Bit and Bridle

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. Psalm 32:8-9

Esther and I read this Psalm the other morning. Afterwards I explained to her how a bit and bridle work (from my limited knowledge). Our daughter seems to require a lot of chiding from us and so I thought it to be a good teaching opportunity. But, it is written to us and we need to hear it as much as she.

The following quote says it all! "We should not be treated like mules if there was not so much of the ass about us. If we will be fractious, we must expect to be kept in with a tight rein. Oh, for grace to obey the Lord willingly, lest like the wilful servant, we are beaten with many stripes." Charles H. Spurgeon's Treasury of David. God has his ways of bridling us. We have lessons to learn and by his grace we will press on. Our Savior did not need restraint, but plodded willingly to the cross, taking our disobedience upon himself.

Update

We have begun attending an REC parish called Chapel of the Cross in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas. This is a small, but vibrant and growing congregation in a rapidly changing neighborhood. Ed is hopeful to begin his postulancy under the Rector, Fr. John Boonzaaijer.

After 9 months of studying at the library, Ed has moved his office home! He now comes home after work and is able to join us for lunch.

He figured a way to prop the mattress up in our bedroom and uses headphones to drown us out. He is working on ideas to design a desk. Acts and Pauline Epistles is his current class. He is also taking the last semester of Greek. He has been assigned a passage to study in Greek. He will then write a sermon based on his study.

Esther has become a fish in the water and loves spending time in the pool. She can dive down and pick things up in the 5 ft! She will be starting Kindergarten at a nearby school that we feel will be a great fit for her.

Mel is not quite prepared for the shock of sending Esther to school. She has been my constant companion for the past 5 1/2 years. Now I will need to figure out spending the majority of the day without her. I am quite busy keeping up with the responsibilities that go with living on a shoestring budget. It will be interesting to learn how much free time I will have and how I will use it. I don't have a plan yet!


Enjoy your summer!!!!!!!!!