Adding to My 1000 Gifts....

I continue my list of One Thousand Gifts of Ann Voskamp's Gratitude Community at Holy Experience....

31. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer (online version here)

32. Phyllis Tickle's The Divine Hours in three volumes: prayers four times per day throughout the entire year (online version here)

33. John Baillie's Diary of Private Prayer

34. God's Word, His Love Letter to us, especially the English Standard Version

35. Icons that aid me in worship

36. Candles burning in a darkened room -- His Light in an unbelieving world

37. My Waterman fountain pen that aids my arthritic hands in writing

38. The freedom to homeschool our children ... even when they balk at math

39. The job Keith just finished for/with dear friends

40. The warmer temperatures this week

What are you thankful for this week???

Part of My New Rule of Life

In addition to the other aspects I have listed in my 2010 Rule of Life below, I have decided to make Sundays as low-tech as possible. Doing so means that I will not be posting to this blog on Sunday unless it is a Scripture verse, Collect (prayer), or something else very quick. I plan basically to have Sundays as e-mail only days so I can spend more time reading, playing board games with my kids, etc. We'll see how it goes....

So for today I post the Propers (Collect, Epistle, and Gospel) from this morning, the Second Sunday of Christmas, at Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity. We rarely worship there on Sundays, but it worked today because: 1) Jack, the senior acolyte and most advanced guitar player in the Free Teen Guitar Class, is on travel in Australia, so having Jonathan there to help out the other guitarists on the First Sunday of the Month (FTGC Sunday) was a good thing; 2) Elizabeth had to be at work around 11 AM because of groups leaving and another checking in, so traveling down to Lake Murray would have cut us a little too close; and 3) Keith, who isn't "into" the Anglican mode of worship, was helping a friend redo his kitchen, so he wasn't able to worship with us this morning.

And we got to sing more Christmas carols -- bunches and bunches of them!!  Aaaah, be still, my heart!! (Um, so much for not writing much on the blog, huh?)

Second Sunday of Christmas:
Collect:
ALMIGHTY God, who hast poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


The Epistle: from Isaiah 41:
THE Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

The Gospel: St. Matthew ii. 19.
WHEN Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

Wishing you all a most Blessed Second Sunday after and 10th Day of Christmas!

The Saturday Evening Blog Post: 2009 Edition

Elizabeth Esther at Kids, Twins, & Laundry Bins hosts a wonderful monthly gathering of blogs called the Saturday Evening Blog Post in which we choose the best blog post from the past month. In this case, we are to post the best blog post from the past year. However, I'm sticking with the past month -- there's just not enough time to go through the 314 posts I wrote in 2009.

So I chose for this month's post a poem I wrote for my first ReadWritePoem prompt and received the most comments so far on this blog: Borrowed Words.

Enjoy!

Books and Movies for 2009

Out of a habit started when I was part of an incredible online community, I track the books I read and the movies I watch each year, posting a list at the close of the year.

So here are those lists of books and movies before I wipe my sidebar clean and start again for 2010:

BOOKS READ IN 2009: (HS = read as part of our homeschool)

34. A History of US: The First Americans (2003) (HS)
33. Bird by Bird (1994)
32. Soul Survivor (2001)
31. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
30. The Middle Place (2008)
29. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (2009)
28. Murder on Waverly Place (2009)
27. Murder on Bank Street (2008)
26. Murder on Mulberry Bend (2003)
25. Murder on Marble Row (2004)
24. Murder in Gramercy Park (2001)
23. Story of the World 4 (2005) (HS)
22. The Kite Runner (2003)
21. Breaking Dawn (2008) (countless times)
20. Eclipse (2007) (countless times)
19. New Moon (2006) (countless times)
18. Twilight (2005) (countless times)
17. Singing Tree (1939) (HS)
16. Surprised by Joy (1955)
15. The Da Vinci Code (2003)
14. Just Take My Heart (2009) (HS)
13. The Lighthouse (2005)
12. Cry of the Peacock (1992)
11. Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
10. At Home in Mitford (1994)
9. Banner in the Sky (1954) (HS)
8. Story of the World 3 (2004) (HS)
7. The Private Patient (2008)
6. Mary Jones' Bible (2007) (HS)
5. George Washington's World (1941) (HS)
4. Tales of Beedle the Bard (2008)
3. Becoming a Writer (1934)
2. The Sherwood Ring (1958) (HS)
1. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2003)

A FEW FUN BOOK FACTS:

Favorite Book of 2009 (besides The Twilight Saga): Becoming a Writer (1934)

Oldest Book Read in 2009: Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)

Book Read the Most Times: Definitely The Twilight Saga -- all together, have probably read all four books (plus the partial draft of Midnight Sun) 8-10 times each which explains the sorry number of books I read for this year....

