These burdens are too heavy
For the weakness of myself.
I cry unto the Lord
From whence cometh my help!

Lift up these eyes
From the hopelessness
From the helplessness
From the circumstance
Lift up these eyes to see
Christ-my help! my King!

Many times there are circumstances beyond my control and they are like colossal weights bearing down on me. I feel overcome and weary. And truth is--all I need is a change in perspective. Instead of looking at me or the circumstances, I must lift up my eyes to the Savior. If I am given to prayer, He will intervene. He will change me, at least, and that's what helps. Because it's not my job to bear the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Here I come, to the Burden-bearer... Here I come, to my Redeemer.

Check out Psalm 121 for words more powerful than my own.

Lowlights: A puppy accident, people situations and an oil leak. The details just make me sad, so I'm choosing not to dwell on them. Onward to happier things…

Highlights:
Dinner with the youth girls, with real china and glasses and talking and laughing (very hard) about who-knows-what. I think there may have even been a candle in the mix… I love cooking for people! Home-cooked pot roast & vegetables, and dinner rolls, and fragrant breakfast quiche, and steaming hot chocolate, and muffins… Discovering that I have a very-bouncey mattress, perfect for jumping on! (the girls thought this was hilarious---I was too enthralled with its bounceyness to care!)…Walks in the crunchy snow with swirling flurries around us. It seemed magical. Yes, Christmas-time is here with its twinkling lights and red ribbons and evergreen boughs. I'm getting sentimental just thinking about it… An afternoon nap… A PSU victory = probable Rose Bowl eligibility… Lonely book shopping and an unexpected literary conversation with the antique store clerk…

CHURCH. The best highlight of all. Yeah, I was feeling pretty low going into church. And after worship, I was playing the keyboard during testimony time and I just said to the Lord, "I know--usually we come to church to bring something to the Body, but today I have nothing. I need a word!" And then *BANG* a friend testifies about trusting "in Christ alone." Yeah, we had just sang that song. But it didn't really hit until that testimony. Trust in Christ alone. Not people. Or things. Or my plans. Or my house. Or anything else. Jesus is trustworthy.

John Wesley said, "Before I preach love, mercy and grace, I must preach sin, Law and judgment." Wesley later advised a friend, "Preach 90% Law and 10% grace.”

Charles Spurgeon said, “They must be slain by the Law before they can be made alive by the gospel!"

Preaching the Law in accurate proportion to grace gives us a true perception of the Gospel. It makes Christ most precious to us. Until we see our need for Christ, the Gospel means nothing to us. But when we recognize the vileness of sin, the Gospel is our lifeline and Christ is our Savior!

Contrary to popular belief, Law, grace and the Gospel are not something that we experience once and then forget. These things are daily experiences. They are the starting line, the race we run each day and the finish line. The Gospel is the good news of forgiveness of sin and deliverance from sin. And the power of Christ’s blood is greater than any stain of sin in our lives. Grace is that divine ability to live free from the bondage of sin and be holy, even as Christ is holy.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
2 Peter 3:18

• Penny candy from the corner store
• Baseball games with the neighborhood kids
• Catching (and smashing) lightning bugs
• Playing in the clubhouse
• Our custom two room-with-a-hallway sandbox
• Eating honeysuckle & swingin' on the porch
• Strawberry picking!
• Long hikes and bike rides… with Daddy
• The tire swing!
• The one time we built a massive football helmet out of snow. :)
• Playing piano with the doors and windows flung open and summer breezes…
• The Buttercream Gang song (just watch the movie)
• Making up a game of kick-the-can with The Oldest Friends
• Connect 4 wars
• Passing secret notes at Christian school (well, it was a secret until I told you!)
• Cooperative push-mowing with The Sis
• The Trip Out West… our five-week-long family vacation/business trip
• Friday Night Bible studies

Yup, I'm feeling all nostalgic. What are your favorite childhood memories?

I don't remember my weekend. Now that I have sufficiently freaked you out... Just kidding!! After every weekend, I have to make a conscious effort to remember everything that happened. Maybe I have a poor memory. Or maybe I'm just running 'round like crazy and need to chill a little bit. Hmmm. Food for thought.

