A Lovely Children's Hymn

Here is a beautiful song written in 1862 by Frederick Faber. Brian T. Murphy (from Red Mountain Music) and his friend Jon Black recently put it to new music. Go listen to it, it is quite lovely!

Here is the link (click on "audio here" to listen to it while you read the words) : http://briantmurphy.blogspot.com/2007/08/childrens-song.html

"If" by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop to build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Excpect the Will which says to them: "Hold On",

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Favorite Poem #1

If

By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think- and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

Ans stoop to build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Excpect the Will which says to them: "Hold On",

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.

I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

....I will press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Phillipians 3:7-11, 13

Concerning Rebellious Kitchens, Chesterton, and a Very Cute Puggle

Kitchens are strange things. A mystery, in fact, that I don't believe I shall ever understand. I devote an entire day to making our mint-colored kitchen fresh, clean, organized and spotless. Strange enough, the next day it will be a cluttered dissaster once more.


Perhaps it's due to the rebellious nature of the kitchen, or perhaps of the pots and pans that never relent to staying tucked neatly away in the cabinet but insist upon springing back out again onto the weary countertop.


Perhaps someday I will understand this mystery. Untill then, I don't mind......I find it a convenient blessing that cleaning kitchens is actually a fond hobby of mine.


I just finished cleaning the kitchen this afternoon, but I'm certain it won't be clean for long.....in fact, even now I believe I hear some sneaky spoons vaulting themselves onto the newly shined counter............oh well.

Once upon a time there was a book. It strolled leisurely around the house until one day, when I was in the mood for some mind-stirring literature, I decided to pick it up. It struggle a bit at first, trying to convince me it's words were altogether too deep and philosophical for my young mind. It took me a while, but after a rather vicious fight I had pinned the book open against the floor and tied the pages back into a sturdy hold. From the very begining to the end of the introduction, the brilliancy of the writing held me captive. Of course, I only understood about 2% of the stuff I read, but after reading the intro several times, the murkiness has begun to fade away and the witty, gleeful logic has begun to shine through....though I know I'll have to read it several times more to fully grasp it before I move on.

What is the book? It is, my dear readers, "The Everlasting Man" by Mr. G.K. Chesterton. Not an undaunting book, by any means, but surely one worthy to read and which I hope to finish someday, though it may take quite a while.

As The Boston Transcript says, "Here is the genius of Chesterton at its delightful best.....in the mood of clarity which the author creates for us, the sense of wonder and awe at the universe, at God and man, Mr. Chesterton performs a miracle which comes well in this sophisticated age of scorn."

My new teacher, G.K. Chesterton, is giving me the lesson of seeing the world as something to be in awe of, to take nothing as commonplace or stale.

"Far away in some strange constellation in
skies infinitely remote, there is a small star, which astronomers may some day discover. At least I could never observe in the faces or demeanour of most astronomers or men of science any evidence that they have discovered it; though as a matter of fact they were walking about on it all the time. It is a star that brings forth out of itself very strange plants and very strange animals; and none stranger than the men of science."

I look forward to understanding more of what Mr. Chesterton has to teach me in the days to come......perhaps you can look forward to reading what I have to say about it......or better yet, go read the book yourself! Then we can discuss it together.

This, my friends, is a puggle. I was at the pet pad when I saw him, so cute with his wrinkled face and floppy ears. A puggle is mix between a pug and a beagle......of course this picture is not the one I saw, but he looked quite like that....only mine had an even more wrinkled face........so cute! I just had to talk about him. Unfortunately, I cannot own him, but I hope he finds a very happy home:)

Seeking Wisdom

Two Kinds of Wisdom
James 3:13-18

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."

This verse made me think about what wisdom I have, or claim, and what wisdom I am seeking. I found it proposed many questians of me, and studying those questians helped me better understand what true wisdom is.

How wise am I? What do my deeds reveal? Are they done "in the humility that comes from wisdom"?

"But if you harbor bitter envy, or selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come from heaven but is eartly, unspiritual, of the devil".

Am I harboring any bitter envy? Selfish ambition? These things are "earthly, unspiritual, of the devil." How much would I rather trade this "wisdom", the world's wisdom, for wisdom come from heaven!

How can we gain this wisdom from heaven?

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all....

• Pure, then
• Peace-loving
• Considerate
• Submissive
• Full of mercy and good fruit
• Impartial
• Sincere

...Peace makers whos sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."

How can I be more pure?

• Dwell on God's word, keep his truth in my mind all the time
• Keep Christ Jesus and the cross in full view of my gaze, never lose sight of Him!
• Find my joy in God, delight in Him! Don't find my joy elsewhere, turn to him.
• Worship God all through the day, to stay near to Him
• Give thanks!
• "Above all else, gaurd your heart, for it is the wellspring of life".

How can I be more peace-loving?

• Do not fight for my own way, I have the promises of God, I don't need to win petty arguments!
• Be sharp-minded and alert, but always remember to be "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry" (James 1:19)

How can I be more considerate?

• Forget about my own wants, needs and pains
• Be constantly looking out for another's inconveniences, and how I may cheer or relieve them
• Keep my mouth shut if I have something unpleasant to say! Do my words discourage and bring people down, or life them up?
• Show loving, random acts of kindness
• Be slow to show my annoyance a person may cause me.
• Over look insults, rudeness, and annoyance- smile back, and love on!
• "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain concet, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Phillipians 2:3-4)

How can I be more submissive?

• Trust God with my future
• Lay aside my own ambitions for any plan God has different
• Do not argue when asked to do something
• Do not show annoyance when a command is incovenience
• Work with joy!
• Be ready to serve
• Be willing to serve
• Be excited to serve!

How can I be full of mercy and good fruit?

• Study God's word, the life of My Savior, and do my best to immitate His loving, sacrificing, merciful life.
• "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

How can I be impartial?

• Love the lovely and the unlovely
• Give love on no conditions, let it be unconditional, just like Christ's love

How can I be more sincere?

• Pray, pray, pray! Ask God for a sincere heart
• Be true to your word, reliable and worthy
• Don't be just talk!
• Believe in what you say
• Cry when things are sad, be angry at injustice, ask a questian when you don't understand, toughen you senew when things get tough- don't just be all smiles and things are bad.

Why have I written all this out? I wanted to remember, and to act upon it....that is the hard part for me. I pray that I, and whoever else reads this, will be given the desire to seek God more and gain the true widsom which comes only from Him.

"But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetthing what he has heard, but doing it- he will be blessed in what he does."