On the Shoulders of a Giant: Isaac Newton

Brilliant. Isaac Newton was simply brilliant. I confess I knew very little about Newton other than a story about an apple falling on his head and his discovering gravity -- just like that. Apparently, that story isn’t quite right. However, it is true that he was able to learn and discover so much in a short amount of time.

Isaac Newton was a mathematician, philosopher, chemist, and physicist. That should be enough to scare anyone away, right? But on top of that, he was actually a theologian. In a nutshell, this guy’s mind was intimidating. He was a diligent student bent on creating a worldview that encompassed all of these things so that they fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. Ambitious, to say the least!

Mitch Stokes’ book, Isaac Newton (part of the Christian Encounters series), is not as intimidating as the man. I enjoyed getting to learn about this brilliant man who’s aim was actually to glorify God with his discoveries and studies. That’s rare. He had some interesting views on God, including the Trinity. Personally, I would have enjoyed the book more if it had included more about his personal and religious views and less on his scientific findings. But trigonometry and geometry were enough to drive me mad in school, so I might be biased. Perhaps if I understood those things, I could truly appreciate the man who invented calculus.  I do believe people with a mathematical or scientific background could appreiciate this more than my pitiful mind, but it was good to stretch it.  I plan on passing it on to my dad, a lover of science.

This much I gathered:  the rest of the world stands on the shoulders of this giant.




(I received this book free from Thomas Nelson as a part of http://www.booksneeze.com/.)

On the Shoulders of a Giant: Isaac Newton

Friendly Friday: How Do You Know?

I've heard it.  I've seen it.  I've felt it. 
It's here. 

And it's wonderful!

Never mind that the forecast shows flurries next week.  Winter will not be back to stay . . . it's just saying goodbye slowly.  But it's definitely goodbye, not hello.

The year's at the spring

And day's at the morn;

Morning's at seven;

The hillside's dew-pearled;

The lark's on the wing;

The snail's on the thorn;

God's in His heaven -

All's right with the world!

~Robert Browning

It's Friendly Friday:  I ask. You answer.   

How do you know that spring is here?

I really want to know!

Friendly Friday: How Do You Know?

Who Should I Serve First?

"To serve God is to serve people. 

To serve people is to serve purpose." 

These words from Beth Moore in her Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman study caused me to pause and ponder.  Immediately, these faces flashed through my mind:

And I had to ask myself, "How well am I serving them?"


Serve has several different meanings. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says to serve is “to work for; to bestow the labor of body and mind in the employment of another.” This I do, at least in part. I’m constantly working to clean, cook, and care for my three. However, while my body may be engaged my mind is often far removed. I’m guilty of only half-listening as my rascals rattle on, only to get caught when they ask me a question . . . and I don’t know how to answer. I’m serving in body, not in mind.

There were two other definitions that really hit home. “To act as the minister of; to perform official duties to; as, a minister serves his prince.” Hmmmm. I started to consider my King, and just how he might wish for me to act as an officer to the ones with which I’ve been entrusted. And this verse from 2 Corinthians 5:20 came to mind,

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,

as though God were making his appeal through us.”

Am I serving my family in such a way that God is appealing to them? Do they truly recognize Him as He is? Or is my service a hindrance to them?

And here’s why I know I need to work on how I serve. The word serve also means “to wait on.” Waiting is not my natural gift; I’m not a patient person. Yet, I’m always waiting on someone

To finish her meal
To finish his seatwork
To clean up his mess
To complete his chores
To find her lambie
To decide which snack she wants
To get his shoes on . . .

It’s an endless list. And why am I impatient with the waiting?

Because this girl right here. Me:

I have things I want to do:

Read a book
Clean the house
Talk to a friend
Check my email
Get in a workout
Read a blog
Take some pictures
Take a shower (a nice long, hot one) . . .

The list is endless. The time is not. A servant must choose who she’s going to serve first.  The greatest gets the priority, and in God's kingdom, the least is the greatest. 

Today, I'm going to follow someone else's example.  It is the greatest we have.

"The Son of Man did not come to be served,

but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  Matthew 20:28

Who Should I Serve First?

WORD-Filled Wednesday

Pointing us Godward today.  Linger over this song and sing praises of your own.

"For great is Your love, higher than the heavens;

 Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 

Be exalted, O GOD, above the heavens,

and let Your glory be over all the earth."

Psalm 108:4-5

Fill up with His Word.

