Our friend Dana has posted a most interesting blog on anticipation. Although I prefer full-blown spring or early summer, I can certainly see her point in being attracted to the anticipation of spring as much as to spring itself!
We are a household of anticipation right now as we await our new addition. Please meet four-week-old Basil, as in Basil Rathbone. The breeder tells me that Basil is quite runcible! And, since the original Basil grew up in the UK, this should not surprise us! Full of boyish enthusiasm, he just did not want to be still for the photo session! Hopefully we will have him home by early in June when he is eight weeks old!
It is always funny to me how God uses everyday occurrences, like the addition of a new puppy, to teach me about whom He is. Indeed, a few moments from the day we chose Basil resonate deeply within my soul, teaching me about living a life in anticipation of a hope, as Dana says, “that will not disappoint”. Recent changes in my medical school/hospital system have heads rolling; I just did not think that mine would be among them. While visiting with young friends yesterday, one asked, "just what does that mean that you received a terminal contract?" My daughter, who at 23.5 yrs, has a remarkable ability to put things in perspective, quickly answered for me with a brilliantly simple summation, "it a year's notice that you have been fired!"
As I contemplated the uncertainty of my life with questions such as, “will I get grant funding and be able to stay - and if I do, should I”, or “what else am I even qualified to do”, and the ever present “what DO I want to be when I grow up”, I found myself becoming quite anxious. While praying for wisdom, God brought to mind the memory of two-week-old Basil, cuddled in my arms, snuggled against my heart. I realized that what I needed more than a new job was to stay close to His heartbeat, in the place of safety and security, full of anticipation for the future.
So, when doubts assail, and of course they do, I remember that I have a sure hope, both now and in the future. I'm really not home yet ………
We are a household of anticipation right now as we await our new addition. Please meet four-week-old Basil, as in Basil Rathbone. The breeder tells me that Basil is quite runcible! And, since the original Basil grew up in the UK, this should not surprise us! Full of boyish enthusiasm, he just did not want to be still for the photo session! Hopefully we will have him home by early in June when he is eight weeks old!
It is always funny to me how God uses everyday occurrences, like the addition of a new puppy, to teach me about whom He is. Indeed, a few moments from the day we chose Basil resonate deeply within my soul, teaching me about living a life in anticipation of a hope, as Dana says, “that will not disappoint”. Recent changes in my medical school/hospital system have heads rolling; I just did not think that mine would be among them. While visiting with young friends yesterday, one asked, "just what does that mean that you received a terminal contract?" My daughter, who at 23.5 yrs, has a remarkable ability to put things in perspective, quickly answered for me with a brilliantly simple summation, "it a year's notice that you have been fired!"
As I contemplated the uncertainty of my life with questions such as, “will I get grant funding and be able to stay - and if I do, should I”, or “what else am I even qualified to do”, and the ever present “what DO I want to be when I grow up”, I found myself becoming quite anxious. While praying for wisdom, God brought to mind the memory of two-week-old Basil, cuddled in my arms, snuggled against my heart. I realized that what I needed more than a new job was to stay close to His heartbeat, in the place of safety and security, full of anticipation for the future.
So, when doubts assail, and of course they do, I remember that I have a sure hope, both now and in the future. I'm really not home yet ………
43 comments:
Oh he is so cute and a Brit too (are you mad?)
What a lovely dog!
"woof woof grrrr woof" (that means "pass the wooden handled screw driver so that I can tighten the screws in this air vent" in doggie talk ... just thought it may be of help!)
PS Make sure that are two woofs in front of the grrrr and not one otherwise it means something else and things can get a bit messy!
living a life in anticipation of a hope...that will not disappoint
Blessed are they who have no expectations for they shall not be disappointed.
They may not be dissapointed,
but neither shall they be filled with the glorious knowledge that they are loved with an everlasting love, beloved before time and cared for in a manner that defies definition, given to even as they sleep
Have you finished now?
Yes Martin, I'm finished editing now!
An omnipotent creator would have got it right first time. No ambiguity
wasn't sure if i should respond in this new post or the last one...
part of being omnipotent would be the power to decide to restrain yourself. i don't believe God is ever ambiguous. it is the human who reads the Word who brings it's own understanding/belief/expectation to the text. God could either remove individuality from the human race (since He is omnipotent it would surely be possible) or He could choose to allow humans the right to decide and choose and think things out for themselves. He has done so, which has led to varying interpretations of God's Law. which has led to various atrocities in the "name of God". that doesn't make it God's "fault" - merely a foreseeable consequence of the one of God's greatest gifts - His restraint that caused our free will.
i will draw on the picture of parenthood again. clear rules do not make obedient children.
Dana, this post is fine - we have Maalie back in town for a bit, so I am sure that he will see your comment in response to his.
