Hal Young's Blog, page 59
December 6, 2010
HOTW: Born that man no more may die …
This is the third stanza in our Hymn of the Week series. To read the whole story, start with the introduction from Sunday or the second stanza, Monday.
* * * * *
Hail the heav'nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
3. In the third verse, we are once again called to praise the Messiah and Wesley directs us to Scripture after Scripture: Isaiah 9:6, the Prince of Peace; Malachi 4:2, "The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings," and Philippians 2:6-8, which talks about how He set aside his reputation to become like us. The last part of the verse explains Christ's coming and our salvation. He came so we could have everlasting life; to raise us from the dead; and to give us the second birth – so we could be "born again.' John 3 and John 6:39-43 are great passages to read here.
* * * * *
This Christmas carol is so full of the Word of God, that we could talk about it for pages and pages. I hope you'll take a few minutes this week to teach this song to your children and more importantly, teach them the Truth that these verses refer to. I like to think about our children hearing this song as they drive down the street or walk in the mall many years from now and these truths come flooding back to their minds and hearts. What a heritage!
Click on the title to hear the tune. We'd love to hear what you think about this post! We're working on a curriculum to help you teach the hymns of the faith to your children, not just the tune and words, but the meaning, without having to search out all these references and definitions yourself. Do you think that would be useful? Leave us a comment!
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Refrain:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ, by highest Heav'n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th'incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Refrain
Hail the heav'nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Refrain
Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
Refrain
Adam's likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Refrain
December 5, 2010
HOTW: Veiled in Flesh …
Usually, teaching the first stanza of familiar hymns means correcting misunderstandings about the language (like angels singing, "Hark!"). The second stanza is where you usually find the first totally new lyrics. It's where you often find new insights, too, since the words are are fresh and we haven't grown complacent from hearing them a hundred times a week on the radio!
This is the second installment of our "Hymn of the Week" series; to see how we do this with our family, read our introduction from yesterday.
* * * * *
Christ, by highest Heav'n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th'incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
2. Verse two talks about the incarnation. Jesus was born to a virgin – a pure young woman who was not married. But babies need fathers, don't they? Yes! God is Jesus's father. "Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see," reminds us that Jesus looked like any other man, but because He was God made flesh (John 1:1), we are able to see what a sinless life looks like and understand so much more about God. "Hail the incarnate deity," "hail" means to praise or acclaim, "incarnate" means made of flesh, and the "deity" is God, so we praise the God in flesh. God is pleased to live with us in this way, and the name Emmanuel means "God with us." (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23) What riches of truth to share with our children!
* * * * *
And it gets better still — Come back tomorrow and learn more with us!
Hail the heav'nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
3. In the third verse, we are once again called to praise the Messiah and Wesley directs us to Scripture after Scripture: Isaiah 9:6, the Prince of Peace; Malachi 4:2, "The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings," and Philippians 2:6-8, which talks about how He set aside his reputation to become like us. The last part of the verse explains Christ's coming and our salvation. He came so we could have everlasting life; to raise us from the dead; and to give us the second birth – so we could be "born again.' John 3 and John 6:39-43 are great passages to read here.
Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
4. The fourth verse addresses the protoevangelium, literally the first gospel, when our dear Father gave Adam and Eve hope for the Savior to come in Genesis 3:15:
"And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."
"Rise, the woman's conquering Seed," the carol tell us. It is finally time for the Savior who was promised at the beginning of the world to come and restore our nature which was ruined in the Fall. When He comes, He will save us and restore the union between us and our Creator. And He is coming for more than just the children of Abraham — Haggai 2:7 tells us the Gentile nations will come to Him as well. He is what they are longing for; He is the Desire of Nations.
Adam's likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
5. The last verse teaches us about Christ as the second Adam. I Corinthians 15 teaches us about this beginning with, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." and don't miss Romans 5 and especially, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." Good stuff! Efface means to wipe out, and Colossians 3:8-10 explains that we have to put off the old man and put on the new. The lines starting with "Let us thee" are a prayer asking that the Lord allow us, though we are lost to regain Him as our life, our heart and ask him to impart Himself to us who believe in Him. Impart means to grant a share in or to reveal or disclose something and it has the since of the Lord filling our hearts with Himself.
