"You Are My Strength" by Hillsong United has been like my personal theme song for the past... 6 weeks or more. I learned it at choir rehearsal (yay choir!!) and we sing it at church every now and then.
The Lord has truly been my strength and my hope; he has lifted me up when I've felt low, or when I've been tired. The breadth of his love and faithfulness amaze me, and He IS unfailing love personified. I find myself singing this song very VERY often.
Note: The first 30 seconds or so of THIS recording is a digiridoo solo or something... We haven't included that part in the worship service at church yet.
Jul 7, 2010
Jul 6, 2010
His eye is on the sparrow
You know, God is pretty amazing. He is in control of the large and the small, the "important" and the minutia.
I decided about two months ago that I wanted to purchase another Bible. I just bought a new one last Spring because it had wide margins to write in, but it's a newer version (Holman Christian Standard) and I don't want to memorize that version. My pastor preaches out of NASB, and I memorized NASB when I was in Christian school back in the day.
My "school" Bible is falling apart; chunks of the New Testament started coming loose when I was in college. At first it was kind of cool - I could take out the section with I Corinthians and hold it next to a section of Hebrews, easy cross-referencing - but now that I don't carry a backpack every day, it's likely I would lose sections carrying it back & forth. SO, I decided to buy myself NASB.
Since this purchase fell more in the category of WANT than NEED, I decided to shop for my "new" Bible on Ebay. I opted for a thinline, leather-bound Bible; the hardcover ones I have are quite heavy, and I know that I'll appreciate having a little less weight to haul around, ESPECIALLY once we get a baby. :-) Anyway, I purchased a secondhand Bible that had the previous owners name engraved on the front. No biggie for me. Bible + shipping was under $20, so I was happy.
Well, once the Bible arrived, I was surprised to discover that it was relatively new - the inscription to the previous owner was dated in May of 2008, right around graduation season. Nevertheless, I toted it around for a few weeks, contemplating how I could personalize it for me instead of "Chris B", whose name was already on it.
My mom gave me a great tip for removing the engraving, but before I did that, I decided to Google the original owner just to make sure he didn't want the Bible back. I figured he must have given it away or sold it for me to get it on ebay, but JUST IN CASE he lost it, I though it would be good to try to contact him.
I was surprised when he replied to the message I sent him on Facebook... he had lost the Bible over a year earlier and had given up on finding it. He said he had bought another Bible of a different version, but that the Bible *I* had was special to him because it was a gift from his Dad and his church. He was amazed that (a) the Bible had turned up and (b) that I actually contacted him and offered to send it back to him! I agreed to mail it to him (which took two tries... another long story...), and he sent me a cashiers check for $50 (he came up with the amount... not me). Later this month, I'll be going back to Ebay to shop for a new (un-engraved) Bible for myself.
Thank you, Lord, for showing me (and Chris!) how you care about the little things in our lives. Thank you for using me to bring joy to a stranger; may your word continue to enrich BOTH of our lives.
I decided about two months ago that I wanted to purchase another Bible. I just bought a new one last Spring because it had wide margins to write in, but it's a newer version (Holman Christian Standard) and I don't want to memorize that version. My pastor preaches out of NASB, and I memorized NASB when I was in Christian school back in the day.
My "school" Bible is falling apart; chunks of the New Testament started coming loose when I was in college. At first it was kind of cool - I could take out the section with I Corinthians and hold it next to a section of Hebrews, easy cross-referencing - but now that I don't carry a backpack every day, it's likely I would lose sections carrying it back & forth. SO, I decided to buy myself NASB.
Since this purchase fell more in the category of WANT than NEED, I decided to shop for my "new" Bible on Ebay. I opted for a thinline, leather-bound Bible; the hardcover ones I have are quite heavy, and I know that I'll appreciate having a little less weight to haul around, ESPECIALLY once we get a baby. :-) Anyway, I purchased a secondhand Bible that had the previous owners name engraved on the front. No biggie for me. Bible + shipping was under $20, so I was happy.
Well, once the Bible arrived, I was surprised to discover that it was relatively new - the inscription to the previous owner was dated in May of 2008, right around graduation season. Nevertheless, I toted it around for a few weeks, contemplating how I could personalize it for me instead of "Chris B", whose name was already on it.
My mom gave me a great tip for removing the engraving, but before I did that, I decided to Google the original owner just to make sure he didn't want the Bible back. I figured he must have given it away or sold it for me to get it on ebay, but JUST IN CASE he lost it, I though it would be good to try to contact him.
I was surprised when he replied to the message I sent him on Facebook... he had lost the Bible over a year earlier and had given up on finding it. He said he had bought another Bible of a different version, but that the Bible *I* had was special to him because it was a gift from his Dad and his church. He was amazed that (a) the Bible had turned up and (b) that I actually contacted him and offered to send it back to him! I agreed to mail it to him (which took two tries... another long story...), and he sent me a cashiers check for $50 (he came up with the amount... not me). Later this month, I'll be going back to Ebay to shop for a new (un-engraved) Bible for myself.
Thank you, Lord, for showing me (and Chris!) how you care about the little things in our lives. Thank you for using me to bring joy to a stranger; may your word continue to enrich BOTH of our lives.
Jun 28, 2010
A sad day
I have been remembering the events of last year on this blog, but the present has a sorrow of its own.
