Sunday, May 13, 2007

Happy Mother's Day!

Just in case you missed the TV commercials, or the greeting cards and flowers lining the grocery store aisles, or the email solicitations to order flowers or send your mother an e-card, I'll give you the scoop: today is Mother's Day. In honor of Mother's Day, I'm posting a photo that I took this past Friday. It is not an artistic or photographic masterpiece, but I think this little family is adorable, so I'm posting it. Since this is my blog, I have complete editorial control of its contents. (I love exercising raw, unfettered power!)


I went to two church services this morning, one at the Adult Rehabilitation Center and the other at my corps (church). Interestingly, both guest preachers based their sermons on the same passage of scripture: Luke 1:26-38. This is the passage in which the angel announces to Mary that she will bear God's Son. The outline for the second service (at my corps) was built around favorite scripture verses and hymns of the mothers in the congregation. My favorite verse, which Joshua read just before we sang my favorite song (at the end of the service), is this one:

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.
(Deuteronomy 31:8)

My favorite hymn is, It Is Well With My Soul. Unfortunately, my favorite verse of that song is not included in The Salvation Army songbook. It is included in the Methodist version, which I learned at Asbury College too many years ago to count. It is:

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought:
My sin - not in part but the whole -
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Okay, I've shared mine, it's time for you to share yours. What are your favorite scripture verse(s) and your favorite hymn(s)/spiritual song(s)? Let me know in your comments. And have a very happy Mother's Day.

6 comments:

Jenn said...

that's one of the best mother's day photos i have ever seen :)

Barbara said...

I think that photo is a masterpiece. It captures true motherhood!

I love "It is well" too. In fact, I played that solo in Church yesterday.

Christian said...

When I was a Cadet we participated at the Memorial Day service each year at Kensico (The USA East territory) plot. My grandfather (your father) was buried just a few feet from where the Cadet Band was playing. As we played the song arrangement, On a Hymmsong of Phillip Bliss the tune of It is Well, I kept thinking of the memories with Grandpa, and how he was an eternal testimony of those words. It is well with his soul.

It was a powerful, spiritual time for me as I reflected on his life. Tears streamed down my cheek as I played my heart out. I look forward to the day of having him be one of the first to meet me in heaven. I was young when he was Promoted to Glory, but the memories of those 9 years have lasted and will last all my life.

I know that has nothing to do with motherhood, but your illustration of your favorite song, brought that memory to me.

Barbara said...

Hey Evie, I tried to email you but it came back, so I must have your wrong email address. I would love to get a hold of that article you said that your read on autism/asperger's/NLD. Did you read it on line somewhere?

Evie said...

Barb: I left the addy for the article on your blog.

Erik said...

I have two "favorite" Scripture texts. One is from St. John's Gospel (1:1-5), which I find mysteriously covering everything valuable in this life: the Word ("logos"), contained by and identical with God (in my view the Word also contains Jesus' most important duty namely Love), and the Light, not and never overruled by the darkness. It inspired me to one of the 2 leader-texts in the right upper corner of my blog. The other text is Psalm 130 (from the depths etc.) which brought me back to practise my Faith again, it may sound weird but I was so touched by Mozart's choir version of it (De profundis clamavi ad te Domine), I couldn't hear it enough times. I put the word "favorite" between parentheses, maybe "most personal" would be better.
These texts are also an answer to people who reject, deny or are angry with God because He "allows so much grief and misery to happen to people".