This Christmas carol is so full of the Word of God, that we could talk about it for pages and pages. I hope you'll take a few minutes this week to teach this song to your children and more importantly, teach them the Truth that these verses refer to. I like to think about our children hearing this song as they drive down the street or walk in the mall many years from now and these truths come flooding back to their minds and hearts. What a heritage!
Click on the title to hear the tune. We'd love to hear what you think about this post! We're working on a curriculum to help you teach the hymns of the faith to your children, not just the tune and words, but the meaning, without having to search out all these references and definitions yourself. Do you think that would be useful? Leave us a comment!
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Refrain:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ, by highest Heav'n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th'incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Refrain
Hail the heav'nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Refrain
Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
Refrain
Adam's likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Refrain
Hymn of the Week: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
Schnorr von Carolsfeld, From the Bibel in Bildern, 1860
This is one of those hymns that we think we all know, but usually only sing the first verse. This is like nibbling on the salad and walking out on the feast. Charles Wesley packed so much Biblical truth into this carol, you not only don't want to miss it, but you ought to make sure your children understand it all, too.
We sing all the verses every day, but explain one of the verses each time. That gives us time to really focus on what each verse means. There are some don't-miss concepts you want to be sure to discuss with your children. This week we're going to discuss the incarnation, the protoevangelium (hard word, but as soon as we explain, it'll be really obvious to you!), Christ to the nations, the resurrection, and the Lord as the second Adam. And it's all there in a carol we all love. This week, we'll be posting each day's devotional explanation of one of the verses, so you can use it with your own children!
(The entire carol is included at the bottom of the post.)
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
In verse one, explain that "hark" is a way of getting attention, like saying, "Hey!" or "Listen up!", a herald is one that announces news. The angels aren't flying about singing, "Hark! Hark!" but instead, the singer is calling to his friends "Hey, listen! The angels are singing!"
And what are they singing about? These were the angels that brought news to the shepherds and very important news it was: the Messiah who would bring reconciliation between God and man had been born. You can explain reconciliation by talking about a child who disobeys a parent and gets punished, then repents and gets forgiveness. Christ came to take our punishment so we could be forgiven!
Revelation 19:16 shows Jesus as "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" so in this hymn, the angels are shown giving glory to the newborn king. He is also seen as the One who will bring the nations to repentance, not only the chosen people, but all people. Isaiah 56:7 says "For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations."
Ever since we studied the history of Rome for the first time, we have grabbed onto the idea of a Triumph – a victory parade and celebration the Romans would give a conquering hero on his return to Rome – and we do this around the house whenever someone conquers something – a difficult situation, a textbook, some accomplishment. Isn't it encouraging to think about the triumph of the skies, the rejoicing of the angels in the birth of the Savior that would conquer death and sin?
* * * * *
This Christmas carol is so full of the Word of God, that we could talk about it for pages and pages. I hope you'll take a few minutes this week to teach this song to your children and more importantly, teach them the Truth that these verses refer to. I like to think about our children hearing this song as they drive down the street or walk in the mall many years from now and these truths come flooding back to their minds and hearts. What a heritage!
Click here to hear the tune. We'd love to hear what you think about this post! We're working on a curriculum to help you teach the hymns of the faith to your children, not just the tune and words, but the meaning, without having to search out all these references and definitions yourself. Do you think that would be useful? Leave us a comment!
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Refrain:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ, by highest Heav'n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th'incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Refrain
Hail the heav'nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Refrain
Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
Refrain
Adam's likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Refrain
Hymn of the Week: Hark the Herald Angels Sing
This is one of those hymns that we think we all know, but usually only sing the first verse. This is like nibbling on the salad and walking out on the feast. Charles Wesley packed so much Biblical truth into this carol, that you not only don't want to miss it, but you ought to make sure your children understand it all, too.
