"The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters..."
Psalm 23:1-2
Time is on my mind alot recently. My work schedule changed, so everything in life has to be juggled. As I'm "tweaking" my new schedule, the Lord reminded me that His leading is always to a place of rest and quietness. NOT crazy-busy, insane, stressed because I'm not getting everything done.... He leads me into Peace. Even while I'm working, even while I'm accomplishing my daily tasks, there's a quietness in my soul. Because I know that He leads me to a good place. And though I may plan my ways (Planning is Godly!), the Lord is directing my steps.
Other Thoughts:
It's amazing what a half hour of concentrated house cleaning will do! It seems to be better to just straighten the house, and focus on a few things for a short time, than NOT do that and be frustrated for the rest of the day (or evening) 'cause the house is messy.
Efficiency is organization in action. At least that's what I said to The Little Bro as he was building shelves in the work trailer. He asked where I heard that. "Ummm, I just made it up." It's proof that you can be profound on accident. :)
Today, glorify God with your time!
Making chicken noodle soup and hot tea for the not-feeling-too-good Little Bro, hanging out in the apartment with him and rambling endlessly about literature. Actually, that was fun. He didn't say much. :)
Waking up on Saturday morning with a big sigh. Six inches of SNOW. Which should've stayed in Vermont. Didn't Old Man Winter get the whole "Spring" memo?
Laughing and joking with a waitress when the family and I went out to a business lunch. Her first words to us were, "Why are you all in blue?" My wide-eyed and innocent response, "Because we're related." :) We were all wearing (blue) company shirts.
Steaming in the hot tub at 1:00 in the afternoon. It just felt wrong! But that crazy, heavy snow made my body hurt... or rather, shovelling all that crazy, heavy, wet snow made me hurt. This office chica has got to work out more.
Softly playing the piano during communion on Resurrection Sunday service. "O the Blood of Jesus, it washes white as snow..."
Sprawled out on a chair at The Pastor's house. Eating red velvet cake, watching many basketball games and talking about so many things that I can't remember them all. It's a going-on-twelve-years tradition to have Easter dinner with the Pastor's family.... I like traditions. :)
Waking up on Saturday morning with a big sigh. Six inches of SNOW. Which should've stayed in Vermont. Didn't Old Man Winter get the whole "Spring" memo?
Laughing and joking with a waitress when the family and I went out to a business lunch. Her first words to us were, "Why are you all in blue?" My wide-eyed and innocent response, "Because we're related." :) We were all wearing (blue) company shirts.
Steaming in the hot tub at 1:00 in the afternoon. It just felt wrong! But that crazy, heavy snow made my body hurt... or rather, shovelling all that crazy, heavy, wet snow made me hurt. This office chica has got to work out more.
Softly playing the piano during communion on Resurrection Sunday service. "O the Blood of Jesus, it washes white as snow..."
Sprawled out on a chair at The Pastor's house. Eating red velvet cake, watching many basketball games and talking about so many things that I can't remember them all. It's a going-on-twelve-years tradition to have Easter dinner with the Pastor's family.... I like traditions. :)
Just as I was thinking, "Winter is over, and I really don't care what the calendar says...", I realized that today is the official first day of Spring! Yay! Things have been pretty brown and ugly here in Pennsylvania. I don't like this in-between season. There's no snow to make things bright & beautiful. The ground is depressing in its brown state, and the weather report is constant rain. Don't get me wrong-I love rain! However, I mostly love the summer thunderstorms, and just tolerate the dreary drizzling days. But if the constant grey mist brings green leaves and pretty flowers, I say--let it rain!
Spring break is over here at Penn State, which means the streets are filled with people again. College students are hustling to study hard before the end of the semester- only a few short months away. It's all fun--except when some not-so-smart college student decides to step out onto the road in front of my car. GRRR. Stop texting and start watching where you're going!
