I hate to admit it, but lately I have been somewhat of an emotional roller coaster....my poor husband can vouch for me. It has been really hard having him gone so much, especially at night, and I have been crying at the drop of a hat (almost literally). Today, in one of my 4-year-old moments, Daniel looked rather lost for words. I honestly hate it because it's almost like something takes over me and I just CAN'T get over how I feel (Sin warring against my members....Paul talks about it in Romans. A daily battle!) He has learned that sometimes I just need him to hold me while I cry all over his shirt, and he very graciously allows me to do so...what a good man :)
Anyway, after he left for work I decided that it was time to be productive for the kingdom and not keep moping around all day long. I got dressed and headed out to visit my new friend Jen, the one with the four kids who I mentioned in my second post from last week. What a blessed time it was! The Lord really answered my prayers with her, and we were able to talk about a lot of things....from mommy issues (yet to really experience these!) to wife issues to, most importantly, spiritual issues. I really sense in her a hunger to grow and learn from the Word. Oh, how I pray that this little seed will blossom. Please pray for her and her family too!
The Lord gave me such joy from obeying Him. It is so true that our joy and peace overflow when we obey Christ by loving Him and loving others (the fruit of the SPIRIT is love, joy, peace....) Last night Pastor Jonathan preached on love and joy from this beautiful list, and I was convicted and stirred up to cultivate these fruits. What a Gracious Lord....He is already doing so in me, even with my tiny, tiny baby steps.
When I got home, our neighbor Wynell came over and we (he, Daniel, and I) talked more about what it looks like to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. We were reading from Romans 6, that we as Christians are dead to sin and alive to Christ and from I Corinthians 15, that death has lost its sting because it is swallowed up in Christ's victory....oh Father, may THIS be my joy, my firm foundation, my only hope.
May we run HARD after Him....even if it sometimes looks like baby steps. And may we overcome our flesh and walk in victory and newness of life...
Blessings, dear friends....and as the French say, bon week-end! :)
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Chocolate flavored saw dust and three months of bliss
In order to prevent ourselves from spending wayyyy too much money (and waaayyy too many calories) on junk food, Daniel and I instituted a once a week dessert rule about 2 months ago. Our long awaited "Dessert Fridays" often turn into "Dessert Weekends" but, nonetheless, it is effective for the most part. I spent all of this past week waiting with baited breath to try the new peppermint chocolate chip milkshake from chick-fil-a....Friday afternoon rolls around and I make my way over to Chick-fil-a, visions of ice-creamy goodness dancing in my head. The cashier (Bethany!) asked if I wanted the whipped cream and cherry. Did I want the whipped cream and cherry!?? Do you SERIOUSLY have to ask? I gave my hearty approval to pack on the goods. My minty-chocolately bliss lasted for a solid 30 minutes, and was well worth the wait. (Sidebar: If you like a thicker shake, tell them....they'll go easy on the syrup flavoring which will make it less thin!)
Later that night, Daniel had yet to have any dessert. The week before, I made choc-oat-chip cookie bars which he absolutely adored (evidenced by their complete disappearance within a 24 hour period.) He told me to make them again, adding a bit less sugar this time. I went to the kitchen in search of my recipe when I realized that it had been on the chocolate chip bag, now long gone as I had transferred the chips into a ziploc. My only other alternative? Typing "healthy choc-oat-chip cookies" into the google search bar. Well, apparently "a bit less sugar" does not equal "health food cookies." I was wondering why the dough was so thick and dry but decided that it didnt matter too much.
Boy, was I wrong.
Daniel ate two of my sawdust squares before passing them off to Cali, the human garbage disposal. My poor honey.
Don't worry though, I redeemed myself the next day by making cookies again....sort of, since I still didnt really follow the recipe that I found, and they only tasted good fresh. Oh well, at least he ate these ones.....and there's always next Friday........
In other news, we have officially been married for 1/4 of a year today :) God has shown us so much in this short time, and we are growing (and stretching) in ways that, although they are not always super comfortable, are making us more holy. I pray that I will make Daniel love Christ more each day as he has done for me. What a joy it is to serve my precious husband.
I pray that your weekend was a blessing and that Christ is more beautiful to you today than He's ever been before.