Friday was ice skating with the youth group. I'll have you know that I cut my hand while tying several youth's skates. Yes, I bleed for them. (laughter). My jaw hit the floor after one kid randomly says, "NEVER trust a Japanese person!" After my shocked expression, he said, "What?? They bombed us at Pearl Harbor!" (laughter). Then we had a discussion about not stereotyping and that there were Japanese Americans fighting on our side. This is why kids should listen to Adventures in Odyssey. Gives 'em good perspective on history. I spent most of an hour coaching the timid skaters, a few minutes giving lame advice to the ice "lifeguard" (laughter) and some time discussing holiness with the other youth leader. We walked up to the Penn State Creamery for the best ice cream in State College! My opinion, of course. :) And the best flavor is "Death by Chocolate." Does that not just sound ridiculously awesome? And the person scooping my ice cream order yells, "Dish of Death!!!" (laughter). I can't help it--I am easily amused!

It's harder to make my Saturdays sound interesting, because it is generally when I do the unglamorous things in life. Like cleaning the kitchen floor, vacuuming, etc. I'm not complaining though--it's kinda fun! And that is what a virtuous woman does: takes good care of her household. So it's like, training in righteousness. Even though it sounds boring. Moral of this story: Practical things are actually spiritual.... Moving right along, quick trip to the mountaintop to check on things. Then over to babysit the adorable nieces. Trying to multi-task, aka. hold baby, kick dog and put cheese on pizza. How does my sister do it?? We had lots of fun though. We have moved out of the reading-story hobby and moved into, "Auntie ____, tell me a story!" It's definitely stretching my imagination to tell 5 different stories about 5 different casts of characters. Oh yeah, and we played with Play-doh. Which was awesome! Back to my house for a movie night with some friends. After an hour of chillin' at the dining room table and discussing the 'balanced diet' buffet of popcorn, potato chips, chocolate chip cookie dough and soda, we finally watched some good movies. And passionately discussed racism.

Sunday morning dawned crisp and cold. It was snowing during church!!! That was kind of distracting, actually--since there are two windows right behind The Pastor. We worshipped, prayed, testified, fellowshipped, etc.. Heard the Word preached about sound doctrine and false doctrine, and 1 Timothy 4. A perfectly on-time Word for me, because I was more than a little righteously indignant about a situation that some friends are experiencing. We are living in the last days though. So persecution ought not surprise us. Anyway, it was a wonderful day of rest.

Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?
Got any mountains you can't tunnel through?
God specializes in things thought impossible
And He will do what no other power can do...

This is an old chorus that I learned on Sunday morning. And there were tears in my eyes. Because this past week has been such a lesson in faith. Faith to move mountains that seemed impossible. It is incredible how the Lord speaks the right word through many different sources...

My testimony: I'm a homeowner. More specifically, I own a little house that needed alot of repairs. One unexpected repair was the installation of a new furnace. And I did not have the money to pay for a new furnace. NO MONEY. So I prayed and trusted that the Lord would provide "food and covering" for me, just like His Word says. (I count heat as a kind of covering-a necessity as we head into a cold Pennsylvania winter). On Friday, the Lord miraculously took care of it all. He provided in a way that I hadn't dared to hope. From the moment of that provision, I felt dazed. Like I was in a movie. * Cue theme music* * Fade camera* So I ran away to be alone. Sat on the floor and breathed prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord.

Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised that the Lord would provide! He has done so much for me already, and I feel so unworthy of His blessings. This particular financial blessing is just another encouragement to keep on believing, even when there is no answer on the horizon. Like my sis wrote to me in an email, "Remember, from the first moment you prayed... you were heard. Learn this lesson of persevering in faith til the answer comes; it is so useful in every situation in our lives. Mountains that need to be moved are everywhere, but nothing is impossible with God."

Here Follow Several Occasional Meditations
by Anne Bradstreet

By night when others soundly slept,
And had at once both case and rest,
My waking eyes were open kept
And so to lie I found it best.

I sought Him whom my soul did love,
With tears I sought Him earnestly;
He bowed His ear down from above.
In vain I did not seek or cry.

My hungry soul He filled with good,
He in His bottle put my tears,
My smarting wounds washed in His blood,
And banished thence my doubts and fears.

