Glorious Resurrection day

Christ The Lord is Risen! Ah what a glorious thing to meditate on, Christ Jesus has conquered death, he has payed the ransom, He has set us free!  As the hymn writer aptly puts it: 

"Tis the spring of souls today,

Christ has burst his prison,

And from three days sleep in death,

As a sun has risen,

All the winter of our sins,

long and dark is flying,

from his light to whom we give

laud and praise undying."

As we rejoice over this glorious day, the words of a beautiful song come to mind: "Thine be the Glory".  The first verse beautifully states the events which took place on that glorious morning, the second relates how Jesus gathers together his bewildered followers and comforts them, and the third verse is the plea of the writer for Jesus to help him win the battle against sin and guide him home to himself.  Just in case you can't understand the words in this video,

http://youtu.be/lXzmjNE-yLA   here they are below.

Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son;
Endless is the victory, Thou o’er death hast won;
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave clothes where thy body lay.                                                                                                                                            

 Thine is the glory, risen conqu’ring Son,
Endless is the vict’ry, Thou o’er death hast won.
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
Let the church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing;
For her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting.

Refrain

No more we doubt Thee, glorious Prince of life;
Life is naught without Thee; aid us in our strife;
Make us more than conqu’rors, through Thy deathless love:
Bring us safe through Jordan to Thy home above.

Refrain

Enjoy! and Happy Resurrection day!

Good Friday-Ah Holy Jesus

 This is a beautiful song to think about on Good Friday, the day we remember the death of our Lord. It was indeed, I think, the climax of History; all events after the fall were leading up to this point and afterward all things are leading down towards the eventual end of the earth. Before the incarnation and resurrection, men were saved by looking forward to the promised hope of Israel, after the ascension, men were and are saved by looking back to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and his victory over sin and death.
 We choose this day to remember his sacrifice, which did happen on a Friday, (though we can never be quite sure which Friday) and which was both the worst and the best day for God and the Devil concerning the earth. The worst in that God became sin, and the best in that through this seeming defeat came the redemption of mankind. So as we celebrate this day we must both mourn over our sins that nailed the Lord of glory to the cross, but we must also rejoice in His victory over sin and our salvation which He has given us! Let us also rejoice with thankful hearts, for we can never fully know the extent of the pain and sorrow and anguish that it took for Christ to be separated from God and the Father to turn his face from his only begotten son with whom He was well pleased.  So now, here is a song which does a good job of putting our guilt into perspective. Let us remember that we are just as responsible for nailing Jesus to the tree, as was Judas Iscariot!
http://youtu.be/cA43meEg3JY
 

Gabrielle turns twenty-one (a month ago)

I must confess, my friends, that I am quite tardy in posting, as Gabrielle turned 21 on January seventeenth. I have no excuses and can only plead guilty. However, posting late is better than not posting at all, so I will give you a glimpse of what my lovely older sister looked like growing up. I say glimpse, not only because being the oldest child, she had the most pictures, most of which I can not post here, but also because I took pictures of the pictures, and the quality is horrible, but it was the easiest way to do it, and I the pictures are "viewable" (at least most of them). So enjoy!

Five days old.

looking quite stiff in a Sunday suit.

   

Helping Daddy.

With her Grandparents. She was their first grandchild.

                                           

Her first Christmas

With mommy and the uncles.

Her first Birthday

First little brother, Timothy.

Playing with Grandpa. Sorry for the bad quality.

Trying to entertain Timothy.

With her other Grandmother.

with her beloved lamb, "Baba".

Ready for church with daddy.

Her first trip to the ocean.

                                                         
                                                                 

Here she is again, ready for church.

                                                      

feeding her dolly.

                                                                

  Posing with our adopted grandparent's cat. (she is quite photogenic, don't you think?)

                            

I couldn't resist getting all these pictures of her dressed up. She looks so nice.

With little brother Timothy. And, of course, Baba.

                           

With Daddy, Mommy, Timothy and new baby sister, Arianne.

 Playing with Timothy.

dressed up for a Christmas party.

                                                     

Posing with siblings before church.

And again, a year or so later.

                                                          

trying to see how many can fit into one sleeping bag!

                                           

  Aren't those matching dresses so cute?

With second baby sister.

clowning around with siblings before bed.

                                              

A lovely young lady.

                                                               

Dressing doll with sister.

with second little brother Elliot.

A year later.

In a lovely velvet "gown" before church.

                                                   

Playing with a calf at the sugar Maple farm in Vermont.

                                                     

with third little brother Jedidiah.

                                                      

Playing on a " warm" winter day in New Hampshire.

washing Bok-choy from the garden.

with fourth little brother Tobias.

Posing with a flying pig and our adopted Grandfather. (the only two in our group who liked pigs).

On the famous swing in the brown barn.

helping Daddy with the garden chores.

Her baptism.

with our Grandparents a few years ago.

with fifth little brother, Benaiah.

with braces and a new haircut on her eighteenth birthday.

A lovely young lady of nineteen.

 We love you dearly Gabrielle.

O Happy Day

This is a post by Mr. Brown on his father's birthday party at which we were able to attend. This was The elder Mr. Brown's favorite song. I love this song as well and consequently memorized the words. I hope you will enjoy it as well.

