We ran into a friend the other day who was telling us about a strong-willed (or maybe strong-won'ted) child of his and her habit of starting every discussion about her disobedience with just: "I was just getting a cookie" "I was just getting ready to obey" "I was just..."
I never thought about the meanings of just before this discussion. Just can be an adverb, and mean merely or only as I usually assume it to mean in this sort of sentence. Or, I see now, it can be an adjective and have meanings related to righteousness.
So, when I use just, am I trying to minimize what we did? or am I trying to make a case that it was good and righteous? I will not fool God with clever words, Luke 16:15 ~ And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God,"
but need a Savior who is more than just, Romans 3:23-26 ~ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Thursday, September 25, 2008 - St Benedict and Monasticism
Mr Music is having too much fun, as so often is the case, in his history. Like any mom, I say I want them to enjoy their studies. But when they enjoy them, if you know what I mean, too much, I'm pretty sure I've gone wrong somewhere. It makes me nervous.
Here we are, doing the Veritas Press year about the Middle Ages, and studying St Benedict and Monasticism this week. We have talked a good bit about monks and the making of books, so today's assignment includes making an illuminated page of the 23rd Psalm. Now, Mr Music is not much for taking his time on art projects, so I figured this would be a bust.
Wrong.
Mr Music has hung a blanket across the front of his desk to make a cramped, dark area for him to work in. And he has been under there, doing his scribe thing, for an hour now. Complete with sound effects such as whipping himself for his sins and complaints about the winter wind blowing into his hut.
Ah, for the good old days of boring, dry history lessons.
I have been amazed at the depth of the hatred being shown Sarah Palin, the way she obviously leaves a bad taste in the mouth of a lot of people and is being spit out. And it makes me wonder how odious my family is to people around us, with the variety of issues we deal with and the way we do them.
These two verses seem to have something to do with it: I John 3:12 ~ We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. ~ is that why God's people are hated? exactly because their deeds are righteous? andI Peter 2:12 ~ Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. ~ now, that one is also amazing ~ their speaking against us actually gives glory to God? the last thing they want to do.
Sunday, September 21, 2008 - A Lucky Break for a Turkey-Loving Calvinist
Devastatingly Handsome and I were out the other evening getting some necessary groceries and supplies and stopped at one of those places that sells only stuff no other store could sell, what do they call it, remaindered or something like that? Anyhow, you never know what they'll have, and every now and then you hit the jackpot with some sort of obscure textbook Miss Language will like or some off type of jelly for the dinner table, or a household item you just don't know how you could do with out.
And then there are days like Thursday when you find something so utterly unnecessary you just have to have it, because if you don't buy it, you will think that surely you dreamed it. Such a goofy item could not possibly exist. And if you are married to a wonderful man, he will humor you, to the point of 99 cents, plus tax, and then your kids can be so impressed at the wonderfully stupid thing you bought. And you can even blog about it.
Yes, Virginia, there are Artificial Wishbones. Devastatingly Handsome treated me to the Anniversary Pack of 36. But, being as I am not 1) patient enough, or 2) superstitious enough, to save them for breaking at an anniversary party (now wouldn't that just be the most exciting party activity imaginable, breaking wishbones?), Mr Music, who knows me all too well, knows just how I intend to use them. He picked up the box, set it down hard, and said in his best amused-but-trying-to-sound-disgusted voice, "Oh, great. More reindeer, huh?" Referring, of course, to this. Which is just what I intend to do with them, providing, of course, I can get my hands on some artificial corks. So, let me know if you have a good source for corks. :D
And I really want to know... are these what they use in those artificial soy turkeys? Tofurkeys? If you cook a bunch of them down with some carrots, celery, parsley, and onion, do you get a nice artificial broth?
(PS: you gotta check their site, which I quote: "Announcing a Revolutionary Advance in Plastic Wishbone Technology.")
September 19th be always Talk Like a Seafarin' hearty Tide. But now, wi' Miss Language off t' college, we be goin' light on th' foreign languages so we tookst a pass. We be now limited t' Mr Music`s Latin wi' his new good buddy, Minimus, an' Miss Dance an' Miss Dog Lo'er studyin' Spanish a la Rosetta Stone.
However, th' date be blogworthy, so I mention 't here.
How did ye celebrate? Devastatingly Handsome fed us fish sandwiches earlier in th' tides so that be off th' menu an' we be havin' un-Piratical gingerbread waffles. Th' peak o' me celebration be wearin' me red an' white striped T-shirt.
Mr Music spotted this Monarch at Miss Dog Lover's zinnias yesterday and asked about its wing. I was surprised to see a little sticker and hollered for Devastatingly Handsome to grab his camera so we could get a zoom and see what it said. We could not get close enough for a photo yesterday but today the butterfly was back feasting at the zinnias and Devastatingly got it!
Sunday, September 14, 2008 - Cough and Bacterium Season Strikes
The fine folks at engrish have provided more great photos this week. This one reminds me of a tobacco shop we sometimes pass, called the Puff and Stuff, however, we all call it the Smoke and Croak.
And about this delightful dish at the Chinese take-out: do you think I could find a recipe for this in the crock-pot? I'm sure it would fit in with Miss Dance's biology class (a little too) perfectly.
I thought about making this into a poll, but, naaaaaah, too much trouble.
You all know Devastatingly Handsome got me a new computer, an iMac named Mr Zee. Now, I have learned that I can tell time by moving the cursor over onto the desktop and holding down the little button that fakes as a scrollwheel, and holding it down till a clock, weather link, and calculator appear.
I have also discovered I now consider it too much work to turn my head 90 degrees to the right to see the room clock, or to lift my left wrist and take a look.
Proverbs 24: 33-34, ESV A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
Same passage, iMacV
A little clicking, a little scrolling, a little watching of youtube, and dinner dishes will languish in the sink, and vacuuming go undone.
We had a cooler-than-usual summer followed by a first week of September that was warmer than our August days. And today we have chilly, chilly rain. All of a sudden I am thinking nice cozy thoughts about sweaters and chili and cider and doughnuts.
Jeremiah 5:24 ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.’
I am glad to live where seasons change. Right now summer is winding down. One of my favorite things about the end of summer is the sounds the insects make, especially in the evening. We have a bonus wonderful sound that a train passes within our hearing most nights around midnight ~ not close enough to wake you if you're sleeping, but just right for sounding romantic and dreamy. I have let Mr Music know that as repayment for his piano lessons and supervising hours of practice, at some point I expect him to do a composition combining these sounds. But it will have to be amazing indeed to come close to the real thing.
It makes me think of the part in The Phantom Tollbooth where the Great Chromo directs the symphony in playing the sunset. Ahhhhh, what a lovely image.
