Happy Monday, dear friends!! I meant to write a few more words than I now have time for(maybe I should postpone checking my email until *after* I’ve written my planned entry!). Anyways, it’s a gorgeous December morning here(52 degrees as I drove to work – delightful!!) and I got to listen to some rousing Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas music on my drive to work. Now, I’m sipping on my hazelnut mocha and enjoying the peace that comes with an early morning. But seriously, I didn’t come here to talk about my coffee and this beautiful morning. I really wanted to write a review of my most recent favorite book. The long-form review may have to wait, so a snippet will have to suffice. Dallimore’s George Whitefield – ever heard of it? Well, I just started reading it last week for the first time. I’ve owned it for a while now, but finally decided to take a little break from Owens(love Owens, but can only take so much at one time!!) and read this biography. And wow, is it excellent – why did I wait this long?? I can’t think of a good way to say this without sounding exceedingly arrogant, but – I’ve read some 240 pages in the past five days…and I’m having trouble putting it down when I really should be doing other things. Thankfully, it’s a nicely massive two volume biography, so I have plenty more still to read. Anyways – since I really *don’t* have a lot of time to write, just wanted to state simply how much this book has blessed me these past few days – it has truly enlivened my heart and warmed my soul. Reading about this great man of God – so mightily full of the Spirit and yet so humble before the Lord – has been oh so encouraging. (And a tad bit convicting. Whitefield started his ministry when he was…about six years younger than I am now. Hm) And I just love reading about what God has done. God is working – always! And just as He worked through Whitefield and others, so He will(and is!) working through me, despite my weaknesses and frailty. Praise be to God – amen and amen! And it drives me to want to know more about what God has for me in my future – I want to serve God with every thread of my being and I tremble at bringing shame to His name by my failings. Oh how I long to glorify God every moment of every day – may that not be a thought for far-off heaven time. No, this is what I strive for here and now – to know God truly and to make Him known. And to witness His beauty and rest in the glories of His presence and to be oh so aware of His Spirit resting in me and to never cease from being in awe of the eternal lovingkindness of the Lord God of hosts. This is my prayer. May God keep me humble before Him. May God make me mighty in His power. May God keep me safe in His loving arms. Forever and always.
Tag: reading
Our Love
Hello friends!! A quick post here…just making the most of the opportunity as I sit in Starbucks this relaxing Saturday evening. I really do mean to leave soon so I can go to the store and then go home and make some delicious tomato sauce! Thinking tonight sounds like a night for homemade sauce complete with Italian sausages, peppers and onions(and plenteous spices). Y’know. Delicious? Yes. I’m also thinking I might put on some Ben Hur for cooking accompaniment, but we shall see.
Anyways! Today has been a delightful Saturday, especially after a long and crazy week. This morning after a sweet reading and coffee time, went over to help Chase and Sarah move!! We had a good group of guys as manual labor(Jared! Peter! Donnie!) So the move was efficient and relatively pain free! Afterwards, came back and…well, I really meant to come here to Starbucks right away(needed to catch up on bill-paying, work emails…such fun!), but it’s so gorgeous outside, I couldn’t help myself. Ended up outside by the pool with my book(Lord of Chaos, book six of Wheel of Time!) enjoying the radiant sun and picturesque blue sky. God is good to me. Truly.
And now it’s going on six o’clock, so I really should be off. Store to grab the necessary supplies, then dinner-making time.
Peace, my friends. Peace and love.