The (slightly) warmer weather has me thinking about running! I went "running" Tuesday after a pretty long break from it. Oh yeah, I'm hurtin'. Or maybe the pain is from The Little Bro totally annihilating me in racquetball. At least, it was fun! Anyway, I got a list of 5Ks in the area for the next few months.. if you're interested in doing a race with me, let me know! :)
What Spring means to me:
-Tulips & crocuses
-Wearing dresses with strappy sandals
-Youth retreat
-Marshmallow peeps (I don't eat them; I just like squishing 'em)
-Going to a greenhouse
-Puddles in the parking lot
-Never quite wearing the right clothes to work
(too wintery on a warm day/too summery on a cool day)
-Planting herbs in the garden
-The scent of lilac
-Spring cleaning... or remodeling, in our case.
-Green trees, green lawn, green leaves---O, let the beauty begin!
Anything else?
Spring break is over here at Penn State, which means the streets are filled with people again. College students are hustling to study hard before the end of the semester- only a few short months away. It's all fun--except when some not-so-smart college student decides to step out onto the road in front of my car. GRRR. Stop texting and start watching where you're going!
The (slightly) warmer weather has me thinking about running! I went "running" Tuesday after a pretty long break from it. Oh yeah, I'm hurtin'. Or maybe the pain is from The Little Bro totally annihilating me in racquetball. At least, it was fun! Anyway, I got a list of 5Ks in the area for the next few months.. if you're interested in doing a race with me, let me know! :)
What Spring means to me:
-Tulips & crocuses
-Wearing dresses with strappy sandals
-Youth retreat
-Marshmallow peeps (I don't eat them; I just like squishing 'em)
-Going to a greenhouse
-Puddles in the parking lot
-Never quite wearing the right clothes to work
(too wintery on a warm day/too summery on a cool day)
-Planting herbs in the garden
-The scent of lilac
-Spring cleaning... or remodeling, in our case.
-Green trees, green lawn, green leaves---O, let the beauty begin!
Anything else?
Avoidance is not bliss.
This is my life motto. Why? Because I tend to avoid things, like...
-Things that make me scared.
-Things that make me uncomfortable.
-Things that take too much effort.
-Things that give me pain.
-Things that have potential for personal humiliation.
-Things that might fail.
-Things that I'm incapable of controlling the end result.
The horrible part of my wretched tendency of avoidance is that these kind of things are usually right and good for me, and even necessary. Hence, my motto.
Avoidance is not bliss.
And the other motto:
Just do it.
So, what have you been avoiding lately?
This is my life motto. Why? Because I tend to avoid things, like...
-Things that make me scared.
-Things that make me uncomfortable.
-Things that take too much effort.
-Things that give me pain.
-Things that have potential for personal humiliation.
-Things that might fail.
-Things that I'm incapable of controlling the end result.
The horrible part of my wretched tendency of avoidance is that these kind of things are usually right and good for me, and even necessary. Hence, my motto.
Avoidance is not bliss.
And the other motto:
Just do it.
So, what have you been avoiding lately?
It's official. I have my "concealed carry" permit. Though I think it's weird that I have to get a permit to carry a gun in the first place. Didn't the Second Amendment already give me the right to bear arms? Yeah, exactly. They ask the strangest questions on the permit application. Seriously, what criminal in their right mind would answer truthfully to, "Are you a fugitive from justice?"
On my lunch break today, I went to a government office. To deal with some government red tape. I stepped into a microscopic waiting room and there was a very bored-looking security guard at his desk. He asks, "Are you carrying any guns? weapons?" and half-laughs. Remember, I'm in professional office attire-looking all chic and everything, and I guess he just couldn't connect that picture with a gun. I wanted to say "Yes" SO BAD!!! But I kept it truthful and just shook my head and smiled. :) So now, I need a handgun.
On my lunch break today, I went to a government office. To deal with some government red tape. I stepped into a microscopic waiting room and there was a very bored-looking security guard at his desk. He asks, "Are you carrying any guns? weapons?" and half-laughs. Remember, I'm in professional office attire-looking all chic and everything, and I guess he just couldn't connect that picture with a gun. I wanted to say "Yes" SO BAD!!! But I kept it truthful and just shook my head and smiled. :) So now, I need a handgun.
