Our goal is to produce children who exist in the world of the seen, but who live for what cannot be seen, touched or tasted. –Paul David Tripp

As a parent, you cannot give what you don’t have yourself. We can only teach our children to be practically obedient to the Word, exercising decisive biblical conviction, if we are doing the same. –Paul David Tripp

Obedient students of the Word tend to produce the same kind of children. –Paul David Tripp

There is no human experience that is so tragic and so deep that it is beyond the depth of the grace of Jesus Christ. –Paul David Tripp

There is a war going on out there. It is not an aspect of the Christian life, it is the Christian life. –Paul David Tripp

We will never do what is right at the practical, everyday life level unless we have the glory of God as our ultimate goal. –Paul David Tripp

Our responsibility is to find out if God has spoken and if so, we must listen to that voice. –Erwin Lutzer

Il y a dans le coeur de l’homme un vide a la grandeur de Dieu que rien ni personne a part Dieu ne saurait combler. –Blaise Pascale

Many people take the name of Christ but don’t bother to take up the life of Christ. –Kris Lundgaard

Loss of spiritual appetite can also come from being stuffed–stuffed full of self, full of the world. –Kris Lungaard

The glory of kings is the wealth and peace of their subjects, the glory of Christ is the grace and holiness of His. –Lundgaard

Whenever mortal beings have felt even the slightest weight of God’s glory, they have seriously doubted whether they would live to tell about it.

Christianity is God coming to search for man.

There can never be assurance of eternal life for the cultist, because he does not, in practice, believe that eternal salvation is TOTALLY a gift of God through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Faith and fear go hand in hand. Faith keeps the heart cheerful, fear keeps the heart serious.

God is more willing to pardon than to punish. –Thomas Watson

The mercies of God make a sinner proud, but a saint humble. –Thomas Watson

Personal separation from those elements of the believer’s environment that feed his flesh is not optional; it is critical. –Jim Berg

One of Satan’s wiliest tricks is to destroy the best by the good. –E.M. Bounds

The immense tragedy of the church today is that most people worship their work, work at their play, and play at their worship. –R. Kent Hughes

Le peche n’a pas contrecarre le projet ni paralyse la main de Dieu. –J. Piper

Les pires desobeissances d’hommes, au coeur endurci n’aboutissent pas l’echec du dessein divin, mais plutot a la reussite. –J. Piper

Le but principale de Dieu est de se glorifier et de faire sans cesse de lui-meme sa joie. –J. Piper

La gloire de Dieu est la beaute de ses multiples perfections. –J. Piper

La passion devorante de Dieu est d’exalter la valeur de sa gloire. –J. Piper

Pour Dieu, la louange est le doux echo de ses perfections dans le coer des saints. –J. Piper

Pour nous, la louange est le summun de la satisfaction resultat d’une vie de communion avec Dieu. –J. Piper

Dans son essence, le peche est le refus d’accorder une valeur supreme a la gloire de Dieu. –J. Piper

God’s kingdom is so valuable it is worth giving up all for it. Thus God’s kingdom should be the highest priority in one’s life. –Mark L. Bailey

We must always bend our wills to God’s will. –Jay Adams

Men look for better methods. God looks for better men.

There is nothing more revealing about us than what we wish for those we love most. –Alexander Maclaren

What would have become of us if Christ had been as saving of His blood as some men are of their money? –Robert Murray McCheyne

The question that every church member should ask himself: If every member was just like me, what kind of church would my church be?

Ne soyez pas trompes par l’atmosphere de “tolerance” et de “pluralisme.” La Bible declare toujours que le salut se trouve seulement dans Jesus-Christ Dieu-homme infini, mort, ressuscite et qui revient bientot.

Today in chapel a soloist sang a beautiful rendition of verses one and four below. Change my heart, O God, to love Thee and Thee alone!

Thee will I love, my Strength, my Tower,
Thee will I love, my Joy, my Crown,
Thee will I love with all my power,
In all Thy works, and Thee alone;
Thee will I love, till the pure fire
Fill my whole soul with chaste desire.

Ah, why did I so late Thee know,
Thee, lovelier than the sons of men!
Ah, why did I no sooner go
To Thee, the only ease in pain!
Ashamed, I sigh, and inly mourn,
That I so late to Thee did turn.