We sing all the verses every day, but explain one of the verses each time. That gives us time to really focus on what each verse means. There are some don't miss concepts you want to be sure to discuss with your children. (The entire carol is included at the bottom of the post.)
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
In verse one, explain that "hark" is a way of getting attention, like saying, "Hey!" or "Attention!" and that a herald is one that announces news. These were angels that brought news to the shepherds and very important news it was: the Messiah who would bring reconciliation between God and man had been born. You can explain reconciliation by talking about a child disobeying a parent and being punished, repenting and being forgiven, and explain that Christ came to take our punishment!
Christ, by highest Heav'n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th'incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Verse two talks about the incarnation. Jesus was born to a virgin – a pure young woman who was not married, but babies need fathers, don't they? Yes! God is Jesus's father. "Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see," reminds us that Jesus looked like any other man, but because He was God made flesh, we are able to see what a sinless life looks like and understand so much more about God. "Hail the incarnate deity," means to praise or acclaim, while incarnate means in-flesh and deity is God, so we praise the God in flesh. God is please to live with us in this way, and the name Emmanuel means "God with us." What riches of truth to share with our children and it gets better still!
Hail the heav'nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
In the third verse, we are once again called to praise the Messiah and Wesley directs us to Scripture after Scripture: Isaiah 9:6, the Prince of Peace, Malachi 4:2, The Sun of Righteous shall arise with healing in his wings, and Philippians 2:6-8 talks about how He set aside his reputation to become like us. The last part of the verse explains Christ coming and our salvation. He came that we could have everlasting life, that we could be raised from the dead and to give us the second birth. John 3 and John 6:39-43 are great passages to read here.
Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
The fourth verse addresses the protoevangelium, literally the first gospel, when our dear Father gave Adam and Eve hope for the Savior to come in Genesis 3:15:
"And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."
"Rise, the woman's conquering Seed," the carol tell us. It is finally time for the Savior promised at the beginning of the world to come and restore our nature ruined in the Fall and save us, bringing union to us and our Creator. And it is not just the children of Abraham the Savior comes for, but Haggai 2:7 tells us the nations will come to Him, He is what they are longing for – the Desire of Nations.
Adam's likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
The last verse teaches us about Christ as the second Adam. I Corinthians 15 teaches us about this beginning with, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." and don't miss Romans 5 and especially, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." Good stuff! Efface means to wipe out, and Colossians 3:8-10 explains that we have to put off the old man and put on the new. The lines starting with "Let us thee" are a prayer asking that the Lord allow us, though we are lost to regain Him as our life, our heart and ask him to impart Himself to us who believe in Him. Impart means to grant a share in or to reveal or disclose something and it has the since of the Lord filling our hearts with Himself.
This Christmas carol is so full of the Word of God, that we could talk about it for pages and pages. I hope you'll take a few minutes this week to teach this song to your children and more importantly, teach them the Truth that these verses refer to. I like to think about our children hearing this song as they drive down the street or walk in the mall many years from now and these truths come flooding back to their minds and hearts. What a heritage!
Click on the title to hear the tune. We'd love to hear what you think about this post. We're working on a curriculum that will help you to teach the hymns of the faith to your children, not just the tune and words, but the meaning, without having to search out all these references and definitions yourself. Do you think that would be useful?
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Refrain
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ, by highest Heav'n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th'incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Refrain
Hail the heav'nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Refrain
Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
Refrain
Adam's likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Refrain
December 2, 2010
Scout: A Treasure!
When Annie Kate sent me a link to her review of Raising Real Men, she mentioned that I might like the Scout series by Piet Prins. Was she ever right! We just finished reading Scout: The Secret of the Swamp and absolutely loved it! Full of adventure and excitement, it's sure to be a favorite of any boy – or girl!
The Secret of the Swamp, the first book in the Scout series describes how Scout became Tom's dog and how he was trained. The first few chapters deal with the young Tom and his first adventure with Scout, which is very exciting, but you better not read past page 25 if you want to put down this book anytime soon! After that, we move to Tom's middle school years in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation and the storyline is thrilling. I was exhausted the night I started reading it and planned to go to bed early, but I just couldn't – it was too good to put down.