"True godliness does not turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it and excites their endeavors to mend it."
-William Penn
"The contemplation of the saints is fired by the love of the one contemplated: that is, God."
Albert the Great
"Prayer-secret, fervent, believing prayer-lies at the root of all personal godliness."
William Carey
These quotes are from Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster. This is one of my favorite books, one of my "top six." I'm reading it again for the billionth time (or so it seems), and yet it is as challenging as ever! The book teaches on spiritual disciplines and how to practice them. I feel like such a child about these things, still learning and understanding the basics of godliness.
-William Penn
"The contemplation of the saints is fired by the love of the one contemplated: that is, God."
Albert the Great
"Prayer-secret, fervent, believing prayer-lies at the root of all personal godliness."
William Carey
These quotes are from Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster. This is one of my favorite books, one of my "top six." I'm reading it again for the billionth time (or so it seems), and yet it is as challenging as ever! The book teaches on spiritual disciplines and how to practice them. I feel like such a child about these things, still learning and understanding the basics of godliness.
Or, the *real* reasons that I am the way I am...
As I think back over my childhood and now that I am into young adulthood, I've started to understand more about how I got here. Why I cherish some things and why I despise others. Some are so second-nature to me that I'm stunned to hear it is no longer normal.
Eating "supper" (Texas talk) together as a family. There was no regular dinner hour in my house. Alot of it depended on the season. The Dad's business determined that in the summer, he'd be working long hours. But it all evened out, because he was home during the winter. But whether my daddy was home late or not, we ate together as a family. If he came home way after suppertime, usually we'd sit and talk to him while he ate. During the majority of the week, we ate together as a family. At the kitchen table. No TV on. No music. No distractions. Just supper together. This continues to this day.
Being homeschooled. We were homeschooled in the sense that we spent the majority of our waking hours together. When we did schoolwork, it was usually around the big kitchen table. Sure, it was distracting on the (rare) days when The Sis, The Other Bro and I couldn't stop laughing. But generally speaking, we were alot more dedicated to our schoolwork just by sitting around that table with each other. And did better work because of the accountability of The Mom sitting right there with us. And we are much closer to one another. (Disclaimer: I am not stating that I will definitely homeschool my children. I reserve the right to discuss and decide all life decisions with my future husband. Just a little FYI.)
My mom stayed at home. She did work part-time through the years in various jobs. Usually we would go with her to sit quietly in the store, while she fitted brides in their lovely bridal gowns or made alterations at a ladies' clothing store. Or we'd be playing in the yard while some customer came with a project for her to do. But that was never her focus or her identity. She was a wife and homeschooling mom. She loved us kids, always cared for us, disciplined us and trained us. She pushed me out of my shell of shyness, encouraged me in music, let me cook all the time, made me go outside when my nose was stuck in a book, monitored my Internet time, constantly sacrificed her desires for me, planned more surprise birthday parties for me than I can remember, helped with the youth group through all my years there, cried when I moved out, didn't cry when I moved back in, gave her honest opinion of my clothes & their modesty factor, and a million other things. Without being home, she couldn't have done half of those things for me. Or, at least it would've been ALOT harder for her. Her "mothering" duties weren't something she planned (at least, I don't think so), but they happened and profoundly affected the course of my life. I can safely say that I am the way I am because of what my mom did and didn't do. She's an awesome mom, and I want to be just like her when I grow up. :)
My daddy was there. Like really THERE. Involved. He was the one that I have always gone to for advice, wisdom, counsel. He had the final say in the family about everything. "Well, I'm gonna go tell Dad!" was our little-kid final stick-out-your-tongue-cuz-I-got-the-last word phrase. He is the provider that worked like crazy to take care of us, and yet still had time & energy to horse around with us after getting home from work.