Visit Mr. Brown's blog at scottbrownonline.com

And also his company blog at ncfic.org

We sang my father’s favorite song at his birthday party. It was written by the English Puritan, Phillip Doddridge.
Here are my comments about this song at the party:
My dad loves to sing this song…especially before we eat dinner at night. We have sung this song over and over for many years, and hope to continue the pattern. Here is the story behind the song:

When Monica Doddridge gave birth to Philip (1702 -1751, England), she had been through the pain of labor no less than 20 times. 18 of her children had died in infancy. Phillip was delivered as though stillborn, and so the midwife set him aside to attend to his mother. And then the baby cried out. At that moment Monica determined that young Philip’s life had been saved for a purpose. She spent the next few years doing her best to teach her frail son the Scriptures.
At a young age, Philip Doddridge was orphaned. An excerpt from his diary tells that his faith in God remained strong: God is an immortal Father. My soul rejoices in Him. He hath hitherto helped me and provided for me; may it be my study to approve myself a more affectionate, dutiful and grateful child. With no family and no money for formal training, friends encouraged him to give up his dream of entering the ministry. Doddridge took the matter to prayer and God miraculously provided funds.
Doddridge found his place among the clergy of the English Dissenters. He was pastor of an independent congregation and taught at a seminary for dissenting ministers. Doddridge wrote more than 50 hymns, including the very popular O Happy Day.

O happy day, that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Savior and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.
Refrain
Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away!
He taught me how to watch and pray,
And live rejoicing every day
Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away.

O happy bond, that seals my vows
To Him Who merits all my love!
Let cheerful anthems fill His house,
While to that sacred shrine I move.
Refrain
‘Tis done: the great transaction’s done!
I am the Lord’s and He is mine;
He drew me, and I followed on;
Charmed to confess the voice divine.
Refrain
Now rest, my long divided heart,
Fixed on this blissful center, rest.
Here have I found a nobler part;
Here heavenly pleasures fill my breast.

Refrain
High heaven, that heard the solemn vow,
That vow renewed shall daily hear,
Till in life’s latest hour I bow
And bless in death a bond so dear.
Refrain
Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/347#ixzz2HTJ8DUOA

Now the year is over

As we come to the end of this year, it is wonderful to look back on how the Lord has led me and grown me spiritually.  And also to look forward to the ways in which I wish to trust and obey Him more this coming year. This year has been more of a testing year than I have ever really experienced in my short life of sixteen years, and I have felt the Lord's presence more this year, than ever, as a result.  I could list hundreds of ways, yes even thousands, in which the Lord has tested me and disciplined me this year, but I can also list just as many ways in which He has richly opened up the storehouses of heaven and poured down His blessings upon me. Indeed I look not on this past year with much sadness though I have shed more tears this year than usual, I look back on it with joy, knowing that " The Lord chasteneth those who fear Him and scourgeth every son whom He loves".  Yes I know that I am truly His, and because of this alone I am blessed beyond measure.
   Many songs come to my mind at this time. I have many I could post, but there is one song which is reminiscent of some of my struggles and states the joy of belonging to Christ. This is Fanny Crosby's beloved hymn, "Blessed Assurance".

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.
 
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blessed,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
May all of you who read this have a God honoring new year. Soli Deo Gloria.

Jedidiah turns eleven

 Today my younger brother Jedidiah turns eleven years of age. As  I think back over the past years of his life, I have noticed that of all of my brothers, his personality and temperament are very similar to mine. Although he does not share my burning passion for music, he still loves it and I have recently begun to tutor him in violin; for practice to start cello eventually. As he is the third son, and I the third daughter, I find there is a special similarity between us and I can often understand him better than I can my other brothers. Jedidiah is the bookworm, the studious one, the serious one and sometimes the very logical one. I love him dearly. Unfortunately I couldn't find any pictures of him from about four years and on, If I had had enough time I could have found them. However I think you will get the idea of how he grew from the pictures I have here.

                                                      five days old.

                                                       About four or five months.

                                                             I love that smile.

                                                     This is his classic sneep face! He did it all the time as a baby.

                                                    Here he is with his two older brothers, in matching night clothes.

                                                         Fireman small at your service.

                                                    What a darling!

                                                         Crying at his first birthday.(I did that too)

                                                     He loved to be bundled up.

                                                            Giddy-up!

                                                    He always sucked his two fingers. It was so cute...for a time.

                                                       As a happy toddler all ready for church.

                                                      Getting his first haircut from Daddy. This has always been a  tradition                                                                       in our family, Daddy gives the boys their first haircut and                                           Mommy does likewise for the girls.

                                  Playing in the sand box with big brother Elliot.

                                                   Still the two fingers!

                                                           At three years of age. Holding his beloved lamb Gideon.

                                                          Helping older brother Timothy to chop mushrooms.

                                                       Trying on Daddy's shoes with older brother Elliot.

                                                  Painting in his cute paint shirt.
                                        ( It was more of a robe for him, it was so big).

                                             I love this picture! He was using a cardboard book and a stick for a fiddle.

                                     There he is between his older and younger brothers.

                                                 Examining the Paul Revere bell when we walked the Boston freedom trail.

                                                  Grinning in front of a cow skull at the Brown barn on our first trip to                                                                                     North Carolina.

                                                Hugging Gideon before bed.

                                                This picture is so cute. Jeddidiah and younger brother Tobias holding hands.

                                                       Helping Arianne with leaf raking.

                                                         At the seashore shortly before we moved to NC.

                                                       Playing in our new house in NC with Elliot.

                                                       Newest little brother Benaiah.

                                                       Two brothers ready for church.

                                                      November of last year.

                                     We love you dearly Jedidiah.