Later that night, Daniel had yet to have any dessert. The week before, I made choc-oat-chip cookie bars which he absolutely adored (evidenced by their complete disappearance within a 24 hour period.) He told me to make them again, adding a bit less sugar this time. I went to the kitchen in search of my recipe when I realized that it had been on the chocolate chip bag, now long gone as I had transferred the chips into a ziploc. My only other alternative? Typing "healthy choc-oat-chip cookies" into the google search bar. Well, apparently "a bit less sugar" does not equal "health food cookies." I was wondering why the dough was so thick and dry but decided that it didnt matter too much.
Boy, was I wrong.
Daniel ate two of my sawdust squares before passing them off to Cali, the human garbage disposal. My poor honey.
Don't worry though, I redeemed myself the next day by making cookies again....sort of, since I still didnt really follow the recipe that I found, and they only tasted good fresh. Oh well, at least he ate these ones.....and there's always next Friday........
In other news, we have officially been married for 1/4 of a year today :) God has shown us so much in this short time, and we are growing (and stretching) in ways that, although they are not always super comfortable, are making us more holy. I pray that I will make Daniel love Christ more each day as he has done for me. What a joy it is to serve my precious husband.
I pray that your weekend was a blessing and that Christ is more beautiful to you today than He's ever been before.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wanna get something by me? Tell me at 1am.....
My husband and I work opposite schedules. He waits tables from 11-2:30ish every weekday and I am a secretary at a tutoring center from 3-7 Monday through Thursday. When I get home around 7:15, Daniel is preparing to leave for job #2 (night supervisor in Union's library) from 8pm-12:30am....needless to say, we don't see too terribly much of each other during the week.
When D gets home around 12:45am, he wakes me up and attempts to carry on a conversation with me. I'm thinking that he will, at some point, realize that this is rather useless and simply be content with a sleepy smile and an "I'm glad you're home honey." At this point, he will ask me something and receive a "hmph" or a "huh" in response. I try so hard to wake up, really I do, it's just sooo comfy in my warm bed and....my....pillow.....zzzz........
Anyway, it does lead to rather interesting dreams and confusing memories in the morning ("Did you tell me such and such last night or did I imagine that??") The other night, he ran in smelling like smoke and yelling "I think something's on FIRE!" I replied, "Really? Wow...that's...hmmm....yea...zzzz" About 2 seconds later (In my twilight zone drifting minutes seem like seconds and hours minutes) he came flying back in saying, "Woah, Longhorn steakhouse is on fire! It's burning to the ground!"
The next night (during our 45 minutes of together time) we were at Moe's, happily muching on funkmeister tacos and all you can eat chips and salsa (tomatilla! yessss) when our good friend Cali says, "Hey, we should drive over and look at the remains of Longhorn." It all came flooding back like a distant memory. Seriously, my days just run together with my dreamlike nights now....but it does make for something (mildly) interesting to blog about :)
I am really excited for this weekend. We will be spending time together (woo!) with our friends the French's and the Campbell's, great brothers and sisters in the Lord whom we love and miss dearly. Also, we are having a Thanksgiving meal with our church family at Pleasant Plains...did I mention how much I love them?
I pray that your weekend is full of the presence of Christ and the joy of the Spirit...and memories that will last :)
When D gets home around 12:45am, he wakes me up and attempts to carry on a conversation with me. I'm thinking that he will, at some point, realize that this is rather useless and simply be content with a sleepy smile and an "I'm glad you're home honey." At this point, he will ask me something and receive a "hmph" or a "huh" in response. I try so hard to wake up, really I do, it's just sooo comfy in my warm bed and....my....pillow.....zzzz........
Anyway, it does lead to rather interesting dreams and confusing memories in the morning ("Did you tell me such and such last night or did I imagine that??") The other night, he ran in smelling like smoke and yelling "I think something's on FIRE!" I replied, "Really? Wow...that's...hmmm....yea...zzzz" About 2 seconds later (In my twilight zone drifting minutes seem like seconds and hours minutes) he came flying back in saying, "Woah, Longhorn steakhouse is on fire! It's burning to the ground!"
The next night (during our 45 minutes of together time) we were at Moe's, happily muching on funkmeister tacos and all you can eat chips and salsa (tomatilla! yessss) when our good friend Cali says, "Hey, we should drive over and look at the remains of Longhorn." It all came flooding back like a distant memory. Seriously, my days just run together with my dreamlike nights now....but it does make for something (mildly) interesting to blog about :)
I am really excited for this weekend. We will be spending time together (woo!) with our friends the French's and the Campbell's, great brothers and sisters in the Lord whom we love and miss dearly. Also, we are having a Thanksgiving meal with our church family at Pleasant Plains...did I mention how much I love them?
