In this book Dr. George Grant tells the “untold story of Christopher Columbus”, dispelling, with true facts, the popular myths of the racist white man who caused genocide, rape, etc. etc. among the poor little brown Indians.  Grant tells the true story, and relates, as he usually does — with plenty of adjectives and adverbs –, the real motivations and incentives which were the driving force behind what this great man accomplished in his life, those being evangelism (fulfilling the Great Commission), gold (financing an attack on Islam), and anti-ji’had (a rear-flanking crusade on the moslem-held Holy Land). Easy reading; an excellent narrative and an engaging story; well researched; and, of course, a moral philosophy lesson on how this applies to our own lives and how we should be living them, being what God wants us to be and doing what He wants us to do.

“Mere Christianity is C. S. Lewis’ forceful and accessible doctrine of Christian belief.  First heard as informal radio broadcasts and then published as three separate books –The case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality – Mere Christianity brings together what Lewis sees as the fundamental truths of the religion.”-Mere Christianity-

Although it is not always spot-on theologically, Mere Christianity’s counsel concerning how the Christian life should be lived is not to be despised.  Offering a very Bahnsenisc apologetic (although ironically before the time of Bahnsen), C.S. Lewis gives his take on the various “Christian virtues”, how they should be applied, taking on Christ completely instead of just in part, the trinity, social morality, and much more.  This book will be well worth the read for Christians, but especially those who have not yet accepted him.

C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963. He served in World War I, and wrote over 30 books during his 64 year life, including The Screwtape Letters, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Till We Have Faces.

“All Americans interested in events of the Middle East, especially Jews, Christians, and Moslems, will be richly rewarded by reading this sobering, referenced analysis of what may become America’s entrance into the most volatile region of our planet.” –Congressman William E. Dannemeyer, Forward to The Blood of the Moon–

Written around 20 years ago, but still quite applicable today, “The Blood of the Moon” emphasizes that in order to understand any cultural crisis or anything happening in the present day at all, we need to look to the past.  In the same way, if we want to understand this crisis in the Middle East we need to look to history and how there has always been conflict between two cultures: those of Ishmael and Isaac.  We cannot bring peace to the Middle East by mere force of arms because the root of the problem there is not material—it is spiritual.  ”[Peace] can only be achieved by fealty to Christ” (Psalm 2)

Prayer of Calvin from the Golden Booklet— “Almighty God and Father, grant unto us, because we have to go through much strife on this earth, the strength of thy Holy Spirit, in order that we may courageously go through the fire, and through the water, and that we may put ourselves so under thy rule that we may go to meet death in full confidence of they assistance and without fear.  Grant  us also that we may bear all hatred and enmity of mankind, until we have gained the last victory, and that we may at last come to that blessed rest which thy only begotten Son has acquired for us through his blood.  Amen.”

I recommend this modern translation of John Calvin’s devotional, “The Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life,” as it deals with difficult areas in a Christian’s walk with God such as humility, obedience, self-denial, patience, the importance of the cross and of our bearing it in this life, hope, and the right use of our life in the present in regards to our calling.  The book is full of rich and godly instruction with scriptural proofs for the different points made.  Calvin emphasizes that we are not our own, but the Lord’s, and should therefore seek to fulfill our calling, obeying God in humility and contriteness, with love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

“I have often wished that I had come across the writings of J.C. Ryle when I was a teenager.  For while his books appeal to all ages and stages of Christian experience, their straightforward biblical wisdom and deep pastoral concern make them especially helpful at the formative stages of life.  Bishop Ryle wrote about the Christian life in a way that combined a searching spiritual rigor with a wonderfully healthy balance.  Thoughts for Young Men illustrates these qualities.  It abounds in reliable counsel and says – with a rare combination of seriousness and graciousness – the very things we need to hear.  Young men, for whom it was written, will find it invaluable; but all Christians, men or women, young or old, can read it with lasting benefit.  It deserves to be widely read and circulated, and will do spiritual good to every reader.” –Preface to Thoughts for Young Men, Sinclair B. Ferguson–

I recently finished reading this book of J.C. Ryle’s and I would heartily recommend it to any reader, although it is most applicable to young men as Sinclair Ferguson says.  The book especially warns young men of the dangers of pride, love of pleasure, thoughtlessness, and  fear of other’s opinions, i.e. peer pressure.  Young men are the next generation’s leaders, and how they act and what influences them now will ultimately determine the course of their lives.

