Prayers Needed

   I have a few prayer requests that have been pressing my mind lately. And especially recently.

   This morning, a much loved and admired TeenPacter, Jimmy Brazell went home. He just turned 19 in June. I did not have the privelege of knowing him but I have only ever heard the best about him! I have heard how he lived his life with his true home in mind. He had a brilliant passion for Christ and for the lost. He was sweet and encouraging. He was gifted at leading worship, he truly worshipped his Lord. This world will miss him very sorely. His family is surely grieving his loss.

   Baby John TenPas needs prayer, as well as his parents. He was born 2 weeks ago with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome- only half a heart. He has come through his first operation very well, and the surgeons have reconstructed his heart. Now his parents are waiting for him to be weened off of all the machines he has been on. They have been keenly aware of God's peace and strength, they are giving God glory through all that has happened.

   Michael Moede is in need of much prayer and encouragement, as he is slowly dying from a brain tumor. He is only 13 years old; an only child, and a miracle baby. Pray that he has patience, contentment and courage as the Lord draws him home. Lord grant him peace with his family. Pray that his parents will continue to seek the Lord and rest in Him.

   Finally, a prayer much dearer to my heart. My art teacher and her husband have been mentors of mine through an important stage of my growing up. They taught me to search the Scriptures, and to sharpen my talents from the Lord, as well as doing all for His glory. Now Dick Swisher, who has been suffering from cancer for about a year, is being drawn home to his Lord. He truly desires to see Him face-to-face.

   Dixie and Dick need prayer for peace and strength, Dixie especially as she is watching him decline. My mom just visited and tells me that Dick is like an alzheimers patient, confused and losing his memory. This must be so very hard for Dixie.

   I pray that the Lord's will would be done, and that He would grant faith, and peace and tender mercies to all those who are suffering.

Polaroids

I am now the proud owner of three Polaroid cameras! =) Three garage sale finds (my mom spotted them all), all in Spirit Lake and all dirt cheap. One even still had seven unused exposures left! What a treat.

The first one I got was this Spirit 600, the one with the unused exposures. I think I paid $3 for it. It's also the same model I bought at a different garage sale for $2.

This one was the second one I found. I really don't know anything about it, except that it must be an older model, because it doesn't have a flash. It requires a disposable flash actually. I bought this one for a quarter.

 They are great fun to decorate with!

 One of the photos taken with the first Spirit 600.

Love these cameras! Only thing is, the film is not easy to come by, and definitely not cheap. But it's out there! =)

Good Reads

I'm back again! I suppose it took me long enough. =] I've had my blog on my mind a lot and so I decided to sit down and type and I figured the topic would come to me. And it did! =)

I wanted to say a few words about my new favorite author, John Newton. Anybody remember him? Perhaps he might have been relatively unknown a decade ago, but since the making of the movie Amazing Grace, he has gained some popularity. Now practically everyone knows who William Wilburforce, Olaudah Equiano and William Pitt the Younger were. John Newton was a friend and mentor to William Wilburforce, and the pastor of a parish. He was also a former slave trader, and the author of the world's most famous and best loved hymn, Amazing Grace.

Excuse me for a moment, I smell my coffee perking at last...

...mmmmm ^.^  Finally, a cup of piping hot coffee.

Interlude over, back on topic-

Yes, John Newton wrote the hymn Amazing Grace. But that was by no means at all, the only hymn he wrote. He wrote a whole book of them! At least to my knowledge, I am sure there are many more that I don't yet know about. Anyway, this book of hymns that he wrote is called his Onley Hymns, and Amazing Grace is just one of hundreds of wonderful poems. The book is in sections, the first section being hymns written on certain choice texts from the Bible, all the way from Genesis to Revelation. (Amazing Grace is one of those, written from 1 Chronicles 17:16-17.) The second section is hymns, or poems rather, written on "occasional subjects".

He was a very gifted poet and a very thought provoking writer. He has a way of revealing to you the wretch you really are, rejecting the gifts and privileges Christ offers, and returning His faithful love with adultery and idolatry. He makes you see how your sin and pride taints and smudges everything you do, even your worship and prayers. You begin to understand what Paul meant when he wrote that he was the chiefest of sinners. (I always wondered how the greatest apostle could think that of himself.) You begin to see your hopeless state, your rejection of the Lord who loves you so deeply that He sacrificed His greatest treasure.

But he doesn't end it there, he also speaks of God's grace. His marvelous grace, that gives us hope, and promises a future rest in Him. Forgiveness that covers a multitude of sins. A wise Father who softens our stony hearts and gives us love, to love Him in return. We are stripped of every hope and plea, but what is provided in the free grace of God.

I read four of five of hymns every morning, during my private time with the Lord. It is the most humbling thing, to ponder what his poems mean. I highly, highly recommend finding a copy of his Olney Hymns. I know that Google books has a free ebook, and there are still hard copies out there to be found. I know that in the future, I will be posting some of his hymns on this blog.

Along with that, I wanted to recommend Cardiphonia, his book of letters to his parishioners. It has much the same effect on one's pride that the Olney Hymns does, only it's not written in poem form. The letters are short and easy to read and digest, which is especially nice considering pastors veer towards long-windedness. They also go much more in-depth and can discuss one topic in several aspects, over a series of letters. You go from despairing through one letter, to a bit more hopeful in the next, to rejoicing and gratitude, etc. John Newton was very thoughtful and thorough. He thought of himself as specializing in the anatomy of Christians, analyzing the human heart and emotions in varying circumstances.

I won't take up more of your time, I just wanted to put that bug in you ear, and encourage you to find those books. They are full of treasure and wisdom!

God Bless!