Among other helpful books I have read are:
John Bunyan - The Holy War
Calvin's Institutes
A very helpful sermon that I think everyone should read is:
How to bring your heart to bear reproofs - John Owen.
June 18, 2015
June 16, 2015
Morning
It's called morning when the sky begins to lighten. So it's not exactly morning. But I couldn't sleep so I got up.
Or it's called morning if you're Al and you're getting up to go to school, even though it's not yet 5 a.m.
Why do I feel like blogging when I have absolutely nothing to say? Why have I nothing to say? Is it because nothing ever happens and I never do anything? How do people stay on their phones and on Facebook so much, as if they have a wonderful group of friends to keep up with? Or do you just get on Facebook and say, Look at me, and people do if you're clever, informative, or entertaining.
Life is so hum-drum. I think of myself as total failure. Or at least not very useful. I dabble in many things but I have nothing to show for it. Yesterday I failed again in another worse way. How tiresome it is to be me. Always spinning my wheels. People ask me, what do you do? and I can't really say.
Yesterday I had a rare moment of being useful. Or maybe I should say, feeling useful. I made pizza. It was a fairly good pizza. Maybe I'll have another useful moment this year.
Come to think of it, I wrote another tune, so that was useful. But I have had to withdraw some of my earlier ones because they weren't very good.
We moved to a new apartment not far from our old one. It is much better in many ways, but it has some drawbacks. Like the terribly noisy traffic that starts at six a.m. and goes till midnight. I dream of insulating my bedroom with sponge-type wall-paper. Then I'd have to somehow fix the window, which is where most of the sound comes in. Or I could keep a candle burning to drive away sound. Oh, whoops, candles don't drive away sound.
A giant cockroach crawled across the floor. He is a very useful creature. He gave me the opportunity not to smash him, and I took it.
Or it's called morning if you're Al and you're getting up to go to school, even though it's not yet 5 a.m.
Why do I feel like blogging when I have absolutely nothing to say? Why have I nothing to say? Is it because nothing ever happens and I never do anything? How do people stay on their phones and on Facebook so much, as if they have a wonderful group of friends to keep up with? Or do you just get on Facebook and say, Look at me, and people do if you're clever, informative, or entertaining.
Life is so hum-drum. I think of myself as total failure. Or at least not very useful. I dabble in many things but I have nothing to show for it. Yesterday I failed again in another worse way. How tiresome it is to be me. Always spinning my wheels. People ask me, what do you do? and I can't really say.
Yesterday I had a rare moment of being useful. Or maybe I should say, feeling useful. I made pizza. It was a fairly good pizza. Maybe I'll have another useful moment this year.
Come to think of it, I wrote another tune, so that was useful. But I have had to withdraw some of my earlier ones because they weren't very good.
We moved to a new apartment not far from our old one. It is much better in many ways, but it has some drawbacks. Like the terribly noisy traffic that starts at six a.m. and goes till midnight. I dream of insulating my bedroom with sponge-type wall-paper. Then I'd have to somehow fix the window, which is where most of the sound comes in. Or I could keep a candle burning to drive away sound. Oh, whoops, candles don't drive away sound.
A giant cockroach crawled across the floor. He is a very useful creature. He gave me the opportunity not to smash him, and I took it.
May 13, 2015
Books
What books have you read that you have found helpful in your Christian walk?
I'll start with these:
Hinds Feet on High Places -- Hannah Hurnard
Saving Faith - Arthur Pink
I'll start with these:
Hinds Feet on High Places -- Hannah Hurnard
Saving Faith - Arthur Pink
May 12, 2015
Holidays
There are many holidays in Israel. Too many. And they're not evenly spread. In April there were Passover, Holocaust Memorial Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day (known as Disaster Day in some circles).
Along a street near us is a stone wall, (actually most streets are lined with stone walls, because of the terrain) and in that wall is built a placque to a fallen soldier. I noticed around Independence Day that someone had placed a wreath by it, and there were some candles burning by it. A nice thing to do. I was thinking of buying some of those little candles once, because I like candles. But then I noticed that some of these candles say "Soul Candle," and I realized and remembered that some people actually pray for the dead here.
They also say that if you say prayers by the grave of a Righteous One your prayers will have more merit.
"There is one God and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus."
In May there will be Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks.
Along a street near us is a stone wall, (actually most streets are lined with stone walls, because of the terrain) and in that wall is built a placque to a fallen soldier. I noticed around Independence Day that someone had placed a wreath by it, and there were some candles burning by it. A nice thing to do. I was thinking of buying some of those little candles once, because I like candles. But then I noticed that some of these candles say "Soul Candle," and I realized and remembered that some people actually pray for the dead here.
They also say that if you say prayers by the grave of a Righteous One your prayers will have more merit.
"There is one God and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus."
In May there will be Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks.
May
Then there's May. If it hasn't rained for three weeks, you can look back and say, "Summer began three weeks ago." Unless it rains today. Then summer begins tomorrow. Because surely that was the last rain of the winter. But the only way you know it was the last one is by waiting for the next one, and as long as the next one doesn't come, then it's summer.
April
Generally you don't think of Israel as having four seasons. It's just winter or summer. But you could say that April in Israel must be what's considered spring in some parts of the world. You feel like summer's coming, and you get your hopes up, but then there's more cold rain, and some hail, and you realize it isn't quite summer. But there are a few warm days interspersed, and certain flowers and trees bloom, and you know summer does have to come eventually.
January 16, 2015
Get Charged
In Israel a battery charger (charges 4 double A's) costs $30. No, actually they cost $60. First you buy one, lose it, spend three days looking for it, buy another one, then find the first one.
Where did this whole dreary day go, anyway. Oh, I remember. I was researching language programs. I was trying to decide whether to study Rocket German or Transparent Russian. I wasn't impressed with either, but then beginning lessons are always pretty dull. So for the time being I guess I will study neither.
There are an average of 12 rain days in Jerusalem during January and February. After that it tapers off to zero rain days in May, June, July, and August. Today it rained off an on, but the sun came out for a few minutes.
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