“Down swept the Vikings from the frigid North.  Across the English  coastlands and countryside they raided, torched, murdered, and destroyed  all in their path.  Farmers, monks, and soldiers all fell bloody under the  Viking sword, hammer, and axe.  Then, when the hour was most desperate,  came an unlikely hero.  King Alfred rallied the battered and bedraggled  kingdoms of Britain and after decades of plotting, praying, and persisting,  finally triumphed over the invaders.  Alfred’s victory reverberates to this day:  He sparked a literary renaissance, restructured Britain’s roadways, revised  the legal codes, and revived Christian learning and worship.  It was Alfred’s  accomplishments that laid the groundwork for Britain’s later glories and  triumphs in literature, liturgy, and liberty.” –The White Horse King–

You will find this book quite engaging as you learn of the life of the tenacious Alfred the Great, as he sought to reform the decaying Anglo-Saxon Britain, not just morally, but also politically under the constant barrage of the ravaging Danish Vikings.  Benjamin Merkle weaves together this biographical adventure, in a way so that it is exiting while still being a true account of the circumstances surrounding this 9^th century king.  This book was well worth the read.

“Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do.  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him which, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell: yea, I say unto you, fear him. – Luke 12:25

True courage – what is it? An absence of fear? No, for where is the virtue in walking blindly into something, where you know not that there is any danger? It is not the absence of fear, but the overcoming of it.  It is the fear of Him who can harm the souls, and thus the taking away of fear of those who can only harm the earthly body.  This is shown in the life of General Jackson, a man who feared God and Him only.

I recently borrowed a book from Mr. Mack entitled “Discussions of Robert L. Dabney Vol. 3.”  The main reason that I borrowed the book was to read a 20 page commemorative of Stonewall Jackson, a memorial sermon preached by Robert Dabney at his (Jackson’s) death.

The sermon told stories of different events in the life of General Jackson, emphasizing one of the virtues he possessed: true courage.  Dabney shows how Jackson’s duties to his Lord, his country, and to truth overcame all of his fear of earthly powers.  I think the sermon has good lessons on how we should put our faith in the holy providence of our Creator and in the righteousness of his Son, and I would recommend it to anyone.

“But he is the bravest man who is the best Christian.  It is he who truly fears God, who is entitled to fear nothing else.” (Page 456, Discussions of Robert L. Dabney, Vol. 3)

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The Kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’” (vs. 1-3)

In this passage, and indeed in the entire Psalm, the writer is prophesying concerning the Messiah and those who planned to destroy his life.  Just as the scribes, Pharisees, and Herodians plotted against the life of Jesus Christ (as seen in Mark 3:6, 11:18; Matthew 26:1-5; etc. etc.), so those who have not followed the instructions of Romans 10:9 (confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead) will, on account of their corrupt hearts, minds, and very being, seek to destroy true Christianity off the face of the earth.  Psalm 36 states the wicked plots trouble while on his bed, having no fear of God before his eyes, and Proverbs 4 says that “they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong”, and “they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.”

When it says in the Psalm that the plotting of the wicked is “in vain”, it doesn’t mean that their plans won’t necessarily succeed, or even go well for them for a while, perhaps even their entire life.  It means that our Lord is completely and utterly sovereign, and all of the evil in this world is ultimately turned around by God and used for good (Romans 8:28).  In the very executing of God’s Son, the wicked contributed to the finishing of God’s salvation plan. Our Lord is in complete control.  Psalm 46:6-7 states, “the nations rage, the kingdoms totter; [God] utters his voice, the earth melts.  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”  When we are facing dark times in life, we can be comforted, putting our faith in God, because we know that he makes everything, evil or good, work together for good for those who “are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD holds them in derision.  Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ‘As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (vs. 4-6)

The LORD is saying here – “Despite your efforts; despite your evil plots and counsels; despite your slaying of my Son; I have used it all against you and to fulfill my plans.  I have raised up my Son as King of Zion, and Savior of my people because of his death and resurrection.  You have fallen into the pit you dug and the stone you rolled fell back on you. (Proverbs 26:27)”

Psalm 37:12-13 says this, “The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the LORD laughs at the wicked, for he sees his day is coming.”  The day will come when the wicked shall be judged, and in that day they will not be able to stand because of their fear of the Lord. It is because of this that God tells us to “Fret not [ourselves] because of evildoers (…) for they will soon fade like the grass and whither like the green herb.” (Ps. 37:1, 2)  We need, as it says in verse 5 of the same Psalm, to “commit [our] way to the Lord (…) [and] trust in him [for] he will act.”

