Happy Mother's Day!

"I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well." 2 Timothy 1:5
Today, I think it's only appropriate that I give a shout out to my mom for being the awesome woman she is! She uses her high school cheerleader abilities to encourage us in everything that we do. She has also passed down to me her love for chocolate. Because of watching her, I feel like I know what it looks like to seek the will of God above all else, and to honor your husband, children, and home with a humble spirit. Most of all, I am grateful to her for instilling in me a love for the Lord for as long as I can remember. I love the verse above from Timothy, because it reminds me of the crucial role of the covenant family. Obviously God doesn't call people to himself simply because their family belongs to him, nor does everyone born to Christian parents become a child of God. But I praise him for allowing me the blessing of growing up in a home where He was glorified above all. How much I have been spared from as a result of never knowing a day when He was not preeminent in my life. Thanks for loving me Mom. Thanks for putting up with me even when I am not very lovable. Thanks for holding me with an open hand, and for always trusting me to the Lord. I love you more than you know!

Here Comes The Bride

Ok I admit it. I am among the ranks of girls who stayed up til 5 AM to watch William and Kate get married. People make fun of it, but I was not about to sleep through history! I'm all about a good story, and making french toast in the chapter room and watching the royal wedding live will be something I'll tell my kids about. Other than the history, I think so many girls were fascinated with it because it involves two of our favorite things: weddings and princesses. I think this is first of all because the Lord created us to long for a family and for someone to romance us. (I'm not saying marriage is his will for every girl, but it is definitely a desire he has written onto most of our hearts.) We want to feel beautiful and valued and treasured. Most of my friends have a wedding file on their computer with pictures of dress and decoration ideas. Lame? I think not. Rather, I think the Lord has given so many this fascination because marriage itself is a picture of Christ's love for his church. He values me and loves me and treasures me even more than my husband will when I walk down the isle. In fact, he suffered and died so that I could have intimacy with him. How humbling! The most pure marriage in the world is only a mere reflection in a foggy mirror of the unity with him that the bride of Christ will enjoy for all of eternity! Thanks William and Kate for reminding me of this, and making me long for forever with the source of all my joy.

"The King is enthralled by your beauty. Honor Him, for He is your LORD." Psalm 45:11

The Arboretum

This morning after my nutrition final, I walked to the arboretum, which is perhaps my favorite place on campus. It's always a breath of fresh air and peace when the days get crazy! Just for fun, I found pretty much every shady bench or nook to do part of my quiet time in. It was beautiful, and oh so relaxing. My parent's actually got engaged in the arboretum, which is kinda cool. Here's a few pictures I took on another trip:

Here's what I wrote in my journal this morning as I sat there:
"I am attempting to read my Bible all the way through this calendar year, and as can  be expected, I've gotten way behind. I'm sitting in the arboretum beginning to catch up and I decided I'd finally quit putting off 2 Chronicles, and pick up where I left off. Needless to say, the Lord has reminded me again that every single part of his Word is inspired and precious. Who knew 2 Chronicles could bring tears to my eyes? God is so good. His power, and his provision for his people are incomparable. Let me set the scene. Jehoshaphat was king of Judah and he "set his heart to seek God." (19:3) A great multitude comprised of three people groups came against him in battle, so naturally Jehoshaphat was afraid. he sought the LORD and proclaimed a fast in all of Judah (20:4). I love part of his prayer: "O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you." (20:6) Later he prays "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." (20:12) I love the brutal honesty, humility, and dependence of that prayer. Look how God answers! "Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's... You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem." (20:15&17) When the warriors of Judah got to the battle, the enemy was already lying dead in the field! Wow! I feel like any feeble attempt of mine to elaborate on that would not do it justice. I am blown away by how much God loves his people. If he is able to do this, why do I not trust him? Why do I always want to have my hand of control in everything I do, as if I think I could do better than that? Oh God forgive my stubborn heart."
I just started a new journal. And I am kind of obsessed with it. So I decided to include a picture. It has real leaves on the front with a bamboo spine.

It's hard to tell, but the pages are so cool and grainy. And best of all... NO LINES!

                                      
If you don't already journal, try it! It's an awesome way to process what God is teaching you and to remember his faithfulness. I also love to write my prayers because it keeps me from getting as distracted.

The Winds and the Waves Obey Him

Well, it's been quite a week for news. Osama Bin Ladin is dead. Prince William is married. (Don't worry. There's a whole post on that coming later.) And terrible tornados have swept Alabama. They left destruction in their path. It left scenes like this:

                    

                                                     And this:

                    

I drove to Birmingham on Saturday, and right inside the Chambers County line it was clear where the tornado had been. Entire rows of trees were snapped in half, and the metal on a church roof was bent completely backwards. I drove past the remains of a house, with insulation floating in the wind. One of my roommates for next year got a text during chapter that her grandparents lost everything they own. We have tornado warnings all the time, and nothing comes of them. This time however, has been incredibly sobering for people across the southeast. These storms have reminded me of a couple things. 

