One of the subjects in Scripture that has always been confusing to me is the subject of baptism and the context(s) it is used in. Like in Mark 16:16, is that literal in meaning or symbolic? In Acts 1:5, what is meant by the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
I found this commentary on Blue Letter Bible and it really helped but I still have questions. (By the way, this website is very helpful for learning the original meaning of the text. It provides the Hebrew and Greek lexicon/concordance for each word in scripture. Talk about expository!)
{The word baptizō should not be confused with baptô. The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (baptô) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizô) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change.}
more thoughts on this later....
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
how wonderful to be a daughter of the Most High!
I found this on my church's website and was so encouraged. It's good to be reminded of all we have in Christ and all He has mercifully saved us from. It's long but worth reading.
Statement of the Reformed Faith
By B.B. Warfield
I believe that God, since the creation of His world, has plainly revealed through the things He has made His eternal power and divine nature, and the requirements of His law, so that there is no excuse for unbelief or disobedience on the part of any man; yet however glorious this revelation, it is not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of His will, which is necessary for salvation.
I believe that my one aim in life and death should be to glorify God and enjoy Him forever; and that God teaches me how to glorify and enjoy Him in His inerrant Word, that is, the Bible, which He has given by the infallible inspiration of His Holy Spirit in order that I may certainly know what I am to believe concerning Him and what duty He requires of me.
I believe that the whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture; unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by alleged new revelations of the Spirit or by traditions of men.
I believe that God authenticated His prophets and apostles as agents of revelation by mighty acts of His power employed by Him as signs whereby all men should confess, concerning those who are gifted with such power, “We know you are a teacher sent from God, for no one could do the things you do lest God were with Him”; and I believe that the great outpouring of such miracles displayed in the ministry of Christ and His Apostles signified the breaking into history of God’s promised kingdom, which kingdom, when established in its fullness, will issue in the miraculous renewal of all creation; and that until such time, God is at work bringing men and women into that kingdom through the supernatural work of regeneration.
I believe that because God has completed His revelation in Jesus Christ, the former ways of revealing His will are now ceased; and because the final and manifest establishment of His kingdom is yet to come, God does not now choose to publicly display His miraculous power. Nevertheless I believe that God is directly upholding and governing His creation, moment by moment; that God faithfully supplies the needs of His people through His constant providential care; and that He often blesses them with special providences wherein He strengthens their faith and displays His special love for them to the world.
I believe that God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth; incomparable in all that He is; one God but three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, my Creator, my Redeemer, and my Sanctifier; in whose power, wisdom, righteousness, goodness, and truth I may safely put my trust.
I believe that God has all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness, in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of me, or deriving any glory from me, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon me in Christ Jesus; and that He has most sovereign dominion over me, to do by me, for me, or upon me whatsoever He pleases.
I believe that God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence done to the will of the creature; and trusting in the decree of God, I who am called according to His purpose, I may be assured that all things will work together for my good.
I believe that the heavens and the earth, and all that in them is, are the works of God’s hands; and that all that He has made He directs and governs in all their actions, so that they fulfill the end for which they were created, and I who trust in Him shall not be put to shame, but may rest securely in the protection of His almighty love. <
I believe that God created man after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and that all men owe their Creator thanksgiving and worship; yet God condescended, making a covenant with man, that men might know God, not just as Creator, but as their blessedness and reward. And I believe that while the requirement of this covenant, originating under Adam, was obedience, God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit him to disobey, having purposed to order it to His own glory; so that it was by willfully sinning against God that I, in Adam, lost the rewards of a covenant keeper, and suffer the curses due a covenant breaker. Therefore my only hope of salvation is that Christ the second Adam, has kept the covenant, securing its rewards for the elect, among whom by grace I am numbered.
I believe that, being fallen in Adam, my first father, I am by nature a child of wrath, under the condemnation of God and corrupted in body and soul, prone to evil and liable to eternal death; from which dreadful state I cannot be delivered save through the unmerited grace of God my Savior.
