Appalachia revisited

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Hillside Laughter

This week is a highlight of our year because our grandchildren, Ben (9) and Adah (6) are spending the week with us.  As doting grandparents, we’re trying to do our best to give them a fun-filled vacation.  Friends, who live just outside Wilmore, knew the kids were coming and invited the four of us to spend an overnight at their rustic cabin built near the top of the Kentucky River Palisades (escarpment).

What an adventure!  The log cabin was handcrafted in 1986 from poplar logs dragged from a mountain in eastern Kentucky–real Appalachia.  It is intentionally rustic–no running water and no indoor toilet.  But not to worry!  Everything was prepared with the greatest care.  There was an outdoor “dry sink” for washing and a remote toilet “fit for a queen”! And, of course, there was a great stone fire circle carefully laid with sticks placed in such a way as to meet the strictest Boy Scout code!

We arrived last evening.  After sharing watermelon with our hosts and getting oriented a bit, they left us on our own.  We roasted marshmallows over the fire and made yummy s’mores–a real hit with the kids!  Then, by lantern and flashlight, we read another chapter in one of Mimi and Bapa’s (alias, Joyce and Timothy’s) favorite kids’ books, Treasures in the Snow.  Then off to bed.  Ben and I, being the more adventurous, climbed the handmade ladder to our cozy loft.  Well, it was really initially pretty humid, but cooled down as the night went on.  Adah and Bapa, being the more demure members of the party, slept below.

Spider in dry sink

Morning came.  We ate our simple breakfast of pop-tarts and granola bars, walked out of the woods, and moved rapidly back into civilization.  But each of us holds special memories that will carry into years to come.  Thanks, Friends, for your very loving hospitality! . . . jlt

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Wrestling with Truth July 3 2011

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Hillside Laughter

We are continuing our trek through the Old Testament.  Today we addressed the topic of SALVATION as presented in Genesis 6:5-22.  (Some ideas paraphrased from Colin S. Smith.)

(Gen 6:5 NIV)  The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

So far the OT has shown us that there are two paths or patterns that people exhibit in life.  One leads toward God and the other away from him.  We see the bent of the family of Cain away from God and that of Seth toward God.

In the line of Seth, we find Noah, who is described as a comfort to the struggling people.

(Gen 5:29 NIV)  He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.”

Within sinful humanity, Noah is righteous and finds grace in the eyes of the Lord

(Gen 6:8-10 NIV)  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.  This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.  Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

(Gen 6:13 NIV)  So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

(Gen 6:22 NIV)  Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Questions for reflection:

  • Did Noah find grace or did grace find Noah?
  • What does the flood represent?
  • What does the Ark represent?
  • When will judgement come?
  • In what sense was Noah a preacher?  (cf. 2 Pet 2:5 NIV)

What are the big theological themes?

  • GRACE IS AMAZING
  • THERE IS DELIVERANCE THROUGH FAITH — FAITH IS GRACE PUT INTO ACTION
  • RIGHTEOUSNESS IS AVAILABLE TO US BY GRACE AND THROUGH FAITH
  • WE CAN FIND A PLACE OF SAFETY “IN CHRIST”
  • THIS SAME GOD WHO SPOKE IN NOAH’S DAY IS SPEAKING TODAY

(Heb 11:7 NIV)  By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

G. Campbell Morgan speaks of God’s patience and his persistence.  1.  God does not act until it is necessary for his highest purposes.  2.  But nevertheless, God does act.

WHAT IS YOUR ARK? . . . . WHO IS YOUR ARK? . . . . TLT

P.S.  Have a look at this “NOAH” link – – –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIDa1yb_WUY

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Beaters and Beautiful Gifts

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Hillside Laughter

We are coming close to being settled in.  How can it take this long to make a transition?  Well, one of the troubles is that Joyce spends so much time in the garden and I have to mow the lawn (repeatedly!). That leaves less time for organizing stuff. Smile.

One of the great mysteries has been the beaters.  Where could they be?  How can Joyce make a cake without them?  She has more than one set of beaters that go with her big counter-top mixer but they are still not the right ones — one set is for skinny stuff and one is for dough.  I was asking, “Will we have to order a new pair from some expensive place?”  We had both searched every cupboard and closet and drawer but to no avail.  Saturday, I got to thinking about going at the problem “logically.”  What place could the beaters be that we have not explored.  I remembered that some small things were put in my furry Canadian winter boots.  Maybe the beaters would be there?

