Oklahombres

Under no circumstances would I end that with “go away.” Rain in Oklahoma is a blessing almost always. It has hindered the photography, though. I almost took some shots on Tuesday, which would have been best. Other things pressed in, and that day passed. Since then it has been quite rainy, making a good number of this week’s prospects pretty much unsuitable. This first shot says it all. These Oxalis blooms have not been damaged, they are merely rain-shy. In any case, more blossoms will return all summer long. You can expect to see a number of different Oxalis shots up in the summer months.

The red buckeye, Aesculus pavia, was what I was hoping to showcase this week, and I will, in spite of the rain. The overall appeal has faded a bit, but this one close-up showed a fair number of blossoms still strutting their stuff. Remember several weeks ago when I mentioned the acronym “MAD Horse?” The Horse part of it refers to the genus Aesculus, sometimes commonly called horse chestnut. Horse refers to strength, or in this case, poisonous. You will recall that the acronym helps you remember four genera. The entire genus Aesculus is one of those four in which the branches are arranged opposite one another. The red buckeye only reaches about fifteen feet in hight, and takes its sweet time to get there. It is a perfect small tree for small yards, if you do not have small children.

Have a blessed week end. You might want to take an umbrella with you. Thank God for the rain, and all things. See you in the house of the Lord on Sunday.

(Second Part: Of Man’s Redemption—Questions 12-85)

46. How dost thou understand the words: He ascended into Heaven?

• That Christ, in sight of His disciples, was taken up from the earth into heaven; and in our behalf there continues, until He shall come again to judge the living and the dead.

47. Is not then Christ with us even unto the end of the world, as He has promised?

• Christ is true Man and true God: according to His human nature, He is now not on earth; but according to His Godhead, majesty, grace, and Spirit, He is at no time absent from us.

48. But are not, in this way, the two natures in Christ separated from one another, if the Manhood be not wherever the Godhead is?

• By no means; for since the Godhead is incomprehensible and everywhere present, it must follow that it is indeed beyond the bounds of the Manhood, which it has assumed, but is yet nonetheless in the same also, and remains personally united to it.

49. What benefit do we receive from Christ’s ascension into heaven?

• First, that He is our Advocate in the presence of His Father in heaven. Secondly, that we have our flesh in heaven, as a sure pledge, that He, as the Head, will also take us, His members, up to Himself. Thirdly, that He sends us His Spirit, as an earnest, by whose power we seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, and not things on the earth.

round these parts in May, folks are anxious to see the first offerings of the roses in the yard. To fulfill Southern tradition, in honor of their mother, one dons a rose on his or her lapel before going to church on Mother’s Day. If you didn’t have one, a neighbor would gladly let you snip one from his landscape. A red rose signifies that your mother is still living, while a white rose on the lapel means that your mother has “passed on.”

Our red climbers (Don Juan) haven’t shown color yet, but a good number of buds show promise for this Sunday. Here are a few shots of our little white hybrid tea ‘White Lightning’. All of these blossoms will be past use, but many more are standing in the wings.

This coming Lord’s Day remember your mother by wearing a rose in her honor. If she is still living, tell her how much you appreciate her labors over you when you were a child. One thing to remember is that even though you may be grown, she has not stopped praying for you. Thank her for that, too.

See you Sunday in the house of the Lord.

(Second Part: Of Man’s Redemption—Questions 12-85)

50. Why is it added: And sitteth at the right hand of God?

• Because Christ ascended into heaven for this end, that He might there appear as Head of His Church, by whom the Father governs all things.

51. What benefit do we receive from this glory of our Head, Christ?

• First, that by His Holy Spirit He sheds forth heavenly gifts in us, His members; then, that by His power He defends and preserves us against all enemies.

52. What comfort is it to thee, that Christ shall come again to judge the quick and the dead?

• That in all my sorrows and persecutions, with uplifted head, I look for the selfsame One, who has before offered Himself for me to the judgment of God and removed from me all curse, to come again as Judge from heaven; who shall cast all His and my enemies into everlasting condemnation, but shall take me, with all His chosen ones, to Himself into heavenly joy and glory.

iversity is good, especially in the landscape. In the church, now, the issue is a bit more complicated. I’m not even going to go there. Let me just put my theological plug in and be done with it. Then we can get back to the landscape.

If you concentrate on faithfulness to the main purpose of Christianity, everything else, including how God wants your congregation to look like, in time will fall into place. Determining what that purpose is seems to be the big hang-up for most body of believers. Get the core question right, and you will have far less trouble all the way around. Now, go get digging and find out what the cheif end of man is.

