Keeping a diary, journal, log, calendar...whatever you call it!

In 2007 I read 82 books and numerous magazines (e.g. World, Birds and Blooms, The Court Report, Biblical Worldview, Keepers at Home, The Old Schoolhouse, Chalcedon, Homeschooling Today, and Practical Homeschooling). When I completed each book I entered the title, author and my comments in a three-ring binder. Seems a little compulsive, doesn’t it?

Here’s why I keep the records. First of all, I am compulsive (I like to refer to it as ‘a striving after excellence!’). I love lists and I enjoy seeing where I have been, what was done, and what I thought at the time. So I guess if compulsiveness isn’t one of your vices or virtues, you could skip this one.

Second, I have a moderate-sized library of about 4000 books (could be more, there’s bookshelves all over the house). All of these will some day be passed on to our daughter and her children. Think for a minute: Wouldn’t it be fun to have a list of books your grandma read and what she thought of each one?

My grandma kept a diary, as they were called in those days, which includes notes on weather, trips to town to sell eggs, Livestock Sales Ring days, evening Homemakers’ meetings and birthdays. Even with those rather superficial recordings, it is still a picture of what her life was like; it is interesting to me.

There will come a time when I will be gone and maybe my progeny will be interested in what my life was like. If not, they can sell all those books on amazon.com!

I have also kept journals of trips we have made which gives a rendering of the highlights of the trip, the thoughts I had regarding historical sights, bad motels, good food, where I bought a certain piece for my Colonial cream ware set and geophysical sights that awed me or should be avoided in the future (cave visits!).

I kept a very detailed journal of our trip to India in 1997. For about three months following our return I worked on putting it all into book form. Once completed, I ran a copy for each of the India Team members. It became an historical record of our trip that I often reread. It prevents the capriciousness of memory from stealing the wonder of that trip from me.

Keeping a log book of one’s reading also keeps the memory of the book alive and reminds me to reread or not, never lend out, use as a resource, or take quotes from for future writing projects.

You don’t have to be as compulsive as I am, but you might want to leave a written trail for your loved ones. It might matter to them.

Moral Busybodies

There are many writings of C.S. Lewis that I love. Writings that have made me think outside the narrow little box of my own musings. Here's one that is especially true and relevant in the culture we now find ourselves:

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

Sunday dinner at the Blessed Life Ranch is a blessing!

Ten around the table is a delight! Grandpa prays and we all dig in. I feel sorry for folks who never take the time to enjoy the sweet blessing of noisy chatting, yummy-yummies, even spilled drinks and dropped food (the dog loves that!) and the contentment of a Sunday afternoon of rest.

Life is good in America!

He has risen!

It's a beautiful morning at the Blessed Life Ranch! Resurrection Sunday is just around the corner.

What was it like when the women first came to the tomb of Jesus and found it empty? What did they think? Someone stole the body or "He has risen as He said He would!" ?

He has risen! He has risen, indeed!

The Road Home

Saturday, early evening, we returned from the North Dakota Home School Association's annual convention. There were so many wonderful things about the convention that I will not write about them at this time.

It's been almost three years since we left Bismarck and moved to the Red River Valley to be near our dear ones. Here's what struck me the MOST as we headed for our 'little house on the prairie'. As we turned to go east at the Woods' Corner, that long, straight and level gravel road finally looked like the road home. Not just the road to Ray and Aimee's home, but the road to our home. It was a welcome sight. We felt like we were finally home!

To Live for Almost Sixty Years and Not....

It is a deep sorrow of my life to know that I have lived for almost sixty years and it is only within the past 5-6 years that I have begun to understand the extreme value of a life filled with grace. When I think of all that has issued from my heart and mouth, and how often it has been so totally lacking in grace, I am ashamed and saddened beyond telling. Sixty years...and just now learning.

God has brought people into my life over the years to exhibit both grace-filled lives and those that are ungracious and condemnatory. When I think of generosity of grace I always think first of Stan and Simone. Theirs were lives filled with an overwhelming fragrance of grace and mercy. They knew God. They knew their own failings. They knew the mercy that God bestows on His own. They poured out grace on everyone they came in contact with and some of those were quite unsavory characters. They loved. They loved. They loved. Stan never minced words about God's punishment for sinners, but rather than coming to Christ to avoid hell one wanted to come to Christ because of His great love for His sheep. And Stan and Simone were gentle shepherds that loved their sheep. They were not unaware of the stubborness, willfulness and stupidity of the sheep, but the sheep were so loved and cared for by S & S that they wanted to do better and be better to please both the shepherds and the Great Shepherd.

