53_October Overview 2025

Come, treasure with me the tunes, teachings, and truths of the tenth month.

How lovely to have you here! If you are a new subscriber - or you simply want to know more about me and Adventures and Academia - enjoy this welcome note.

“Victory” - Songs of Wisdom

Not my comfort, not my glory,
But the saving of the lost.
Jesus first and others second —
Let me see beyond the cost.

“Grace Will Prevail” - The Wood Drake Sessions

Grace will prevail
Though the darkness is strong
And the burden weighs heavy and long
Grace will prevail
For our God is the Light
Rending the cover of night

Anne’s House of Dreams - Lucy Maud Montgomery / Read by Karen Savage

“They belonged to each other; and, no matter what life might hold for them, it could never alter that. Their happiness was in each other’s keeping and both were unafraid.”

“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer—one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going—one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doings, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”

“Oh you mothers!” he said. “You mothers! God knew what He was about when He made you.”

My family recently enjoyed dinner by candlelight. Our maritime tealight dome reminded me of the beautiful seascapes described in Anne’s House of Dreams.

Following a summer pause, my discipleship mentor and I spent our September session catching up on life and praying for each other. This month, we resumed our study of Titus 2:4-5.

[Older women] are to teach what is good,
so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands 
and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, 
and in submission to their husbands, so that God’s word will not be slandered.

To better understand the word self-controlled, I started with my usual approach of using Bible Hub's interlinear tool to determine which word was used in the original language. In this passage, the Greek word is σώφρονας, which is transliterated to sōphronas. The lexical summary of the word provided additional insight, revealing that the first part of sōphronas comes from the base of sozo or sōos, which means “to save, to rescue, to deliver, to heal, to preserve.” The second part comes from the base of phren, meaning “mind, understanding, intellect,” but it also refers to the middle section of the body, the diaphram, which regulates breathing.

Bringing these pieces back together, we have a word that various Bible translators have recorded in the English language as

• self-controlled

• of sound mind

• temperate

• sensible

• prudent

• discreet

• sober-minded

In the semantic and theological overview of the aforementioned lexical summary, sōphronas is beautifully described as “the virtue of a balanced, disciplined mind that governs passions in harmony with God’s standards. It is not mere restraint but a spiritual sobriety that keeps thought, emotion, and behavior within the boundaries of divine wisdom.”

Now that we have a deeper understanding of the word itself, it is time to examine its practical implications for our daily lives.

Since I don't want to keep the joy of learning all to myself, I decided to turn this part of my studies into a worksheet for you. There are, of course, more verses and areas of application for such a study, but this is meant to be a starting point. May you be encouraged by these passages to let God govern every area of your life.

I wanted to hand letter a set of the worksheet’s Bible verses for you, but I am in the midst of one of the year’s busiest creative seasons, with several projects to complete for church and Christmas gifts to begin for family, friends, neighbors, and community helpers.

I did manage to hand letter Colossians 3:2 for you. It comes from a passage that is very dear to me - I mentally recite the first seventeen verses of this chapter almost every night when I go to bed, in an effort to turn off my racing thoughts and rest in the truth of scripture.

I also want to share with you our church's memory verses for the coming month.

Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, 
the gospel I preached to you, which you received, 
on which you have taken your stand... 
For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: 
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
that he was buried, 
that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. 
1 Corinthians 15:1,3-4

Why does the Bible verse reference look like an algebra problem?

Our lives grow ever busier in light of the new adventures God has in store for us, and I realize more and more the importance of following our Lord’s example in the way He “often withdrew to deserted places and prayed” (Luke 5:16).

We don’t have any nearby mountains to which we can slip away, but a Sunday afternoon drive and a prayerful stroll along the Danube River do wonders for my soul.

The first picture in this post is one of my favorite views from last weekend’s walk. Here are a few more spots that stirred me to sing these words written in 1758 by Robert Robinson:

Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.

Thank you for being my guest.
In God’s word you will find rest;
Seek Him, be bountifully blessed. 💚

Unless otherwise indicated, all words and pictures are original creations by ewebeak for the glory of God. Bible passages are from the CSB translation. This publication is for educational and entertainment purposes only.