dual personalities

Tag: scripture

February 21, 2023

My worried windowpanes

by chuckofish

Don sent this terrific poem, The Man Watching, by Rainer Maria Rilke:

I can tell by the way the trees beat, after

so many dull days, on my worried windowpanes

that a storm is coming,

and I hear the far-off fields saying things

I can’t bear without a friend,

I can’t love without a sister.

The storm, the shifter of shapes, drives on

across the woods and across time,

and the world looks as if it had no age:

the landscape, like a line in the psalm book,

is seriousness and weight and eternity.

What we choose to fight is so tiny!

What fights with us is so great!

If only we would let ourselves be dominated

as things do by some immense storm,

we would become strong too, and not need names.

When we win it’s with small things,

and the triumph itself makes us small.

What is extraordinary and eternal

does not want to be bent by us.

I mean the Angel who appeared

to the wrestlers of the Old Testament:

when the wrestlers’ sinews

grew long like metal strings,

he felt them under his fingers

like chords of deep music.

Whoever was beaten by this Angel

(who often simply declined the fight)

went away proud and strengthened

and great from that harsh hand,

that kneaded him as if to change his shape.

Winning does not tempt that man.

This is how he grows: by being defeated, decisively,

by constantly greater beings.

–Rainer Maria Rilke

I thought this was inspiring and true. “That’s the blessing of God. Just like we hear every Christmas: Immanuel–God with us. No matter the suffering we go through, God’s presence is better than anything our hearts desire. Though my body may fail, my faith and life is fireproof: though there are rumors of war, pestilence, and ruin, and our little sheep eyes can’t hazard what’s ahead, we can trust in the voice of our Shepherd, who is ever near.”

Enjoy your day. Read a poem. Know that God is with you. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

The painting is “Before the Storm” by Isaac Levitan (1860- 1900).

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January 27, 2023

Behold, I am coming soon*

by chuckofish

One more weekend in January and then we are on to February–the year is off to a fast start.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the death of William Butler Yeats in 1939. We will toast him and read some poetry. Hard to believe “The Second Coming” was written over 100 years ago. It certainly resonates.

(The painting is by Fairfield Porter.)

*Revelation 22:12

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January 23, 2023

“I gave you a book, you didn’t read it”*

by chuckofish

Well, I have hardly left the house all week and I am not complaining. Baby Ida is doing well, and how could she not with such a good big sister? I am not sure how much actual “help” I have been besides being another pair of hands to hold the baby and another lap for Katie to sit in, but we have managed quite well.

While here, I have been reacquainting myself with A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh and am newly impressed. “For I am a bear of very little brain, and long words bother me.” But for a bear with very little brain, he has quite a varied and amusing inner monologue.

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it. And then he feels that perhaps there isn’t.”

Anyway, the stories are a pleasure to read, to yourself or out loud to a two-year-old.

I also love stories like this. It is what being an American is all about.

And, oh Dolly, you released a good new song on your 77th birthday last week! The apocalypse is coming…

And speaking of the apocalypse, Anne is on fire here. Yeehaw.

“How on earth can you say that the Bible is “central to our understanding,” though that is a tepid, if not actually fatuous, way of putting it, and then announce that there are many different possible conclusions for what it says about gender, relationships, and marriage?”

(The links in the first paragraph are also excellent.)

Have a good Monday. Read some A.A. Milne. Listen to some Dolly. Hold a baby. Ask yourself:

Do two walk together,
    unless they have agreed to meet?
Does a lion roar in the forest,
    when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
    if he has taken nothing?
Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
    when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
    when it has taken nothing?
Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
    unless the Lord has done it?

–Amos 3:3-8

*Dolly Parton

5 Comments
January 10, 2023

Bright shining as the sun

by chuckofish

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the introduction of the hymn “Amazing Grace” by John Newton. It was written in the weeks leading up to the 1773 New Year’s Day service at Newton’s church in Olney. His sermon that day was based on 1 Chronicles 17:16-17:

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.

There are literally hundreds of versions recorded of this famous and much-loved hymn (and available to view on YouTube!), but honestly, this plain, straightforward version by Alan Jackson is one of my favorites. I’m sure John Newton would approve.

Sunday was the birthday of Elvis Presley and we watched Elvis: That’s the Way It Is (1970) on TCM in his memory. There was a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on in that movie, which documents the King’s Summer Festival in Las Vegas during August 1970.