I believe that God has not left the world to perish in its sin, but out of the great love wherewith He has loved it, has from all eternity graciously chosen unto Himself a multitude which no man can number, to deliver them out of their sin and misery, and of them to build up again in the world His kingdom of righteousness; in which kingdom I may be assured I have my part, if I hold fast to Christ the Lord.
I believe that God has redeemed His people unto HimseIf through Jesus Christ our Lord; who, though He was and ever continues to be the eternal Son of God, yet was born of a woman, born under the law, that He might redeem them that are under the law; I believe that He bore the penalty due to my sins in His own body on the tree, and fulfilled in His own person the obedience I owe to the righteousness of God, and now presents me to His Father as His purchased possession, to the praise of the glory of His grace forever; wherefore renouncing all merit of my own, put all my trust only in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ my redeemer.
I believe that Jesus Christ my redeemer, who died for my offenses was raised again for my justification, and ascended into the heavens, where He sits at he right hand of the Father Almighty continually making intercession for his people, and governing the whole world as head over all things for His Church; so that I need fear no evil and may surely know that nothing can snatch me out of His hands and nothing can separate me from His love.
I believe that the redemption wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ is effectualy applied to all His people by the Holy Spirit, who works faith in me and thereby unites me to Christ, renews me in the whole man after the image of God, and enables me more and more to die unto sin and to live unto righteousness; until His gracious work having been completed in me, I shall be received into glory; in which great hope abiding, I must ever strive to perfect holiness in the fear of God.
I believe that God requires of me, under the gospel, first of all, that, out of a true sense of my sin and misery and apprehension of His mercy in Christ, I should turn with grief and hatred away from sin and receive and rest upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation; that, so being united to Him, I may receive pardon for my sins and be accepted as righteous in God’s sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to me and received by faith alone; thus, and thus only, do I believe I may be received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.
I believe that, having been pardoned and accepted for Christ’s sake, it is further required of me that I walk in the Spirit whom He has purchased for me, and by whom love is shed abroad in my heart; fulfilling the obedience I owe to Christ my King; faithfully performing all the duties laid upon me by the holy law of God my heavenly Father; and ever reflecting in my life and conduct the perfect example that has been set me by Christ Jesus my leader, who has died for me and granted to me His Holy Spirit that I may do the good works which God has afore prepared that I should walk in them.
I believe that God has established His Church in the world, one and the same in all ages, and now, under the Gospel, has endowed it with the ministry of the Word and the holy ordinances of Baptism, the Lord’s Supper and prayer; in order that through these means, the riches of His grace in the gospel may be known to the world, and by the blessing of Christ and the working of His Spirit in them that by faith receive them, the benefits of redemption may be communicated to His people; wherefore also it is required of me that I attend on these means of grace with diligence, preparation, and prayer, so that through them I may be instructed and strengthened in faith, and in holiness of life and in love; and that I use by best endeavors to carry this gospel and convey these means of grace to the whole world.
I believe that the visible Church consists of all those who are united to Christ, the Head of the Church, by profession of their faith, together with their children; and that the visible unity of the body of Christ, though obscured, is not destroyed by its division into different denominations of professing Christians. Therefore I believe that all of these which maintain the Word and Sacraments in their fundamental integrity are to be recognized as true branches of the Church of Jesus Christ.
I believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience and has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in any respect contrary to His Word, or beside it in matters of faith or worship. I believe therefore, that the rights of private judgment in all matters that respect religion are universal and inalienable and that no religious constitution should be supported by the civil power, further than may be necessary for protection and security equal and common to all others.
I believe that the Church is God’s spiritual minister for the purpose of redemption and the state is God’s providential minister for the purpose of thisworldly order. The power of the Church is exclusively spiritual; that of the State includes the exercise of force. The constitution of the Church derives exclusively from divine revelation; the constitution of the State must be determined by human reason and the course of providential events. I believe therefore that the Church has no right to construct or modify a government for the State, and the State has no right to frame a creed or polity for the Church.
