Tag Archives: John MacArthur

A Hodgepodge Focus

Wednesday Hodgepodge is here again. Time to answer some questions From This Side of the Pond. Thank you, Joyce.

1. Do you struggle with the commercialization of the holiday season? What helps you keep your focus when the season’s busyness and commercialism start to take over? 

I’ve had several years of Christmases to learn to focus on what is important. I can ignore commercialization. I need to focus on my own heart and mind and where I need to concentrate on the truth of what Christmas is. Look again with fresh eyes on the Biblical accounts and the wonder of the first Christmas.

Quoting from one of my favorite pastors who died this year: “Christmas is not about the Savior’s infancy: It is about His Deity.” John MacArthur

I’ll ask for help to focus my mind on my King and Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.

2. What’s one small thing you want to savor before the year ends? 

All the things like twinkly lights and seasonal treats and stockings filled with little gifts.

3. December 9th is National Christmas Card Day. Do you still send Christmas cards? If so does yours include a photo or is it a more traditional card, or maybe homemade? How do you feel about the tradition of exchanging cards at the holidays? If Hanukkah is the holiday you celebrate in December do you send cards to mark the occasion? 

I do still send Christmas cards, a traditional card with a photo and letter enclosed. I’m happy to say I was able to send them away on Monday the 8th.

4. What’s your least favorite holiday related task? What’s your favorite? 

Least favorite is probably wrapping the presents. Favorite is buying the presents.

5. Let’s do a little holiday this or that? 

  • shopping or wrapping:                                           shopping
  • baking or decorating:                                             decorating
  • eggnog or wassail:                                                    eggnog
  • real tree or artificial:                                               real, although we’ve had to switch to fake
  • turkey or ham:                                                           prime rib
  • white lights or colored lights:                              white 
  • ugly sweaters or matching pjs:                           ugly sweaters
  • peppermint or cinnamon:                                    peppermint
  • presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Day:  Christmas day

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I’m having a little surgery today to remove a cyst close to my eye. It is small and it shouldn’t be a problem but we have to drive to Spokane Valley for the procedure. I do not know when I’ll be able to come around to visit but I will eventually, Lord willing. Thank you.

John MacArthur (1939-2025)

Monday evening shortly after 6pm we received the news that one of our favorite pastors was ushered into heaven. We know he’s with his Savior and I can only imagine what that ‘faith becoming sight’ moment was like.
This message is from Grace to You:
Our hearts are heavy, yet rejoicing, as we share the news that our beloved pastor and teacher John MacArthur has entered into the presence of the Savior. This evening, his faith became sight. He faithfully endured until his race was run. More information will be available soon.
~
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
2 Timothy 4:1-8
He was Greg and my first pastor after we were married and living in West Los Angeles. God used him to disciple us through his sermons, books, commentaries and example. We trusted that he handled the Word of God well and didn’t compromise the Truth. We are forever grateful. When I mow our acres I listen to his archived sermons. When we drive to Spokane we pick one of his sermons to listen to. This morning while I watered I was listening, too. We knew he was ‘on his last lap’, his words from a couple months ago.
~
The last time we saw John MacArthur in person was in October of 2019 when we attended the Truth Matters Conference at Grace Community Church. The next photo and paragraph are from a post from 2019.

I’m holding a MacArthur Study Bible in the Russian language. We are enjoying so many great interactions with people from all over the world at this conference. Our heads are ready to explode from what we are learning.

Here is one of the quotes from MacArthur I wrote down in the last year.

“Jesus himself is the goal of human history. In Him all things are summed up. All human history will be resolved and united to the Father through the work of the Son.

Ultimately–everything will be made right in Christ.”

Christians around the world are grieving this earthly loss but rejoicing in Johnny Mac’s promotion to heaven and especially that he is seeing our Savior face to face.

An official post from the elders of Grace Community Church.

Our prayers are for his dear wife, Patricia, his family, his church family.
Thank you, Pastor Johnny Mac. Thank you, LORD, for this wonderful servant of yours!

Peace

It is unusual for us to see a dove at our birdbath. This one looks quite fluffy and stayed around long enough for some photos on Saturday.

On Sunday I was reading a devotional by John MacArthur called Drawing Near and on this day the title of the devotion was The Cushion of Peace.

I’ll share part of what I read and found so encouraging.