The family who plays/works/remodels/vacations/laughs/hikes/prays, etc. together, stays together. This is probably the biggest reason why my family is so close. We just spent tons and tons and tons of time together. Like the five-week-long trip that we took out west when I was 13. Everybody said, "Oh, I just couldn't stand to be with my family that long! Didn't you like, want to kill each other?" Umm, NO. We did everything from family demolition ("don't worry, Dad! We can mud it! -The Little Bro) to family bike rides. I don't remember our family time ever being scheduled, like a weekly family night or anything like that. It just happened.
TV was minimal, and sometimes non-existent. Which is the reason that to this day, I hate the "background noise" of television when no one is watching it. I still feel lazy when watching TV on a weeknight, which is a good thing. There's very few things as unprofitable as television... and don't even get me started on cable or satellite. There's very few shows that are "pure" or "excellent" or "of good report," that I'm glad we don't have satellite. TV is like the vortex that easily sucks me in. Gotta fight it!
We went to church any time the doors were open. And sometimes, we opened the doors. :) There was no excuse good enough to miss church. Sports activities, jobs--pretty much everything else stopped when it was time for church. And not just Sunday either! Any day of church-any youth event-anything! This is how I learned faithfulness.
These are some things that I really appreciate about my family and how I was raised. Don't get the wrong idea, though. My family isn't perfect, and none of this would've happened except by the grace of God. These are simply some things that have greatly influenced me in Godliness.
As I think back over my childhood and now that I am into young adulthood, I've started to understand more about how I got here. Why I cherish some things and why I despise others. Some are so second-nature to me that I'm stunned to hear it is no longer normal.
Eating "supper" (Texas talk) together as a family. There was no regular dinner hour in my house. Alot of it depended on the season. The Dad's business determined that in the summer, he'd be working long hours. But it all evened out, because he was home during the winter. But whether my daddy was home late or not, we ate together as a family. If he came home way after suppertime, usually we'd sit and talk to him while he ate. During the majority of the week, we ate together as a family. At the kitchen table. No TV on. No music. No distractions. Just supper together. This continues to this day.
Being homeschooled. We were homeschooled in the sense that we spent the majority of our waking hours together. When we did schoolwork, it was usually around the big kitchen table. Sure, it was distracting on the (rare) days when The Sis, The Other Bro and I couldn't stop laughing. But generally speaking, we were alot more dedicated to our schoolwork just by sitting around that table with each other. And did better work because of the accountability of The Mom sitting right there with us. And we are much closer to one another. (Disclaimer: I am not stating that I will definitely homeschool my children. I reserve the right to discuss and decide all life decisions with my future husband. Just a little FYI.)
My mom stayed at home. She did work part-time through the years in various jobs. Usually we would go with her to sit quietly in the store, while she fitted brides in their lovely bridal gowns or made alterations at a ladies' clothing store. Or we'd be playing in the yard while some customer came with a project for her to do. But that was never her focus or her identity. She was a wife and homeschooling mom. She loved us kids, always cared for us, disciplined us and trained us. She pushed me out of my shell of shyness, encouraged me in music, let me cook all the time, made me go outside when my nose was stuck in a book, monitored my Internet time, constantly sacrificed her desires for me, planned more surprise birthday parties for me than I can remember, helped with the youth group through all my years there, cried when I moved out, didn't cry when I moved back in, gave her honest opinion of my clothes & their modesty factor, and a million other things. Without being home, she couldn't have done half of those things for me. Or, at least it would've been ALOT harder for her. Her "mothering" duties weren't something she planned (at least, I don't think so), but they happened and profoundly affected the course of my life. I can safely say that I am the way I am because of what my mom did and didn't do. She's an awesome mom, and I want to be just like her when I grow up. :)
My daddy was there. Like really THERE. Involved. He was the one that I have always gone to for advice, wisdom, counsel. He had the final say in the family about everything. "Well, I'm gonna go tell Dad!" was our little-kid final stick-out-your-tongue-cuz-I-got-the-last word phrase. He is the provider that worked like crazy to take care of us, and yet still had time & energy to horse around with us after getting home from work.
