Happy Monday, friends!! I’m sipping on my delicious monday morning coffee and about ready to start work here. First – thought I’d dash out a quick few sentences. I have recently been trying to “purge” my music/movie/book collection of any unworthy or undesirable works. Some of this purging is quite painful, but it must be done. I’ve let my collection get alarmingly big and my (somewhat) minimalist self cringes at that. During the music section of the purge(which was entirely unsuccessful as I think I only got rid of 7 CDs!!), I found some stuff that I’d forgotten I had…stuffed it into my car and now I’m enjoying listening to Dominic’s sermons again(oh how I miss Gilc at times!!) and then today listened to one of Snow Patrol’s albums again. Wow I forgot how full of raw emotions their songs are…such a delight to listen to this morning as I drove to work in the dark. And listening to their songs brought back memories of listening to the same music as I drove to work back in Aberdeen…driving along the North Sea and seeing the sun slowly rise over the horizon. The clouds whirling and retreating from the relentless march of morning, the wind dancing through the surf of the sea. And that is enough nostalgia for this day. Ever up and ever in, my friends. Let us grasp hold of this day, remember the hope to which we were called and go forth and conquer. Peace and love.
Tag: thanksgiving
A Little Bit of Sunshine
Happy Saturday, friends!! It’s a gorgeous afternoon here in Houston…and by gorgeous, I mean extremely hot and humid – it is the first day of July after all. But I’m enjoying an afternoon inside after a most productive and enjoyable morning…nice to relax a bit, just saying!!
This morning, after sleeping in shockingly late(I don’t think I got out of bed until a little before 8AM!!), I had a nice breakfast of fried eggs and tea…then I made my way over to the Texaco to get my annual inspection done. Figured I’d stop by Starbucks and enjoy a nice iced mocha while I waited. It’s my old Starbucks that I used to go to all the time when I lived down in that area, so…it was a pretty great feeling to have several of the baristas(props to Laura and Katie!) so excited to see me make my grand return! Anyways…I read a bit of my “Sermon on the Mount” by Lloyd-Jones(and enjoying that heartily – but no worries – I shan’t quote a large portion of it on here today!). Eventually, the mechanic called and told me they had to replace my awkward third brake light in order to pass inspection, which meant it’d be another 3-4 hours. Joy. Fortuitously enough, Julie was also nearby(well, within 3 miles!) getting her own car worked on! So I grabbed some water and walked down to meet up with her. Totally unplanned…but it worked out rather well – we got to hang out at the shop for a while before eventually going to grab lunch at Adair. Such a fun time with such a dear friend! We talked about all manner of things, serious and not…before finally my car was ready. Julie dropped me off there, I went to HEB and did some shopping…and now I’m back here at the flat, doing laundry and enjoying a restful Saturday afternoon. God is good to me, of that I am forever reminded.
Anyways, this was an extremely random summary of my day thus far…I shall bore you no further with an account of my workweek(really, who wants to hear about that!?) and sign off. Have a most lovely day, my friends – remember to lift your eyes to the heavens this day and thank our Lord God for all He has given us. Peace and love.
Day of Days
Hello friends! It’s Sunday evening here and I’m enjoying my chamomile tea and a little MLJ reading and really should get ready for bed momentarily. Quickly then…just know that today was a simply wonderful day. From being at church with my brothers and sisters and worshiping God together…to having some wonderful chats with friends old and new…and then getting home today and realizing after I finished my workout that I simply could not stay indoors as it’s been gorgeous all day!! After lying by the pool and finishing Steelheart(Brandon Sanderson) – I went for a walk…then thought how nice it would be to read outside at EQ. So walked back to the flat, picked up Lord of the Rings and walked back to EQ and sat on the porch with the sun warming my face…truly, this has to be one of my favorite days of the year. Blissful. I got many chapters of LotR read(from Bree to Rivendell!) and then finally walked back home to make my salad for dinner. Now…I prepare for the upcoming week. Knowing that God is good and has set my path in front of me, I cannot wait to walk in it. Give me the strength, Lord. Give me the strength. Sometimes I feel I know not why I take the steps I do…nonetheless, I trust my God. May this week be blessed of the Lord – only for His glory. Always. Now, I take my leave. Before I do…might as well write out a few of my favorite words from my latest chapter of MLJ:
What hope is there for the world? There is none. There is no comfort for the world now. But for the Christian man
who mourns because of sin and because of the state of the world, there is this comfort – the comfort of the blessed hope,
the glory that yet remains. So that even here, though he is groaning, he is happy at the same time because of the hope
that is set before him. There is this ultimate hope in eternity. In that eternal state we shall be wholly and entirely
blessed, there will be nothing to mar life, nothing to detract from it, nothing to spoil it. Sorrow and sighing shall
be no more; all tears shall be wiped away; and we shall bask for ever and ever in the eternal sunshine, and experience
joy and bliss and glory unmixed and unspoiled. ‘Happy are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.’ How true it is.
Unless we know that, we are not Christian. If we are Christian, we do know it, this joy of sins forgiven and the knowledge
of it; the joy of reconciliation; the joy of knowing that God takes us back when we have fallen away from Him; the joy
and contemplation of the glory that is set before us; the joy that comes from anticipation of the eternal state.
-Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, page 50
Thus sings my soul.
