If
by Rudyard Kipling.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
[only Christ can make life like this possible...]
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Encouraged by the Word
Below is Psalm 130, followed by an old hymn by Martin Luther based off of this psalm. The word of God is truly living and active, and able to pierce the heart! I've been thinking about my standing before the Lord lately, and have become even more completely aware of my unrighteousness before a Holy King. Verse three of Psalm 130 echoes in my heart tonight..."If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?" If God kept a record of my sin I fear it would stretch farther than the east is from the west--but I praise Him that it is His LOVE, GRACE and MERCY that extend farther than my sin ever could. And it is only because of His unconditional love, amazing grace, and abounding mercy that I can stand before Him, and boldly approach His throne of Grace. How sweet it is, to be loved by God, and covered by the blood of His son!
Psalm 130
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
2 O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
From the Depths of Woe
From the depths of woe I raise to thee, the voice of lamentation.
Lord turn a gracious ear to me and hear my supplication.
If Thou iniquities dost mark, our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
O, who shall stand before Thee?
O, who shall stand before Thee?
To wash away the crimson stain, grace, grace alone availeth.
Our works, alas! are all in vain; in much the best life faileth.
No man can glory in Thy sight, all must alike confess Thy might,
and live alone by mercy.
And live alone by mercy.
Therefore my trust is in the Lord, and not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort, my comfort and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience.
I wait for it with patience.
What though I wait the live-long night, and 'til the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in His might; it doubteth not nor feareth.
Do thus, O ye of Israel's seed, ye of the Spirit born indeed;
And wait 'til God appeareth.
And wait 'til God appeareth.
Though great our sins and sore our woes, His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows, our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He, Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.
From all their sin and sorrow.
Psalm 130
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
2 O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
From the Depths of Woe
From the depths of woe I raise to thee, the voice of lamentation.
Lord turn a gracious ear to me and hear my supplication.
If Thou iniquities dost mark, our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
O, who shall stand before Thee?
O, who shall stand before Thee?
To wash away the crimson stain, grace, grace alone availeth.
Our works, alas! are all in vain; in much the best life faileth.
No man can glory in Thy sight, all must alike confess Thy might,
and live alone by mercy.
And live alone by mercy.
Therefore my trust is in the Lord, and not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort, my comfort and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience.
I wait for it with patience.
What though I wait the live-long night, and 'til the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in His might; it doubteth not nor feareth.
Do thus, O ye of Israel's seed, ye of the Spirit born indeed;
And wait 'til God appeareth.
And wait 'til God appeareth.
Though great our sins and sore our woes, His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows, our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He, Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.
From all their sin and sorrow.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
O To Grace How Great A Debtor...
...DAILY I'm constrained to be...
Grace. One of the most powerful words in the human language. In it we find forgiveness, love, and redemption, all equally undeserved, yet lavishly given by a Father who loves us dearly. Through grace we are called and sustained to persevere till the end. Praise God for this kind of grace...
Yesterday I found myself becoming more and more exasperated as the day went on. The littlest things started bothering me, and having three girls under the age of 7 depending on you for care only seemed to magnify the root of selfishness in my heart. I didn't even know it was there, until I began getting frustrated by things that normally don't upset me. As I found myself getting more and more irritated throughout the afternoon, I knew that I needed to turn to the Lord to change my unforgiving heart. I wish I could report that immediately after praying I was the most loving, caring, selfless human alive, but that wasn't the case. I was still frustrated and irritated, but more aware of the fact that it was my own sin--not anything the girls were doing, which allowed me to internalize the frustration rather than take it out on them. Not the best solution to the problem, but definitely better than the alternative.
Here's an excerpt from Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan that really spoke to me this morning...(you should read the whole book if you haven't already!) (Ps...It's in Old English...)
"he led him into a place where was a Fire burning against a Wall, and one standing by it always, casting much Water upon it to quench it: Yet did the Fire burn higher and hotter.
Then said Christian, What means this?
The Interpreter answered, This fire is the work of Grace that is wrought in the heart; he that casts water upon it, to extinguish and put it out is the Devil: but in that thou seest the fire, notwithstanding, burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason of that: So he had him about to the back side of the Wall, where he saw a Man with a Vessel of Oyl [oil] in his hand, of the which he did also continually cast, but secretly, into the fire. Then said Christian, What means this? The Interpreter answered, This is Christ, who continually with the Oyl of his Grace, maintains the work already begun in the heart; by the means of which, not withstanding what the Devil can do, the souls of his people prove gracious still. And in that thou sawest, that the Man stood behind the Wall to maintain the fire; this is to teach thee, that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of Grace is maintained in the soul."