I believe that disciples of Jesus Christ are called to be His witnesses in the world, proclaiming the justice and mercy of God to all men, and making evident His wise and righteous rule over every aspect of human culture. Therefore it is my obligation to search the Scriptures with all the skills God has allotted me, and to seek, within the bounds of my calling, to apply my understanding of His Word to the entire created order, and to all the outworkings of His most wise providence. And I believe that it is my privilege and duty to pursue a vocation in this world that employs my gifts to the glory of God, and for the good of my family, my congregation, my community, and, as God brings opportunity, to any who may be in need.
I believe that as Jesus Christ has once come in grace, so also is He to come a second time in glory, to judge the world in righteousness and assign to each his eternal reward; the wicked shall have the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them, wherein their consciences shall fully concur, and they shall be cast into hell, to be punished with unspeakable torments, both in body and soul, with the devil and his angels for ever. The righteous in Christ shall be caught up with Christ and there openly acknowledged and acquitted; shall be received into heaven, where they shall fully and forever be freed from all sin and misery; filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy in both body and soul, in the great company of all God’s saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity.
I believe that if I die in Christ, my soul shall be at death made perfect in holiness and go home to the Lord, and when He shall return in His majesty I shall be raised in glory and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity; encouraged by which blessed hope, it is required of me willingly to take my part in suffering hardships here as a good soldier of Christ Jesus, being assured that if I die with Him I shall also live with Him, if I endure, I shall also reign with Him.
And to Him, my Redeemer,
with the Father,
and the Holy Spirit,
Three Persons, one God,
be glory forever, world without end,
Statement of the Reformed Faith
By B.B. Warfield
I believe that God, since the creation of His world, has plainly revealed through the things He has made His eternal power and divine nature, and the requirements of His law, so that there is no excuse for unbelief or disobedience on the part of any man; yet however glorious this revelation, it is not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of His will, which is necessary for salvation.
I believe that my one aim in life and death should be to glorify God and enjoy Him forever; and that God teaches me how to glorify and enjoy Him in His inerrant Word, that is, the Bible, which He has given by the infallible inspiration of His Holy Spirit in order that I may certainly know what I am to believe concerning Him and what duty He requires of me.
I believe that the whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture; unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by alleged new revelations of the Spirit or by traditions of men.
I believe that God authenticated His prophets and apostles as agents of revelation by mighty acts of His power employed by Him as signs whereby all men should confess, concerning those who are gifted with such power, “We know you are a teacher sent from God, for no one could do the things you do lest God were with Him”; and I believe that the great outpouring of such miracles displayed in the ministry of Christ and His Apostles signified the breaking into history of God’s promised kingdom, which kingdom, when established in its fullness, will issue in the miraculous renewal of all creation; and that until such time, God is at work bringing men and women into that kingdom through the supernatural work of regeneration.
I believe that because God has completed His revelation in Jesus Christ, the former ways of revealing His will are now ceased; and because the final and manifest establishment of His kingdom is yet to come, God does not now choose to publicly display His miraculous power. Nevertheless I believe that God is directly upholding and governing His creation, moment by moment; that God faithfully supplies the needs of His people through His constant providential care; and that He often blesses them with special providences wherein He strengthens their faith and displays His special love for them to the world.
I believe that God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth; incomparable in all that He is; one God but three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, my Creator, my Redeemer, and my Sanctifier; in whose power, wisdom, righteousness, goodness, and truth I may safely put my trust.
I believe that God has all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness, in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of me, or deriving any glory from me, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon me in Christ Jesus; and that He has most sovereign dominion over me, to do by me, for me, or upon me whatsoever He pleases.
I believe that God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence done to the will of the creature; and trusting in the decree of God, I who am called according to His purpose, I may be assured that all things will work together for my good.
I believe that the heavens and the earth, and all that in them is, are the works of God’s hands; and that all that He has made He directs and governs in all their actions, so that they fulfill the end for which they were created, and I who trust in Him shall not be put to shame, but may rest securely in the protection of His almighty love. <
I believe that God created man after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and that all men owe their Creator thanksgiving and worship; yet God condescended, making a covenant with man, that men might know God, not just as Creator, but as their blessedness and reward. And I believe that while the requirement of this covenant, originating under Adam, was obedience, God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit him to disobey, having purposed to order it to His own glory; so that it was by willfully sinning against God that I, in Adam, lost the rewards of a covenant keeper, and suffer the curses due a covenant breaker. Therefore my only hope of salvation is that Christ the second Adam, has kept the covenant, securing its rewards for the elect, among whom by grace I am numbered.
