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On the Increase

The hymn that I have been enjoying recently, “Complete in Thee” (see last entry), keeps me considering how God has done “far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Many thoughts and many of my best thoughts arise soon after I awake. The tune to “Complete in Thee” is catchy, so I composed another verse this morning before I even opened my eyes. I think that I would make it the last verse of “my version” of the song. Then awhile later I was reading my Bible when I came across Jacob responding to God’s call to return to Bethel (“House of God”): “…let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” (Genesis 35:3) God then blesses Him and “makes official” the angel (possibly pre-incarnate Christ) renaming Jacob Israel (Genesis 32:28). Two phrases grabbed me: “my distress” and “has been with me”. From that another verse to the song began forming. Perhaps I am not a very good hymn writer, but I cherish opportunities to give praise to God for all of His benefits (Psalm 103:2) delivered through His “manifold grace”. (I Peter 4:10)

My joy and peace ever increase
My praise of Him will never cease
All pure in heart His face I’ll see
Before His throne, complete in Thee

He answered me in my distress
And through the years and now does bless
Grace manifold He gives to me
My cup o’erflows, complete in Thee

Recently I have learned a new hymn, which is really not new having been published in 1850 by Aaron R. Wolfe. It so affected me that I sang it at home several times and began to add words. You may listen to the hymn at Complete in Thee and read about it at Hymnary.org. Following are the words that I added:

The tempter oft does me accuse
By Christ’s great strength I may refuse
The tempter’s snare and rather see
Christ’s victory, complete in Thee

When hardship causes me to fear
Inadequacies* then appear
No condemnation now I see
Christ all in all, complete in Thee

No longer now a slave to sin
Over the flesh and world I win
Your sacrifice has set me free
Fully absolved, complete in Thee

Understanding and accepting my inadequacies, without allowing them to define me, keeps me humble and focused on God’s all sufficient grace, my only hope. I want to triumph through Him and by His grace to His glory. Do use the links above to learn this good hymn.

*In the second line of the second verse, “Inadequacies” is just the term that explains my go to reaction, but it doesn’t sing well. So, for the sake of singing, “My failures frequently” serves as a decent substitute.

Coolest Cave

It was in the low 20’s with a stiff little breeze. I was looking forward to going into a warm cave (usually 59 degrees at our latitude). From the moment I stepped inside I thought that it felt colder than outside. It turns out that among the many entrances are two large ones, one a collapsed chamber at the top of the hill and the other one where the creek exits, plenty large enough to walk in upright. This arrangement makes for a nice chimney with a good draw of very cold air on this particular morning. At one point the guide was saying that a narrowing in the passage has been measured to have lower barometric pressure and “they” don’t know why. It was too simple. I explained Bernoulli’s Principle and how the narrow section of passage acts as a venturi in a carburetor. The faster the wind, the lower the pressure. It is also interesting that the seven species of bats (five of which are endangered) in this cave are not being decimated by the White Nose Fungal outbreak among bats. The regular exchange of fresh air is probably the reason. The cave also sits at a transition zone where sedimentary and igneous rock are interlayered. Of the several dozen caves that I have been in, it seems to be the most geologically diverse. I enjoyed the tour with my daughter and two grandchildren. It was supposed to be a 45 minute tour, but between Mr. G’s* enthusiasm and knowledge of the cave and our curiosity and general knowledge, the tour was more like 1:45. We as well as he professed to having learned a lot. Check out my pictures at AC Underground and then check out the Appalachian Caverns Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/appalachian.caverns)

*If you want to ask for a tour guide whose name begins with G, then I would recommend him. I don’t name people on my blog.

Historical Semantics

I didn’t say etymology because this is not about how a word came to be or changed in form or meaning over time. Instead, this is an anecdote about word usage where the word and its meaning has not changed but the situation referred to has changed. That sounds rather confusing until you hear the story.

Have you ever wondered why the container for beans or corn or soup or tomato paste is called a tin can. The obvious answer is that it is made of tin, or used to be anyway. Preserving food and other substances in cans began in 1810 with the invention of the tin can. By 1813 the first tin can factory was canning food for the military in England (1,2).

Why was tin used? It has a high corrosion resistance and a low toxicity (3). Already by 1818, cans were beginning to be merely tin-plated rather than entirely tin. Today, cans are plastic lined to seal them and prevent corrosion. There was a period of time when BPA’s and other plastics were used that are problematic for health, but that has gone away.

