25 April 2012

Good post

http://onefamilytable.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/be-the-hero/
For perfect love casts out fear.
Amen.

(I'm too much of a pack rat, and now I can't even remember what my bookmark labels mean anymore... so after finals, I will commit to organize / clean out the following: desk, bed, cooking gear, electronic files, googlechrome bookmarks, book collection, memorabilia. But yes. Organize through bookmarked blogs and webpages. This is Goal #2.)

23 April 2012

A goal for summer

Not that it's exactly summer yet (one more week!), but...

I want to memorize verses. I had said at the beginning of this year that I was going memorize verses, at least one a week, which I suppose I kinda sorta do in memorizing verses with my 2nd grade Sunday School class, but I have also quite quickly forgotten all those verses after Sunday School is over. Not a particularly good track record. Meh.

So: Seeds Family Worship to the rescue! http://www.seedsfamilyworship.net/listen-online/

Good verses. Put to good songs. On replay. Been listening to these on and off for over a year now, and I'm still on Volume 1.

Goal: memorize all three albums by the end of summer. Doable, yes? Three+ months, can do 30-some verses.
And by memorize, I mean: remember (rote memory) and also be able to explain each verse to someone else.

Exciteeeeddddd =)

because God's word is good.

21 April 2012

He said to me, "You are my servant, in whom I will display my splendor."
But I said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God."


Augh. I'm so constantly baffled by the depth of God's love, that he would want me as his child, want to involve me in his kingdom work. Incomprehensible. I wish, I want to be able to earn his favor -- it makes so much more sense to my small mind. And a small mind indeed I have, a small understanding of God big love that overwhelms the measly walls that I put up because I want to control how much of his love I take at a time. Silly me.

I suppose this is why Paul prays so vehemently that the Ephesians, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that [they] may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. And so I pray in supplication for myself:

- For what end do I labor? Where do I spend my strength? Help me to point it back to you, God. Your glory and honor and praise. In everything -- You first, then others, then me.
- To bear fruit of peace this week. Especially with lots of phone calls and decisions to make for the summer and condo repairs/purchases and packing up and moving in and setting up house. To have a joyful and thankful attitude because I have already been so blessed in this process, even though big decisions = big responsibility, and I am not the most reliable/responsible person I could/should be.
- To be a good steward of time and resources in this process, too.
- To love, and to accept love, so that I can slowly gain a better understanding of your love that surpasses knowledge.

Also, a big praise for good timing. Reading through Isaiah recently has been hard, because there's so much I don't understand about what's going on in back-story and I am unsettled by proclamations of coming destruction though I know in my head that it is all an execution of God's justice in his good timing and it must be right and good because He is a righteous and good God. These verses today were a comforting reassurance of my place in this world (re-focusing, re-settling):
- Who am I in this world? His servant.
- What is my purpose? To be a vehicle displaying His splendor.
- But what if I have failed, messed up, wasted my time? What is due me is in His hand, and my reward is with Him. Thank goodness these things are not up to me.
Amen.

Mm and it's beautiful outside today. I'm going to go out and study and enjoy being in his beautiful creation. =D No need to be cooped up inside todayyyyyy wheeee sooo happpeeeee -- thank you God for the gift of BEAUTIFUL days. beautiful beautiful beautiful. because you are beautiful! i love you.

06 April 2012

Christ-like, missional living

Lots of things on my mind recently, but one thing I especially wanted to share: a beautiful story by Leo Tolstoy written long, long ago.
http://www.thegoodquestion.com/2008/09/tolstoys-where-love-is-there-god-is.htm

Thankful for family, boyfriend, accountability, friends who constantly demonstrate God's love to me -- he who has loved us first, who showed us what love is. Good to remember the surpassing greatness of his love and grace and mercy on this Good Friday, good to meditate on his character, and then move to action.
For he has freed us from the bondage of sin so that we can learn and love and disciple and be witnesses for him.
Let me live for his sake, and his only.