I believe that, being fallen in Adam, my first father, I am by nature a child of wrath, under the condemnation of God and corrupted in body and soul, prone to evil and liable to eternal death; from which dreadful state I cannot be delivered save through the unmerited grace of God my Savior.
I believe that God has not left the world to perish in its sin, but out of the great love wherewith He has loved it, has from all eternity graciously chosen unto Himself a multitude which no man can number, to deliver them out of their sin and misery, and of them to build up again in the world His kingdom of righteousness; in which kingdom I may be assured I have my part, if I hold fast to Christ the Lord.
I believe that God has redeemed His people unto HimseIf through Jesus Christ our Lord; who, though He was and ever continues to be the eternal Son of God, yet was born of a woman, born under the law, that He might redeem them that are under the law; I believe that He bore the penalty due to my sins in His own body on the tree, and fulfilled in His own person the obedience I owe to the righteousness of God, and now presents me to His Father as His purchased possession, to the praise of the glory of His grace forever; wherefore renouncing all merit of my own, put all my trust only in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ my redeemer.
I believe that Jesus Christ my redeemer, who died for my offenses was raised again for my justification, and ascended into the heavens, where He sits at he right hand of the Father Almighty continually making intercession for his people, and governing the whole world as head over all things for His Church; so that I need fear no evil and may surely know that nothing can snatch me out of His hands and nothing can separate me from His love.
I believe that the redemption wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ is effectualy applied to all His people by the Holy Spirit, who works faith in me and thereby unites me to Christ, renews me in the whole man after the image of God, and enables me more and more to die unto sin and to live unto righteousness; until His gracious work having been completed in me, I shall be received into glory; in which great hope abiding, I must ever strive to perfect holiness in the fear of God.
I believe that God requires of me, under the gospel, first of all, that, out of a true sense of my sin and misery and apprehension of His mercy in Christ, I should turn with grief and hatred away from sin and receive and rest upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation; that, so being united to Him, I may receive pardon for my sins and be accepted as righteous in God’s sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to me and received by faith alone; thus, and thus only, do I believe I may be received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.
I believe that, having been pardoned and accepted for Christ’s sake, it is further required of me that I walk in the Spirit whom He has purchased for me, and by whom love is shed abroad in my heart; fulfilling the obedience I owe to Christ my King; faithfully performing all the duties laid upon me by the holy law of God my heavenly Father; and ever reflecting in my life and conduct the perfect example that has been set me by Christ Jesus my leader, who has died for me and granted to me His Holy Spirit that I may do the good works which God has afore prepared that I should walk in them.
I believe that God has established His Church in the world, one and the same in all ages, and now, under the Gospel, has endowed it with the ministry of the Word and the holy ordinances of Baptism, the Lord’s Supper and prayer; in order that through these means, the riches of His grace in the gospel may be known to the world, and by the blessing of Christ and the working of His Spirit in them that by faith receive them, the benefits of redemption may be communicated to His people; wherefore also it is required of me that I attend on these means of grace with diligence, preparation, and prayer, so that through them I may be instructed and strengthened in faith, and in holiness of life and in love; and that I use by best endeavors to carry this gospel and convey these means of grace to the whole world.
I believe that the visible Church consists of all those who are united to Christ, the Head of the Church, by profession of their faith, together with their children; and that the visible unity of the body of Christ, though obscured, is not destroyed by its division into different denominations of professing Christians. Therefore I believe that all of these which maintain the Word and Sacraments in their fundamental integrity are to be recognized as true branches of the Church of Jesus Christ.
I believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience and has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in any respect contrary to His Word, or beside it in matters of faith or worship. I believe therefore, that the rights of private judgment in all matters that respect religion are universal and inalienable and that no religious constitution should be supported by the civil power, further than may be necessary for protection and security equal and common to all others.
