Chronological 2015 Reading List

Posted on January 9, 2016 by alivingpencil

It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones. — C.S. Lewis

The rewards of deep reading (reading several books on the same subject or by the same author) are plentiful: synthesis, comprehension, analysis. Or just the possibility of remembering the main point. Reading widely pays well, too. The stab of joy, the searing beauty of synchronicity! When I read Book G and it revisits something I read in Book B with no obvious connection between the two? Oh, man. It gets my voice in the high treble range and sets my fingers aflutter.

I thought it would be fun to classify my reading list for 2015 chronologically by publication date. I like old books, yes. But I also have been guilty of reverse-snobbery, where I lift my nose a few centimeters and declare that I’m not all that interested in modern writing. Blech! (autocorrect wanted to change that to belch; that works, too!) As you can see, I’ve overcome that weakness, haha!

2011-2015 (30 books)

Reclaiming Conversation     Sherry Turkle
Come Rain or Come Shine     Jan Karon
Bread and Wine     Shauna Niequist
Earthen Vessels     Matthew Lee Anderson
Being Mortal     Atul Gawande
Fierce Convictions     Karen Swallow Prior
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust     Alan Bradley
Landfalls     Naomi Williams
The Wright Brothers     David McCullough
All the Light We Cannot See     Anthony Doerr
Gutenberg’s Apprentice   Alix Christie
Nigellissima     Nigella Lawson
Among the Janeites     Deborah Yaffe
Wheat Belly     William Davis
Every Good Endeavor     Timothy Keller
Coolidge    Amity Shlaes
The Book of Strange New Things     Michel Faber
The Green Ember     S.D. Smith
Food: A Love Story     Jim Gaffigan
Dad Is Fat     Jim Gaffigan
God Made All of Me    Justin Holcomb
No Higher Honour     Condoleezza Rice
The Forgotten Founding Father     Joshua Kendall
Delancey     Molly Wizenberg
Lit! The Christian Guide to Reading Books     Tony Reinke
The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse     Alan Bradley
The Every-Other-Day-Diet     Krista Varady
Tsura     Heather Anastasiu
House of Stone     Heather Anastasiu
One Good Dish     David Tanis

Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. — C.S. Lewis

2000-2010 (24 books)

In the Midst of Life     Jennifer Worth
The Midwife     Jennifer Worth
Waiting for Snow in Havana     Carlos Eire
The River of Doubt     Candice Millard
Mudhouse Sabbath     Lauren Winner
Complications     Atul Gawande
Unless It Moves the Human Heart     Roger Rosenblatt
The Importance of Being Seven     Alexander McCall Smith
The Best Day, The Worst Day     Donald Hall
A Personal Odyssey     Thomas Sowell
The Shoebox Bible     Alan Bradley
Sonata for Miriam     Linda Olsson
Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance     Atul Gawande
Shadows of the Workhouse     Jennifer Worth
Inkheart     Cornelia Funke
The Unbearable Lightness of Scones     Alexander McCall Smith
Old Filth     Jane Gardam
The Man in the Wooden Hat     Jane Gardam
How to Read Shakespeare     Nicholas Royle
In Thy Dark Streets Shineth       David McCullough
The House at Riverton     Kate Morton
Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs     Larry Smith
Widow of the South     Robert Hicks
A Separate Country     Robert Hicks

1990-1999 (7 books)

A Pianist’s Landscape     Carol Montparker
Down the Common     Ann Baer
Poems New and Collected     Wistawa Szymborska
Melodious Accord     Alice Parker
One Year Off     David Elliot Cohen
Girl in Hyacinth Blue     Susan Vreeland
Jeremy: The Tale of An Honest Bunny     Jan Karon

1980-1988 (2 books)

Godric Frederick Buechner
To School Through the Fields Alice Taylor

1970-1979 (1 book)

The Brendan Voyage Tim Severin

1950-1969 (4 books)

A Grief Observed     C.S. Lewis
How Does a Poem Mean? John Ciardi
On the Beach     Nevil Shute
The Schoolmasters     Leonard Everett Fisher

1900-1949 (7 books)

