Thursday, September 15, 2011

Lamentations 3

I am thankful for mornings, even though I have never considered myself a 'morning person.' When I get super tired I just feel so overwhelmed.
Last night was one of those nights.
I opened by Bible to read Psalms last night. The first passage I read was so encouraging. As I was going to sleep last night I got to thinking about this passage in Lamentations. The first two verses here are so well known. Just about every Christian could quote them. The next few verses are not quite as well known. I think they were more powerful to me this morning as the first two verses.

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

Friends, God is so good. No matter what the circumstances we are in, He is always faithful and his mercies are never ending.


Thursday, August 11, 2011

Hope

I read this last night. It was very timely for me. I thought I would share it.

Christians look forward with hope to the joy of being with Christ in glory forever. Faith is defined as "the assurance of things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1) because the invisible things hoped for in the future are grasped through faith. Hope is certain; it is "a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul" (Heb. 6:18-19). According to the Bible, Christ is "our hope" (1Tim. 1:1), and our God is called "the God of hope" (Rom. 15:13)
An ethic of hope pervades the New Testament. It is an ethic of pilgrimage for strangers on their way home (Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11). It is an ethic of purity, as the one who hopes to be like Jesus when He appears "purifies himself as he is pure" (1 John 3:3). It is an ethic of preparedness, since we should be ready to leave this world at any time (2 Cor. 5:6-8; Phil. 1:21-24; cf. 5:1-5). Hope gives strength and confidence for running the race, fighting the good fight, and enduring the tribulations that continue in this life (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Rom. 8:18; 2 Tim. 4:7,8).
Though the Christian life is marked more by suffering than by triumph (Acts 14:22; 1 Cor. 4:8-13; 2 Cor. 4:7-18), our hope is sure and our mood should be free from despair (1 John 4:18).

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Happy Birthday, Courtney


Just about four years ago God brought a new person into my life. Little did I know that day what God had in store for us. At that point in time she was not a believer. We basically held nothing in common which made conversation difficult at times. :)
Suddenly several months later. I saw a drastic difference in her. She had been born again. The Spirit of God now indwells her.
Over the last years it has been my wonderful blessing to watch her grow in the Lord like no one I have ever seen.
In four I have watched as she has gone from a person I couldn't carry on a conversation with, to my closest friend. She is my peer, yet at many times my teacher. God continues to sanctify each of us through each others lives. I cannot begin to write down what a blessing she is to me!
Happiest of birthdays, Courtney. I love you so very much!


Friday, May 6, 2011

Randomness - Just because I feel like it

This is just going to be a very random post. I am just giving your warning.
First of all I didn't do well with my posts for the end of April, but thank you everyone that joined me in prayer for each thing.

Second: I do not particularly like sewing sleeves in. I never have and probably never will. When I have to put a sleeve from one pattern in a bodice from an other.... YUCK! I have put four different sleeves in since yesterday and none of them look right. I might be bald if I don't figure this thing out tomorrow. I have to get this pattern all together so we can start making the real bridesmaid dresses. All I have to say is we had better look good!

My family played music for a mother daughter banquet tonight. I am sure this was our last musical program before Beckisue gets married. Kind of sad in a way.
The banquet was beautiful. Old fashioned tea was the theme. I got a lot of ideas for Beckisue's tea luncheon bridal shower.

Never go shopping with someone when you are wearing heals and they are wearing flip flops. Just not a good idea. I was wearing the most uncomfortable pair of shoes I think I have ever owned (and also one of the cutest) and Beckisue decided to stop on the way home from the banquet tonight and finish registering. After standing a LOT for the whole banquet thing my feet HURT!

Courtney is coming tomorrow and I am excited.

The End


Monday, April 25, 2011

April 25 - The Truitts

My friend Anna had a prayer request she asked that I share with you all.
As I am sure you all know there were many, many tornadoes last week across the country. One of the hardest places hit was North Carolina. Anna's dad is a insurance adjuster and a contractor. He was asked to go to North Carolina for the summer and left on Saturday.
He will be spending many hours traveling as he plans to come home every other weekend if possible. He will also be spending time on scaffolding and roofs.
So, Anna and I ask that you pray for him as he works and travels, and for Anna and her mom as they are without him for the summer.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

