And then there were four... the adventures of Bek, JR, Annie, and Jude

Monday, October 25, 2010

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

By Charles Wesley.
Extended version...

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

In Christ your Head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.

On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.

Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.

Then with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!

I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.

Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.

Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Æthiop white.

Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.

Murderers and all ye hellish crew
In holy triumph join!
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.

With me, your chief, ye then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday, October 18, 2010

Steeeeew!

One of the great delights of autumn is the transition to fall foods, most especially Beks' world-famous stew. Here's a picture. (We closed the blinds, put on hoodies, and pretended that it was cold outside.)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hooked on books!

Bek and I are finding strange comfort this week reading books about the faith of friends. Bek finished Lauren Winner's Girl Meets God today, and I'm near the end of Stanley Hauerwas' Memoir, Hannah's child. Not one to be left out, Annie is pouring through her own favorites, too.

Remember this one, Momma?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday, October 15, 2010

Annie's pre-party party (and the last of the NC 2010 vacation blogs)

Bek thinks the time is right to wrap up the whole NC vacation blog series. She's probably on to something. That means busting out pics of Annie's pre-birthday party - Aug 14 or 15, I think. Here, you see the same bear theme that would be employed back home on Aug 22 in full force. Things we learned: 1) Annie loves balloons, 2) and wrapping paper, 3) but doesn't relish being the center of attention, especially if said attention is in the form of a lot of adults singly loudly from the opposite end of a table, 4) cake needs a context - we wondered why she wasn't going gaga for a food she'd never seen before, 5) birthdays go best with the love of family, and we were blessed two times over in this. Annie-roo, we're glad you were born! Thank you, Jesus, for Annie. :)

Footnote to the vacation blog:
When we arrived back at the San Antonio airport and met up with Mom and Dad, we ran into Ruth Riley and a host of other women's basketball players. Ruth, of course, was a Notre Dame great while we were in South Bend. No point, but I wanted to remember this.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Annie, the artist

Annie, the artist. No reason, really - just pics overdue for posting. The Bakers sent us Stanley Hauerwas' memoir, Hannah's Child, which I've been reading today. (Thank you, Mark and Debbie!! I offered to let Bek read it first, but she's got 5 books in process, she says - she's trying to be disciplined??) Anyway, I have really enjoyed it so far - and it has me wondering how Annie will account for her being Annie Lyn Melton some day. I pray that it's with the same grace, humor, honesty, and gratitude to God that Stanley shares in his writing, and that, with God's help - and humor - I can grow in and witness these things for her, too.