What to my Savior shall I give,
Who freely hath done this for me?
I'll serve Him here whilst I shall live
And love Him to eternity.

This was written by Anne Bradstreet, who was considered to be one of the first American poets. She lived from 1612-1672 and was married to Governor Simon Bradstreet. Much of her poetry was written during the intense loneliness as her husband travelled, such as her most famous poem, "To My Dear and Loving Husband." I find her poetry fascinating, because it was radical for a Puritan woman to be writing/publishing poetry and because of the honest, spiritual themes of her poetry written during hard times.

I hope you enjoyed this poem.. and if nothing else, now ya know something new about American history! :)

Yesterday afternoon, I was out and about, stopping at a store for a few things. As I walked through the parking lot, I happened to look up! The sky was clouded over and dark, but to my left—glorious light was streaming through!

“Will Jesus come in clouds like these?” With that thought, I stood motionless—transfixed at the sight of shining glory clouds. Lost in a reverie of my own imaginings. “Maybe He will come today…”

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:17

I like to do the weekend in review a little different. Gotta break up the monotony, ya know.

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things..."

Some of my favorite things were wrapped up in my weekend with a nice bow! :) Laughing time with The Little Bro. Another photography shoot at a military museum. Sunlight and silhouettes and reflections in the water. Making pasta for supper and happy company like The Little Bro & The City Guy. Baking yummylicious food for countless hours with The Raven-Haired Girl while listening to Keith Green. Early morning time in the Word with very little sleep. Last-minute time in Walmart and more & more & more food prep. Sad Penn State football with a tragic ending. Endless house tours and fun conversation with neighbors, coworkers and friends. Soft Kenny-G-instrumental Christmas music in the background, got me thinking about Christmas! Wonderful friends who forbid my touching the food, so I could focus on hostessing. :) Studying for adult Sunday School class and falling asleep on my keyboard. Talking about politics one more time (that's more like an unfavorite thing right now). Breaking nails while playing piano and being too passionate in worship. Spontaneous background music during testimony time. Nobody noticed, but I was playing "God's not dead-NO! He is aliiiive!..." Ahhh, yes, sweet childhood memories. Record number--three preachers in one service!! (The Pastor was out of town, and organized the preaching extravaganza in his absence). Unusual, but waaaay awesome! Family time in the form of a belated birthday dinner. Making faces at the itty-bitty nieces. Long nap, reading and thinking time with The Dog laying at my feet. Walk-about-town with The Butterfly Girl and one very happy doggie. Another viewing of Fireproof-the-Movie. Hanging time with the roomie, as we continued the former family tradition of Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye and then a little football. All we were missing was some popcorn and my dad's lame jokes. * sigh*. And these are a few of my favorite things...

Many of you know that it was my birthday recently. Birthdays are grand!!!! The infamous question is, "Sooooo... whadya get?" :) Yeah, I did receive some presents. But my favorite-est gifts are the actions of love.


It’s love when somebody remembers that my favorite cake is carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. It’s love when somebody sees an unused garden bench resting on curb for the garbage man, and calls me to see if my lonely porch could use it. It’s love every-single-time my parents go out of their way, just to help me with house stuff (which has been like billions of times, I am in love-debt to my parents!). It's love when I'm struggling with sickness and someone offers to pray for me right then, over the phone. It's love when my little brother takes me out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, just because I asked. It's love when my roommates avoid studying just to chill, watch movies or talk about life issues with me. It's love when someone hears a rumor and thinks the best of me and then talks directly to me to get the truth. It's love when someone sends a 'how ya doin?' email/text/IM for no reason. The list could go on and on...

Gifts of love are the best because they are not limited to one day per year, like birthday presents. Gifts of love can happen any time! You'll notice that many of these gifts do not involve money. They are gifts of time, thoughts, attention, etc. Many times, love is not convenient or easy or fuzzy-feeling-related. Love is sacrificial by nature. Love puts aside its own agenda and sacrifices for the happiness of another.

I'm hoping and praying that the Lord teaches to me to be a giver of love to the people around me. While receiving love is wonderful, I'm sure giving love is better!

"For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers."
1 Timothy 4:10

There were many emotions running through my heart last night. Anger, disappointment, sadness, frustration, and more hopelessness... But the Word always brings balance. While the election may be over, our fight of faith is not. We have fixed our hope on Christ--and only Him.