Orthodoxy     G.K. Chesterton
The Adventures of Sally     P.G. Wodehouse
Pied Piper   Nevil Shute
Anna and the King of Siam     Margaret Landon
I Capture the Castle     Dodie Smith
Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres     Henry Adams
Jimmy at Gettysburg     Margaret Bigham Beitler

The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books. — C.S. Lewis

1800-1899 (4 books)

Doctor Wortle’s School     Anthony Trollope
Sir Henry Hotspur     Anthony Trollope
Henry Heathcote of Gangoil     Anthony Trollope
Luck of the Roaring Camp     Bret Harte

1500-1599 (2 books)

Henry IV, Part I William Shakespeare
Henry IV, Part 2 William Shakespeare

0- 500 AD (2 books)

On the Incarnation Athanasius
Marcus Aurelius and his Times Marcus Aurelius

Photograph is my granddaughter, reading Goodnight Moon to me.

Five Seven

Posted on May 7, 2015 by alivingpencil

Five Seven. An unforgettable date. We may not remember Three Twenty-Three (her birthday). I don’t even know her wedding date (the year was 1945). But this day, oh I know Five Seven. The calendar starts fomenting emotions around the third or fourth.

I revisit my last goodbye as I trotted towards the car, facing forward out the front door, head turned on the final step as I sing-songed my farewell: ♪♫♪ Bye Mom! ♪♫♪ I see my father waiting for me at the edge of the school grounds, and I hear the deadly quiet when we entered the house.

Last night when I read about Kara Tippett’s family’s first event without her I burst into sobs. Have you followed Kara’s story? Her shimmering grace, her honest struggle, her big love. I look at her kids and I know a small piece of their story. The oldest girl, who will mother her siblings the rest of her life. The girl and boy in the middle whose grief might get overlooked, who will consider their dad’s cares. The youngest girl, the focus of concern for all, the girl who turned six this week.

Although Five Seven can never be the second Sunday in May, it is always in the suburbs of Mother’s Day. Sorrow scoots over and makes room for gratitude. For too many, the grief of Mother’s Day is the ache of having had a mom who couldn’t or wouldn’t, but clearly didn’t express love and kindness. Their focus is on breaking the chain of affliction, expunging the critical words, watching others to figure out how to be a good mom.

I learned the goodness and kindness of God through Mom. Sure, she taught us and corrected us; but she sang while she laundered, she cheerfully plowed through sandwich-making every school day morning, she wrapped her long arms around us, she prayed. What didn’t she do? She never gossiped, she didn’t complain, she didn’t worry, she didn’t fear. Sometimes she sighed, and I know she groaned. But she lived a simple, authentic life, a small life really, that influenced many for good. And she loved me, this I know. To know your mom’s love is a gift of unfathomable magnitude.

Thank you, Mom. I love you.

Nellie Arlene Stover Harper
3/23/1920 — 5/7/1968

Figaro, John and Abigail

Posted on December 4, 2013 by alivingpencil

Mental Multivitamin calls it synthesis / serendipity / synchronicity. It’s that glorious connection between what you just read/saw/heard and—in an unexpected way—what you are currently reading/seeing/hearing.

The practice of reading (deep and wide) is in effect laying down a swath of Velcro loops. And along comes something that enhances, expands, expatiates on what you already know: those are the Velcro hooks.

That aha! moment brings me great joy. My husband wishes he had written down every hunting experience he’s had since he was seven…for the pleasure of reliving them. I wish I had noted each experience of synthesis / serendipity / synchronicity in my reading life; for there have been many and, alas, my mind grows dim.

::today’s synthesis::

For a year I have been plowing through Jacques Barzun’s From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present. It is demanding and daunting. Twenty years ago I wouldn’t have had the fortitude and background knowledge to pull through. But it is rewarding in the same way that losing thirty pounds is rewarding.

Barzun writes several pages about Beaumarchais, the author of The Marriage of Figaro, artisan, wit, pamphleteer, and secret agent. Have you heard of him? Me, neither. Barzun calls him “the most effective helper of the [American] colonists in their war.” Do you find that an arresting description?

Mozart wrote an opera based on Beaumarchais’ story which challenged the French aristocracy, making Figaro, a valet (or barber), more noble than his master.