April 21 - Skyler's Family

One night toward the end of February, Stephanie got a phone call from one of her best friends. It was the horrible type of phone call. The kind with news you never want to hear. This girl's sister, Becky, and her nine year old son, Skyler, had slid on ice across the road into an oncoming truck. Skyler was killed immediately.
Today would have been Skyler's tenth birthday and it was two months ago today that he died. Please pray for Becky and the whole Hartman family today that they would be given peace today.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

April 20 - Photography for the wedding

Over the last two months since my sister, Beckisue, got engaged we have watched God provide time and again for her wedding. She was given an absolutely beautiful wedding dress by a total stranger. It was not only given to her but it had the three elements that she had decided were most important to her when she had gone to try on dresses. I will refrain from saying what those three things are in case Andy where to see this. He plugs his ears whenever the dress is mentioned. He doesn't want to know anything about it. Monica keeps telling him it is purple with black polka dots. :)
The reception hall was also provided wonderfully. We looked and looked for a reception hall. Reception halls big enough in our little town are very scarce. In stead of finding one here went went ten miles north to a town about a 1/8 of the size. :) Not only did we find a very nice place, we also were able to barter for the rent. When Beckisue went to look at it they told her they were wanting to get the carpet cleaned before they rented it out again. Well, it 'just so happens' that Monica and I have been cleaning carpets together for sever months now with her Aerus-Electrolux equipment. :) What a HUGE blessing.
I could go on and on with the list of things that God has provided.
- A friend that we haven't seen in 12+ years sent Beckisue a message and told her she does wedding cakes professionally now and would like to do one as a gift.
- There was some mixup with sale dates at Jo-Ann's and we ended up getting $35 EXTRA off of the bridesmaids fabric that we were already getting on sale.
-A friend is doing the dinner for a very low price. etc.

So now we get to the point. We have a friend who is a professional photographer. He shot both of my brothers weddings. He always told my sisters and me that he would do our weddings someday. Well, he and his family moved to Arizona last year. :( The plan was that he would just come back to attend the wedding but he is unable to because he cannot leave his oldest son who is severely autistic.
Plan B: A friend of my dads offered to shoot the wedding. We do not know anything about his skills though. He met with Beckisue and Andy on Sunday evening to take some engagement pictures so they could get an idea of what he is like. His camera is film and not digital so they haven't been able to see the pictures yet to see their quality and his skill level.
Andy kept saying Sunday night that he really wanted to make a matter of prayer this week that God would direct them in their decision making and He would show them just what they are to do.
Wow! That was a long post for a short prayer request!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

April 19 - Jared's Surgery

My apologies in advance that we are back to writings by me this morning. We will try to have guest blogger Courtney back very soon.

When I was in my last couple of years of high school we attended monthly youth rallies. There were several church who participated around central/north central Indiana.
One of the main pastors was a man named Tim Boyd. Pastor Boyd's son, Jared (I think he is 19 but am not completely sure), was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago. The cancer was in remission for a while but is back again. Jared's sister, Katie, said over the weekend that Jared was having surgery this morning to remove the largest tumor. She asked for specific prayer for this so I thought I would share it with my little prayer group that has been joining me these last couple of weeks.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

April 18 - Jonathan's mission trip

Today’s prayer request is brought to you by the authorship of Rhonda’s amazingly awesome friend, Courtney (who is also girlfriend of the subject of this post)…

“All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...” [Matthew 28:18-20]

Jonathan (as I’m sure all readers know to be Rhonda’s brother) is leaving for a trip to a far away country (sniffle) in almost exactly one month with a team of friends from college. He will be sharing the gospel and exploring the land. The area he is heading to is not very welcoming to Christianity so some details must remain untold to all readers on the world wide web.

Please pray for him as he prepares for this trip, that the Lord would work out all of the details. He currently is working to reach his financial goal so that he is able to share the good news with lost souls. He is also making connections with people in preparation, learning to speak the language and hoping to have a few faces to meet after he sails the seas, opening up more doors of opportunity to speak about the love of Jesus Christ.

We also ask for prayer for protection both during travel and as he shares Christ in an area of persecution.

Prayer for strength and wisdom for Jonathan is also needed. Although Jonathan isn’t easily intimidated by talking to strangers, sharing news that can forever change an individual is pretty nerve-racking in itself, but adding the difficulty of sharing it in an foreign land that happens to hate Christianity makes it just a little bit more so.

Please pray also that if the Lord wills, that he would be able to see the fruits of his labor, that he would be encouraged, while he is there being used as a vessel.

