dual personalities

Tag: spirituality

March 2, 2026

Don’t think twice

by chuckofish

I didn’t do a whole lot this weekend, but I did get the very large framed Asian watercolor that I picked up last week from Link Auction back into my car and took it over to daughter #1’s house where she successfully hung it on the wall. (Her father would be so proud.) Doesn’t it look great?

I went to church on Sunday with the boy and the twins. We heard a really good sermon on Joshua 6:1-27, all about walking and waiting, destruction and deliverance, trusting in God’s timing. Then we went to Sunday School and I chose the class on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which I really enjoyed. What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

After that we went to the Sunny Street Cafe for our usual brunch and talked about our different Sunday School classes. We had a good time and everyone ate heartily.

And here’s some exciting news–Don reports his first flower of the season!

And we see some buds in our yard…

Finally, here’s a great Bob Dylan cover I hope you will enjoy:

Wow. Here’s some more of Billy and his band if you’re interested.

Looking forward to a week full of rain–haha–not really, but c’est la vie.

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February 25, 2026

Joy comes in the morning

by chuckofish

Yesterday’s psalm (in my Bible reading plan) was Psalm 30:

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
    you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.[a]

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.[b]
5 For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.[c]
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord,
    you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
    I was dismayed.

8 To you, O Lord, I cry,
    and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
9 “What profit is there in my death,[d]
    if I go down to the pit?[e]
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”

11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
    you have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

It is a psalm about answered prayer. Speaking for myself, I do not give enough time to contemplating answered prayer. It is good to remember the 10,000 things God is doing for you every day.

I’ve read quite a bit about former senator Ben Sasse and his terminal cancer recently. Here’s a good one.

Sad to see that actor Robert Carradine has died by his own hand. Kind of what Carl Trueman was talking about here.

And the boy came over and changed my lamp post light bulb! It’s real handy to be 6’2″ sometimes.

It’s okay to ask for help if you need it–from your own son or from God. Never grow weary of crying out, “Be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!”

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February 19, 2026

The obedient lock, the belated notes

by chuckofish

Yesterday it got up to 70 degrees in my flyover town and the sky was blue. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Everyone was out walking their dogs.

I could hear the woodpeckers drilling, but I never saw one.

I went to my local park and walked around the pond, where the water was very low. There were men there fishing however. I saw some big hawks and also my friend Chris, who was walking into the park with his fishing rod (and one granddaughter).

I read this about Jonathan Edwards’ most (in)famous sermon by the much loved former pastor of my church. “God is angry at the lost condition of the world. He is angry at the sin that ruins you. But He is not angry because He is insecure or easily offended. He is angry because He loves you.” Amen.

And a poem by Jorge Luis Borges.

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February 10, 2026

Gracious God my heart renew; make my spirit right and true*

by chuckofish

Well, I had a swell time visiting the prairie girls (and boy). We stayed inside except for a quick walk around the block and a trip to church on Sunday. But I got to hold the bud a lot…

We read a lot of books…

…and we played with a lot of Magna Tiles (which can be very frustrating)…

We watched some of the Olympics and Katie and Ida think they would be good at snowboarding…

I was impressed that she included those slalom flags in her drawing.

I enjoyed visiting their church on Sunday which was packed. It is a very different vibe than my church–lots of U of I students. (They have an active RUF chapter.) We heard a good sermon:

(Katie’s sermon notes)

I drove home in the speedwagon on Monday morning after DN gassed it up and procured a Polar Pop for me. I listened to the Springfield country station and was a little shocked by the current songs–all whiskey, bars and loose women–but this one by Morgan Wallen had a clever twist.

Yeah, the night I said, “I’m leavin’,” I turned into Richard Petty
Broke my heart, so I got even in my ’97 Chevy
Now I’m walkin’ on this water mixed with Johnnie Walker Black
There’s a lotta reasons I ain’t Jesus, but the main one is that

I ain’t comin’ back
Oh, no, no, I ain’t comin’ back

When I got closer to STL I switched to Joy99.

Now it is Tuesday and I am discombobulated about what day it is. C’est la vie. Have a good one!

*Scottish Psalter (after Psalm 51)

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February 6, 2026

Red sky at morning

by chuckofish

The sunrise yesterday was amazing! There is still a lot of snow on the ground from our big storm two weeks ago, but it is warming up and that’s a good thing.

I am heading up to Mahomet tomorrow to spend a few days with the prairie girls.

Hopefully I will get a chance to hold the baby.

Have a good weekend. Pray for travel mercies for me!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

And, hey, you go, Tim Allen!

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February 3, 2026

Thought for the day

by chuckofish

I found this clipping in a box of my parent’s things. It seems like something my Boston grandmother would have cut out and shared with ANC III.

There is, of course, no Choister Cathedral in England. It must be a typo–Chester Cathedral? When you google ‘choister’ it defaults to Chorister. According to the Urban Dictionary choisters are “Asian women who follow the popular influencer, Michelle Choi. Most commonly, they follow her fashion style, habits, and dogs.” Well, who knew?

