Grand Piano for Fine Arts Building

Praise the Lord for His provision of a Grand Piano for Northland's Fine Arts Rehearsal Hall. It's a 5’10” Kawai KG-2E (for those of you to whom that means anything). It is a fitting token of appreciation for the dedicated service of Dr. Ensminger who for many years has invested his life in students who have spread across the globe bearing precious seed and nurturing Christian growth.

Courageous Femininity

The attached article site is well worth viewing. Personally, I'm thankful for a strong wife who stands courageously but maintains her femininity.
http://sharperiron.org/2008/07/21/
courageous-femininity-in-an-emasculated-culture-part-1/

"In light of this, how should we pray for our daughters? Let us pray that they will be …
Graceful and useful,
Beautiful and strong,
Polished and perfectly placed."
http://www.calvarymemorial.com/pastors/sermons/pdf/093001rp.pdf

Patience vs. Tolerance

One day these two words popped into my head with a looming question mark hanging above them. Synonymous? What's the difference?

I believe the overriding difference is one of deadline. Patience sees, knows, or at least hopes for an end to discrepancy. Tolerance resigns to just be OK with it. "Let patience have her perfect work" because she will produce something.

"Tolerance" is only found in a couple translations addressing 2 Cor. 11:21. Other than that reference, I can't find evidence that God is OK to let discrepancy exist indefinitely or that He intends for us to do so either.

Great books!

NBBC Library was unloading books, and I was able to pick up the following by Andrew Murray

• The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer
• The Power of the Blood of Jesus
• The School of Obedience
• The True Vine
• Waiting on God

The sixth book may help me get all the reading accomplished without sacrificing other priorities - Balancing Life's Demands by J. Grant Howard.

More Grace

"Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess, but not more than is found in Thee, the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells."

Thanks, Sush

Summer challenges

I extended the challenge to a number of students (and some now graduates) to set some goals for the summer. "Goals are dreams on a timeline." The challenge was to write no more than three specific goals in each of the following three categories - Mental, Physical, and Relational. These disciplines and developments have spiritual impacts and may reveal some spiritual roots that need to be exposed.

I offered to follow up with those who wanted me to not to impose guilt but to cheer on. I know a number of people check my blog, not really sure who, but you do. If you are interested in participating let me know. Perhaps we could "provoke one another."

T's

I took a little time by the river today to think. I picked up a couple ticks. Someone had left good tackle there. After my thoughts came together (sometime later this evening, yes, I'm a slow thinker) what was going through my head started to shake down into clarity.

It was on this date last year that we were blessed with the reminder that God cares for His own and promises to reward in His time. Within days we learned of my father-in-law's cancer. The year that followed presented faith-stressing challenges and unexpected blessings heretofore unexperienced by my immediate family. Many life-ties have loosened, but I believe we are stronger and our commitments now deeper due to our growth through the year. Can we really know God without experiencing Him? Tests that bring us to the end of ourselves and burn away the temporal and insignificant are precious, tailored gifts from a loving God who is unresting and unhasting, unwanting and unwasting.