I remember when we bought this story on animated video. Through all the years since, one part has hit me with goosebumps, chills, tears, or some sensation of joy. It is when Charlie Brown in despair yells, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"

And then Linus steps forward

"Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. Lights, please? 

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 

"And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' 

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Watch a 30 second video of the sketching/painting process accompanied by Linus' quote by clicking HERE.

Rest in Him

Come, Thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in Thee.

• Charles Wesley, 1744

Merry Christmas!!!

P.S. - Though not something one usually sits down and reads of an evening, this hymnal is still one of my favorite books.

You know how words are so much more easily memorized when set to music? Every child should grow up filling their memories with timeless hymns full of eternal Truth!

Countless times these hymns have come back to me "out of the blue." Actually, I know I am given just the right one at just the right time to meet the needs of my heart.

Hymns help me find my rest in Him!

A Shepherd Explains

One reason I appreciate audio-books is as a great way to re-read a book I first enjoyed in print. A recent audio-read was A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller. So good!



Packed with the author's real life experiences in the rugged life of sheep-ranching, his insights breathe life and meaning into every word of this familiar song written by the ancient shepherd, David.

And the life-applications go deep. Such as when Keller illuminates the phrase "You anoint my head with oil" - which for sheep includes treating pests and scab picked up by rubbing heads with other sheep:

"Often it is when we “get our heads together” with someone else who may not necessarily have the mind of Christ, that we come away imbued with concepts that are not Christian.

"Our thoughts, our ideas, our emotions, our choices, our impulses, drives and desires are all shaped and molded through the exposure of our minds to other people’s minds. In our modern era of mass communication, the danger of the “mass mind” grows increasingly grave. Young people in particular, whose minds are so malleable find themselves being molded under the subtle pressures and impacts made on them by television, radio, magazines, newspapers, and fellow classmates, to say nothing of their parents and teachers."

Note: Can you believe this was first published in 1970?! It sounds like today. Especially the next bit... (emphasis mine)

"Often the mass media which are largely responsible for shaping our minds are in the control of men whose characters are not Christlike: who in some cases are actually anti-Christian. One cannot be exposed to such contacts without coming away contaminated. 

"The thought patterns of people are becoming increasingly abhorrent. Today we find more tendency to violence, hatred, prejudice, greed, cynicism, and increasing disrespect for that which is noble, fine, pure or beautiful. This is precisely the opposite of what Scripture teaches us. In Philippians 4:8 we are instructed emphatically in this matter…



"There are those who seem unable to realize His control of their minds and thoughts. It is a simple matter of faith and acceptance. Just as one asks Christ to come into the life initially to assure complete control of one’s conduct, so one invites the Holy Spirit to come into one’s conscious and subconscious mind to monitor one’s thought-life. Just as by faith we believe and know and accept and thank Christ for coming into our lives, so by simple faith and confidence in the same Christ, we believe and know and accept with thanks the coming (or anointing) of His gracious Spirit upon our minds. Then having done this, we simply proceed to live and act and think as He directs us.

"The difficulty is that some of us are not in dead earnest about it. Like a stubborn sheep we will struggle, kick and protest when the Master puts His hand upon us for this purpose. Even if it is for our own good, we still rebel and refuse to have Him help us when we need it so desperately.

"In a sense we are a stiff-necked lot and were it not for Christ’s continuing compassion and concern for us, most of us would be beyond hope or help. Sometimes I am quite sure Christ comes to us and applies the oil of His own Spirit to our minds in spite of our own objections. Were this not so, where would most of us be? Surely every gracious thought that enters my mind had its origins in Him."

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller

Now, that's our Good Shepherd who humbled Himself to come to us as a vulnerable baby. Let's celebrate Him this Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 
In His love,
Hannah