MOVIES WATCHED IN 2009:

54. It Happened One Night (1940) (twice)
53. Father's Little Dividend (1951)
52. Father of the Bride (1950)
51. New Moon (2009) (three times)
50. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
49. Penny Serenade (1941)
48. The Paradine Case - Hitchcock (1947)
47. Poltergeist (1982)
46. Les Miserables (1998)
45. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
44. An Affair to Remember (1957)
43. Dave (1993)
42. My Fair Lady (1964)
41. The Breakfast Club (1985)
40. In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
39. For Me and My Gal (1942)
38. Pirates (1948)
37. Holiday (1938)
36. I, Robot (2004) (twice)
35. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) (twice)
34. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) (multiple times)
33. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) (mutilple times)
32. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) (multiple times)
31. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) (multiple times)
30. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (2001) (multiple times)
29. Emma (Kate Beckinsale) (1996)
28. Pictures of Hollis Woods (2007)
27. Topper (1937)
26. Adam's Rib (1949)
25. Bringing Up Baby (1938) (twice)
24. The African Queen (1951)
23. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
22. Captain Blood (1935)
21. Quantum of Solace (2008)
20. No Reservations (2007)
19. Feudin', Fussin', and Fightin' (1948)
18. The Parent Trap (1998)
17. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
16. Twilight (2008) (multiple times)
15. Just Like Heaven (2005)
14. Raising Helen (2004)
13. The Holiday (2006)
12. Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)
11. The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
10. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) (multiple times)
9. Last Chance Harvey (2008) (twice)
8. Footloose (1984/2004)
7. The Nanny Diaries (2007)
6. The Devil Wears Prada (2006) (multiple times)
5. Elizabethtown (2005)
4. Signs (2002)
3. My Boy Jack (2008) (twice)
2. Twister (1996)
1. Mamma Mia! (2008) (multiple times)

A FEW FUN FILM FACTS:
Favorite Movie of 2009: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

Oldest Movie Watched: Captain Blood (1935)

Movie Watched the Most Times: (tied) Mamma Mia! (2008) and Twilight (2008)

So what was your favorite book and film of 2009? Please share in the comments and/or provide a link to your own blog post on books/movies of 2009.

My 2010 Rule of Life

Last January I posted a Rule of Life, and this January I do the same, praying that God will help me to follow it far better this year. (For an explanation of a Rule of Life, see the above link.)

The Rule for this year is very nearly the same as the one for the last:

Pray the Liturgy of the Hours

MORNING PRAYER:
--- Divine Hours Morning Prayer
--- 1928 Book of Common Prayer Morning Prayer, including Psalms and Lectionary Readings (Old and New Testament)
--- Diary of Private Prayer: Morning Prayer (optional)

NOON PRAYER:
--- Divine Hours Midday Prayer
--- Anglican Prayer Beads (optional)

VESPERS:
--- Divine Hours Vespers Prayer
--- Daily Book of Common Prayer (Prayer and/or Scripture Readings)

COMPLINE:
--- Divine Hours Compline Prayer
--- 1928 Book of Common Prayer Evening Prayer, including Psalms
--- Diary of Private Prayer: Evening Prayer (optional)

Weekly Church Services

--- Attend Friday Morning Prayer and Holy Communion (Healing Service) at Victoria Chapel, Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity, plus Holy Day Observances

--- Attend Sunday School and Sunday Worship at Lake Murray Community Church

Bodily Discipline

--- Gluten-free and sugar-free eating with one exception per week

--- Daily exercise, six days/week, 30 minutes per day

--- Awake at 7:00 AM; Bedtime by 11:00 PM, six days/week

Intellectual Discipline

--- 30 minutes (minimum) of writing (not counting blogging/journaling), six days/week

--- 30 minutes (minimum) of instructional reading, six days/week

--- Mini-retreats for writing/journaling/prayer at least monthly

--- Logos Reading and Discussion Group monthly

--- Local Writers' Workshop monthly

With the aid of Christ Jesus my Lord and Saviour, I intend to keep this Rule of Life in the Year of our Lord 2010. Signed this 31st Day of December, 2009.

