Keep your lamps burning.

“Let your loins stay girded and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Luke 12:35-48 (Mostly ESV)

Meie Isa Palve

 

It's been a minute!

While almost 3 months have passed since the last blog post, there have been plenty of Rhythm of the Sword things happening. Here's a quick update:

• The Fortress Logbook is a real and well established pocket notebook, and better yet, has settled into a fairly stable design! Since the preview I shared in August, I've made only minor alterations, and filled up several Logbooks along the way. They are performing beautifully and have become my favorite notebooks, which could not be said of any of my previous homemade creations. While they are not yet publicly out for sale online, it is still a long-term goal of mine to make them available. Every few weeks, I tinker with another thing or two in the Logbook's brief written materials, and I think we're nearly there.
• Meie Isa Palve is a Psalm-based prayer structure that's been really helpful over the last few months. Like the Logbook, it has settled into a stable form and has really been a good devotional resource. You get a little bit of everything - familiar liturgies of some favorite Psalms, wide exposure to the New Testament, and repeated read-throughs of longer sections of Scripture to help learn them by heart.
• Exercise is on and off, which is better than just off! I have a Turkey Trot coming up, and am running about twice a week. My latest theory is that I train best without a training plan, which is what I did in college and was in the best shape of my life. Future plans include a possible St. Patrick's run in Cleveland, a Murph in Cleveland this summer, and a 20-30 mile homemade effort sometime in July.

Finally, along with Meie Isa Palve has come a tool I've really come to love, which I call "The Fortress." It's just a set of prayers for use throughout the day, where you can pick a shorter or longer form based on time or preference. These prayers form the foundation for Meie Isa Palve. All are sung aloud in the given sequences, but any part can of course be taken individually and sung, as well. Sticking with the Fortress theme, I'm giving a name for each prayer. All numbers are from Lutheran Service Book - each prayer can be found on the given page...

Tower:                    196

Stronghold:     192 196 210

Fortress:   130 192 196 210 223

Meie Isa

Artwork from Kloria Publishing "A Mighty Fortress is our God"

"All our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone." - Martin Luther (Large Catechism III)

Bold words from Luther.

All our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone.

We hear about the "Solas" of the Reformation: We believe in the authority of Scripture Alone, which reveals that we are saved by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone, and so the Glory is to God Alone.

But where does "prayer alone" fit into all that? Are we adding a sixth "Sola" that pollutes the others with imperfect human works? I don't think so. As always, context is important. Here's what Luther is talking about:

"[The people] become daily more unfit for prayer because of indifference. That is just what the devil desires, and for which he works with all his powers. He is well aware what damage and harm it does him when prayer is done properly. We need to know this: all our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone. For we are far too weak to deal with the devil and all his power and followers who set themselves against us. They might easily crush us under their feet. Therefore, we must consider and take up those weapons with which Christians must be armed in order to stand against the devil." - LC III (CPH)

Far from extolling the power of human efforts, Luther calls us "far too weak" to combat the powers of darkness. Instead, he directs us to prayer. Prayer does not call upon the strength of the horse or the legs of a man to wage war against the darkness. Prayer does not trust in princes. Christian prayer is the most basic active expression of a heart that fears, loves, and trusts in God above all things.

Prayer is grounded in Scripture Alone and flows from it - most especially the Lord's Prayer, and the 150 Psalms that expand upon it. Prayer teaches us to put our trust in Grace Alone, and not in our own strength, good works, or pious efforts. Prayer is the exercise of Faith Alone, just as a son who trusts his earthly Father will come to him with confidence that his needs will be met. Prayer is possible through Christ Alone, because his blood has given us peace with our Father in heaven. In fact, the Gospels reveal that we pray not only through Christ but alongside him. And so in prayer, the glory belongs to God Alone - for it is only he who can help, rescue, deliver, conquer, forgive, renew, and restore. Even the work of prayer itself is not a human invention, nor does it arise from human strength, but from the New Adam, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

All our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone. This is not introducing a new "Sola" to the Reformation. Rather, Luther is teaching us how the "Solas" are used in real time. How to do battle. Luther here reveals to us, from the Word of God, the key to spiritual warfare. And he is not inventing something new; the words of Jesus in the garden are squarely behind him: "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41 ESV)." Peter, of course, does not heed this warning, and I would argue that his fall was a direct result of his indifference. Jesus, on the other hand, prays the third petition of the Lord's Prayer in the garden, and thus is strengthened and prepares himself for the cross.