No, not there!  Nor in Joyce’s boots or any of her shoes.  I then started on her extra purses and voila, there they were, the long lost beaters!  What lady keeps a set of beaters in her purse?  This lady was ready for all occasions, it seems.

With the finding of the beaters, we are ready to settle in and empty one final box.  The final box is filled with beautiful gifts from our dear Tyndale friends — presents and cards and letters.  A teapot and cups, rice bowls, a memory photo album, a Bible, and the Many Horses autograph stamp and more.  See the pictures of these beautiful items.  Each one is a testimony to the love of friends and colleagues.  We are thankful . . . TLT

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Wrestling With Truth June 26 2011

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Hillside Laughter

Today we addressed the topic of CURSE in the pivotal Old Testament chapter, Genesis 3.  Here we move from the perfection of the good to the sickness of sin.

While the source of sin and evil is not explained, its twisting impact is made clear.  As David Atkinson observes:

  • Obedience gives way to rebellion
  • Openness gives way to shame
  • Responsibility gives way to guilt
  • Freedom gives way to bondage
  • Blessing becomes curse
  • Complementarity becomes subordination
  • Work becomes toil
  • Fellowship becomes banishment

In spite of the depth of the destructive power of sin, we are not left without hope.  Genesis 3:15 (often called the proto-evangelion) tells of One who is to come who will crush the head of the serpent.   And, although it is guarded by an angel with a flaming sword in front of it, there is still a tree of life.  One will come who will absorb the pain and death of that sword and provide a way into the new and eternal life of God.

God wants to walk and talk with us; so when he calls out, “Where are you?,” let us not run and hide but respond as did Samuel, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” . . . TLT

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There goes another firefly!

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Hillside Laughter

It is around 9:30 p.m. and I just came in from sitting on the back porch.  It got too dark to read the magazine I was holding but the fireflies were entertaining.  Fireflies always seem to show up at this time of year in Kentucky–toward the end of June.  Are they the same thing as June-bugs?  I will have to check Wikipedia and find out.

Nope, June-bugs are beetles.  Fireflies are something different.  Wikipedia says that there may be 2,000 species of fireflies.  Amazing!  Years ago, we use to try to catch fireflies in a bottle.

The end of a good day is sitting in a comfortable chair watching fireflies.  I am enjoying a lot of things these days: like reading a commentary on Genesis, taking some notes for next Sunday’s lesson,  patching the cracks in the driveway, helping Joyce with four bags of mulch, fixing some lights on the porch, trying to clean bugs off the front of the car, fixing spaghetti for supper, sorting through files,  and shredding old papers.

In the middle of the afternoon, we had a torrential rainstorm that lasted about 10 minutes.  The gutters overflowed!  I was able to check the gutters in a couple of places and clean out some leaves that were blocking the flow of water.  Lots of fun!

Thank you to the Lord for giving me these days to slow down and reflect on His goodness and creativity. . . . TLT

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Wrestling With Truth June 19 2011

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Hillside Laughter

Natural Bridge, Kentucky

Well, in spite of pouring rain and much wind outside this morning, the WWT class went on as scheduled.  Today, we began a series on the main themes of the Old Testament.  We considered Genesis 1 and 2 on the topic of LIFE.

Some thoughts to think about:

  • It all begins with God.  He is the Creator.
  • God, through His Spirit, moves from formlessness and chaos to order and structure.
  • God expresses Himself as Trinity — as CREATOR, as WORD (LOGOS), and as SPIRIT.
  • God as Author/Creator demonstrates his power throughout all scripture.
  • There is a home for mankind.  There is work to do — caring for the garden and naming the animals that God brings to man.  Man is not to be alone.  He walks and talks” with God and with woman.
  • Mankind is made in the image of God.   As such, he is special.  This is expressed in capacity (such as rationality, speech) but primarily in relationship.  It is characterized by complementarity, mutuality, creativity, and fruitfulness.
  • Other ideas in the passage include majesty, mystery, food, blessing, goodness, time, Sabbath, marriage, stewardship, transcendence, and immanence.

We have begun a good conversation about theses ideas.  We now embark upon further themes from God’s written Word.

