We The Living

As I'm sure I have mentioned before, I am a fan of Ayn Rand's works. I find her writing fascinating and thought provoking; it strengthens my worldview to read hers and observe the contrast between them, and makes me consider where mine might be weak when I find myself agreeing with her, even in the slightest. In most of her works I appreciate her writing style so much, and she manages to capture my attention for hundreds of pages, which fly by almost without my notice.

I first read Atlas Shrugged as a challenge to myself in recognizing the worldview of an author. Looking back, I find it interesting that I used her masterpiece as the subject for my experiment. Really, I just picked something random that I had never read before. I'd have to say, though, that reading Atlas Shrugged has changed the way I see some things, based both on the book and my experiment. It was an eye opening experience and I am glad I read it. From there I went on to read Anthem and The Fountainhead. The latter I enjoyed. The former seemed more like a retelling of the legend of Prometheus. I believe it was after reading Anthem that I felt the need to do more research on the author, as she seemed obsessed  with societies that were turning to ruin and her heroes were those who would make society better through innovation and change, but were not allowed to and ostracized for their attempt. It turns out that Ayn Rand comes from Soviet Russia, and that background plays quite the role in her belief system and her philosophies. A basic summary of her philosophy of Objectivism would be "the virtue of selfishness." Her writings are full of this ideal, and it is interesting to see how clearly her villains are the altruists and her heroes the selfish. I don't remember the exact setting for Anthem, but Altas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are set outside of Russia, so it took some reading to trace the thematic roots back to the USSR.

This summer I came across a copy of We The Living at a garage sale for 25 cents. It was one of hers I hadn't read before and a cheap book, so I picked it up. I brought it with me to Texas and read it on the airplane and in the car and just finished it today. We The Living is Ayn Rand's first book, and she claimed it was the closest thing to an autobiography she would ever write. It was interesting to see how different her writing style was in the earlier days. Her chapters were choppy and broken, and paragraphs seemed to end before they were finished. While this does add something to the feel of this particular story, I'm glad it isn't a style she carried on into her later works. I enjoyed most of the story, though some of her expository sections got a little long and needlessly detailed. I found myself skimming paragraphs every so often and there were only two or three I felt the need to go back and read to understand what followed. It took some time before I felt the story pick up speed, which was a problem I remember encountering with The Fountainhead as well. As with her later works, We The Living has a protagonist who was bent on engineering. I have yet to research what that connection to Ayn Rand is, but I'm sure there must be one. I don't know that she was an engineer, but perhaps she was. Or perhaps she had an unfulfilled dream to be one. Either way, this one was like the others in that respect.

Aside from her writing style, I felt like most of this story was similar in thought and tone to her later works, at least until the end. This one differed strikingly, though, in setting. We The Living is actually set in Russia, at the beginning of the Communistic era. It gives a lot of insight into the author, and perhaps would have been a good work to start with. I have a feeling, though, that I would not have continued reading her work if I had begun with her first. I would consider most of the stories I've read by Ayn Rand to be comedies. Not because they are necessarily humorous, but because they end in triumph, in reunion, or in a marriage of sorts (though never actual marriage, because I'm fairly certain Ms. Rand was vehemently against marriage, based on her life and works), We The Living, on  the contrary, is a tragedy, clothes in the apparel of a comedy. It reads like a comedy until about the last 20 pages, when the whole story unravels and the stage is littered with bodies. I was really looking for a happy ending, but when I reached the end  of the book what I was handed was a funeral dirge in a major key. Honestly, it just felt wrong. Instead of the promised hope, I was handed depression and told to take it with a smile, because the heroine's life had once held potential.

If you love Ayn Rand's work and you've read several of her others already, go ahead and read We The Living, but don't expect it to be satisfying. It is far too transparent and blunt to provide the layers of thought provoking material I had become accustomed to, though it did give me a clearer picture of the author and her background. If you've been looking to read something by Rand and think that starting at the beginning is the way to go, don't. Start with her best work (Atlas Shrugged) or her most well-known work (The Fountainhead), but don't start at the beginning or I fear you'll never work your way to what is actually worth reading. View this book as a stepping stone, a blip in history that helped make her the author she eventually became. 

