Merry Christmas!

Here's a great version of one of my favorite Christmas hymns!

John Piper tweeted this article on Christmas and I thought it was a good reminder!

Lastly, in this scattered post, I have been reading an advent book called Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus. It includes sections of Christmas sermons by a long list of pastors and theologians. Something from the Tim Keller section has lingered with me the entire month. He writes, "Christmas shows us that God is not just concerned about spiritual problems but physical problems too. So we can talk about redeeming people from guilt and unbelief, as well as creating safe streets and affordable housing for the poor, in the same breath. Because Jesus himself is not just a spirit but also has a body, the gift of Christmas is a passion for justice." I can honestly say I had never really thought about the Incarnation having those implications before! He went on to talk about the role of women in the birth, life, and death of Jesus. Mary and Elizabeth were the first "theological reflection group", as Keller calls it. Don't forget that thirty-three years later a woman was the first to see our Risen Lord. At the time, women were second class citizens. Their testimony was not even permissible in court. Keller points out that "God is deliberately working with people the world despises... Christmas is the end of snobbishness. Christmas is the end of thinking, Oh, that kind of person." We might not all be racists, etc. But there is someone who we each look down upon, whether or not it be those we consider lazy, unpolished, slutty... fill in the blank! What a candid reminder the manger is. Glory to God who loved me in the depth of my sin!

What Child is This?

Why lies He in such mean estate,

Where ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christians, fear, for sinners here

The silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,

The cross be borne for me, for you.

Hail, hail the Word made flesh,

The Babe, the Son of Mary.

I think this is my favorite verse of any Christmas hymn. Yet for some reason, when celebs sing the classic hymn they like to leave out this verse. There is so much truth packed into it! I can't help but smile as I am overwhelmed by God's great love for his people. The purpose of Christmas is the cross.

Prince of Peace

A good Advent book, or Lessons and Carols service will usually start in the beginning. Genesis 3:15 is the first mention of the Gospel. God is speaking to the serpent in the garden when he says "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." This is the very first time that God speaks of his plan of redemption, of the final victory of Christ, which he had ordained before the beginning of time. Once I heard this verse mentioned in a sermon, and the pastor said that the Hebrew word which we translate "enmity" really means "a conflict with murderous intent." After the fall everything was broken. Our relationships with ourselves, God, each other, and the rest of creation - none were functioning as they could before sin. After this we have about two thousand years in which God chooses a people for himself, and leads them through times of faithfulness, and many of wandering. He consistently reminds them that a redeemer is coming - someone who will make what is broken whole again. In Isaiah 9 we read one of the most famous prophesies. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this." By that phrase "Prince of Peace" I have written " no more enmity" and "destroys enmity in my heart with God." Do you see this? This is the peace Christ brings! He restores what has been broken - namely, our relationship with God. Since God cannot look upon sin, he could not associate with us. But in a great act of love and mercy, without compromising his justice, the God of creation poured out his wrath against sin on his son. All of our sin was placed on Christ, and his righteousness was placed on us. Colossians 1:19:20 puts it this way, "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." There it is again! That word, PEACE. We are able to have peace with God, to know him intimately, only through Christ. Let's be faithful to remember why this Prince of Peace humbled himself and came as a baby, and thank him constantly for that!

20

Happy Birthday to me! It's official. I am no longer a teenager. My birthday was the Monday after Thanksgiving break, so I celebrated with family on the Friday before I went back to Auburn. (I had to make it to the slaughter that they called the Iron Bowl.) We went to a cute restaurant in the gump.

They made me wear the princess crown and Mom made a cake! Whew, that's a lot of candles.

I don't have pictures of lots of the fun parts. I woke up to balloons outside my room. Molly made me coffee and pancakes for breakfast! Then Molly, Kate, Kath and I walked to class in our rain boots. We purposely jumped in every single puddle. I guess acting like a four year old is a good way to pretend I'm not growing up!

I thought I was going to lunch with David and then we walked to the street to see my Mom's tahoe! Surprise! She drove to Auburn and took me to Amsterdam for lunch. I was not expecting it at all and it was so much fun!

Yum! Look at that cake. 

Kit planned a birthday dinner at Niffers and invited some wonderful friends! She even made a cake. It was a blast. All together I realized how blessed I am to have such wonderful family and friends. They are the best!