The picture is of Natural Bridge in Kentucky — a unique geological formation that includes a scary path across the top. . . . TLT

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Rain, Thunder, and Lightening Today

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Hillside Laughter

It’s raining and thundering and lightening today.  A change from the beautiful weather we have had the last two days.  But, then again, rain is also beautiful because things were starting to get a bit dry.

I have been able to knock off a number of things on my “fixit list” — put new wheel on lawn mower, mowed lawn, used weed trimmer (needs repair for next time), new burner in grill, pressure-washed drive way, moved many boxes out of garage, replaced light bulbs here and there, talked to an insurance company and to Windstream (phone company),  dug out rhododendron bush root system (think big and dirty here), tidied garage, hooked up some electronics–TV, VCR, DVD–although still not working correctly, repaired major leak in toilet (had to drill out the old bolts; think long and hard here), made a DVD slide show, read (in back yard) more on a novel, read some commentary on Genesis, and on and on.  This is proving to be a lot of fun.

In reading Isaiah yesterday, I was reminded of the wonderful verses in chapter 12 courtesy of the ESV version:

12:1 You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.

2 “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God  is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”

STRENGTH, SONG, and SALVATION — three gifts from God — what else could anyone ever want? . . . TLT

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Wrestling With Truth June 12 2011

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Hillside Laughter

I was back to teaching the “Wrestling With Truth” (WWT) Adult Bible Fellowship this morning.  Since today is Pentecost, we sang a verse of “The Comforter has Come”  to warm up and then all five verses of “Let Thy Mantle Fall on Me.”   We were a bit shaky on the second tune since the piano was out in the hall (due to VBS furniture rearrangements) but next week it will back and our singing will be better.

The WWT is a unique class with many wonderful, thoughtful people in it that are certainly willing to jump into the conversation.

Today, we were looking at Saint Peter’s Pentecost sermon in Acts 2 which has links to Joel 2 and Psalm 16 and 110.  The connection between these OT prophetic passages and Acts 2 raises a number of  questions of hermeneutics (interpretation).   Here are a few issues to think about:

  • What does it mean for Joel and David to be making prophetic statements in their own times and then how do those statements “work” within Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost?
  • How does the NT relate to the OT?
  • How Christocentric is the Old Testament?  How do we (should we) read NT ideas back into the OT?  Is this what Peter is doing?
  • How about the doctrine of inspiration?  Is the Bible the product of “dual authorship”?
  • How do we look at the OT text from a NT Resurrection point of view?

Well, we did not answer these questions — but we thought about them a bit.  Isn’t it great to have a friendly context in which we can raise these issues and talk about them?

Do you have any thoughts you want to share? . . . .  TLT

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Coming home . . .

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Hillside Laughter

It’s 7 (something) a.m. and I’m sitting (semi-reclining) in my chair on the deck in our backyard in Wilmore. I’m still in my pajamas with two little blankets cozying my early morning repose–love this privacy! The birds are making a cacophony of music and noise. Light filters through the leaves of our trees. The geraniums, vincas, marigolds, petunias, and lobelia that I planted just two weeks ago welcome me in profusion. The very green grass rolls out in a carpet before me.

I am home. Tears come to my eyes. I’m so tired. And I’m pretty confused. So much good, and yet how do I make sense of all this transition? Where do I belong? We are so blessed by the love of so many. Many have opened their arms and hearts to include us in their worlds. If only I could draw them to myself and include them as part of this place and this moment. But I cannot.

Is there anything more powerful and more beautiful than love? Many live life with only tiny tastes of this most wonderful elixir. But, not I. God has chosen to fill my cup to overflowing; I am thankful. And yet, somehow, my greedy self feels just a bit “hardly done by.” Oh, my! How do I make sense of all this?. . . jt

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Waterfalls 2

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Hillside Laughter

In addition to Watkins Glen, we visited Montour Falls, Buttermilk Falls, and Taughannock Falls.  Montour and Buttermilk are more on a steep but gradual slope.  Taughannock is a more impressive vertical drop of 215 feet.  You can drive fairly close to Montour and Buttermilk but Taughhannock is a pleasant 3/4 mile walk up the gorge.  (Please note that there are other “Buttermilk Falls”; this is the one in Ithaca, New York.)  I liked Taughannock best. . . . TLT

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