Praise God for the "Oil of Grace" that continually works to keep our hearts saturated in grace!
Grace. One of the most powerful words in the human language. In it we find forgiveness, love, and redemption, all equally undeserved, yet lavishly given by a Father who loves us dearly. Through grace we are called and sustained to persevere till the end. Praise God for this kind of grace...
Yesterday I found myself becoming more and more exasperated as the day went on. The littlest things started bothering me, and having three girls under the age of 7 depending on you for care only seemed to magnify the root of selfishness in my heart. I didn't even know it was there, until I began getting frustrated by things that normally don't upset me. As I found myself getting more and more irritated throughout the afternoon, I knew that I needed to turn to the Lord to change my unforgiving heart. I wish I could report that immediately after praying I was the most loving, caring, selfless human alive, but that wasn't the case. I was still frustrated and irritated, but more aware of the fact that it was my own sin--not anything the girls were doing, which allowed me to internalize the frustration rather than take it out on them. Not the best solution to the problem, but definitely better than the alternative.
Here's an excerpt from Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan that really spoke to me this morning...(you should read the whole book if you haven't already!) (Ps...It's in Old English...)
"he led him into a place where was a Fire burning against a Wall, and one standing by it always, casting much Water upon it to quench it: Yet did the Fire burn higher and hotter.
Then said Christian, What means this?
The Interpreter answered, This fire is the work of Grace that is wrought in the heart; he that casts water upon it, to extinguish and put it out is the Devil: but in that thou seest the fire, notwithstanding, burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason of that: So he had him about to the back side of the Wall, where he saw a Man with a Vessel of Oyl [oil] in his hand, of the which he did also continually cast, but secretly, into the fire. Then said Christian, What means this? The Interpreter answered, This is Christ, who continually with the Oyl of his Grace, maintains the work already begun in the heart; by the means of which, not withstanding what the Devil can do, the souls of his people prove gracious still. And in that thou sawest, that the Man stood behind the Wall to maintain the fire; this is to teach thee, that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of Grace is maintained in the soul."
Praise God for the "Oil of Grace" that continually works to keep our hearts saturated in grace!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
January Days...
It's been a rather eventful week in Fuller 025...My precious roommate, Anna, got the flu on Friday night and has been pretty much out of commission ever since. I've been germ-proofing the apartment, but I arrived at work on Monday morning and Alyssa (7) stayed home from school with, you guessed it, the flu. I had a flu shot this year, but at this point it will be a miracle if I don't end up with it. Good thing God is still in the miracle business!
Currently I'm working on three loads of laundry (let's just say I got a little behind...) I'm not sure if I should be more embarrassed that I let my laundry get that out of control, or that as a single girl, I am able to go for that long without running out of clothes to wear. Perhaps a Goodwill trip is in my future.
Two weeks left until the Spring Semester starts. I'm excited for classes to begin (I'm taking Personal Evangelism, The Ministry of Leadership, and Lifespan Development). I think it will be a great semester, and, in honor of new years resolutions--I've already done some of the reading for my classes. Lookout 2008, I'm getting on top of things!
If you have the chance, please pray for my new friend Corina. Corina is 31 years old and is the daughter of a man named James who is in my care group at church. James' testimony is really amazing (aren't they all, though?), and while he just became a believer a few short months ago, his faith has grown exponentially. James was just sentenced to 3 years in prison at the beginning of January (for charges that were brought against him before his conversion), and his greatest concern and desire is for his daughter Corina to be exposed to the gospel, and ultimately, to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Corina moved to Louisville about a month ago and is currently in a drug/alcohol halfway house. I had the privilege of picking her up for church this past Sunday, and on our way home after church I was able to share the gospel with her, and encouraged her to begin reading the Book of John. Please pray that Corina would be changed by the truth of the Gospel and that she would come to believe Jesus as her Lord. Also pray for those of us who are beginning relationships with her--that we would be bold in our witness and not shy about the truth of the Gospel. It's so humbling how God uses us, imperfect as we are, in building His kingdom and bringing Light into the darkness of the world!
Currently I'm working on three loads of laundry (let's just say I got a little behind...) I'm not sure if I should be more embarrassed that I let my laundry get that out of control, or that as a single girl, I am able to go for that long without running out of clothes to wear. Perhaps a Goodwill trip is in my future.
