I'm all cozy tucked into bed, which is the most comfortable (and warmest) place in the house to sit. I'm watching the Puissance 2009 in London (world cup show jumping) and at the same time watching snow falling steadily outside our window. The Puissance is high-jumping for horses!
This weather is so weird. When I woke up this morning and looked out the window, it was sunny and frigid -- a very thick frost coating everything and ice all over the pavements. Then I went for a long walk with my friend Naomi down the canal path, and there was ice on the canal and really thick layers of ice on the path in some spots (really treacherous). The sun was still shining until we were ready to turn around and walk back, and then it started pouring rain, and it poured all the way back. Just after I got inside the house, the wind suddenly picked up and started gusting against the house, and WHOOSH! just like that, the rain turned to thick snow and it looked like a nor'easter outside! Within five minutes enough snow had fallen to cover the pavements and the roads. It has been snowing for about 45 minutes now, and is begininng to slacken off, but who knows what will happen next!
David is on the bus on his way to Snizort, where he will be preaching during both services tomorrow. We decided that I would stay home for this trip because it is such a long, exhausting bus ride up and back and I don't do very well with the windy roads. We were just up and back to Inverness at the beginning of the week and I need to start cutting back on the amount of time spent traveling now that I'm pregnant. Especially with the amount of exhaustion I've been battling. So poor David is on his way to spend the weekend alone in a huge empty manse. I'm going to be spending a couple nights with my friend Naomi while he's away.
We had a good time in Inverness with the other students, as always. And good curry, and good fellowship. . . Tiring, though. It's always a rather intense couple of days.
I had my first prenatal appointment on Monday and that went really well. Had a scan done and David and I both saw our wee Lachman Ness Monster for the first time! That was exciting and rather overwhelming!! When I have a chance to get a digital copy of the scan, I'll post it. :-)
Saturday, 19 December 2009
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
"pains and diligence"
I have been attending a weekly Bible study with some other young women who are friends of mine. We are going through the Gospel of Luke. It's a very informal Bible study layout -- basically we read whatever chapter we are studying that week, and then we break out the commentaries and go through verse by verse, sharing tidbits from the commentaries or whatever we find interesting and worthy of discussing as we go along.
This week we were looking at Luke 5, particularly the passage in verses 17-26 where a paralysed man is let down through the roof by his friends to be healed by Jesus. I was thinking about what an effort these friends put forth to see their unfortunate comrade made whole by the Great Physician. They were determined and innovative thinkers and they found a way to get to Jesus in spite of the crowd! I happened to be looking at a copy of J.C. Ryle's Exposition of Luke during the Bible study and found these words of application which were very convicting:
This week we were looking at Luke 5, particularly the passage in verses 17-26 where a paralysed man is let down through the roof by his friends to be healed by Jesus. I was thinking about what an effort these friends put forth to see their unfortunate comrade made whole by the Great Physician. They were determined and innovative thinkers and they found a way to get to Jesus in spite of the crowd! I happened to be looking at a copy of J.C. Ryle's Exposition of Luke during the Bible study and found these words of application which were very convicting:
Let us mark, firstly, in this passage, what pains men will take about an object when they are in earnest. The friends of a man, sick with the palsy, desired to bring him to Jesus that he might be cured. At first they were unable to do it, because of the crowd by which our Lord was surrounded. What, then, did they do? "They went upon the house-top, and let him down through the tiling, with his couch, into the midst before Jesus." At once their object was gained. Our Lord's attention was drawn to their sick friend, and he was healed. By pains, and labor, and perseverance, his friends succeeded in obtaining for him the mighty blessing of a complete cure.
The importance of pains and diligence, is a truth that meets our eyes on every side. In every calling, and vocation, and trade, we see that great effort is one prominent secret of success. It is not by luck or accident that men prosper, but by hard working. Fortunes are not made without trouble and attention, by bankers and merchants. Practice is not secured without diligence and study, by lawyers and physicians. The principle is one with which the children of this world are perfectly familiar. It is one of their favorite maxims, that there are "no gains without pains."
