We will drain our dearest veins, but we shall be free!

George Grant writes on the victory of the Scottish over the English at Bannockburn, on the 24 June, 1314. (See the two posts written on 24 June)

Justification and Baptism

Rev. Peter Leithart has been writing on justification and baptism recently. I enjoy reading what he posts, but sometimes I can barely understand what he's saying! It takes too much brain power to muddle through all of that scholarly language. I'm glad he's posting these now; they're more easy to read and understand than usual. I recommend reading them; they clear up a few issues that people seem to be debating lately.
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What's this I hear about the Anglican Communion giving the Episcopalians a deadline for straightening up before they're excommunicated?

Too late!

One thing she prays for every day: "I pray not to cause scandal or bring shame upon either of my traditions."

This part in particular made me laugh: "I am both Muslim and Christian, just like I'm both an American of African descent and a woman. I'm 100 percent both."

I don't even know what to say to that. It is such a preposterous statement that it doesn't deserve an argument.

Epiphany Ahead!

An epiphany not unlike my last one ("God is better than humans!").

From WilburBlog, a quote from Robert Capon's Bed and Board:

“The reason the headship of the husband is so violently objected to is that it is misunderstood…the Bible does not say that men and women are unequal. Neither does the Church. There are no second-class citizens in the New Jerusalem. It is husbands and wives that are unequal. It is precisely in marriage…that they enter into a relationship of superior to inferior—of head to body. And the difference there is not one of worth, ability or intelligence, but of role. It is functional, not organic. It is based on the exigencies of the Dance, not on a judgment as to talent. In the ballet, in any intricate dance, one dancer leads, the other follows. Not because one is better (he may or may not be), but because that is his part. Our mistake, here as elsewhere, is to think the equality and diversity are unreconcilable. The common notion of equality is based on the image of the march. In a parade, really unequal beings are dressed alike, given guns of identical length, trained to hold them at the same angle, and ordered to keep step with a fixed beat. But it is not the parade that is true to life; it is the dance. There you have real equals assigned unequal roles in order that each may achieve his individual perfection in the whole. Nothing is less personal than a parade; nothing more so than a dance. It is the choice image of fulfillment through function, and it comes very close to the heart of the Trinity. Marriage is a hierarchical game played by co-equal persons. Keep that paradox and you move in the freedom of the Dance; alter it, and you grow weary with marching (53-54).”

I am not thirsty.

What with Kombucha, Kefir, raw milk, and fresh tomato juice, not to mention water...I've never had so much to drink in my life!
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So, the PCA GA made their decision to approve the FV/NPP report. Reformed News has this summary of the effects:

"The Assembly's adoption of the recommendations has the following effects: 1. The assembly commends the committee's report to the PCA for consideration, 2. The assembly reminds the PCA of the role of the Westminster Standards "as standard expositions of the teachings of Scripture in relation to both faith and practice", 3. The assembly commends the 9 declarations of the report to the denomination as "a faithful exposition of the Westminster Standards" and calls upon ruling and teaching elders to inform "their courts" (i.e., sessions, presbyteries) of any differences between their views and the 9 declarations, 4. The assembly reminds Sessions and Presbyteries of its duty to exercise doctrinal oversight, and 5. The assembly dismisses the study committee with thanks. ...

"Two questions confront Presbyteries as they examine elders who are either accused of holding suspect views or elders who submit their views to Presbyteries for consideration: a. do their views in fact fall under one of nine disallowed views, and b. if so, will their views be considered allowable exceptions or become grounds for further discipline. Currently the PCA does not have uniformity with regards to what exceptions are allowable or disallowable by every presbytery."

Has anyone heard anything else?

I am now the proud owner of...

a Kombucha mother! I felt it appropriate to name her, since she is the Mother of my Kombucha tea. I have named her Eve-- it seemed the best fit. Kombucha is almost like very mild tasting, slightly carbonated apple cider vinegar. That's really the best description I can give. You should try it for yourselves! It warms you right up.

I also have been given some Kefir (keh-FEER) grains with which to make cultured milk! It is tasty, and it takes less time than Kombucha. I had some Kefir of my own making this morning. It is deliciously tangy and resembles very liquid yoghurt.

Fermented beverages...they're more tasty than you might think!

Miscellany

Sorry for the lack of posting; our poor computer died, and I had to wait for Dad to fix it.

I've got a couple of jobs lined up for August: house-cleaning (part-time, $30/hour) and teaching (part-time, $9/hour). I'll have those two for the school year, at least. I'm hoping to save up for my first year's total expenses at college. I e-mailed NSA a while back and they never responded-- I did manage to e-mail at the busiest time of year, though. I'm going to call them later this week, and get more information about scholarships and such things.

I stopped by Borders today and read Leepike Ridge, Nathan Wilson's newest book. It was an excellent story. If you don't have it yet, I highly recommend buying it. Or you could do what this poor girl does, and read it in the bookstore!
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"Beer, if drank with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health."
Thomas Jefferson

Andrew Lang

Andrew Lang, author of the many-coloured Fairy Books, also wrote poetry. Here is one of my favourites:

The Odyssey

AS one that for a weary space has lain
Lull'd by the song of Circe and her wine
In gardens near the pale of Proserpine,
Where that Ææan isle forgets the main,
And only the low lutes of love complain,
And only shadows of wan lovers pine—
As such an one were glad to know the brine
Salt on his lips, and the large air again—
So gladly from the songs of modern speech
Men turn, and see the stars, and feel the free
Shrill wind beyond the close of heavy flowers,
And through the music of the languid hours
They hear like Ocean on a western beach
The surge and thunder of the Odyssey.
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He wrote letters to dead authors as well. Here's one of interest: a letter to Jane Austen.