The Past Little Bit In Pictures

Wow. I cannot even believe that the fall semester is already over! November flew by and then finals week is always a blur. Here's a little bit of what's been going on.

Roomies at fall formal! They are great.

A bunch of us went to a sunflower field and pumpkin patch in Lochapoka. It was magical. This picture cracks me up. Kit was really excited to be there.

Football season is now over. But it was a good one! Out of two seasons in the student section I only had one loosing game. So I'll take that. 
In the middle of here I had a birthday! But I'll put those pictures on another post for risk of overload. 

All the AOIIs at Miss Auburn call outs. We have two candidates! I can't wait for campaign week! And I love this picture.

RUF Christmas Party. Gotta love tacky family photos.

Christmas Cocktail! That happened too.

I went to Fairhope for the weekend. My car was sitting outside sweet Sarah's house when some punk decided to bust my window and steal Kit's purse. One freezing four hour car ride later, my car is safely in the garage with a cardboard box taped over it.

There you have it! Some highlights, and a lowlight. Now I am looking forward to a Christmas break full of much reading and crafting.

Little

So this post has been coming for a long time, but I finally got all the pictures together, and it is finally finals week, so I am looking for ways to procrastinate. Anyways, without further ado, welcome to the fam jam Little!

This is Catherine and I at reveal. I was a mummy and she was Cleopatra. Odd, I know. I like to refer to it as creative. (Or what I could find in Kit's closet!)

We're really adventurous. And we love RUF fall conference.

Here is the whole family at formal! I'm not on the bottom of the stack anymore.

See that family tree? It was only three or so weeks late. 

My AOII gift making career is complete. She made me that awesome panda on the left! Impressive!

This was on my birthday at the RUF Christmas party. I am so thankful for this girl!

The Humility of Ceremony

C.S. Lewis and Elisabeth Eliot are two of my very favorite authors. They have extremely different writing styles, but each manages to articulate things I think I know in the very core of my being. Since moving to college, I have been attending a very traditional church. The church my parents attend at home is also much more traditional then the one in which I grew up. (Ironically, they are both called Trinity. Clearly pretty standard for our denomination.) We sing from a hymnal and psalter, and use things like the Apostle's Creek, the Nicene Creed, the Doxology, and the Gloria Patri. Often the pastor doesn't announce which part of the service is coming next, or when to stand, but the congregation follows the bulletin. I did not expect to love this form of corporate worship as much as I do. I think I have learned so much about worshipping with reverence and awe. I love singing and saying things that Christians have recited for centuries, connecting us to the church universal of all times and places. I often hear people make negative comments about worship services that contain some degree of ritual. What ultimately matters is the heart, and I believe that God can be glorified by a Catholic choir chanting in Latin and by Lecrae's rap lyrics. However, I would disagree that a worship service has to be molded to society in order to be relevant. I have been rereading Let Me Be A Woman, which is quickly becoming my favorite book. The other night I was ecstatic to come across a chapter called "The Humility of Ceremony." Eliot quotes Lewis' Preface to Paradise Lost. "Above all, you must be rid of the hideous idea, fruit of a widespread inferiority complex, that pomp, on the proper occasions, has any connection with vanity or self-conceit. A celebrant approaching the altar, a princess led out by a king to dance a minuet, a general officer on a ceremonial parade, ... all these wear unusual clothes and move with calculated dignity. This does not mean that they are vain, but that they are obedient, they are obeying the hoc age which presides over every solemnity. The modern habit of doing ceremonial things unceremoniously is no proof of humility; rather it proves the offender's inability to forget himself in the rite, and his readiness to spoil for everyone else the proper place of ritual." Elisabeth Eliot is referring specifically to a wedding, but I think the same principle is true in corporate worship. She says that "The ceremony provides the form, the ritual which (to quote Lewis again) 'renders pleasures less fugitive,... which hands over to the power of wise custom the task (to which the individual and his moods are so inadequate) of being festive or sober, gay or reverent, when we choose to be, and not at the bidding of chance.'" I absolutely love this. I never thought of ceremony as a form of humility before. Our society, and the American church in particular, is so quick to base everything off feeling and emotion. People change churches in haste because a particular pastor or worship leader just "didn't do anything for me" or make big decisions because they "weren't feeling it." Churches use all measure of techniques to manipulate the emotions of the congregation. In fact, they are missing the point! In a ritual in which every piece is intentional and Christ-centered, there is freedom for true emotion - emotion based on truth. 