There are several things I love about this Scout book. Tom has a great relationship with his parents and they are portrayed as godly, wise, and loving, as are the other Christian parents in the book. Also, when Tom is foolhardy and doesn't seek his parent's advice, he is rebuked, and I really like that! The setting, too, deals with another issue you see in fiction for boys – How could a well-taken-care-of boy ever get in a jam like that? In the midst of a war, even a walk to a friend's house isn't without risk. Tom and his friends are likeable, the enemies are historically accurate and genuinely bad, and Tom's help is in the Lord. How can you beat that?
Piet Prins is the pen name of Pieter Jongeling, a Dutch statesman, international correspondent, and teacher, and the books were originally written in Dutch. It's an excellent translation, though, very smooth and readable to the point that you're a little surprised when you realize they are in The Netherlands!
Get it Free!
This is a great Christmas present for your sons! And, this is really exciting, you can get it free! If you buy at least one other book, Inheritance Publications will send you a free copy of their special catalog edition of Scout: The Secret of the Swamp! They've done an edition with the Inheritance Publications catalog printed in the center of the book (it's the complete book) and you won't mind at all – it is one terrific catalog! If you love godly historical fiction like we do, you are going to be amazed. There are multiple books about the heroic William of Orange, a whole series about the Huguenots, books set in Bible times, and those on the the mission field in Africa and the Outback. A treasure store!
And when you hear about the story of the publishing company, you begin to understand why. It all began in 1980 when Roelof Janssen immigrated to western Canada from the Netherlands and began a ministry traveling from home to home selling good Christian music and a few books. He was a colporteur, just like those you may have read about Spurgeon supporting! In order to provide more great Christian books, Mr. Janssen started a publishing house, Inheritance Publications. The Lord has blessed his faithfulness and today Roelof, his wife Theresa, and their ten homeschooled children publish a wide array of Christian literature, music, and non-fiction.
I corresponded with them recently and was intrigued by their family. They live in a Dutch settlement in Alberta called Neerlandia and they speak Dutch at home. Their children all have either Christian historical names or family names just like ours do! The children, again like ours, help out in the family business, even helping with translations. I was delighted to hear that when they found an English translation of a Dutch book they loved and found that many of the Christian references had been removed, they retranslated the book as needed to restore the original godly message.
I seriously urge you to head out to the Inheritance Publications website, check out their titles and place a Christmas order! If you mail them a check, they have a flat $5 shipping fee no matter what you order. And don't forget, Scout: The Secret of the Swamp is free with purchase of another book!
Scout: Secret of the Swamp by Piet Prins, Inheritance Publications, English catalog edition, 2006, 223 pg including 80 pg catalog. $8.90, free with purchase.
We received a free review copy of this book from Inheritance Publications in return for our always honest review.
Thank you to Pieter H.C. de Vries for the photo of Pieter Jongeling, through Wikimedia Commons.
November 28, 2010
Hymn of the Week: Angels from the Realms of Glory
Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story
Now proclaim Messiah's birth.
Refrain
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant light:
Refrain
Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star.
Refrain
Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.
Refrain
Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.
Refrain
Though an Infant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Father's throne,
Gather all the nations to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:
Refrain
All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th'eternal Three in One.
Refrain
November 25, 2010
Deeply Thankful
As we mentioned the other day, one of our Thanksgiving traditions is to talk about the things we are thankful for during the feast. Today was kind of different. Usually there is a slow start, then an increasingly interactive conversation about all of God's blessings. Today when we asked the question, "What are you thankful for?" everyone had the same answer. We are so thankful that God in His mercy spared Hal/Daddy to us. Last year this time, Hal was dying, but we didn't know it. A couple of weeks later the news would crash into our lives like a declaration of war.