Consider the words of Paul:  "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:16-18 ESV)." Here we see the true understanding of prayer, not set against the doctrines of faith and the Word, but flowing from them.

All our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone. Luther's Large Catechism unfolds for us this treasure that Scripture can't seem to stop extolling, and we (or at least I) can't seem to stop ignoring. Consider again, from Paul: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV)."

Take up prayer. Most especially, take up the Lord's Prayer and the Psalms. Take them up continually, because God has most solemnly commanded us to pray, and because prayer is absolutely essential as our shelter and protection against the daily darkness of sin, death, and the devil. Take it up, but not as a heavy load that bears down on the soul with the immense weight of its command and obligation. With Jesus Christ as our Lord and Brother, this yoke is easy, and this burden is light. Take up prayer just as the soldier takes up shelter and protection in his King's mighty fortress. Be steadfast in prayer just as the soldier remains steadfast upon the ancient and unbroken walls of solid rock. Forsake the slumber of the heart, reject the enticement of the world, and deride offers to parley from the devils outside the walls. The Christian soldier stands firm, not on the strength of his will, but on the commands and promises of his Father, which find their fulfillment in the cornerstone of this mighty fortress: Jesus, the Christ.

Pray to Our Father, in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ is Risen. Amen.

Merry Christmas! Pray the Lightkeeper's Prayer

Lightkeeper's Prayer

LSB 956

LSB 957

LSB 434 [use ending from v.1&2 until last prayer of the day]

A Powerful Prayer to Fill the Day

If you've read this blog for a while, it's probably unsurprising that I call this prayer "Endurance"

The summary (using LSB numbers) is:

+ 956 130 957 967 +

• Make the sign of the cross and begin to sing "Create in Me"
• Sing (chant) Psalm 130
• Sing the Lord's Prayer
• Pray the "Jesus Prayer" which is not in the LSB but widely known; it was started with the desert fathers: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
• Make the sign of the cross as you finish.

This can of course be spoken instead of sung, or kept in the mind, depending on the context limitations. It takes me about 3 minutes, so it's easy to insert into little pockets throughout the day. Very effective against Satan, the World, and the Flesh.

Endurance

The above image is a sneak peak of the Endurance Logbook. Friday (Dec 6th) I was very excited to produce the first Test Print for this notebook - actually sending cover and flyleaf files to the printer, and cutting and folding them on ordinary copy paper to see what happened. I'm thrilled with how the notebook has come together, and I can now see what the next modifications will need to be as I fine tune things. I also have all the paper materials gathered for the project once we make the first real prototype.

Every feature of the inside is carefully chosen and designed, including:

• An introduction the Endurance expedition, explaining the cover art and name choice
• A page for personal information
• A longer quote on prayer from Luther in the Large Catechism
• Hahn Daily Prayer
• Usyk Daily Strength
• Wiles Daily Conversions
• "A Clean Heart" page - an encouragement for Christian men

I am testing the plans live as the notebook develops. I am planning to move forward with construction on the first Endurance Logbook at the end of Christmas Break once I complete 4 weeks of consistently implementing the plans in the notebook, in order to give them a thorough test, to be able to endorse them wholeheartedly for their intended purpose.

I will use this space to provide periodic updates and insights during this process of building spiritual discipline - which of course is lifelong, but you've got to start somewhere. This page is also intended to answer the lingering questions raised by my post from July 2023, namely how to maintain consistency in these practices. How to endure to the end, how not to let your love grow cold, despite desperate opposition from the devil, the world, and the flesh, which rage, fight, distract, and do all in their power to take us from the gifts of Christ in Word and Sacrament, in prayer and practice. The theme of the Logbook, as well as for the joyous suffering I'm in the midst of beginning today, is Matthew 24:13, the words of our Lord Jesus: "But the one who endures to the end will be saved."