Here And Heaven

This song is my new favorite. It is a lot of very talented individuals all working together, and it will leave you speechless! Happy finals studying! Enjoy!

20 Things

Once again, it's still too late for a Thanksgiving post. But I am writing another one anyways. Here are twenty five things that I am incredibly thankful for!

jumping in puddles in my rain boots

cut flowers in a mason jar

fun scarves

quilts hand stitched with love
white houses:

my ENO hammock
pumpkin muffins
pinterest
new books (and old ones!)
Indelible Grace
my new favorite snack:

piles of fall leaves

older women who take time to get coffee or talk on the phone with me

my cute puppy dog who now has grey on her face

chacos

sunny days

this picture which I am obsessed with:

fire pits and s'mores with my family

bluegrass 

needle and thread

Thoughts on Thankfulness

"The height of joy is dependent on the depth of thankfulness."
"I only deepen the wound of the world when I neglect to give thanks for early light dappled through leaves and the heavy perfume of wild roses in early July and the song of crickets on humid nights and the rivers that run and the stars that rise and the rain that falls and all the good things that a good God gives."

"I will praise the name of God with a song. I will magnify him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30

"Never is God's omnipotence and omniscience diminutive. God is not in need of magnifying by us so small, but the reverse. It is our lives that are little and we have falsely inflated self, and in thanks we decrease and the world returns right. I say thanks and I swell with Him, and I swell the world and He stirs me, joy all afoot." These are a few quotes from the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I haven't actually read this book, but someone sent me the quotes and I am so intrigued. My mom is almost done with it, and she said as soon as she finishes it she is going to start it over again. It must be that good. I love where she was going with these thoughts. Being thankful is ultimately to glorify God! When we are thankful, we are put in our rightful place under our creator, and we can have joy in his blessings. Then, we we are satisfied in him, he is glorified! I know it's a few days late for a Thanksgiving post, but my perspective has been changed this year when I think about the true purpose of giving thanks. And of all of life!

Jesus, With Thy Church Abide

We sang this hymn about three or four weeks ago at RUF. Ever since then, the last stanza has been burning into my mind.

May she guide the poor and blind

Seek the lost until she find

And the brokenhearted bind

We beseech thee, hear us

We beseech thee, hear us

I'm not exactly sure what it looks like for the church to do this. But I have a pretty good feeling that we are not fulfilling this prayer right now. There are definitely those that are doing one, two, or three, of the pleas that Thomas Pollock penned in the 1800s. But where is the balance of faithfulness to scripture and its resulting passion for the sheep without a shepherd? I can't say that I see the entire body of Christ pursuing the lost and helpless and bringing them into our congregations. As always, I have lots of questions, but no answers. Make this stanza your prayer with me this week!

Intentional is my Word of the Semester

IDOP

Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. I am convicted that I need a special day in order to remind me to pray. It is sobering to remember that in other parts of the world, there are Christians being physically beaten because they claim Christ. Parents are ostracizing their children who convert. Governments pass laws making it illegal to convert to another religion. I am so thankful for the incredible security I experience in the United States. I hope that today will be the beginning of a habit to pray for my brothers and sisters who are experiencing Christ's sufficiency in a way that I might never know. All praise be to the God who sustains them day by day and every hour. Their sacrifice is a sweet offering of praise to him.


"You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry." Psalm 10:17


If this concept intrigues you, check out the website for an awesome ministry called The Voice of The Martyrs. I have been reading their monthly magazine for a few years, and it never ceases to humble and amaze me. They also have lots of super practical ways you can get involved! And there is a really neat map that shows all the restricted nations. 