Departure of Pilgrims from Delft Haven (Lucy, 1847)
I will never forget driving home from the hospital with two of my children who had just had surgery. Hal was home in the bed; we'd just found out a couple of days earlier that he had pneumonia. I was driving home, stressed and exhausted, wondering how I was going to manage this home-hospital, with yet another child due for surgery in a few days, when I heard the baby cough a deep ugly cough. Oh no! What if she has pneumonia? This was my heart baby and sickness for her was a very frightening thing. "Oh dear Father," I prayed, "I don't think I can take anything else. Please help me." He did help me, but not at all as I was hoping. His plans were higher.
I called the doctor and he said, "Bring Katie right in!" so I dropped the other two off home in the care of their teen brothers and took her in. Thankfully, the doctor assured me she did not have pneumonia, but then our old friend said, with anxiety in his eyes, "We need to talk." The x-ray for Hal's pneumonia showed a massive tumor behind his breastbone and I needed to rush him to the hospital for a CT scan. That was the start of an incredibly harrowing few weeks that involved hospital trips for children, surgery for Dad, and great worry for me. I learned a lot that month; especially that prayer is far more effective than worrying and has the added benefit that the enemy doesn't keep tempting you with worry if it drives you to prayer! Nevertheless it was long and stressful.
Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor (Halsall, 1882)
By the first week of January, we had a diagnosis: stage IV cancer and a 55% chance. It sounds awful, doesn't it? But our family has been overwhelmed by the mercy and love of God through this trial. Hal completed six months of chemotherapy and several weeks of radiation, all while traveling all over the country speaking to folks about Biblical family life, homeschooling, raising sons, and trusting God in hard times. We've had an extraordinary hard time of our own, but our dear Lord has blessed us enormously through it.
It took awhile during our feast today to be able to think at all past "Daddy is alive!" but then the sweet memories started flowing:
Coming home frantic from the hospital with no time at all to think about Christmas presents to find an email from a dear couple we didn't even know, "You may not even need anything like this, but the Lord is really impressing on us to go Christmas shopping for your children." I wept and I still do when I think of it.
The family who gave us a wonderful van when our van was dying so we could travel in comfort and safety to speak in the Midwest. Our children say, "God bless the _________ family," with reverence everytime the air conditioner comes on.
Our precious church who has helped us with bills when it was hard, held up our hands in prayer, and loved us and our children. We love them all.
The homeschool organization who invited us to speak at a conference, then paid us twice what we had agreed to come for, telling us only, "We prayed about it." We think of them everytime we run analytics on our finances and we pray the Lord would bless them.
All the dear people who prayed for us and encouraged us and left messages on Facebook and our Carepages and sent cards or gift cards or just love and prayers.
That our son was able to go to Oxford for the year on scholarship - a dream come true – and to study there the life of C.S. Lewis with a world authority and real believer.
Landing of the Pilgrims (Sargent, 1822)
That $300 my Dad, who has been in heaven for 32 years, put in a savings account 45 years ago grew to the point that it paid for my mother and our high school senior to travel overseas together, another dream come true.
For our precious local homeschool group, who've fixed us innumerable delicious meals and faithfully prayed for us. What a blessing to pick up a hot dinner on the way home from chemo each time!
For our beloved extended family, who have been extraordinarily caring and patient with us this year, upholding us in every way possible and lovingly holding their tongues when we were barely keeping it all together.
All the things our children learned this year about the great things of life: sickness and the threat of death, sacrificial love, stepping up to the plate.
Our children, who gave up so much at different times to help the family business or do something so their dad didn't have to or to take care of a younger sibling in difficult circumstances. What a gift of the Lord each of them all.
The hope of heaven and the love and sovereignty of God – our true help in trials.
And for my beloved's life. Oh Praise God!
We are truly deeply thankful for the Lord's manifold mercies this year. We wouldn't choose to go through this, but we could not have seen these amazing providences without it. What a really Happy Thanksgiving we are having!!