I believe that the Church is God’s spiritual minister for the purpose of redemption and the state is God’s providential minister for the purpose of thisworldly order. The power of the Church is exclusively spiritual; that of the State includes the exercise of force. The constitution of the Church derives exclusively from divine revelation; the constitution of the State must be determined by human reason and the course of providential events. I believe therefore that the Church has no right to construct or modify a government for the State, and the State has no right to frame a creed or polity for the Church.
I believe that disciples of Jesus Christ are called to be His witnesses in the world, proclaiming the justice and mercy of God to all men, and making evident His wise and righteous rule over every aspect of human culture. Therefore it is my obligation to search the Scriptures with all the skills God has allotted me, and to seek, within the bounds of my calling, to apply my understanding of His Word to the entire created order, and to all the outworkings of His most wise providence. And I believe that it is my privilege and duty to pursue a vocation in this world that employs my gifts to the glory of God, and for the good of my family, my congregation, my community, and, as God brings opportunity, to any who may be in need.
I believe that as Jesus Christ has once come in grace, so also is He to come a second time in glory, to judge the world in righteousness and assign to each his eternal reward; the wicked shall have the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them, wherein their consciences shall fully concur, and they shall be cast into hell, to be punished with unspeakable torments, both in body and soul, with the devil and his angels for ever. The righteous in Christ shall be caught up with Christ and there openly acknowledged and acquitted; shall be received into heaven, where they shall fully and forever be freed from all sin and misery; filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy in both body and soul, in the great company of all God’s saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity.
I believe that if I die in Christ, my soul shall be at death made perfect in holiness and go home to the Lord, and when He shall return in His majesty I shall be raised in glory and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity; encouraged by which blessed hope, it is required of me willingly to take my part in suffering hardships here as a good soldier of Christ Jesus, being assured that if I die with Him I shall also live with Him, if I endure, I shall also reign with Him.
And to Him, my Redeemer,
with the Father,
and the Holy Spirit,
Three Persons, one God,
be glory forever, world without end,
Monday, March 21, 2011
my "old" home
I went home for 6 days last week. It was a long, relaxing, enjoyable trip with my mom, dad, grandparents, sister & brother-in-law. Everyone but my husband, D.R. I shouldn't have gone away for so long. While I did enjoy myself, by day 4 I was ready to be back in Columbus, doing life as usual. It was a sweet realization that I am where God wants me to be. With D.R... wherever that may be. D.R. is home. Boynton Beach, Fl is not anymore. I am blessed to be from a place where it's 75 degrees 75% of the year. Where the beach is 10 minutes walking distance. Where the amazing shops & restaurants are endless. It's truly a vacation when I get to go "old" home.
I think my readers are my facebook friends so i won't upload photos cause they're already up on facebook. Go see em if you want! Some of my favorite parts of the trip were:
1) beachin' it with mom. She really is the perfect beach partner. She likes to do exactly what I like to do at the beach. Get sun, read and take long walks. We had a great time together talking about life, watching kids build sand creations (cause some of them were not recognizable, ha!), and just enjoying God's beauty in the beach. The beach puts me in a very peaceful place. The vastness is so wonderfully intimidating. I can't help but be reminded of God's power.
2) the food in Palm Beach county is off the hook. If you're a foodie, like me, this place is paradise. You've got everything your palate could ever desire; from fresh atlantic coast seafood & sushi to homemade gelatos & custards to over-sized portioned breakfast plates right on the ocean. My new favorite place to eat is Benny's on the Beach in Lake Worth, FL. Mom & I went there for brunch on Wednesday and it was delicious.
3) taking runs with my dad. Dad likes to exercise as much as I do and he's a great running buddy. I wish we lived close to do it all the time. We went one night at sunset to a local park and did a few miles. No chatting necessary, just sweaty togetherness.
