One of Irene’s favorite activities is driving along the 12 mile stretch of oceanfront from Santa Cruz to Aptos …. we did so this morning …. the windy surf was invigorating ….
Natural Bridges
Santa Cruz Lighthouse
Twin Lakes Beach Lighthouse
Wharf House in Capitola
“Palo Alto” Cement Ship in Rio Del Mar
Hymn composed by John Rippon, 1751-1836
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?
In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.
The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
Irene and I were out early this morning exploring “The Door”, a new Christian bookstore in Santa Cruz. We also met the owner, Mike Dunn, a local resident. After coming home, Irene was still up to some additional shopping so while I napped she ventured to Trader Joe’s and jokingly said she was going to visit Beverly at Beverly’s, actually a place of therapeutic value and solace for her …. but to her surprise she actually ran into Beverly Sleeper at the store where they visited in the fabric aisle!!!
Later in the day as the storm front made its way inland we relaxed and enjoyed Jimmy Stewart western movies.
As Irene patiently and optimistically treks the journey of faith, her confidence and HEALING rests in Him, His timing and
ADVERSITY comes in all forms.
Horatio Spafford, 1828-1888, was a man familiar with tribulation ….
According to Wikipedia, Spafford faced the following ….
First Tragedy: The Great Chicago Fire
On October 8, 1871, as Horatio and his wife Anna were grieving over the death of their son, the Great Chicago Fire swept through the city. Horatio was a prominent lawyer in Chicago, and had invested heavily in the city’s real estate, and the fire destroyed almost everything he owned.
Second Tragedy: The Wreck of the Ville Du Havre
Two years later, in 1873, Spafford decided his family should take a holiday somewhere in Europe, and chose England knowing that his friend D. L. Moody would be preaching there in the fall. Delayed because of business, he sent ahead of him his family: his wife Anna, and his four remaining children, daughters Tanetta, Maggie, Annie and Bessie.
On November 21, 1873, while crossing the Atlantic on the S.S. Ville Du Havre, their ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel and two hundred and twenty six people lost their lives, including all four of Spafford’s daughters. Somehow his wife, Anna, survived. On arriving in England, she sent a telegram to Spafford beginning “Saved alone.”
Spafford then himself took a ship to England, going past the place where his daughters had died. According to Bertha Spafford, a daughter born after the tragedy, the hymn was written in mid-Atlantic.
The following is “the hymn” written by Spafford ….
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain:) It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
(Refrain)
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
(Refrain)
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to
“Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” -Lamentations 3:22-23