NB: If you'd like to hear more about God's incredible providences to us in the past couple of years and how we've been able to be joyful in the midst of these trials, I recently told the whole story and what we learned from it at a ladies retreat called Walk by Faith. You can get the CDs here. You may also be interested in reading that first blog post I wrote here when we learned of Hal's cancer. This hymn is a little more difficult than many modern songs, but is so very rich – I hope you will sing it – there is music at the link.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who hath fearfully, wondrously, made thee;
Health hath vouchsafed and, when heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee.
What need or grief ever hath failed of relief?
Wings of His mercy did shade thee.
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.
Praise to the Lord, who, when tempests their warfare are waging,
Who, when the elements madly around thee are raging,
Biddeth them cease, turneth their fury to peace,
Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.
Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding,
Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,
Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night,
Saints with His mercy surrounding.
Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
Words: Joachim Neander, 1680.
Music: Lobe den Herren, Ander Theil des Erneuerten Gesangbuch, second edition (Bremen, Germany: 1665).
November 23, 2010
Thankful for our Forefather's Foresight
Yesterday while I was writing about our Thanksgiving traditions for this blog, I looked up George Washington's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in preparation for suggesting you share it with your family. As I read it, I felt increasingly sad.
George Washington thanked God "for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed." I thought of all the media I've read this week indicating that our civil liberties are under attack. I never dreamed that one day my country would force me to choose amongst having a nude image of me and my children exposed to strangers, being molested by TSA agents (and watching them molest my children), or turning down all invitations to minister to people with the truth of Biblical family life outside driving distance. Before you say, "I've flown and it wasn't that bad," have you flown in the last two weeks since the rules changed? Did you know that if you choose to opt out from the nude body scanners, that TSA agents will perform a search on you like this?
"by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed," the first President prayed. He and the other Founders did their best to pass down good and just laws that ruled men where absolutely necessary and preserved liberty. Our generation is so afraid of evil-doers, that we have become vulnerable to those who would remove our liberty, our privacy, our decency. I think of John Tyner in San Diego. He was told by a TSA agent, "By buying your ticket you gave up a lot of rights." The fourth amendment to the Constitution doesn't give any warrant for that:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
What is an unreasonable search? Well, the fourth amendment tells us: it's a search without probable cause. The 'Lectric Law Library tells us, "The test the court of appeals employs to determine whether probable cause existed for purposes of arrest is whether facts and circumstances within the officer's knowledge are sufficient to warrant a prudent person to believe a suspect has committed, is committing, or is about to commit a crime." Now, if our country practiced the Israeli system of personal interaction with each passenger and focusing on those that fit the profile of terrorists (not necessarily racial, but background and travel history as well), they would have probable cause to search those that fail the assessment, in a way they do not now. And only a small number of travelers would be inconvenienced. Their system has never been broached, either.
What have we come to when we have to say to our children who we've taught , "Don't let anyone but your parents or your doctor touch you there," that they'll be touched there. In public. I felt like throwing up when I saw this video of a little boy being groped by a TSA agent in front of everyone. So, how in the world does a Christian make a choice between having their child endure this or letting them make a nude image of them? It seems like images that would have gotten you in big trouble with the law a few weeks ago are A-okay if it's the government doing the touching. Is there a righteous choice here?
They say that the images won't be saved anywhere. A hundred photos from lower resolution full body scanners in a courthouse in Florida have already been released under a Freedom of Information Act request. The U.S. Marshall there saved over 35,000 images of his fellow townspeople. Good thing he didn't have a high resolution scanner yet! And copies of airport nude body scanner images of celebrities have already been passed around. Even if we could be sure they wouldn't, who wants to be seen that way by strangers? I really feel sorry for the airline employees that have to be exposed this way to people they see every day to go to work.
I'm hearing folks say, "Well, I'd rather be groped than be blown up!" Is that really the alternative? Did you know that the TSA has not caught one single terrorist since it's founding 9 years ago? Every single terrorist foiled in committing an act of terrorism on a plane since 9/11 has been taken down by the passengers. The nude body scanners can not see into body cavities, yet we know that terrorists have put bombs there. Do you really think someone planning to blow themselves up will balk at having a bomb surgically implanted? Honestly!