Day 1: 7 December 2024

The chief insight I have in my present mind is this: Jesus Only can defeat the powers of darkness. We must cling to him in hearing the Word and receiving the Sacrament. And we must cling to him in prayer, calling upon the name of the Lord. Prayer is the first, chief, and most fundamental work of each hour, each day, since it calls to our aid our only hope against evil, our only light in the midst of the darkness. Pray without ceasing. It's the only actual silver bullet, because through the Spirit, it sanctifies whatever you're doing, which means it will be blessed, according to his good will and purpose. And that prayer is not separate from the Word, but inextricably intertwined with it, most clearly in the Psalms and the Lord's Prayer, as well as in faithful hymns and other prayers. These words and meditations must be on our lips and in our hearts with discipline and regularity from Sunday morning to Sunday morning. Not only that, but laced with prayer, the Christian must practice bodily discipline, controlling and subduing the flesh as the Augsburg Confession so rightly teaches. But all the efforts must stem from Christ's help in Word and Sacrament, in prayer and song, else they will quickly crumble, for though the spirit indeed is willing, the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41 summarizes this very nicely.

Hahn Daily Prayer II

It's time for my second run with Hahn Daily Prayer. The first stretch ended after 28 days - getting through a full cycle of the plan, but losing focus toward the end.

I'm recommitting and getting back on track without any changes; prayer never fails me. I fail to pray. All we can do is lift our eyes again to Jesus only, and give ourselves to prayer. More prayer, more frequently, like the persistent widow begging for the help of a gracious Lord. I will post updates here; looking to complete a 40-day stretch ending with Christmas Eve.

Day 2 (11/16): Got ahead and stayed ahead. I should do that as a matter of course, not as the exception. Getting and staying refocused on the Word and prayer.

Hahn Daily Prayer

 

Traugott Hahn was an Estonian pastor and a martyr of the Russian Revolution. Hahn went to sleep in Christ on 14 January 1919, joining 18 other prisoners who were shot one by one in a basement in Tartu, Eesti for their refusal to yield their faith to the rule of the Red Terror. Hahn chose to continue preaching in the underground church after most had fled. Once arrested, he did not despair but gave himself to the Word of God and prayer. Those who witnessed his final days were astounded and strengthened by the steadfastness of his silent, prayerful vigil, which continued even as he took his final, untroubled steps toward the peace of the grave. 

A couple months ago, I posted about Gerhardt Daily Prayer, a daily prayer discipline that I had developed and begun to use. With very slight modification, I rebranded it as Hahn Daily Prayer, and have now been, quite frankly, blessed beyond words by it. I want to use this space to update my time in this discipline, and thoughts and insights gleaned along the way.

24 Days In - This is now the second-longest I've stuck with a devotional plan in my life, behind only the summer of 2023 when I was praying 24 Psalms a day, with Psalm 143 as my "Hidden Blade." HDP uses a similar strategy, but with a higher total volume of the Word of God, song, and prayer during the day (to keep me from losing focus for an extended period of time) and a slightly expanded Hidden Blade, which I call 40 (143+957+434). My priorities have entirely shifted, with prayer taking the absolute top priority in terms of things that I cannot and will not forsake, each and every day. It's the first thing we pray in the Lord's Prayer: Hallowed be thy name. And it's happening during a time of life for me that is much busier, much less relaxed, and much more challenging and stressful than the summer of 2023 was. And yet the Lord is able to provide, protect, and fight for me. I would say a good summary thought / insight right now is from Martin Luther, a quote that is included in the HDP table:

"But now our enemies may confidently ridicule prayer and make a mockery of it. However, we shall still be a match both for them and the devil by prayer alone, if we only persevere diligently and do not become slack.” Luther, LC III

Or again, "All our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone." Luther, LC III

I am still incredibly weak, but I'm realizing that the solution to the weakness is continual crying out to God, not self-discipline through willpower, desire through goal-setting, or really any effort on my part. Our Lord simply wants us to ask him, trust him, despair of ourselves and trust him - first and foremost, through prayer. It helps to do so in a regular, structured, Scripture-driven way, and that's what HDP is doing for me. It doesn't have to be any specific structure.

