The Queen of the Castle

The pup has doubled in size since we got brought him home from the shelter at the end of May. He stands a hand taller and half again as long the eight-year-old golden retriever. He’s much stronger and more athletic, too. But as the latest arrival and most foolish member of the pack, he still finds himself at the very bottom of the pecking order, right below the three cats.

The pup is not, however, completely content with his lowly status. He’s trying to move up, but so far, it’s not worked for him, and he’s had a few scratched noses and some hurt feelings to show for it.

Both dogs acknowledge youngest son as the supreme leader. He is, after all, the one who rides his bike on the bush trails everyday so they can race after him. What’s more, he lets them both sleep at the bottom of his bed. Where ever he goes in the house, he has two dogs trailing, and when he uses the bathroom, there are two dogs curled up on the floor outside the door.

When youngest son sits on the couch, he often sits in the middle with one dog on each side. Last night, as he sat between them, the young one put his puppy face on son’s lap and then squirmed until his shoulders were there, too. That seems innocent enough, doesn’t it?

Not to the official enforcer of the household pecking order. Nope, according to the golden retriever, that sort of behaviour is downright come-uppity. She got down from her side of the couch, walked over to the other, pulled herself up and sat down squarely on top of the bumptious one.

He let out a few low growls, which she ignored, so he gave it up. There they sat, double decker on one corner of the sofa for half an hour or so, she with a big smile and he without.

I could have photographed it but some things are better left undisturbed.

Sunday's Hymn

Many of Isaac Watts’ hymns are paraphrases of Psalms. For instance, last week’s hymn is a paraphrase of Psalm 147, and the one before that, O God, Our Help in Ages Past, is a paraphrase of Psalm 90.

Before Watts wrote his hymns, the churches descending from Calvin’s branch of the Reformation sang only metrical psalms. From Center for Church Music:

At 20 years of age, [Watts] complained that the metrical psalms they had to sing at Above Bar Chapel in Southampton were grim and ponderous. But to sing anything other than the actual words of Scripture was said to insult to God.

Watts’ father heard Isaac’s complaining and challenged him to “write something better for us to sing.” In 1719, he published an important hymnal titled The Psalms of David in the Language of the New Testament. In it he paraphrased the entire Psalter with the exception of twelve Psalms he felt were unsuited for usage.

Today’s hymn is a paraphrase of the last part of Psalm 118:

This Is the Day the Lord Hath Made

This is the day the Lord hath made;
He calls the hours His own;
Let Heav’n rejoice, let earth be glad,
And praise surround the throne.

Today He rose and left the dead,
And Satan’s empire fell;
Today the saints His triumphs spread,
And all His wonders tell.

Hosanna to th’anointed King,
To David’s holy Son;
Help us, O Lord; descend and bring
Salvation from Thy throne.

Blest be the Lord, who comes to men
With messages of grace;
Who comes in God His Father’s Name,
To save our sinful race.

Hosanna in the highest strains
The Church on earth can raise;
The highest heav’ns, in which He reigns,
Shall give Him nobler praise.

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• Lord’s Day 42, 2009 at The Thirsty Theologian
• The Cross of Jesus at The Happy Wonderer
• To Be Fit for God from The Valley of Vision at The Upward Call
• Let Us With A Gladsome Mind at Hiraeth
• Conquering Kings Their Titles Take at Tapestry of Graces
• O Lord, How Shall I Meet Thee at Fieldstone Cottage
• What Thanks and Praise to Thee We Owe at Conjubilant With Song
• Update: Your Weekly Dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs: Out of the Mouths of Babes—not the Academic Elite

Have you posted a hymn (or sermon, sermon notes, prayer, etc.) today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by emailing me at the address in the sidebar and I’ll add your post to the list.

Round the Sphere Again

Is It A Trick Question?
Won’t a good moral life get me to heaven? (Kingdom People)

Why the Dark Providences?
The soverign purpose of God and Ruth. 

There were great purposes of grace at work even during days of dark providences. There was a mighty hand guiding all events according to the counsel of God even when the coming of Christ appeared to hang by a thread, and rested on the turn of a conversation (1:7-17).

(Against Heresies)

Is It Wise?
Justin Taylor on transracial adoption.

As long as sin remains—this side of the return of Christ and the ushering in of the news heavens and the new earth—racism will remain. There is virtue neither in overstating or unstating this reality. But the idea of having qualms about transracial adoption (or interracial marriage) because it will create opportunities for more racial prejudice doesn’t ultimately make a lot of sense.

Where’s the Big Story?
Chris Brauns reviews Donald Miller’s new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. The problem, says Brauns, is that Miller “stays altogether with the ‘small’ stories” and never gets to the grand one—the big story of Christ and redemption that makes sense of all our small ones. (Reformation 21)

Did You Forget the Top 100 Hymns?
Of course not. Here are the next ones on Sherry’s countdown list.

• And Can It Be That I Should Gain? (9)
• Holy, Holy, Holy (8)
• How Great Thou Art (7)
• Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (6)

Do You Like This As Much As I Do?
This is the very first issue of the new online design magazine, Lonny Magazine.

Cold or Flu?
A handy-dandy chart to help you figure out how best to treat your symptoms. (FamilyDoctor.org)

Off-Beat or Stupid or Both?
I’m going with really stupid for some, but you judge for yourself: 11 Offbeat College Application Essay Topics. (mental_floss Blog)   

¿Habla Inglés?
It’s certainly not perfect, but Google Translate works better than you might think.