Surfside
Afternoon, friends!! I am writing a quick entry from here inside Starbucks…sadly, I came here to use some internet so I could write some work emails. Very very sad on a Sunday, I know. Oh well! Still, got some work done, and now almost time to go to the store and get some food(salad supplies and steak and potatoes!)…and then I’m thinking a beautiful idea would be to go out to my pool and soak in some sun!! I’m very much in a sun-enjoying mood, having spent most of yesterday having sweet beach time! It’s Ernie’s birthday today, so Mandy organised a little beach adventure…where me, Ernie, Mandy, Katie, Dakota and some others all had a smashing Saturday at the beach! After getting fueled up on coffee and donuts, we drove the hour down to the beach. The sun shone all day long and the water was positively bath-quality-warm and the sea breeze was perfectly fresh. Lunch time eventually came and due to Ernie’s grill skills, we had plenty of hamburgers(slightly charred) and hotdogs(a bit more charred) to feast on. As the afternoon wore on and we all started to tire a bit(how does one get tired just swimming around in the Gulf? Don’t ask me), we sat on the shore and just enjoyed being together. Gorgeous sun and sea, beautiful sand and surf…and dear friends and good chat. A good day was given me by my God and I thank Him!!
Now…it really is about time to go, but wanted to write a quote from a book I’ve been enjoying greatly lately. I really would have posted this sooner, but not having Internet at home is making my postings oh so much more sporadic. My apologies. Still. This quote. Just simply, wonderfully beautiful:
“So, then, this also is hid in Christ,-the great and unspeakable riches of the wisdom of God, in pardoning sin, saving sinners, satisfying justice, fulfilling the law, repairing his own honour, and providing for us a more exceeding weight of glory; and all this out of such a condition as wherein it was impossible that it should enter into the hearts of angels or men how ever the glory of God should be repaired, and one sinning creature delivered from everlasting ruin. Hence it is said, that at the last day God ‘shall be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe,’ 2 Thess 1:10. It shall be an admirable thing, and God shall be for ever glorious in it, even in the bringing of believers to himself. To save sinners through believing, shall be found to be a far more admirable work than to create the world of nothing.
-John Owen, Communion with God
Swallowed Sleep
So it is Tuesday night and I really should be thinking about bed soon. But no. Not quite yet.
I just got back from community group a few minutes ago…awesome times with the group, as always! Delicious pizza, good chat…and ever so lovely time in the Word. John 4 tonight. Beautiful. Christ declaring his divinity to a broken woman. Love and joy abounding. And she went out to declare to all the story of her salvation! So should we all! The fields are white for harvest indeed.
Oh and my apologies for switching subjects so rapidly…but I must record the results of the fad du jour…Star Trek personality quiz! We’ve all taken it and results…*drumroll* Dad is Spock. Mom is Chekov. I’m Kirk. Maryanne is Scotty. And Laura is Spock too! This makes me smile, y’all. And fairly accurate, too..if I do say so myself. Don’t say anything to disabuse me.
And now, with this most glorious amalgamation of evening thoughts over, it is time I sip on my nighttime chocolate-tinged coffee and read a bit. Owens The Glory of Christ tonight, I think. I would like to dwell on such.
Peace and love.
Well, not a lot has been going on lately…except I’ve finished HP7…the last Harry Potter book. And it was AMAZING. It’s interesting because I haven’t been involved with HP the whole time like some people…my first exposure was watching the 4th movie. After that, I read the whole series thus far and realized what I was missing…so this was my first time reading the book as soon as it came out. I just have to give props to JKR for such a storytelling masterpiece. I’m not going to say HP is “great literature”, but you know what? I love it anyway. Most “great literature” is depressing and contains much I’d rather not read about anyway.
So part of the reason I loved this book so much was that it DID have a happy ending…Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all lived…and the ending, with all of them married and with children was SO happy and awesome, that I was very pleased. I just have to say, her whole series was a beautifully crafted tale that while not on the level of Crime and Punishment maybe, is sure a whole lot more fun to read. And I must admit, as Voldemort killed himself and the wand flew into Harry’s hand at the end…I almost got teary-eyed. Almost. And believe me, that NEVER happens to me…especially not when reading. So I have to give credit to JKR for that.
I’m just very pleased and satisfied with HP7 and must say that it is, hands down, my favorite of the series, with Half-Blood Prince close behind. If anyone hasn’t read any of the series yet, give it a try. I did, and her amazingly created characters and alternate world made me sorry I’d missed it for so long. My sister’s reading it now, but I can’t wait until they’re done with it so I can read it again…
Something Weird 