I want to be like that. I want to pour out grace on all I meet so that they will see the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Stan has gone home to be with Jesus and Simone lives far away from me, but the impact they had on my life never lessens. In fact, as I grow older I am more cognizant of the great spiritual heritage they bequethed to me by their undying love, mercy and grace.

Only eternity will fully reveal the importance of their lives to mine and, more importantly, to the Kingdom of God .

Reading and the well-read mind

A well-read mind is a mind that is expansive enough, secure enough and humble enough to entertain another's opinion while still holding firmly to it's own convictions, all the while maintaining an attitude of grace and respect.

If all one reads is what one already agrees with then how can iron sharpen iron? Congregating at all times with only like-minded folks tends to create a huge pile of salt. Salt in such an overdose almost always kills the grass.

I recently had the chance to visit with dear friends of ours well into the wee hours of the night. We did not always agree and sometimes the discussion got pretty heated. But what a lovely thing to be able to do so and still love each other without question. They are well-read. We want to be well-read.

Our conversation has given me many new things to think about, mull over, digest and dwell on. I have learned a great deal already from this dear family-a family I find incredibly easy to love-and hope to be challenged again and again by them. I feel like a student at the feet of great teachers. I am thankful even that we are not always like-minded.

If you're reading this D and M...you know who you are and may God be praised for bringing you into our lives.

Three Men

Here are the three men in my life:

Alex

BB (Bill)

Charlie

A Frosty Morning

A frosty morning through my kitchen window!

The government bus...

The other day Emmy was standing at the large window which faces the gravel road which passes to the south of the Blessed Life Ranch. She was waiting for her brother, Alex, to take her over to the 'big house' following her afternoon nap at the 'little house'. It was 4:15 p.m. As the school bus sped past Emmy said, with a sad inflection of her voice, "There goes the government bus!"

Think about it. The school is approved by the government, the teachers are licensed by the government, the funding is through state and federal government, the regulations are all promolgated by the government...I guess Emmy is right...it was a government bus, indeed!

Smart enough to be dumb?

I continually seem to run into folks who think they are absolutely right, without question, no doubts allowed, completely sure, and fully convinced about....well, just about everything.

I think God brings these people into my life to grow me up. I used to be (sometimes still am!) one of those people. I had all the answers; I was always right; I sneered at the ignorant; and never thought too deeply about my own hidden prejudices.

As I near 60 I'm finding I know less and less for sure, but what I know for sure, I know for sure. And I am much more likely to deal in grace with another of a varying opinion. I now know what it is like to be treated as an imbecile; it is not pleasant. And the one who so acts is lacking in the most important of abiding characteristics...love. Tinkling brass, sounding cymbal.

There are alot of mysteries in this life, perhaps most of which won't be revealed until we actually arrive in glory, that other dimension of the called out.

I think God intended for us to not know all the answers. I often hear folks say, "God told me." or "I speak for Christ when I say...." Now you can do that as long as what you say comes right from the Scriptures, but it is arrogant and maybe even dangerous to ascribe to Christ what hasn't been made utterly clear in His Word.

I think I might be getting smarter as I get older because I am learning how dumb I am!

Living What You Believe

Sometimes I am reluctant to continue studying the Scriptures due to my own discouragement over what I already know to do, but don't. If I practiced even 10% of what I know to be important in holy living, I would be thrilled and humbled and surprised!

I think of Paul the Apostle when he said that the things he wanted to do, he didn't and the things he knew he ought not do, he did. Story of my life.

I often equate this to dieting because....well, I have struggled with my weight most of my adult life. My dear BB and I were discussing this very thing this weekend. I told him that I am not a glutton exactly; what I am is lacking in self-control. The hard truth about one's weight is that it is almost always due to eating more than one's body needs to operate.

The one thing that keeps me from completely giving up on the whole thing is that I often weep over what others may think of my dear Lord....apparently He isn't enough. And, of course, that is not true. The fault lies with me, not with Him.

I have begged and pleaded, wept and threatened and bargained, promised and resolved to do better, to exercise more self-control. I have been desperate at times, yet still I carry more weight than I ought.

I truly believe that only the Lord Jesus is capable of coming alongside us by His comforting Spirit and giving us the resolve not to give up, to press on, to glory in His sufficiency.

We don't ever have to beg Him to be with us. He is and He has promised never to leave us or forsake us and He remains faithful even when we are faithless.

What a glorious, comforting thought. He is with us. He will not leave us.

Thank you, Lord.