Reformation 500 Celebration in Boston

My mom and I are planning to celebrate with many other Christians from around the country at this Vision Forum event in Boston over July 4th weekend. What could be a better combination--learning about some of our most revered spiritual forebears, in the historic region of our national heritage! Indeed, our nation owes much to the legacy of John Calvin, whose five-hundredth birthday comes this July.


I hope to write about some of things we see, learn, and experience , once we get home. Please check my Montana Maiden blog!

Fair Isle of Ancient Consequence

~ Fair Isle

of Ancient Consequence ~

Scotland of renown, your name pronounced

Evokes the heart’s emotion;

Your name, through ages, the world over

Made timeless by song and story;

“Scotland,” once heard proudly-spoken

Envisions a wistful scene

Of a land larger than itself—

A land of glory, dreams, and consequence,

By strenuous lives, your title built,

Through pride and devotion, since Saxon lips

First sounded the tones of “Scot.”

Scotland: there, one dreams of your history,

Away, of your green borders,

Settled or sojourning, our hearts’ memory

Attaches to all that “Scotland” means;

How comes this thought to captivate us here,

More than by other beauteous lands?

From the poignant, valiant past, methinks,

Set in nature’s majestic jewel;

God’s creating hand performed here,

God’s sovereign plan unfolded here,

And His glory was praised.

Scotland of wild foreboding mountains,

Heather glens and mossy fens,

And rivers that tumble from the Highlands

And the lowlands, to the stormy sea,

Geography that staged your history;

The rugged, regal land exudes your past,

Forever etched on landscape fair,

Having always been fast bound together;

Ballads and battles took shape therein,

Formed a culture resolute and strong,

And Caledonia was born!

Scotland, your memories will never leave

(Or, may God never have it so);

They are carved into mounts and moors,

And engraved in steadfast Scottish souls,

Yet multiplied or lent (I know not which)

To your visitors yearning to discover

The identity of Scotland-the-brave;

For momentous upheavals of history,

Mirror the extremities of terrain,

Producing a fortitude contagious,

And romance, patriotic.

Scotland, your sense of permanence

Makes people love what you are

And the spirit of what you e’er have been;

Your natural defenses were strongholds

Of dynastic clans...or Braveheart warriors,

And still suggest the same to passersby;

Your stones are binders of the centuries,

As before the onlooker’s eyes are spread

Primeval cliffs, ancient walls, princely graves,

Castles, chapels, and monuments medieval;

We remember and cherish.

Scotland, your old weathered stones change not

If we know they signify

The loyal character that laid the path

For Scripture to be taught with power,

For people to be deepened in truth,

Elevated with God’s wisdom

Until you were incomparable;

For Celt, Culdee, and Protestant families

(What has your epic influence wrought?)

From Iona to Edinburgh, over loch and loam,

The stones await to tell us.

Scotland: a scene of God’s handiwork

Where Gospel light well-nurtured,

Preserved pure ‘til Reformation dawn,

Was kindled to bless the world;

The hand of Providence prepared the country,

Her churches, “for such a time as this”

When Covenanters, in their forebears’ steps

Rose in sacrifice for godly liberty;

Though ne’er always the prominent relic

Among hills and glens, faith grown in holy hearts

Became your prize and pinnacle.

Scotland, we love your land; what she reveals

Of struggle and endurance;

Clearly, your grandeur means so much

To your own native sons and daughters

Who tenaciously uphold their heritage

As an exemplar for all to see;

Treasured traditions, era-spanning

Exalted by great celebration,

Which speaks to hearts designed to love

Literature, generations, and dominion

In Scotland or across the sea.

Scotland, relegate not the past afar,

But let it transcend the present hour

As all who love your Christian history will;

For the past is the essence defining

Thanksgiving for God’s mercy,

Trust in future sustenance;

Your courage lives on in many hearts

Who seek to view God’s covenant at work

And to whom Scotland illustrates hope—

Since His eternal Word instructs us

To remember sacred landmarks.

Scotland, treading your cobbles and coasts,

We absorbed the themes inscribed;

Your impression lingers, and oft inspires,

Helping faithful ones to press forward

And beckoning them some day to return;

Your misty island with her Highland hills

And ancient, evangelistic shores

Have influenced America and the world—

May their noble legacy evermore

Continue provoking us to righteousness,

And then heavenward to God.

