Bees in My Bonnet

A favourite hymn of mine.  I played it yesterday - here it is: Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish, Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel. Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal. Joy of the desolate, light of the straying, Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure! Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying, “Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot cure.” Here see the bread of life, see waters flowing Forth from the throne of God, pure from above. Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing Earth has no sorrow but heav’n can remove. I recorded myself playing it yesterday: Click here to listen to the music.

We have Christmas at Christmas time.  We have Christmas in July.  But today I'd like to celebrate Christmas...once again.  I should save my thoughts for another time, I suppose.  But these are the overflow of my heart today... I have been mulling over the thought of 'inner healing'.  Yes, I put that in quotes so you can catch my meaning - is it real?  What is it exactly?  How do you know when you've experienced inner healing ?  I mean, really.  What do people mean when they go through life and experience some heartache or tragedy or trauma and then come out of it through some "journey" and arrive on the golden shores waltzing under the welcome banner of "You have now entered INNER HEALING.  Enjoy your stay." I don't mean to mock it.  Okay, maybe I do.  Maybe because it is hard to grasp - and I wonder what it looks like for each of us - and that begs the question, do we all need some experience of inner healing?  Maybe...

Hannah has been slow to talk.  This is no surprise as all but one of our kids was behind.  But she seems to have perfect pitch.  Before she could say a word we knew what song she was singing.  It was unmistakable. When we went to the airport when she was about 10 months old, to pick up Grandpa from Hong Kong, she would not settle.  She didn't like staying in her seat.  She squirmed and began to cry.  Her cries escalated.  At some point Grandpa decided to sing her his favourite song.  She quieted immediately.  Every time he stopped she'd start crying again.  So he sang and he sang and he sang.  Somehow that song has bored its way into her memory and we continue to have to sing it to her, over and over. She now can talk some and has some of the words - which are barely recognizable.  She will sing when she's bored, when she's doing something, when she's sick and weary.  She will sing the same lines over and over. ...

Today I have a guest post from writer, Jackie Kenney, who has written some beautiful thoughts about the Man of Sorrows. MAN OF SORROWS                He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.   Isaiah 53:3  I know this sounds so unspiritual but each time I read this I hear the Soggy Bottom Boys from the movie  O Brother, Where Art Thou?  singing " I-I-I  am a mama-in of constant sorrow, I've seen trouble all my day.( I've seen trouble all my day) " I looked up that song on You Tube. I wanted to find out if it was written for the movie or if it was old and maybe had something to do with the Isaiah 53 "Man of Sorrows". Depending on who sings it, the words roughly are:              I am a man of constant sorrow; I've seen trouble all my day     ...

Here is a hymn that I love to sing at Thanksgiving.  Some of the words were a bit archaic so I took poetic license and changed them (apologies to August Ludvig Storm, 1862-1914). Thanks to God for my Redeemer, Thanks for all that You provide! Thanks for times now but a memory, Thanks for Jesus by my side!           Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,           Thanks for colours in the fall!           Thanks for tears by now forgotten,           Thanks for peace within my soul! Thanks for prayers that You have answered, Thanks for all that You’ve denied! Thanks for storms that I have weathered, Thanks for all that You supply!           Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,        ...

Just after writing my previous post on all the family events, I sat down to play the piano.  Other than jumping on a trampoline, there is no therapy quite like the piano and an old hymnal or two.  Here are some of the choice gleanings I stumbled upon tonight - read and wonder why you (or I) don't peruse old hymnals more often. (Side note: I used to lay in bed with stacks of hymnals beside my bed and peruse them before bed). Thou Mighty to Save ................. Fanny Crosby O Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, Who gavest Thy life for me, No room in my heart for pleasures That have not their trust in Thee; Earth has no abiding city, - Not here is my place of rest, - I seek for a brighter country, A home with the pure and blest. The world like a dream will vanish, The hope like the years decay, Its beauties like dewy blossoms Will wither and pass away; But Thou wilt abide unchanging, My sure defense wilt be; O Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, I'm trusting alone in Thee. O wha...

Last night there was a ladies event at Church titled 'Stone Soup'.  It involved the telling of the tale that we are probably all familiar with - of poor weary travellers longing for a meal and coaxing it out of stingy villagers.  It got me to thinking - especially after Janine's wonderful talk about all that keeps us from generously opening our hearts, lives and resources to others (insert shameless plug for Janine here: www.janinepetry.com - still don't know how to turn that blue)... I recognized a stingy-ness in my own heart.  I have to be honest that the thing I am most stingy with is not money, time, affection, serving, friendship or food!  It is my love that I am most apt to withhold.  And there is very good reason for this.  Reason - but not justification.  I guess I haven't figured out how to give love without making myself vulnerable to attack, rejection, pain, discouragement and frustration.  I look at how God loves and am awed that He...

