Marching Forth!

Early this morning I walked into my son's shared room to see Abel lying on his back, shivering in bed.  The air was chilly and the room dark.  Though Abel had thick blankets available for him to use, one had fallen off the bed and the other was at his feet in a ball.  His arms clung tightly to the thin flannel sheet as he slept. My initial reaction was a cross between amusement, annoyance, and compassion.  It struck me funny that Abel clung to the thing which offered him least protection against the cold.  But if the bed had been completely made with the blanket tucked it could not have slid onto the floor!  The boy was cold and needed warmth.  The steps which precipitated the shivering was not as important as the cure:  lifting the blankets back onto the bed, smoothing out the blanket pile, and Abel laying underneath them. In Australia, a thick bedspread is often called a "doona."  In the States where I was born, a common term is a "comf...

Definition of "duty" (first of seven) in Webster's Dictionary of the English Language , First Edition, 1828 DUTY, n. [from due, Fr. du.] - That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform.  Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and subject; obedience, respect and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties; the government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents which they cannot neglect without guilt. Definition of "duty" (first of seven) in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language , Third Edition, 1992 DUTY, n. - An act or a course of action that is required of one by position, social custom, law, or religion. A lot of things transpired during the 164 years between the printing of these definitions.  Not all cha...

While reading a book yesterday on the importance of ordering the inner life, I began to reflect upon the differences between leisure and rest.  From a worldly perspective, they could almost appear to be synonyms.  As I compared and contrasted the two, I was amazed at the vast differences between them.  Jesus promises in Matthew 11:28, " Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ."  Rest is not the absence of work, even as peace is not the absence of war.  Jesus bids us to take His yoke upon ourselves.  A yoke is attached to a plow and allows the ox to do work he could not naturally perform.  The strength of an ox when yoked to a plow can aid a farmer to sow and reap much grain. When we are fatigued physically or spiritually we often seek rest through the ceasing of effort or activities.  Yet if we do not seek rest in the person of Jesus, it will not satisfy the need we have for rest.  Rest is simply the in...

" Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel ?'" Ezekiel 33:11 Before I finally went to bed last night I flipped back and forth between a couple of movies.  I wanted to see the end of both "The World's Fastest Indian" and "The Count of Monte Cristo," movies I had seen previously.  I wanted to see Burt Munro finally open up the throttle on the salt flats .   Then I couldn't remember the exact ending of Monte Cristo, as Dantes took his revenge upon the wretched traitor Mondego.  He is a most unlikable villain who even makes Nurse Ratched seem genuine and caring. As I saw the final battle scene of the movie that ends with Dantes' sword skewering Mondego's heart, I sensed a difference in myself.  The satisfaction I expected from seeing the fitting end of th...