…”Christians can experience a cushion of peace in their souls regardless of their troubled surroundings. That’s because they belong to God, who is the source of peace; serve Christ, who is the Prince of Peace; and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who is the agent of peace. Galatians 5:22 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, [and] peace.” When you become a Christian, God grants you the gift of peace…

God is not only the source of perfect peace, but also its purest example…

God wants everyone to know that kind of peace. He created the world with peace and sent His Son to offer peace. Someday Christ will return to establish His kingdom and reign in peace for eternity…”

My prayer for you is that you have this cushion of peace.

John 14:27

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Heroes Past and Present Hodgepodge

Wednesday Hodgepodge is back this week and Joyce has a new round of questions for us. Thank you, Joyce!

1. What’s something small you tend to sweat even though you know you shouldn’t? 

Right after I read our questions on Tuesday I opened my daily reading from Spurgeon and I have to share a portion of it here as the answer to this question.

…He should have argued from what God had done for him that God would be his defender still.

But is it not in the same way that we doubt God’s help? Is it not mistrust without a cause? Have we ever had the shadow of a reason to doubt our Father’s goodness? Hasn’t His loving-kindness been marvelous? Has He ever once failed to justify our trust? Our God has never left us at any time. We have had dark nights, but the star of love has shone out amid the blackness; we have been in tough battles, but over our head He has held high the shield of our defense. We have gone through many trials but never to our detriment, always to our advantage; and the conclusion from our past experience is that He who has been with us in six troubles will not forsake us in the seventh.

2. October 17th is National Pasta Day…do you like pasta? What’s your favorite? Cooked at home or eaten in your favorite Italian restaurant? How often do you make/eat pasta? 

I do enjoy pasta. I’m a fan of the wide egg noodles (which might or might not be considered pasta) in my Sirloin Stroganoff with Buttered noodles. I don’t have a favorite Italian restaurant and we mostly have ‘settle for’ restaurants where we live now. We settle for them when we both aren’t ready to cook. Lately we probably only have pasta once in a couple weeks or once a month.

3. Do you consider yourself a spontaneous person? Explain. 

I can be spontaneous. I don’t mind dropping everything and heading out on an adventure. I can shift my course if I need to.

4. Who are some of your heroes? Tell us why. 

My number one hero is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who left his exalted place in heaven to come to earth as a man, who lived a perfect life which qualified him to be the perfect and acceptable sacrifice for our sins. I believe on Him as my Savior. He is the only One who stands in the Gap between us and the One and Only Holy God. Jesus’ sacrifice satisfied God’s wrath on me a sinner. He is why I have peace with God here on earth and I cherish my relationship with Him that is growing until I meet Him face to face in heaven.

I mentioned another one already in question #1, Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers. Another one is John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church in Southern California, a faithful expositor of God’s word and he was Greg and my first pastor after we were married in 1974. He’s in his 80’s now and still filling the pulpit at the same church. They have both proven to be faithful to the Word of God and men you can trust to preach the Truth and not themselves or passing fads.

First Responders are also on my hero list. When I see what they have to deal with in our current depraved society I appreciate them more and more.

Our Daughter-in-law who is homeschooling our Grands. That’s a huge sacrifice but so worthwhile.

Our Daughters-in-law and our Son-in-law who love and support our sons and daughter so well. I thank God for them.

My faithful husband who has provided and cared for me all these years!

5. Let’s wrap it up with something light…Taylor Swift…are you a fan? On a scale of 1-10 how much so? (1=who’s Taylor?, 10=a true Swiftie, seen her in concert more than once). If you’re a fan what’s your favorite T. Swift song? 

I’ll go with 1, who’s Taylor?, I have heard her name but I could not tell you what she sings.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Slowly my posts from our travels in Ireland and England are coming together. I’m up to day 4! It’s good to recall the days before they slip away in my mind. 🙂 My next post will be on the City Walls of York. Laura created this collage below on some of the highlights of that walk.

The Martyrs ~ Oxford and Beyond

By After Conrad Grale – British Museum

Since today is Reformation Day I decided to share my photos from Oxford taken this past September of the Martyr’s Memorial and other history linked to the Martyrs. But first I’m linking to What is Reformation Day All About at Ligonier.org

On October 31, much of the culture will be focused on candy and things that go bump in the night. Protestants, however, have something far more significant to celebrate on October 31. It’s Reformation day, which commemorates what was perhaps the greatest move of God’s Spirit since the days of the Apostles. But what is the significance of Reformation Day, and how should we consider the events it commemorates?

To read more of this history click on the link above.

More about what Reformed means in primer form can be found here.

Where St. Giles’ becomes Magdalen Street in Oxford you can’t miss this memorial to the Oxford Martyrs.

