Frances Ridley Havergal, a poet and hymnwriter (“Take My Life and Let It Be”), published this book of devotions in 1879, shortly before her death. I do not know what edition I have, but it looks and feels like an early one.
A note written on an inside page reads, “With pleasant memories of Bible School, Summer of 1945, G. S. Montgomery.”
I once had a conversation at school with a first grade student. It was snack time, and, as she saw me approaching the eating area, the student called out to me:
“Mrs. McDavid, Mrs. McDavid!” Olivia’s hand was up and signaling for me to join her.
I walked over to her table and sat down. “What’s up?”
“Did you know that before, if we were at a school with all black people or a school with all white people, I couldn’t sit with you?”
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As I was thinking about loved ones, the state of the world, life, death, and the upcoming new year, these words came to me.
Another year, so full of grace
Forgiveness, love, and peace
Of gifts that come from God the Father
And sent for you to keep
If only you would seek.
Another year of joyful triumph
And sudden grim defeat
You smile, embrace, you cry and tremble
The world and all it brings
If only you would seek.
Another year, come be His child
Beloved of the King
A year that flows with promises
And blessings you will reap
If only you would seek.
Another year, could be your last
And then eternity
There will only be one question
What will your answer be?
If only you would seek.
Another year to share with friends
With loving family
But if your heart would open further
He waits so patiently
If only you would seek.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Matthew 6:33
I’ve been able to read through the entire Bible every year using the Five Day Bible Reading Plan.
The mix of Old Testament and New Testament readings each day is the most enjoyable part of the plan for me. The chronological order is another plus.
You can download and print the reading plan, but I have the app linked to the ESV Study Bible app on my iPhone. With a touch, the app takes me to the passages for the day, and I use the supplied checklist to monitor my reading.
The weekends are “free” with this plan, giving you two days to dig deeper, catch up, focus on your church’s readings for Sunday, or do anything else that helps you grow in the knowledge of God through reading his Word.
Whichever Bible reading plan you choose, I hope you are successful this new year with your worthy goal.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
Published by The American Tract Society, this copy is 150 years old and was probably used by Sunday School teachers. The handwritten note inside says “Hickory Grove, SSL No 179, 1871.” Grace Abbott or The Sunday Tea-Party is the story of young Grace trying to keep Sunday special and devoted to God. It’s hard to do, though, with the tea parties and the mean girls tempting Grace to put aside what she learned about the Sabbath. In the end, Grace does prevail!
A friend and fellow church member, artist Susan Savage depicts her Christian faith through paintings. Earlier this month, Susan presented this stunning oil-on-canvas painting, titled Delivered, to our church, where it now graces a wall in the prayer room.
Excerpts from her statement about the painting:
A shiny silver vessel sits triumphantly atop a nest of sharply pointed thorns. A red ribbon weaves its way through the torturous thicket and pours itself out behind a draped white cloth. The material substance of the silver vessel, delivered from its own refining fire of tribulation, stands as a testament to what Jesus Christ endured on the cross, and serves as a reminder of His loving and redemptive sacrifice for humankind.
This painting exemplifies the foundational core of the Christian faith. It is a reminder that Christ died in our place to rescue us from our sins. He died that we may live. Because of his sacrifice on the cross, His shed blood, and His resurrection from the grave, those who believe in Him are given victory over physical death.
"But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together in Christ. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing: It is the gift of God ..." (Ephesians 2:4,5,8)
Visit her website to see more of her extraordinary paintings.
Most of the time my dreams are made up of disconnected scenes that don’t make sense and weird, sometimes scary, situations. I usually wake up and (1) am thankful that it was just a dream, and (2) wonder about those people in my dream whom I’ve never met. Fascinating. This dream “stars” my brother and me, and is another quirky one. This time, though, most of it had a meaning that was clear and wonderful to me.
The car would not start, and they were in the middle of a street that was full of men and women walking in all directions.
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Written for a friend in despair
It is amazing to me,
a wondrous endeavor.
Think of the butterfly:
Its plain beginnings,
its ragged shell,
its captured wings.
Has it gone unheard?
The lilies and the sparrows know:
He cares with a cupped hand.
He stoops down with a lift
as sure as the first Day.
He was, He is,
He will.
And so,
my love,
live your struggle while fixed to Him,
a holy silk.
And emerge,
this time,
ready
to fly.
∞
Matthew 6:25-34
We do not want,
should not expect,
and will never have
perfect fathers.
∞
All we want is for them
to make their God-given responsibilities a priority:
to teach, guide,
protect, provide for,
and love in His ways
the children He has given to them.
∞
I do not think that is too much for a child to ask.
I do think that is too much for a father to carry
on his own.
∞
God’s plan is a wife; she, his treasured helper.
But the great submission of man
is to yield to and depend on
the Heavenly Father.
∞
A father will never be perfect,
but he can look to the One who is.
∞
Too often, a father will finally bend
when the sweat of death lies on his brow.
I saw my father’s release at that divine exchange:
too late for a child
but a gift tearfully received
by a long-suffering me.
∞
We don’t want perfect fathers.
We only want them.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
(Father’s Day is celebrated in the United States every year on the third Sunday of June.)
Darla McDavid 