GDP Update

 

I put a couple necessary finishing touches on Gerhardt Daily Prayer effective this morning, and like I mentioned in the last post will incorporate it into the Endurance Logbook. I will include updates regarding this and the Logbook as they come. One on the Logbook - I'm thinking of an outer flyleaf just inside the cover, and then another section at the halfway point of the book. The halfway point would be the devotionally focused materials, including a Luther quote on prayer from the Large Catechism, as well as GDP, possibly the Sons of Solomon Psalms, and more. 

Gerhardt Daily Prayer

 

Paul Gerhardt, born on 12 March 1607, is my favorite hymnodist and undoubtedly one of the top 3 all-time Lutheran hymn writers (along with Philipp Nicolai and Johann Heermann). Inspired by the sainted man, I developed an order for daily prayer called Gerhardt Daily Prayer, which incorporates two of his excellent hymns - one meditation on Christ's crucifixion and the other on his resurrection.

This order for daily prayer, along with other exciting resources and features, will be made available to the public with the release of the Endurance Logbook just a few months from now. By then, I will have tested it out and may have further analysis. Gerhardt Daily Prayer (GDP!) requires two tools - a Bible and the LSB (ideally the pocket edition).

Creating devotional orders has become a surprisingly counterproductive hobby of mine - since I spend more time making them than using them. Gerhardt Daily Prayer is here to flip the script, end the search for the latest and greatest new blast of wind, and provide a long-term solution for daily prayer, centered around the Word of God. 

It's not about finding the perfect solution. It's about finding something good, and then rooting yourself in it, like a tree planted by streams of water.

God be praised! And thank you Jesus for all the saints, especially today for Pastor Paul Gerhardt.

Suggestions for a New Hymnal

 

When Lutheran Service Book (LSB) was published in 2006, it was designed to be a unifying hymnal for the synod. Specifically, they wanted to get the vast majority of congregations behind a single book. At the time, I'm guessing the synod was primarily split between three worship resources: The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, and contemporary music. While the synod will probably never (again?) all worship from the same book and in the same way, they wanted to give it their best shot to appease both the TLH and LW folks, while also giving a nod to the contemporary congregations, all without sacrificing faithfulness and quality.

I came into the history of Lutheran hymnody pretty late in the game, since I was only born 9 years before LSB came out. My congregation growing up used TLH, but my father gave every member of our family an LSB, seeing the potential benefits in getting us used to the hymnal that most of the synod would be using, as well as the benefit of trying to use the same (new) Bible translation across the board - ESV.

Lutheran Service Book has become my favorite Lutheran hymnal, chiefly because it's the one I grew up with, and the one I continue to use. I don't necessarily think it's the best; one of the old books from the '20s or even Walther's Hymnal probably have it beat. But if the goal was to unify the synod without becoming unfaithful, I think the writers and editors of LSB did a fine job. The hymnal retains a great many treasures of Lutheran hymnody. It employs a genius numbering system to prevent confusion across sections. Its wide array of resources is eminently useful. Its liturgies are faithful and mostly beautiful. The pocket edition especially, which I've written about before, is just golden; I believe the first hymnal in our synod's history to contain all 150 Psalms.

At the same time, Lutheran Service Book has a number of weaknesses, mostly borne from their desire to create a unifying hymnal - trying to do a lot of things well often ends up meaning some depth and quality is lost. Specifically, here are the hymnal's weaknesses as I see them:

• Not having all 150 Psalms in the standard hymnal
• Too many orders of worship and divine service (the Lutheran Service Builder has made a lot of that simply unnecessary - a technological advancement that would not have been foreseen at the time)
• Too many third-tier hymns
• The amputation (shortening or eliminating) of too many first-tier hymns
• The lack of inclusion of other confessional documents

Allow me to briefly defend each of these points. First - the Psalms. As our doctrine and practice become increasingly watered down with soft antinomianism, the Psalms stand firm as a stalwart boon against this evil. I think it's a crime for a hymnal not to contain the hymnal God has already given us.