4) being with Kirstie. It doesn't matter what we're doing: laying by her pool, running to get a smoothie, shopping at the Gardens mall or having coffee somewhere together. I love that girl. She grows up 5 years everytime I talk with her. She is married now so our talks are focused mainly on how we can be better wives and the challenges of marriage. She is a precious wife. I enjoyed watching her and Aaron interact. They adore eachother. She made awesome homemade (Wragg recipe) chocolate chip cookies and put flax seed in them. She whispered to me, "Aaron will never know they are a little healthy". :)
5) riding down A1A with the windows down. This is something I've loved to do since I got my license in 10th grade. There were numerous times when after I'd finished my homework and before dinner was ready, I'd ask my parents if I could go take a ride. 5:00/5:30 is the perfect time. I love looking at all the beautiful beach-side homes along A1A and smelling the salty breeze.
So that was my trip. I missed D.R. and champ a lot and don't want to be away from them again for that long. I came back to the exact same weather that I had in Boynton. It was awesome. I'm so ready for spring and summer! Enjoy your week!
I think my readers are my facebook friends so i won't upload photos cause they're already up on facebook. Go see em if you want! Some of my favorite parts of the trip were:
1) beachin' it with mom. She really is the perfect beach partner. She likes to do exactly what I like to do at the beach. Get sun, read and take long walks. We had a great time together talking about life, watching kids build sand creations (cause some of them were not recognizable, ha!), and just enjoying God's beauty in the beach. The beach puts me in a very peaceful place. The vastness is so wonderfully intimidating. I can't help but be reminded of God's power.
2) the food in Palm Beach county is off the hook. If you're a foodie, like me, this place is paradise. You've got everything your palate could ever desire; from fresh atlantic coast seafood & sushi to homemade gelatos & custards to over-sized portioned breakfast plates right on the ocean. My new favorite place to eat is Benny's on the Beach in Lake Worth, FL. Mom & I went there for brunch on Wednesday and it was delicious.
3) taking runs with my dad. Dad likes to exercise as much as I do and he's a great running buddy. I wish we lived close to do it all the time. We went one night at sunset to a local park and did a few miles. No chatting necessary, just sweaty togetherness.
4) being with Kirstie. It doesn't matter what we're doing: laying by her pool, running to get a smoothie, shopping at the Gardens mall or having coffee somewhere together. I love that girl. She grows up 5 years everytime I talk with her. She is married now so our talks are focused mainly on how we can be better wives and the challenges of marriage. She is a precious wife. I enjoyed watching her and Aaron interact. They adore eachother. She made awesome homemade (Wragg recipe) chocolate chip cookies and put flax seed in them. She whispered to me, "Aaron will never know they are a little healthy". :)
5) riding down A1A with the windows down. This is something I've loved to do since I got my license in 10th grade. There were numerous times when after I'd finished my homework and before dinner was ready, I'd ask my parents if I could go take a ride. 5:00/5:30 is the perfect time. I love looking at all the beautiful beach-side homes along A1A and smelling the salty breeze.
So that was my trip. I missed D.R. and champ a lot and don't want to be away from them again for that long. I came back to the exact same weather that I had in Boynton. It was awesome. I'm so ready for spring and summer! Enjoy your week!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
A Mish Mosh....
Here's a run down of my life since Christmas:
I picked up my first C.S. Lewis book. Always been intimidated to read anything of his but I'm really enjoying The Screwtape Letters.
My sister got married to the love of her life, Aaron on January 22nd in Jupiter Fl. (pics and the sister-perspective post of their special day soon)
I chopped my hair off to above my shoulders and feel like a new woman. My hair has volume again!
I already achieved one of my NE Res's: lose 3 lbs. This made possible by publix brand ensure chocolate & vanilla health drinks, (and daily cardio which I'm lucky to have time for in my life right now-plus the weather has been beautiful- 74 most days so I'm very encouraged to get outside and walk or run)
I went on a women's retreat to Callaway Gardens and heard Mary Beth McGreevy speak on Sanctification. Amazing. My heart needed that refreshment.
Made the most delicious chowder by E-mealz. (check post below) Ask me if you want the recipe.
Began mentoring a sweet teenager named Cary. We meet on Saturday mornings and discuss a chunk of James. Fun facts about Cary: She's a talented oboe player & her grandfather started a kid discipleship camp called Marannook in Alabama.
