CHAPTER VII FAITH IN GOD ‘Only Believe’—“My duty towards God is to believe in Him,” my first duty, the duty of my life, without which other duties would not appear to count much. ‘Only believe,’ the writer was told as a girl, to her great anger and soreness of heart. If ‘only fly’ had been said, she could not have flown, but anyway … Continue reading Ourselves Volume 4 Bk II Pt III Chapter 7
CHAPTER VI PRAISE Implies Discriminating Appreciation.—If our dull souls are slow to thank, perhaps they are still slower to praise, because praise implies discriminating appreciation and reflection as well as thankfulness. We know how the painter, the musician, writhe under the compliments of people who do not understand, while a word of discriminating praise sends them on their way rejoicing: they are honoured. … Continue reading Ourselves Volume 4 Bk II Pt III Chapter 6
CHAPTER V THANKSGIVING The Nine.—“Whoso offereth Me thanks and praise, he honoureth Me,” saith our God; and we are abashed when we realise that it rests with us to add honour to the Highest, and that we refrain our lips. “Were there not ten cleansed, but where are the nine?” Alas, how often are we among the nine, the poor, pitiful souls who … Continue reading Ourselves Volume 4 Bk II Pt III Chapter 5
CHAPTER IV PRAYER Unconsidered Prayer.—It is hard to separate the functions of the Soul, because, indeed, all work together; but it is necessary to fullness of life that we should have continual speech with God, and also—though the soul is abashed before the greatness and sweetness of this hope—continual answering speech. These things are a necessity of that intimate union with our Father … Continue reading Ourselves Volume 4 Bk II Pt III Chapter 4
CHAPTER III THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD WHEN we realise how the Soul of man is disabled by inertia, by preoccupation, even by aversion, from apprehending God, we discern, at the same time, what is the great thing which the Will has to do; and it rises to a noble effort, to the uplift of a great thought. So long as we think that the … Continue reading Ourselves Volume 4 Bk II Pt III Chapter 3
CHAPTER II THE DISABILITIES OF THE SOUL THE Soul, like the Mind and Heart, has its chronic disabilities, its deep-seated diseases. With an over-powering need of God, a great capacity to receive Him, common to all men, very few attain anything like a constant “fruition of Thy glorious Godhead.” Many of us have fitful glimpses; and many, perhaps most of us, are ‘unaware.’ The … Continue reading Ourselves Volume 4 Bk II Pt III Chapter 2
This month our Charlotte Mason book study will complete reading and discussing Volume 4. It has been fruitful to discuss together the triumphs and trials of our lives- both our personal lives and our working these topics out in our families. Our group is blessed to have mothers in different stages of life with children of every age which added richness and depth. Volume 4 … Continue reading On Completing Volume 4
“At the foundry I started…by laying the sand in the molds. I was taught that in laying the sand I must never make a mistake. There was never any pressure for me to hurry, but I must never make a mistake. In those days a craftsman took a real pride in his work. – George E. Johnson in The Nebraskan by George E. Johnson II … Continue reading May 15, 2019. No hurry, no mistakes.
PART III THE SOUL CHAPTER I THE CAPACITIES OF THE SOUL STEP by step, we have tried to gather together the little knowledge that is open to us about Body, Mind and Heart,[1] Will and Conscience. We have seen that no clear definition of either of these is possible, and that there is no rigid boundary-line between any two. The powers of Mansoul are many, … Continue reading Ourselves Volume 4 Bk II Pt III Chapter 1
CHAPTER XI FREEWILL Summary of Points considered so far.—We have seen that the ordering of Mansoul, the due coordination of all its powers, belongs to Will; that the Will is neither moral nor immoral; that the function of the Will is to choose; that the choice lies, not between things, circumstances, or persons, but between ideas; that an act of the Will evolves from … Continue reading Ourselves Volume 4 Bk II Pt II Chapter 11
Real Living Life 