In darkness willingly I strayed,
I sought Thee, yet from Thee I roved;
Far wide my wandering thoughts were spread,
Thy creatures more than Thee I loved;
And now if more at length I see,
’Tis through Thy light and comes from Thee.

I thank Thee, uncreated Sun,
That Thy bright beams on me have shined;
I thank Thee, who hast overthrown
My foes, and healed my wounded mind;
I thank Thee, whose enlivening voice
Bids my freed heart in Thee rejoice.

Uphold me in the doubtful race,
Nor suffer me again to stray;
Strengthen my feet with steady pace
Still to press forward in Thy way;
My soul and flesh, O Lord of might,
Fill, satiate, with Thy heavenly light.

Give to mine eyes refreshing tears,
Give to my heart chaste, hallowed fires,
Give to my soul, with filial fears,
The love that all Heaven’s host inspires;
That all my powers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite.

Thee will I love, my joy, my crown,
Thee will I love, my Lord, my God;
Thee will I love, beneath Thy frown,
Or smile, Thy scepter, or Thy rod;
What though my flesh and heart decay?
Thee shall I love in endless day!

(Text pulled from here)

Words: Jo­hann Scheff­ler, Heilige Seelenlust, 1657 (Ich will dich lie­ben, meine Stärke); trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by John Wes­ley, Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems, 1739.

Charleston Breakfast Casserole

recipe here.

Oven Baked French Toast

recipe from Sept. issue of Southern Living (unknown year). It’s similar to the one here.

1/4 cup butter
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon almond flavoring
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
16 (3/4 inch think) slices French bread

Place 2 tablespoons butter in each of two 13 x 9 x 2 inch pans and heat at 425 until hot.

Combine egg yolks, sugar, and salt; beat at high speed of an electric mixer until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add milk and amaretto; fold in egg whites. Dip bread slices into egg mixture; place in hot pans. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes; turn and bake 5 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Smoky Bacon Wraps

recipe from Taste of Home, Quick, 2002, available here.

When the soft dews of kindly sleep
My wearied eyelids gently steep,
Be my last thought, how sweet to rest
Forever on my Savior’s breast.

Abide with me from morn till eve,
For without Thee I cannot live;
Abide with me when night is nigh,
For without Thee I dare not die.

If some poor wandering child of Thine
Has spurned today the voice divine,
Now, Lord, the gracious work begin;
Let him no more lie down in sin.

Watch by the sick, enrich the poor
With blessings from Thy boundless store;
Be every mourner’s sleep tonight,
Like infants’ slumbers, pure and right.

Come near and bless us when we wake,
Ere through the world our way we take,
Till in the ocean of Thy love
We lose ourselves in Heaven above.

(listen to the D. Forrest arr. here.)

• Prepare various fresh vegetables (bite-sized cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, celery, etc.)
• Place in flat dish with lid
• Mix marinade ingredients: 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp dill
• Pour marinade over vegetables. Refrigerate overnight; stir occasionally.

This has gone over really well at several parties. The vegetables take on a pretty sheen, especially the broccoli, and have a crisp, fresh taste.

Green Party Punch

2 liters ginger ale
1 can of frozen lemonade concentrate
1 large can of pineapple juice (chilled)
1/2 gallon lime sherbet

Stir ingredients together, making sure some ginger ale gets poured over the lime sherbet. The sherbet melts and makes a nice frothy top.

The glory of the Lord departs when
- God’s people overlook sin in their lives and their leaders (Hophni and Phineas)
- Relics replace true Christianity (ark brought as symbol of God’s presence instead of seeking God’s presence; illustrated by Christian bumper stickers, jewelry, t-shirts)
- Emotionalism replaces true worship (“great shout” when ark arrives on battlefield; he illustrated how he would try to create the Wilds’ fireside service at home to get back to where he had been emotionally during camp)

(ch. 7)
True spiritual leaders lead people to
- return to God

- rely on God (Samuel’s prayer for the people)

- remember God (“Ebenezer”–the Lord was our help)

Today he focused more on the 1st point–returning to God, and gave an excellent summary of necessary repentance:

- Turning from sin

Sin offends a holy God

Sin hurts people

- Turning from self

- Turning to the Savior

The encouraging thing is that just this week, I taught the story of Samuel’s childlike obedience to God from ch. 4. I also included the contrast of Eli’s sons, as well as the ark’s journey to the battlefield and the birth of Ichabod.