The family who plays/works/remodels/vacations/laughs/hikes/prays, etc. together, stays together. This is probably the biggest reason why my family is so close. We just spent tons and tons and tons of time together. Like the five-week-long trip that we took out west when I was 13. Everybody said, "Oh, I just couldn't stand to be with my family that long! Didn't you like, want to kill each other?" Umm, NO. We did everything from family demolition ("don't worry, Dad! We can mud it! -The Little Bro) to family bike rides. I don't remember our family time ever being scheduled, like a weekly family night or anything like that. It just happened.
TV was minimal, and sometimes non-existent. Which is the reason that to this day, I hate the "background noise" of television when no one is watching it. I still feel lazy when watching TV on a weeknight, which is a good thing. There's very few things as unprofitable as television... and don't even get me started on cable or satellite. There's very few shows that are "pure" or "excellent" or "of good report," that I'm glad we don't have satellite. TV is like the vortex that easily sucks me in. Gotta fight it!
We went to church any time the doors were open. And sometimes, we opened the doors. :) There was no excuse good enough to miss church. Sports activities, jobs--pretty much everything else stopped when it was time for church. And not just Sunday either! Any day of church-any youth event-anything! This is how I learned faithfulness.
These are some things that I really appreciate about my family and how I was raised. Don't get the wrong idea, though. My family isn't perfect, and none of this would've happened except by the grace of God. These are simply some things that have greatly influenced me in Godliness.
The youth group has finally given up on snow-tubing. On Friday, it rained like the world was coming to an end (okay, not quite), and so we did a digital camera scavenger hunt. Which was totally awesome. We split into three groups, in three cars, with three drivers/camera operators. In two hours, the teams has to go around town and take creative pictures of the youth doing activities or at certain places.
Categories were things like: Cutest Pet, Best Present to Give Santa Claus, Best Parody of a TV Show or Movie, Biggest Snowbank, Best Action Using Free Stuff from a Restaurant, Sweeetest Car, Best Face Made by a Complete Stranger, etc.
I know a picture is worth a thousand words, but I won't go for that many. I'll just give a quick description. :) My absolute favorite pictures were as follows:
Most Unique Statue. The Little Bro's team went to Boalsburg (a.k.a. birthplace of Memorial Day). There's an interesting life-size statue of three Civil-War-era dancing ladies. The boys bowed and asked them to dance. Haha. Awesome.
Best Mime of a Bible Story. The Curly Girl's team went to the Walmart toy section. Think two girls pulling at a baby doll, with a guy with a plastic sword raised over it!!
Best Impression of a Penn State Student. The Hazel-Eyed Girl's team had one of their team member lay down on the ground in front of a car!! (it was a parked car, people! No youth were harmed in the making of this picture).
P.S. Actually, the rain made this youth event so much more dramatic. I liked it.
Categories were things like: Cutest Pet, Best Present to Give Santa Claus, Best Parody of a TV Show or Movie, Biggest Snowbank, Best Action Using Free Stuff from a Restaurant, Sweeetest Car, Best Face Made by a Complete Stranger, etc.
I know a picture is worth a thousand words, but I won't go for that many. I'll just give a quick description. :) My absolute favorite pictures were as follows:
Most Unique Statue. The Little Bro's team went to Boalsburg (a.k.a. birthplace of Memorial Day). There's an interesting life-size statue of three Civil-War-era dancing ladies. The boys bowed and asked them to dance. Haha. Awesome.
Best Mime of a Bible Story. The Curly Girl's team went to the Walmart toy section. Think two girls pulling at a baby doll, with a guy with a plastic sword raised over it!!
Best Impression of a Penn State Student. The Hazel-Eyed Girl's team had one of their team member lay down on the ground in front of a car!! (it was a parked car, people! No youth were harmed in the making of this picture).
P.S. Actually, the rain made this youth event so much more dramatic. I liked it.
Discussing politics and the ridiculous notion of people voting for a Democratic candidate just because they're of the minority variety...
"Barack isn't black; he's Muslim!" -The Raven-Haired Girl
Out in the elements during a digital camera scavenger hunt...
"I love rain! It's tasty!" -The Witty Kid
"Barack isn't black; he's Muslim!" -The Raven-Haired Girl
Out in the elements during a digital camera scavenger hunt...