Above all, pray that God’s will would be done and his kingdom would be furthered; that lives would be eternally surrendered to serve the Lord.

“The prayers of God’s saints are the capital stock in heaven by which Christ carries on his great work upon earth.” (Quoted from E.M. Bounds in Purpose in Prayer.)

(All of these prayers also apply to the other individuals traveling with him. I believe there are 10 in all on the team.)


P.S. Courtney, you ought to feel very special. You got to write the 200th post on my blog. What an honor! ;)

Friday, April 15, 2011

April 15 - Kaylynn

Kaylynn just called with an update on Shayne. There is good news and very bad news. The good news is that physically Shayne is fine. The bad news is they are taking him back to jail today for violating his work release. They said that though whatever he took was not an illegal drug/controlled substance he was trying to get the same affect. That totally doesn't make sense to me.
Shayne goes to court on Monday. Kaylynn said he could either go to prison for four years (!!) or they might send him to rehab. Obviously they are hoping for the rehab.
All that being said, my request today is for Kaylynn. She has put up with more in the last two years than almost any girl I know would. She just turned 20 a couple of weeks ago so she is still very young. She has been more loyal to her husband than many girls I have known who have been raised in Christian homes and taught well.
Pray first of all for her spiritual growth through all this. Also she needs prayer for physical strength. She has been working about 70 hours a week. She had finally decided she could cut back and with all this she can't now. She will have Shayne's new hospital and court bills.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

April 14 - Shayne

First of all, Summer was released from the hospital last night. Praise the Lord for that!

My dad has been working with a young man named Shayne for about four years in his jail ministry. I won't go in to all his story right now because it is rather long. He had problems with drugs for a while. He has been doing well. He has had a job and working hard and making progress with his life. Kaylynn, Shayne's wife, called this morning and said Shayne was in the ER.
Dad went to the hospital and when he got there Shayne was in the ICU. I guess what happened was he has been drinking 5 Hour Energy at work. Then one of his coworkers offered him something. I have no idea what it was. Dad said it wasn't a controlled substance. Whatever it was was legal. Whoever gave it to him told him to snort it. People, just don't snort stuff! It's just stupid... Okay, back to my story.
I guess the energy drink and the Unknown-Snorted-Substance didn't have a good reaction when mixed. Dad said it almost killed him and he isn't out of the woods yet.
Please pray for both Shayne and Kaylynn.
Sorry this post sounds so jumbled. I don't have much time and want to get it posted.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

April 13 - Summer

My new little niece, Summer, had to be admitted into the hospital last night. Her bilirubin count was high. We found out last night that it is very common in babies born early. It is easily treated and shouldn't cause any problems. If it does get too high it can cause serious problems.
We're praying that she will be fine this morning and get to go back home!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

April 12 - Courtney's trip

I have been unable to post for the last two days. I am going to try to get back on track today.

Courtney is going to be traveling back today from Northland by herself. It is kind of a long story how it all came about. Jonathan and some friends came home last weekend and she ended up having to take them back. There wasn't room for anyone to ride along with them so she wouldn't have to come back alone.
Please pray God gives her safety and that she stayed alert as she drives.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

April 9 - Thankfulness

I am late with posting this morning. I have been trying to decide what to post. Not that there is ever a lack of things to pray for but there are a lot of things that shouldn't be posted for the whole world.
Today my request is that everyone just pour out thankfulness to God in your prayer. Sometimes we need to stop and really think about being thankful for so many more things than we normally just thank God for in passing.

Blessings as your heart of thankfulness grows!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Summer Nicole Cosby

I have a beautiful new niece that was born this morning. Her name is Summer Nicole. She is a little tiny thing weighing 6 lbs. 8 oz. and I think she was 20 inches long.
We got to go hold her this afternoon. She slept the whole time, of course, seems babies always do. :) We played with her very long fingers and toes and kissed her all over.
We're so thankful to our God for our new little family member!


Thursday, April 7, 2011

April 8 - Beckisue's and Andy's house.

Beckisue and Andy are having the inspection on their new house today. Praying that all goes well and if there is anything serious to find that it will be found! If all goes well they are to close on the house the end of April.