:: Pause, Barzun. ::

When I’ve been home alone this week, I have listened to Joseph J. Ellis’ history, First Family: Abigail and John Adams. After a five year separation, Abigail and her daughter Nabby joined John and John Quincy in Paris. The Adams family “attended an early performance of The Marriage of Figaro.” Hello! I just read about significance of Figaro!! I reveled in the realization that for a time John and Abigail Adams and Mozart were both living and breathing in relative proximity.

::Pause, Abigail and John::

Three weeks ago I visited my friend Lisa in North Carolina. She had been culling books from her shelves and gave me a quaint 1913 book called Opera Synopses. In it I found more information on The Marriage of Figaro ; I learned the story is a direct continuation of Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville (created by Beaumarchais).

::return to Barzun::

Fascinating! I went back to Barzun’s tome and there it all was: “the man who wrote The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro before the librettists of Rossini and Mozart gave the two plays another meaning for the musical state.”

I had previously read that sentence, but because I didn’t have any Velcro loops of interest or connection, that fact just bounced off my brain. The synthesis, the recognition, made those words adhere.

So what? Although I am familiar with the overture and several arias, I have never seen the opera. I started to watch it on YouTube this morning, while I wrapped Christmas presents, but quickly realized that three hours of opera wasn’t on the agenda today. And if I’m going to be thorough (cough, cough) I should start by watching The Barber of Seville first.

So little time…

Reading Year in Review

Posted on December 28, 2012 by alivingpencil

2012 was the year I rediscovered inter-library loans. I whittled books off my Wish List at , thanks to Oregon libraries. I also read more Kindle books this year than ever before. My bookshelves are patiently waiting for me to notice them. The lists are in order of my favorites. The ones I especially liked have an asterisk in front of them. You are welcome to ask questions or make comments or suggest titles for 2013.

Happy reading!

Biography

* Bonhoeffer, Eric Metaxas (2011)

Children’s Books

* Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, Sally Lloyd-Jones, (2012)
Two are Better Than One, Carol Ryrie Brink (1968)
The Giraffe That Walked to Paris, Nancy Milton (1992)
Baby Island, Carol Ryrie Brink (1937)
Trudel’s Siege, Louisa May Alcott (1848)
Fantastic Mr. Fox, Roald Dahl (1970)

Christian

Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1938)
Prayers: A Personal Selection, Michael York and Michael Hoppe (2010)

Classics

* Les Miserables, Victor Hugo (1862)
Jill the Reckless, P.G. Wodehouse (1920)
An Eye For An Eye, Anthony Trollope (1878)
Piccadilly Jim, P.G. Wodehouse (1917)
A Room with a View, E.M. Forster (1908)

Cultural Studies

Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell (2008)
Alone Together, Sherry Turkle (2011)
Distracted, Maggie Jackson (2008)
Blink, Malcolm Gladwell (2005)
What the Dog Saw, Malcolm Gladwell (2010)
The Secret Knowledge, David Mamet (2011)

Fantasy

* To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis (1997)

Fiction

* City of Tranquil Light, Bo Caldwell (2010)
Olivia in India, O. Douglas (1912)
Buffalo Coat Buffalo Coat, Carol Ryrie Brink (1944)
The Distant Land of My Father, Bo Caldwell (2002)
A Christmas Memory, Truman Capote (1956)
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons (1932)
Chasing Mona Lisa, Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey (2012)
Strangers in the Forest, Carol Ryrie Brink (1959)
Arrow of God, Chinua Achebe (1964)
The House at Tyneford, Natasha Solomons (2011)
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, Walter Mosley (2010)

History

For All the Tea in China, Sara Rose (2010)
Practicing History, Barbara Tuchman (1982)

Memoir

* Surprised by Oxford, Carolyn Weber (2011)
* A Homemade Life, Molly Wizenberg (2009)
* My Reading Life, Pat Conroy (2010)
The Invisible Child, Katherine Paterson (2001)
My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell (1956)
How Parking Enforcement Stole My Soul, Ben Friedrich (2012)
The Heart of a Soldier, Capt. Kate Blaise w/ Dana White (2005)
A Chain of Hands, Carol Ryrie Brink (1981)

Mystery

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley (2009)
Shoofly Pie, Tim Downs (2003)
A Red Herring Without Mustard, Alan Bradley (2011)

Non Fiction

Simplify, Joshua Becker (2010)
The Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller (2009)

Poetry

Kitchen Sonnets, Ethel Romig Fuller (1931)
Skylines, Ethel Romig Fuller (1952)

Travel

* China Road, Rob Gifford (2007)
American Places, Wallace and Page Stegner (1993)
The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float, Farley Mowatt (1969)

Terryisms – A Tribute to My Pastor

Posted on December 22, 2012 by alivingpencil

When there is trouble, he enters into the situation, ready to help.
When there’s a party, a ring of laughter surrounds him.
When there is failure, he brings clarity and hope.