WORD-Filled Wednesday

Eating Rainbows

A long time ago in a land far away, a teenaged boy was kidnapped and taken from his homeland to live as a slave in a foreign country. After six long years, he managed to escape by walking two hundred miles where he found a ship and sailed home to his family.

And then, strangely, he went back to his captors.

Christ will do that to a person -- cause you to do things others find strange.

Patrick is now known as the patron saint of Ireland for his work as a missionary to that country. He took a people who were at the whims of the gods of nature and their druids, who even practiced human sacrifice, and showed them the way to their Creator and Savior. He was just one of several missionaries in Ireland at that time, but he is long remembered for the work he did there.

All this I learned as an adult while reading a picture book to my kids. I'm neither Irish nor Catholic so when I was younger, St. Patrick's Day was only about wearing green to avoid the mean kid who was sure to pinch you -- hard! Now, I try to teach my kiddos about the mission-minded man and the God who directed him.

This year to celebrate, we baked these fun cupcakes. I'm sharing the idea with you today in case you want to do the same.

I got the idea from Family Fun Magazine, a favorite of mine, and you can go to my Recipe Box if you're interested in learning how to make them.

There's no pot of gold at the end of these rainbows (maybe a pot belly if you eat too many).  May your treasure be this instead from the third chapter of Proverbs:

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.

She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire can compare with her.

Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor. 

Tomorrow wear some green and maybe eat a rainbow.  Have a little fun.


And God be with you!

Eating Rainbows

Extreme Makeover: Divine Edition

A thought from Rob Bell caused a major renovation in my mind today. It needed it. We were watching the DVD Everything is Spiritual, when he said this:

“Everything is drenched in the Divine.”

My mind stuck on that phrase and rolled it over and over in my head. Everything? Really? My mind protests that this can’t be so. Telling my kids for the 140th time to pick up their socks surely isn’t drenched in the Divine. Sorting laundry, warming up a frozen pizza, mopping globs of applesauce off of Baby Girl’s face isn’t divine. Listening to the replay of a college ballgame given by my sports nut certainly doesn’t qualify either, does it? And preparing for a class only to have half of the people not show and others show up late can’t be listed in the Divine in my book.

And then this other thought from Rob Bell,

“What you look for, you will find.”

That’s when I had my makeover moment. I’m looking for the wrong things. When I focus on dirty socks, dirty faces, hurried dinners and boring replays, I’m not looking for the Divine. I’m looking for a way out. When I focus on late and absent members of a class, I’m not looking for the Divine. I’m looking at my own disappointment and frustration.

So bear with me as I pause for a moment, close my eyes and refocus. I’m going to look for the Divine.  With eyes closed, now I see:

Feet. Strong, healthy, running, happy feet. Working as God created them to. That’s what those socks belong to.

Food. Quick, nourishing, yummy food. Food that many others literally die without. And time. Time I didn’t have to spend preparing something in the kitchen. More time to spend with the blessings God gave me.

The Face. A sweet, smiling face under all that applesauce. I love that face. Thank you, God, for that face.

Friendship. Heartstrings tied with my son as he grows.  How blessed I am that he wants to talk to me.

Fellowship. Earnest, seeking friends who really want to be there – even if it means being twenty minutes late.


Excuse me as I rediscover the Divine. My life is drenched in it.

Extreme Makeover: Divine Edition

Friendly Friday: I Really Want to Know

Because what I really want is to know about you, this is Friendly Friday.  I'll ask a question, you answer.  Pretty easy, right?  Hold tight as I explain where I'm going, and wait for the question.

Yesterday I got my tires checked.  After my name was called, and I had changed into a lovely pink top with strings, I joined a few other women in a smaller, more private inner room.  I sat with my magazine and started to read when I realized something was wrong with my top.  It wasn't tied right, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong.  One of the ladies, a joyful older gal, noticed my fiddling with it and started to giggle.  "Not you too?"  Apparently, it's a universal problem.

Her friend, a take-charge blond about 20 or more years older than I, ordered, "Stand up.  I'll help you." 

And I obeyed.

She walked over
Untied my top
Wrapped me right
And tied me up again.

Strangely, it didn't feel weird:  this woman I'd never set eyes on before re-robing my braless self (she did it modestly). 

In a waiting room of women dressed in pink tie-tops, it felt like . . . . Sisterhood.  She and I and the other women waiting for their squeezes and waiting for what we hoped was good news, bonded.

So, my question to you:  When was the last time you felt a sisterhood bond with a complete stranger?

I really want to know.

Friendly Friday: I Really Want to Know