New Year's Resolutions
I knew it had been a long time since I blogged anything, but when I sat down to look at the calendar, I realized that I haven't blogged all year!! (he he he...) : )
But of course, after the turkey in November, and the fudge in December, we all get down to resolutions in January. (Just an aside: I'm beginning to lean towards the Puritan view of Christmas celebrations... "For a brief time during the 17th century, Puritans banned Christmas in England and in some English colonies in North America because they felt it had become a season best known for ... overindulgence in food and drink." MSN Encarta. "The fruit of the spirit is... temperance." You know that's the one we always leave off? Love, joy, peace,-- yeah yeah, we've all got those down. But temperance?? What does that even mean, anyway? According to Mr. Webster, in 1828 temperance meant "Moderation; particularly, habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence; as temperance in eating and drinking; temperance in the indulgence of joy or mirth. Temperance in eating and drinking is opposed to gluttony and drunkenness, and in other indulgences, to excess." (emphasis mine) I think I'm going to have to do a study on temperance vs. gluttony. I'll do a post on that here when I come to any worthwhile conclusions.)
But that was a rather long aside. Back to my resolutions.
1. Resolved: To begin each day in God's word and in prayer.
2. Resolved: This year to read 2 biographies, 2 puritan books, 1 book by Elizabeth Prentiss, and In My Father's House and So Much More if I can ever get ahold of those last two.
3. Resolved: To eat many more raw vegetables and fruits, and much fewer sweets. (Here's where the whole temperance thing comes in.)
4. Resolved: Not to take any medications this year, Lord willing. Not even tylenol or ibuprofen. Nope. Not even once a month. I'll have to be bringing out my chamomile tea for that : ) If I've got a real, true, no-other-way-around-it reason to do otherwise, well, then praise God for modern medicine. In the meantime, I'll stick with what God gave to us from the beginning.
5. Resolved: To practice good posture, and to stick with a regular exercise routine. Nothing major, but just something to get my heartbeat up and going everyday.
6. Resolved: To get to bed on time (oops. I'm already breaking that one. Don't tell!)
7. Resolved: To blog about all the other resolutions I mean to make, when I remember them.
And lastly, 8. Resolved: ditto to everything here, especially this one (#63):
"On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time."
But of course, after the turkey in November, and the fudge in December, we all get down to resolutions in January. (Just an aside: I'm beginning to lean towards the Puritan view of Christmas celebrations... "For a brief time during the 17th century, Puritans banned Christmas in England and in some English colonies in North America because they felt it had become a season best known for ... overindulgence in food and drink." MSN Encarta. "The fruit of the spirit is... temperance." You know that's the one we always leave off? Love, joy, peace,-- yeah yeah, we've all got those down. But temperance?? What does that even mean, anyway? According to Mr. Webster, in 1828 temperance meant "Moderation; particularly, habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence; as temperance in eating and drinking; temperance in the indulgence of joy or mirth. Temperance in eating and drinking is opposed to gluttony and drunkenness, and in other indulgences, to excess." (emphasis mine) I think I'm going to have to do a study on temperance vs. gluttony. I'll do a post on that here when I come to any worthwhile conclusions.)
But that was a rather long aside. Back to my resolutions.
1. Resolved: To begin each day in God's word and in prayer.
2. Resolved: This year to read 2 biographies, 2 puritan books, 1 book by Elizabeth Prentiss, and In My Father's House and So Much More if I can ever get ahold of those last two.
3. Resolved: To eat many more raw vegetables and fruits, and much fewer sweets. (Here's where the whole temperance thing comes in.)
4. Resolved: Not to take any medications this year, Lord willing. Not even tylenol or ibuprofen. Nope. Not even once a month. I'll have to be bringing out my chamomile tea for that : ) If I've got a real, true, no-other-way-around-it reason to do otherwise, well, then praise God for modern medicine. In the meantime, I'll stick with what God gave to us from the beginning.
5. Resolved: To practice good posture, and to stick with a regular exercise routine. Nothing major, but just something to get my heartbeat up and going everyday.
6. Resolved: To get to bed on time (oops. I'm already breaking that one. Don't tell!)
7. Resolved: To blog about all the other resolutions I mean to make, when I remember them.
And lastly, 8. Resolved: ditto to everything here, especially this one (#63):
"On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time."
1 Comments:
Ooh, I really like Elizabeth Prentiss' writings! Have you read any before? Stepping Heavenward is really good.
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