Even if it did give us a measure of security, it's just not worth it. Believe me, this is serious to us. Our livelihood depends on being able to travel all over speaking. If we were to drive everywhere we are already committed to speak in the spring, it would add weeks of travel time (and hotel costs) to our schedule. I feel very concerned. So, why not just endure it?
We travel with our children. Whenever we possibly can, we bring our children with us at our own expense. We do not want to lose our own children while telling other people how to love theirs better. That would be totally unacceptable to us. We homeschool our guys and we involve them in everything we're doing. They talk about "our book" and "our business" and that's the way we like it – at least til they are on their own and have their own businesses, careers and families. How in the world can I expose my children to this humiliation or temptation or exposure?
And what about their safety? I have a child with a heart condition. If she is too upset, her heart could go into a life-threatening rhythm. So, when I saw this video of little 3yo Mandy Simon begging the TSA agent to "Stop touching me!" I got very worried. "Nah," I thought, "I'll just explain my daughter's heart problem and they'll understand. They're human." Not so fast, dear. A few hours later, I get a link to a mother who did just that. In fact, she begged the TSA to call 911 to help her heart baby. They responded, "Stay calm, relax." When they finally relented, it was too late. The paramedics found the newborn in critical condition and the doctors at the hospital were unable to save him. I think the TSA agents should be charged with negligent homicide.
I'm thankful for our forefather's foresight. They understood government's tendency to become a tyranny. They understood that when government agents say things like Janet Napolitano did, that if folks don't like the new nude scanners or grope searches, they can "travel by some other means," they are equivocating. Sure, you could drive to California, but it is not practical or economical for most people, but it may be a necessary part of your business. And this is the Transportation Safety Administration, not just the Air Travel Safety Administration. What if they decide you need to be strip-searched to ride in a train, or take a bus or drive across state lines? Wait! They are already headed that way. Where does it end?
Ben Franklin said, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." We stand at that juncture. I fear that if we allow our government to violate our bodies as a condition of travel or work (for us and many others), there's no end to the indignities and loss of freedom we'll face. Please don't be among those who wait until it affects you personally. Remember Pastor Martin Niemoller's warning for those who face tyranny in much more dire circumstances:
In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.
Yet, those atrocities started somewhere, too. In the first days of government's overreach, isn't it much easier to stand up for right? So what can we do? I'll tell you what we are doing, because you can do many of these things, too:
We cancelled all the air travel we possibly could. This will be very difficult and expensive, but the alternative may be far worse.
We told our airlines why we were doing that and expressed our regret that they would lose our dollars. Their Facebook fan page is a nice public way to do this.
We've posted about these offenses on our Facebook pages and on this blog, so no one we know can say they didn't know.
We signed petitions to join our voice to others.
We'll be contacting our representative and senators to let them know we want these unconstitutional searches to stop. Find your representative or senator. They've likely lately taken to heart that their job depends on citizens voting for them.
Writing travel trade associations and sharing your concerns with organizations like the ACLJ or ACLU can also help.
And we'll be sharing with our children this Thanksgiving our first president's Thanksgiving Proclamation and telling them how we have to be ever viligent "to render our national government a blessing to all the people." Hard to even imagine some days.
George Washington's Thanksgiving ProclamationBy the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be– That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks–for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation–for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war–for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed–for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted–for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions– to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually–to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed–to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord–To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us–and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
Go: Washington
Can't say it better than that.
Note: This morning on Facebook, Hal compared the situation with our government to I Kings 12. Just wow. ~Melanie
November 22, 2010
Our Thanksgiving Traditions
We just love Thanksgiving! What a wonderful holiday! Leading up to the day, we teach our children great hymns of Thanksgiving, such as "We Gather Together," "Come Ye Thankful People, Come," "Count Your Blessings," and "Now Thank We All Our God."
