valley of vision

" Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley." -Valley of Vision

what a weekend!

This weekend was jam packed with stuff! When I finally sat down on Sunday night, I realized that the weekend flew by more quickly than usual. Here’s just a quick recap of this weekend's adventure:

Friday night I had dinner with my friend Elaine. She is a fabulous cook and I got to try something new! She had made homemade spaghetti sauce which we had over spaghetti squash (this was the new part). It was great and surprisingly tasted like real pasta. I highly suggest you give this a try!

Saturday morning I woke up a little late for my usual run but thankfully was able to hook up with a friend from work for a great run. I had only anticipated running about 8 miles when we set out but ended up running closer to 11. It’s been several months since I had a good trail run in, but Saturday proved to be the remedy for that. We ended up running the Wolf River Trails (blue trail out and the white trail back) which is always a treat. Afterwards, I made a “quick” run through Wal-Mart (no run through Wal-Mart is every really “quick,” I suppose) to pick up a few things and then home to clean the house. This all had to be done before 2:30 when the Tigers were scheduled to take on UT (btw: bad officiating, good game, perfect outcome! Go Tigers!). After the game back, I quickly headed back home to get ready for a fun night out with friends.

I was up early on Sunday to make a last minute run through Kroger for the things I had forgot to pick up for Grace Lunch (fyi: The last Sunday of every month Grace Church has fellowship/lunch together--good times, good times.) and still make it to church in time for our 9:00 prayer service (thankfully, I did make it on time in case you were curious). After lunch I had to run few quick errands and get home to make a pot of potato soup before I headed back downtown for my small group. Whew… are you tired yet? My small group was fabulous, I made a few more stops and finally made it back to my house around 8:00. It was a wonderful, but packed weekend! I was almost ready to come back to work just so I could sit in one place longer than 20 minutes!
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For those who are interested (Melissa), here's the recipe for the potato soup. It is an incredibly easy, yet FABULOUS recipe.

-3 cans of low sodium chicken broth (you can use regular if you'd like.)

-1 bag of Ore Ida O'Brien frozen potatoes (these are the tiny cubed potatoes)

-1 package of white gravy mix (I use Pioneer brand no-fat white gravy mix but again, you can use regular if you'd like.)

*Bring the chicken broth to a boil and throw in the frozen potatoes. Allow to boil for a bit, just until the potatoes start to break down a bit. Mix the white gravy with a 1/4 cup of water and pour into the chicken broth/potatoes. Allow to simmer for about 10 more minutes until it is nice and creamy. I know this kinda sounds like a weird and overly simplistic recipe that wouldn't taste very good but seriously, it's great! Throw on whatever toppings you usually do on your potato soup (i.e. bacon bits, cheese, etc.) and enjoy!

What is a Healthy Church Member?

Some time ago the pastors at Grace Church gave every covenant member Thabiti Anyabwile's book, "What is a Healthy Church Member?" Though we received it many months ago, I just read it this week. :) Let me just be very clear: This is an outstanding book! Anyabwhile very simply outlines, both practically and theologically, our role as healthy church members. He encourages us, the congregation, to be theologians, to be expositional listeners, to do the work of an evangelist, to be committed, to be growing in Christ likeness, to be willing to seek the Father's discipline and recognize it is for our good as we grow in holiness, and to always be humble, people of prayer. Anyabwhile's book is a short, easy read but it is not void of the godly admonition that I, along with others in today's modern church, need to be reminded.

Thank you Grace Church for encouraging us to take ownership of the Christ-centered vision of the church!

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

I recently finished Phillip Keller's book "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23" and I must say this is quite an insightful little book (it's a great, short read packed with truth). As a modern day shepherd himself, Keller works his way through each phrase in Psalm 23, describing what David, the author of this psalm, would have had in his mind when penning Psalm 23. Keller goes on to describe the spiritual parallels that then become evident regarding Christ as our great Shepherd.

I think what really clicked while reading this book is that we are hardly any different from the needy, ignorant, stubborn sheep. Sheep aren't animals that really thrive the wild with no shepherd; their entire existence is really dependent on their shepherd... and not just any shepherd will do, only a good, kind, loving sheperd who always has his sheep's best interests at heart.