So, steel cans are still called tin cans even though almost no cans were even tin lined after the 1950’s. Though I have wondered about the persistence of this term, tin can, for many years, I regained heightened interest in the subject when I went to recycle metals the other day. Check it out at, “Where do I put steel and other metals?

What word usages can you think of that are leftovers from long gone situations?

  1. https://www.cancentral.com/can-stats/history-of-the-can
  2. https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-can-and-can-opener-1991487
  3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285957383_Corrosion_of_Tin_and_its_Alloys

God’s Grace and Joy

In celebration and thanksgiving at my newest granddaughter’s safe arrival and for the purpose of blessing her based on her given name, I offer these few lines of verse. These poems come with prayers for salvation, purity, witness, and safety for my posterity.

Graced with God’s bounty fair
Oh, may it be Miss Annalise
With others plenty share
What you receive also release

Copious intense joy
From God’s supply Felicity
No shadow of alloy
A pure heart, no duplicity

This world an evil place
Will try to drag you down for sure
But trusting in His grace
Know well God in Christ and be pure

Inner beauty reveal
In the midst of troubles and pain
That Christ become more real
And the Gospel become more plain

So a true Francis be
In all faith and freedom in Christ
That people clearly see
God’s riches in Christ sacrificed

Manifold Grace

I repeat myself a considerable amount on this blog, but it is a product of what I’m thinking (and maybe the beginnings of senility?). Anyway, repeating truth is a good thing. I love the “manifold grace of God” that He abundantly pours out on us for serving others. A full and running over cup is, well, full. I am overflowing with the arrival of my 12th grand-child. God has been so good to my family. Check out the pictures of my 6th Granddaughter.

Through a Gorge

I went for a hike with a new friend from church. He just moved here from Southwest Washington state. So, get him out in the East Tennessee woods. I asked him how similar the woods and mountains are to where he came from. He said there are mostly conifers there but that the moisture levels and undergrowth are similar, though wetter in the winter in the winter there. If you would like to see a few pictures of our outing, then click on “On Through“.

The two brothers and the two old men went for a mountain bike ride. I had claimed that I would dig my bike out of storage and repair it to go sometime, but it has not yet become a priority. My young friend from church graciously decided to offer that I ride his “spare” bike. It was far nicer than any bike I could ever imagine owning. I will still need to get my bike out and actually make an attempt at getting into shape. We had a fun, and at moments, intense ride on steep climbs and rocky descents. It had been so long since I had been on a mountain bike. It was good to cycle back around to this activity. Check two group pictures at “A Few Friends“, one of the guys, and one of the one guy’s family.

What are the most common sights on a hike? Yep, the title says it. That raises three why questions in my mind: 1) Why is that so? 2) Why would a sane person sign up for that? 3) Why, if these are most common sights, do you not remember these the most?

Answers: 1) Well, what you see most is what you look at most. The rougher the trail, the more you have to look down. Thus, rocks, roots, and puddles are your most common sight. 2) You have a goal or goals in mind: a view or unique destination to explore; exercise; clear your mind; enjoy the outdoors; spend a more relaxed, slower time with friends or family, or even alone. 3) The mind has an amazing ability to focus on what is desirable and profitable and shunt what is useless and painful. Shunting, as I see it, does not mean forgetting. It means storing out of conscious memory.

My daughter, son, his father-in-law, and I took a somewhat unique hike this morning. They came from the East and I came 1 1/2 hours from the West. We met at 6:45 to begin the hike. We even planned it on a day slated for rain. Click on Calloway Peak to see how it went.

It has been a good week, a busy week, but somehow not a good busy, at least from the perspective of getting as much done as I would have liked. When these things happen, one needs to consider what has gotten done. I was surprised to recollect that many of the things accomplished were of a more eternal nature, and therefore a greater good than what I thought I wanted to accomplish. You know what I mean?

Well, last Sunday the preacher was still preaching in Philippians 1. There is so much there, and he is in no hurry. As he was filling out the dual themes of humility and unity in Paul’s pleas to the Philippi church, and indeed in Scripture at large, I was trying to come to a conclusion as to how to put it all into a simple, concise form for my little brain, sort of an applicational nugget for future reference. My mind thinks in diagrams, or flowcharts as I like to call them. Following is my condensed version of all that he said. Simplification has its multiple dangers, not least of which is over-simplification. And furthermore, my diagrams, though I believe true, are not exhaustive nor universally applicable. For example, in the following diagram, gratitude can certainly be gotten at from differing circumstances and thought patterns, as may most everything in the flowchart. These disclaimers having been said, check this out and compare it to Philippians 1, especially verses 27 to 30:

*Philppians 1:27

Short Solitude

Do you cherish quiet, alone time? It can be a great benefit to calm and focus the soul. Don’t push it away with noise of music and voice, dear reader. Lean into contemplative moments of quiet. It will make your time with others more enjoyable and meaningful. I had a short time in the woods to quiet my spirit. Check out my pictures and reflections at Laurel Falls.