My hope and prayer this year for myself spiritually is for me to grow ever more prayerful, ever seeking the Lord in my every thought. May His Spirit infuse my writing and reading, my prayer and recreation, my every moment of every day.

My hope and prayer this year for myself physically is a continuation of the healing process I finally saw in December after eight years of illness: the ability to exercise for the first time in at least six years, eating only that which is healthy, sleeping adequately, and through all this, lose the weight I have gained as a result of my medications and sickness, by our 25th anniversary in June. That's losing two pounds per week which I hope is quite do-able now that I can exercise at (very long) last.

My hope and prayer for myself intellectually is to continue writing and reading all that brings me closer to God and that which helps others see Him at work in their lives. I pray for the discipline to continue writing and reading daily so that I may be a light shining for Him, here on this blog and in my other writings and my readings. I have such a tremendously wonderful stack of truly excellent books that I haven't had time to read, so I pray that I will get to them, read them, digest them, and apply them to my life for His glory and my edification.

It goes without saying that my most significant hope and prayer is for the spiritual growth of our children ... of our family. May we each grow in Him as He leads, learning the discipline necessary to live productive lives for Him and opening our lives to others to allow the Gospel of Christ to shine through us. May each of our children love Him more this year than ever, developing their own spiritual disciplines as they grow in their individual faiths.

What are your hopes and prayers and desires for 2010?

Another Year

Yes, I'm a bit late on posting this weeks's Carry On Tuesday writing prompt, but as it revolves around the idea of the New Year, I thought I'd post it today. It's very rough ... only in bare second draft form.

Prompt #32 is the opening line of "New Year's Reality Check" by Joanna Fuchs:

"Another year, another chance
To start our lives anew;...."

another year
another year
of sorrow and joy
entwined --
warp and weft
so tighly woven
they cannot be teased apart.

another year
of grace and pain
so deeply fixed --
driven to the very core
of self,
far beneath the surface,
too deep to see through
the murkiness.

another year
of kneeling before
the altar,
confession peeling back
layer after layer
of selfishness
of ambition
of unloveliness --
each layer thinly transparent
but dead,
deadly.

another year
of offering it all --
light with the dark,
sweet with the suffering,
enveloped with a holiness
not my own --
a permeating incense
stings my eyes,
reaches the depths
foreign to me
but oh-so-known
by Him.

Copyright 2009 Susanne Barrett

Wishing you all a joyous 7th Day of Christmas and a blessed New Year in Christ our Lord!

Praying Poetry

Praying the Psalms has long been my Food and Drink -- True Sustenance to my very soul. The poet in me clings to His Words of hope and encouragement as chiasmus after chiasmus settle into my depths.

He whispers to me in Imagery, in Song, in Truth, through His liquid Word which flows through my mind and heart before nestling soul-deep. His promises ring from line to line -- to be fulfilled in His time, a time far outside mine, yet whole and perfect. Circular rather than linear.

The Psalms contain every emotion we, in our faltering humanity, experience: joy and pain, gladness and sorrow, worship and anger, comprehension and incomprehension, song and tears, glee and frustration, overbrimming hope and utter hopelessness.

Paradoxically juxtaposed, He gathers these our all-too human frailties into His outstretched hands, cupping them in His perfect palms, molding them with loving care into far more than we can ask or imagine. He shapes us oh-so-gently and steadily into His image -- one stumbling, rambling experience at a time. We flutter in His hands, panicked, attempting to flee, seldom able to draw forth the calm that allows us to entrust ourselves to His wise plans, to His perfect keeping.

(The Psalms below are taken from The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle, the Morning, Midday, and Vesper Offices for December 30 and 31, 2009.)

"For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation."
-- Psalm 62:1

"Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation, O Hope of all the ends of the earth . . . ."
-- Psalm 65:5

"I will call upon God, and the LORD will deliver me. In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday, I will complain and lament, and he will hear my voice. He will bring me safely back . . . God, who is enthroned of old, will hear me."
-- Psalm 55:17ff

"Remember not our past sins; let your compassion be swift to meet us; for we have been brought very low. Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your Name; deliver us and forgive us our sins, for your Name’s sake."
-- Psalm 79:8–9

"Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord. He rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice."
-- Psalm 68:33–34

Before I discovered resources like The Divine Hours that provided Psalms for me to pray, I had attempted to gather parts of my favorite Psalms and write them down to pray. Now I light a candle and use either the online version of The Divine Hours or my three-volume book version. Or I simply open the Psalter in my 1928 Book of Common Prayer and pray the Psalms for the designated morning or evening. Either way, the focus remains on praying His Word, most especially His Psalms, His poetry written expressly for us -- we, His poema. (In Ephesians 2:10 the Greek word for "workmanship" is indeed poema; we are indeed God's poem, His work of art).

