It was a cool, crisp morning. Hannah washed the breakfast dishes while her husband, Philip, tied a few chests onto their donkey. He was a carpenter, and a rather wealthy man had asked him to make the fine chests and bring them to his house.

“I’ll be back by supper,” Philip told his wife as he mounted the animal. He didn’t swing himself up like he used too, Hannah noticed. But, then again, her step wasn’t quite as springy as it had been, nor her back as straight. They were both getting older.

Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23

What happens to the seeds?

1. Fell on the wayside; birds eat them
2. Fell on stony places and sprang up quickly; scorched in the sun
3. Fell among thorns; choked by the thorns
4. Fell on good ground; yielded a good crop

What's interesting is that, when Jesus explains this parable, the seeds are planted in each case. The seeds start to grow whether thrown on the wayside or on good ground. What differs is whether or not those seeds continue growing.

Seek ye the Lord while He may be found
Call upon Him while He is near
Let the wicked forsake his way
The unrighteous man his thoughts
And let him return to the Lord
He will have mercy upon him
He will abundantly pardon

For my thoughts are not your thoughts
My ways are not your ways
As the heavens are higher than earth
My ways are higher than your ways
And My thoughts are higher than thine saith the Lord
My ways are higher than thine

As Christian women, we are often encouraged to dress modestly. There are plenty of reasons that are given for this virtue, but some reasons seem to have a tendency to be warped into something nasty or nonsensical. Attempts to teach girls about modesty have been used to shame them or deluge them with a long list of rules – rules that can sound a lot like “Touch not; taste not; handle not” (Colossians 2:21).*

God mentioned two things necessary to add to creation before He created Eve.

1) It was not good for the Man, Adam, to be alone.
2) The next creation should be a helpmeet suitable for him.

So I'm currently reading through the Psalms, and their musicality always brings delight. When reading Psalm 19, the rhythm seemed particularly poetic to me, and then I read verses 9 and 11, which almost rhyme:

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Francis Schaeffer wrote Art and the Bible in response to an attitude running through the church that troubled him: Christians were shying away from the arts.

There were other things, too: pastors preaching to their congregations in King James English. Christians certain that rock music and abstract art were less holy styles than the music and paintings of the past. Concerns that an emphasis on beauty was shallow or that artistic pieces could fuel idolatry.

In the midst of the historical accounts of Israel in the Old Testament, there exists this jewel of a verse:

And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
- 1 Kings 18:21

When considering Biblical womanhood in the Scriptures, there is one verse that comes up rather frequently:

Who can find a virtuous woman?
For her price is far above rubies.
- Proverbs 31:10

“He hasn’t woken. Please, Lord, he still hasn’t woken.”
Martha watched her sister lace long, taut fingers together and press them to her lips. To Martha, it seemed unreal. Between the two, her sister had always been serene. Now her throat constricted visibly as if she was choking. And Martha, the worrywart, laid her hand on her sister’s arm. Goosebumps covered her coffee-colored skin. “Have you called Joshua?”
{{“Have you called Joshua?” Martha called from the bathroom, wringing her black hair out in front of the mirror.
“Yep, just did! He said he’s on his way.”