This is what I wrote to my friend. I may need to come back to it as grief surfaces in the days, weeks, or years ahead, and maybe it will help someone else dealing with grief, too.

I was really upset over how it all happened (Bob’s illness and death) and felt it shouldn’t have happened. But something that the pastor said at Bob’s funeral brought comfort to me. It seems like it shouldn’t have been a comforting thing to say, and could possibly seem like an insensitive thing to say, but it brought me comfort, so I will share it here.

“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place…” Acts 17:26

Who are your Top 5 Dead People (not including people in the Bible, family or personal friends)?

Mine are:

Francis Schaeffer

Corrie ten Boom

Richard Wurmbrand

Sabina Wurmbrand

Charles Simeon

Do you know who Richard Wurmbrand was?

You can hear a message related to his ministry here: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/MediaPlayer/2241/Audio/

You can order his book Tortured For Christ free at http://www.persecution.com.

It’s making me extremely sad that abortion is still legal after all these years. It’s unthinkable.

I’m thankful for people who create ways to voice opposition to this cruelty, and I’m praying that soon abortion will be no more…

“Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” — Isaiah 1:17

I am thankful for…healing. I got a pretty good cooking burn today that took a looong time to stop hurting. I think of some of my friends who live with pain day in and day out and hope that they will soon be healed.

From the kitchen… orange tea for me (through a straw today because of my burn) and hot cocoa for Cherith. It’s just the two of us home tonight.

I am wearing… a burgundy cashmere sweater that my sweetheart gave me as a gift–one of my favorites.

I am creating… songs to help my students to learn their scripture verses.

I am going… to represent The Voice of the Martyrs at Messiah College’s Missions Awareness Week (http://www.persecution.com) in November.

I am reading… the book of Luke.

I am hoping… that Great Uncle Frank will make Christian friends in the nursing home and that his last days will be his best days!

I am hearing…Cherith tapping on the floor above me–be right back!

Around the house… there is lots of laundry–summer clothes to put away and winter clothes to prepare…

One of my favorite things… hearing Malachi and Cherith playing music on the piano, violin, sax, guitar…

A few plans for the rest of the week…picking out Christmas gifts for Johnny in Uganda, lots of homeschooling, teaching Christmas songs to piano students…

A picture thought I’m sharing… Lake effect snow falling in a night sky. Wish I knew how to post a photo!

Here is a link–not exactly what I’m picturing, but beautiful…

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/14/20/95/the.jpg

This is another–more like what I had in mind…

outdoors.webshots.com/photo/12384579470532978…

Now if I can just find some time to write…

Thanks to all who stop by to read!

http://responsiblefather.com/2009/09/24/free-bible-verse-song-cd-giveaway/

More information about a great Bible memorization program for kids or adults can be found here:

http://cli.gs/WdQ1J0

I hope to still keep reading and commenting on friends blogs, though.

Who knows, maybe when things settle down a bit, I will start up another blog. This one is due to expire in a week or two and I just can’t seem to muster the ambition to renew it.

So thank you to anyone who has stopped by to read and/or comment!
Thanks especially to Jamsco for encouraging me to start in the first place (I have saved almost all my posts:) AND to Laurie who has commented so faithfully with encouraging words, as well.

Blessings to all!

I think Calvinists would be better understood if they said that our free will does not save us, rather than saying that we do not have free will. God did not physically restrain people who rejected him, as if they wanted to, or had a will to, turn to him but could not. Those who reject Jesus are freely doing so.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

We see in God’s Word that it is not our free will that saves us, but his irresistible grace that overcomes our resistance. His grace overcomes our free will so that we want to turn to him and be saved.

The following resources provide more information on the biblical doctrines of grace. They are available for whatever you can afford at:
www.desiringGod.org (Desiring God Ministries).

TULIP: The Pursuit of God’s Glory in Salvation
http://www.desiringgod.org/Store/DVDs/826_TULIP_The_Pursuit_of_Gods_Glory_in_Salvation_DVD/
John Piper teaches the 5 points of Calvinism in 16 30-minute lessons.

The Justification of God by John Piper
http://www.desiringgod.org/Store/Books/ByTopic/All/156_The_Justification_of_God/

Another very good book is Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul (not available at Desiring God, though)

He does not use pornography or have any other immoral relationships with women.

He does not drink wine or strong drink of any kind.

He looks out for the rights of the afflicted.

He speaks up for those who cannot speak for themselves and for those who are destitute.

He speaks righteously and makes righteous judgments.

He defends the rights of the poor and needy.

Lord, let our sons and sons-in-law be Proverbs 31 men! Let our daughters and daughters-in-law Proverbs 31 women! And we pray that we will be, too!

I think too often we say, well, the Proverbs 31 woman (or man) is perfect–no one can live up to that. But I’m thankful that what the Lord shows us in his Word is what he plans to do in us…

Was it ours?

Could we keep it?

What would we name it?

Alas, I jumped out of bed only to find that my Great Aunt Vera (who lived with us) was up bright and early washing the windows just outside my bedroom. Her rubbing Windex on the glass with paper towels made a sound that was exactly like a squealing puppy.

Not the biggest disappointment in life, and everytime I wash windows I think of puppies and smile:)

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/1051027/B_Danielewicz_Wordle

I played around with this some more and made another one that is a little easier to read:

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/1051563/Family_Wordle_2

Do you have one?