"I love rain! It's tasty!" -The Witty Kid
Yesterday was a "Jonah day." Or at least, it started out that way. I heard on the news that Brett Favre retired. He was my favorite quarterback and had been playing football as long as I can remember. So it was like the end of an era! Then I heard that Mike Huckabee bowed out of the presidential race. Very sad. But I won't elaborate on politics anymore because it just makes me angry. Then as I was driving to work, the road was flooded so I had to drive a loooooong detour, and I was late for work. After all that fun, I decided that I was gonna be happy anyway. Because Jesus is still the King!! And maybe the Rapture will come today! :)
So I successfully had a good attitude through the rest of the day... even though alot of things went wrong. There are too many decisions and not enough options. And then I smashed my head on the ceiling last night when turning off the light. Ouch.
You know I haven’t had the best of days
But I want to stop and thank You anyway
Cuz every single moment
whether sleeping or awake
Is Your creation
And what You’ve made is good
I don’t always thank You
for the rough days and
The hard times in my life
Even though I should
-lyrics to "Jury Duty" by the O.C. Supertones
But on the upside!!! I spent alot of time with the Lord in the Word & prayer... so that had to be the reason there was grace in the middle of my Jonah day! And youth group was encouraging and challenging, all at the same time. And I loved spending time with the youth. ("Crack is wack!" -The New Kid. "This tastes like plastic!" -The Raven-Haired Girl about a brownie. "You're gonna be a great mother!" -The Sparkly Girl as she watched me with a niece on each hip. And then she stole one niece to give her lots of sugar and laugh at her funniness... and the rest of the youth ate whipped cream from the can, threw shoes and did other weird things.) Rejoiced to a couple answers to prayer, talked about Spiritual Disciplines and chatted & shivered in the cold with The Chatty Girl.
Moral of the story: Jonah days come to everyone. Get up again & praise God anyway!
So I successfully had a good attitude through the rest of the day... even though alot of things went wrong. There are too many decisions and not enough options. And then I smashed my head on the ceiling last night when turning off the light. Ouch.
You know I haven’t had the best of days
But I want to stop and thank You anyway
Cuz every single moment
whether sleeping or awake
Is Your creation
And what You’ve made is good
I don’t always thank You
for the rough days and
The hard times in my life
Even though I should
-lyrics to "Jury Duty" by the O.C. Supertones
But on the upside!!! I spent alot of time with the Lord in the Word & prayer... so that had to be the reason there was grace in the middle of my Jonah day! And youth group was encouraging and challenging, all at the same time. And I loved spending time with the youth. ("Crack is wack!" -The New Kid. "This tastes like plastic!" -The Raven-Haired Girl about a brownie. "You're gonna be a great mother!" -The Sparkly Girl as she watched me with a niece on each hip. And then she stole one niece to give her lots of sugar and laugh at her funniness... and the rest of the youth ate whipped cream from the can, threw shoes and did other weird things.) Rejoiced to a couple answers to prayer, talked about Spiritual Disciplines and chatted & shivered in the cold with The Chatty Girl.
Moral of the story: Jonah days come to everyone. Get up again & praise God anyway!
Just wanted to pass on a great post on hospitality. I don't routinely read the blog that this post comes from, so this isn't an all-encompassing endorsement. But these are some awesome tips on extending Biblical hospitality, that I'm going to be striving after.
Romans 12:13 "Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality"
1 Peter 4:9 "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."
Based on the Word, hospitality is most often a ministry to the saints, not an evangelistic endeavor. I know that totally messes with our heads, but it's true! Hospitality is one way that we're supposed to be ministering to one another.
One great comment from the blog post is this: "A good way to sabotage the effects of hospitality is to apologize for your home--a messy room, a simple meal, the paper plates." There are very few homes that I've been to in which the hostess doesn't apologize for something. I think it makes the guest feel uncomfortable. The focus is taken from Christian fellowship to an element that the guest probably didn't even notice or doesn't care about anyway. Quickly, the conversation has turned from the positive to the negative. Like I said, very uncomfortable.
