The Hurt of Those You Love

When the people we love the most are hurting it's hard not to hurt with them. The desire to fix and renew and restore can be overwhelming. Yet we know that we can not make things better by our own actions. We can not remove pain or be the healing agent that they are in need of. Instead life must take it's course as you sit by and watch. I can't sit by and watch! Jesus, be palpably and intimately present. Bring your healing. Restore and renew. Redeem it all! Please!

This Advent remember Joy!!!

I pray this blesses you as it did me:

My soul magnifies you, Lord.

My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

You have seen me and you have acted in my life.

You know me and claim me as your own.

What greater blessing could there be?

You are at work in my life, in ways I can see and in many, many ways I can’t see.

You are strong, you are giving, you are holy, you are just.

You are God –

in my life as in the lives of all who have followed you throughout the ages.

Hear my song of joy today, Lord.

You are magnificent!

Amen.

Tears of Joy

I never believed it would happen like this.

I have had ideas in my head and in my heart for

years about what my mate would be like.

I have dreamed about the exact qualities and

characteristics that would make me the happiest.

I like it much better the way God does it.

I find myself falling in love with a man that I would

not have chosen for myself.

I couldn't imagine anything more perfect.

Oh Lord Jesus, be honored and glorified for all

that you do, have done, and have yet to do!

What Window covering do you use?

Here's a thought (thank you Anna)...

When are you most transparent?

What window treatments do you have allowing people

or preventing people from seeing who you really are?

Thoughts?

Do you have tinted windows?

Drapes on the side, on the top half?

Are there blinds drawn and tightly sealed?

Or are your windows wide open?

Foolish Pride Be Gone!

All to Jesus I surrender;

all to him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust him,

in his presence daily live.

All to Jesus I surrender;

humbly at his feet I bow,

worldly pleasures all forsaken;

take me, Jesus, take me now.

All to Jesus I surrender;

make me, Savior, wholly thine;

fill me with thy love and power;

truly know that thou art mine.

All to Jesus I surrender;

Lord, I give myself to thee;

fill me with thy love and power;

let thy blessing fall on me.

All to Jesus I surrender;

now I feel the sacred flame.

O the joy of full salvation!

Glory, glory, to his name!

I surrender all, I surrender all,

all to thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

~ J.W. Van Deventer

Gentleness

Is it you?

Would you describe yourself as being

Gentle?

I don't think I would.

When I'm around children the answer is yes!

Any other time...

"He will teach the gentle his ways," ~Psalm 25:9

Moses was called, "very gentle, above all men" ~Numbers 12:3

Jesus said, "Learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart:

and you will find rest for your souls" ~Matthew 11:29

In my new favorite book (The Philokalia) I read, "He who has mastery over his incensive power has mastery also over the demons. ... There is scarcely any other virtue which the demons fear as much as gentleness. ...show the greatest gentleness toward all men."

I read that this morning.

Gentleness has been with me all day.

The thought of it, at least.

How often do I get incensed with things, people?

Does gentleness ever win out?

I don't think I've ever really thought of it as gentleness before.

Jesus, help me to be gentle to all.

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near" ~Philippians 4:5

fRUSTRATION

Give me strength

Give me patience

Give me love

Give me grace

Give me peace

Give me assurance

Give me freedom

Give me joy

Give me your strength Jesus

Give me your patience Jesus

Give me your love Jesus

Give me your grace Jesus

Give me your peace Jesus

Give me your assurance Jesus

Give me your freedom Jesus

Give me your joy Jesus

You are strength Jesus

You are patience Jesus

You are love Jesus

You are grace Jesus

You are peace Jesus

You are assurance Jesus

You are freedom Jesus

You are joy Jesus

You are my strength Jesus

You are my patience Jesus

You are my love Jesus

You are my grace Jesus

You are my peace Jesus

You are my assurance Jesus

You are my freedom Jesus

You are my joy Jesus

Surprise

It was our absolute pleasure to celebrate our beautiful friends

birthday this evening. It was a bit early (she'll be traveling the

next two weeks). But we didn't want the opportunity to pass us by.

Thank you to Minh for orchestrating the whole thing.

And thank you to everyone for coming!

We love you Melanie! Happy Birthday! It was a wonderful surprise.

I think you maybe recovering for a few days.

Sorry for the glare in the photo friends.

We were obviously having a tone of fun!

This is by no means everyone. The place was packed when we walked in.

It was SO wonderful. Another friend has the pictures of the actual

surprise and they are priceless.

We just love you somethin special Melanie Kim!

Happy Birthday!

Ephesians

Ephesians 1:17-19

I ask--ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory--to make

you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused

and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the

immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, oh, the utter

extravagance of his work in us who trust him--endless energy, boundless strength!