My dear cousin Char (pictured on the right) and her husband were devastated yesterday by the death of their daughter, Maddie (center). This picture was taken in March when they were all down to visit us for Spring Break. I am thankful for the joyful memories we made that weekend - will continue to treasure them - but we are mourning today.
I know that God is good ALL THE TIME, even though I don't understand why 5-year-old Maddie died so suddenly. He is my source of peace, He is my strength. I am leaning on the everlasting arms, and leaning hard.
My dear cousin Char (pictured on the right) and her husband were devastated yesterday by the death of their daughter, Maddie (center). This picture was taken in March when they were all down to visit us for Spring Break. I am thankful for the joyful memories we made that weekend - will continue to treasure them - but we are mourning today. I know that God is good ALL THE TIME, even though I don't understand why 5-year-old Maddie died so suddenly. He is my source of peace, He is my strength. I am leaning on the everlasting arms, and leaning hard.
I know I belong. :-)
I have been living in this town for 5 years. Today, I feel like I belong. Why, you ask?
Well, at my local Publix this afternoon, the number of people/families that I saw or visited with (8) was greater than the number of items in my cart (7). If I count everyone's children, I saw... 15 people that I know!!
Kinda cool, for me. This place is feeling more like MY town today.
Well, at my local Publix this afternoon, the number of people/families that I saw or visited with (8) was greater than the number of items in my cart (7). If I count everyone's children, I saw... 15 people that I know!!
Kinda cool, for me. This place is feeling more like MY town today.
Jun 24, 2010
One year ago -- Part 1
July 4 is coming up, and it is bittersweet. So many things happened one year ago around this time.
Near the end of June, my dear sister was advancing in her pregnancy, and she had some pain in her abdomen that was severe enough to warrant a day-long stay at the hospital. She was given instructions to "take it easy", which is practically impossible with two toddlers around. My mom was not able to go up and help. Here at home, David's parents had just moved to town and had been in their apartment for a little more than a week (rather than living in our house as they had done for the previous 3 weeks), and we were starting to settle into our new "normal". David agreed that it would be a good idea for me to go spend a week with Mel & Patrick and the kids, and hopefully help a bit.
I had such a nice week in TN; Mel was feeling a lot better by the time I arrived, the pain was more under control, and we were able to do fun things like go to a big playground and the local water park. It was a busy week, but it was a FUN kind of busy. I enjoyed kisses & hugs, baths & bedtimes stories, and time with my sister. I even enjoyed changing my nephew's diapers! On my way back home I got the phone call about David's sister.
I was driving to my parents' house, a convenient stop-over between Mel's house and mine. David's brother called my cell phone and told me that his sister was in the hospital. She had been diagnosed with cancer in her lung and elsewhere, Stage IV, and was told that it was terminal. Due to her low body-weight and general fatigue, treatment would not be possible. Hospice care would be arranged as early as possible; her condition was growing worse by the hour. We had found out she had gone to the hospital a couple of days before and was not feeling well at all, but we had absolutely no idea it was that serious.
I had the presence of mind to pull off the road while Lynn told about Diane. I remember exactly which parking lot I was in, and the last time I drove by it, I was flooded with the memory of that conversation and the one that followed--I had to call my husband and and tell him that his sister was dying. I believe it was Friday, July 3.
Thankfully, it was only 30 more minutes before I got to my parents' home. They hugged me while I cried, encouraged me, and prayed with me. We knew it would be a difficult journey, and I felt ill-equipped to handle it, but I committed myself anew to relying on God's strength. The morning of July 4, I headed home.
Near the end of June, my dear sister was advancing in her pregnancy, and she had some pain in her abdomen that was severe enough to warrant a day-long stay at the hospital. She was given instructions to "take it easy", which is practically impossible with two toddlers around. My mom was not able to go up and help. Here at home, David's parents had just moved to town and had been in their apartment for a little more than a week (rather than living in our house as they had done for the previous 3 weeks), and we were starting to settle into our new "normal". David agreed that it would be a good idea for me to go spend a week with Mel & Patrick and the kids, and hopefully help a bit.
I had such a nice week in TN; Mel was feeling a lot better by the time I arrived, the pain was more under control, and we were able to do fun things like go to a big playground and the local water park. It was a busy week, but it was a FUN kind of busy. I enjoyed kisses & hugs, baths & bedtimes stories, and time with my sister. I even enjoyed changing my nephew's diapers! On my way back home I got the phone call about David's sister.
I was driving to my parents' house, a convenient stop-over between Mel's house and mine. David's brother called my cell phone and told me that his sister was in the hospital. She had been diagnosed with cancer in her lung and elsewhere, Stage IV, and was told that it was terminal. Due to her low body-weight and general fatigue, treatment would not be possible. Hospice care would be arranged as early as possible; her condition was growing worse by the hour. We had found out she had gone to the hospital a couple of days before and was not feeling well at all, but we had absolutely no idea it was that serious.
I had the presence of mind to pull off the road while Lynn told about Diane. I remember exactly which parking lot I was in, and the last time I drove by it, I was flooded with the memory of that conversation and the one that followed--I had to call my husband and and tell him that his sister was dying. I believe it was Friday, July 3.
Thankfully, it was only 30 more minutes before I got to my parents' home. They hugged me while I cried, encouraged me, and prayed with me. We knew it would be a difficult journey, and I felt ill-equipped to handle it, but I committed myself anew to relying on God's strength. The morning of July 4, I headed home.
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