Yes, as a parent I can easily say that making the rules clear does not yield obedient children. Rather, the issue is always winning the heart!
welcome Basil! the more runcible the puppy the more fun for the household i say.
my dog is surely runcible, as i concluded within the first moment i met her at the humane society. it just makes me love her a little more. i'm glad that Basil is coming to your home and that your life is full of reminders of God's Hope.
blessed are they who hope for and anticipate God's Promises for they will not be disappointed.
I prefer to lead my life with more pragmatism.
I like your words here and you answer this question much better than I do on my posting today!
And that dog is sure a cutie. Alot of love there, I'm sure will be reciprocated.
somehow Maalie - boyish enthusiasm, runcibility and pragmatism just do NOT go together in my book - it does make me wonder about you......
Adorable. I could see how you might gain eternal perspective from that bundle of loveliness. : )
Nice post.
God causes all things to work together for our good and His glory, those of us who were called by His grace, and now love Him, because He first loved us.
Puppies are a lot of fun, and work. I've had my fair share. Kittens also. Cats aren't as much work though.
Thanks LL and Don - yep, it's been a while since I trained a puppy - but I've trained quite a few.
The only problem with cats - we're both ALLERGIC!
I linked
this to my blog's post of today just now. Wish I would have done so earlier, but computer access at work for me is limited.
good post. basil, as in rathbone, is a very nice name. little heartbeats do have a way of comfort.
i think that maalie likes you very much, or else he would not pay you any attention at all. he sure likes to dip your braids into the ink well.
Hi Nancy - it's because his sister, Lorenzo the Llama, is in Peru and he has no one else to pick on!
Poor, poor Craver doesn't seem to be able to post comments - so he had to EMAIL me his!
Here it is:
Basil Rathbone?! What a great name! Do you think he will ever be as skilled at fencing as his namesake? I was on my high school fencing team, but don't have anyone to practice with these days. Photography tip: If your puppy won't sit still for the photo session, pour a little Nyquil in their waterbowl. This trick works great for toddlers, too. (Just kidding!)
"Hope is the dream of a soul awake"
yes, hope.... it's what keeps us going. and what a gorgeous dog. i'm sure he will bring much joy into your home.
keep your chin up! :)
So what about the movie "Expelled" by Ben Stein? Have you all seen it yet? Have you Maalie? What did you think?
I'm still eagerly awaiting to find a bootlegged copy of it here in Nepal.
I think Maalie has taken his leave us us LitlLuther.
Expelled was interesting - especially the Dawkins interviews! Hopefully you will be able to see a copy soon or it will come out on DVD and we can send you a copy.
Hooray! It's working fine today!
Yup, I thought I'd come back to confirm that the "anonymous" comment is true, and put my signet to it.
Now, if I could only remember what I wanted to say at Dana's site...
Thanks for the post - we need constant reminders that we're not quite home yet... we're strangers and aliens in this world.
Happy Mother's Day to you, Susan. And to all the mom's reading this!
PS Omipotent? You can get pills for that....
I thought Basil was a herb?
Oh! glorious anticipation- truth is, anticipatioon IS better than the reality
ahahahahaha!
Oh Simon - we have missed you!
Yes, an herb - but not this one. It's just the way Rathbone's parents spelled his name!
And - omipotent - you bet. He did say he was God afterall!
no I- meant a play on words "Impotent" You get pills for that.
"part of being omnipotent.(impotent) is the ability to restrain yourself"
nice quote Dana- yep a few older men have told me that.Poor fellows. ahahahahah!!
Luther? isn't aquiring a "boot leg" copy of a DVD stealing?...
I have two dogs, one cat, a diamond Python and Have owned 1/2 dozen horses... All proof to me of evolution...
oopps - sorry, being a girl I kinda missed the joke Simon!
I hope the anticipation of this puppy isn't better than the reality - although I'm sure as many years as we had the last one that the painful part of training one has quite softened over the years, so that will be unpleasant. I'm banking on the fact that the happy face and wagging tail will quite make up for that though!
I think all dogs are very cool! So I am certain you will enjoy Herb...
Ahhh Simon - that is hysterical - my daughter loves it - we might even have to change Basil's name becaues that is great!!!!!
Simon wrote:
"Luther? isn't acquiring a "boot leg" copy of a DVD stealing?..."
