Encouraging Quote

From Streams in the Desert (Dec. 21):

Every difficult task that comes across your path - every one you would rather not do, that will take the most effort, cause the most pain, and be the greatest struggle - brings a blessing with it. And refusing to do it regardless of the personal cost is to miss the blessing.

Every difficult stretch of road on which you see the Master's footprints and along which He calls you to follow Him leads unquestionably to blessings. And they are blessings you will never receive unless you travel the steep and thorny path.

Every battlefield you encounter, where you are required to draw your sword and fight the enemy, has the possibility of victory that will prove to be a rich blessing to your life. And every heavy burden you are called upon to lift hides within itself a miraculous secret of strength.

Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices

May's Puritan reading was Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks. I'm almost done it. This quote caught my attention today:

All divine power and strength against sin flows from the soul's union and communion with Christ. While you keep off from Christ, you keep off from that strength and power which is alone able to make you trample down strength, lead captivity captive, and slay the Goliaths that bid defiance to Christ. It is only faith in Christ that makes a man triumph over sin, Satan, hell and the world. It is only faith in Christ that binds the strong man's hand and foot, that stops the issue of blood, that makes a man strong in resisting and happy in conquering. Sin always dies most where faith lives most. The most believing soul is the most mortified soul. Ah! sinner, remember this, there is no way on earth effectually to be rid of the guilt, filth and power of sin, but by believing in a Saviour. It is not resolving, it is not complaining, it is not mourning but believing, that will make thee divinely victorious over that body of sin that to this day is too strong for thee, and that will certainly be thy ruin, if it be not ruined by a hand of faith.

Brilliant Quote

"You would think that Christian writer GK Chesterton was describing today’s
public educational system when he said, “Education is the period during which
you are being instructed by somebody you do not know, about something you do not
want to know.” Christians need to realize that much of our public education
system is training our children to be cogs in the economic machine, and not
enabling them to pursue what is truly beautiful. "

From a new blog I discovered: Scriptorium Daily

The quote is from Cursed Cursive. I don't entirely agree with not teaching cursive, just because I happen to think that writing in cursive is faster and easier on the hand (although at least a couple of my kids would disagree) but I loved the quote.