Story Telling

I've been writing lately. It's been years since I've written (6, I think, as the last things I remember writing were just after we moved here) and I have to say that I'm loving it. I am a story teller at heart (which sort of explains my need for 8 different blogs) and the written word fascinates me. So I'm enjoying writing.

Right now I have Leif reading the first couple chapters of my writing project, and I have to admit I'm a little nervous. It turns out that when I write, what comes out is that which is nearest and dearest to my heart, which is, consequently, where I am most vulnerable. But when I handed him the printed pages to read over and critique, I gave him permission to give it his all and be brutal about what would make it better.

He's always been better at the form than I have, which sort of stinks since I'm the one with the degree in English. Hrmph.

So here I sit, making my own changes, thinking of areas I'd like to expand, places more details would be helpful, etc. Mostly I'm sitting here waiting, though, because I know he's on the last page. 

Book Review: Protocol Matters

Protocol Matters: Cultivating Social Graces in Christian Homes and Schools by Sandra Boswell

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Protocol Matters is an excellent book on etiquette as a part of the Christian's life. It is an excellent resource for parents who want to teach their children how and why to show deference and respect to others, as well as for adults who want to learn themselves.



Protocol is not just about the stuffy "rules" of formal dining. Instead,

"Protocol training promotes the valuable character-building habits of self-control, humility, and thoughtfulness. Good training is practical, providing our children (and ourselves) with a working knowledge of how the Christian worldview applies to social actions, relationships, and culture." Protocol Matters explains how the rules of etiquette allow us to demonstrate God's love in a practical way. It also details what the rules of protocol are for different situations.



This is a great etiquette handbook covering protocol for many situations, ranging from casual to formal. It is thorough in detail, but written well enough to be accessible even to those without training in the social graces. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to improve their own social behavior, teach their children or students etiquette, or dig deeper into how etiquette is a practical application of love. I give this book 5 stars.


View all my reviews.

Galatians 3 and Romans 4

This morning I am reading Galatians 3 and Romans 4.

I am mostly reading this because my Bible study book has not arrived yet. Yes, I ordered it almost a month ago. Yes, I finally received notice on April 22 that they shipped it. Media mail. It could take up to 4 weeks for it to arrive. Still. *sigh* I really thought I was doing the right thing by ordering it through LifeWay instead of through Amazon. I probably won't do that again.

So... Galatians 3. Wow. That's a pretty powerful chapter! I know that I've read it before, but here's what struck me this morning:

"Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"

If this were a comic  book, there would be a giant ***POW!!*** over my head. That's pretty much how that hit me. There are some things I've been trying to do in my own strength, that I do not have the strength to do. I have been teaching Ellie that we are weak and He is strong, so why am I not acting on that faith? Why am I trying to do it by myself? Am I so foolish?

Lord, please give me the faith to believe, to be fully persuaded (Romans 4:21) that you have the power to do what you have promised. Amen.

Still no book...

I still don't have a book for Bible Study on Friday mornings. I ordered it last Thursday, and it still hasn't arrived. Sadly, Beth and I ordered our books together so her's isn't here, either! They will probably arrive while I am in TX, so I asked Leif to take her book over to her when it arrives. In the meantime, though, I still don't have a book. So I'll try to remember what we talked about today, but I don't have a way to reference it, so I'll be brief...

Today we talked about Pleasing God. We focused primarily on Paul, and his life after the transformation on the road to Damascus. This lesson struck the same nerve that has been plucked quite a few times this year for me, and I think perhaps God is teaching me something. =D

It's not about me.

That seems to be the resounding theme in my life this year. It's not about me. It's about Him and His glory. But it's not about me. It comes up in my relationships, in my Bible Studies, in my parenting, in Mary Kay... and guess what? It's (I think!) starting to sink in that this life I live is not about ME!

