Convictions

I am reading a discipleship study for women called Wise Women Build Houses by Barbars Mouser. It is a small and seemingly simple book, but do not let the cover or size of the book deceive you. This book has such rich material that it is really convicting me and causing me to re-evaluate my spiritual condition.





In the first chapter she challenges the reader to build a Wisdom House by first laying the foundation (Christ), then hewing the pillars (Godward virtues) and finally adding the roof (our covering).


I have been stuck for one month on hewing the pillars in chapter 1. This section is only 5 pages, but so rich. Barbara Mouser lists 7 virtues ( pillars of the faith if you will) that must be hewn for the house to stand. 

1. Fear of God: The beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10)
2. Love for God:The First and greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37-38)
3. Faith in God: without which it is impossible to please God. ( (Heb. 11:6)
4. Knowledge of God: What God desires more than sacrifice ( Hos 6:6)
5. Hope in God:Chief purpose of the scripture (Rom 15:4)
6. Joy of the Lord: The source of our strength ( Neh 8:10)
7. Comfort of God: Cheif means of our walk ( Acts 9:3)

Following this she challenges the reader to list the opposites of these 7 "Godward pillars".  I had to cheat and look at the answers in the back.

Opposites are as follows:

1. Fear of God > Rebellion against authority
2. Love for God> Hositily toward God
3. Faith in God> Unbelief toward God
4. Knowledge of God> Hardened sensibilities; eyes that don't see, ears that don't hear,hearts that don't understand.
5. Hope in God> Unbelief which causes grumbling and despair
6. Joy of the Lord> Grief which refuses to be comforted
7. Comfort of God> Rejecting the soothing ,peaceful presence of the Holy Spirit when in pain of filled with worries

She says that "You MUST have Godward virtues in your wisdom house or you will be an idolater and some variety of humanist. Manward virtues alone do not make a wisdom house" (pp18).

Next she challenges the reader with questions and here is where it HIT ....

OUCH!! PRICK....POKE!! 

Question #2: "Hewing is hard work. Prayer, meditation on Scripture and obedience are primary means of hewing pillars. Explain how disciplining oneself in these activities, especially in times of temptation, will result in building pillars of character". 

So here is where I stopped and have camped for a month.

Bottom line is this! I am not disciplined in the habit of prayer and meditating on God's WORD daily. Oh, I do it here and there. But, really.....daily! NOT!! I am an epic fail!!! I have been a Christian and a disciple of Christ since I was 7 and really following him as my LORD for dare I say it.....21 years.

So, the question I am pondering is "Why?". What are my "temptations" that she is referring to that would result in my poor consistency of hewing these pillars ? 

I am praying about this and trying to figure it out. I am thinking that it is just the daily humbug of life and the distractions of life and facebook. Seriously. What is the first think I do in the morning!!? I update my Facebook status....why? Because I am a narcissist. Isn't that what facebook is all about? Hearing myself spew out whatever comes to mind?!!

I am really praying and asking God for a woman to rise up and take me under her wings and hold me accountable and meet with me once a week to thoroughly study this Book (Wise Women Build Houses). It is the first book I have read in a LONG time that is really convicting me to draw deeper into the well of God's living water.

Broken, Adrienne

P.S. I started the next part on the roof....WOW. I figured that I needed to move on even though I am still stuck on hewing pillars. The roof part is really good and I will post on that next.

My NEW bookshelf

I found this "entertainment center" on Craigslist for $60. I sanded and stained it dark and had a friend cut 4 more shelves for it and VOILA! ...A new bookcase!

I desperately need it with my library growth. My bookshelves were overflowing and books were all over the place. It seemed that everywhere I stepped, there was a book. This shelf even has empty spots with room for more books!!! SSHHH.....Don't tell Brian that!

Hannah and I just finished reading the original Bambi ( not Disney) and it was great. She loved it. The personification of the animals was portrayed beautifully in this piece of literature.

We are now reading Howard Pyle's Wonderclock ( A collection of short stories)

I found this rare and beautiful set with all his wonderful illustrations such as:

           

Some of his other books include:

• The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
• Men of Iron
• Otto of the Silver Hand
• The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (my personal favorite)

Whimsical Fairytale

As the infamous author of the smashing Harry Potter series says:

"The Little White Horse was my favorite childhood book. I absolutely adored it. It had a cracking plot. It was scary and romantic in parts and had a feisty heroine."  —J. K. Rowling

I wholeheartedly agree! But, there is so much more. The darling protagonist, Miss Maria Merryweather; the culinary genius, Marmaduke Scarlet; The exotic pets, the secret lost pearls, and the princess of Moonacre and the people of Silverydew....this story is genius! It is the perfect fairy tale with a happily ever-after ending.   

I just finished reading The Little White Horse to Hannah this morning. Each morning I found myself anxiously awaiting our time on the sofa so I could enter into the world of Silverdew and go on another adventure in search of answers to secrets and peace on earth. 

Elizabeth Goudge is one of my favorite authors. Often I will proclaim: "She is the most exquisite writer. She has the ability to write a sentence that is so exquisite, that I can read it 10 times and still delight in just that one sentence". Her stories are marvelous. The Little White Horse is particularly for children. My favorite book by her her is Green dolphin Street.

If you are looking for a whimsical fairytale, look no more. Even boys will like this one. Sure, there are pink roses and dainty pastries, but there are wild animals and mean poachers too. 

The newer copies of The Little White Horse have been revised (They dont say it, but they are). See if your library has an old copy. The one I own was published in 1980 by Gregg press and is filled with the wonderful illustrations by C. Walter Hodges that were in the original 1949 version. If you are unable to find these versions, go ahead and get the new paperback version. Eventhough the original writing of Miss goudge has been compromised, it is still a great book.

The UK made it into a movie last year called The Secret of Moonacre. Unfortunately, it is unavailable in the US at this time. I am keeping my fingers crossed because I like the cast.

Watch the movie trailer here and then go get the book and read it!

Fantastic website

http://www.portitude.org/

This website is amazing. If you want to get started on reading short stories or poetry or even fiction novels go here. Everything is FREE.

The website is laid out beautifully and is pleasing to the eye. I do not care to read much from the internet, I much prefer the hard copy in my hands. But, this website is nice.

They also have a wonderful resource of Art. Browse the art gallery and glance at the famous works of art by the brilliant of artists in history.

Go for it! Have fun. Read a short story. Revel in a poem. Gaze upon a masterpiece of art.

Field and Haystacks by Renoir ( from Portitude.org)