“I will tell the decree: the LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.  Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth you possession.  You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (vs. 7-9)

The LORD says that he has given the nations to his Son as an inheritance, who will at the end dash to pieces the wicked like the vessels of dishonor that they are.  He then goes on to warn those nations, and the rulers of them –

“Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.  Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.” (vs. 10-12)

Here God warns the governments and the peoples of the earth, saying that they will be destroyed if they do not embrace Jesus Christ as Lord.  If they do not kiss the Son they will find themselves under the terrible wrath of him, the living God and they will “perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.”  But those who do embrace Christ; who follow his commandments; who have faith in him and trust in his Word – they will be blessed by God unto everlasting life and will live with him in his glory forever.

This afternoon before Lydia and I listened to a Gileskirk lecture, and right after lunch, we all went out side to have a photo shoot in the springy sunshine and play some frisbee.  Following are some pics:

As you can probably see from the photos, we all had a really fun time!

I was working on my math this morning when suddenly I froze.  From the other room I heard three of my siblings who shall remain unnamed were discussing (shall we say butchering?) the Lord of the Rings story.  Each word was an arrow speeding through the air and landing in my heart.  I involuntarily groaned after every sentence which proceeded from  the mouths of siblings (1), (2), and (3).  To give you some idea of what  I went through here are some snapshots of the dialogue:

Sibling (1): Was Frodo about as tall as me?

Sibling (2): About.

Sibling (3): Probably a little taller; and he had curly hair: more curly than yours.

Sibling (2): Yeah; all hobbits had curly hair.

Sibling (3): It says that in the Silmarillion…But, they can’t all of curly hair because, you know, like Boromir, Faramir, and the rest: they didn’t have curly hair.

Sibling (2): Those weren’t hobbits; they were men.

Sibling (3): Well…They lived in middle earth.

(…)

Sibling (1): How does that rhyme thing go?

(Sibling (3): 9 rings for the elf lords in their halls of stone…

Sibling (2): No, no! It was 2 rings for the elf lords; and not in halls of stone.

Sibling (1): How many rings were there?

SIbling (2): Well there was the one ring…

Sibling (3): Smaug had that first, then Bilbo; but Gollum stole it.

Sibling (1): Who’s Gollum?

Sibling (3): Smeagol in disguise.

Sibling (2): Bilbo was the one who stole it; Gollum got it out of the river and then went and lived in a pool.

Sibling (3): Gollum killed his brother  to get it, or something.

(after some more “discussion”, the conversation terminated and sibling (1)  came over to me)

Sibling (1): What happened after Sauraman bit the ring off Frodo’s finger in Mt. Doom?”

Me: WHAT!?!?!?

This is where my spirit and endurance broke.  I screamed in pain; I ripped out my hair and heaped sackcloth and ashes on my head… I prayed for my b(r)other’s soul.

Below are my Working Thesis and Bibliography for my Research Paper this year in Gileskirk American Culture.  Let me know what you think and/or any suggestions you may have.

Working Thesis:

Although in modern times construed otherwise, the principle of “The Separation of Church and State”, the Constitution of the United States, and other documents, properly understood do not mean that State and Church are not both accountable to their Creator, that they cannot exhort each other, or anything of the kind, but that they are two separate spheres with their own separate jurisdictions, both created by God, and both accountable to the same.

Working Bibliography:

Books:

This Independent Republic, by Rousas John Rushdooney

The Institutes of Biblical Law, by Rousas John Rushdooney

The Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin

A Treatise on Civil Power, by John Milton

On Secular Authority: To What Extent it Should be Obeyed, by Martin Luther (?)