Second - the orders of worship. People are going to take liberties in creating orders of the divine service. We should offer between one and three set liturgies for the unity of the synod, but not try to accommodate and plan for every little variation that individual congregations will want to bring in.

Third - the third-tier hymns. In an effort to appeal to a broader base, LSB contains some real duds in terms of hymnody. Here's what I mean with tiers -

First tier - hymns of great quality, theologically and musically (think Gerhardt, Heermann, Nicolai, etc.)

Second tier - good, solid hymns

Third tier - hymns that are "fine" but lacking in depth, beauty, and clear confession of faith

Fourth tier - hymns that are mystical, heterodox, or heretical

While I appreciate the desire to appeal to lovers of modern hymnody, and there is good modern hymnody out there, I don't think our churches will be helped by weak words that do a poor job of delivering and proclaiming the clear Word of God. 

Fourth - amputation. A flip-through Walther's Hymnal revealed to me a troubling truth. Many of the gems that do remain in LSB are only shadows of themselves. Their original texts are far more beautiful, far more complete, and often written with bolder and less androgynous language. This feminization of hymnody has no place in the faithful Lutheran church - and we're stealing a lot of serious Biblical truth and strength from a lot of these astoundingly good hymns.

Fifth - inclusion of confessional documents. We will inevitably stray away from the Book of Concord if we don't read it, and I think the first step is getting it in people's hands any way we can. It would be excellent if the hymnal were to contain one of the shorter writings from the Confessions, as has been done in the past. I would suggest the UAC, Large Catechism, or Formula - Epitome.

In all likelihood, the LCMS will one day publish a new hymnal. I hope and pray that it will not be soon - these kinds of changes can cause great strife and trouble, and should only be undertaken when necessary. As Luther says, it's extremely valuable to hold to the same form of words; even in a new hymnal, we should do all wae can not to change details of existing words. Let's say it's the year 2050, and the synod needs to take a step deeper into faithfulness as the world goes crazier. Here's how I would design the next Lutheran hymnal:

Reductions

• Remove the Gloria Patri from the end of each Psalm. This is a space-saver. While the Trinitarian focus is commendable, it sometimes weakens and undermines that divinely-chosen ending of each Psalm.
• Remove Divine Service 2, 4, and 5. 
• Remove either Responsive Prayer I or II
• Remove the service of Corporate Confession and Absolution
• Condense the "Prayers, Intercessions, and Thanksgiving" section, with only about half the prayers, but make them better quality drawing from one of the older versions of the Lutheran Book of prayer. make each prayer a bigger deal instead of just throwing a bunch in there.
• Remove 10-20 third-tier hymns, and any and all fourth-tier hymns
• Remove a few of the repetitive "liturgical music" hymns such as various ways to sing "Alleluia"

Additions

• Add the missing Psalms to include all 150
• Add another couple Psalm prayer plans in addition to the table for daily prayer; one for praying through them every 28 days.
• Keep Divine Service 1 and 3 and still call them those, then make a setting 2 that combines the best elements from 2, 4, and 5. Three is still plenty of options, but with the Service Builder out there, again, you don't need to try to tailor it to every person.
•  Include a prayer for each day of the week in the Daily Prayer section, instead of just suggestions for topics.
• Add all the original stanzas to several 16th and 17th century hymns, with priority given to the best of Gerhardt and Heerman. Present the hymn with batches of verses split into and labeled with roman numerals, to encourage congregations to sing the whole thing split throughout their service. For instance, a 15-stanza hymn would be divided into I (1-5) II (6-10) and III (11-15).
• Add a handful of new hymns, with priority given to those which are of the highest quality and are most needful for the modern Lutheran at the time.
• Add the Unaltered Augsburg Confession

I wonder how this would all play out in terms of space. I know that, ultimately, the editors need to produce a publication that will fit in a pew rack. Difficult decisions would undoubtedly need to be made in this process, but I think it could be done. I think that, overall, we should be unafraid, to significantly cut down on the total number of hymns, and prioritize quality over quantity.

I don't know what this hymnal would be called, as many of the obvious names have, at this point, been taken. 

Watch and Pray

 

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

Andúril

Need a pick-me-up?