This is not to say that we ought to just give up and let our houses be messy because we're focused on "more important things." In everything, there is a balance. And God is definitely glorified by a house that is kept nicely.
Anyway, the following (well-balanced) blog post is great, so check it out!
http://purplecellar.blogspot.com/2008/02/hospitality-tips.html
Romans 12:13 "Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality"
1 Peter 4:9 "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."
Based on the Word, hospitality is most often a ministry to the saints, not an evangelistic endeavor. I know that totally messes with our heads, but it's true! Hospitality is one way that we're supposed to be ministering to one another.
One great comment from the blog post is this: "A good way to sabotage the effects of hospitality is to apologize for your home--a messy room, a simple meal, the paper plates." There are very few homes that I've been to in which the hostess doesn't apologize for something. I think it makes the guest feel uncomfortable. The focus is taken from Christian fellowship to an element that the guest probably didn't even notice or doesn't care about anyway. Quickly, the conversation has turned from the positive to the negative. Like I said, very uncomfortable.
This is not to say that we ought to just give up and let our houses be messy because we're focused on "more important things." In everything, there is a balance. And God is definitely glorified by a house that is kept nicely.
Anyway, the following (well-balanced) blog post is great, so check it out!
http://purplecellar.blogspot.com/2008/02/hospitality-tips.html
On Sunday, Pastor preached a masterful sermon on prayer. Here are the highlights:
If you love as Christ loved, you will pray as He prayed.
It is not the mighty that pray, but the weak that pray so they become mighty.
We must come to a place where prayer is not optional-it is vital!
Prayer must be habitual, yet more than a habit.
How does one commune with God without prayer?
If man does not pray, he is a sinner.
Prayer is as big as God.
There's no greater place to learn humility than on your knees.
Every major decision that you make should be bathed in prayer.
Prayer is not neutral. It is either an abomination or a delight (Prov. 15:8).
You are what you are in your prayer closet.
Prayer is an instinct of the soul. We can learn things about prayer, but the original instinct is birthed (in salvation).
To love is to pray.
If you love as Christ loved, you will pray as He prayed.
It is not the mighty that pray, but the weak that pray so they become mighty.
We must come to a place where prayer is not optional-it is vital!
Prayer must be habitual, yet more than a habit.
How does one commune with God without prayer?
If man does not pray, he is a sinner.
Prayer is as big as God.
There's no greater place to learn humility than on your knees.
Every major decision that you make should be bathed in prayer.
Prayer is not neutral. It is either an abomination or a delight (Prov. 15:8).
You are what you are in your prayer closet.
Prayer is an instinct of the soul. We can learn things about prayer, but the original instinct is birthed (in salvation).
SNOW. Why does it wait until February for all the big snows to come? And specifically, why does it have to snow on youth event nights??? Friday was the 2nd time we postponed our youth snow tubing night... GRRR. But on Saturday, The Little Bro said the 6 inches of new snow made the snowboarding "awesome!!!" I'll take his word for it. :)
Demolition. We got to destroy our kitchen on Saturday. How fun! Actually, I wanted to use a sledge hammer, but my daddy wouldn't let me. Something about using the old cabinets for storage in the shed. *Sigh* So now we have no cabinets and no sink. But we have alot of paper plates, to help us through the remodeling. And "we" are gonna do most of the work ourselves, I guess. "We" is such a relative term, eh? It means that I get to do anything that doesn't involve skill or anything electrical. Haha. I'm the lowest on the family totem pole in construction knowledge. I guess that makes me a grunt. But, hey, at least I'm funny. :)
Left Behind. I read the books. All of them. It was quite an adventure. I'm not generally one for popular modern fiction or any fiction that was written within the last 50 years. Because it's usually "fluff" - words with no substance. But I wanted to read these to form an opinion. My take on them: "Interesting." They truly are fascinating works of fiction. Gripping. The authors' style of writing draws the reader into the story, though it thoroughly frustrated me. It was like Charles Dickens, because there were 3 or 4 or more situations going on at one time, and not one fully resolved until the end of the series. Makes me wanna pull my hair out!
