On being thankful

It really is amazing how many times the apostle Paul reminds us to "be thankful" in his letters. It seems he knows that it is something that is important and valuable. Thankfulness combats so many things: jealousy, envy, discontent, depression, ungratefulness, selfishness..the list goes on.

Lately, I have been so thankful for my spouse. I have a few precious single girl friends who want to be married and when I see them in church on Sunday, faithfully worshiping with the church body and trusting Christ as their "husband", I am reminded that the Lord sweetly gave me a man to do life with. He entrusted me D.R. to care for and love. D.R. has been so kind and thankful for me lately and it has been a reminder that I need to do the same to him. He always thanks me for cooking him a meal and folding and putting away the clothes. Two things that he is thankful he does not have to do- nor does he enjoy doing. I enjoy doing them because I know they relieve him of these duties. And when I choose to do them with this in mind, I do them joyfully which is so much more fun than doing them out of necessity/obligation. My husband is a thoughtful person. He gets inside other's heads and finds out what's important to them. For example, our youth pastor Zach is a photographer and loves to take pictures (obviously) so D.R. brought a camera to youth group and took some pictures of him playing ultimate frisbee with the youth kids for him to have. Zach is usually never in the pictures we hang on the youth wall, because he's behind the camera.

Or when a family member's birthday is coming up, he is the first to remind me. (mainly because he sets a reminder on Google calendar a week in advance- genius!) He was the one to remind me that Buddy's birthday was at the end of September and he did the research for his birthday present. (a "all things on Baseball" book- one of Buddy's loves in life) I stink at gift giving. I admit it. I'm not good at it at all. Thank goodness for giftcards!

I love that my husband is others-focused. He is always looking for ways to give $ to organizations or friends who are in the mission field. We are a big supporter of Samaritan's Purse and every year around this time, we do Operation Christmas Child. It's become tradition to go to Walmart together and pick out age & gender- appropriate toys for a child. He always does a boy and I, a girl. It was D.R.'s idea to write our child a personal letter, telling them about us and our love for Jesus Christ (and we always include a picture of us so they can know who we are) It's been a neat way to serve together around the holiday season.

Changing gears.... I have struggled in the past to appreciate who my husband is. For a long while, I have battled with comparing our marriage to others; comparing my husband with other husbands. I wasn't being thankful for the great qualities D.R. has. I'm learning to be a "student" of my husband- trying to recognize his strengths and be his cheerleader and recognizing his weaknesses and not putting him down for them. I'm trying to notice what stresses him out and take those things off his hands. I'm learning that guys need to hear "I love you" and "you look hot, honey" just as much as girls do. In fact, I feel like a man's confidence is more fragile than ours sometimes. I'm reminded to touch him more- to make him feel I desire him and value him physically. He's loving me a lot better than he did at the beginning of our marriage. I hope he can say the same for me.

I can truly say: Thank you God for allowing me a wife. Thank for you giving D.R. to me as my spouse. Thank you that I can go through life's joys and sorrows with a believing man leading me. Thank you for my husband's strengths. Thank you that he is mine.

three milks

that's right. good english. It sounds better in Spanish.

I had my first piece of Tres Leches cake today. This cake consists of not one, not two but three types of dairy. My kinda cake. Evaporated milk, condensed milk and half and half. And you can't cut corners. Even the health nut that I am considers it a sin to use 1% or...gasp Fat Free milk in this recipe. Our Spanish class had a culture day and I sampled my fare share of Latin confection. My favorite being the tres leches. It's a very fun cake to make as well as being fun to eat.

Here's a video from Food Network star Alton Brown making the cake. Enjoy. Happy Friday!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/tres-leches-cake/66440.html

My Savior's Prayers

Sometimes the fallen nature of our world bears down deep on my soul and leaves me feeling without hope. Recently so many loved ones around me are fighting battles that the Lord has not called me to fight. (yet) A co-worker's husband got diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer and given at most 6 mo. to live. A family member continues to struggle with a paralyzing drug addiction and depression, the father of two of my girls in my dance class abandoned his family and told his wife that he doesn't love her anymore. Devastating, heart-wrenching times. My heart is grieved over these people's struggles. There have been certain times during a trial when my prayers were reduced to nothing more than cries for help throughout the day. "Lord, have mercy on me." "Lord, I need your grace." "Lord, please help." On these days I sometimes feel guilty that my prayers lack substance. Then I remember the truth of Christ's prayers for me:

"It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life; that He is presenting to the Father those spiritual needs which were not present to our minds and which we often neglect to include in our prayers; and that He prays for our protection against the dangers of which we are not even conscious, and against the enemies which threaten us, though we do not notice it. He is praying that our faith may not cease, and that we may come out victoriously in the end." Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p.403.

"If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me."Robert Murray M'Cheyne, Robert Murray M'Cheyne p.179.