I pray that your weekend is full of the presence of Christ and the joy of the Spirit...and memories that will last :)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Light of life
I'm writing from the corner of my couch, looking out at the clear blue sky. It is a gorgeous day in West Tennessee, 65 and sunny according to weather.com! Despite the beauty of this day, part of me (not a big enough part!) is heavy because in reality (since the spiritual is way more real than the physical) there are people all around me who are in deep darkness....
....They do not know Christ. They do not know His power to "melt a heart of stone." Many, in truth, do not want to know Him or even hear about Him. They are, as Romans 1 says, "exchang(ing) the truth of God for a lie, and worship(ing) and serv(ing) created things rather than the Creator."
The soul-anchoring hope that we have in Jesus (see here) inspires us to keep going....to keep loving people despite their hatred, to keep reaching out despite their rejection, to keep preaching the truth even when they plug their ears and run, screaming, in the other direction. Do you know why? Because it's not about us and it's not done by us. God's Spirit is at work-calling, drawing, leading people to repentance by His extraordinary Grace. We are merely the vessel, holding and pouring out that precious, Living Water.
And yet, oh, how I am tempted to become prideful! What a ridiculous thought, right? Pride? From ME of all people? Oh Savior please, keep saving me....
Pray for Daniel and I as we strive to abide in Christ and to reach out to our neighbors here in our little apartment community. How desperately they need to know Him! Some have expressed interest and are even responding to the Word....pray that they will grow in their knowledge and love of the Savior and that they would (if they are not already) become sheep in His fold. Pray particularly for a woman who has consistently come to hear Daniel preach on Saturday afternoons who has four small children and an unbelieving husband....she, like the rest of us, needs the grace of Christ to get by. Oh Father, may we be able to show it to her!
John 8:12-When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
....They do not know Christ. They do not know His power to "melt a heart of stone." Many, in truth, do not want to know Him or even hear about Him. They are, as Romans 1 says, "exchang(ing) the truth of God for a lie, and worship(ing) and serv(ing) created things rather than the Creator."
The soul-anchoring hope that we have in Jesus (see here) inspires us to keep going....to keep loving people despite their hatred, to keep reaching out despite their rejection, to keep preaching the truth even when they plug their ears and run, screaming, in the other direction. Do you know why? Because it's not about us and it's not done by us. God's Spirit is at work-calling, drawing, leading people to repentance by His extraordinary Grace. We are merely the vessel, holding and pouring out that precious, Living Water.
And yet, oh, how I am tempted to become prideful! What a ridiculous thought, right? Pride? From ME of all people? Oh Savior please, keep saving me....
Pray for Daniel and I as we strive to abide in Christ and to reach out to our neighbors here in our little apartment community. How desperately they need to know Him! Some have expressed interest and are even responding to the Word....pray that they will grow in their knowledge and love of the Savior and that they would (if they are not already) become sheep in His fold. Pray particularly for a woman who has consistently come to hear Daniel preach on Saturday afternoons who has four small children and an unbelieving husband....she, like the rest of us, needs the grace of Christ to get by. Oh Father, may we be able to show it to her!
John 8:12-When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Diving In
When I was little, I always liked jumping off of the tall diving boards at lakes and swimming pools. Despite the fact that it would usually take me a good 15 or 20 minutes to work up the courage to actually jump off, I was never deterred from making the climb and staring, knees knocking, over the edge.
Some things in life never change.
Take this blog for example. I created it with full intention to "dive" exuberantly into blogosphere with the ranks of other experienced and witty bloggers. Here I am, nearly a month later, writing my first post. Although it's taken me some time to work up the actual lift off of the diving board, I am here, throwing myself in with abandon, and enjoying the rush. Okay, so this is only a blog, but you get my point...hopefully the next post won't take so much effort :)
Some things in life never change.
Take this blog for example. I created it with full intention to "dive" exuberantly into blogosphere with the ranks of other experienced and witty bloggers. Here I am, nearly a month later, writing my first post. Although it's taken me some time to work up the actual lift off of the diving board, I am here, throwing myself in with abandon, and enjoying the rush. Okay, so this is only a blog, but you get my point...hopefully the next post won't take so much effort :)
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