First of all, our God is extremely powerful. All of human engineering cannot stand up for a second when He commands the winds.  "And these are but the outer fringe of his works;  how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?” Job 26:14 

Secondly, I have realized the fading nature of possessions. This Sunday, my pastor talked about Matthew 6:19-24, about how it is completely impossible to serve both God and money. How often are we mastered by material things? The amount of stuff in my dorm room is enough to make me embarrassed of the amount of stuff I own. The Lord has blessed  me greatly, and there is no harm in ownership, but at the same time, it is so important to keep things in perspective. The only two things that are eternal are the Word of God and the souls of men. Why do we spend so much time chasing after things that can disappear in an instant?

F-O-R-M-A-L

That's right. This weekend was AOII Spring Formal. It was SO much fun. We went to Birmingham to the oh so gorgeous Alabama Theater. I felt like I was in the 20s! The band was Tim Tyler. I had a great time with so many fun people. I am so thankful for all the friends the Lord has placed in my life this year! Here's a little bit of the night in pictures!

Awkward Family Photo

This picture may or may not be on the famous blog Today's Letters for Fist Pump Friday this week!! Yay!! Go check it out!

My rockstar hair done by the fabulous Ami Butterworth.

This picture makes me laugh. Some people were doing frowning pictures and this is the best frown I could come up with.

A Yummier Side of Easter

Although chocolate obviously cannot compare to the Gospel, I do think it is one way that God shows his love for us, so I decided that delicious Easter candy was worth a post of it's own! Here's a few of my favorites. Hurry to Wal Mart while it's all on sale!

Why this Friday is SO good!

I feel like the gravity of this week is just now beginning to hit me. I have been running around like crazy with school stuff, and have failed to take as much time as I would've liked to be still and let the Gospel knock me off my feet yet another time. Friends, I want to run and jump for joy! God in his perfect holiness could not associate with my sin. He created me, yet I spit in His face. Instead of leaving me to suffer as I deserved, He implemented a plan of redemption that began before even time. He sent His only son, but not only that, part of Himself. The Trinity has never been separated - save once. Jesus Christ came to earth and lived the spotless life I should've. Then he suffered a death that I can't even begin to fathom. I feel like the cross gets so glamorized nowadays, and I'm as guilty as the next person. Imagine if people had decorative paintings of electric chairs all over their homes, and wore small renditions of them on their necks. That's what the cross was in biblical times - an instrument of torture and death. Yet the reason we make it beautiful today is because of what was accomplished there. On the cross, Christ drank to the dregs the cup of God's wrath against sin - a cup that was mine to drink. On the cross, Christ cancelled the demands of the law against me and against you. When I stand in the court of God's judgement, He looks at me and sees the perfect robe of Christ's righteousness and declares me innocent. Even now, he is at the right hand of the Father pleading continually on my behalf. Does that not blow your mind? When I think about the cross and all that it entails I am humbled beyond belief. Who am I that the LORD of creation would love me this much? When Christ gave up his spirit, the curtain in the temple that separated the holy of holies was torn in two from top to bottom. What our great High Priest accomplished for us here is incredible - He made it possible for us to come before the Throne of Grace with confidence, because we don't come in our own merit. All praise and glory be to Jesus Christ - the Messiah! 


Here's a couple snipits of Scripture and hymns, etc. to keep your heart focused this weekend!


He left His Father's throne above, 
So free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love, 
And bled for Adam's helpless race. 
'Tis mercy all, immense and free, 
For O my God, it found out me!
-The hymn "And Can it Be"


Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light, 
  the air supply breath,
  the earth bear my tread, 
  its fruits nourish me,
  its creatures subserve my ends?
Yet thy compassions yearn over me, 
  thy heart hastens to my rescue,
  thy love endured my curse,
  thy mercy bore my deserved stipes.
Let me walk humbly in the lowest depths of humiliation, 
  bathed in thy blood, 
  tender of conscience,
  triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation.
-from The Valley of Vision


When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14


Also go read the lyrics to Beneath the Cross of Jesus in my post entitled "Hymn of the Week"


I realize that I got a little excited and carried away in this post, and maybe threw out a lot of terminology and symbolism that probably confuses the mess out of some of you. So, if you are left feeling super confused, first of all keep in mind that we will never 100% grasp all of this on our side of heaven. But, it so worth trying. Every time you understand it a little bit more you will be blown away once again. So if you have questions, facebook me, email me, call me. Clearly I would LOVE to talk about it. Or go to someone else you trust. Don't neglect the most beautiful of all treasures!