What enormous comfort and courage poured into my soul when I remember my Savior's prayers! He cares deeply for his people and his Spirit intercedes with groans so deep we cannot understand or bear them. Praise God that He is always at work in my heart even when I am choosing disobedience. I love my Savior. My advocate. My voice to the Father on my behalf. I know he is faithful to work all things out for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. I am trusting that promise for these families. I know everyone knows of people that are hurting. Will you join in prayer for those in your life who need it most?

"Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 5:16

Mobile

This past weekend I went to Mobile, AL. It was such a wonderful two days filled with seeing old friends. God took us to Mobile, AL for 2.5 years of our marriage and looking back I am so thankful He did. The women I met there are precious to me. They are real. They are available and always filled with Christ's love. Those were hard years in our marriage with D.R. being in P.A. school. A lot of lonliness. A lot of meals eaten alone. A lot of feeling like just a roommate to my husband. So many women encouraged me and walked beside me during those years.

Saturday morning I went to a ladies brunch at Bette's house (one of the older ladies in the church- always a gracious hostess). It was just what my heart needed. Cinnamon rolls, hot coffee and time in the Word with 30 precious God-fearing women. We sat around in small groups on her back porch with the glorious breeze of 78* and discussed God's attributes, challenges He has brought into our lives in the past year, what we've learned from them, and what area of "His means of grace" we struggle with most. (praying/fasting, accountability, time in the Word, corporate worship, communion) Then we heard from a dear sister in Christ, Morgan Spivey. She spoke from Psalm 145 about God's greatness, goodness/righteousness and nearness. She also touched on the end of 1 John 5. It was awesome to sit and ponder those attributes of our God. I rarely sit and think about how great He is (v.3), how good & righteous He is (v.7), and how He is near at all times to those who call on Him in truth(v.18) I needed to be reminded of those things. I can so easily get stuck in "my" own little world and my problems, responsibilities & insecurities seem so big and overwhelming. I forget that I have a God, a Father who cares. Who loves me unconditionally and knows my stored up idols; who longs to replace them with Himself and fill me up with all that He is. I will always hold a very tender place in my heart for the women at Grace Community Church. They are a group of women, young and old, who are all willing to pour into other's lives and serve. God used so many of them to mold me, teach me, convict me and encourage me to be a stronger woman of the Lord- to love His Word, to love D.R. I am eternally grateful for their mentorship and friendship.
Sunday morning I got to fellowship again with that precious congregation of people. It was a somber day as I reflected on ten years ago and the attacks of 9/11. I got to eat lunch with my old boss/the pastor, Jim Bryars and his wife Becky and daughter Caroline. We sat at Newk's and caught up on the past year. It was lovely.
I'm thankful I got to spend time with great friends!

The Doctrines of Grace

I struggled with these concepts for years. I actually ran the opposite direction when people started discussing them. I was angry. I was ignorant. I was fearful...that they may have some truth in them. The doctrines of grace, or as they are known in "slang terms", The 5 Points of Calvinism (T.U.L.I.P) are hard truths to swallow. It is only after the Holy Spirit softened my heart and opened my eyes to see (spiritually speaking) these truths as Truth; as Biblical. It has changed me- changed the way I view God, my sin and the glory of the life, death & resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I believe you can be a Christian and not hold these truths to be Truth. I know that there will be fellow brothers & sisters in heaven that think they were born sinless/innocent(that sin is an "outside" influence), that they made the choice to have eternal life with Christ, that God sent Jesus to die for all (even those who would go to hell), or that some believers can lose their salvation. I think this is bad theology and I think plenty are going through life with this bad theology. These people produce weak fruit, teach their children bad theology and miss out on the joy of living a truly God-honoring life. There are those Christians- and God did die for them. But for some, God in his great mercy and for a great purpose, has revealed these glorious doctrines of grace. The result should be obvious: the fruits of the Spirit seen clearly.

So, do you believe these things?

Total Depravity
Because of the fall, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the gospel. The sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is deceitful and desperately corrupt. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature; therefore, he will not--indeed he cannot--choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. Consequently, it takes much more than the Spirit's assistance to bring a sinner to Christ--it takes regeneration by which the Spirit makes the sinner alive and gives him a new nature. Faith is not something man contributes to salvation but is itself a part of God's gift of salvation--it is God's gift to the sinner, not the sinner’s gift to God.
(Genesis 2:15-17, Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Romans 3:10-18, Jeremiah 17:9, John 6:44, Ephesians 2:1-10)

Unconditional Election
God's choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation of the world rested solely in His own sovereign will. His choice of particular sinners was not based on any foreseen response or obedience on their part, such as faith, repentance, etc. On the contrary, God gives faith and repentance to each individual whom He selected. These acts are the result, not the cause of God's choice. Election therefore was not determined by or conditioned upon any virtuous quality or act foreseen in man. Those whom God sovereignly elected He brings through the power of the Spirit to a willing acceptance of Christ. Thus God's choice of the sinner, not the sinner’s choice of Christ, is the ultimate cause of salvation.
(Romans 9:10-21, Ephesians 1:4-11, Ephesians 2:4-10, Romans 8:29-30, Acts 11:18, Acts 13:48)