For tips on how to make one, visit here:

http://responsiblefather.com/2009/08/07/recommended-family-wordle/

Says one missionary, “Nothing is more beautiful than seeing the expression change on the face of someone after they hear and understand the Word of God for the first time and respond to it. There is no better feeling than known one more person is saved in the least reached region of the world.”

The post sparked a vigorous debate in which numerous scriptures were shared showing that there is indeed a Biblical basis for the belief that the unborn, young children, and those with certain mental limitations who die do receive eternal life. These scriptures are found in Jeremiah 31, the account of Kind David’s infant son who died (2 Samuel 12), Matthew 18 and 19, and other places.

That they are covered by God’s grace is evident in careful study of the scriptures and compatible with Reformed, or Calvinistic, doctrines of grace which are based on the Bible.

What people have been wrestling with in the original post, and others that were inspired by it, seems to be similar to other issues related to God’s sovereignty.

Some say that we cannot be accountable or “responsible” for our sins if we are incapable of choosing Jesus without his intervention–his irresistible grace.

Yet it is not that we are forcibly and physically restrained from believing in him, rather we are morally incapable of it–too in love with our sin to repent of them and turn to Jesus for forgiveness.

Some ask what difference does it make to pray or preach the Gospel if those who are elect are ordained or predestined to be saved? It matters because God has set up the world so that he works in answer to prayer and that people are saved by faith which comes from hearing the Word of God.

Now when it comes to the unborn, young children, and those who are mentally impaired who die, they have not rejected Jesus, and God has set up the world so that those who reject Jesus receive eternal suffering and those who are drawn to him receive eternal life and joy with him.

So for those who die very young or with certain mental deficiencies, God has intervened in their lives in a way that he brings them to himself. They have not rejected him. They are not “innocent” because they do not have original sin, they are “innocent” because they are unaware of their sinful condition and incapable of comprehending it.

We must deal with this issue of God’s sovereignty in the same way we deal with other issues that people raise about the doctrines of grace; otherwise we will seem to be, as one friend of mine describes Calvinists: “the frozen chosen”–cold and distant subjects of a cold and distant deity.

On the way home Bill said that no one is going to stand before God to complain, accuse, or utter any other expression but praise when we finally see him face to face.

“I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are your works,
And that my soul knows very well.”
Psalms 139: 14

This also reminded us that our hardships can help us see Jesus better. If there were no kidney transplant, there would have been no medications to cause eye problems, and no reason for the retinography. No opportunity for us to see first hand and close up the intricate details of how we are made.

Another thing that is amazing is the technology that God has given us to see these things. The tiny footprints left on the retina by “central cirrus.” We are thankful the central cirrus is no longer active and hope that it does not return.

Also, the mega cisterna magna is apparently something that many people are just born with and many probably never become aware of this condition. We are aware of it because Bill’s has grown some, which is causing the diminished vision in parts of his eye. We are hopeful that it is finished growing and will not pose any further problems.

Lord, we are in your hands…

I became a classroom teacher; now I work at home!

Having Malachi back home for Father’s Day after his trip to Ohio for a music festival.

A special Father’s Day message from Pastor Wayde.

Powerful time with a prayer partner after the service–”with God all things are possible!”

Malachi treated us to dinner at Damon’s.

A nice afternoon together playing scrabble, eating watermelon…

Talking to Bill’s Dad on the phone.

Spending the day with the man of my prayers. “My beloved is mine and I am his.” Song of Solomon 2:16

As the starting date of the trip approached, he had raised about half of the money he needed. We were really touched by the number of people who contributed donations. Many of the people who donated $25, $30, or $50, were not our closest friends, but still they gave, and we are grateful for their generosity.

Malachi’s grandpa and a sweet aunt donated the rest of the money. We were really happy to be able to watch a couple of the evangelistic concerts that were held near our town. And it meant a lot to us to see how much Malachi had learned and grown through this trip.

The following summer, he prepared to go on another missions trip, this time to Bolivia, with his youth group. This trip was about half of the cost of the YC tour, and Malachi again raised about half of the money through missions dinners, a car wash, and writing letters requesting support. Again, his grandpa and aunt helped him cover the rest of the cost. Our entire family’s hearts became endeared to this country through the trip.

This summer it’s Cherith’s turn to embark on a missions trip with her youth group. The cost is about $1,300. Like Malachi, she has worked at missions dinners where the students serve dinner to members of the congregation who provide donations to be shared among approximately 50 team members. She has also been praying and writing letters to request support.

Circumstances have changed, though, and we were wondering how all of the money was going to be raised since Malachi raised about half of the cost of his trips through projects and letters to raise support. This time Bill has not had any overtime hours, so we just in the nick of time were able to provide the deposit. Grandpa has experienced some medical problems that require all of his resources. These resources that we had always counted on to help make high school missions experiences possible for our kids were not available. We wondered how we were going to come up with the other half of the support that would most likely be needed.

Amazingly, Cherith has raised about $150 more than she needs (which can stay in her account for next year’s trip) without any extra help. Through the letters she wrote several months ago and the missions dinners, all of the money has been provided. Her aunt would have helped cover the rest of the travel cost, but since the money has been raised, she instead took her shopping for all of the personal supplies she would need for the trip: Shoes to hold up during the rainy season, specific clothes for the sports camp and school assemblies…an extra blessing to us!

God provides just what we need, just in time.

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before his presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, he is God;
It is he who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
And into his courts with praise.
Be thankful to him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And his truth endures to all generations.”
Psalms 100

We find great comfort and encouragement in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.”