Ice cream and...hedgehogs?!

Courtesy of Hedgehogcentral.com

Sunday School Picnic

A few weeks ago, Pam and I took the girls to the park for a picnic. It's such a blessing to spend time with each of the girls and to get to know them! Each one of them has a heart of gold and I just love spending time with them! We had stimulating conversation over our burgers about the message we had heard at chapel and how we can be creative in the ways we share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. These girls are amazing and it was such a great afternoon!

THE WHOLE GANG
Back row: Rikki
Middle row: Julie, Bethany
Front Row: Ingrid, Hannah, Michelle

Bethany & Michelle

Michelle & Julie

Michelle, Julie, & Me

Rikki

Rikki, Ingrid & Bethany

Rikki, Ingrid, Bethany & Hannah

Me, Hannah, Rikki & Ingrid

Special thanks to Pam
who tirelessly slaved
over the fire for our burgers!

"The Saving Life of Christ"

'Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." The One who calls you to a life of righteousness is the One who by your consent lives that life of righteousness through you! The One who calls you to minister to the needs of humanity is the One who by your consent ministers to the needs of humanity through you! The One who calls you to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, is the one who by your consent, goes into all the world and preaches the gospel to every creature through you!

If you will but trust Christ, not only for the death He died in order to redeem you, but also for the life that He lives and waits to live through you, the very next stop you take will be a step taken in the very energy and power of God Himself. You will have begun to live a life which is essentially supernatural...You will have become totally dependent upon the life of Christ within you...

**quoted from The Saving Life of Christ, Major W. Ian Thomas

Sometimes I find myself facing defeat...defeat in doing the things I do not want to do and defeat in not doing the very things God has asked me to do. As I look towards some of the upcoming events of the summer, I am wanting to find courage and boldness to proclaim the name of Christ in ways I'm not typically comfortable with, avenues I'm not well versed in. I came across these words in The Saving Life of Christ and realized anew that I am trying to find courage in myself, I am trying to find the strength in myself. I am looking in the wrong place! Where I will find the courage and the strength and the victory is in the life of Christ! He not only died to redeem me but His life saves me to a complete trust and dependence on Him...a trust and dependence for those "little" things like strength and courage and by my consent He will work through me, in spite of my short comings!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is a day we celebrate the mothers in our lives. I am so thankful for my mother. As I've watched her over the years as mother to Scott and I, and now as grandmother to Kate and Zach, I've seen her continually give of herself, being selfless for the sake of her family. I am so incredibly thankful for the godly example my mother has set forth and hope to be as selfless to the loved ones in my life as she has shown to me. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

To all of you mothers out there...kudos to you for all the hard work you are putting into your children, sitting up with them late at night when they are sick and fussy, cooking their meals each day, doing their laundry, and wiping their noses to name a few. But your most important job as mother is diligently working to grow them up in a way that their lives might honor and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and that they might grow up to be men and women with a passion for the things of God.

As I was looking at verses this morning about mothers, I came across this verse in Isaiah 66 that made me realize how much a mother is a picture of our Lord. "Like a mother comforts her children, so the Lord will comfort you." (Kelly paraphrase!) Wow! I think that verse caught my heart in a special way because last night I longed for my mother, for her loving touch and most of all for her comfort. I don't care how old you get, there are moments in life that nothing soothes like a mother's comfort...and that is a sweet picture of our Savior and the comfort He offers to us.

For this is what the LORD says:
"I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried on her arm
and dandled on her knees.

As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."

When you see this, your heart will rejoice
and you will flourish like grass;
the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants,
but his fury will be shown to his foes."

Isaiah 66:12-14

My Tongue?!

Over the last few weeks, I've realized that I am becoming more settled in my new job. One nice thing about a new job and a change is that I can also use the transition to reflect and determine what changes I need to make in myself. One thing that has always bothered me in nursing is the politics, the gossip, talking about others, etc. It's a very common issue in life that we all encounter. When we find ourselves in a conversation that has taken a turn in the direction of gossip, how do we deal with it?