Limited Atonement
Christ's redeeming work was intended to save the elect only and actually secured salvation for them. His death was a substitutionary endurance of the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners. In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ's redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith which united them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, thereby guaranteeing their salvation.
(Matthew 1:21, Romans 5:12-21, Romans 3:21-26, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5-6, Philippians 1:6, John 10:11-30, John 17:6-12, Romans 8:28-30, John 6:44, Acts 20:28)

Irresistible Grace
In addition to the outward general call to salvation which is made to everyone who hears the gospel, the Holy Spirit extends to the elect a special inward call that inevitably brings them to salvation. The external call (which is made to all without distinction) can be, and often is, rejected; whereas the internal call (which is made only to the elect) cannot be rejected, it always results in conversion. By means of this special call the Spirit irresistibly draws sinners to Christ. He is not limited in His work of applying salvation by man's will, nor is He dependent upon man's cooperation for success. The Spirit graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ. God's grace, therefore, is invincible; it never fails to result in the salvation of those to whom it is extended.
(John 3:16, Matthew 22:14, Acts 17:29-31, Matthew 23:37-39, John 6:44, Romans 8:28-30, John 1:12-13, John 3:1-8, Ephesians 2:8-10)

Perseverance of the Saints
All who were chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and given faith by the Spirit are eternally saved. They are kept in faith by the power of Almighty God and thus persevere to the end.
(John 3:16, John 6:35-40, John 6:44, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:12-13, Jude 24-25, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:28-30, Romans 8:35-39)

Shout Out! ::Pure Barre::

I can't talk highly enough about the work out that I have fallen in "burning"-love with! :) Pure Barre. A fusion of pilates and ballet.
Lift. Tone. And Burn, Baby Burn! It's a 45 minute full body workout that will flatten abs, lift the seat, tone your thighs and give you well-defined arms. It works every area a woman could want to work - arms, thighs, butt and abs. It's amazing and addicting. Each strength section of the workout is followed by a stretch section which will help achieve the slim look of a dancer. While my whole body is stronger and leaner, I can see the most difference in my thighs. They've always been my "problem, fat-gathering" area. I've never been able to achieve leaner, tighter thighs. I tried running 3-4x/wk, weight workouts 3-4x/wk and could not achieve the results I wanted like PB does. And the burn!! oh the burn!! it is like dark chocolate! you just want more and more. I have such a feeling of accomplishment after a "burn-session" and I've done my sweating for the day in 45 minutes!! I still try to run 2-3x/wk b/c it's a stress reliever for me but honestly PB is all you need to melt the fat. I own the original workout dvd which is no longer available on www.purebarre.com but can be purchased on amazon. It's the first dvd that comes up when you search "pure barre".

Carrie Rezabek Dorr (creator/founder) has since put out 5+ dvds and they are all great. Basically the same muscle groups worked in different ways. If you live in a city that has a PB studio, join! It is so encouraging to be in class with 20+ other women who are burning with you! It is a bit pricey so I recommend owning a dvd and taking one class/week. I look forward to the day PB comes to Columbus, GA! Two of my sorority sisters, Danielle Davis & Lindsay Lancaster own the studios in Birmingham and they are the ones who inspired me to try PB. I was hooked after the class I took from Lindsay! I wish I had a studio here to teach at but I'll continue to lift, tone, burn in my living room! So if you're looking for a great workout that's quick (but not easy) and effective, try Pure Barre.

work: a blessing

Back in April I was hired to work as the high school administrative assistant at Calvary Christian School. This job has been wonderful for me. I feel like it is tailored for who I am and that who I am is being tailored for this position. It's such a privilege to work around other believers. I have held jobs in the corporate world and in the christian business world and the difference is remarkable. (as it should be) I love the women and men I work around 40 hours a week and love the high schoolers I see roaming the hallways. We just finished teacher orientation week and talked about everything mentioned in the student and faculty handbooks. It was exhaustive but lots of great information. Our mission statement made me love this school even more. It says this:

Calvary Christian School exists to encourage students to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, develop a Biblical worldview, attain their individual academic excellence, and fulfill their God-given responsibilities in the home, church, and community.

I love the choice of words. "encourage" students. "attain" "individual" academic excellence, "responsibilities". Such great exhortation for our young, bright minds! The education world requires a lot of one's time and energy. I love our teachers and admire them so much for the endless hours they put in to give our students the very best educational experience they can receive. No one works at a Christian school because of the salary. Every teacher and staff knows that we would be paid twice what we make if working in the public school system. Every co-worker of mine is at Calvary because God wants them there and gave them a love for children. If you would've asked me a year ago what would make me most joyful, I would've said, "having a baby and being a mom". My response now is "serving the Lord joyfully in whatever capacity He has me". I feel like I'm right where He wants me to be. For now, my "children" are the 147 high schoolers.