Let us thoroughly understand that pains and diligence are just as essential to the well-being and prosperity of our souls as of our bodies. In all our endeavors to draw near to God, in all our approaches to Christ, there ought to be the same determined earnestness which was shown by this sick man's friends. We must allow no difficulties to check us, and no obstacle to keep us back from anything which is really for our spiritual good. Specially must we bear this in mind in the matter of regularly reading the Bible, hearing the Gospel, keeping the Sabbath holy, and private prayer. On all these points we must beware of laziness and an excuse-making spirit. (emphasis mine!) Necessity must be the mother of invention. If we cannot find means of keeping up these habits in one way, we must in another. But we must settle in our minds, that the thing shall be done. The health of our soul is at stake. Let the crowd of difficulties be what it may, we must get through it. If the children of this world take so much pains about a corruptible crown, we ought to take far more pains about one that is incorruptible.
Why is it that so many people take no pains in religion? How is it that they can never find time for praying, Bible reading and hearing the Gospel? What is the secret of their continual string of excuses for neglecting means of grace? How is it that the very same men who are full of zeal about money, business, pleasure, or politics, will take no trouble about their souls? The answer to these questions is short and simple. These men are not in earnest about salvation. They have no sense of spiritual disease. They have no consciousness of requiring a Spiritual Physician. They do not feel that their souls are in danger of dying eternally. They see no use in taking trouble about religion. In darkness like this thousands live and die. Happy indeed are they who have found out their peril, and count all things loss if they may only win Christ, and be found in Him!"
Knowing that I myself am not as faithful, determined or committed to seeking Christ as I ought, this was a very humbling passage to read. . . and I wanted to share it with my friends so they, too, could be thinking about the benefits of spiritual pains and diligence.
Sunday, 6 December 2009
in sickness and in health. . .
Well, David and I have experienced quite a bit of the "in sickness" part of our marriage vows recently. David has now been sick for a full 4 weeks and his chest cough is still lingering on. He went to the dr. this week and was told that he most likely has been fighting either a nasty cold or the flu. Thankfully the dr. found nothing alarming (no pneumonia, chest infection, bronchitis, or anything like that). He has been a bit improved in the last couple of days, with the exception of not sleeping well at at all because of lingering coughing, but we will be very happy to see him kick this thing for GOOD!
In the midst of this drama, I have been struggling with my own health. On Monday I helped out at the weekly Shettleston children's Bible club, where I taught the lesson and was heavily involved in the games and other "wild" activities. . . . and completely overdid it (need to really be more careful now that I'm pregnant!). I could hardly crawl out of bed on Tuesday as a result, so David put me on bed rest for the day. Then around 2am on Thursday morning I woke up in a lot of pain and shaking uncontrollably (though I didn't have a fever). This continued for the rest of the night and then around 8am I felt faint and nauseous and called David (who was in the other room) and by the time he came in I was passed out face-first on the bedroom floor. The next couple of hours I spent vomiting repeatedly and passing out repeatedly. This was poor David's initiation into "having Katie as a sick wife" (I faint whenever I vomit). He was so good, and it was reassuring to have him there holding me (I have hit my head more times than I can count fainting - this time I always had David there to make sure I didn't!). My mom's reaction was, "Katie, did you scare David out of his wits?" I said, "No, Mom, he did a great job handling it - he only asked me twice if I was still breathing!" We called the dr. because I was terribly ill and we were not sure what to do. I got an emergency appointment and the dr. told me that I had picked up a virus that was going around. She gave me an injection to stop the vomiting, which then stopped the rest of the "vicious cycle" that I was experiencing and enabled me to get some good rest during the remainder of the afternoon. Thankfully there is nothing wrong with the pregnancy, this was just an unrelated virus that I caught! But I am still recovering from it after three days of almost total bed rest. Definitely not back to 100% yet, but we are praying for renewed strength and a full recovery.
I am so grateful to our friends the Harams who were kind enough to pick us up and take us to the dr. for my emergency appointment, and to our friend Parthee who came over yesterday and cleaned my whole kitchen and cooked dinner for us!
We are ready for the drama to be over now and to be healthy again!
