My kids surprised me with this fall arrangement, assembled by my daughter Rachel, and it is making a gray day very cheery! The orange sunflowers, green pom poms, and pink roses are just amazing. And if you are wondering what the filler is….Rachel used little mini Indian corn stalks!
Monthly Archive for October, 2010
I confess to loving English grammar, but I try to behave and refrain from pointing out grammatical errors, except on rare occasions when I think the recipients would be thrilled to know that they are and have been slipping up. And I make plenty of my own mistakes, so I really don’t have time to correct anyone else. Except once in a while. Like right now. So here are the top few offenders that come across my radar regularly.
1. You do not feel badly. You feel bad. Feel is a linking verb, so it requires an adjective, not an adverb. If you really do feel badly, then that means your nerve endings are not in peak form. Just feel bad. Please. Don’t feel badly.
2. Apostrophes are seldom used correctly. If you are a Smith, and you are sending out your Christmas cards, please do not sign the card from the Smith’s. Oh dear. How many Smiths do you have? Are you the only one? Then just sign it from Susie Smith. If you are sending the card on behalf of the entire Smith family, you can either sign the card from the Smith Family or from the Smiths. Period. The apostrophe indicates possession. If you are inviting your friends to the Smith home for a Christmas party, then say it is at the Smiths’ home or at the Smith home. Since you have more than one Smith, it is fine to add an s to indicate the plural. And if you are referring to your home, then put the apostrophe after the s so that we understand there is more than one Smith at the house. Please don’t say, “Come to the Smith’s.” It would be weird to refer to one Smith as the Smith, don’t you agree? If your last name already ends in an s (like Abrams) then first you must make it plural (Abramses) and then you can add an apostrophe: Please come to the Abramses’ home, etc. Because that looks (and is) so burdensome, I would opt for simplifying: Please join us for Christmas cheer at our home. Then you can sign it Bill and Susie Abrams. Or, The Abrams family wishes you a very merry Christmas. There is more, but I must press on.
3. A particular problem in this part of the country is the use of at with where. Where are you at? Where is my wallet at? Just say, “Where are you?” “Where is my wallet?” The at is out of place, so knock it off.
4. Me and Susie are going to the mall. Oh horrible, horrible! Susie and I are going to the mall. Why? Because me is in the objective case, and the subject of the sentence requires nominative case. Okay? He gave the prize to Susie and me. Perfect! I love it!
5. Don’t loose your passport. Huh? Do you mean lose? Maybe just tie up the dog so he doesn’t get loose. Because if he gets loose, you may lose him.
6. I’m going to go lay down on the couch. Please just lie down, okay? Lay is a transitive verb, so you could lay yourself down on the couch. I know this is confusing, but here it goes: Today I will lie down; yesterday I lay down. Lay is the past tense of lie. It’s awful, I know, but it just can’t be helped. It’s much too late. To lie is to recline. To lay is to put. So lay the book on the table and tell the chicken to lay an egg. But don’t lay down. Lie down. Okay, so I’ll lay off.
You can see how little Sophia is doing after yesterday’s surgery here. Much to be thankful for!
Here are ten reasons why we should find contentment, found from the matchless works on the subject by the Puritan ministers Jeremiah Burroughs and Thomas Watson.
Why should we want to be content?
1. The first and most important reason is because God commands it: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
2. It is our duty as Christians. We believe that our circumstances are not the result of chance or luck, but because our wise Father has decreed this for us. Therefore, contentment fits us for our duties and makes our duties lively.
3. Contentment makes our life more comfortable. When we are content, we are not dependent on the creature for our comfort. Contentment changes an affliction into something else. Quoting Burroughs: “Godly men get more riches out of their poverty than ever they get out of their revenues. Godly men are better for an affliction; many godly men are worse for their prosperity.”
4.It is a means of worshiping God rightly. In active obedience, we do what pleases Him. In passive obedience, we are pleased with what God does.
5. Contentment is excellent. As Watson says, “It is a remedy against all our troubles, a comfort to all our burdens, a cure of care.” Continue reading ‘Ten Reasons for Contentment’
From Psalm 57:
When David was in the back of the cave, in the dark, he cries out to God with strong faith: God shall send forth his mercy and his truth (vs. 3). He praises God from the recesses of the cave: Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth (vs. 5). When David is under a cloud of trouble, he trusts in God and makes his refuge in another shadow: in the shadow of thy wings (vs. 1). Praise begins before deliverance. Praise begins in the midst of trouble. Trouble reveals in whom we put our trust. David has resolve; his heart is fixed (vs. 7). He is anchored and steady, so he sings and gives praise, waking up the dawn with his psaltery and harp (vs. 8). Troubles are God’s ordinary means of teaching His people, so we can seek His glory and exalt His name, trusting Him even as our troubles approach….always and for everything giving thanks.
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