An expectation of relief

Raise up thy heart by faith to an expectation of relief from Christ. Relief in this case from Christ is like the prophet’s vision (Hab. 2:3): it is ‘for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, yet wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’ Though it may seem somewhat long to thee whilst thou art under thy trouble and perplexity, yet it shall surely come in the appointed time of the Lord Jesus, which is the best season. If, then, thou raise up thine heart to a settled expectation of relief from Jesus Christ; if thine eyes are towards him as ‘the eyes of a servant to the hand of his master’ (Psalm 123:2), when he expects to receive somewhat from him; thy soul shall be satisfied.
~John Owen, The Mortification of Sin, Chapter 14, p.165

He is no fool...

53 years ago today, five missionaries were martyred in South America. If you are unfamiliar with their story, above is a little taste of what our remarkable God did through their costly sacrifice.

If you have never seen Steve Saint's documentary,Beyond the Gates of Splendor (for purchase here), I highly recommend it. Even if you know the story, or have read the books by Elizabeth Elliot (Shadow of the Almighty and Through Gates of Splendor) or seen the feature film, End of the Spear, the documentary is well worth watching, beautifully done, and very moving.

Of course, one of Jim Elliots's most famous quotes is a good commentary on living the Christian life:

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.

(Thanks to JT)

Vocation

Today I have been pondering the idea of vocation. It was probably partially implanted there by my reading a book review of Gene Veith's book, God at Work. I love the Reformation idea of vocation: God's calling in and on our lives; that for which God equips us and provides opportunity for us to use in service to Him and others. If you can grasp what God has called you to do and do it, there is much peace and satisfaction!

In different seasons of life, I think our vocation is sometimes different, or the call of God on our lives changes for a time, or for eternity. All my life I have seen my vocation as teaching. I think God gifted me for it, and provided opportunities for me to serve others and glorify Him in doing it. But my current season of life has removed the ability to teach (at least in a class or study group setting) from me. While I am saddened by this (because I love teaching) I am determined to see what God's calling is for me in this season.

This afternoon, like I do every afternoon, I climbed into my comfortable chair with my prayer notebook and my bible and my copy of Owen's Mortification of Sin, and a heating pad, and after reading and reflecting and praying, I laid back and drifted off to sleep. And part of my calling for this season occurred to me. God is calling me to draw near to Him. He's providing both the time and the motivation, and calling me to spend my afternoons with Him. What a delightful notion, and an irresistible invitation! For those of us who are by nature "doers", times of quiet and enforced rest can gall and chafe. But if I keep my eyes fixed on the one who invites me to Himself, I am calmed, and see only beauty in my quiet afternoons.

Sarcoidosis

Yesterday I saw my oncologist. We scheduled mammograms and blood work for March, and C-T scans for April. We discussed my continuing fatigue, and much to my surprise, she said, "Oh, you should be recovered from all your treatment and surgeries. Do you think this could be post-treatment depression?" I explained to her that I don't feel depressed, but I *do* feel a great amount of fatigue, causing me to HAVE to nap every afternoon. She surprised me again by saying, "Well, fatigue is the main symptom of sarcoidosis. I think it's time we got you to a specialist." Sarcoidosis is that auto-immune disease that they discovered in my pesky lymph nodes in October. I had hoped to blissfully ignore it, but I have to say that this idea came as a bit of a blow. I guess I wanted her to say something like, "Give it more time, and you'll see improvement." But no. Done with one disease and on with the next. I have made a commitment to fight for joy in Christ during this new year. And it is being tested right off the bat.

As Dave and I were preparing to read through Calvin's Institutes in the course of the year, we read an introductory essay by J. I. Packer. Among many good and interesting things, Packer said:

Shaping all its [the Institutes of the Christian Religion by Calvin] elaborate doctrinal discussions, with their rigorous biblicism, their strong assertions of divine sovereignty, and their sharply focused trinitarianism,is a persistent orientation to the conscience, a contagious awareness that we do and must live our lives coram Deo, in the presence and sight of the searcher of hearts, and a drumbeat insistence that sound belief must express itself in pietas, faithful—that is, faith-full—obedience to, and worship of, the Father and the Son through the Spirit.

That idea of living "coram Deo"-- before the face of God-- is a good one to remember. May I respond to all things, the good and the bad, the joyful and the trying, as if I believe God is there and He is watching. May I live in the same joy He has provided no matter what my circumstances. Would you pray for me, Gentle Readers, that I may do so?

And if any of you know anything about sarcoidosis, please drop me a line...

Mr. and Mrs. J.P.

One of the special things we did over the holidays was attend the wedding of former students and friends, Jesse and Elise. Jesse, along with his younger brother Joey, were like additional sons to us as our boys were growing up, and we love both families involved, so it was very special to watch Jesse and Elise begin this new stage of life together. What a privilege to be invited!

Here is Joey, dancing with younger sister Lucita, while another younger sister, Preciosa, looks on.


Ben and Elsa did some dancing, too! They really do dance execellently after their two semesters of dance classes at Hillsdale!


Elsa and Ben are laughing and talking with Joey and Sarah. This was our first time to meet Sarah, though we have prayed for her for a long time. She is delightful!


And here are two of our favorite gals: Emily and Nikki.


And finally, the happy couple, on their way out into the snowy day, and the rest of their lives. Our prayers will follow Jesse and Elise to Tennessee, where they will begin their new life together.

Sabbath Sentiments

"Our darkness and weakness are no plea for our negligence and disobedience. Who is it that hath waked up to the knowledge that he hath had of the perfections, excellencies and will of God? God's end in giving us any knowledge of himself here is that we may glorify him as God; that is, love him, serve him, believe and obey him, give him all the honor and glory that is due from poor sinful creatures to a sin-pardoning God and Creator. We must all acknowledge that we were never thoroughly transformed into the image of that knowledge which we have had. And had we used our talents well, we might have been trusted with more."
~John Owen, The Mortification of Sin, Chapter 12, p.141

Hello 2009

The older I get, the more quickly it seems the years fly by. 2008 was a busy, blessed, difficult year, but I can't for the life of me figure out where it has gone!

2009 will begin as a year of continued recuperation for me. I don't know what my energy level will allow, but I am resolved to fight for joy there. You are all given permission to hold me accountable for this, Gentle Readers!

2009 is the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. I haven't yet decided if I will jump aboard one of the many reading programs online to celebrate (Princeton is doing it, Reformation21 is doing it, Tabletalk is doing it, and undoubtedly there are others.) If you want to follow all the fun and frivolity, check out the Calvin Quincentenary site.

And in the spirit of the frivolity of celebrating the birth of Calvin, here is a silly song for you to enjoy! May your New Year be a bright and joyful one!