That's all I can say. Holy Spirit, please do the rest.

feel the freedom

It's happening...can you feel it?

For those of us going through finals

right now there is a definite sense of relief

coming our way.

For the past 10 weeks

(with a two week Christmas

break and a week of cancelled class for snow)

we have been attending class,

reading til our eyes hurt,

and turning in assignments.

We've shared in discussion and

meals all leading to one end.

Well, maybe two...finals and ultimately ministry.

Some students have finished their finals

and now have some

time to breath, rest and regroup.

Some students have another final

in the morning.

And some are still putting some finishing

touches on papers to be turned in

by the end of day(midnight, this girl).

And then there are those who are

completing finals in time to make sure all

bags are packed and all things

are in order to arrive at the airport in

time to catch a plane to another part of the world:

Mexico, Nepal, Vietnam,Cairo, etc.

It's happening...I'll be in Cairo soon.

Snow Angels

With the talk of more snow coming in the next day or two,

I was thinking about the big snow we just had.

I love snow!

I absolutely love it!

Evidently, so does my Gran.

She was telling my mom about the young boy that would come to the window

of my great-grandmothers apartment building when there had been a good

snow storm. He would write messages to her in the fresh snow.

Since my mom was out one evening after the snow storm, she went to my

Gran's aparment building (the same one great-grandma lived in)

and proceeded to make a snow angel with a message written next to it.

Mom was hoping that Gran was in her apartment. She called her as she was

lying in the snow mid-snow angel. She wasn't answering. She called her cell

phone and it was turned off. Someone had been watching her playing in the

snow and yelled out the window. She shared who she was looking for and

was reminded that it was BINGO night. So she went to the window of the

big game room of the building where a room full of "old gerries" (as Gran

calls people over the age of 70) were playing a little BINGO. She proceeded to

rap on the window and practically give the whole room heart attacks.

After they let her in she was told to never do that again. Go figure.

Well, Gran was thrilled with the work my mom had put into her snow art.

It is pretty great.

I love snow.

I'd like some more please!

For Love of a Cat

So this is Alli.

She is going to be 9 years old in May.

I hadn't planned on getting a cat that day.

Thanks to my good friend Brooke talking me into it

(she's good at that)

and my Gran naming her

(because she will name the pet something else anyway)

I have my closest companion.

She is so bizarre.

The reason she's in the bag is because she likes

to lick plastic bags.

I don't know.

She also likes the fresh water that drips from the tub.

(see below)

Honestly, the reason I'm writing this is because

I'll be away from her for two weeks.

That's a long time.

And when I was away for a week at Christmas,

I returned to a horrible mess.

Thankfully, one of my best friends will be with her the whole time.

And come on, look at that face.

She's the best, my Alli cat.

Finals til Cairo

IT'S FINALS WEEK!

Okay so it's not my favorite week of the term.

There are pros and cons.

The class is over.

A break is just days away.

Plans for travel have been made.

It could be a rough final if you didn't keep up on your reading.

I have some great professors and would have liked to learn more on the topic.

The best part about this finals week for me...

The last day of finals I get on a plane with some awesome

classmates and land in Cairo, Egypt.

We spend two weeks engaging the culture.

We'll do all the sightseeing stuff.

We get to take class with students at Cairo Seminary.

This is a picture of their chapel.

I'm getting excited!

Four days and four finals to go.

Reflection at the beginning of Lent

It is beyond incredible to think about all that has happened in the last year. I am overwhelmed with gratitude as I have started my Lenten reflection.

First, it is hard to imagine what life would be without my family.

The gift of a best friend in my mum.

A brother that lives too far away and I see so rarely but one I can't live without.

A dad that is perfect at loving me.

And my 'glitter' Gran cheering us all on.

Look out Beth Moore, you've just met one of your biggest admirers.

It felt like we were finally together last Easter after more than a year.

We got to spend wonderful time together in Telluride in June

We stayed with Brianna

and Wynton and my aunt and uncle for the Blue Grass Festival

Little Paul added some excitement to my summer with his visit.

My only wish is that I was living closer so that I could be a bigger part

of my God Son's life...and that one on the way too.

Christmas was spent at the beach with the whole family!

I am so glad my brother lives at the beach!

And here I am...a year later...I am finally in seminary. I have been in class for over five months. I have been stretched and challenged to grow in wonderful ways.

I'm surrounded by amazing new friends.

And I am missing terribly friends from everywhere else.

I'm thankful for you...all of you!

The reflections will continue through this season of Lent.

The fasting, praying, and giving season of Lent.

I pray that you will be ernest in what you are fasting from,

in what and whom you are praying for, and in all that you give.

Blessings!