The world is more than we know.

And this was the moon on Sunday night…

P.S. Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow on Groundhog Day 2026. Oh goodie.

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January 28, 2026

At a humble window see

by chuckofish

Yesterday was a beautiful day–cold, but beautiful. Blue sky, untouched white snow reflecting the sunlight. Very nice. I sat in my office and watched a huge red-tailed hawk cruise around.

Here’s a poem, “Shovelling Snow” by Harry Edward Mills, written around 1901:

And Don shared this lovely Dan Fogelberg piece with me:

More cold weather coming up, so I’ll be sitting by my window for the foreseeable future.

“Every bit we eat, and every drop we drink is mercy; every step we take, and every breath we draw, mercy. [These are] what we have reason to acknowledge with thankfulness to God’s praise.” (Matthew Henry, 1662-1713)

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January 26, 2026

Once upon a storm

by chuckofish

Well, I got a few things done on Friday before the storm hit–like everyone else who was out and about buying bread and milk and salt/ice melt. I went to Trader Joe’s early and bought flowers and then went to church where I arranged them for Sunday, which I knew might be cancelled, but what the heck, I did my duty.

I will note that as I drove around and made my various stops, people were very nice and polite, even cheerful. Part of this is because I have gray hair and look like an old lady, so people are usually quick to assist me when they think I need help. I am always a little taken aback by this because I feel like a completely capable woman, but again, what the heck–if someone wants to take my grocery cart back to the cart corral for me in the single digit weather, have at it.

The boy came over in the afternoon to pick up some stuff and to have wine time with me since daughter #1 had many errands to run after work. Everyone was in a tizzy about whether various events would be cancelled. Well, I had no plans to worry about so I just concentrated on hunkering down…

Church was cancelled after all–I certainly couldn’t get out of my driveway. And this was the scene in Wildwood…

While admittedly there is no substitute for worshiping together in person, we were encouraged to watch a previously recorded service on our YouTube channel or watch the recorded adult ed classes.

Daughter #1’s church was also closed as was daughter #2’s. Central had already recorded their sermon to be viewed…

So Mr. Smith heard the word of God on Sunday morning.

All Souls suggested reading a book of the Bible and praying or watching a previous sermon. So many options. I listened to an old sermon given at Central by Dr. Dan Doriani last October on James 3:1-12, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

In the afternoon the twins had fun frolicking in the snow…

And so did the prairie girls…

Now it is Monday and I am waiting for the yard guys to come plow my driveway.

All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well…

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January 14, 2026

This and that

by chuckofish

We have been experiencing mild temps here–63 degrees yesterday–but we are told to expect them to “crash” today. Zut alors, I don’t like to hear that. But it is January so I guess we shouldn’t. be surprised.

I had lunch yesterday with the boy at another of our favorite diners, Uncle Bill’s, which is out near his store. I sure am grateful to be able to spend time with my adult children, because they are, after all, my favorite people.

If I were younger, I might try this!

This is an amazing video from the John 10:10 Project:

Praise the Lord!

And RIP Scott Adams…

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January 13, 2026

Avoiding the myth

by chuckofish

Today we toast the great American writer A.B. Guthrie, Jr. on his birthday (1901-1991). He wrote the western series featuring Dick Summers, who I maintain is one of the great characters of fiction, winning the Pulitzer Prize for The Way West in 1950. ”I don’t write ‘gun-and-gallop’ jobs that promote the myth of the West,” Mr. Guthrie said in an interview. ”I avoid the myth. I have a sense of morality about it–I want to talk about real people in real times. For every Wyatt Earp or Billy the Kid, you see, there were thousands of people trying to get along–not ready with a gun or ready to spill blood. And that story has been obscured.” His books are well worth reading.

Last week John Piper celebrated his 80th birthday. As you know, he is considered quite the guy in reformed circles. He has been a wonderful help to me on my spiritual journey. He has taught me a lot. “In his second year as a pastor, Piper noted that the mercy of God and the sovereignty of God were the twin pillars of his life: ‘They are the hope of my future, the energy of my service, the center of my theology, the bond of my marriage, the best medicine in all my sickness, the remedy of all my discouragements. And when I come to die (whether soon or late) these two truths will stand by my bed and with infinitely strong and infinitely tender hands lift me up to God.’”

Here’s the audio transcript of his latest Ask Pastor John podcast. “[Public] faithfulness becomes public performance when we fail to hope that God will be glorified more than we will be glorified. We just fail to want that; we don’t want it. That’s a failure. Which brings us back to where we started: Is God real for us? Is he a precious Father to us? Is the promise of his reward far more desirable to us than the rewards of human admiration?”

Have a good Tuesday!

And remember: “If you do not worship God seven days a week, you do not worship Him on one day a week. There is no such thing known in heaven as Sunday worship unless it is accompanied by Monday worship and Tuesday worship and so on.” (A.W. Tozer)

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