Words of Inspiration

"Christ has already conquered the sin that is conquering you."
-Pastor Ryan Davidson, Grace Baptist Chapel

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

The Word

I was in the car driving the other day, and a song came on that I had not heard in a long time. A good friend of mine had loaned me her set of Sara Grove CDs and through my listening of all of the songs, although many rang true with me, this particular song was my favorite. She talks about the complacency that we have with our faith and our desire to make it fit our moods or life circumstances. The first stanza goes like this:

I've done every devotional
Been every place emotional
Trying to hear a new word from God
And I think it's very odd
That while I attmept to help myself My Bible sits upon my shelf
With every promise I could ever need

I love those lines. I so often base my faith, my devotion to Christ, my family, and my church on my emotional state. However I feel is how much I will give of my time. This often ranges from everything to nothing at all. How often I miss the greater purpose of what God has called me to. The song continues on, but it the last verse that always gets me so excited about the promises of God and the confirmation that He doing a work in us:

I think it's time I rediscover
All the ground that I have covered,
Like seek ye first what a verse
We are pressed but not crushed
Perplexed but don't despair
We are persecuted but not abandoned
We are no longer slaves
We are daughters and sons
And when we are weak we are very strong
And neither death nor life nor present
Nor future nor depth nor height
Can keep us from the love of Christ
And the Word I need is the Word that was
Who put on flesh to dwell with us
In the beginning

"And the Word I need, is the Word that was, Who put on flesh to dwell with us." Wow, I often find myself searching through scripture looking for something to inspire me or to provoke an emotional response to motivate me, but reality is, the Word I need is the one who became flesh to dwell among men.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

So as my pastor pointed out this past Sunday, embrace the truth that God was willing to put on flesh to dwell with men. Isaiah 7:14 "...and shall call his name Immanuel" (meaning God is with us).

Preparing for Thanksgiving

So for Micah's second birthday we bought him a toy dyson. For those of you that aren't familiar, it is the greatest vacuum cleaner in the world. Ryan and I bit the bullet last summer and purchased one. Since the buy, Micah has been fascinated with it, so we thought it appropriate to get him one of his own. So, once a week when I pull out the vacuum to clean, Micah does the same. Well today, I caught Micah in the act of cleaning and realized that he must watch me often because he is also talking on the phone. Now, it might look just like a plan old ear thermometer to you, but oh no, to Micah it is a cell phone.

So needless to say, I was very thankful for my little helper as we prepared our house together for our guests at tomorrow Thanksgiving dinner.

If you are a pastors wife, this is a must read. When Ryan and I were at the Desiring God Pastors conference this was one of the books that was given to us. This book has been such and encouragement as Ryan and I have started our ministry at Grace. It challenged me in my personal walk with Christ, but also taught me ways to pray for Ryan and the people of our church. I have always had a heart for the women of the church and this book showed me both the simple and the heart level areas where I can be used. What a blessing... I just thought I would pass it along.

Thanksgiving Dinner

I found this to be a wonderful encouragement and challenge as we begin to look towards that holiday season. If you have 25 minutes or so, take the time to listen! "Whom Shall We invite to Thanksgiving Dinner?" Sermon by John Piper

Holiday Anxiety

I love the holiday season! There just seems to be something about this time of year that makes everything feel just a little bit more special. However, since I have been married, I have had to learn how to share the holidays with not only my family, but also with Ryan's. It is our desire to be with everyone on those days, but time is short and we always feel a little rushed. So, I tend to place more anxiety on myself then needed to try and make everything and everyone fit. As my children grow older, I don't want them to see my anxiety about this time of year and in return lose some of the joy. So, like everything else in life, I've decided to make this a matter of prayer. I have begun to realize that the holiday season is a chance to spend time with family, but more importantly it is a chance to reflect on the Gospel and how God has continually blessed Ryan and I throughout our lives. Although I have started to have a new perspective on things, I still struggle with who should sit by who at our Thanksgiving dinner for nineteen.

Finally a Post

I was reminded the other night that I have been quite delinquent in my posting. In general I haven't been writing because I takes me so long to write something that before I know it, I have lost all of my "children free" time. So, for this post I am just going to put a few pictures.

Micah has done so well with Lydia, I couldn't ask for a better transition as far as he goes.

Ryan has really embraced that role of being a daddy to a little girl. I am so excited that he will be the first man to capture her heart. I know she will be all the better because of his role in her life.

Lydia, or Lydi as we often call her, is a wonderful blessing to our family. She has just started to smile and it absolutely cracks us up. No matter the frustrations in life, that smile makes everything better.

I just thought this was a neat picture of Micah at a local park! That boy loves to slide!

The Joyous Mother of Children

Psalm 113:1
Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!
4 The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
6 who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!

When Ryan and I were in the hospital after Lydia's birth I was reading through some scripture and this one stood out to me. The Psalmist declares the glory of the Lord, and all the reasons he is to be praised and he ends it with "He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord." I was awe struck that the God who causes the sun to rise and set, who looks down from the heavens and raises princes from the poor, would also create a home for a woman by making her "the joyous mother of children." Joyous! Wow, how easily I miss the fact that the God who created this universe created me to be the joyous mother of children. As I looked at my new baby girl with amazement and with joy, I prayed that I might always look at her like that. What a wonder to know that among all the things that God has done, he especially set a place for woman, to be the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!