The media claims this election is historic... for racial reasons. I believe this election is historic... for moral reasons. And though I strongly encourage you to vote, and to vote based on morality, I want to insert a little bit of balance of the passionate discussion of politics.

It is tempting to view this election in black-and-white (and no, that is not a racial reference). I know that my personal tendency is to alternate between hope and hopelessness. I.e. "If Obama wins, America is lost forever" being the tamest of sentiments.

The fact of the matter is the America is already lost! The majority of Americans, though religious, have never experienced the saving power of Christ and the miracle of the Gospel. And that is the direct result of sin--not politics. America is rocketing towards destruction as time draws ever nearer to the return of the Lord. But it's not about politics. I think, more than anything, politics may be a thermometer of the moral temperature of our culture. In the midst of this craziness, our perspective must be determined by the King. We must remember that we are aliens and strangers in this land! Just here for a little while... and here for the preaching of the Gospel. Our happiness does not rise and fall with the election results.

I exhort you: Pray that God will stay the tide of wickedness in our generation, for the purpose of bringing Himself glory. Vote for candidates the most reflect Christ's characters (i.e. wouldn't support murdering innocents). And keep an eternal perspective.

I need to be Superwoman... Give me a cape and the ability to fly, and life would be so much simpler. Or maybe just super-human powers. I think that's what grace is supposed to be like. As God works in our lives, He gives us power to do things that we couldn't do by ourselves. Lately my thoughts have tended towards "too much to do, too little time" or "something hard to do, too little ability" or my personal favorite... "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" As much as my flesh hates difficult situations, my spirit likes them... because I am forced to cling to Jesus. That sounds so wrong---as if I need to be outwardly compelled to trust in the Lord. But honestly, sometimes I do. And the Lord is faithful to deliver me from my "Superwoman" complex.

So that was the lesson of the weekend. And here's the long-awaited Weekend in Review:

Friday. The Chatty Girl and I went around on Penn State campus for some portraits. She lived up to her name, and we chatted, joked and laughed the entire time! I said again "Look! A cool door!" which is quickly becoming my byline. She walked barefoot in the grass and even dipped her toes in freezing water--all for the photos. And I smacked an unsuspecting squirrel. And eavesdropped on some Willard preacher clones. Then, fun high school football game. HILARIOUS times in the church van with The Crazy Kid bellowing to unsuspecting passerbyers "You kicked my dog! YOU DID IT!" Hey now, with all those people dressed up in Halloween freakiness, they needed a little good, clean humor. :) Youth group football afterparty, which meant good food and a ridiculously fun game of charades.

Saturday. Editing photos, house-cleaning, grocery shopping, menu planning, and then a late afternoon/early evening photo shoot with The Sis & Bro-in-Law. It was my first attempt taking photos of a couple, and I loved it!! Somewhat because they're related to me and that makes it hilarious... and because they love each other so much, and that makes it adorably awesome... and because I could tell they are parents to little ones when I told them to make an angry face, and they both did-without a moment's hesitation!! There was even an answer to prayer. As I left my house, the sky was completely covered in clouds. I prayed (and unbeknownst to me, The Sis prayed, too). And by the time we were heading to the location, there was lovely sunlight!! How that happened so quickly, I do not know but it was amazing! Anyway, then it was back to my house for hours upon hours of sorting through photos. I did roast a pumpkin at the same time. And watch a movie. And broke my blender. Now THAT is multi-tasking.

Sunday
I was glad to be in the house of the Lord, among the saints who are also just glad to be together. Lots of testimonies and exhortation and encouragement. And I am really, really enjoying the expository preaching. That's preaching done verse-by-verse, rather than topically. Right now, The Pastor is teaching through the pastoral epistles: 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Expository preaching seems to bring so much more to light. I get to scribble Greek word meanings in the margins of my Bible for future reference! Woot. After church, a group of people road-tripped to a nearby town to see the now-open-kind-of-in-our-area Fireproof movie!! I HIGHLY recommend it! And as we were killin' time before the movie at a nearby thrift store, I found (what else?!) books and pretty tea cups. Then, home with the roomie, a little Darcy time and book cataloging. Good times.