Try Andúril today. In less than four minutes, you can turn your day around and experience the words of the living God across the ages. Take multiple doses as needed throughout the day for maximum benefit.

One great Psalm, one great prayer, and one great hymn stanza - that's all it takes! Use ours or mix and match your own favorite Psalms, hymns and prayers.

Sing them together back to back to back, and watch the Father of Lies turn into the Father of LAME!

Talk to your spiritual doctor about Andúril today.

Side effects may include majestic music, meditation on the suffering of Christ, repentance, the cure for souls, and serious injury to nearby demons. 

And remember - "He won't catch you sleeping - if you pray without ceasing!" 

Andúril

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!

O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.

And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (LSB 130)

Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be Thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;

give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. (LSB 957)

Lamb of God, pure and holy,

Who on the cross didst suffer,

Ever patient and lowly,

Thyself to scorn didst offer.

All sins Thou borest for us,

Else had despair reigned o’er us:

1. Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus!

2. Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus!

3. Thy peace be with us, O Jesus! O Jesus! (LSB 434)

[Pick one of the three endings; if you take multiple doses throughout the day, work through each ending as you go.]

James Caird Voyage I

On this day in 1916, the James Caird set sail from Elephant Island to reach South Georgia Island. If you don't know about it, I would encourage checking it out! An incredible story, marvelously told in its entirety in Endurance by Alfred Lansing.

To commemorate this day, I'm starting a new Rhythm of the Sword effort! In summary:

• A daily set of 20 pre-selected Psalms each day (including absolute bangers such as the Sons of Solomon Psalms, 78, 118, 3, 23, and more)
• A daily chapter of Matthew and a chapter of Ephesians (just read through the book then start over until the 100 days are up)
• An almost daily workout (Sundays off, M-F 40 Burpees, Sat 6 miles)
• A little writing every day and 0 Entertainment

I'm excited, and trying to put it out there as much as I can so as not to be a fool and call it quits. If they called it quits on the James Caird, they were dead men! And their task was many many times more difficult than mine.

VDMA

Update

I called it quits on Day 17! It was a good 16-day stretch but I didn't finish the Psalms last night. Going to modify a bit and start fresh Sunday 5/12.

Thursday Update

"...one thing is necessary..."

Luke 10

Si vis pacem, para bellum.

 

We men who desire "mere easy peace," as Theodore Roosevelt put it, often forget this fact: Si vis pacem, para bellum.

In an evil, broken, fallen, dark, and crumbling world, there is only one thing to do if you want peace.

Prepare for war.

This truth penetrates so many facets of reality on earth.

You might imagine that the weightlessness of space would be wonderfully freeing for the human body. No longer pushing forever upward against gravity's pull, the body will blissfully float about, experiencing a euphoric state of existence. The astronaut will gleefully bounce from place to place with perfect tranquility and otherworldly vigor and strength.

Not so. The body, in fact, is designed to be in warfare against gravity. In the absence of this downward force, muscles atrophy, fluids cause congestion in the head, and overall health deteriorates. A sound body does not result from removing gravitational strain, but rather from fighting constantly against this strain. The experience of physical peace and well-being comes only from regular experiences of strain and struggle. On the contrary, when physical peace and idleness are directly pursued, they result in a weak, sick, and broken body.

If you want peace, prepare for war. Leisure is not, in fact, the pathway to peace. Rather, war is the pathway to peace. Be it war against gravity or spiritual war against the sinful flesh, the body thrives in the presence of war and atrophies in its absence. 

I believe there was a time when this saying was false, and our basic desire for peace could be met effortlessly. In Eden, if a man wanted peace, it was his - no struggle, no pain, not a tear to be shed in its pursuit. Peace was the way of the world, and our flesh was not naturally bound against it.

But in the valley of the shadow of death, that is not the case. We all want peace. Peace will come, at the last trumpet. But the valley is first a place of war, out of which comes peace. On both a small and a large scale, in both a physical and a spiritual sense, si vis pacem, para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war.