Books, Books, and More Books

Last year, after lots of friends asking me for book recommendations, someone suggested that I start a book review blog. So after a long delay, it's here! It's just short summaries and opinions on books to read (or not to read). So if you're interested, go follow it! I love to read, but feel like school takes that away from me. Hopefully over Thanksgiving and Christmas I'll be able to get caught up on my never ending list. Happy Weekend!
Here's the link: Turning the Page

Happy Reformation

So Monday may've been Halloween. But don't forget that it was also Reformation Day! If honor of this day, some friends and I watched the movie Luther and made Toll House cookies. I am fully aware that this sounds extremely lame. But I am a self proclaimed theology nerd, and it actually beat dressing up! Last November I wrote this post about Martin Luther. So if you need a refresher on Reformation history, go read that. But this week has renewed my appreciation for God's faithfulness to preserve the accurate passage of his Gospel throughout the centuries, and for the men he used to do so. As I was watching the movie, (which I highly recommend by the way) I was struck over and over again by Martin Luther's staunch adherence to truth. He feared God more than he feared men, and was not going to compromise what Scripture taught in order to make people happy or even to save himself.
"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10
Let us not take for granted the things Luther, Calvin and Knox, etc. fought for. Because of their faithfulness to the Word of God we understand that salvation is completely a work of grace and not based on anything that we have done! What liberating truth! Praise be to God for not leaving me in my sin.

A Wise Woman Once Said

Here are some quotes from Elisabeth Eliot, a woman who has walked with God many years. She has been a blessing and an encouragement to generations of Christians. Happy Weekend!


If my life is surrendered to God, all is well. Let me not grab it back, as though it were in peril in His hand but would be safer in mine! 


Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering.... The love of God did not protect His own Son.... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process. 


Experience has taught me that the Shepherd is far more willing to show His sheep the path than the sheep are to follow. He is endlessly merciful, patient, tender, and loving. If we, His stupid and wayward sheep, really want to be led, we will without fail be led. Of that I am sure. 


God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to. 


When ours are interrupted, his are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) "toward the goal of true maturity" (Rom 12:2 JBP). 

Hilarious, But Sadly True

American Egocentrism Cartographically Displayed

(Click on it to make it bigger!)

"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it." Ezekial 16:49-50
Sound familiar?

Eyes Heavenward

This Sunday we had an RUF Hymn Sing at a family's home in Auburn. It reminded me of how much I love hymns. There is something incomparable about the rich and raw lyrics. I love thinking about how Christians for centuries have been struggling with the same emotions, singing the same words, and praising the same God. The Lord was so gracious to use this time to remind me that the reason I love hymns is because they point straight to HIM! As I sang the truth of the Gospel in so many beautiful ways, I was once again knocked off my feet by it. The God of the universe loved me enough to pour out his wrath against sin on his own son, and impute that son's perfect record to me! Wow! Christ's work on the cross made it possible for us to spend eternity worshipping Yahweh. I felt like I got a little shadow on Sunday of what it will be like to do so. What is so incredible is that in glorifying him, we actually have inexplicable joy! As John Piper always says, God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. An eternity of bliss awaits those of us who belong to the Lord, because He is the only source of true joy. Everything we experience on earth is but a mist. One of my favorite characteristics of hymns is that more often than not, the last verse points heavenward. Each ends with a focus on where my eyes should be looking more often than they do. Here are some of my favorite heavenward verses, as we wait with glad expectation for what the blood of Christ has already accomplished for us.

At death, beyond the grave, He'll love;

In endless bliss, His own shall prove

The blazing glory of that love

Which never could from them remove.

-The Love of Christ

O I am my Beloved's

And my Beloved is mine!

He brings a poor vile sinner

Into His house of wine

I stand upon His merit - 

I know no other stand

Not e'en where glory dwelleth

In Emmanuel's land

-The Sands of Time are Sinking

Haste thee on from grace to glory,

Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.

Heaven's eternal days before thee,

God's own hand shall guide us there.

Soon shall close thy earthly mission, 

Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,

Hope shall change to glad fruition,

Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

-Jesus I My Cross Have Taken

The golden evening

brightens in the west;

Soon, soon to faithful

warriors comes their rest;

Sweet is the calm

of paradise the blessed.