Champ, my doggie, had a benign tumor on his hip removed. phew. I'm pretty sure Champ is one of my idols. I'd be heartbroken if he suddenly wasn't in our lives.
I became addicted to Edy's french silk ice cream. (Grace, it's got coffee in it, you'd LOVE it!)
Studying The Gospel in Life by Tim Keller in our small group and really loving it.
I began counselor training at a local crisis pregnancy clinic. This is a ministry I've always wanted to get involved in and now is the perfect time in my life to do so. God has a lot to teach me about presenting the gospel in simple terms. I've been stuck in my theological smokeroom for too long I fear. The gospel should always be something you can teach a 5 year old- but what a task enabled only by the Holy Spirit.
I've determined I need a hiatus from teaching dance. I'm getting burned out. I love to dance but the choreographing and teaching are becoming laborsome and that's not how it should be. I never want dance to seem like a burden. I think I may just take a class or two starting in the summer.....?
So that's me, lately, in a nutshell. D.R. & I are expecting a nice bonus check from the Nat'l Guard soon and we are excited to be able to pay off some loans and save for a trip. I wonder what Santorini, Greece is like this time of year? ha!
*Be thankful!*
and here are some pics from my relaxing day on the Morris Farm in Pine Mt, GA.
Isn't it a beautiful place?
I picked up my first C.S. Lewis book. Always been intimidated to read anything of his but I'm really enjoying The Screwtape Letters.
My sister got married to the love of her life, Aaron on January 22nd in Jupiter Fl. (pics and the sister-perspective post of their special day soon)
I chopped my hair off to above my shoulders and feel like a new woman. My hair has volume again!
I already achieved one of my NE Res's: lose 3 lbs. This made possible by publix brand ensure chocolate & vanilla health drinks, (and daily cardio which I'm lucky to have time for in my life right now-plus the weather has been beautiful- 74 most days so I'm very encouraged to get outside and walk or run)
I went on a women's retreat to Callaway Gardens and heard Mary Beth McGreevy speak on Sanctification. Amazing. My heart needed that refreshment.
Made the most delicious chowder by E-mealz. (check post below) Ask me if you want the recipe.
Began mentoring a sweet teenager named Cary. We meet on Saturday mornings and discuss a chunk of James. Fun facts about Cary: She's a talented oboe player & her grandfather started a kid discipleship camp called Marannook in Alabama.
Champ, my doggie, had a benign tumor on his hip removed. phew. I'm pretty sure Champ is one of my idols. I'd be heartbroken if he suddenly wasn't in our lives.
I became addicted to Edy's french silk ice cream. (Grace, it's got coffee in it, you'd LOVE it!)
Studying The Gospel in Life by Tim Keller in our small group and really loving it.
I began counselor training at a local crisis pregnancy clinic. This is a ministry I've always wanted to get involved in and now is the perfect time in my life to do so. God has a lot to teach me about presenting the gospel in simple terms. I've been stuck in my theological smokeroom for too long I fear. The gospel should always be something you can teach a 5 year old- but what a task enabled only by the Holy Spirit.
I've determined I need a hiatus from teaching dance. I'm getting burned out. I love to dance but the choreographing and teaching are becoming laborsome and that's not how it should be. I never want dance to seem like a burden. I think I may just take a class or two starting in the summer.....?
So that's me, lately, in a nutshell. D.R. & I are expecting a nice bonus check from the Nat'l Guard soon and we are excited to be able to pay off some loans and save for a trip. I wonder what Santorini, Greece is like this time of year? ha!
*Be thankful!*
and here are some pics from my relaxing day on the Morris Farm in Pine Mt, GA.