Now, I've "known" this for a while. But the knowledge is starting to make its way through my mind and into my actions. The knowledge is starting to affect what I do. And I am seeing myself change, which is pretty neat. A few years ago I read a book called "It's Not About Me" by Max Lucado. Can you guess what it's about? =D This is the book that planted the seed that started to grow and now, through the work of the Holy Spirit in my mind and life, is beginning to sprout leaves! If you've not read it, DO. It's an easy read, not too long, but it is packed with truth. It really has changed my life, and I don't say that about many things.

So today in Bible Study I was reminded once again that it is not about me. None of it. It is about Him and His glory. And knowing that makes me want to know more about Him and His glory. So hopefully my book will arrive soon, because studying and spending time in the Word is one of the best ways to get to know more about Him!

6am coffee

What better way to start out a Friday morning than with a 6am Bible Study at a coffee shop?

Can't think of one? Me either!

I have contemplated joining this Bible Study more than once, but have always been too lazy to get up early in the morning. The last two weeks, though, I have been getting up at 5am and getting stuff done, so I guess that excuse just doesn't hold any more. =D So on Sunday I talked to Mel about joining the study and she said they were starting a new book this week. Perfect!! We are studying "Living Beyond Yourself" by Beth Moore, a study on the fruits of the Spirit. I am really excited about the study! What I am probably MOST excited about is the fact that we are doing one day of the book per week. It does mean it will take us about a year to get through the book, but it also means that (1) I will be more likely to do the study, since each "day" consists of several pages of questions and I have had trouble getting all 5 in when I've done studies like this in the past and (2) we will actually get to study more in depth on Friday mornings since we're not rushing to get through 15-20 pages of material in an hour!

Today we focused on Act 13:50 and 14:22. Good stuff to think about! We had lots of questions about why they were women of high standing (since culturally we didn't think women held positions of high standing, but maybe they were just the influential wives of ruling men), and we had good discussions about what we need to do in order to keep ourselves from being incited to persecute others.

We have a good sized group, if you ask me, with 6-7 members. I think that's great! A good sized group for discussion, and a pretty good sized group for 6am!

I'm looking forward to the material and studying with this group of women!

God's Appointed Times

In Bible Study this Spring we are studying about the Jewish festivals. Last time we were doing a study of Jesus by Beth Moore and it occurred to us that we really didn't know or understand much about the festivals that Jesus was participating in throughout the New Testament. So in attempt to have a better understanding of what we are reading in scripture, we set about to study the festivals God set up for His people.

We're about halfway done with the book so far, but I put a little write up on GoodReads. Here it is...

God's Appointed Times New Edition: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Celebrating the Biblical Holidays by Barney Kasdan

My review

This has been a very good book for learning the Jewish festivals, as well as why and how they were and are celebrated. As a protestant, I did not know much about Jewish festivals, but they are the foundation of many of our own and so integral in understanding the Biblical times and customs, both in the Old Testament and the New. It is written by a Messianic Jew, which makes its message particularly applicable to protestants.


View all my reviews.

Time to SHINE!

In one of the flylady emails today I read this line in a testimonial:

"If I have time to whine I have time to shine."

What a great quote!! How often do I spend time whining and worrying about a situation instead of just taking care of it? If I have time to whine about what I don't want to do, I have time to to put my best work into it. I would do well to remember that! Here is the full testimonial...

Dear FlyLady and Friends:

I always tell my kids "Don't spend more time complaining about doing something than it's going to take to do it in the first place." But then just last week I realized that I was talking the talk but not walking the walk.

So, this week I've been working very hard on walking the walk. When I find myself whining about having to do something I remind myself that I if I have time to whine I have time to shine. And I don't just mean my sink. This applies to any task that I am responsible for, whether it's a project at work or a meal at home.

I've noticed that this week I'm getting more done, and that my whine sessions are getting easier to shake off. Sometimes I DO need to vent, so I set my timer (There's that amazing timer again, what can't it help us with?) and C-R-A-B for five minutes. Unless I'm really mad, I generally feel pretty silly after about a minute or two and turn the timer off and get to the task at hand.