Alleluia, Allelu

-For All the Saints

Day By Day and Every Hour

Several weeks ago I made this canvas for my sweet camp friend Easter Tweester for her birthday. I realize that I haven't really blogged about camp at all. I learned so much this summer, and will probably continue to see the impact of my time at Pine Cove as the months go on. One thing we said repeatedly at camp has really transformed my thinking. There were so many times when I really did NOT want to get out of bed. Or I did not want to walk up the hill to the ropes course, or I did not want to bake in the hot sun, or I did not want to play the same games and do the same Bible studies that I did every week.... You get the picture. As fun as the camp environment is, at times I wanted nothing more than to get back to Auburn. The staff constantly reminded each other of Nehemiah 8:10 - that the JOY of the Lord is our strength. This verse doesn't simply say that we're going to make it through the day, but that the Gospel is enough to provide us with sustaining joy for every second of every day. God was so good to give me not only endurance, but enthusiasm! At the beginning of every week, right before welcoming a new group of campers through the gate, we sang a short song. At the end of the song we repeated the line "The Lord is my strength, the Lord in His power is my strength day by day and every hour." I have found myself coming back to this refrain even these past few weeks as my crazy schedule overwhelms me. My God promises me what I need for each day - and that's all. As the Israelites were dependent on manna each morning, so I have to start each day with the sustenance he has given me in His Word. And as he promises, his mercies are new every morning. May joy in the God of my salvation uphold me every minute of every hour. 

Just What I Needed

This past weekend I went to the thriving metropolis of Pisgah, Alabama, for RUF Fall Conference. It could not have come at a better time. The weekend consisted of great teaching, sweet worship, precious friends, beautiful weather, and no cell phone. What else could I ask for? The Lord so graciously brought  me rest and renewal when I needed it the most. Here are some pictures from the weekend, and some quotes from my notes. Paul Boyd did a great serious on Psalms 23, 103, 51, and 86. I am so thankful for the blessing RUF has been over the past year and a half!

"Trust leads to rest."

 "I preach the Gospel every week because every week my people forget it." -Martin Luther

 "We receive the Gospel like the ground receives the rain." -St. Augustine

 "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him." Psalm 103:11 

 "I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. The need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. Prayer doesn't change God, it changes me." -C.S. Lewis

"Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name." Psalm 86:11

Gadsby #334

Behold, from the desert of sin,
   The world, and the curse of the law, 
A fair one whose garrmets are clean,
   Does with her Beloved withdraw;
Retiring from thence, she appears
   Dejected, and often complains,
Surrouned with sorrows and fears,
   Yet on her Beloved she leans
Thus up from the desert she goes,
   Sustained both in fire and in flood; 
Victorious to vanquish her foes, 
   And all through the Lamb and his blood.
By faith she's enabled to view
   Fair Canaan's delectable plains,
And faint, yet her course shall pursue,
   When on her Beloved she leans.
When darkness envelops her mind,
   By faith she shall hold on her way; 
And, in the sweet promise, shall find
   Her strength shall suffice for the day;
No fiery afflictions shall burn
   Beyond what his wisdom ordains, 
But times of refreshing return, 
   When on her Beloved she leans.
Her woes are permitted of God,
   Her faith and her patience to prove;
The kiss, or a stroke of his rod,
   Is all from immutable love.
By crosses and losses, at last
   From self her affections he weans,
That on him her hopes may stand fast,
   While on her Beloved she leans.
When foiled by the tempter she goes
   And makes the atonement her plea,
There pardon eternally flows,
   And love wipes her sorrows away;
And when with her pardon she's blessed
   Communion with Jesus she gains, 
No longer a sinner distressed, 
   For on her Beloved she leans. 

Food for Thought

"We must do justice, but it's not complete unless we preach Jesus. And we can't preach Jesus faithfully unless we're doing justice."

I feel like the term social justice is thrown around so much. But what does it look like? What does it mean to do justice in the name of Christ? A few summers ago, a group of friends and I wrestled with the idea, and wondered whether or not social justice is on the heart of God. I even read a whole book on the subject. If you're interested, check out Generous Justice by Tim Keller. He is one of my favorites, and he uses so much scripture to prove that, as Christians, we are all called to do justice as we reflect our just creator. This idea sounds great in theory, but it is overwhelming in practicality. What is just, and what isn't? How do you empower people without enabling them? Where do we start? I don't have any answers today, just a lot of questions. May the Lord keep us from being complacent in our ignorance and comfort. 
"If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places." -Isaiah 58

Happy Monday!

I'll be the first to admit that this video is a bit odd. But fascinating. I am absolutely OBSESSED with this song. It just radiates fall in my mind. So take a minute out of what will probably be another crazy week, and enjoy!