In the midst of this drama, I have been struggling with my own health. On Monday I helped out at the weekly Shettleston children's Bible club, where I taught the lesson and was heavily involved in the games and other "wild" activities. . . . and completely overdid it (need to really be more careful now that I'm pregnant!). I could hardly crawl out of bed on Tuesday as a result, so David put me on bed rest for the day. Then around 2am on Thursday morning I woke up in a lot of pain and shaking uncontrollably (though I didn't have a fever). This continued for the rest of the night and then around 8am I felt faint and nauseous and called David (who was in the other room) and by the time he came in I was passed out face-first on the bedroom floor. The next couple of hours I spent vomiting repeatedly and passing out repeatedly. This was poor David's initiation into "having Katie as a sick wife" (I faint whenever I vomit). He was so good, and it was reassuring to have him there holding me (I have hit my head more times than I can count fainting - this time I always had David there to make sure I didn't!). My mom's reaction was, "Katie, did you scare David out of his wits?" I said, "No, Mom, he did a great job handling it - he only asked me twice if I was still breathing!" We called the dr. because I was terribly ill and we were not sure what to do. I got an emergency appointment and the dr. told me that I had picked up a virus that was going around. She gave me an injection to stop the vomiting, which then stopped the rest of the "vicious cycle" that I was experiencing and enabled me to get some good rest during the remainder of the afternoon. Thankfully there is nothing wrong with the pregnancy, this was just an unrelated virus that I caught! But I am still recovering from it after three days of almost total bed rest. Definitely not back to 100% yet, but we are praying for renewed strength and a full recovery.
I am so grateful to our friends the Harams who were kind enough to pick us up and take us to the dr. for my emergency appointment, and to our friend Parthee who came over yesterday and cleaned my whole kitchen and cooked dinner for us!
We are ready for the drama to be over now and to be healthy again!
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
exciting news! :-)
*drum roll please!*
As most of you who read my blog probably already know, from reading my Facebook status, David and I are expecting our first child. I am due at the end of June, Lord willing!! This is very exciting for us, as you can probably guess. . . :-D We have known for a couple of months now, but were waiting to make it public until I was a bit further along.
Thankfully I have been blessed with a very dear friend, Shael, who has been an encouragement and a support to me in so many ways. She has 6 children of her own and is very familiar with the NHS and local midwife services. The Lord has been so good to me in so many ways!
So far, I have had no morning sickness and I do not take that for granted!! My stomach is quite unsettled and uncomfortable at times, and it can be a challenge to find something that sounds good to eat, but so far that has been the extent of my morning sickness drama. I posted previously about a bizarre food craving (tuna) which the Lord was gracious and answered in an amazing way! :-)
On the other hand, I have really been struggling with very low energy levels and a LOT of major back pain. The exhaustion has made it nearly impossible for me to keep up with the housework, which has been a source of major discouragement for me in the past few weeks (especially when I walk into my kitchen and see the mountain of dirty dishes). But David is very helpful and supportive, and is always encouraging me to rest a lot, and to take things slowly and in small chunks, so that I can get things done bit by bit without wearing myself out.
The Lord is good to us and we are praying for His continued protection and blessing throughout this pregnancy. :-)
As most of you who read my blog probably already know, from reading my Facebook status, David and I are expecting our first child. I am due at the end of June, Lord willing!! This is very exciting for us, as you can probably guess. . . :-D We have known for a couple of months now, but were waiting to make it public until I was a bit further along.
Thankfully I have been blessed with a very dear friend, Shael, who has been an encouragement and a support to me in so many ways. She has 6 children of her own and is very familiar with the NHS and local midwife services. The Lord has been so good to me in so many ways!
So far, I have had no morning sickness and I do not take that for granted!! My stomach is quite unsettled and uncomfortable at times, and it can be a challenge to find something that sounds good to eat, but so far that has been the extent of my morning sickness drama. I posted previously about a bizarre food craving (tuna) which the Lord was gracious and answered in an amazing way! :-)
On the other hand, I have really been struggling with very low energy levels and a LOT of major back pain. The exhaustion has made it nearly impossible for me to keep up with the housework, which has been a source of major discouragement for me in the past few weeks (especially when I walk into my kitchen and see the mountain of dirty dishes). But David is very helpful and supportive, and is always encouraging me to rest a lot, and to take things slowly and in small chunks, so that I can get things done bit by bit without wearing myself out.
The Lord is good to us and we are praying for His continued protection and blessing throughout this pregnancy. :-)
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