The Bible

Articles:

From the Church Drinking Fountain, by Douglas Wilson

Weapons, Women, Wealth, by Douglas Wilson

Letter to Danbury Baptists, by Thomas Jefferson

The Constitution of the United States of America

The Declaration of Independence

Roy Moore, (Wikipedia)

A Wall of Separation, by John Hutson (Library of Congress)

I recently purchased a new bible from R.L. Allan, located in Glasgow, Scotland.  I considered for some time buying a bible which would be, not only “nice”, but durable.  The Allan bibles are considered probably the best bound bibles in the world, all bound with premium goatskin leather. Pictures below…

One of the features of the bible, as seen (vaguely) above is a paragraph introduction to the book—

“The book of Psalms is filled with the songs and prayers offered to God by the nation of Israel.  Their expressions of praise, faith, sorrow, and frustration cover the range of human emotions.  Some of the Psalms dwell on the treasure of wisdom and God’s Word.  Others reveal the troubled heart of a mourner. Still others explode with praise to God and invite others to join in song.  This diversity is unified by one element: they are centred upon the one and only living God.  THis Creator God is King of all the earth and a refuge to all who trust in him.  Many of the Psalms are attributed to King David.  The writings and collection of the Psalms into their present form spans the fifteenth to the third centuries B.C.”

As you may see from some of the words in the above paragraph, the bible is “Anglicized”, meaning it is “real” English, instead of “American.”

This bible was replacing a Bonded “Leather”* bible (below).

A comparison between the two:

Old Bible:

• Bonded Leather
• One Ribbon Marker
• No Real Durability
• Red Letter
• New King James Version
• Bottom-Page References Only.
• No Introductions
• Concordance
• 4 Map Pages

New Bible:

• Premium Antique Brown Buffalo Grain Goatskin
• Two Ribbon Markers
• Lifetime Durability
• Black Letter
• English Standard Version
• Bottom-Page References and Cross-References.
• Introductions for Each Book
• “Table of Weights and Measures”
• Extensive Concordance
• Anglicized
• Embossed

*Bonded leather or reconstituted leather is a material made of varying degrees of genuine leather combined with other substances to give the appearance of leather at reduced cost (Wikipedia)

It may seem from the above photos the I had the pleasure of killing the hairy vermin, otherwise known as a rat, myself.  Unfortunately this honor was not bestowed on one so unworthy as me…rather, this rodent, resembling a large mouse, was killed by poison, a fitting ending for this undersized capybara with a long, sparsely haired tail.  The last picture is merely a simulation of how I would have ended the life of the gnawing mammal of the family Muridae, if I had been bestowed the privilege of dispatching it.

As you can see from the last two snapshots, I gave the rat a place of honor: hung to the side of our front door… needless to say I was soon ordered by authorities in the vicinity to take it down.  People just don’t like hanging up trophies…I don’t understand it!

Reporters say that on Tuesday evening, December 5, a series of sonic booms, which could be felt, surrounded the area of V.D.L.H.H.O. (von der Luft Household Organization).  Observers say that these booms were accompanied by great ovals of blue fire exploding throughout the woods around V.D.L.H.H.O.  It was obvious, to some, that the V.D.L. (etc.)…were being attacked!!! No…actually some thought that a power box had blown, others that lines had come down (exploding…with blue fire…)

You may be wondering what the response of the members of the V.D.L. (ect.) was when these unusual happenings penetrated their lives.  Well, someperson immediately said, “This means there’ll be no email!”  (we all know what that means for them…[and someone else];-)  Others started croaking an already old song, singing, “Adventure is out there; it’s coming to you!”  They slightly changed the wording on the last part, instead saying, “it’s come to us!”

The conditions above lasted for a period, some say 30 minutes, some say 30 hours.  But, while a certain member of the V.D.L. (etc.) was studying by lamplight for a certain Midterm Exam (then in two days) when suddenly…the lights turned back on!

Why the sudden change?  On reporter noted:  “It was a stark antithesis.  One moment perfect peace and calm in studying, the next chaotic “WHAT!”s and “WHAT HAPPENED TO ‘ADVENTURE’”s!  Some people were not pleased.”

It turned out that the President of the V.D.L. (etc.) had gone down to where members had first seen the blue fire.  He then single handedly put together the broken line, and sealed it with duck-tape.

I. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;”

This verse has a distinct structure in it that is very important.  Notice: the man first walks in the counsel of the ungodly.  He is going around, living his daily life, when he hears evil counsel from the ungodly.  In a good many situations it doesn’t sound that bad.  So, he compromises his convictions and adopts that evil principle (or lack thereof) in his every day life.  As you see in the verse, he is soon on the path of sinners, the very way that leads to destruction.  It does not take long, then, for him to belong with the wicked.  He is there, sitting in his home and scorning all righteous things.  That is the result of compromise in our lives.  Proverbs 4:14 also commands us not to enter the path of the wicked, for “they do not rest unless they cause someone to fall.”   There is an intense spiritual struggle going on, which we always need to remind ourselves of, and pray about, daily.  The evil one and those who serve and follow him, whether knowingly or not, are always trying to make the true disciples of Christ stumble, for Proverbs 4 states, “they do not rest unless they have done evil,” and Psalm 36 says that a wicked person “devises wickedness on his bed.”  That man who withstands the wiles and temptations of the devil will be blessed, if not materially on this earth than, in heaven.  Below are some ideas, by no means exhaustive, on how to help prevent us from “walking in the counsel of the ungodly…standing in the path of sinners…and sitting in the seat of the scornful.”

• Pray daily, even hourly, about all of the areas in your life that you know you stumble in, such as: pride, honoring parents, teasing, humility, etc.
• Again, always be aware that Satan is striving to make you stumble.  You should be striving to obey God and be that “blessed man.”  There is no neutrality.  The Lord Jesus said, “he who is not with Me is against Me.”
• Pray that the LORD would grant you discernment to tell between right, and that which the wicked have invented to look almost right.
• And finally, pray that God would give you strength and determination, in Christ, to withstand the temptations of the devil.

II. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

The man will not blessed who:

• Thinks Scripture “monotonous” or boring,”
• Would rather read for leisure, do the computer, or even do school work in the morning instead of picking up his Bible and seeking God in his personal devotions,
• Who only opens his Bible once a week at Church or another so called “religious event,”
• And during the rest of the week doesn’t pay any attention to what he says he believes or what he heard preached last Sunday.

Unless that man has a spiritual revival and radically changes his ways, he will be ending up in Hell.  But the man who takes real delight; real pleasure in God’s Holy Word, is the man who will be bountifully blessed by the LORD.  The man who does truly delight in God’s law will want to study it.  Not just once a week at “religious time,” but when walks by the way, when he gets up, and when he lies down.  He will pray without ceasing for his family, those he loves, and even his enemies.  As it says in Psalm 119:14: He will “[rejoice] in the way of [His] testimonies, as much as in all riches.”

III. “He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not whither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

This passage, and indeed quite a bit more of the Psalm, is written as a simile.  It sets up the tree as a man and, I believe, the rivers of water as Christ.  We as Christians are like trees: we cannot flourish without the living water of the Christ.  Because of this water sustaining and feeding us, we will bear fruit by which we shall be known to the world and to other brethren.  Some Christian “fruits” that we should be showing are love for friends and family, joy in the gospel, peace in our lives, righteousness and holiness, and much more.  If this man does not put other tings before these “fruits” than he very well might get worldly possessions as well, from God.  An example of this is shown in 1 Kings with the story of Solomon.  But the example works both ways: because of his great wealth and power Solomon fell into grave and distinctly disobedient sin.  He who has earthly things is MORE likely to forget Him who gave them to him.  Cotton Mather, an English Puritan who came to America, is quoted as saying, “Religion gave birth to prosperity, and the daughter ate the mother.”  We need to be careful that we do not slack off in our obedience to Christ, if and when he gives us this prosperity.

IV. “The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.”

Many people today are deceived by the vain pleasures and sins of this world.  They are deceived by the devil.  He seeks to make these pleasures look as juicy and sweet as possible to our fleshly eyes.  In reality, however, those sins that seem so pleasurable; those temptations that look and sound so good, will only wreck havoc and destruction to those who fall prey to them.  They are meaningless!  When you are called to judgment they will fly away like the chaff.  You cannot take them with you after death.  Those who practice these sins—the ungodly—will also be swept away; and if you are one of them, you will be too!  If we ever start to compromise our beliefs, as shown in verse 1, the same thing that happened to that man will happen to us!  If we fellowship with the ungodly, listen to the ungodly, or follow the trends of the ungodly, then we ourselves will become ungodly—and we will be swept into the bottomless pit with the ungodly.  We cannot allow ourselves to governed by what sinners say and do. “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?  How often does their destruction come upon them, the sorrows God distributes in His anger?  They are like straw before the wind, and like chaff that a storm carries away.” (Job 21:17-18)