Diversity in the landscape is not fraught with so many moral tangles. The end game is to stretch out your floral attraction. This week’s selections are prime examples of adding species to already-existing genera.

Chinese dogwood, Cornus kousa

Chinese dogwood, Cornus kousa, has a number of advantages over its cousin the flowering dogwood, Cornus florida. To begin with, it blooms nearly a month later, making it less susceptible to late freezes, which can knock out or cut short it bloom period. I forget what disease it is, but the Chinese dogwood isn’t susceptible and the flowering dogwood is. Don’t get me wrong. I would never substitute the Chinese dogwood for the flowering dogwood. They both fill a gap in the calendar. Notice the similar leaves and blossoms, yet the blossoms of the Chinese dogwood don’t have the typical “notched” look at the terminals of each petal.

This specimen is another of our “wedding” dogwoods, marking the marriage of our second daughter. They now have two beautiful daughters, who live near by.

arrowwood viburnum, Viburnum dentata

The variety found in the genus Viburnum is massive. There are many natural species, and many more cultivars (cultivated varieties). It seems to be a favorite of quite a few plant breeders. Viburnum dentata, or arrowwood viburnum blooms fairly concurrently with the Chinese dogwood. This year its creamy white blossoms have covered it. For ten days it is the center of attraction out front. Don’t get too close, though. The smell is not what I would call lovely. This one needs a bit of space. Not meant for a small yard, it reaches about eight feet in all directions.

Have a wonderful weekend. If it is dry enough in your area, get out and hoe your garden. It’s going to need it. Have a blessed Lord’s Day.

(Second Part: Of Man’s Redemption—Questions 12-85)

53. What dost thou believe concerning the Holy Ghost?

• First, that He is co-eternal God with the Father and the Son. Secondly, that He is also given unto me; makes me by a true faith partaker of Christ and all His benefits; comforts me; and shall abide with me forever.

ake away the must-have multiple offerings of the genus Viburnum, and the mandatory spring bloomers Forsythia and Flowering Quince, and there aren’t many deciduous shrubs worth having in the landscape. There are two specimines, however, that hold off blooming until later in the spring that have merit in a sunny location in a medium to large home landscape.

Sweet Mock-orange

Mock-orange, Philadelphus coronarius

What makes Sweet Mock-orange, Philadelphus coronarius, such a delight is its clean, dark-green foliage all summer long. The clean, pure-white flowers are equally appealing, but as I have said before there has to be something else to carry the plant through the rest of the season. A pretty face isn’t enough. There must be either very attractive foliage, bark, berries, or fall color. In some ways this plant just barely makes the cut, because the foliage is not stunning, just attractive by way of its afore-mentioned foliage and tidy appearance. It responds reasonably well to trimming in the late spring, after the bloom period is past. Otherwise you can leave it, if you have the room, to let it take on a more free form. Our specimen on the west side of the house has reached ten feet high and maybe five feet across. The blooms do have a modestly fragrant scent; certainly not overpowering.

Beauty Bush

Beauty Bush, Kolkwitzia amabilis

Kolkwitzia amabilis is a close relative to Glossy Abelia. Unlike its nearly-evergreen cousin, Beauty Bush blooms only once, but what a show. The blossoms are super sized, and they cover the entire bush. Because the branches arch gracefully out and down, the best way to display this gem is to trim it up rather high so that the multi-trunk base is exposed so you can see the peeling bark on the larger wood. There is no fragrance here, but the display for a couple of weeks is a show stopper. The rest of the year you have an attractive vase-shaped shrub with tiny leaves, whose peeling bark and arching branches make it attractive all year round. At ten to twelve feet high and eight feet across at the top, Beauty Bush needs a good bit of sunny space for best presentation. It’s not for a small yard.

Have a good weekend. Don’t forget to put the sun screen on. And don’t forget to meet with God’s people this coming Lord’s Day.

(Second Part: Of Man’s Redemption—Questions 12-85)

54. What dost thou believe concerning the Holy Catholic Church?

• That, out of the whole human race, from the beginning to the end of the world, the Son of God, by His Spirit and Word, gathers, defends and preserves for Himself unto everlasting life, a chosen communion, in the unity of the true faith; and that I am, and forever shall remain, a living member of the same.

55. What dost thou understand by the Communion of Saints?

• First, that believers, all and every one, as members of Christ have part in Him and in all His treasures and gifts; secondly, that each one must feel himself bound to use his gifts, readily and cheerfully, for the advantage and welfare of other members.