Cranmer

Latimer

Ridley

Two men stood back to back at the stake.  As a large crowd watched, a heavy chain was passed around their waists to hold them fast.  A fagot was kindled.  At the sight of the flame, the older of the two men gave utterance to the noblest and shortest sermon he ever gave in his long life of preaching.  “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man.  We shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as I trust shall never be put out.”

These lines have become among the most famous lines in English church history.  The chain that bound Latimer and Ridley together on that morning of October 16, 1555, has continued to bind them together in the common mind.  Today, it is almost impossible to think of Latimer without also thinking of Ridley.

This is the spot on Broad Street where Ridley and Latimer were burned at the stake.

I came across this very thorough YouTube on the Oxford Martyrs.

The above explanation is posted in the University Church of St. Mary on the pillar mentioned below.

Archbishop Cranmer and Bishops Ridley and Latimer were twice tried for heresy in St. Mary’s church during Catholic Queen Mary’s attempt to reverse the Reformation. Ridley and Latimer were burned at the stake in 1555: Cranmer then recanted. In 1556 he was again brought to St. Mary’s: this pillar had been cut away to allow the building of a low platform from which he was to make his submission. At the last moment he withdrew his recantation. He walked away from the church to the fire with a firm step and smiling countenance, putting first into the flame the hand with which he had signed his recantation.

This next quote is from Drawing Near daily readings by John MacArthur ~ I have a friend who has a beautiful collection of rare Bibles. My favorite is one of the earliest printed copies, dating back to sixteenth-century England. The first time I held it in my hands I noticed that the top third of every page was covered with a dark stain. Tears filled my eyes when I realized it was from the blood of its original owner.

My friend explained that when Bloody Mary ruled England, she delighted in terrorizing Protestants and murdering as many as she could. Her soldiers would execute their victims through some bloody means, then take his or her Bible and dip it into the blood. Some of those Bibles have been preserved and are known as Martyrs’ Bibles. Scientists have confirmed that the dark stains on every page of my friend’s Bible are, indeed, human blood.

That same Bible is well worn from being studied. And many of its pages have water stains on them—perhaps from tears. Obviously it was someone’s most precious possession, and his or her blood is there to prove it. 

More and more we are finding importance in knowing the past history of the church.

HT: Discerning History

 

The Ark Finale

Today I’m wrapping up my Ark Encounter posts with a hodgepodge of photos I took inside the three level Ark. If you ever find yourself in Kentucky you really should put a stop at the Ark in your itinerary! The next overnight stop on our Land That we Love Tour was Berea, Kentucky.

Possible water storage on the ark.

There is a lot about the whole Ark experience that Noah and his family had that the Bible does not spell out. The Ark Encounter made it clear when they were taking artistic license.

A devotional popped up in my email about the time of Noah that I’ll share parts of here. It’s from Drawing Near by John MacArthur.

Genesis 6:5 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Before moving in judgment against the most evil and corrupt society in history, God appointed Noah to build an ark, which became a symbol of life and salvation to all who believed God. For those who disbelieved, it represented impending death and judgment.

Concurrent with constructing the ark, Noah preached about coming judgment. Peter called him “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5), and every board he cut and nail he drove in was a living illustration of the urgency of his message.

God’s warning was stern and His message horrifying, but His patience and mercy prevailed for 120 years. As Peter said, “The patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark” (1 Pet. 3:20). The people had ample warning of judgment, but they chose to disregard Noah’s message.

As sad as the account of Noah’s day is, perhaps the greatest tragedy is that man’s attitude toward God hasn’t changed since then. Jesus said, “The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt. 24:37-39).

After 120 years of diligent work and faithful preaching by Noah, only eight people entered the ark. But God’s purposes were accomplished and the human race was preserved.

For your information there are many attractions on the Ark Encounter grounds. Ararat Ridge Zoo, camel rides, kangaroo walk about, Rainbow Gardens, The Village Smokehouse (food), Emzara’s restaurant (food), Southwest Grill (food), Zophar’s (food), Free Fall Tower, Zip-Line Tower, Truth Traveler Virtual Reality Experience (separate ticket for this event along with the Screaming Eagle Zip Lines and Aerial Adventure), Family Playground, Noah’s Village has pizza, burgers, hot dogs, soft serve and hand dipped ice cream and funnel cakes. Strollers and wheel chairs along with motorized wheel chairs are available.

At the Break of Day…

We left McPherson, Kansas heading north on our Land That We Love Tour on Friday before dawn and then we turned West heading for Colorado. The majority of our drive was heading west today.

We saw the sunrise through the rear window of our car and the rear view mirrors.