Somehow I think Elvis must have frequently felt like old King David and may have prayed a similar prayer (see above) many times in his confusing life. Hopefully he is singing God’s praise in his heavenly choir, a sinner redeemed and joyful.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’ve first begun.

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December 29, 2022

Travels with Mr. Smith and other stuff

by chuckofish

We had a fruitful 24 hours in Jeff City. Daughter #1 went into her capitol office to close up shop and we packed some stuff (mostly clothes) in her apartment to bring home. We went to High Street and visited a couple of our favorite shops. We went to Steak ‘N Shake for lunch and then took the scenic route home through lovely Osage and Gasconade counties.

We were exhausted when we got home so we collapsed and watched some TV–Mr. Smith is a big fan of Eddie on Frasier.

Meanwhile I now have three days of reading left until the end of the year when I will have officially read the entire Bible. I am very proud of myself for completing the Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan in 2022!

Starting in 2023 I will be reading the 5x5x5 New Testament Bible Reading Plan which is reading through the New Testament in a year, reading Monday to Friday.

Here is a list of Bible Reading Plans in case you are interested. Choose one that is best for you! As R.C. Sproul said, “Disciples of Christ abide in His Word. Those who abide in His Word know the truth and are free.” 💯

And on another subject, thank you, Anne, for once again putting my thoughts into coherent words. “But as I said, the Lord spoke to me, and the word for 2023 is Fatuous. I’ll be using it an awful lot in the forthcoming [year], being sensitive to the Holy Spirit.” (*I’m kidding. God did not audibly give me this word.)

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December 22, 2022

What then shall we say to these things?

by chuckofish

Well, the local weather-casters are pretty excited about a possible weather event today. They have been predicting snow, wind and freezing temps and will be very disappointed if nothing happens. We have all been to the store to stock up on food and daughter #1 came home a day early to avoid the bad weather. The OM is working from home.

As long as the furnace holds out and the electricity stays on, I am happy to hunker down at home.

Meanwhile my BFFs and I toasted the fact that daughter #1 has a new job and is moving back to St. Louis…

…little did I know this was causing consternation with Katiebelle…

Oh, modern life.

In other news, Marty Stuart is just the best. Look what he’s done now!

Daughter #1 shared this Q&A interview with Bob Dylan. “I’m not a fan of packaged programs, or news shows, so I don’t watch them. I never watch anything foul smelling or evil. Nothing disgusting… I’m a religious person. I read the scriptures a lot, meditate and pray, light candles in church. I believe in damnation and salvation, as well as predestination.”

Yes, Marty and Bob and I are on the same page. Marty is rescuing antiques and Bob is reading scripture. That is comforting.

“In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth — only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.”

–C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

No wishful thinking here.

2 Comments
September 6, 2022

Chasing the clouds away

by chuckofish

It’s still rainy and gloomy here in flyover country, and we are pretty water-logged, but so far, no more flooding. Oy. Sunshine is promised for tomorrow. Anyway, we don’t mind the rainy weather. It gives us an excuse to stay inside and watch old movies and read old books.

Today we note the passing in 1959 of the popular English character actor Edmund Gwenn, who most people remember as Kris Kringle in Miracle of 34th Street (1947), for which he won an Oscar as best supporting actor. He played many memorable roles, however, such as Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (1940), Dr. Medford in Them! (1954), and Capt. Albert Wiles in The Trouble With Harry (1955). He co-starred with Lassie in three movies. And he played an Episcopal minister in Life With Father (1947) and in Mister Scoutmaster (1953). He was always great.

Two of his movies I have not seen are Undercurrent (1946) and Mister 800 (1950). I will try to find one of them to watch tonight.

And here’s a fun fact. His cousin in real life was the character actor Cecil Kellaway (who was more likely to play Catholic priests.)

Today is also the anniversary of the death of Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa (1910-98). Later this week I think I’ll watch Throne of Blood (1957), Kurosawa’s take on Macbeth with Toshiro Mifune, which I haven’t seen in a long time.

Writer Madeleine L’Engle also died on this day in 2007. I used to be a big fan of her writing back in the 1980s and I was thrilled to be able to hear her speak at my Episcopal church back then. A woman in the church who had been a classmate of her’s at Smith arranged the event. I came to realize that they were both women who had very high opinions of themselves and that is always ultimately unattractive. And now I doubt if I would agree with anything she believed. So it goes.