Our tongues are a weapon, dangerous. Our tongues spill careless words that cut to the heart. If I carried a sword with me, I know I would always be aware of where the sword was, who was near it. I would be oh, so careful so that no one would be hurt or injured because of my carelessness. And yet, with my tongue I am thoughtless and unaware of the trail of blood I leave in my wake. I do not want my tongue to be characterized by the following:

1. Destruction & Deceit: "Your tongue devises destruction,Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully." Psalm 52:2

2. Lying: "Getting treasures by a lying tongue is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death." Proverbs 21:6

3. Evil: "He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil." Proverbs 17:20

4. Poison: "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." James 3:8

5. Foolishness: "But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. " Psalm 15:2b

So, what should my tongue be characterized by? What are the descriptions of a "good" tongue?

1. Wise & Just: "The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,And his tongue talks of justice. " Psalm 37:30

2. Tree of Life: "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit." Proverbs 15:4

3. Promotes Health: "But the tongue of the wise promotes health." Proverbs 12:18b

4. Guarded/Kept from Trouble: "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles." Proverbs 21:23

Wow! I want a tongue that can be described in these terms. What words should be coming forth in order to live according to that characterization?

1. Praise & Righteousness: "And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness, And of Your praise all the day long." Psalm 35:28

2. Kindness: "She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness." Proverbs 31:26

3. God's WORD & Commandments: "My tongue shall speak of Your word,For all Your commandments are righteousness." Psalm 119:172

4. Confessing Jesus Christ: "..and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil 2:11

I want to be characterized on my unit and in my life as someone who does not participate in gossip or other destructive conversations. It's a daily, hourly, minute by minute struggle to use my tongue wisely and to not participate in conversations that are destructive. And, these verses that I've shared have challenged my heart to strive for a tongue that promotes life and health, and shares the kindness of the Lord Jesus to all those around me and ultimately glorifies His name.

Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 24:12-14

Rock Chalk Jayhawk, GO KU!

Last nights game was so exciting! Half the fun was meeting new people today as I waited in line for the better part of an hour for T-shirts. By the time I got to the front of the line, options on sizes and look were minimal. I got the locker room version for my dad and my friend, Kathy:



Then, since classes were canceled due to the big win, I headed down to KU Med Center bookstore to see what they had. Once again options were minimal...as in, one color and thankfully my size! So, here's what I got to commemorate the big win!!

"JAYHAWK BASKETBALL
History repeats itSELF: 1952 1988 2008"

And, this is me, just enjoying the fact that those guys brought off a big win on the court last night and how much fun it was to watch (well, at least fun some of the time...the other times I was doing some yelling and pacing and nail biting and stuff!!)

Abundantly Satisified

Recently, a friend of mine sent me a copy of the following devotional:

'This is the day the Lord has made.' Psalm 118:24

Three of the biggest mistakes you can make are:
(1) Longing for yesterday. Learn from the past, but don't put a halo on it. The Bible says: (a) "Do not say, ' Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise." (Ecc. 7:10) (b) "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Is. 43:18-19)

(2) Longing for the right somebody. God knows what you need better than you do, and "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11). Instead of finding the right person, strive to become the right person.

(3) Longing for some future destination. It's a mistake to believe that when you arrive at a certain point you'll be happy. No, your happiest moments are along the way, not at the end of the trip. When it comes to living, you can't improve on the Scripture "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

These thoughts encouraged and challenged my heart to stop longing for the things which I do not have and to be "abundantly satisfied" with all that the Lord has blessed me. He has given me my salvation, a wonderful family, a beautiful niece and handsome nephew, a job to provide my daily needs. His mercy, faithfulness, and His lovingkindnesses shown to me are boundless and without measure. And, as the Psalmist wrote, I want my heart to be "abundantly satisfied with the fullness of His house..." and to rejoice that this is the day that He has made for me to rejoice in!

Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
Psalm 36: 5-9

**A special thanks to Andrew Nelson for my recent blog sprucing. My pictures are ones that were taken while I was hiking in Aspen, Colorado at Maroon Bells. Andrew incorporated them nicely along with other ideas in order to come up with my new look! Thanks for all your help, Andrew!