But a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vein, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

I have to admit that I have always been confused by the idea of fearing the Lord. Throughout scripture we are constantly told to both fear the Lord and to draw near. Proverbs 19:23 tells us that "fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rest satisfied." How does one fear something yet find rest in it at the same time. Isaiah 41:10 assures us not to fear or be dismayed, for the Lord is our God. He will strengthen us, help us, and uphold us with His righteous hand. It was not until I heard John Piper use the following passage that I understand how we both fear God and draw nearer to him.

"Now when all the people saw the thunder and lighting and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, 'You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." Moses said to the people, 'Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.'" Exodus 20:18-20

Moses essentially says to Israel, Do not fear the Lord and run from Him, but rather draw nearer to Him in your fear so that you may not fall into the temptation of sin. Basically, do not run in fear of who He is, but rather draw nearer to Him because of it. The wrath of God is far fiercer for those who run from Him, than those who draw near. Take my son Micah for example. It is much wiser for him to be near me when we are in a store so that he does not get into something he shouldn't, than it is for him to run on his own. The later will lead to him doing something disobedient and being punished, rather than remaining near me and avoiding the disobedience and punishment all together. God gives us a wonderful opportunity through Christ to commune with Him and to know his ways. The doxology at the end of the letter of Jude, in my opinion, is one of the greatest of the New Testament. It says, "Now to him, who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever." The one who is able to keep us from stumbling, by drawing us near, is the one who has all dominion and authority before time and now and forever. What joy there is in fearing the Lord! May I draw nearer to him each day, because my fear of Him is greater than that of this earth.

"There are always temptations to allure us away from the fear of God: temptations to fear financial insecurity more than we fear God, to fear rejection by our peers more than we fear God, to fear the loss of time spent in good deeds more than we fear God." -John Piper A Woman Who Fears the Lord Is to Be Praised

Perhaps many of my decisions in life would be different if I was always drawing nearer to the truths that are in God's Word, rather than spending time on things that are driven out of fear for earthly securities. I have been challenged today with this thought...

So I end with this, "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleans ourselves from every defilement of the body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 7:1

Satisfaction

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied... Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." -Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:6,8

The days that I go to bed with the greatest amount of satisfaction are the days that I spend being consumed by who God is, playing with Micah, preparing my home for my family, and seeking to love others. I believe that these things come from a heart that has pure motives, not a desire for selfish gain. But often times I lie in bed a night and realize that most of my day was spent wasting time with TV, the internet, being frustrated with Micah, and having contact with no one but Ryan. Although throughout they day I may be satisfied by these fleeting pleasures, I am left empty and as though the day was a waste. I read these verses today and realized that my soul is only truly satisfied when I hunger and thirst for the righteousness that can only come from seeing God. So, I will seek to have a pure heart (or motive) in all that I do.

Father, grant me a hunger and thirst for righteousness and a pure heart that would allow me to see you each day, leaving my soul satisfied. In Jesus name, Amen

Practical application of holiness...

'Holiness is not a mere abstraction: it is praying and loving and being consecrated, but also it is the doing [of] kind deeds, speaking friendly words, being in a crowd when we long to be alone.'Being spiritual, for her, was not some esoteric experience. It was being patient with a tired and grumpy child; serving the need of her husband when exhausted herself; listening patiently to the complaints of a discontented church member.

From Sharon James' biography of Elizabeth Prentiss 'More Love to Thee'

Often I forget that I stand holy and blameless before God because of the perfect sacrifice of Christ, but more than that, I forget to act out that standing of holiness. I am found blameless, yet I offer many reasons each day to those around me to find fault in my actions, thoughts, and attitudes. This quote from one of Elizabeth Prentiss' letters struck me when I read it. Holiness is not an individual experience, but the way in which we are called to exist. "...but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"(1 Peter 15-16)

So today, I pray that I may exude the holiness that is already credited to my account. "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, who you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Amazed...

My husband constantly amazes me. Although I knew he was gifted in so many areas when I met him, it wasn't until recently that he has gained much confidence in his title as "Mr. Fix-it." We moved into our house about eight months ago, so we have began to notice the few things that we want/need to fix around the yard and house. So, me, not really having the desire to do the down and dirty tasks, have relied heavily on Ryan to do some of these things. So first on his list were the toilets. Two of the three have been constantly running water so our water bill has basically tripled in the past two months. Determined that Ryan could fix them, we headed out to home depot and bought the parts. After much hard work, I am proud to announce that Ryan has fixed all of the toilets in our house so that they both flush correctly and no longer constantly leak. My husband is amazing.

Although I and our checking account our very appreciative for the repair work, I have to say that the neatest part of the whole deal is seeing the confidence and pride that Ryan has found from fixing the toilets. I have always known that he could do anything. He has a wonderfully intellectual mind and a work ethic like none other. I have watched him create unity among hundreds, and fellowship among few. He is loving and wise, sensitive yet strong, filled with emotions while still level headed, serious with the perfect amount of humor, understanding and forgiving yet fair, talented but humble, and always striving to be more like Christ. He is amazing, simply amazing...

I appreciate you husband. The man you are, the man you are continually discovering, and the man that you are to me. Thank you for your work and your encouragement. You are not taken for granted...