Mother/Daughter Dinner

Before Anne-Marie, Melissa and I headed off to Ireland, we had a dinner out with our mothers. It was a lovely evening! We went to the Plaza and ate at Hibachis Steak House...yummm...

Melissa & I-On the way to dinner

All the girls: (Left to right) Melissa, Kristi,
Kelly, Stella,
Anne-Marie, Vickie

Anne-Marie with her mom

Melissa with her mom

Me with my mom!!

The next day, we all gathered together with our mothers in one of the Sunday School rooms at chapel and committed our trip to the Lord. It was such an amazing way to be sent off on our trip!! We love our moms!! :-)

Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer

I arrived home safely on Tuesday after a month in Ireland. It was a wonderful trip and I can't wait to tell you all about it....once I'm at least a little recovered from the jet lag. Until then, I'll leave you with a song that has been on my mind today...

by Margaret Becker
Jesus, draw me ever nearer
As I labor through the storm;
You have called me to this passage,
And I'll follow, though I'm worn.

Jesus guide me through the tempest
Keep my spirit staid and sure;
When the midnight meets the morning,
Let me love You even more.

Let the treasures of the trial
Form with me as I go--
And at the end of this long passage,
Let me leave them at Your throne.

May this journey bring a blessing.
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.


"So we do not lose heart...for this momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." II Corinthians 4:16-17

May whatever life brings you draw you ever closer to your Savior.

Psalm 84

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!

My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise!
Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the Valley of Baca (Weeping)
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.

O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob!
Selah

Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!

For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!

He Is My Everything

I've been whistling, humming and singing this song wherever I go for the last several days! We used to sing it in youth group...yep, those songs from way back in the day still run through my head all the time!

He Is My Everything

He is my everything. He is my all.
He is my everything, both great and small.
He gave His life for me, made everything new.
He is my everything-now how about you.

Some folks may ask me, some folks may say...
Who is this Jesus you talk about every day?
He is my Savior and He set me free!
Now listen while I tell you what He means to me!

He is my everything. He is my all.
He is my everything, both great and small.
He gave His life for me, made everything new.
He is my everything-now how about you.

I sing the words, but do I really live my life as though He is my everything? Too often I get distracted by circumstances and situations that surround me or by the frivolous things of this world and lose sight of what it means that He has truly set me free! But, as a child of God, I am no longer in bondage (Isn't that glorious!?!) and my daily living should reflect that!

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore,
and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."
Galatians 5:1

What do you seek?

Vessels of Honor convened this weekend and many sat under some excellent teaching that challenged us and taught us about the mindset of being a pioneer in the work of the Lord. As I reflect on the messages, I'll post some thoughts but for now, the thought that resonates in my head is to be continually seeking the face of the Lord.

"You have said, 'Seek my face.'
My heart says to you, 'Your face, LORD, do I seek.'"

Psalm 27:8

Twenty-one inches?!

In preparation for my travels this summer, I just invested in a new suitcase. This picture makes it look quite large and roomy...perfectly suited to fit all my needs, right?!




...but in fact, this suitcase is only 21 inches! It meets domestic flight carry on regulations although it thankfully expands an entire 2 inches in a pinch! Am I crazy to think that I can pack for my month long trip in this itty bitty suitcase!? Oh the pains and woes of a weakling like me who has to determine how much to pack based on her ability to carry it herself!! :-)


**Tips and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged! **

The Fruit of the Spirit--Meekness

In studying the fruit of the Spirit, the one thing that I keep being reminded of is the fact that this fruit is cultivated in me by supernatural power alone. I can not conjure up this fruit myself...it is a work of the Spirit! It is a reminder to me that this is how the Christian walk is...it is a willingness on my part to submit to the Lord and allow Him to work in my life and to mold me and shape me into His likeness. It's about acknowledging my failures and being broken before the Lord over those failures. It's about learning to submit to His will and trusting my life in His hands, which are much more capable than mine!

"The fruit of the Spirit is...meekness..." (Galatians 5:23)

"When we think of meekness, we are apt to think of Caspar Milquetoast, the comic strip character who was the embodiment of timidity and weakness. But this fruit of the Spirit is something very different. It comes from supernatural power, not from weakness.

It refers first of all to a believer's loving submission to all God's dealings in his life. The meek man bows to the will of God without rebellion, questioning, or complaint. He reckons that "God is too wise to err and too loving to be unkind." Realizing that there is no chance or accident, he believes that God is working everything together for good in his life.

Meekness also includes the believer's relationship with others. Here he is self-effacing, not self-assertive, and humble, not haughty. The meek man is one who practices brokenness. When he has said or done something wrong, he conquers pride by saying, "I am sorry. Please forgive me!" He would rather lose face than self-respect. When he suffers for doing what is right, he endures it patiently without any thought of fighting back. When he is falsely accused, he refrains from defending himself. As Trench says, the meek man accepts the injuries and insults of others as permitted by God for his chastening and purifying.

Someone has defined a meek man as "one who accepts the will of God without resentment, who can afford to be gentle and mild because of inward strength, and who is under the perfect control of God." When a parishioner told Dr. Alexander Whyte that a fellow minister was being castigated as an unbeliever, Dr. Whyte blazed with indignation. When the parishioner added that the critic said that Dr. Whyte himself was not a true believer, he said, "Please leave the office so that I can be alone and examine my heart before the Lord." THAT is meekness.

We are all called to take the yoke of Him who is "meek and lowly in heart." As we do so, we find rest for our souls and will ultimately inherit the earth. "

*One Day at a Time, by William MacDonald
(italics placed for emphasis by me!)