V. “Therefore the ungodly will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”

When the end comes and all are called to be judges on the last day, the wicked will not be able to stand in the judgment.  When God calls them forward, they will fall on their faves and tremble with fear at the very sound of his voice!  The righteous will stand, covered and screened by the precious blood of our Lord Christ Jesus, but these wicked will be so afraid that they will not be able to even stand on their feet before the LORD.  Scripture says that it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God when you have not put your trust and hope in his Son, our Lord Jesus.

VI. “For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

God knows the difference between good and evil.  He knows the difference between the holiness of His Son, which shines as a light from his disciples in darkness, and the evil sprung from Satan and his followers.  That wicked way and those who follow its path shall perish and be cast into the everlasting fire, but, if we are like the blessed man than we will spend eternity in the great love and joy with our Savior and heavenly Father.  “[The] inheritance [of the upright] shall be forever.” (Psalm 37:18)

 ¹ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
         For His mercy endures forever. 
         
 ² Let Israel now say,
         “His mercy endures forever.”
 ³ Let the house of Aaron now say,
         “His mercy endures forever.”
 ⁴ Let those who fear the LORD now say,
         “His mercy endures forever.” 
         
 ⁵ I called on the LORD in distress;
         The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
 ⁶ The LORD is on my side;
         I will not fear. 
         What can man do to me?
 ⁷ The LORD is for me among those who help me;
         Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
 ⁸ It is better to trust in the LORD
         Than to put confidence in man.
 ⁹ It is better to trust in the LORD
         Than to put confidence in princes. 
         
 ¹⁰ All nations surrounded me,
         But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
 ¹¹ They surrounded me,
         Yes, they surrounded me; 
         But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
 ¹² They surrounded me like bees;
         They were quenched like a fire of thorns; 
         For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
 ¹³ You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
         But the LORD helped me.
 ¹⁴ The LORD is my strength and song,
         And He has become my salvation.
         
 ¹⁵ The voice of rejoicing and salvation
         Is in the tents of the righteous; 
         The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
 ¹⁶ The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
         The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
 ¹⁷ I shall not die, but live,
         And declare the works of the LORD.
 ¹⁸ The LORD has chastened me severely,
         But He has not given me over to death. 
         
 ¹⁹ Open to me the gates of righteousness;
         I will go through them, 
         And I will praise the LORD.
 ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD,
         Through which the righteous shall enter. 
         
 ²¹ I will praise You,
         For You have answered me, 
         And have become my salvation. 
         
 ²² The stone which the builders rejected
         Has become the chief cornerstone.
 ²³ This was the LORD’s doing;
         It is marvelous in our eyes.
 ²⁴ This is the day the LORD has made;
         We will rejoice and be glad in it. 
         
 ²⁵ Save now, I pray, O LORD;
         O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.
 ²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
         We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
 ²⁷ God is the LORD,
         And He has given us light; 
         Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
 ²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise You;
         You are my God, I will exalt You. 
         
 ²⁹ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
         For His mercy endures forever.

…so I was just skating along the kitchen floor (with my socks on), when I rounded a corner and what was lying in wait to jump out and bite me but a sharp-edged and 4-pronged, wooden stool!  You can imagine what followed.  After I was able to extract myself from the tangles, finally arising victor of the sharp and brutal conflict, I managed to discern the meaning of the indistinct yells I had been vaguely hearing while the stool had been attacking me.  It was something to this affect:

“KARL!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!? I HOPE THAT’S NOT ANOTHER HOLE IN THE WALL!!!!”

It’s not my fault these stools, counters and wall-edges have something against me! Oh well…

I ran across this quote today in “Give me Liberty”, a biography by David Vaughan:

Adversity toughens manhood, and the characteristic of the good or great man, is not that he has been exempted from the evils of life, but that he has surmounted them.

-Patrick Henry-

I think this applies to not only men, but also all Christians seeking to fulfill God’s calling in their life and be who He wants them to be.  If we are put down and depressed whenever we encounter any trouble or adversity we will not get that far in life.  Adversity should rather draw us up and, if we persevere, make us into true servants and followers of our Lord.