We particularly love "We Gather Together," because it was a Dutch song of the proper time frame – it is quite likely that our Pilgrim forefathers knew it and sang it! We try to make sure our children understand the rich history of our country's founding. We try to read books about the Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth. It is very encouraging, because they were people we agree with on many different things! They were concerned about living and worshiping as Biblically as possible. They were very concerned that their children be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. In fact, the influences on their children in the Netherlands was one of the deciding factors for beginning a colony in the New World. We love to read the real first hand accounts to our children, especially Of Plymouth Plantation. I really like the Plymouth Set available from Vision Forum, which includes it, and it's on sale for 25% off right now. In fact, they are having a great sale on tools and toys through tomorrow – up to 50% off!
Another thing we like to do is to put up a Thanksgiving tree. 
We make a tree trunk out of brown paper and tape it to a wall, then cut out lots of construction paper leaves in fall colors. Each of us writes something we are thankful for on a leaf and tapes it to the tree. We keep on adding more and more until the tree and all the "ground" at the base of it is covered in lovely leaves. What a terrific reminder of how blessed we are!
On Thanksgiving Day, we place five kernels of corn on each plate at the table. When we come together at the table, the youngest child who can read well reads aloud the poem "The Five Kernels of Corn" by Hezekiah Butterworth. It reminds us of the famine our forefathers endured the first couple of years in Plymouth and of their endurance and God's provision. We thank God for those brave believers who endured all that to leave a goldly heritage for our nation.
Five Kernels of Corn
By Hezekiah Butterworth
'Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,
The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;
Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o'er the seas,
And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;
And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,
and dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.
The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;
There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!
"Five Kernels of Corn! Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye people, be glad for Five Kernels of Corn!"
So Bradford cried out on bleak Burial Hill,
And the thin women stood in their doors, white and still.
"Lo, the harbor of Plymouth rolls bright in the Spring,
The maples grow red, and the wood robins sing,
The west wind is blowing, and fading the snow,
And the pleasant pines sing, and arbutuses blow.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
To each one be given Five Kernels of Corn!"
O Bradford of Austerfield hast on thy way,
The west winds are blowing o'er Provincetown Bay,
The white avens bloom, but the pine domes are chill,
And new graves have furrowed Precisioners' Hill!
"Give thanks, all ye people, the warm skies have come,
The hilltops are sunny, and green grows the holm,
And the trumpets of winds, and the white March is gone,
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye have for Thanksgiving Five Kernels of Corn!
"The raven's gift eat and be humble and pray,
A new light is breaking and Truth leads your way;
One taper a thousand shall kindle; rejoice
That to you has been given the wilderness voice!"
O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,
And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,
Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,
And the festal world sings the "Five Kernels of Corn."
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!
To the Thanksgiving Feast bring Five Kernels of Corn!
Sometimes we also read George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation. This year, I believe we will. I'll post it tomorrow, along with why I think this is a particularly appropriate time to read this proclamation.
Then we pray and thank God for our feast and for all the blessings of the year.
During the meal, our topic of discussion is "The Blessing of God of this year. " Each person is expected to share at least five things they are thankful for – one for each of the kernels of corn they received. What a happy time it is to enjoy the wonderful food as we think of all our dear Father in heaven has done for us.
This year, in particular, our family has much to be thankful about. We'll be sharing that on Thanksgiving Day and we hope you'll join us and rejoice with us!
Peruvian corn picture courtesy of Jenny Mealing, through WikiMedia Commons, no endorsement of our site intended.
November 21, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
This is probably the most popular of the Thanksgiving hymns!
Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
Words: Henry Alford, 1844
Music: George J. Elvey, 1858
Come, ye thankful people, come,
raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in,
ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide
for our wants to be supplied;
Come to God's own temple, come,
raise the song of harvest home.
All the world is God's own field,
fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown
unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear,
then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
wholesome grain and pure may be.
For the Lord our God shall come,
and shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day
all offenses purge away,
Giving angels charge at last
in the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store
in His garner evermore.
Even so, Lord, quickly come,
bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in,
free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
in Thy garner to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels come,
raise the glorious harvest home.
