Who has believed our report?
      And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

      For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
      And as a root out of dry ground.
      He has no form or comeliness;
      And when we see Him,
      There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

      He is despised and rejected by men,
      A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
      And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
      He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

      Surely He has borne our griefs
      And carried our sorrows;
      Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
      Smitten by God, and afflicted.

      But He was wounded for our transgressions,
      He was bruised for our iniquities;
      The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
      And by His stripes we are healed.

      All we like sheep have gone astray;
      We have turned, every one, to his own way;
      And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

      He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
      Yet He opened not His mouth;
      He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
      And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
      So He opened not His mouth.

      He was taken from prison and from judgment,
      And who will declare His generation?
      For He was cut off from the land of the living;
      For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

      And they made His grave with the wicked—
      But with the rich at His death,
      Because He had done no violence,
      Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

      Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
      He has put Him to grief.
      When You make His soul an offering for sin,
      He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
      And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

      He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
      By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
      For He shall bear their iniquities.

      Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
      And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
      Because He poured out His soul unto death,
      And He was numbered with the transgressors,
      And He bore the sin of many,
      And made intercession for the transgressors.

FOCAL POINT (Magazine)
"Set your mind on things above" (Col. 3:2).

Dec. 2, 2010

BEFORE WE CLOSE
OUR EYES AT NIGHT

By W. Frank Walton

“Surely I will not enter my house, nor lie on my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob" (Psa 132:4).
This is from one of the “songs of ascents.” It was part of the songs the Jews would sing on their way “ascending” to Jerusalem for one of the three, required annual feasts (Ex. 23:17). It was a sacred affirmation to remember to always keep God foremost in our lives. This meant to end the day with God uppermost in our minds.
What do we put into our minds before we go to sleep at night? Several months ago, after watching a WWII documentary on The History Channel about the Third Reich just before I went to sleep, I recalled how unsettling my sleep was that night. What we put into our minds lingers on as we “sleep on it.” So, what is the last thing we put into our minds before we go to sleep at night?
How often do we watch discouraging, unsettling, even depressing news from all over the world about how bad things are? This could influence to think God has lost control of the world. Or, just before we turn the lights out for the night, do we like to watch political pundits, with rude manners, bash and argue with one another in a nasty debate? Or, do we watch worldly comedians that use worldly, carnal humor with a lewd, double entendre, which the Bible condemns as “coarse jesting” (Eph 5:4)? Such junk fouls up the mind and is a poor way to end the day.
Like the Psalmist, the spiritually-minded person will end the day with God by prayer, meditation, and praise:
"How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah. But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him. Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still….In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety" (Psa 4:2-4, 8).
“When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy” (Psa 63:6-7).
“My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word” (Psa 119:148).
“The fear of the LORD leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil” (Pro 19:23).
“The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep” (Ecc 5:12).
So, just before I close my eyes to go to sleep at night, I like to end the day by playing a Scripture CD, with the CD player set on either a 10 or 20 minute play length. This way, the last thing I hear as I go to sleep is the reassuring, comforting voice of God. A spiritual habit of “before you close your eyes” at night is to remember: “I will find a place for the LORD.” This discipline can help encourage you to be more spiritually-minded and stronger in the Lord. It helps to drive out restless fretting and tossing from nighttime anxiety. If we end and begin the day with God, it is much less likely to unravel in the middle of the day.

Loo, loo, loo, I'll take you dreaming
Through the rainy night
To a place behind the raindrops
Where the stars are bright
You may not find gold or silver
But a richer prize
Waits for you behind the raindrops
If you close your eyes
Tonight, tonight
When all the world's asleep
We will tiptoe home with a wonderous star
A star you can always keep
And years from now when you go dreaming
When you're very old
Though your crown be rich with rubies
Diamonds set in gold
That will shine as bright
As the star we'll find
Tonight
Tonight, tonight
When all the world's asleep
We will find a star
That you can always keep

- The Court Jester

This is the first time I will miss the homeschool campout. :o( I have gone since 2001 and the campouts have been going since 2000. It's so encouraging to spend a week with Christians. Bible studies and singings fill the week as well as hikes, volleyball, food, talking (lots of talking) and laughter. *sniff* It makes me want to throw a bunch of clothes in a bag, jump in the car and head to Indiana. Oh, I need to stop thinking about all the fun I'm going to miss! Urgh. This is going to ruin my weekend!


To all of you who are going: "Have a loverly time!" :o)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Yes, I read a book with zombies in it though I dislike things about zombies in general. There's also a Jane Austen book called Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and I wanted to at least try one of them. The library only had the zombie one and so... I'd say it was quite amusing in a dry humor sort of way. Though by the end of the book the zombie parts were becoming rather monotonous. And I was rather disappointed that there were two inappropriate sentences in the book that I know are not in the original. I suppose that they were added to make the book more "interesting" to younger people. To me it was just a perversion (though I do think that excessive violence and gory details aren't much better).

As soon as I had finished the zombie book I had to read the original. And since I have only read two of Jane Austen's books (Persuasion and Emma) I thought that this would be a good time to read it. I think I'm trying to become so sick of Pride and Prejudice that I will never want to read it again...either that or have it all memorized so that I may go about speaking as though I live in that time period. :P

While reading the zombie version I watched the Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly. I love that movie. I also love the 6 hour BBC (or is it Masterpiece Theater?) version. *sigh* While I am on this Pride and Prejudice kick I must borrow it from a friend of mine and watch it. :o) But when shall I find the time?... I may never. Oh, well, forget that idea. Btw, what are men to rocks and mountains? ;oP

Here's some "Top Songs" list (something I found on the 'net)

"It's Hard to be Humble" -Mr. Darcy
"I Love a Piano" -Mary Bennet
"Nobody's Chasing Me" - Caroline Bingley
"Where Are the Men?" - Kitty & Lydia Bennet
"Take My Mother Home" - Jane and Elizabeth Bennet
"I Had a Letter from my Love" -Elizabeth Bennet
"I'm Afraid I Love You" - Mr. Darcy
"Girls Just Want To Have Fun" -Lydia and Kitty Bennet

Another thing I found:

Pride & Prejudice in one minute!

When you need a quick fix in one minute or less!

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be want of a wife.
"She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me."
"I am all astonishment. How long has she has she been such a favorite? -- and pray, when am I to wish you joy?"
"No, my dear, you had better go on horseback, because it seems likely to rain; and then you must stay all night."
"It is my cousin, Mr. Collins, who when I am dead, may turn you all out of the house."
"I had not thought Mr. Darcy so bad as this -- though I have never liked him."
"Engaged to Mr. Collins! My dear Charlotte--impossible!"
"Why should they try to influence him? [Mr. Bingley] They can only wish his happiness; and if he is attached to me, no other woman can secure it."
"Neither of us perform to strangers."
"I must tell you how ardently I admire and love you."
"This will not do," said Elizabeth "you will never be able to make both of them good." "For my part, I am inclined to believe it all Mr. Darcy."
"Oh yes! -- If one could but go to Brighton!"
"I am grieved indeed," cried Darcy; "grieved -- shocked."
"It is possible?" cried Elizabeth "Can it be possible that he will marry her?"
"But gracious me! I quite forgot! I ought not to have said a word about it. I promised them so faithfully. What will Wickham say?"
"'Tis too much," she added, "by far too much. I do not deserve it. Oh! Why is not everbody as happy?"
"Not so hasty if you please."
"You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me at once."
"Oh Lizzy! It cannot be. I know how much you dislike him."
"But in such cases as these a good memory is unpardonable."
"If any young men come for Kitty or Mary, send them in, for I am quite at leisure."