Some Kansas views speeding by at 75 miles per hour.

We found some color in Colorado.

We ended our travel day in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

We are so thankful for another safe day on the road.

On the road we listened to a couple of sermons from 1 Peter chapter 3 today and then listened to a book on CD by Louise Penny.

A small portion of the sermon we heard on 1 Peter 3:13-17 by John MacArthur in 2013;

“I can’t tell you precisely what’s going to come in the future against us, but it’s going to come and it’s going to escalate. For how long? I don’t know. And in what forms? I’m not sure. Persecution is going to come against you as an individual, if it doesn’t already come, because you’re an outspoken Christian. Here you are in the world, an alien and a stranger, and your task is not just to survive, your task is not somehow to defeat the enemy, your task is to win the enemy to your side. You do that by keeping your behavior honest and excellent. You do that by being a shining light in the world so that men can see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. You do that by proclaiming the gospel and loving your persecutors and showing kindness to them. You do that by doing good, having a passion for goodness, being willing to suffer, focusing on Christ, looking to eternal glory and keeping your conscience pure.”

On the road in Kansas…

On Saturday we travel from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Billings, Montana.

Family Moments Hodgepodge

1. Tell us about your favorite moment or share one of the bright spots from the year we’re leaving behind.
~
My favorite moment was when our Colville kids decided enough was enough and we were allowed to hug our grandchildren again. Oh Happy Day!
2. What do you wish you’d known at the start of 2020? Elaborate.
~
I wish I’d known that travel would be so adversely affected because of the COVID. I wouldn’t have booked our flights to London and our lodging in Oxford. Then I wouldn’t have had to spend any time cancelling and wondering if we’d get our money back. Thankfully we were refunded for everything.
3. Best book you read this year? If you did not read any books this year, what’s the best thing you ate all year? We’ve all eaten, right?
~
Nonfiction: Besides the Bible which is by far the best, Only Jesus (What It Really Means To Be Saved) by John MacArthur
Fiction: All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
This was the only nonfiction book I read all year and it wasn’t until December that I read it!
4. The Pantone Colors of the year for 2021 are ultimate gray and illuminating yellow (a bright shade)…are you a fan? Would we find either of these colors in your home or wardrobe?
~
The ultimate gray could be found but I would not choose the illuminating yellow. We have some gray in our home and wardrobes but no illuminating yellow.
5. If you were/are making a list of 21 things to do/accomplish in 2021 what is one thing that would be on it?
~
Weeding out things that I don’t want to leave to our children to deal with is one of the 21 things to accomplish in 2021!
6. Insert your own random thought here.
~
Our family of 10 had a wonderful few days together over Christmas and we are so thankful for the relationship strengthening time we had!
Our 4 kids from the other side of the Cascade Mountain range left on Tuesday for home. We are thankful for how they honor us, their parents, and how they contribute to our family unity!
Addy asked our “Coast Kids”, “Why don’t you live here with us?” She loves spending time with her aunts and uncles. Addy had several deep questions during our times together. Out of the mouth of Babes…
~
Thank you Joyce From This Side of the Pond for your faithful weekly questions that add a midweek boost to our blogging!

The Hardest Part…

…of this shop project is definitely the roof of the structure. The second half of the roof will be harder than the first half since access is limited. Up and over and now the panel is ready to stabilize with screws.

The first couple of panels are the new learning curve and then they find a good method to make it work easier. I stand by and pray and when needed give extra stability to ladders.

Two panels got up today, Thursday. Eleven panels to go for the hardest part of the roof to be complete. Slow and easy everything comes together.

We are heading to Spokane for our shopping day on Friday. We have a very hot forecast for Friday so working on the shop roof is not a good idea. Before and After I babysat our grands on Thursday I was able to mow the front of our property. I mowed the back on Wednesday.

On Friday we are going to the Ukrainian Market in Spokane called Kiev to stock up on Russian Dumplings for us and our kids and then we will stop at Trader Joe’s, TJ Maxx, Total Wine, Costco and Fred Meyer. I have not been able to find Boysenberry Pancake Syrup in Colville so hopefully Spokane’s Fred Meyer won’t let me down. It’s interesting to see items that aren’t available these days. What have you had a hard time finding? We will definitely bring our coolers with ice packs to keep our frozen purchases and refrigerated purchases safe for the long drive home in heat over 100 degrees!

Eric Metaxas interviewed  John MacArthur yesterday on his radio program about reopening church this last Sunday. Praying for Grace and other churches and pastors who are ready to stand. Happy to be able to go to our church in person these days.

“Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”

– Philippians 4:1

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

A couple years ago I read a biography of Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. A very good book that I highly recommend. It’s available on Amazon…

As Adolf Hitler and the Nazis seduced a nation, bullied a continent, and attempted to exterminate the Jews of Europe, a small number of dissidents and saboteurs worked to dismantle the Third Reich from the inside. One of these was Dietrich Bonhoeffer—a pastor and author. In this New York Times best-selling biography, Eric Metaxas takes both strands of Bonhoeffer’s life—the theologian and the spy—and draws them together to tell a searing story of incredible moral courage in the face of monstrous evil.

Hope the last day of July 2020 is a day that brings joy to you and yours!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

If you are visiting from the A to Z Challenge please scroll down below Wednesday Hodgepodge. Cheers!
From this Side of the Pond. 

1. Has spring sprung in your part of the world? How can you tell? Did March come in like a lion where you live? Going out like a lamb or something more ferocious?

March is definitely going out like a lion. I was in Southern California for the beginning of March and it was calm enough except for the escalating worries over COVID-19. Panic shopping and hoarding had begun. In our part of Northeastern Washington Spring comes slowly. We see some green poking up and there are buds forming on some bushes. Our best sign of Spring is our granddaughter who was born on the first day of Spring in 2017.

She’s busy with Spring clean-up!

2. The last thing that caused you to spring to your feet?

Springing to my feet might be a thing of the past but something that made me get up as fast as I could to my feet was our grandson. We have a room at our country bungalow that has been designated as the playroom. It is one of our guest rooms so it has a queen size bed and two nightstands and a dresser and bookshelf besides some toys. I was reading to our granddaughter (sitting properly on the floor as per her instruction) when I saw grandson had walked around the bed to the flimsy lightweight nightstand and the lamp was tottering. I shifted Addy off my lap and got up as fast as I could which is hard from a sitting on the floor position. I got to him in time and moved him away. I then put a sturdy chair in front of the nightstand to block his access to it. Tragedy averted. Next time we are playing in there I will be prepared by moving the chair to block that nightstand forthwith.

For those of you Hodgepodgers who don’t regularly follow my blog, this is our grandson who was born in April of 2019 which is one of the best things that happened during the Hodgepodge hiatus since September of 2018. His older sister just turned 3 and he will turn 1 on April 16th with no huge 1st birthday party because of the virus. He won’t care but it’s tough on the adults in his life.

3. Do you have a spring clean to-do list? What’s one chore on the list you’ve already managed to accomplish? What spring clean chore do you most dread?

I do not have a Spring clean to-do list. We go with the flow.

We managed a good head start on cleaning up our fall brush pile and getting the yard ready for Spring growth. Using my hedge trimmer to clean up leftover dead growth around the former pond and throwing everything on the burn pile was very satisfying.

This winter we had a huge amount of branches and pine cones fall from all of our trees in the front yard. We finished picking up those branches along with some of the cones and they went on the burn pile, too.

I’m not dreading any Spring cleaning chore because I don’t have a big list of things I only do in the Spring. Should I make a list? Maybe I should clean out my closets and drawers??

4. Tell us something you’ve learned about yourself or the wider world as a result of social distancing/the virus crisis.

I’ve learned that concentrating is harder these days. Even though I don’t feel like I’m anxious the uncertainty of where this is all going is unsettling. I’m a person who can get a lot accomplished if I have an incentive like a dinner party, or a trip coming up, or company coming to stay. There’s none of that kind of planning right now so one day just flows into another and my concentration has gone out the window. Hodgpodge helps and blogging helps and having my music on helps, and listening to sermons online helps, too. By the way y’all today is Wednesday just in case you were wondering. Anyone else having to ask, “what day is today?”

5. Something you love that’s the color pink?

My Lenten Rose (Hellebore) that I had to leave behind at our former home in Kenmore. It brought me such joy year after year when it would bloom during the season of Lent. Speaking of leaving things behind, here are my pink rhoddys that I hope are still thriving in Kenmore.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Some good quotes from trusted authors/pastors/Bible that I’ve read this week:

“Faith is not a power which you possess to create your own future. Faith is a God-given ability to trust the future that God has promised you.”~ John MacArthur

“Because of Christ, death is not final. It is a passage from one world to the next.” ~ R.C. Sproul

“Judas heard all Christ’s sermons.” ~ Thomas Goodwin

“Bene orasse est bene studuisse” To have prayed well is to have studied well. ~ Luther

Proverbs 3:25, 26(ESV) ~ Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

Linking up with Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge. I’ll add the direct link on Wednesday.