He preaches with passion.
He lives to tell stories.
He sings from his toes.

He used to be a long-haired surfer dude,
the delinquent son of the math teacher,
a doubtful outcome.

Then God snatched him from the waves,
set him on dry ground,
and redirected his life.

He teaches Logic and other subjects,
but mainly he is a docent of humanity,
explaining how life works.

It’s funny: his recap of a movie
is invariably better
than the movie itself.

If Pastor Terry and Yente the Matchmaker
lived in the same town,
Yente would go out of business.

His kids talk to him. Often.
He finds any excuse to visit them,
constructs play kitchens for his granddaughters.

He can read Greek and Hebrew;
but he’s even better at reading people.
Approachable. Winsome. Accessible.

He pastors pastors,
near and far,
giving a lift with encouraging words.

We know other churches would love to have him.
But right now—and for the last two decades—he belongs to us.
The Shire is his home.

He likes to talk. He’s very good at it.
Sometimes the stuff comes out funny.
Sometimes it comes out clear.
Sometimes it comes like a freight train.
But it is always good.

•Show up to life everyday!

• Get off your attitude.

• Life is so daily.

• God hit me like a plunger between the eyes.

• Does the glove get muddy or the mud get glovey?

• Raising children is like pouring concrete: you only get one shot.

• You never know what can happen in a day.

• Don’t be old and alone.

• A litnis test

• Our goal is generational fruit:
to see our children’s children walking with the Lord.

• Never despise the day of small beginnings.

•We know there is a balance somewhere…
we see it every time we pass by,
swinging from one extreme to the other.

• Idle hands are the devil of a workshop.

• Repent as loudly as you sin.

• Take off the uniform and stop playing church.

• God isn’t up in heaven, wringing His hands,
wondering what to do next.

• Grab him by his circumcision. [He meant to say baptism.]

• Is your marriage dead?
God does dead.
He loves resurrections.

• When God redeemed me, He was pursuing you. [said to his children]

• Unity, order, progress.

• If you really love her, you wouldn’t marry her!
[tongue in cheek advice in courtship]

• God’s story includes you.

• If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.

• Don’t boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

•When someone criticizes you and calls you a blockhead,
respond with “You don’t even know the half of it!”

Thank you, Pastor Terry, for your work and your words on our behalf.

55 Hymns I Love to Sing

Posted on September 27, 2012 by alivingpencil

The other reason that I make music is to celebrate the
certainty of the Lord, since there is no other way I can
understand the contradictions and confusions that surround me.
— Anthony Trollope

I was raised on hymns. They were my mother’s milk, my first solids, my daily bread, my cup of tea. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t sing hymns, nor a time that I haven’t loved hymns. I sing hymns that sweep my soul up and bring me to the gates of heaven. I sing hymns that mourn, a haunting melody in a minor key that alone reaches the nooks and crannies of my grief. Hymns, well-done, show me how great my God is and how much that affects my life. They remind me of what is true, they teach me how to respond, they encourage me to change.

I’ve worshiped with Plymouth Brethren, Baptist, Evangelical Free, and Presbyterian churches. In other words, I come from a broad range of hymnody: English melodies, Fanny Crosby, revival hymns, plainsong, German chorales, psalms from the psalter, Welsh hymns, folksongs, Vaughn Williams, Luther, and one of my favorites: Claude Goudimel.

Just as in books, there are good ones and there are raspy ones. I when hear certain hymns I think: All Skate! Other have a sing-song rhyming scheme that sounds like a seventh grader wrote it. True, some tunes are dated and just bad. There are bouquets of flowery, sentimental sap that may not even be orthodox in their theology.