Thank you for all that you do.

Fluttering in Northwestern Ohio

Kelly here: Our children watch us everyday..and if you aren't walking the walk..then what are you teaching them?

What not to wear...

I don't know anything about the show "What Not To Wear", but I can say that if you are a weather man, a green-screen colored tie is what NOT to wear.

More thoughts on baptism...

I'm now reading through the passages that relate to baptism in Acts, since those passages relate to baptism after Christ's death, and after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. One of the questions I had/have is... does the "baptism with fire" or the coming of the Holy Spirit replace the necessity for baptism with water in relation to forgiveness? So that's where I started this morning...

Acts 2:38 - "Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

This passage echoes an old question and brings up a new one for me: Is it the repentance or the baptism that brings about the forgiveness of sins? And does the baptism bring the Holy Spirit, or is the Holy Spirit the baptism and the water was merely symbolic because the Isrealites still needed the ceremony?

Acts 10 describes the giving of the Holy Spirit to the first gentiles and answers one of the questions above. In verse 47 it is clear that the gentiles there had been given the Holy Spirit, just as the Jews had, but that they had not been baptized with water yet. So the answer to that, at least, is that no, baptism with water is not required for the Holy Spirit to be given to someone. It doesn't say, though, that the baptism wasn't important, because those gentiles then went and were baptized with water. Was it just to fit in with the Christian community, or did it serve a greater purpose?

The best explanation I've seen yet...

This is the best explanation I've seen yet for why our economy is doing what it's doing and how all the subprime mortgages ended up messing things up like they did. It's worth the watch...


The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Mark 1:1-8

"And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

As a protestant, and specifically along baptist lines of theology, I was always taught and have always believed that baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. It is a public declaration that one has decided to follow Christ and live life for Him from that point on. Baptism is not necessary for salvation, though it is a spiritual act of faith. When I read the verse above, it seems unclear what John was preaching, though. Is it the baptism or the repentance that brings about the forgiveness of sins? At the time that he is baptizing, Christ has not yet died and resurrected, so why is John baptizing? What does it mean? I was always taught that it is a metaphor for Christ's death and resurrection and our death to the world and life in Him. You are dunked under the water, symbolizing death, and brought back up, symbolizing the resurrection and new life you have in Christ. But when John was doing this, Christ had not yet died and risen again. Is it prophetic symbolism? There is plenty of that in scripture, but is this part of it? Where did the whole notion of baptism come from? It turns out that I have a lot of questions.

I certainly won't be able to answer all of my own questions in a single morning, a single blog post, but I can do a little more research, particularly on the references to baptism in the book of Mark, since that's where I read today.

The second mention of baptism in the book of Mark, at least according to my handy concordance reference at the back of my Bible, comes from Christ's own mouth during the Great Commission. He says,

Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Matthew's version of the Great Commission is slightly different, though baptism is certainly part of it.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Which brings me to wonder what else Matthew has to say on the subject of baptism. It looks like the first mention of baptism is in Matthew, chapter 3 verse 11. John baptizes with water for repentance, but one will come after him who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire. More interesting to me, though, is just a few verses later where Jesus insists on being baptized by John. He says,

"Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness."

How does baptism fulfill all righteousness? Especially in Jesus? Wasn't he already righteous to begin with? And where did the custom of baptism come from? It appears to just be mentioned casually in its scriptural debut. But who came up with the idea? Is there something in the old testament where the sacrifice must be baptized or ceremonially cleansed before it can be used as an atonement for sins?

Clearly I have some more reading and researching to do.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

So... I don't know where that leaves me for the rest of my life, but I've done over half of the things on the list. Interesting.

Waiting for His return....

I read Luke 12:35-40 this morning while I was doing a Beth Moore study on Jesus. The passage is about waiting for the Master to return, and being watchful while we wait. In each study she asks a couple questions to get us thinking, and these particular questions made me think today:

1. What keeps you most distracted from awaiting Christ's return?

2. What are some very practical things you could be doing to constantly remind yourself to be scanning the skies, looking forward to His appearing?