I have nearly completed an abridged version of John Owen’s book, “The Glory of Christ.” (1) The book lifts your gaze from the mundane and glitzy things of this Earth to a deeper vision of who Christ is in His humanity. Theologically I did not learn much but devotionally I was challenged to a new level of pursuit of God.

On page 33, Owens writes, “It is impossible that someone who never meditates with delight on the glory of Christ here in this world, who does not make every effort to behold it by faith as it is revealed in Scripture, should ever have any real gracious desire to behold it in heaven.”

This statement and similar ones jolted me. Though the statement above could be applied to all Christ is in His divinity and humanity, Owen spends most of his time talking about Jesus’ humanity. Why do I not meditate and revel in the glory of Christ’s humility, willing submission, lowliness of life, and cruel death. Why could I not? As I read these things I came to realize the problem was not in ignoring or undervaluing what He did for me. Rather, I did not understand these things to be glorious. Glory in Hebrew is Kabod, meaning “heavy”. So, God’s glory is heavy or substantial. We think of brightness and omnipotent and exalted and incessantly praised and sovereign. These things come to mind when I think of the glory of God. Here Owens was urging me to see poverty, humility, and submission to death as glorious. Considering His willingness, facility, and power in carrying them out, indeed, they are glorious. I was pushed to consider them in a different way.

In consideration of my need for a mindset shift about how I considered Christ’s glory, I wrote the following poem:

Glory in lowliness
Who would have thought?
Supreme humility
Salvation brought

Glory seen in brightness
I would have thought
But here He was in flesh
No fanfare sought

Glory means weightiness
Substantial thought
Yet His work as Savior
Our poor souls bought

Glory submissiveness
Opposing thought?
But here He was dying
Salvation wrought

Glory in humbleness
Meek in all thought
His pattern and decree
While here He taught

Glory of God’s likeness
Oh blessed thought
In all He is and did
Him we exalt

  1. “The Glory of Christ” by John Owen, abridged and made easy to read by R.J.K. Law, first published 1684, abridged edition 1994, reprinted 2018, Puritan Paperbacks. (Not a very proper bibliography, but more than enough to find it online.)

One of the most practical results of good theology is a strong sense of hope and assurance. With these one may have peace, joy, and concern for others. I have not always had these, not because my stated theology was bad, but because my practical theology was. Let me explain. I can affirm what the Bible says, but if for whatever deep or hidden reasons I do not believe it so as to affect my feelings and actions, my stated theology is not my practical (aka: real) theology. The place where theology frequently shows itself awry is in the area of hope for eternity and assurance of salvation. Without confidence in where you will be in the afterlife, you have not confidence for living.

Does God exist? What is He like? What is the fundamental nature of man? Does man need to be rescued from sin? Is there an afterlife? Is there a heaven and a hell? Is there only one way to salvation? What is the way to salvation? These are fundamental questions of life. The Bible clearly speaks about all of these and more. It says that the above yes/no questions are all answered, “Yes!” Two of three of the other above questions may most simply be answered, “Jesus” (John 1:18, 14:6), and the third one, “in God’s image but broken.” (Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 3:23)

With that basic foundation, can a person be confident that they are saved and will remain so into eternity? Clearly, I John 5:13 says you may know. The remainder of this article is to explain from Scripture how I know that I will remain in this condition of “saved”, headed to heaven, and why I have confidence. I have been considering this blog entry for several months now, but I could not bring myself to complete it because the task seems so daunting. I have now written because I realized that I don’t have to nor can I write an exhaustive or even complete treatise on the subject. That is OK. I want to encourage others and myself, not write a book on theology.