Hymn geeks know that each tune has a name. The name of the tune may come from the city where it was composed, the first words of the hymn—often in their original language—or some phrase that identifies it. Or in the case of one favorite, the tune is SINE NOMINE, meaning without a name. I included the tunes because two people out there will care to know to which tune I sing that particular hymn.

1. Doxology OLD HUNDRETH This should be the first praise song every toddler learns. And perhaps the last song with the last breath of life. Our church sings this, a capella, at the end of every service.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

2. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing NETTLETON

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.

3. My Soul, Now Bless Thy Maker (Psalm 103) NUN LOB, MEIN SEEL The truth is that many of my favorite hymns are based on Psalm 103. Unfortunately this one is obscure. How do I translate to you the joy and thrill it is to sing this? Almost every audio version I’ve found has a slow, dreary tempo when this is a vigorous and confident tune. So here’s the best combo I can find: Listen to this version (click on 519) after you’ve opened a window with the words.

My soul, now bless thy Maker! Let all within me bless His name
Who maketh the partaker of mercies more than thou dar’st claim.

4. Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns TRURO I love TRURO like my friend Steph loves HYFRYDOL. We are kindred spirits in our hymn geekdom. Listen here.

Shout, for the blessed Jesus reigns; through distand lands his triumphs spread;
And sinners freed from endless pains, own him their Saviour and their Head.

5. Only Begotten, Word of God Eternal ISTE CONFESSOR There is gravitas in this ninth century hymn. Tune is here; words are here (pause the music that automatically starts).

Here in our sickness, healing grace aboundeth,
Light in our blindness, in our toil refreshment:
Sin is forgiven, hope o’er fear prevaileth,
Joy over sorrow.

6. Jesus Shall Reign DUKE STREET Besides loving ancient hymns in minor keys I love triumphal anthems. Tune here and words here. I love to modulate up a half key with each new verse.

People and realms of every tongue dwell on His love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim their early blessings on His Name.

7. O Sing A New Song to the Lord (Psalm 98) LYNGHAM To hear a large group singing this four-part fugue is glorious.

O sing a new song to the Lord, for wonders He has done.
His right hand and His holy arm the victory have won.

8. O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus EBENEZER The music matches the words in this piece better than any other hymn I can think of. I hear the ocean currents.

Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love;
Leading onward, leading homeward, to thy glorious rest above.

9. Praise To the Lord, the Almighty LOBE DEN HERREN If you don’t know this hymn, please learn it. Every phrase is rich, solid, steady.

How oft in grief hath not he brought thee relief,
Spreading his wings to o’ershade thee!

10. For All the Saints SINE NOMINE Alleluia!

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine.

And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong

11. In Christ Alone Music and lyrics here. What is it about this modern day hymn that is so potent? The words speak to the core issues of life and death. The soaring intervals.

And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.

12. Great Is Thy Faithfulness FAITHFULNESS No other song evokes memories of mom like this one.

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

13. Holy, Holy, Holy NICAEA

Though the darkness hide thee, though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
Only thou art holy: there is none beside thee
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

14. Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness GERMANY

Fully absolved through these I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

15. Come, Ye Disconsolate CONSOLATION

Here bring your wounded heart, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

16. Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms

17. Trust and Obey One of the first hymns I sang as a girl.

For there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus

18. O Come, All Ye Faithful ADESTE FIDELIS After I learned about Athanasius, I lift up thanks for him when I sing this carol. Why? Because much of the doctrine in it was defended by him.

Word of the Father now in flesh appearing

19. All Glory, Laud, and Honor ST. THEODULPH Bach wrote a great harmonization on this tune.

Thou didst accept their praises, accept the prayers we bring,
Who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious king!

20. We Are God’s People This is one of our church’s favorite anthems.

He wills us be a family, diverse yet truly one,
O let us give our gifts to God, and so shall his work on earth be done.

21. Like a River Glorious WYE VALLEY

We may trust Him fully all for us to do,
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

22. Why Do the Heathen Nations Vainly Rage? POURQUOI FONT BRUIT

How blessed are those who trust without dissembling,
Who kiss the Son and bow in reverent fear.

23. O for a Thousand Tongues AZMON There are 19 (!) stanzas in the original lyrics. We have great fun singing it to this tune, like a fugue. Click on the link. Do it!