I don't generally think about Christ's return on a daily basis. I am usually thinking about all the other things in my day. You know, the immediate things. I'm not sure that I'm living a watchful life, waiting for Christ's immanent return, in constant preparation for His coming. If my mother is coming to visit, though, I spend a great deal of time thinking about what I need to do to prepare for her coming. I need to make the guest bed, clean the guest bathroom, make sure the guest towels are clean, clear out my schedule so that I have lots of time to spend with her... It is at the forefront of my mind for a few weeks before she arrives because I am preparing for her arrival. How, then, ought I be preparing for Christ's arrival? What ought I be keeping at the forefront of my mind to work on so that it is done when His flight comes in? And how do I keep His impending return fresh in my mind so that it is not clouded out by all the other things I have to do on a day to day basis?

There are a couple practical things that I came up with that would help me keep my mind focused on Him and His return. Both are scriptural, and both, I believe, were commanded to the Isrealites before Christ walked the earth. So while they are not specific commands related to the coming of our Lord, they are good for daily reminders so I do not forget and so that I keep vigilant in my preparation for His return.

1. Scripture memory... When you have a storehouse of scripture in your mind, it is easier to meditate on it and the Lord can more readily bring it to your attention when you need to be focused on Him. There are verses about His return and His reign and what we ought to be doing to serve Him that will help us prepare for His coming.

2. Talk about it when we sit and when we rise... I have a 2 year old, and I can be talking about Jesus and His return with her. We can focus on His kingdom and what it looks like to serve Him. If His return is something I make a point to talk about and think about, I will be more likely to do it often and to prepare myself for His return so that I am ready when He arrives.

I want to be actively awaiting His return, and not found sleeping with my lamp out when He arrives.

Random Latin phrases one might find helpful...

Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Te audire no possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.
I can't hear you. I have a banana in my ear.

(This one is not dissimilar to my favorite German phrase... "Darf ich ein Schlaefchen in deiner Nase haben?" or... "May I take a nap in your nose?")

Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.
I have a catapult. Give me all the money, or I will fling an enormous rock at your head.

Braccae illae virides cum subucula rosea et tunica Caledonia-quam elenganter concinnatur!
Those green pants go so well with that pink shirt and the plaid jacket!

Si hoc signum legere potes, operis boni in rebus Latinus alacribus et fructuosis potiri potes!
If you can read this sign, you can get a good job in the fast-paced, high-paying world of Latin!

And that is your highly intellectual Latin lesson for the day, boys and girls. Alas, it seems I am out of practice in the highly intellectual realm. My apologies.

Bible Study Starts Today...

... but I'm not going this week. Robert is in town, so I'm forgoing all of the "regular" activities I could get out of in order to spend the most time with him. But I'm looking forward to the start of Bible study again. I've missed it over the summer and I can't wait to get back into regular fellowship with the women from church!

This term we'll be doing a Beth Moore study on Jesus, which I'm looking forward to. We studied David last term and I enjoyed it, so I'm anticipating enjoying this one, too! If nothing else, I will enjoy having a regular routine again, as I struggle with consistency when left to my own devices.

So I'm thinking of all you women who are attending the study today! I hope to see some of the women I got to know last term and see some new faces join, too! Last I heard we had a fairly small group, so maybe a few more have signed up by now. That would be nice.

Psalm 58

David is harsh on the wicked, seeking vengeance on them. He pleads with Go to destroy them, and pleads destruction with poetry.

What I find interesting is that never once did David plead for God to change their hearts, for Him to call them to Himself and change their ways. Perhaps it is the "tolerant" society of our day, but I sort of grew up thinking that "pray for your enemies" meant to pray with compassion, that God would change them, bring them to Himself, and use them for His glory. I thought that we were supposed to love those we hate, and pray for their salvation, that the mercy of God could extend to them, too.