There are several major flaws in the series (in my opinion).
#1. Inaccurate understanding of Biblical prophecy. This is the first flaw, and definitely the most important. I knew before reading that I disagreed with some major premises. For instance, the authors assume that the antichrist will rule the entire world. I believe he will only rule the revised Roman empire. Towards the end of the series, I was beginning to wonder if the authors honestly believed what they were writing. Or maybe they were writing some things for dramatic effect? It just seemed too fantastic or too strange. Granted, it is the End Times-the judgments of God, and those will undoubtedly be incomprehensible to the human mind. But still, the sign of the Son of Man will be a huge glowing cross in the sky?? What?
#2. Weak Christian characters. The Bible teacher is the most spiritually mature person in the series, and the only one that seems to truly walk with God. The rest of them stumble along, run around the world and don't seem to have much of a prayer life. New Christians were portrayed as having an insatiable hunger for the Word (good) and dramatically changed (good). There's not much in the Bible about what Christians will be doing during the Tribulation, so the authors are mostly speculating--which was maybe why I thought it was a lame depiction of Christians.
To sum up. I will never read the books again, and don't think it is worth the time for anyone else to read the books. The fact is--I plan on leaving on the first train out! I'm gonna be Raptured, taken up to meet Christ in the air! During the seven year Tribulation, God will finish His dealings with Israel... but I'm gonna be busy gazing on the face of Christ. Don't be left behind!
Demolition. We got to destroy our kitchen on Saturday. How fun! Actually, I wanted to use a sledge hammer, but my daddy wouldn't let me. Something about using the old cabinets for storage in the shed. *Sigh* So now we have no cabinets and no sink. But we have alot of paper plates, to help us through the remodeling. And "we" are gonna do most of the work ourselves, I guess. "We" is such a relative term, eh? It means that I get to do anything that doesn't involve skill or anything electrical. Haha. I'm the lowest on the family totem pole in construction knowledge. I guess that makes me a grunt. But, hey, at least I'm funny. :)
Left Behind. I read the books. All of them. It was quite an adventure. I'm not generally one for popular modern fiction or any fiction that was written within the last 50 years. Because it's usually "fluff" - words with no substance. But I wanted to read these to form an opinion. My take on them: "Interesting." They truly are fascinating works of fiction. Gripping. The authors' style of writing draws the reader into the story, though it thoroughly frustrated me. It was like Charles Dickens, because there were 3 or 4 or more situations going on at one time, and not one fully resolved until the end of the series. Makes me wanna pull my hair out!
There are several major flaws in the series (in my opinion).
#1. Inaccurate understanding of Biblical prophecy. This is the first flaw, and definitely the most important. I knew before reading that I disagreed with some major premises. For instance, the authors assume that the antichrist will rule the entire world. I believe he will only rule the revised Roman empire. Towards the end of the series, I was beginning to wonder if the authors honestly believed what they were writing. Or maybe they were writing some things for dramatic effect? It just seemed too fantastic or too strange. Granted, it is the End Times-the judgments of God, and those will undoubtedly be incomprehensible to the human mind. But still, the sign of the Son of Man will be a huge glowing cross in the sky?? What?
#2. Weak Christian characters. The Bible teacher is the most spiritually mature person in the series, and the only one that seems to truly walk with God. The rest of them stumble along, run around the world and don't seem to have much of a prayer life. New Christians were portrayed as having an insatiable hunger for the Word (good) and dramatically changed (good). There's not much in the Bible about what Christians will be doing during the Tribulation, so the authors are mostly speculating--which was maybe why I thought it was a lame depiction of Christians.
To sum up. I will never read the books again, and don't think it is worth the time for anyone else to read the books. The fact is--I plan on leaving on the first train out! I'm gonna be Raptured, taken up to meet Christ in the air! During the seven year Tribulation, God will finish His dealings with Israel... but I'm gonna be busy gazing on the face of Christ. Don't be left behind!