Romans 8:28-39 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

But what if I quit loving God? If you belong to Him, you will not do that. How do I know? Read the passage. Second on the list of those whom “God causes all things to work together for good” are those “who are called according to His purpose.” In reference to Israel, Paul says, “The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29), but the idea may be applied to all who fall under His purpose. Notice the progression following, listed in past tense. “He foreknew.” As it says in Romans 9:11-13, “for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” It was not by anything that Esau or Jacob did but by God’s choice, which is a part of foreknowledge in that it involves predestinating, the next on the list. The next part of the sequence was calling. He then justified and finally glorified. In our time limited existence, glorified has not yet happened, but in God’s time scale it is a done deal. So how do you undo by your unbelief what God has already done and declared completed? You don’t! Those who turn back could not have ever been saved and were self-deceived, because “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Then God has Paul solidify the assurance by declaring that nothing can separate us from the love of God. The logical progression of the argument ensures that you know that no one or nothing physical or spiritual can rob God of you and therefore you of God. I find it most satisfying and interesting that He ends the list of things that cannot separate us from Him with “nor any other created thing.” (v.39) Are you, dear reader, a “created thing”? Can you separate yourself from God? I think not. Those whom God has chosen are confirmed. Those who separate themselves from the things of God were never His to start with. I am so thankful that I am His and that I am held firmly in the grasp of His mercy and grace.

A word of caution to those who feel self-satisfied with their assurance but show little or no evidence of a change in living. You are deceived. If I tell you that I have a red Lexus in the parking lot and you go out and do not find a red car nor a Lexus, then I have deceived you. Red and Lexus do not make them my car, but are mere evidences that the car is mine. So, if I say that I am a Christian, though I am not nor could I be saved by good works, then I must exhibit good works as evidence that God has gotten a hold of me and saved me. Am I being changed into a trajectory toward God and His ways, even with fits and starts and setbacks? Then I may have assurance that God has worked His work in my heart and I will persist in believing and persevere in salvation, already seen as glorified by God. Am I lacking in these evidences? Then I had better be crying out for God’s mercy and grace in my life so that I may see this sanctifying change, even if ever so slowly.

I had not to this point ever spent any significant time at Appomattox. If you could only go to one Civil War site to get an understanding of the war, I would say spend no less than two days at Gettysburg. But if you want a better understanding of how the war ended and what the following days looked like, visit Appomattox.

Now the actual site name is Appomattox Courthouse. The nearby town of Appomattox was originally Appomattox Station where a separate battle occurred. Using the correct name reduces confusion but not entirely. When you refer to Appomattox Courthouse, it might be assumed that the surrender meetings and signature took place in the courthouse, but that would be incorrect. It was so named because the little town of just over 100 people included the county courthouse. The signing took place in parlor of a local house. Though I went over the property, history, write-ups, and people of the scene with decent thoroughness, I cannot quite say the same for my photographs. To see what I did manage to record, click on “Conciliatory Surrender“.

Outdoor Birthday

I told my granddaughter that I was getting to do two of my favorite things on my birthday. Firstly, I was getting to go on a hike somewhere that I had never been to before, and secondly, I was getting to do something with her. She had been to this location twice before but had not made it to the top. I kept talking up the idea that she would make it this time. It was a challenge that took us about 2 1/2 hours to complete. That doesn’t include the mile hike in and out and the 1/2 mile hike down beside the boulders. The place we went to, and where you may click to see pictures, was God’s GravelYard (OK, they called it Devil’s Marbleyard on the map and signs but we decided to rename it since the earth belongs to God and none of the boulders were spherical.).

Thank You for

The radio preacher reminded me that thanksgiving is not just a privilege but a command. As 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I reflected on how much and how well that I thank God. Though I sometimes do more and frequently when singing hymns, I too often reduce my thanksgiving down to a quick prayer before a meal along the lines of “Thank You for this food and for this day.” In itself there is nothing wrong with the phrase, but it is trivial when repeated. Given all that God has given me, it is a wholly incomplete thought. So, I began to write a poem. As a few verses came, I then realized that it would be hard to say that this poem was ever really at an end. His gifts and goodness are infinite, and I could never thank Him for all that He is and all that He has done. That’s OK. I can start and continue and perhaps I have covered a few categories.

Thank You for this food and for this day
For all provisions along the way
Thank You for Your presence all the time
For Your wondrous attributes sublime

Thank You for this recent year gone by
For blessings, for trials that make us sigh
Thank You, too, for many times of rest
For faith, strength, and refuge in each test

Thank You for true fellowship in church
For prayers and good help when in a lurch
Thank You for the Word preached unashamed
For witnesses of fame and unnamed

Thank You for purpose and work to do
For times to say and live what is true
Thank You for Your Word to contemplate
For times to retreat and recreate

Thank You for those to love and be loved
For people to reach who are unloved
Thank You for the Gospel that saved me
For the blood of Christ that set me free

Thank You for beauty in all You’ve made
For Your glory that will never fade
Thank You for this world’s wondrous design
For Your knowledge and power divine