Assist me to proclaim to all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.

24. All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name DIADEM, CORONATION, MILES’ LANE Diadem is my favorite setting of this anthem.

And crown Him, crown Him, crown Him, crown Him,
And crown Him Lord of all!

25. The Lord Bless You and Keep You LUTKIN A fitting benediction.

The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord life his countenance upong you,
And give you peace.

26. God Himself Is with Us ARNSBERG Simple, solemn beauty.

Like the holy angels who behold Thy glory,
May I ceaselessly adore Thee.

27. All Creatures of Our God and King LASST UNS ERFREUEN Mr. Bean almost ruined this for me.

Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care.

28. Jesus, Lover of My Soul ABERYSTWYTH Another minor key masterpiece!

All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of Thy wing.

29. Infant Holy, Infant Lowly This Polish Christmas carol is a simple lullaby packed with truth.

Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow,
Praises voicing, greet the morrow,
Christ the Babe was born for you!

30. Now Thank We All Our God NUN DANKET Not just for Thanksgiving, this one is always relevant.

Who, from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

31. O God Beyond All Praising THAXTED

And whether our tomorrows be filled with good and ill,
We’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still.

32. O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High! DEO GRACIAS THis one is dense and thick and chewy.

That God, the Son of God, should take
Our mortal form for mortals’ sake!

33. What Wondrous Love Is This?

And when from death I’m free,
I’ll sing and joyful be,
And through eternity I’ll sing on.

34. Amazing Grace NEW BRITAIN How did I forget about this before?

‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

35. God Be in My Head

God be in my head, and in my understanding.
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking.
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.
God be in my heart, and in my thinking.
God be at my end, and in my departing.

36. St. Patrick’s Breastplate ST. PATRICK

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.

37. Awake, My Soul, in Joyful Lays LOVING KINDNESS

When trouble, like a gloomy cloud, has gathered thick and thundered loud,
He near my soul has always stood, His loving kindness, oh, how good!

38. The Church’s One Foundation AURELIA

Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won.

39. Rejoice, the Lord Is King DARWALL

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

40. When All Thy Mercies ST. PETER Fernando Ortega sings this well.

When all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I’m lost
In wonder, love, and praise.

41. The God of Abraham Praise LEONI I love this Jewish melody.

I shall behold His face, I shall His power adore,
And sing the wonders of His grace forevermore.

42. Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners! HYFRYDOL

Jesus! what a strength in weakness! Let me hide myself in Him;
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing, He, my strength, my victory wins.

43. How Sweet and Awful Is the Place ST. COLUMBA This lilting Irish melody is quietly powerful.

‘Twas the same love that spread the feast that sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste, and perished in our sin.

44. O Lord, My God, Most Earnestly THIRD MODE MELODY If you’ve seen Master and Commander, you’ve heard this haunting tune.

Beneath the shadow of Your wings I sing my joy and praise.
Your right hand is my strong support through troubled nights and days.

45. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence PICARDY This French Carol has very little ornamentation. It is solemn, simple, and powerful.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded, for with blessing in His hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand.

46. Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed? MARTYRDOM One of the foundations of my youth.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away, ‘Tis all that I can do.

47. And Can It Be SAGINA

Amazing love!
How can it be that Thou, my Lord,
shouldst die for me?

48. Children of the Heavenly Father One of my brother’s signature songs.

Neither life nor death shall ever from the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth, and their sorrows all He knoweth.

49. Fairest Lord Jesus CRUSADER’S HYMN

Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration
Now and forevermore be Thine.

50. Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.

51. Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee HYMN TO JOY

Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.

52. My Jesus, I Love Thee GORDON

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath.

53. I Will Sing of My Redeemer

How the victory He giveth
Over sin, and death, and hell.

54. Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted O MEIN JESU, ICH MUSS STERBEN Wow. This hymn. Oh, my.

Ye who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great
Here may view its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the Sacrifice appointed, see who bears the awful load;
‘Tis the Word, the Lord’s Anointed, Son of Man and Son of God.

55. Christ, the Lord, Is Risen Today EASTER HYMN Belt this one out at the top of your lungs!

Lives again our glorious King; Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died, our souls to save; Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

What are a few of your favorites?