My Strength and My Sanity

When my mind acts without thee
it spins nothing but deceit and delusion...
Oh how I need thee to abide in me,
for I have no natural eyes to see thee, 
but I live by faith in one whose face to me
is brighter than a thousand suns!
...Grant that I may distrust myself, to see
my all in thee.
-From "Love to Jesus" in The Valley of Vision


You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3


Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand. 
Bread of heaven, 
Feed me now and evermore;
Bread of heaven, 
Feed me now and evermore.
Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing waters flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, 
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.
Strong Deliverer,
Be Though still my Strength and Shield.
-William Williams 1745

The Tornado of Magnolia Hall

This is my room right now. And it is a beautiful picture of what my life has been like this week. C-R-A-Z-Y. When you don't have time to put a shirt back on a hanger, some reprioritizing needs to be done. 

Perspective Changer

Recently the Lord has really laid the concept of living sacrificially on my heart. I have been praying and thinking through what this means, what it looks like practically. I came across this little story that was especially convicting, so I thought I would share it!


Two wealthy Christians, a lawyer and a merchant, joined a tour that was going around the world. Before they started their minister earnestly asked them to observe and remember any unusual and interesting things that they might see in the missionary countries through which the party was to travel. The men promised ― carelessly, perhaps, to do so. 

In Korea, one day they saw in a field by the side of the road a boy pulling a crude plow, while an old man held the handles and directed it. The lawyer was amused and took a snapshot of the scene. 

“That’s a curious picture! I suppose they are very poor,” he said to the missionary who was interpreter and guide to the party. 

“Yes,” was the quiet reply. “That is the family of Chi Noui. When the church was being built they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves.” 

The lawyer and the business man by his side were silent for some moments. Then the businessman said, “That must have been a real sacrifice.” 

“They did not call it that,” said the missionary. “They thought it was fortunate that they had an ox to sell.” 

Copied, Today’s Christian Woman.

Prayer for Today

"Jesus My Glory" from The Valley of Vision

O LORD GOD,

Thou hast commanded me to believe in Jesus;

and I would flee to no other refuge,

wash in no other fountain, 

build on no other foundation,

receive from no other fullness,

rest in no other relief.

His water and blood were not severed in their flow at the cross,

may they never be separated in my creed and experiences;

May I be equally convinced of the guilt and pollution of sin;

feel my need of a prince and savior,

implore of him repentance as well as forgiveness,

love holiness, and be pure in heart,

have the mind of Jesus, and tread in his steps.

Let me not be at my own disposal, 

but rejoice that I am under the care of one

who is too wise to err,

too kind to injure,

too tender to crush. 

May i scandalize none by my temper and conduct,

but recommend and endear Christ to all around,

bestow god on every one as circumstances permit,

and decline no opportunity of usefulness.

Grant that I may value my substance,

not as the medium of pride and luxury,

but as the means of my support and stewardship.

Help me to guide my affections with discretion,

to owe no man anything,

to be able to give to him that needeth, 

to feel it my duty and pleasure to be merciful and forgiving, 

to show to the world the likeness of Jesus.

A Decade Ago

Well, I just had a whole post about September 11th typed and then it spontaneously self-deleted. Story of my life. So instead of the personal memories from fourth grade, and the reflections on how it is our generations Pearl Harbor, etc. I'll leave a few quotes. For my words really are insufficient to say anything worthwhile about the atrocities of ten years ago today. But the Lord was not caught off guard.  And our nation can rest in his sovereignty. 


"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

The following is John Piper's tweet from earlier this morning. I am not at all surprised that his remark would be such, but I find it sobering nonetheless. We talked about this same mentality with regards to election this morning in Sunday School.

"Jesus' sure word to me on 9/11: Do not be amazed that the towers fell. Be amazed that they didn't fall on you. (Luke 13:1-5)"

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I

In honor of Auburn's SEC opener against Mississippi State this weekend, I figured I'd share this picture of a ticket stub from last's year's game between State and the University of Alabama. Notice anything funny about the spelling? All I have to say to that is... RTR.

Need a smile?

A few days ago in my Global Consumer Culture class we watched this video. At first I thought it was pretty weird, but then as it went on I was fascinated. My teacher was using it to illustrate how the internet enables us to be in contact with people all over the world. However, I was knocked off my feet once again by how big the world is. When I watch this video, I see the creativity of God in making so many kinds of people and places and cultures. I see people who need Jesus, and he has given us the beautiful task of sharing in his work of making his glory known in the ends of the earth!

Psalm 67

God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us—that thy way may be known on the earth, thy salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for thou wilt judge the peoples with uprightness, and guide the nations on the earth. Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee. The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us. God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear him.