Isn't it a beautiful place?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
shout out!
i want to give a shout out to something that makes my life a little easier. It's the wonderfulness that is E-mealz. That's right, mealz with a Z, homeslice. That's how they roll. E-mealz is a meal-planning resource for...anyone really. Whether you have 6 kids or it's just you and your roommate, it's easy, cuts your grocery costs and has great variety. D.R. & I have been using e-mealz since August 26, 2007. (the day we got back from our honeymoon!) We spend $5/month on it and it helps us spend way less at the grocery store. E-mealz is committed to simple-to-prepare meals, that are cheap, healthy and a good variety. You don't have to pick low-fat meal plans. We just enjoy eating healthy. They let you pick from the nearest/favoritest grocery store near you and find the cheapest priced items for the meals. 85% of the time we love the meal and recycle the recipe to make again. I'll diverge from the list once in a while when a meal comes up that we aren't fond of but otherwise it has been really great. I have never made up my own grocery list. I never have to think about what's for dinner and I LOVE IT! So if you're looking for something a little easier than coming up with yummy, different meals each week, try it out.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
the problem beneath the problem
Hello again, blog friends! It's been a little while. I haven't had much to say lately because life has been so full and I've been busy living it! Christmas, New Years, weddings... so much life shared with family and friends lately. It's been wonderful. I can't believe it's 2011. I feel like I was just in Miami at my uncle's house, begging my mom for a sip of her champagne & ringing in Y2K my sophomore yr of h.s.! And now we're beginning a new decade. What will this one bring? In the last one, I've graduated h.s, received a degree from Samford University, married my best friend, become an aunt, and experienced being a homeowner. There is much to look forward to. In the next few weeks I will gain another brother-in-law and experience the sweet relationship of having a married sister to talk to. God has so graciously chosen Aaron for Kirstie and it's a beautiful match. He's been a precious addition to our family and become a true, dear friend of mine & D.R.'s. He's a zealous man of God and deeply loves His Word & the church. I'm confident that he will lead Kirstie well and with much humility and grace. He's the youngest of four children and like most babies in the family, he's learned from his older 3 siblings mistakes & successes. Aaron, if you ever read this, I am truly glad God chose you to be my sister's spouse. We love you and welcome you to the family!
I got to spend some quality time with my sister over New Years and hear her heart about wedding plans and thoughts on marriage. We both share the same struggle with our physical expectations. I know that God will use that struggle in her marriage to show her what's most important but I didn't quite know how to encourage her Biblically. When I got home and shared with D.R. the struggle that Kirstie & I both have he reminded me that the problem is not that she wants to be physically perfect for Aaron and is consumed with her appearance. The problem is her heart's perception of what Aaron deems most important. He said, "Kirstie has a sin problem. It's not that she needs to exercise less and eat more. She needs to understand what she's thinking about Aaron and how twisted it is. She is basically saying that all Aaron cares about is how hot his wife will look. Why would she want to marry a guy who is that shallow? Of course Aaron is not concerned with that stuff. He loves her heart. Her body is just a bonus. You need to remind Kirstie that she needs to beautify and strengthen her heart in preparation to be a wife; not her body."
um, wow. That's why I married D.R. He always puts things in Biblical perspective. Here I am telling Kirstie to just not be so concerned with how often she works out and "eat more meat, skinny one!" when her heart is totally in the wrong place. I'm really good at doing behavior modification and neglecting the heart issue. Kirstie (& I) both struggle with believing that our eternal value is found in Christ. We can easily obsess over how many squats we did/didn't do in a day and forget about cracking open God's word of life to exercise our heart. I'm so thankful that D.R. gave me a sermonette on all this. I personally needed it. My heart needs the sustenance of God's word- the pure milk of His truth. Not tighter thighs. (although that'd be nice, ha) I pray in 2011, I can be a woman who longs for time with my Savior in His Word. I want to drink in the truths that feed my soul and strengthen my heart towards Christ and away from sin. I want to love the things of God more (fellowship with saints, service, hospitality, mentorship, submission) and hate the vanities of this world. Oh how prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love! Oh God, take my heart and seal it for the courts above.
I love the line from "Come Ye Sinners", one of my favorite hymns, that says,
"Let not conscience make you linger, nor of fitness fondly dream; All the fitness He requireth is to feel your need of Him." This is my prayer for Kirstie & I and anyone who struggles to think they must acheive something to be acceptable before God.
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