56. What dost thou believe concerning the Forgiveness of Sins?

• That God, for the sake of Christ’s satisfaction, will no more remember my sins, neither the sinful nature with which I have to struggle all my life long; but graciously imputes to me the righteousness of Christ, that I may nevermore come into condemnation.

usical reform is something I wish were somewhere in the fabric of the SBC program currently on the front burner. Sadly, it is not. I will be surprised if music as an issue is mentioned once this year in Louisville.

I say program because that is just what it is. It is well intentioned, to be sure, proposed by good men, to be sure. It is, however, merely a program, set with all of its little cures. Each item under each Roman numeral is just another attempt to solve the little problems that are merely symptoms of the one big problem. Dr. Akin, in his now-famous address touched on the problem numerous times, but only as items under the Roman numerals. It pleased me a great deal at the time I first listened to it via podcast, and later read the transcript. Then when I read the drafted statement that everybody is mad about signing (or condemning), I realized the whole thing is just another well-intentioned program, another symptom solver.

The glory of God, showing him large, should have been the over-arching theme. Instead, as the program’s title betrays, it’s all about numbers. After all, that is what Great Commission Resurgence really means. Our problem is that our numbers are dwindling. We are in decline. We need to beef up our evangelism. By the way, that is what is what it is all about. That is what the SBC was founded upon all those years ago. Yes, that is sarcasm, but don’t get me wrong. I do believe that evangelism is integral to genuine Christianity, and many behind this effort have genuine love for the lost. The only problem is that the Great Commission is not the only command our Lord ever gave us, and the “last thing he said while still on this earth” doesn’t supersede everything he said the three years prior, nor everything the apostles said from The Acts of the Apostles, to The Revelation of John; unless, of course, you are a red-letter Christian.

Faithfulness is a much more pedestrian term than evangelism. I guess that is why we hear it so seldom among the “faithful” these days. Faithfulness is that boring Elmer’s glue of the faith that makes Christianity real, that makes it credible when you speak a word of grace to the lost. It is doing the right thing, even when it is hard; very hard. Faithfulness is weighing the long-term gains against the short-term gains. Faithfulness is choosing the best and the highest, over the pretty good and the mighty high. Faithfulness is working hard, showing up early, staying late, and coming back from lunch early; not because you boss is watching, but because you want to be pleasing to your Father in heaven. Faithfulness is skipping the tube or You-Tube, so you can catechize your children, and interact in their lives; because they have souls that will spend eternity somewhere, and they are your first and most important mission field, not to mention your best hope for the future of your stinking denomination. Faithfulness is staying married to the same spouse for life, because you made a promise, and it is the picture of God’s faithfulness to you. Faithfulness is mowing your lawn, waxing your car, cleaning your house, sweeping your driveway, making a budget, being nice to the not-so-nice, driving the speed limit, dressing modestly, keeping guard over your tongue, etc., etc. In other words faithfulness is taking every thought captive to obey Christ, by seeing how every bit of God’s word applies to every bit of your life, not because you need to, but because you want to. You want to magnify Christ in your life.

So, what does all of this have to do with musical reform, you may ask. Music is an undercurrent in all of our lives, both secular and sacred. It is so subtle we hardly notice it most of the time, yet its subtleties enables it to shape our thoughts and attitudes in every area of our lives so profoundly. As someone somewhere said quite some time ago, “We sing the faith into our hearts.” My question is, what kind of faith are we singing? Our recently-revised Baptist Hymnal 2008 was a feeble attempt at reform. When I see the SBC begin to take seriously the way we express ourselves to God and each other in song, then I will believe that we have begun to solve the real problem that faces the SBC; the general lack of faithfulness and integrity, in every area of our lives. We don’t evangelize because the God we sing about is too small. Those who do evangelize are not taken seriously. The world looks on and sees us as just the same as them, only “religious.”

I guess I should give credit to what got this post started. Douglas Wilson is “not one of us.” That is how most of you would put it. The more I read Pastor Wilson, the more I believe he should be one of us. Or is it maybe that we are not one of him, but should be? For some time he and his have undertaken to reform music in the context of worship. I am not suggesting we should ape the style from his tradition, just the attitude of his heart. Here is a quote from his recent post on musical reform. You should take the time to read the whole article. It is not long. It is not even earth shattering, but it is good common-sense food for thought. If you follow just this one regularly-recurring topic of Wilson’s you will profit greatly.

. . . we are living in a time when general musical education has been abandoned for some generations, with the result that many of us know what we like, but we don’t know what we are liking. So as we have undertaken the challenging task of musical reformation, we are trying to provide something to the next generation that we ourelves did not receive.

he very solution I was getting at in my previous post. Would that more among us would see what the young author of this post sees, and Spurgeon saw. Would that our church music reflected the passion therein expressed.