April 7 - Michelle and baby Summer

My sister in law, Michelle, is in the hospital. Her labor was induced this morning. We found out she has toxemia again yesterday morning. We're praying for a safe labor and delivery and that she won't wind up with a c-section. Since the baby is obviously not ready to come (this is three weeks early) the chance for a c-section are very high.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

April 6 - Prayer X2, Uncle Bob and Jonathan

I actually have two prayer request this morning. My Uncle Bob texted us last night and said he was going in for emergency hernia surgery. Later in the evening he said the surgery had been postponed until this morning so he stayed the night in the hospital. We are just praying for surgery with no complications and a quick recovery.
Secondly, my brother Jonathan has an important Greek test this morning. Greek has been very difficult for him so we are praying he does well on this test.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

April 5 - Michelle and baby Summer

Michelle, my brother Dale's wife, is due to have a baby the end of the month. Pray that God would work in Michelle through this time, and that she and the baby would be safe and healthy through the rest of the pregnancy and the delivery.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

April 4 - The Barber

Saturday my dad went to the barber. He didn't come home for a very long time so mom finally called him. He said he had just left. He had gotten into conversation with the barber and he ended up being able to witness to him for about 45 minutes. They are going to lunch together this week to talk some more. I don't know his name, but pray that the Lord would lead their conversation and bring conviction and salvation to this man.

April 3 - Greg's Family

One month ago today our dear friend Greg left this earth. Greg fought cancer for 3+ years with a nine month remission.
Today I ask prayer for his parents, Larry and Nan Wallace; his brother and sister, Doug and Jill; and his beloved Melody and her family. They each need God's comfort today.
Greg's parents: Nan and Larry


Melody, Michelle, Bret, and Faith

Jill and Doug

Saturday, April 2, 2011

April 2 - Bill Clarke

We have a friend who had a heart attack three weeks ago. He is only 38 years old. He was released from the hospital after a couple of days but has been back in twice I think for more procedures. He is still there right now after some more work they had to do yesterday.
Please pray for Bill and his family as they go through all of this.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Prayer Requests Day #1 Rob and Chrissy

I have decided to do something new for the month of April. My blog has sat idle for long enough. Everyday I am going to post a prayer request to share with my (very few) readers.
Rob and Chrissy are going to be first because they are the ones I was praying for when I thought of this.
My brother and sister in law have begun the process of planting a church in Tucson, AZ. They started Bible studies there a few months ago. In August they will be moving from Mesa to Tucson to start the church.
They will be sent out from their home church, Grace Covenant Church, in Gilbert, AZ.
Just pray with me for them as they follow the path God has set before them.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Greg and Melody's beautiful love story.

Our friend Greg Wallace passed away from cancer on March 3rd. His beloved Melody read this at the funeral. She posted in tribute of Greg and I wanted to share it with all of you. Watching the two of them over the last year has been one the most beautiful yet most heart breaking thing I have ever seen. I have seen love that only comes from God shining through the whole time.


Greg and I met in October of 2006 at an English Country Dance held by a mutual friend of ours. Was it love at first sight? Hardly! This is what I remember thinking, “Well, he’s not bad looking, but …uh-uh. Not interested.” Greg recalls, “Cute. Fun. But maybe a bit too goofy.” We saw each other off and on for the next few years at various dances and events. We were casual friends, hardly more than acquaintances. Then in November of 2009, we started chatting on-line. We were attending the same concert and that led us to start talking about music. The next time we saw each other we began talking a little more. And then suddenly, both of our “antennas” went up and it was like, “Where’d you come from and how come I never really noticed you before?!” Needless to say, Greg and I realized that our initial impressions about each other were way off and some definite interest and attraction began growing.

March 12, 2010, Greg told me that he’d like to pursue a serious relationship with me. We each wrote out a list of Scriptures defining what we believed, and it was so encouraging to see how we lined up on every key issue and doctrine. In fact, it seemed as if we agreed on just about everything! Except for one major thing….and was it possible to continue despite that disagreement? The issue in question was…tomatoes. Greg loved them. I didn’t. But we came to the conclusion that we could still make it work - I would just put any tomatoes I didn’t want on his plate!

As I’ve been thinking about what I wanted to share, the thing that kept coming back to me was “love”. Not just romantic love between a man and a woman, but the love that God has for us. I didn’t love Greg right away. I had been deeply hurt in the past and I was very cautious about opening up my heart again. My prayer from the beginning was, “Lord, yoube glorified in this relationship. Help me to love Greg as you want me to. You are the author of love, so if I’m supposed to love him, then you place that love in my heart.” And He did. It wasn’t long before the friendship and care and attraction grew and deepened. I learned to trust Greg. And I fell in love with him. When I allowed myself to be vulnerable, it was as if God flooded my heart with a joy and love far greater, deeper and better than I had ever imagined. Greg made me feel so beautiful. He treated me as something precious to be treasured. I could be myself with him because he loved me for who I was. He wasn’t afraid to be honest or show emotion, and we talked about absolutely everything. He encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. We read Scripture together. We prayed aloud and those were the times when I saw his character and his deeply ingrained faith.