Okay, I’ve already realized a few glaring omissions. Humor me?

♥ To God Be the Glory (we sang this at our wedding)
♥ Blessed Assurance
♥ Before Thee Let My Cry Come Near (Psalm 119 X)

thank you!

55 Photos (Quick, Run Away) of My Guys

Posted on September 22, 2012 by alivingpencil

I’m slowly posting lists of 55.

55 Photographs is a collection of places I’ve been.
55 Sustaining Verses is a collection of, well, sustaining verses.

Now I give you 55 pictures of the guys I wrap my life around.
1 husband, 3 sons, 5 grandsons (no pictures of the 6th until he arrives)

Only one girl—my sister-in-law—is included because I
couldn’t bear to omit one of the best pictures taken in the 1960’s.

If pictures of dead animals bother you, click away. Now.
My guys hunt. My guys fish. My guys eat.
Please know that I held back. And I will hear complaints
about inclusions and omissions from my sons.
I could have done 55 Field and Stream Photos.

There is no order and I didn’t count pictures per person.
I didn’t try to be fair. Fair is where you take the hogs in August.

1. Come with me on a journey

2. It should make you smile

3. What does this mean?

4. Let’s go!

5. Misty Morning’s Ebony Splendor — our beloved first pet.

6. A happy artist

7. Comforting arms

8. Joy in music

9. The prince of solemn faces

10. Samwise

11. Good stock

12. What a hoot!

13. Relaxing after a hard day fishing

14. A degree doesn’t stop the silly faces

15. Adorable

16. Hi-Ho Silver!

17. ~ swoon ~

18. Easter handsomeness

19. A cup of coffee

20. A family tradition

21. The first fish caught

22. The guys

23. His first Officiant gig

24. For the love of frogs

25. Alaska summer job

26. Backpacking

27. Faneuil Hall

28. Virtue Flat

29. Meal on the beach

30. Melt my heart

31. Howdy, partner!

32. He’s a man’s man

33. Mama makes the best treats

34. Anticipation

33. The rigors of archery hunting.

34. The results of archery hunting

35. Fishing with Opa

36. Yu-uhm!

37. Success on the heights

38. The Bear

39. Papa on the trampoline

38. Happy with Daddy

39. Run at life. Attack it!

40. Concentration

41. The boy who beats me at Memory.

42. Just a swanging

43. Five grandsons, and one more on his way.

44. Stinkers, all.

45. Sometimes it’s better to close your eyes.

46. On the ladder to the tree fort.

47. He loves limes. So do I.

48. A penetrating look.

49. He’s a loveable scamp.

50. The mystery of this boy’s thoughts

51. Daddy’s home: all is well

52. Say goodbye to youth

53. Docking station

54. Coaxing a smile.

55. Was all this really necessary?

Walk with Me

Posted on September 4, 2012 by alivingpencil

I was spearing some brussell sprouts when the truck motor caught my attention.

I looked out the window and the blood drained from my face. The words Oregon State Police were painted on the truck door. The speed was slow; the driver looked carefully at the numbers on houses.

I walked to the screen door and stood there. My guys are out hunting. I waited to see if this officer was sent for me.

He drove past the house; I blew out the air that I’d been holding in reserve. Two doors down, he pulled into the driveway and turned around. Again, the truck idling, he tilted his head and scanned the fronts of houses.

“Walk with me, Jesus,” I prayed/commanded as the truck slowed in front of my house. In these moments—silly me—, I begin lining up pallbearers.

Then the Oregon State Police continued down the block. Breathe deep. Exhale.

It was only a rehearsal.

55 Sustaining Verses

Posted on September 3, 2012 by alivingpencil

I’m making lists of “55” this month.
Here is a list of verses which have sustained me through the years of my life.

You may or may not be familiar with the Bible.
These verses are snatched out of their contexts,
but each one has a context in my life.
These are words that have fed my soul.