Thank You for heaven we will enjoy
For no more sin our peace to destroy
Thank You for eternity with You
For no more sorrow and all things new

Beyond Christmas

Perhaps it is a funny name for a poem before Christmas, but I do not mean chronologically beyond Christmas but rather conceptually beyond Christmas. The baby in the manger is a good historical reality and symbol for the humility of the divine Son of God, but it is only the beginning and by no means to the focus of His coming. As a lady reflected to me the other day, “We should always connect Christmas to Easter.”* For that matter I would add, we should connect First Advent to Second (judgment and heaven), and to Passover (the Cross), and to Resurrection. It is important and essential that we know and believe Jesus is fully God and fully man, as the Christmas story conveys, and why that is important in God’s salvation plan.

It has been quite some time since I have written a poem for Christmas. If you want to read my last ones, click on “Advent Colors” and “Tabernacled Among Us“, and then click on “The Fullness of the Empty” for a short commentary that explains much of what is intended to be conveyed in the following poem.

Just a little note to say
That we remember the day
Christ came to Earth as a man
To fulfill God’s saving plan

In the manger there He lay
All for us our sins to pay
Lived a life utterly pure
By His death made us secure

Exalted divinity
In fragile humanity
Perfect substitute we trust
By faith we can and we must

As man could die in our place
As God rescue Adam’s race
The little babe of Bethlehem
Came here sin and death to stem

The first noel angels sang
From David a Savior sprang
Peace and joy to Earth He’ll bring
With hope the ransomed will sing

Gold a present for the King
He has come, let the bells ring
Speaks of glory of divine
Never tarnish, always shine

Frankincense, means for the Priest
To please God well for us least
Our sins are gone, we rejoice
Loudly give our praise voice

Myrrh encases the Savior
Who died for our behavior
Symbol of a true wonder
Death could not hold Him under

Unto us a Son given
With death and hell has striven
Next time He will rule outright
With one word put foes to flight

Merry Christmas and a new year of knowing God better and following Him more closely.

*I am quoting, but I no longer use that term. I prefer Resurrection Day and I regularly use the term First Advent.

I haven’t much to say here other than click on “Little Blessings in the Day” to see pictures and read a little of what has happened in the last week.

Exercising and staying in shape is such a relentless, daily task. I don’t mean tedious, though if you don’t enjoy it or sufficiently appreciate the results, it can be. I mean that any let up in the pursuit of staying in shape is met with more likelihood of not staying thus. And I am not even talking about the psychological difficulties, though the tendency to give up or give in is ongoing. I refer instead to the accelerated decline in fitness with each occurrence of inconsistency. I am finding, as I may have been able to guess, that age is a factor trending towards an accelerated acceleration of decline, a real Jerk (1) if you ask me.

Now, I am not the giving up kind, so, I am always thankful for an opportunity to get up, dust off my behind, and jump into the saddle again. After three weeks of minimal exercise because of responsibilities and poor health, I went for a little hike with my middle son. It would have been longer, but neither of us had the stomach for a creek crossing in cold weather. The woods were quiet, the stream bubbling, and the conversation good. See my few pictures at Diminutive Falls.

  1. Physics term, look it up

Forte

My friend emphasized the word “Forte” as he described the good properties of the product. The product was Garlic Forte to be exact. Now to you or me that may seem obvious, but it must not have been to him, because when I said, “That must be loud”, by which I meant intense, he didn’t catch my drift. I explained that forte means “loud” in music, like the opposite of piano. He replied, “I never knew that.” No big deal, because it is a trivia fact if you have not been trained in music. But it set me to thinking about the real meaning of the word, its origin in music and elsewhere.

The Fortepiano was invented by an Italian chap named Cristofori in 1698. (1) I knew from my own piano training as a boy that the pianoforte, or piano as it became to be known, was so named because it struck the keys with a hammer so that it could be played loud (forte) or soft (piano) whereas its precursor, the harpsichord, plucks the strings at a more or less constant volume.

But why would an herbal product be called “Forte”? The word more generally means “strong”. And to say, for example, that “Talking is his forte”, is frequently said as “Talking is his strong suit.” So, Garlic Forte is strong or concentrated or effective or odiferous garlic. Well, I guess you could soften things down a bit and use Garlic Piano, but someone might note that you are playing a Musical Joke. (2)

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortepiano
  2. K.522 by Mozart
Overflows from the Heart

"But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart…" Matthew 15:18

CreatorWorship

Pointing to the One who made, saved, and sustains