~ Renée N. DeGroot ~ June 2009 ~

Hearken Back to Days in Scotland

For anyone still reading this blog, I wanted to post some new pictures. The credit for all of these goes to Bryce's future brother-in-law Daniel, who shared his thousands of pictures with us. I gleaned many that were different from ours and better than ours, and would like to display this sampling. Most of our pictures were of the same scenes, but people always have unique perspectives or were someplace at the right moment; I appreciate his eye for photography. Thank you to Daniel, and to Susanna for getting them to us.:-)

Scotland Reminiscence

I might be saying farewell to recounting of Scotland for a while on this blog, but the trip will always live in our memory. Between showing pictures to friends, seeing our souvenirs every day, and, most of all, remembering the historical lessons, we will always be reminded of this glorious land and her people.

There are many posts below about most of the major parts of the Faith and Freedom Tour. Please scroll down to find some commentary from the remarkable lectures we had as well as some photographs of monuments, mountains, and Montanans in Scotland:-)

(Photos from Edinburgh, top to bottom: Deacon Brodie's tavern on the Royal Mile; Princes Street Gardens as seen from the National Gallery; the Sir Walter Scott statue.)

Hiking Ben Nevis

On the 11th day of our Scotland tour a small group hiked the highest peak in Great Britain. My future brother-in-law, William, had hiked the mountain two days before, and he gave us a report that excited some in our group to make the ascent.

The summit of Ben Nevis is 4,406 feet in elevation, towering above the sea-level town of Fort William, Scotland. The mission called for a meeting at 4:30 AM, a five hour time limit, 12 miles to go, and little water and food. Breakfast and trail provisions consisted of 1 1/2 liters of water, one apple, and one granola bar shared among 6 men. This unfortunate lack of provision was because we didn't plan the hike until late the night before, and there is no food available in Fort William between 10:00 PM and 4:30 AM. Needless to say, we had some hungry hikers when we got back to town. We talked of the courageous highland Scotsmen who had waged battles for centuries with far less provisions than we had.

The verdant highlands

On the summit

[Note: The photos above are copyrighted by Vision Forum and are only for our personal use. Photos below are my photos of the hike.]

A loch positioned on on the flank of Ben Nevis

___________________________

Click here for interesting history and facts about the mountain.

Farewell,

Bryce

Sighted in Scotland

Bryce and his fiancée Sarah. It was enjoyable to have part of her family as traveling companions on the tour.

From the Bus

Traveling through a spectacular country via numerous hours a day on a bus, we tried, at least, to get a few pictures out the windows. While none are that great, I think the reflections on the windows add an interesting element to the scene, and thought I would post a few.
Loch Linnhe near Fort William.
From the front, top deck of the public transportation buses in Edinburgh.
Happy travelers.
Turning a corner near the gate to Holyrood Palace, and trying not to miss it!
"Stirling Bridge" but not the one that was there in Wallace's day.
Speeding by Inverlochy Castle near Loch Lomond.
A bus-full of probably thoughtful and hopefully content, but genuinely thankful tour-goers:-)

Churches, beautiful churches...

Here are a few pictures of churches that I don't think I have written about yet. This one we saw from the steam train moving through the Highlands. It seemed quite isolated; I wonder what its history was.
The Dalserf Church where it is believed that there has been a Christian congregation since Pictish times. The existing building is an example of the simple architecture that would have been used in the Reformation, Mr. Colin Gunn explained.
The Old Hamilton Parish Church, where there is a small memorial to the Covenanters. Here, as at Dalserf, men from the church spoke to us about the region and the history of the congregation. Large churchyards such as this are some of the most peaceful places, and quite unlike most of our newer churches in America.
The view from the top of St. Rule's Church, looking over the ruins of St. Andrew's Cathedral, the university, and the castle. The home of the Reformation's beginnings, this is a town that could be explored and admired for days.
St. John's Church. I think this is a Church of Scotland, but it was our landmark for navigating the way back to our hotel and the headquarters "Caley" (Caledonian).)The streets surrounding were all under construction, but this was a landmark to behold, as we walked by countless times.