He calls to us through the Psalms, a Father to His child, a Lover to His beloved.

We need only to respond.

Quotation of the Week: Dickens on Christmas

In addition to his many fine novels, I think that Charles Dickens writes with incredible insight about Christmas -- and not just in his famous book A Christmas Carol. When I jotted down Christmas quotations earlier this month, I ran across a longer quote from Dickens that I knew I would be sharing here this Christmastide. Longer than most of the quotations I copy into my journal and post here, it is SO worth it, and I hope that you think so, too. From my Quotations Journal:

"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys."

-- Charles Dickens

Wishing you all a joyous Fifth Day of Christmas! (And a blessed remembrance of Saint Thomas a Becket, murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170)

Working on My One Thousand Gifts

I hope that you and yours enjoyed a blessed CHRISTmas thus far. The joy on our kids' faces in the above photo convey the joy we experienced as a family on Christmas Day. But before the present-opening began, we gathered around the kitchen table, the Christ Candle lit in the center of the four flickering Advent candles, as we read Scripture and prayed together from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer on this most Holy Morning. Yes, gifts are enjoyable and foods are delicious, but the Gift of Christ is eternal.

Colossians 3:1-2: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Thus I continue to list more of my One Thousand Gifts on this Multitude Monday, hosted by Ann at Holy Experience (which is my very favourite blog in all the blogosphere!):

21.Elizabeth's generous Christmas gift to the boys of a (refurbished) X-Box 360, the funds earned by very hard work at her housekeeping job at the nearby Bible camp...

22. The joy in my children's eyes on Christmas morning as they watched each other open gifts they had worked so hard to purchase...

23.My husband's gift to me of UGG-style boots that keep my feet toasty warm in a cold house...

24.Spending Christmas Eve with Keith's family: his sister, his brother's wife and five children, his sister-in-law's family out here from Michigan, and especially his increasingly-fragile father...

25.Watching our children play with cousins on both sides of the family and truly enjoy their company...

26. Spending Christmas Morning quietly with our immediate family...

27. Spending Christmas Day with my extended family: my parents, aunt and uncles, brother and his children, plus our family...

28.Worshiping Christ the King as a family on Christmas morning before opening presents...

29.Having everyone healthy and well for celebrating Christmas -- not always the case in the past...

30. My husband's love for me, especially when I don't deserve it....





Wishing you a joyous Fourth Day of Christmas and a blessed Remembrance of the Holy Innocents, both those killed at Herod's command two thousand years ago and those who have not been given the opportunity of life outside their mothers' wombs. Joy and sorrow woven together -- the very essence of life in our fallen (yet Redeemed!) world....

Third Day of Christmas/First Sunday of Christmastide, also Saint John, Apostle & Evangelist

A joyous Third Day of Christmas and First Sunday of Christmastide to you all!

Today also marks the Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist.

From the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, Propers for Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist:
The Collect:

MERCIFUL Lord, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that it, being illumined by the doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John, may so walk in the light of thy truth, that it may at length attain to life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: 1 John 1:1-10 (using the English Standard Version)

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The Gospel: John 21:19-25 (using English Standard Version)

19 (b) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Saint John was the only one of the Twelve not to be martyred for The Faith, the one to whom Jesus entrusted His Mother as well as His Revelation. His Gospel is by far my favorite of the four, and its depth and breadth entrances me. The first chapter of Saint John's Gospel contains the most elevated language in the Scriptures: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God...." 

And the beautiful sixth chapter, sometimes ignored when preached by evangelicals (in my experience, at least):
St. John 6:35:

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.... 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”


52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.


60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” .... 66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

I could quote the Gospel of Saint John all day, but I would be writing an extremely long post! If one reads no other book in the Scriptures, it really should be the Gospel of Saint John. God's Word as transcribed by an uneducated fisherman sings with power, beauty, and glory. Inexpressibly awe-inspiring, truly the Word of the One who created the heavens and the earth, the sun, moon, and stars, the land and the oceans, and the creatures that walk this land. Whether Gospel, Epistles, or Revelation, John wrote all in God's power and might, somehow expressing that which is beyond words, but is still The Word.

Wishing you a blessed remembrance of St. John as well as a joyous Third Day of Christmas and First Sunday of Christmastide!