They have no copyright laws and abide by none here in Nepal. You can't even get legit stuff. It's not available....You need software for your computer? You can't get the $800 original version here. You have to settle for the $2 copy of the same thing, sold in every market. Sorry Adobe, Microsoft, Bill Gates. No money to be made here. …Want to watch the latest movie? Sorry, to disappoint Hollywood; no money for you! ONLY black-market copies are available, and they're available openly in every market—and very cheap (less than a buck, about $0.60 each!). Same is true for music CD's, videos, even our cable TV is stolen from the sky. Nepal pays for nothing but sells everything at extremely low prices. It really doesn't bother me, as I don't feel the need to obey US copyright laws while living in Nepal, nor can I get the real thing anywhere in this country even if I tried. It's just not available. Maybe someday I’ll be able to pay exorbitant prices like the rest of the world, but in the meantime I’ll just have to make due with the dirt cheap bootlegged copies. Thanks for asking, Simon. :-)
They do write their own laws there for sure, don't they Litl-Luther? Seems so strange to the western mind-set and especially the the Christian mindset. I think it would be a struggle for me to adjust to such a culture.
I suppose the choice for westerners living in Nepal is either:
1. Live like a Hermit
Or:
2. When in Rome do like the Romans.
Same thing is true for driving here. When people from back home first see it, they can't believe how nuts it is. If you try to obey US traffic laws, you'll pull your hair out, always getting super frustrated when you drive. But if you go with the flow, and drive like they do, it works well and you stop being frustrated. Somehow no traffic rules actually works.
We obey all the laws of the land, what few there are in Nepal. ...The only thing we do that they might consider criminal is "eat beef". Should I feel guilty? That’s the real crime, not watching a movie. Maybe I should stop eating hamburgers.
PS: I recently saw “Forbidden Kingdom” in a theater, and I saw “Iron Man” on DVD. You could tell Iron Man was a bootlegged copy because the shadow of a man carrying in drinks walked across the screen and sat in a seat in the opening scene.
WHO IS JESUS?
In CHEMISTRY, He turned water to wine;
In BIOLOGY, He was born without the normal conception;
In PHYSICS, He disproved the Law of Gravity when He ascended into Heaven;
In ECONOMICS, He disproved the Law of Diminishing Return by feeding 5000 men with two fishes and five loves of bread;
In MEDICINE, He cured the sick and the blind without administering a single dose of drugs;
In HISTORY, He is the beginning and the end;
In GOVERNMENT, He said that He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace;
In RELIGION, He said no one comes to the Father except through Him.
The Greatest Man in History, Jesus, had no servants, yet they called Him Master. He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army yet became King of kings. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today and can never taste death again.
Came here from Merisi's blog. Hope Basil Rathbone doesn't become Basil Fawlty.
hey David! nice to see you mate!
Luther- your definition of theft is different to mine.
If I went to Amsterdam (as an example) I guess smoking pot and all the porn would be ok? 'Cause its "cultural"?
OR- going to Afghanistan- it would be ok to grow and sell opium poppies? because its part of their economy/culture?
Surly, if you had to live as a hermit eg John the baptist. to obey gods laws.. that would be what is expected of a holy man...?
Its not about how someone drives. Its about taking what is not your to take..
BTW I am not judging you here at all. There are plenty of people who buy boot leg stuff...
But I do think if you want to stand out and be different then you have to make that moral stand....
i.e salt of the earth...
Welcome David! Merisi's blog is absolutely lovely! I do enjoy her pictures!
I had to Wikipedia your phrase - and I see what you mean!
"Basil is a snobbish, miserly, xenophobic and sexually repressed paranoiac misanthrope who is desperate to belong to a higher social class."
You're right - let's hope our Basil turns out to be much more even tempered!!
Any friend of Craver's is a friend of mine!!
Did you happen to see Craver's interview on my blog some weeks ago?
No worries at all. You can see Craver's Sunday Roast interview at http://david-mcmahon.blogspot.com/2008/03/sunday-roast_30.html
Simon: Who's stealing? I didn't walk in the store and walk out with the DVD hidden under my shirt. I paid the cashier for it. I don't really care how they got a hold of it. Is that sin? Stealing? If so, so be it! If I were to take your advice, I would have to sacrifice ever watching movies to live in Nepal, but I don't see God calling me to that—just like He hasn't called me to sacrifice drinking beer now and again, even though many Christians are against it. I'm not here to be a Holier-Than-Thou example to the people by not watching the movies they sell. I'm here to tell them Jesus Christ is the only Savior, and there is no hope without Him. I don't concern myself with the little things. I keep my focus on God's calling on my life.
BTW: As you know, I was in Bangkok for 3 weeks, where prostitution is legal and there are girls in that line of work everywhere. But I stayed away from that junk because that would be sin against both my wife and my God. However, if my 'sin' of watching movies in Nepal keeps a little money out of few rich peoples' already full pockets, than I say praise the Lord! May God be glorified through my sin!
I saw a shooting star tonight
Flying over Combe Martin,
It scared our little guinea pig
and stared the dog a' fartin.
Gosh what a cad I am putting such a rude ditty on a lady of your calibers blog site.
Bad boy!
Basil, as in Basil Faulty?
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