Two weeks left until the Spring Semester starts. I'm excited for classes to begin (I'm taking Personal Evangelism, The Ministry of Leadership, and Lifespan Development). I think it will be a great semester, and, in honor of new years resolutions--I've already done some of the reading for my classes. Lookout 2008, I'm getting on top of things!
If you have the chance, please pray for my new friend Corina. Corina is 31 years old and is the daughter of a man named James who is in my care group at church. James' testimony is really amazing (aren't they all, though?), and while he just became a believer a few short months ago, his faith has grown exponentially. James was just sentenced to 3 years in prison at the beginning of January (for charges that were brought against him before his conversion), and his greatest concern and desire is for his daughter Corina to be exposed to the gospel, and ultimately, to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Corina moved to Louisville about a month ago and is currently in a drug/alcohol halfway house. I had the privilege of picking her up for church this past Sunday, and on our way home after church I was able to share the gospel with her, and encouraged her to begin reading the Book of John. Please pray that Corina would be changed by the truth of the Gospel and that she would come to believe Jesus as her Lord. Also pray for those of us who are beginning relationships with her--that we would be bold in our witness and not shy about the truth of the Gospel. It's so humbling how God uses us, imperfect as we are, in building His kingdom and bringing Light into the darkness of the world!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Make Me A Woman of Prayer
Right now my church is taking a break from the book of Joshua to go through a short mini-series on Prayer. It has been encouraging and challenging, especially last night at the Wednesday night prayer service. Pastor Ryan spoke on what our motives should be for prayer, and here's where it got pretty convicting. (This is my paraphrased translation of what was actually said. His was a lot more succinct...)
We do not get out of bed in the morning to pray because we simply do not love enough. Love causes us to pray for people. A love so deep for the people you are praying for will move you out of your bed and onto your knees instead of hitting the alarm clock for the eighth time. We need to pray for this kind of love in our lives, remembering that it is only because we have first been love by God that we are able to love others. If we have not received the love of Christ in our lives, we are incapable of loving others, and our prayer lives will evidence this lack of love. We must be a people marked by prayer, and thus, marked by love. Paul says that he yearns for the Philippian church with the affection of Christ--may we have that same affection for the people in our lives--a love so deep that nothing will get in our way as we walk the road to Calvary.
Ah, may I be a woman marked by prayer and love!!!
We do not get out of bed in the morning to pray because we simply do not love enough. Love causes us to pray for people. A love so deep for the people you are praying for will move you out of your bed and onto your knees instead of hitting the alarm clock for the eighth time. We need to pray for this kind of love in our lives, remembering that it is only because we have first been love by God that we are able to love others. If we have not received the love of Christ in our lives, we are incapable of loving others, and our prayer lives will evidence this lack of love. We must be a people marked by prayer, and thus, marked by love. Paul says that he yearns for the Philippian church with the affection of Christ--may we have that same affection for the people in our lives--a love so deep that nothing will get in our way as we walk the road to Calvary.
Ah, may I be a woman marked by prayer and love!!!
Spring in January?
Ok people..seriously...it went from snowing last Wednesday (see pictures below), to being 72 Degrees THIS Wednesday. Besides the fact that my body can't quite figure out if it's supposed to be hot or cold, I've already packed all my summer clothes away for the winter. Apparently "winter" in Delaware does not mean the same thing in Louisville.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
First snow day of the year!
Ok, so it didn't snow as much as we would have liked, but even though there was less than an inch on the ground, we still got bundled up and went out to enjoy the snow! Here are some shots of our fun day!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Well, my first 36 hours back in Louisville have been eventful to say the least. It all started yesterday morning when Bekah and I decided to get a head start on our new years resolutions and workout. Unfortunately, the gym was closed and it was too cold to walk outside. So, at 23 years of age, I have officially begun my career as a "mall-walker". Yes, that's right, I went mall-walking, at a real mall, with real people in it (one of whom we just happen to know rather well..how utterly embarrassing!) We laughed at ourselves the entire time, but let me tell you--the workout goes by much more quickly when you're looking in store windows and people watching. I highly recommend the mall walk. :)
A few hours later, after making several phone calls to confirm new years eve plans, I got a panicked (is that really how you spell that word?) phone call from my friend Lindsay who had found a mouse on one of those sticky mouse traps that Bekah and I had purchased earlier in the day. Since she had already called every boy we know in Louisville and no one was available, and since I have had experience with the sticky mousetraps after a mouse incident in college, I came to her rescue, disposed of the mouse (after screaming and jumping around the kitchen for a few moments and finding every pair of protective gloves and clothing in the house!).