A children's hymn for you today: In our work and in our play, Jesus, ever with us stay; May we always strive to be true and faithful unto Thee. Then we truthfully can sing, we are children of the King. My we in Thy strength subdue evil tempers, words untrue, Thoughts impure, and deeds unkind, all things hateful to Thy mind. Then we truthfully can sing, we are children of the King. Children of the King are we! May we loyal to Him be; Try to please Him every day, in our work and in our play. Then we truthfully can sing, we are children of the King. by Whitfield, G. Wills 1841-1891 Now, a disclaimer. I do love hymns and I do love theology. I understand the words of this may muddy the waters of theology - because even if we fail to strive or fail to try to please our King, we are still His children. But the concepts are good - that we carry His presence with us in all we do throughout the day, and this reality should certainly affect the things we do, the thoughts we think and the ...

To the tune of 'Take my life and let it be' God my Father, Master, King - Sovereign over everything, You have brought me to this place - shown Your mercy, love and grace You are worthy of all praise. In Your presence here I stand, bold because Your child I am. Honoured, treasured, I have come to Your throneroom Holy One. My devotion You have won. I am Yours - take all of me - that my life may holy be, You will end what You've begun until You proclaim, 'It's done!' Through the work of Christ the Son.

As I look at my life of late (okay, my whole life as a matter of fact), I realize I take a lot for granted. I am mostly confined to the house with my heel-nippers gallavanting about the place vying for my attention or intervention. I am plenty busy - more than I generally like to be - and try to keep a certain inner calm amongst all the rushing here and there and doing stuff that needs to be done. During my endless days and the depletion of my strength on a daily basis it is so easy after a few wearying days to feel the stirrings of discontentment in my soul. How would I handle these stresses, these longings for quiet, for solitude, for time to myself if I could not entrust these desires to my great burden-Bearer? I don't mean to brag or gloat or compare, but I do wonder how others weather the storms of life without an anchor for their souls such as I have! If I stop for just a moment to remind myself just how blessed I am - per Ephesians 1 - my grumpiness and discontent is cut...

On Sunday we had a powerful message on Encountering God in Worship. One of the points that he dared to bring up was that God is God-centred. (Or, if you prefer the American spelling: God-centered). We discussed this in the following class, 2nd Look and it got me to thinking. We think of God as the ultimate of everything - we can't peg Him down. We can't fathom His greatness, His wonder, His majesty, His depth, His being. We are hushed when we encounter Him. And so often we attempt to encounter Him but forego the awe and wonder, and then, I believe, we are not really encountering God, but playing ritual. When I first realized that God's highest aim was His own glory I was a bit puzzled. (This was many years ago - not sure if my brain has grown enough to really get this...but I try!) We think of arrogance, pride, jealousy, self-worship, self-love and self-focus as negative. This is appropriate, when we speak of human arrogance, pride, jealousy etc. If I am arrogant, it m...

Sung to the tune: Sandringham - usually known as 'O Perfect Love' Almighty Father, we your people praise You, For You have shown Your greatness, Majesty; Beyond our grasping, higher than the heavens, Yet still You see and know our deepest need. Sovereign, Immense, Vast beyond comprehension, Descending to mankind in human form. Incarnate Saviour, bringer of salvation, Revealing God the Father through the Son. O Holy Spirit, help and comfort giver, Regenerater, Shepherd of our souls! Filling, inspiring, moving us to service, Giving us conq'ring pow'r against the foe. O Holy Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Triune, mysterious, God whom we adore! Humbly we worship; lay our lives before You, Receive all praise and glory evermore!

My heart longs for Thy presence Lord, I want to see Thy face That I may live and follow Thee, And do what Thy Word says. That I may live and follow Thee, And do what Thy Word says. Thy love to me, so vast, so great Its depth I’ll never know Until I come to be with Thee And in Thy presence bow. Until I come to be with Thee And in Thy presence bow. Please Father may I love Thee more, And live to honour Thee That I might be a vessel for Thy love to flow through me. That I might be a vessel for Thy love to flow through me. To the tune: Brother James' Air

Here's a hymn I wrote a while back. Sing to the tune of Ashgrove. Or write your own, better tune. But I like Ashgrove myself. The Lord is my refuge, He constantly comforts. When I am discouraged, my burdens He bears. Though my heart is sinful and damaged and broken, When I lift my voice to Him, He always hears. My sorrow He carries; my weak heart embraces, My feet, though they stumble, He plants on high ground! His voice ever calls me to come and go with Him; To follow His leading where blessings are found. The Lord is my helper in times of confusion. With wisdom and mercy, He guides on the way. With words of compassion He strengthens my spirit, He gives me the power to serve and obey. His Word is my guide and His Spirit my comfort, His Son is my Savior, His body, my life. With humble thanksgiving I offer these praises, To God my Great Father whose Word is my light.