Have you seen this Instagram account? Everybody wants to be a cool kid I guess and be noticed as such.

And this made me LOL:

Yikes.

And…do you remember…

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
    O Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2     covering yourself with light as with a garment,
    stretching out the heavens like a tent.
3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
    he rides on the wings of the wind;
4 he makes his messengers winds,
    his ministers a flaming fire.

Psalm 104: 1-4
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August 25, 2022

God’s gonna trouble the water

by chuckofish

I continue to read through the Bible and I am enjoying it. Barring some catastrophe, I know I can finish! Daughter #1 says my plan is weird, and it is true that in my plan I read through the NT twice, but I am sticking with it. And when I finish, I will start all over. Last week I read Romans chapter 12 (again) and I was struck by verses 9-21. Here are some clearcut, straightforward rules for life, as laid out by Saint Paul:

1. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 

2. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

3. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 

4. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 

5. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 

6. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 

7. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 

8. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 

9. To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 

10. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

–Romans 12: 12-21 (ESV)

Post these simple rules on your refrigerator and read them every morning!

“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”― Charles H. Spurgeon

Here’s a song I like:

And here’s a little good news for a change, care of Albert Pujols.

Don’t worry. Wade in the water, children.

5 Comments
August 22, 2022

You know my sitting down and my rising up”*

by chuckofish

We had a nice weekend in flyover land with temperatures in the low eighties and low humidity. That is about as good as it gets here in the summer and I am grateful.

Daughter #1 came home and we enjoyed some normal weekend-y activities. The boy and I also went in his truck to pick up a “new” vintage camelback sofa I had bought at our local antique mall last week. Now we have to deal with disposing of our old sofa, which, believe me, is not easy!

We went to church on Sunday where we heard a good, long sermon on Luke 16:1-13, a hard parable, which the preacher met head-on. Later in the afternoon the OM and I returned for the fall ministry kickoff picnic which was actually a lot of fun. Everyone is returning to school and that means that the summer, I guess, is more or less officially over. Sigh.

I was sad to read that the College Hill Presbyterian Church in Oxford, Mississippi, had burned to the ground. The church was built in 1846 and was the oldest church structure in Oxford, as well as the oldest Presbyterian church in all of North Mississippi. The grounds of the church were used by Union troops under Generals Grant and Sherman during the Civil War, and it is where William Faulkner was married.

Before the fire

In other news, a ridiculous story has recently been making the rounds of social media claiming that six security men had to hold back John Wayne from assaulting Sacheen Littlefeather at the 1973 Academy Awards. Blogger Farran Smith Nehme, aka the Self-Styled Siren, has now thoroughly researched and debunked this fantasy in a well-written article. People have no shame nowadays about lying and spreading more lies.

But this story about the Samaritan’s Purse volunteers helping people right here in St. Louis is uplifting. They walk the walk. Check out the video.

Also, Katiebelle got a haircut…

…and she approved…

And here’s R.C. Sproul explaining flat-out nonsense:

Well, have a good week!

*Psalm 139: 2

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July 28, 2022

“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the wind blew and slammed against the house”*

by chuckofish

Well, we had quite a storm earlier this week. We even broke a record for inches rained in a 24 hour period–9.04 inches! There was lots of scary flash flooding, as you can imagine, and people were forced out of their homes and apartments.

STL Post Dispatch photo

Of course, the OM had made an appointment to get his oil changed that day, so he drove off in the middle of the downpour at 6:30 in the morning. He made it there and to work afterwards, but good grief, Charlie Brown!

In other news I am enjoying spending time in the library of my local historical society. It is a pleasure to escape into the archives and read about another world where people were not confused about their pronouns. I am committed to volunteering, so we’ll see where this leads.

I love the #AskLigonier videos! You can learn a lot in these short clips! For instance, What would we be missing if our Bibles lacked the book of Galatians?

This is a good article about wrestling with the hard questions. “When we ask questions, we engage with what we say we believe. It is natural, normal, and understandable to have questions about our faith. The very essence of faith is believing in what we can’t see (Hebrews 11:6). That’s not easy to do!”

Well, all this rain makes me want to settle in with a Kurosawa movie where the driving rain or snow frequently adds a heightened tension to the action. Seven Samurai (1954), anyone?

*Matthew 7:25

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