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.