But David doesn't. He says that these men have been wicked from birth, as though there is no chance for their reformation, that they are wicked through and through with no hope for good. And so I wonder... is this a character flaw in David, that he is so caught up in the wicked these men are doing (ruling and judging unfairly) that he simply has no mercy for them, or is it a flaw in me, that I have fallen into a thinking shaped by society, and not by scripture, that everyone can be reformed, that everyone deserves a second chance, and that wickedness should be repaid by love, not justice. Do I need to rethink my understanding of the balance between God's justice and mercy? Do I need a new perspective?

The wicked in this passage are devising injustice and meting out violence on the earth. It doesn't sound all that different from some of the leaders in our government. I haven't been praying for God to destroy them, and I don't know that I would call them "wicked". Should I?

Psalm 57

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.

I find it interesting that my praise comes in the form of song. So, apparently, did David's. There are other forms of praise, I am sure, but for me it is song. I think of the things God has done and I am inclined to sing them. I praise Him in the midst of sorrow and I find myself singing hymns and choruses that speak of His greatness, His faithfulness, His... Him.

I do not know why I am so inclined to commune with Him in music. I don't know why music has such an effect on me, why it touches me the way it does, even without words. But I know that when my thoughts turn to God, what He has done, and who He is, I break out in song, either inside or out.

And I think back to the hymns I learned growing up. And then to the worship songs I learned in college. There are plenty of emotional fluff "Christian" praise songs out there. I'm not thinking of those. I'm talking about the songs that are God-focused, theologically sound, beautiful songs of worship and praise. Many of these are based in scripture, and include direct quotes (and sometimes references) of scripture, too. I have struggled with staying in constant meditation on scripture, but am learning that these songs that run through my head, fill my heart, and keep my mind focused on Him help. I still don't know why I think in song so often, but I don't have to know why. Instead I will just thank God for creating me to praise Him and keep reading the word, meditating on Him, and praising Him as I go through my day.

As David says, I will sing and give praise. Today, right now, but also as a way of life. I will sing what is good and true and right, and teach my daughter to love Him, to think on Him, and to praise Him with every fiber of her being. For that is what we were created to do... love Him, serve Him, praise Him, and glorify Him forever. Amen.

Psalm 56

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

This phrase is used twice in this short passage. Once in verse 4, and once in verses 10-11. David is being pursued and attacked, and the study help in my Bible says that he had been seized by the Philistines when he wrote this.

The way I see it, there are 3 main things to note about this little phrase. First, David begins with remembering who God is. "In God, whose word I praise," This is the God whose very words, thoughts, and plans are worthy of praise. By His word the world came into being. The Lord, whose word is so powerful, deserves praise.

Then David moves from praising God's word to trusting in Him. If God is so mighty, so powerful, that He needs but speak and the world comes into existence, then He is surely powerful enough to handle the situation that we find ourselves in. If we start with praise for who God is, remembering what He has done, that perspective will lead us to trust in Him. And if we trust in Him, we need not be afraid, for our trust is no longer in ourselves, but in Him.

And once you trust in the Lord, as David has done in this passage, why should you fear? "What can mortal man do to me?" Our hope in the Lord is eternal, and we know that His plan is eternal. Men can only take from us what is here on this earth, but that is not where our treasure is stored. They cannot take the Lord from us, nor our eternal security. If we die here on earth we go to be with the Lord, so really, what can man do to us? Nothing. Not if our hope is in the Lord.

How many have YOU read?

The story is that apparently the National Endowment for the Arts estimates that the average adult has only read six of these books. Here are the markup guidelines:

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Mark in red the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your blog

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. The Complete Works of Shakespeare (I've read a LOT, but not all!)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens (reading this right now...)
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (I hated this book.)
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert -
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie -
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Well.... I could have done worse. Still, I have a few of these books on my shelf and I've never read them. I think that's sad. I also think this list is flawed. There are a couple books I feel are duplicated (Complete Shakespeare + Hamlet; Chronicles of Narnia + Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe) and there are an awful lot by Jane Austen (whom I don't particularly like to read) and non by other authors, like Ayn Rand. They're missing some of the classics, too. Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid, Metamorphoses... anyone? Seems broken. Still, I've read 24 of the ones above. At least that's over the average.