New Book Coming!

For the last couple of months, I've been editing a book of devotionals by women for women. Who knew that before the twentieth century so many godly women with a deep understanding of their faith and love for God were writing so much? It's been--and continues to be--a wonderful privilege editing and updating writings by women like Susannah Spurgeon, Mary Winslow, Frances Havergal, Ruth Bryan, and Katherine Parr. Haven't heard of them? You'll want to pick up the book when it releases later this fall and find out who they were and the situations God brought into their lives to bring them spiritual insight and biblical wisdom. Even though they were living in the sixteenth up to the early twentieth century, these women dealt with some of the same challenges that we women face today as singles, wives, mothers, and widows. Donna Kelderman, compiler and now friend, has done a great job combing through the  writings of these authors and pulling out delightful morsels that will encourage and instruct. 

Below is a devotional by an author I had never heard of before my work on this book: Elizabeth Julia Hasell. She lived in England from 1830 to 1887. She was a literary and classics scholar who taught herself four languages. She is also known for her theological writing, and as I read this, I felt I had met a kindred spirit who put into words my own understanding of the delightful day--Sunday.

Seasons of the Heart will be available from Reformation Heritage Books later this fall. Stay tuned!


Call the sabbath a delight. —Isaiah 58:13

It has been justly said that while most people will attend church on the Lord’s Day, the private observance of Sunday is but too little considered. Now the believer desires, above all things, to be “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day,” to keep that day in a really spiritual manner. When the true Christian says he does not travel on Sunday or read ordinary books and that, in fact, he devotes the day, as much as possible, to holy employments, it is not so much that he feels he ought not to do this or that; it is that, with his tastes for prayer, praise, holy reading and thinking, and God’s service in the sanctuary, he has no desire to waste the time otherwise. And when we consider what the employments of heaven will be, as far as we know anything about them, it ought to seriously alarm us if now we have no spiritual tastes, no preparation of heart and soul, so as to be ready for it.

I am certain that if an ungodly person could enter heaven and could stand among its holy inhabitants, whom we all hope to join after death, such a person would be miserable and would wish himself away. If then eternity be a certainty—if it will be passed either in heaven or in the wretched abode of lost souls—how unwise are we not to be preparing for the society and the employments of that heaven, where all hope to go at last! The Lord’s Day affords us a quiet pause every week in which to “hear of heaven and learn the way.” I would say to all my readers that these verses from Isaiah are most remarkable and full of instruction. The spiritual blessing promised to those who, by God’s assisting grace, keep His day, not doing their own ways nor finding their own pleasure nor speaking their own words, is that they shall delight themselves in the Lord. They will not find the Sabbath “a wearisome day,” for God Himself will teach them to love it and prepare them for the rest remaining for the people of God, even the eternal Sabbath in heaven.
 —Elizabeth Julia Hasell

Calvin's Prayers

I'm currently editing a book of John Calvin's prayers, compiled and edited by Dustin Benge. It should released by the end of October (in time for Reformation Day, we hope). These prayers are buried in Calvin's Old Testament commentaries on the major and minor prophets, and they truly are beautiful. For someone like me, who isn't well studied in this part of the Bible, they are an education as well. The Old Testament commentaries were actually compiled by Calvin's students, who took notes as he lectured. He would conclude each of the lectures with a prayer based on the passage, but tying it to our own New Testament experiences, showing that the church of the Old Testament has much to say to the church of the New.

This one struck me today as quite helpful, as my attention of late has been easily arrested by the "impious refulgent and terrible to ourselves and others." Even they can be used by the Holy Spirit to promote our salvation as we rest calmly under the protection of our faithful Savior. These are also comforting words as we think about our nation's great tragedy of September 11, 2001.


Commands and Commends

Grant, Almighty God,
since we so travel through this world that our attention
is easily arrested and our judgment darkened when
we behold the power of the impious refulgent and
terrible to ourselves and others.

Grant, I say, that we may raise our eyes upward and
consider how much power Thou hast conferred
upon Thine only begotten Son.

Grant also that He may rule and govern us by the might
of His Spirit, protect us by His faithfulness and
guardianship, and compel the whole world
to promote our salvation;
thus may we rest calmly under His protection and fight
with that boldness and patience that He both
commands and commends, until at length we enjoy
the fruit of the victory that Thou hast promised
and that Thou wilt provide for us in Thy heavenly
kingdom. Amen.

The Next Chapter

I've just completed the first week of the next chapter of my life--at least the next chapter in the part devoted to work and career. Tuesday was my first day as an editor at Reformation Heritage Books, here in Grand Rapids.

I honestly wasn't looking to move on to a new chapter. I was perfectly happy with the Discovery House Publishers chapter. I love the people I worked with, I was working with some amazing authors that I had come to consider friends, and I enjoyed my work. I had just celebrated my fifth anniversary there, and I was looking forward to more. There was probably no one more surprised than I was that I would be moving on.

But even though we don't know anything about it, God has decided long ago the number of pages in each chapter in our lives, and as we turn a page, we're often caught off guard to find that we're at the end of one chapter and heading for the next.

I got my first hint that I was headed for something new back in March when I attended the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology here in Grand Rapids. Henry's organization, Reformed Fellowship, had an exhibit at the conference, and he was representing the organization there. I wandered around, looking at the other publishers' tables, and found myself having a conversation with Dr. Joel Beeke, the founder and president of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and Reformation Heritage Books. By the time I left his exhibit, he had my business card and had asked me to do an editing sample for him the following week. I walked back to my husband, laughed, and said, "I think he's offering me a job." But then I said quickly, "He's a busy man. He'll forget all about this by Monday."

But he didn't forget. On Monday morning, there was an unedited manuscript, with a request from him to edit the first three brief chapters. After that, I had about a month to think about leaving DHP and moving on to RHB. And every time I thought of a reason to stay put in my nice, comfortable DHP chapter, situations and people (usually Dr. Beeke) kept giving me better reasons to move on to the next one.

And so I did. And I feel a little bit like Huck Finn,who at the end of his trip down the Mississippi, decides to  strike out for the frontier. It was sad to leave behind so many dear coworkers and authors at DHP, and yet I have a calm sense of God's calling. And when God has turned the page, you just know that what's next might be crazy, unsettling, confusing, and wild--like the frontier--but it will be good.