Silence

I've just finished reading this book. Will finished it last week, and I think Linnea read it before him. It was sitting on the endtable, and since I hadn't read a book for awhile, buried as I was in crochet yarn, I decided I'd check it out.

I'm still digesting it. It wasn't a comfortable book to read. I don't really want to write a review, nor can I do it justice. Here's a review I read online that will give you an idea of what the story is about without spoiling the ending.

Of course any time you read a book, you view that story through your lenses. I'm reading it as an evangelical Protestant. It's about a Catholic priest set back in the 17th century during persecution of Christians in Japan. All the while I read it, I kept thinking about how complicated Roman Catholic Christianity is with all its rituals and works. It is so binding. The poor people wanted to confess their sins and thought they couldn't without a priest. How sad to carry that burden! They had set up their own hierarchy to try to remedy this problem. How freeing is the priesthood of the believer! Christ knows my pain, my sin, and is always there. "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" No where.

Then there's always the silence. The silence of God that the priest felt in the face of all the loneliness and persecution.

It was a good book. Any of you around here read it? I'd really like to get in to some kind of book group, so that I could read and discuss the book with others!

Our Sunday School class has been like that reading The Reason for God. We end up sitting in class long after the scheduled time is over. It ends next Sunday. sad. That's another great book if you haven't read it. I've been through it twice now.

He is there, and He is not silent! Hallelujah!

Moving day

Yesterday I went to help my friend move from her old farmhouse, to her new house. It's my Road Goes Ever On place. January in western Iowa after the thaw! I'll take another when it's all white again.

I love a project. I love being busy, so yesterday was a happy day. We got a lot done. I think they will sleep well in the new house....if the fumes from the varnished floor don't get to them.

It is a lovely house. With particularly lovely views!



Here we are sitting at the table in their breakfast nook that faces east and south. I don't think I'd leave the table in the morning... just think of the changing seasons viewed from that window. There is a deck just outside, too.

Here we are two tired ladies! *smile*













New Year's Day Andrew popped in for a few minutes along with his friend Drew and his girlfriend. Drew has been our "other son" ever since he and Andrew met in 6th grade. It's always great to see him again! He's at Drake in DesMoines now, so he's not too far away.

Watch Night Service

This was another one of my ideas on New Year's Eve, but since I wrote two that day, I saved this idea for later.

I was driving around on Tuesday and listening to NPR. They mentioned that the next day there would be a program about Watch Night Services and its history going back to Puritans. (Link takes you to the program on WGBH.) I had forgotten all about that term, and it reminded me of my childhood.

We always went to church on New Year's Eve. I always thought that's what church people did. It was a family celebration. We had games, food, sometimes a Christian film. We always ended with a service that usually included the Lord's Supper, beginning the new year at the Lord's table in the Lord's house with His people. I remember at one party we played "world cities" charades, children and adults playing on teams together. Another party was a scavenger hunt for part of it. Some of those Christian films were pretty corny, now that I look back on them. But this was way before the day of home video, so it was pretty special, especially for a kid growing up without TV!

I found out that this idea is not totally lost. I did a google search and found this article. It is well worth the read.

Why do we have fewer and fewer services together as a congregation? We no longer have Sunday evening services. Our church says they don't so we will come to the Bible study time on Wednesday. But why cut one service? Why not have both? Let's celebrate the holidays of the church. Israel had all their times of celebration throughout the year, but it seems since the Reformation, we've thrown out church celebrations.

Our culture has lost community. And the church is losing community. Maybe I just don't see it as much being in an urban rather than a rural church. But I have talked to several people and read some on the subject; people are longing for community. We have new single people and new families coming to our church. Are we forming a unique community? Our celebrations are often with those outside of our church community lessening the strength of that community. How can we build the strength of our church community while maintaining friendships with those from other churches, as well as staying close to our families not in our church body? I really would like to know.

The Watch Night Service. What a great idea! Let's get together....next year! Oh, wait. This year!

New Links for 2009

Happy New Year!! I hope you all had a super time last night bringing in the New Year. We did.

I have added a couple of links both are about photography. One is my nephew's (brother of luisa and Moot Thoughts.. son of Quid Nunc... that family is really into blogging!) The other two are really one. I found the link on the Caithness website. It's North Light. The man posts photos on his blog, but we can't make any comments there, so I also linked his Flickr page. Right now he has a photo album of 366 photos for 2008 all over Caithness. Linnea, you will love it. He has some lovely photos! Lots and lots of sea and rocks, sand and sky. I could wish for a little more wildlife, but if you go to his blog, there are links to others who do take photos of wildlife. It will give those of you who have never been there a glimpse of the pace we lived for four years of our lives and where both Will and Andrew were born. (The photo here is mine.)

Rose Bowl parade is on TV and we've set up the TV to make sure we catch both the Iowa game and the Nebraska game. Happy Football Day!

Celebrating 2008

Reflections

I have ideas and ideas of things to write about this last day of 2008, but no one wants to read a long blog. Nor would what I have to say be all that profound, but I'm going to get started anyway!

I read through the ESV of the One Year Bible every year. Everything finished up today. Revelation has me contemplating the idea of eternity. 22:4 "they shall see his face" v.5 "and they will reign forever and ever." Remember Moses could not or was not allowed to see God's face, but in eternity, we will see his face. Matthew Henry's commentary sums it up:

The supreme felicity of this paradisiacal state 1. There the saints shall see the face of God, there they shall enjoy the beatific vision. 2. God will own them , as having his seal and name on their foreheads. 3. They shall reign with him for ever; their service shall be not only freedom but honour and dominion. 4. All this shall be with perfect knowledge and joy. They shall be full of wisdom and comfort, continually walking in the light of the Lord, and this not for a time, but for ever and ever. (italics his)

Contemplating eternity at the END of a year puts things into perspective for me. We are already living forever. We will never stop being. Things that bug and bother me now, puh, what are they? Nothing should bother me!

It was a winner!

See the last blog. The hat and scarf were a hit. Pink is a favorite color, which I knew, and they both fit exactly like I was hoping they would. I did go with tassels, too, by the way. Check the photo out that I've uploaded since I posted the blog. Yes, it was Stephanie. She's the perfect model, no?