Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee

Jesus, the very thought of thee
with sweetness fills the breast;
but sweeter far thy face to see,
and in thy presence rest.

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
to those who fall, how kind thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah, this
nor tongue nor pen can show;
the love of Jesus, what it is,
none but his loved ones know.

Jesus, our only joy be thou,
as thou our prize wilt be;
Jesus, be thou our glory now,
and through eternity.

Attr. to Bermard of Clairvaux; trans. by Edward Caswall

Read more...

Diligence

There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.

Proverbs 30:24-28

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

Proverbs 6:6-11

He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

Proverbs 10:4-5

Work, for the night is coming,

Work, through the morning hours,
Work, while the dew is sparkling,
Work, 'mid springing flowers,
Work, when the day grows brighter,
Work, in the glowing sun,
Work, for the night is coming,
When man's work is done.

--Anna L. Coghill

Read more...

Stop!

Stop! And let me tell you
what the Lord has done for me!
Stop! And let me tell you
what the Lord has done for me!
He forgave my sins
and He saved my soul!
He cleansed my heart
and He made me whole, so...
Stop! And let me tell you
what the Lord has done for me!


Go! And tell the story
of the Christ of Calvary!
Go! And tell the story
of the Christ of Calvary!
He’ll forgive their sins
and He’ll save their souls!
He’ll cleanse their hearts
and He’ll make them whole, so...
Go! And tell the story
of the Christ of Calvary!

Read more...

An Eventful Afternoon

Yesterday, Dad was bringing a load of gravel towards this yellow building you can see in the background (we call it the "three-stall"). Apparently, the ground is much more uneven there than it appears; add that to the weight of the tractor's load and, well, I'll let the pictures say the rest...

---
"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his
compassions fail not. They are new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:21-23

Dad was able to jump off the tractor and roll out of the way before it fell on him. He noted later that had he been closer to the three-stall, there would've been no room for him to move before the tractor came down. The Lord is in control of every detail, is He not?!

Dad and Lucas, being the strong men that they are, were able to push the tractor back up to its correct position.

Just kidding :). A helpful neighbor brought
his tractor over and pulled it up for us :)!

Read more...