A New
It is Friday and I have my peppermint Mocha and I have decided it will be a simply Grand day. Even though I have also realized that it will be a most Busy work day. Still – I shall not complain. This is the Day the Lord has made. Indeed, I rejoice. Have a most Lovely day, dear friends!!
A Sign of Things to Come
Morning, all! I write this at an odd time for me…Sunday morning. You may wonder why I’m not at church…well…as much as I’d like to go, decided to stay here at home and further recover from recent wisdom teeth extraction(hurrah – they are gone forever!). I had a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs and coffee and now I’m sitting here on the couch with both my laptops out(work laptop for work emails and this laptop for…writing this entry?) as I listen to Rachmaninoff’s symphony no. 2 on the big screen. Truly wondrous thing, technology. Working off two laptops “just because” and then having beautiful music playing on the TV here in the flat!! Love it.
Well what more shall I write? I don’t think I have that much more to say. Need to go switch my laundry to dryer in a second and then I think I shall get a bit of reading done. ’til next time!
Eschatos
Hello all!! I have a few spare moments…as I sit here in the family room at home in Tampa! I just finished laying mulch on the rose bushes out back and now before I shower figured…might as well update briefly! Am nearing the tail end(oh no…) of a simply wonderful mini-vacation here with the fam. I may write in more detail at a later date, but for now, suffice it to say I am much blessed and I am ever so relaxed right now! Being at home is always encouraging, but I feel like this time has been even more so. Hanging out with Dad and Mom and Laura…so many good times at the church(Prophecy Conference at our church – with Alan Kurschner and Marv Rosenthal and Dad speaking…wonderful, beautiful biblical truth being taught and gorgeous, enlivening worship songs being sung and oh such encouraging fellowship with my fellow brethren, reminding me of the day we shall all one day be in the presence of God Himself, worshiping Him forever and ever – “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!”)
And…I did say I wouldn’t get into the details, but let this just be a reminder to you all(and myself) of how much God blesses us. As much pain and sorrow is on this earth – and yes, we are a party to so much of it! – God grants us such peace and grace as we abide in Him and seek His face and cry out to Him, resting in the comfort of His Spirit and the joy of being redeemed through Christ Himself – oh glory to His Name! So that grace and peace is filling my heart and I know not why the struggles and cares of this world should give me any pause at all.
May your souls be warmed by the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. He who died for us will surely continue to work in us until we are fully sanctified and consequently wondrously glorified at the day of Christ Jesus. Peace and love, dear friends.
A Lighter Shade of Violet
Hello friends…it is Monday and currently dark outside. Thus does another week begin. I wish I had something profound to write this morn, but alas my mind is sleepy and I don’t think I have the energy to write, though I do have the desire to! Briefly shall I describe the weekend? Or yesterday at least, as that is freshest! It was a calm, normal Sunday…a wonderful time at church, hearing Dr. Sullivan expound on Romans 14 in Sunday school. Then worshiping God in the sanctuary with my fellow saints…beautiful. Following, had a good lunch at MODs with friends – yummy pizza and good chat – how can you go wrong with that? Me and Jonathan had a good time talking about various subjects…how blessed am I by his friendship! Afterwards – was about to go home and get started on my study, but ended up meeting Julie for coffee instead. She had some things she needed to talk about, so we spent some good hours discussing life together. Totally not what I’d planned for my afternoon, but it was a deeply encouraging chat and so no complaints here! At some point that evening, finally got home, finished my study for 1 Peter…and then dinner and hang-out with John time. And thus was my Sunday. A day blessed by God…as indeed all my days are! Now, it is work time here and I shall go forth and get things done. Hopefully. Have a most lovely day, my friends.
Oh So Spartan
Happy Sunday, friends!! Shan’t write long, just thought I may as well write a few words this rare moment I have my laptop on and humming away. I sit here on the comfy chair as the afternoon wanes away, having enjoyed a lovely day of rest. And no, it is not over yet! Was able to attend church today and be heartily encouraged – by the preaching of God’s Word, singing songs of praise and talking with dear friends. And then…had a nice salad for lunch, hanging out with John…took a quick nap then a quick workout then a not-quite-as-quick chat with Maryanne! All in all…a good day.
And now I watch the Kansas/Michigan State basketball game and read a bit more of my book…and even though I feel sleepy and in a bit of a contemplative mood at the moment, I will thank God for what He has granted me this day and I shall rest in the joy that is my salvation – fixing my hope completely at the grace to be brought to me at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Love you, my friends.
Crown Him
“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say,
‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after
believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying,
“Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”
What glorious words from Acts 11 – are they not?? As I read them this morning, I could not help but thank God that indeed this wondrous gospel has been offered to one such as I – indeed, this salvation is not restricted to one culture or people group…this free gift of God is offered to all who repent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I am full of the Holy Spirit. It gives me chills writing those words, that one such as I am blessed so. I am a child of my Father and I am loved.
Justified
So many good chats with dear friends today, so many reminders of how I am blessed.
And now, about to enjoy a wonderful evening of rest. A much anticipated dinner of steak, mashed potatoes and asparagus. A lovely relaxing night that my God has blessed me with. Again, little things. But blessed of God am I, this I cannot deny. I bow my head in thanks to my Father, my Lord, my God.