Lent 2024

 

Hilarious memes aside, today marks the beginning of the season of Lent, which will go on for a total of 46 days, concluding with Holy Saturday on March 30th. I'm going to try a little separation from the Rhythm of the Sword spreadsheet, focusing less on streak numbers and more on general preparedness. My theme for this Lent is twofold:

130 | Si vis pacem, para bellum.

27 | Do not be afraid. Christ is risen.

The two numbers refer to Psalms 130 and 27, which relate to the two phrases. The first is Latin for "If you want peace, prepare for war." To me, this has to do with preparedness, both in a spiritual sense and in a worldly sense. The second is of course about the hope of the resurrection of the dead, and the courage that this evokes in the Christian heart.

If you read long enough in this blog, you'll see that I struggle a lot to stick with periods of discipline like Lent. This time around, I'm operating on the theory that if my level of training is high enough, day in and day out, then at critical and difficult times I will fall to my level of training, and not collapse completely. I'm going to shape my Lenten habits to keep myself out of situations that cause collapse, and then train constantly and work ahead to keep from letting it all catch up with me. For instance, I'll go especially hard on grading, planning, and Psalms when time isn't tight, so that as deadlines approach, I am mentally prepared and practically on track. 

Perhaps the saying is true, that the battle is won not when confronted with the enemy, but in the days and weeks of preparation leading up to the encounter. Kipchoge doesn't dominate because of his tactical brilliance and heroic strength on race day, but because of his "very well preparation" as he put it. 

With that in mind, I'm going to stop writing this and start making progress on some tasks I want to avoid.

They who wait for the LORD...

 

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:30-31 (ESV)

Sometimes I feel very keenly the encroachment of the manmade world upon the Lord God's good creation. This becomes especially apparent when running. I love to run in my neighborhood and especially my city parks, which preserve a taste of what the land once was. But it is a whole different experience to run on a wilderness path, touched so much less by the hands of men and yet preserved in all its wonder by the hands of God. 

In the heavenly city, we will run and not be weary. God will create a new heavens and a new earth, a new dwelling place for man to be with God. Here's how I imagine a 10-mile run in heaven.

We begin in a field of tall green grass, a smooth and soft dirt path stretching through the meadow up into the hills and mountains. Many-colored wildflowers drift in a lazy breeze as a cool wind breathes over the warm, Son-lit day. 

We run effortlessly along the path, talking now and then, breathing in the fragrance of the flowers and fields. Then up, up, into rolling hills and trees of mighty oak and aspen and birch. Radiance filters through the leaves in a thousand little islands and points, rippling light and bright shadow across our faces. Soon, we come to a clear, cool stream, and splash across its smooth bed, bare feet suddenly cooled by the running water. 

We have climbed high now, and the trees turn to pine and spruce. The forest opens, and we run along the mountainside; snow-patched rock rises to the right hand as a valley of heaven with a city of shining gold lays far below at our left. We turn up a switchback and find the river again; here, it cascades from the heights of the mountain in a cold, clear waterfall, and we run behind the falling stream as the spray throws rainbows through the mountain air. Finally, we reach the pinnacle, and find that it is a ridge, leading us from mountain to mountain. We run along the stony rim, high above the world, white clouds drifting beneath and winged creatures soaring above.

And we fly down the path, with the wind at our backs and wings on our heels. There is no pain, no age, no burning of the lungs. Only strength, and vigor, and endless joy. 

We fly, ever faster, until the rocks blur beneath our feet. The clouds open, the new earth is spread far below, and the end of the ridge approaches. Another mountain peak, and this with sheer sides plummeting from the heights. We approach the drop with no trepidation, but ever faster, until, at its very lip, we leap into the empty air.

We fall, free in the radiant void, then push mightily up against the rushing wind, unfurling eagles' wings upon our backs.

Finally we soar among the mountains, drifting ever down, down toward the city, until our feet at last come to rest upon pure gold before a great tree that grows beside the clear river.

Island of the World - Book Review

 

Short Review

Island of the World by Michael D. O'Brien is a work of historical fiction that follows its central character, Josip Lasta of Croatia, from his early childhood during World War II all the way into his old age in the early third millennium. It is an absolute masterpiece of literary achievement - in historical fiction, in Christian fiction, in 21st-century writing, you name it. It will take you into very darkest reaches of human suffering, and offer you the only true salve mankind has ever possessed for this suffering: our Lord Jesus Christ.