I went home and showered (with extra soap!), and got ready to meet the girls for a nice dinner out for new year's. I'll spare the details of the evening, but we had lots of laughing, fun conversation and some pretty darn good food :) (a yummy way to ring in the new year). Here we are at J. Alexander's after a lovely meal :)
After we rang in the new year, I spent the night with Lindsay, since she wasn't ready to combat another mouse should another one appear on one of the other 5 traps throughout the house.
We got up this morning, and found ourselves watching this special on gastric bypass surgery on the discovery channel. We immediately put on our walking shoes and decided we needed to exercise--pronto. (It was quite disturbing!) We went to Cherokee Park and began the very hilly 2.4 mile scenic loop.
About half-way through our walk, it started to snow. The pretty white flurries soon turned into a massive blizzard, which we were not prepared for. We braved the rest of the loop, with numb faces, hands, and toes. When we got back to her car, we noticed that her back tire looked a little low, so we immediately drove to the gas station, where we had to maneuver the tire valve covers, the air pump, and the tire gauge--with frozen fingers--in a blizzard. Quite the show for all of the gas station patrons, I must say. We rewarded ourselves with some yummy gumbo from J. Gumbo's, and went back to Lindsay's house to watch the rest of the Cincinatti/Louisville basketball game. A bunch of friends from church came over and we made tacos, played cranium, and watched the snow fall.
As I write this, I'm sitting in my living room, cuddled up in my new pajama's from the Spruills (THANKS!), sipping hot chocolate, and getting ready to work on a new scarf I'm knitting. I can't wait to get to work tomorrow to play with the girls in the snow!!! All in all, a WONDERFUL way to start off 2008!
May your 2008 be full of good friends and great memories, and may you be conformed more and more into the image of God!
Well, my first 36 hours back in Louisville have been eventful to say the least. It all started yesterday morning when Bekah and I decided to get a head start on our new years resolutions and workout. Unfortunately, the gym was closed and it was too cold to walk outside. So, at 23 years of age, I have officially begun my career as a "mall-walker". Yes, that's right, I went mall-walking, at a real mall, with real people in it (one of whom we just happen to know rather well..how utterly embarrassing!) We laughed at ourselves the entire time, but let me tell you--the workout goes by much more quickly when you're looking in store windows and people watching. I highly recommend the mall walk. :)
A few hours later, after making several phone calls to confirm new years eve plans, I got a panicked (is that really how you spell that word?) phone call from my friend Lindsay who had found a mouse on one of those sticky mouse traps that Bekah and I had purchased earlier in the day. Since she had already called every boy we know in Louisville and no one was available, and since I have had experience with the sticky mousetraps after a mouse incident in college, I came to her rescue, disposed of the mouse (after screaming and jumping around the kitchen for a few moments and finding every pair of protective gloves and clothing in the house!).
I went home and showered (with extra soap!), and got ready to meet the girls for a nice dinner out for new year's. I'll spare the details of the evening, but we had lots of laughing, fun conversation and some pretty darn good food :) (a yummy way to ring in the new year). Here we are at J. Alexander's after a lovely meal :)
After we rang in the new year, I spent the night with Lindsay, since she wasn't ready to combat another mouse should another one appear on one of the other 5 traps throughout the house.
We got up this morning, and found ourselves watching this special on gastric bypass surgery on the discovery channel. We immediately put on our walking shoes and decided we needed to exercise--pronto. (It was quite disturbing!) We went to Cherokee Park and began the very hilly 2.4 mile scenic loop.
About half-way through our walk, it started to snow. The pretty white flurries soon turned into a massive blizzard, which we were not prepared for. We braved the rest of the loop, with numb faces, hands, and toes. When we got back to her car, we noticed that her back tire looked a little low, so we immediately drove to the gas station, where we had to maneuver the tire valve covers, the air pump, and the tire gauge--with frozen fingers--in a blizzard. Quite the show for all of the gas station patrons, I must say. We rewarded ourselves with some yummy gumbo from J. Gumbo's, and went back to Lindsay's house to watch the rest of the Cincinatti/Louisville basketball game. A bunch of friends from church came over and we made tacos, played cranium, and watched the snow fall. As I write this, I'm sitting in my living room, cuddled up in my new pajama's from the Spruills (THANKS!), sipping hot chocolate, and getting ready to work on a new scarf I'm knitting. I can't wait to get to work tomorrow to play with the girls in the snow!!! All in all, a WONDERFUL way to start off 2008!
May your 2008 be full of good friends and great memories, and may you be conformed more and more into the image of God!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)