I could share memories and talk forever about Greg. Our walks down by the river, playing games, meeting each other’s friends, laughing, ski trips, discussing music, his corny puns, crying together, homemade ice cream, 3 Stooges, campfires, working on my brother’s house, dancing, bowling, riding in his convertible with the top down.. .I could go on and on. But what I want to get back to is love.

Greg and I marveled at how amazing love is. How it could continue to flourish and deepen. How often, with an overflowing heart I would think, “Lord, I don’t understand. How is this possible? This huge love that continues to grow and get stronger.” But I know how. I know why. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love, because He first loved us.” In and of myself, I have nothing to give, nothing to offer - it is because God loved me first, with the most perfect and pure love. John 15:12 “Love each other as I have loved you.” He is our example of how to love unconditionally, steadfastly, unselfishly. Giving all without holding back.

Some people might think it was foolish to risk my heart when the future was so uncertain. I knew Greg had cancer when we began our relationship. But I believe that God had brought us together for a purpose, and I wanted to treasure each day, no matter what was coming ahead. Even now I wouldn’t go back and change that. By avoiding this sorrow, I would have missed out on all the incredible joy and love we shared. The sweetness far outweighs the pain.

That’s not to say that I lived this past year in perfect peace and contentment all the time. No, I had my struggles and doubts. I did a lot of crying out to God. I questioned. I asked why. I complained about the unfairness of it all. I asked, why me? Why us??

No, it doesn’t seem fair or right. Greg wasn’t just my “boyfriend” - that’s far too trite. He was my beloved. The man I wanted to marry. We talked often of our future plans. We dreamed. We hoped. We pleaded with God for more time. But he died. What kind of God would do that to us - we who were only striving to please and serve him? It was like pulling the rug out from under our feet! But Psalm 25:10 says “ All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep his commands.” and then in Psalm 62:11,12 “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard; that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.” Do we love and serve God only when things go our way? When the sun shines and it’s easy to trust and love? Is that the only time when God is good and loving? Those verses say that all his ways are loving. So I can either grow angry and bitter and hard because of my circumstances, or I can choose to trust what His words says - that His ways are loving.

I want to focus on the good. On the love. I believe God gave Greg and I a priceless gift. Not once did we take our time for granted. We knew how extremely fragile this life is and we made the most of our time together. We treasured the simplest things: sitting on the couch holding hands and not even saying a word, each text message that made my heart beat faster to receive, our phone conversations that we looked forward to. And Greg told me that our visits were something that he anticipated more than every birthday and Christmas and fun event put together that he ever had in his whole life.

In 12 short months I believe that God blessed Greg and I with a richer and sweeter love than many people will ever experience in a lifetime. God balances the sorrow with the joy. Some of my favorite memories are of the last few months when the cancer was taking its toll. It was enough to just sit there and look at each other.

When Greg texted me from Arizona saying that he was barely hanging on by a thread, I made him promise to hold on until I got there. The night before I arrived, he refused to take any pain medication, even though his pain level was at a 9. He didn’t want to fall asleep because he was afraid of not waking up when I got there. He kept watching the clock and counting down the hours. When we called to say we were almost there, Greg asked for his laptop. He opened it and kept staring at the screen , which was a picture of he and I together this past summer, and then looking at the door. He kept going from the picture and then the door and back again. When I finally walked in, his eyes filled with tears. He trembled as he touched my hair, felt my face, and smelled my skin…almost as if to make sure I was real. I’m so glad that I made it in time. Those two and a half days were heartbreaking, but precious.