I strongly commend this book to you. It will revolutionize your understanding of Psalm 23 and most of all lead to a treasuring of every aspect of Christ as our great, Good Shepherd.

welcome back!

So my good friend Melissa has emerged and is now back into the blogging world. Woohoo! Stop by her blog and give her a warm welcome back!

by popular demand....

"If God doesn't rule your mundane,
Then He doesn't rule you, because
that's where you live."
-Paul Tripp

This quote has had quite an unexpected response since I posted it about a week ago! And in the referencing of this quote (here, here and here) others have expanded on it a bit. At the encouragement to do the same, here is my list of things that tend to be somewhat mundane and therefore subject to the exclusion of Christ at times. I am greatly thankful for these mundane things but also long to be intentional about recognizing Christ’s rule in these mundane moments. So here is my “Mundane List” and specific questions to ponder in regards to recognizing Christ’s kingship in the midst of each:

-My morning cup of coffee: Do I use the few quite moments as I sip my coffee and eat my breakfast to ponder Christ? Do I thank him for his gracious provision of this food and drink?
-A random weeknight run: If I’m heading out solo, do I consciously plead for the Father’s help in taking every thought I have while running captive to Christ?
-Certain days at my job (hey, these day’s happen to everyone, right?): Do I recognize this my vocation falls under his kind providence and that each moment I am at my job is yet annother opportunity to draw attention to Christ?
-Paying bills: I am so grateful that I have a job and for the provision of money to be able own a home and have power to it. Am I wise in how I use my money so that it best glorifies Christ? Am I obedient in using the smallest of things he has allowed me to purchase to bring honor to him?
-Driving: I am so thankful I have a good, reliable car. Especially in Memphis, Christ’s rule is exercised in this area by the simple fact that I arrive safely at my destination. [Note: However, his kingship wouldn’t be compromised if I didn’t arrive at my destination in one piece either.] Do I use the moments in my car to take a brief reprieve from the world and focus on Christ? Or do I simply fill the time with random ‘noise’ from the radio or cell phone?
-My family and friends: I really do have the best of both of these and I am so thankful for each of them! I see or talk to most of them so often I probably take them for granted. Do I really see each of them as tangible expressions of God’s love toward me?

I’m sure I could continue on and on but the goal here for me is to make a conscious effort to remember that Christ rules over even these things. May we all indeed be subject to his kingship in every area of our lives including our morning cup of joe.

brand new crockpot

So, my grandmother gave me a crockpot for Christmas and yes, I was SO very excited to get it... it even matches my kitchen! Now all I need is some help accumulating great Crockpot recipes. Anyone have any they'd love to share? I'd love some new ideas...

Laurin, I'm sure you've got some good ones! :)

Bobbi, do you have some healthy ones?

latest [temporary] addition to my family

I don’t think I ever tire of seeing the beautiful picture of Christ that earthly adoption paints for us. This little guy (all 4lbs and 11oz of him) is about to become an another beautiful example…

haunted

It is quite frequently that I am haunted by thoughts from the previous Sunday’s sermon at GC. Not to disappoint, this week has been no different. Last week's sermon was an issue I’ve been wrestling with for some time now and thankfully the Lord was gracious to provide a few more thought provoking questions in regards to glorifying God in the workplace and the development of a God-centered view of vocation. I think for far too long my heart has tried to default to the view that there is a difference between a secular vocation (calling) and the sacred. This past Sunday we were exhorted to remember that in reality there is no difference between the secular and the sacred… a distinction simply does not exist. One of the heaviest take home points for me was the exhortation to gaze on Christ’s glory and as I do, pleasing God through my vocation will become an expression of my love to him (real worship!).

At any rate, maybe some of the questions that have been haunting me this week with spur you on toward a more God-centered view of your vocation, whatever your calling is.
-Am I always doing my work well (genuinely, heartily) as unto the Lord? Colossians 3:23…

-or are my ears sensitive to the applause of men?
-Do I remember that the reputation of Christ is at stake as I flesh out my vocation?
-Is it my aim in the workplace to draw attention to Christ or myself?
-Do I exhibit the humility of Christ in my vocation?