Genocide

Instead of reading any incomplete thoughts on my blog, go to Biblio Wonk and read this interesting post- God, Genocide, and the Righteousness of Christ.

It's quite thought provoking and clear on a touchy subject. A subject most of us have to answer if we're trying to witness to any non-believers who are hostile towards Christianity.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Write. Even when it hurts.

"Write"
Necklace by Bookish Charm

The last two weeks have been hectic, but I have just enjoyed a complete day at home. It was marvelous. :-)

I need to rethink my schedule. I need to get more writing time in. There are always those days of insanity or simple exhaustion when there isn't time or energy to write. Lately they seem to be stacking on top of each other and it's hard to make much progress. I think I need to make myself write anyways...even when there isn't time or brain power.

Is the only solution sleep deprivation?

Is it possible to write and not be a zombie? ;-)

Over the next few days I really need to hash this out. How am I going to make this happen? Hopefully you'll see some encouraging posts on this topic soon.

In the mean time...Visit Bookish Charm. :-)

This is a wonderful shop that you will probably fall in love with if you are a word nut.

I have her amazing "Write" necklace (pictured above). I'm contemplating wearing it 24/7 as a reminder. ;-) It's strong, but beautiful looking. At first I was worried it would be to big for me. I'm into smaller, more delicate jewelry, but it isn't too big at all. I like to hang it where I can see it, if I'm not wearing it. ;-)

Some new additions to Bookish Charm have recently caught my eye (like these-- "Not all who wonder are lost" and "All the World's a Stage...").

I will be hosting a giveaway of this inkwell necklace along with a $15 giftcard starting later this week!

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

St. Patrick's Breastplate

I love this song and it has been an excellent encouragement and reminder.

This is a slightly different version then our church normally sings...

St. Patrick's Breastplate

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Not Immediately Pleasing to my Nature

....If it is I who determine where God is to be found, then I shall always find a God who corresponds to me in some way, who is obliging, who is connected with my own nature.
But if God determines where he is to be found, then it will be in a place which is not immediately pleasing to my nature and which is not at all congenial to me.
This place is the Cross of Christ. And whoever would find him must go to the foot of the Cross, as the Sermon on the Mount commands. This is not according to our name at all, it is entirely contrary to it. But this is the message of the Bible, not only in the New but also in the Old Testament…

~From a letter by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to his theologically liberal brother-in-law, Rudiger Schleicher.

Indulging in some of my favorite music...

Not the best recording ever... but beautiful.

Thanks for stopping by. :-)

Miss Pickwickian

The Four - Peter J. Leithart

The Four: A Survey of the Gospels by Peter. J. Leithart

Canon Press 2010

Rating: 9
Readability: 8
Some of it might seem a bit slow when he's getting into scholars arguments on dating etc... Why can't biblical scholars just believe the Bible? Most of it is extremely interesting and it continues to get more and more exciting as the book progresses.

Impact: Very high, I hope.

Read it Again: Yes! Slower with my Bible, pen, and paper in hand.

Recommend it: Highly.

What to Expect

The Four is organized like A House for My Name with bite-sized portions followed by review and thought questions.

Leithart gives an excellent overview of what we commonly refer to as the "intertestamental period" and in the process, information on the prophets. He then dedicates a chapter to the four Gospels and how they relate and differ before going on to a full chapter on each individual book. As always his writing is clear and exciting and his Bible knowledge is staggering and inspiring.

My Squib

I have been so immersed in Old Testament books with this Ligonier course. This was really fun to read. I literally flipped out when I saw it was coming out last October. I'd just been griping that Leithart didn't have enough on the NT.

The introductory stuff on the history before the Gospels was especially good for me as I haven't heard much on that era. The way he pointed out the different thrusts of each book and how they related was excellent. I really felt like copying the whole book out in my "notes/quotes journal".

I had very high expectations and wasn't in the least disappointed. I only wish there was more...

From the Book

See this quote I posted earlier.

Okay...this is a long quote and I hope I'm not breaking any copyright laws, but this is simply awesome and should show you how much you need to read the book.. :-)

As Matthew tells the story, Israel's history is a story of a spurned husband who refuses to give up on His bride. His bride spurns Him and finds other husbands, but He woos her back. He is the relentless, pursuing Hound of Heaven.

That is the message of the final act of this romantic comedy. Yahweh comes in flesh; Israel's Father comes as Israel's Son, and He is rejected yet again. He is rejected more thoroughly than ever. Persecuting prophets is bad; killing God Himself is worse. But the resurrection shows that Israel's God will not let Israel have the final word. He will not let Israel's rejection stand. He keeps coming back, even after Israel thinks they have killed Him. Israel does her worst: Yahweh comes as man, and Israel kills Him. If this were not the gospel, it would be a horror story, because this God cannot be stopped, cannot be buried. He comes back, and back again, even from the grave.

This is the great good news, the unsettling gospel of God. Matthew's gospel reveals that God is love, and Matthew's gospel shows us what kind of love God is: He is relentless, faithful, persistent love.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Background - Lecrea

For something very different...

....I know I miss my cues, know I forget my lines
I'm sticking to your script...

....So, just let me shadow you. And just let me trace your lines.
Matter fact just take my pen.
Here, you create my rhymes....