The last time Greg opened his eyes, he searched for me in the room. I leaned in close…and he gave a half-smile and winked and stroked the back of my hand with his thumb. Almost as if to say, “We’re gonna be okay.“

There was so much love there in that hospital room. God’s presence was so tangible. You could almost taste it, feel it, touch it. I felt Christ in the love of family and friends and even people we had never met - in the myriad of cards they sent, words of encouragement, gifts, and countless prayers. I saw His love in each one of the Wallaces as they ministered to Greg with such tenderness. I saw God in Greg as he whispered Scripture. And when his mind was confused and cloudy from the drugs and pain, he looked at me earnestly and said, “I choose my faith. I choose my Savior.” His mind may not have been functioning, but his heart was. I heard Christ in the prayers spoken aloud as we surrounded his bed and surrendered him to the One who loves him even more than we do. He went home peacefully. There were tears. And sorrow. But even through all of that, the love of God was still there. We knew Greg was finally free. Healed. Whole. And in the arms of his Savior.

This is the lesson that I want to carry with me for the rest of my life. My God…is love. As great and deep was the love that Greg and I shared, God’s love is even more. It has no bounds. We love because He first loved us. John 13:34, 35 “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” I want that to be what shines forth in my life.

A couple of months ago, I asked Greg to send me a voicemail so that when we weren’t able to talk, I could still hear him. This is what he said: “Hi, Melody. This is Greg. You said you wanted a message from me so you could hear my voice whenever you wanted. So here I am. I love you. You know that, but you still need to hear it. So, I love you. I look forward to the next time I can see you again. Hopefully soon. And I look forward to the time when we can be together and not have to say good-bye.”

I’m going to miss Greg. I miss him already. But I thank God with all my heart, for the priceless, precious gift He gave me when he brought Greg into my life. Good-bye, honey. I too, look forward to the next time I see you when we never have to say good-bye. I love you.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Like a River Glorious

  1. This hymn has been one of my favorites for a long time. I say "one of my favorites" because I probably have 100 favorites. Ava probably learned her definition of the word favorite from me.
  2. A few months ago we were singing this one in church. I wasn't actually singing since I was playing my violin but I was reading the lyrics as we went along. Though I had been singing this song for as long as I can remember it really stood out to me that day. I had planned to post the lyrics that day, but as I so often do, I procrastinated.
  3. New Years eve I was really struggling with some stuff. I felt like anything but partying that night. I just closed my self in my room and started reading Scripture. Soon God's glorious river of peace was flowing. The tears didn't stop immediately but eventually they turned from tears of sorrow to tears of praise and thankfulness for God's amazing love.

  4. Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace,
    Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
    Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day,
    Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.
    • Refrain:
      Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
      Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.
  5. Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
    Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
    Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
    Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.
  6. Every joy or trial falleth from above,
    Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
    We may trust Him fully all for us to do;
    They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Keep a Quiet Heart

Courtney let me borrow her book Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot. I have been reading it the last few days and loving it. Yesterday I came across this little passage and it really stood out to me. I wanted to share. I am not sure it will mean as much not being in context but it should still be encouraging.

If we reject this cross, we will not find it in this world again. here is the opportunity offered. Be patient. Wait on the Lord for whatever He appoints, wait quietly, wait trustingly. He holds every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year in his hands. Thank Him in advance for what the future holds, for He is already there. "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup". Shall we not gladly say, "I'll take it, lord! YES! I'll trust you for everything. Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

I might start posting little bits from my reading that stands out at me. I always have good intentions. Following through doesn't always happen.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

2010 Book List

At the end of last year I made a list of all the books I had read over the year. I decided to keep track of each book, the author, and the date I finished. It was fun. I think I will keep up with it. I also set a goal to read more than I did last year. Well, I can say I accomplished my goal but not by much. Last year I read 19 and this year I read 20. :)

John Newton Biography (I read it while I CA and I don't know the author)
When Dreams Come True - Eric and Leslie Ludy
Passion and Purity - Elisabeth Elliot
Taste and See - John Piper*
A Brother Beloved - Francina H. Arnold
Let Me Be a Woman - Elisabeth Elliot
The Liberty of Obedience - Elisabeth Elliot
Life as a Vapor - John Piper
Desiring God - John Piper
Filling up the Afflictions of Christ - John Piper
Letters to Karen - Charlie Shedd
Passion and Purity - Elisabeth Elliot**
The Shadow of the Cross - Walter J. Chantry
Captivating - John and Stasi Eldredge
Through the Shadowlands - Brian Sibley
In Everything Give Thanks - Terry Barnes
The Pursuit of Holiness - Jerry Bridges
The Weight of Glory - C.S. Lewis
God's Guidance - Elisabeth Elliot
Amazing Love - Corrie ten Boom

*I started it a couple of years ago then lost it. So I didn't technically read it all this year.
** I didn't make a mistake and list it twice. I read it twice.