To You be the glory...forever and ever...

I recently bought the Glory Revealed II cd and have been enjoying it so much. I keep thinking about the song, "To You be the Glory". I've been thinking about how deserving the Lord Jesus Christ is of all the glory. He died on the cross for my sins. He cares for me, He loves me. He protects me and provides for me. He is all in all and deserves all the glory. But how often do we seek glory for ourselves instead of giving it all to Him? I've enjoyed the words of this song and I hope you do, too. Let us reflect hour by hour about how we might honor the Savior's name with our lives and give Him the glory He so rightly deserves!

To You be the Glory

Who could hold the wealth of God? Such treasure found in Him.
Who could comprehend His heart and mind? His wisdom has no end.
For from Him, through Him, to Him are all things.

To You be the glory forever, to You be the glory, Lord, amen.

Who has known the mind of God? Who has counseled Him?
Who has given gifts to God, that He might be repaid?
For from Him, through Him, to Him are all things.

To You be the glory forever, to You be the glory, Lord, amen.

In dark and light, In death and life, When hard times enter in.
In all thing, we will worship You.
With You there is no end, there is no end.
From Him, through Him, to Him are all things.

To You be the glory forever, to You be the glory, Lord, amen.

**from Glory Revealed II

Dublin: Day 2--Ha Penny Bridge and Christ Church Cathedral

Second day out sight seeing in Dublin....well, at least I think it is the second day! It's all beginning to blur just a little...oh wait, I think that's why I tried to journal this year...so I would remember what we did. One flaw in the plan...where is there time to journal when on a trip? :-)

The Ha (pronounced "hay") Penny Bridge

Anne-Marie and I on the bridge

Melissa and Anne-Marie

As we walked to our next destination, we saw some beautiful buildings...I just love the stone buildings there so forgive me for the many, many more random pictures of stone buildings over the next several posts! :-)



Everywhere we went in Dublin, we walked. Why use public transportation when you can walk all over the entire city!!? Actually, it was more fun to walk because we got to see so much more that way!

Our next destination was...Christ Church Cathedral, a beautiful church founded in 1030. It was beautiful!

Christ Church Cathedral

The building needed a little help standing so Anne-Marie
and Melissa did what they could to help out!

A beautiful door
(don't mind the shadow..we were so thankful for a sunny day!)

Inside the Cathedral

The tile floors were beautiful!

Anne-Marie, Melissa and I

Beautiful Pipe Organ

Door to the "basement"..more like catacombs!

They got punished for too much fun on a holiday :-)

Where should we go next?!

It was time for lunch so we headed across the way to a famous and incredibly yummy fish and chips place. It was sooo good!

I'll write more soon to bring you the afternoon portion of Day 2 in Dublin!

Dublin: Day 1--Trinity College & the Book of Kells

We arrived in Dublin on Wednesday morning, July 29th. We took the city bus from the airport to our hostel, The Abraham House. We had to wander around a bit and ask directions a few times but we finally arrived...

...our room wasn't going to be ready for a couple more hours, so we put our luggage in the "luggage closet" and headed off to see a bit of Dublin. Yes, we had been up for over 24 hours...and since we had some rowdy teenagers on our flight over, I didn't get a lot of sleep!

We headed off to see Trinity College. Trinity College is Dublin's oldest university, founded in the 1500s and it was great fun to walk around the campus and snap some photos!

Anne-Marie and I attempting to look
studious at the Trinity College entrance!

Walking around the campus! I love the stone paths!

Old buildings...I love 'em! And I love the sky in this one, too!

This is one of my favorites from the trip!

While at Trinity College, we went to see the Book of Kells. What is the book of Kells, you ask? Well, to keep it simple, it is essentially illustrated manuscripts that include the four gospels, all written in Latin and transcribed by Celtic monks a really, really, really long time ago! You can see pictures and more history HERE.

After Trinity College, we were all fading fast so we stopped for a sandwich at a local bakery and headed back to our hostel. We took a nap....then made a grocery trip to Tescos for some dinner preparation.

A pic from Anne-Marie's phone
of Melissa and I cooking dinner!

Then, we headed to our room and did some planning for the next day....



...and then did a wee bit of gabbing...



...before finally hitting the hay!

Day One...the end!!

Tea & Toast

Today, I had the most delightful start to my day. I popped the bread in the toaster and the water in the kettle. And, when the bread was toasted and my water was boiling, I sat down and enjoyed a little tea and toast while I read my Bible. Oh, what a splendid way to start my day!

Day of Departure

Anne-Marie, Melissa and I got ourselves packed up for a month and headed off to the airport, ready for the adventures of Ireland/N. Ireland. Our flight left around 4 pm and we arrived in Dublin the next morning around 8:30 am. The flights went smoothly in spite of a few delays and we were thankful when we arrived safely in Dublin. Stay tuned....the Dublin adventures post is coming soon....

***Just in case you were wondering how much luggage three girls take for a month of travels....stand and be amazed...because I still can't believe it!!


Throughout the trip, Anne-Marie and I packed and re-packed our suitcases a total of 9 times in 30 days! I am so thankful for my closet and the end of suitcase living....until my next adventure! :-)

Waiting for our flight
(Thanks, Tisara, for my little flowery bag! I love it!)

Melissa showing off her water bottle!

Anne-Marie, finally on the plane
and enjoying a wee snack!

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.