Long Review

I just finished reading Island of the World based on a glowing recommendation from an author for whom I already have a great deal of respect, Katie Schuermann of the Anthems of Zion trilogy. If you have glanced at reviews for this book at all, as I did, you may be a bit skeptical of the praise given to the novel. It is described as life-changing and incredibly powerful. It is framed as a masterpiece, a triumph, and so on and so forth.

It's all true.

I wonder if, every fifty years or so, the Lord raises up a Christian man to write a work of fiction to help guide the faithful and point them back to Christ, a burning candle amid all the darkness of this fallen and falling world. 

In the 1950s, it was Tolkien. In the 2000s, it was O'Brien.

To me, Island of the World is so good for three chief reasons.

First, it boldly and beautifully and masterfully tells the story of the greatest joys of human experience, and the very darkest depths of mankind. This is part of what makes the book so moving; it allows the reader to explore the darkest fears and the highest joys that mankind shares. I have never experienced emotional lows in a novel like I had with this book, nor had I experienced highs nearly as glorious.

Second, the novel explores this full range of human life with absolutely masterful storytelling. The book is beautifully written, engaging, well-researched, and life-like. The characters are three-dimensional and viscerally real. The story is beautifully paced and plotted. With O'Brien, you are in the hands of a master of his craft.

Third and most importantly, Island of the World is about Jesus Christ. The vast majority of fiction is going to find some solution to its deepest questions that comes from man. O'Brien knows the only true answer has already been given to us by God. This clarity of vision means that we are able to face the lowest points of the novel (for there are many), and our own fears and darkness. We are presented with the one solution that actually works: the crucifixion and resurrection of the Son of God.

Island of the World is a gift. It offers the gift of perspective, using human suffering to help the reader gain context for the difficulties of his own life. It offers the gift of wisdom, as O'Brien's firmly Scriptural approach leads to nuggets of insight into God and his place in the world, insight that sometimes causes the reader to physically lay down its pages and simply marvel for a moment. Finally, it offers the gift of love; that is, our Father in heaven.

For those who are curious, this is certainly an adult book and I would not recommend it to a child. Ideally, the reader would be a husband and a father, as I think this novel has the most to say men in this position like me. Finally, the author is Roman Catholic, and so the novel contains those theological issues that are part and parcel with the church of the pope. Despite this, O'Brien is clearly a genuine Christian with a clearer understanding than most regarding the centrality of the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, the Sacrament of the Altar, prayer, the Christian life, and much more.

I will probably not pick up this book again for a few years. Though it is finished, I continue to dwell on the events that unfolded within, which have impacted me and, in some small way, become part of me. This is a heavy read in every sense of the word, and it will be some time before I am ready to take it up again. Suffering, even second-hand, requires a little time to process. As does the blessed hope of everlasting life through our Lord Jesus Christ.

10/10

Resistance

The heart of man is blackened, corrupted, and deathly sick. It will not cease spewing forth shadow and darkness until it finally ceases its fleeting beat. Be the years seventy or eighty, the new heart continues at war against the old - and finds itself unable to completely snuff it out. Not that He cannot, but that he has appointed a time for this final victory to take place - and though it is not yet, it will be soon. This battle is waged with a single weapon, a two edged sword of infinite strength and death-breaking light. Wielded in prayer and preaching, in water and promise, in flesh and blood, it holds the death throes of death at bay until its already ancient defeat is made visible upon the broken earth. Meanwhile, the prince of shadow bids warring hearts to sheathe their blades and kneel in fealty to his glorious and blissful shadow - the lie that hides the lake of fire. We turn back to the Lord, daily and often, clinging again to the hilt as if life itself hinges upon this singular weapon: the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And yet in our sick insanity, ofttimes we lay it down yet again. Fool! Cling to it tightly, and most especially when your heart's whisper most sincerely bids you to lay it down, but for a soft and fleeting moment. Stay awake.

Psalm 130

Sõnasisu Igavesti