An Echo Across The Centuries

On January 13, 1588, Richard Rogers, a Puritan minister, wrote in his diary:

I have been veary unprofitable the most part of it, and, in respect of the times of late, litle good doinge at my booke, or yet my studying day for… wandringes and more unsetling of my minde then I have felt these many dayes. In deed no deepe falleinge into any noisome evil… yet if I had not in time espied, and found it out, and cut of the course of it, much unsetlednes with aunswerable frute had undoubtedly folowed. I was also inclineing to much peevish frowardnes, more then of late. It had been too much if I had been constreined to have set downe this… but this which I have noted is much more lamentable. And thus I may see what stayed-nes of grace there is in me, the best trial that I had of that thinge this longue time…And the next morning, rising late because of weariness, I began this wretchedness about me this day, as I have said

My own blog posting for today echoes his diary entry for that long ago day.

I too am doing little good at my book because of wanderings and unsettling of my mind. Who needs falling deep into noisome evil when plain old laziness and daydreaming serves just as well to short circuit your work?

I too feel a little inclined toward peevishness.

And yet I too see that there is staidness of God’s grace in my life.

See why I love this guy?

He resonates with me.

I got six pages of his diary edited yesterday.

It makes me happy to be back at my work.

On a sad note: yesterday a 6.3 earthquake killed more than 70 people in Indonesia and mangled hundreds of others. The earthquake generated panic as people remembered the killer tsunami that wiped out thousands last year.

I feel an affinity for the people of Indonesia, the most populous Moslem country on earth, because last year a publishing company there translated my little book on prayer into their national language. I feel really honored that they would do so.

I also feel that I should pray for the peace and prosperity of that troubled nation more than I do. I write more about prayer than I do it.