1. The Lord is my strength and my song,
And He has become my salvation. — Isaiah 12:2

2. Call to Me, and I will answer you,
and I will tell you great and mighty things,
which you do not know. — Jeremiah 33:3

3. I love the Lord, because He hears
my voice and my supplications. — Psalm 116:1

4. Let Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in Thee. — Psalm 33:22

5. For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. — Ephesians 2:8

6. The Lord bless you and keep you; — Numbers 6:24

7. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. — Psalm 23: 1

8. As a father pities his children,
so the Lord pities them that fear him. — Psalm 103:13

9. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end,
they are new every morning,
great is thy faithfulness. — Lamentations 3:22-23

10. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them,
and they follow Me. — John 10:27

11. One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that shall I seek;
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
— Psalm 27:4

12. The conclusion, when all has been heard, is:
fear God and keep His commandments,
because this applies to every person. — Ecclesiastes 12:13

13. For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for welfare and not for calamity
to give you a future and a hope. — Jeremiah 29:11

14. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. — I John 1:9

15. O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt His name together. — Psalm 34:3

16. Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous!
Do not tremble or be dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
— Joshua 1:9

17. It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And he adds no sorrow to it. — Proverbs 10:22

18. If therefore the Son shall make you free,
you shall be free indeed. — John 8:36

19. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8

20. Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. — Psalm 62:8

21. God makes a home for the lonely. — Psalm 68:6

22. Casting all your care upon Him,
for He cares for you. — I Peter 5:7

23. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
— Psalm 23:6

24. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
— Genesis 1:1

25. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. — John 1:1

26. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
— II Corinthians 9:15

27. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror
the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image
from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
— II Corinthians 3:18

28. To console those who mourn in Zion,
to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
that they may be called trees of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
— Isaiah 61:3

29. Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
— Romans 11:33

30. Rejoice in the Lord always;
and again I say, rejoice!
— Philippians 4:4

31. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
— Proverbs 31:30

32. For the anger of man does not achieve
the righteousness of God. — James 1:20

33. But the goal of our instruction is love
from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
— I Timothy 1:5

34. My flesh and my heart may fail;
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
— Psalm 73:26

35. All of us like sheep have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
to fall on Him. — Isaiah 53:6

36. The Lord is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble,
and He knows those who take refuge in Him.
— Nahum 1:7

37. Greater love has no one than this,
that one lay down his life for his friends.
— John 15:13

38. But now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
— I Corinthians 13:13

39. For the earth will be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea.
— Habakkuk 2:14

40. Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
than a house full of feasting with strife.
— Proverbs 17:1

41. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
for His steadfast love endures forever.
— Psalm 136:1

42. I lift up my eyes to the hills;
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
— Psalm 121:1-2

43. Howbeit Thou are just in all that is brought upon us,
for Thou hast done right
but we have done wrong.
— Nehemiah 9:33

44. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
they render you neither useless nor unfruitful
in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
— II Peter 1:8

45. Let the sea roar, let the fields rejoice,
let the trees of the forest lift their voice.
Let the earth and heaven celebrate,
and the people on earth say, “The Lord reigns!”
— I Chronicles 16:32-33

46. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
— Psalm 16:6

47. Thou will make known to me the path of life;
In Thy presence is fullness of joy;
In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.
— Psalm 16:11

48. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh will see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
— Isaiah 40:5

49. He has shown you, O man, what is good:
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God?
— Micah 6:8

50. Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all that is within me,
bless His holy name.
— Psalm 103:1

51. He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart,
yet so that he cannot find out what God has done
from the beginning to the end.
— Ecclesiastes 3:11

52. I am my beloved’s,
and his desire is for me.
— Song of Songs 7:10

53. Now I commit you to God,
and to the word of his grace,
which can build you up with the rest of the saints.
— Acts 20:32

54. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken,
let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God
an acceptable service with reverence and awe;
for our God is a consuming fire.
— Hebrews 12:28-29

55. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
and to make you stand in the presence of His glory
blameless with great joy.
— Jude 24

55 Photographs

Posted on September 2, 2012 by alivingpencil

Sherry was kind enough to be born exactly three months before me.
Her annual celebrations give me great ideas, which, alas, I seldom do.
But, this year, I believe I will follow through on several 55 lists.
It’s not my birthday today, but September is my birthday month.

Let’s start with 55 Photographs.
Oh, the places you will go!
One benefit of coming from a large, spread out family is that you just have to visit your people.
Here are 55 cherished memories.
I took each photo and would appreciate you asking before you download.