Lingering in the Light: The Math doesn't Matter

I am a visual learner and an analytical person. Although I hate doing math, every other week, I sit down with the checkbook, the budget planner, and and an oncoming set of new wrinkles. I outline everything we have to spend for the particular two weeks and subtract it from the total of our paycheck. The numbers never come out negative, but sometimes they cut a little too close for comfort. 

Don't get me wrong. God provides for our every need. We are not lacking in anything. We are extremely blessed by the resources we have the miracle that is Peden's job. :)

But it's not as easy to say that when all those numbers are in a column together and the last one keeps dwindling.  Sometimes bills have to be moved or things have to get cut. And it always works out.  I KNOW this. But it doesn't stop me from weighing things that could easily be cut, but are more essential than the calculator gives them credit, like tithe or extra grocery allowance. Yes. My sinful heart tries to skimp on tithe. I'm rotten. But it's easy to reason with God and say, "Well you want me to pay the power bill, don't you?" or "You don't want us to starve, do you?" 

What the Jordan midgets taught me.

I have worked with children for eight years, now. And children have taught me that children can teach me valuable lessons. :) Sometimes, when you learn a lesson, you learn it best when taught to you by a child.

For example, the three kids I'm about to tell you about are kids of dear friends of ours. I spend time with them weekly, if not more. they are very dear to my heart, and they are three very different individuals.

Only two pictured here, but I love this picture :P
So here are some lessons that I have learned from the Jordan children. :)

Lingering in the Light: We have Victory!

This post is inspired by a dear friend, who is currently going through a difficult emotional time. This post shouldn't be anything new to us, but if you don't know what I'm about to talk about, I hope your eyes are quickly opened. But sometimes we have to be reminded over and over of the things we already know, because, despite how well we know them, the devil has such powerful tricks to make us doubt even the foundational things.

This post, like yesterday's, starts with a video. Hey, I wake up, I get on facebook, I see videos. What's a girl to do? :P But here is the one for today:

If the video acts up, watch it here.

How many times do we forget this? That God can fight the battle for us. That he already did. That he already won. Exodus 14 describes the account of the crossing of the Red Sea. Thousands and thousands of Israelites stood helpless between an army and a shoreline. But God said, "The Lord will fight for you, you need only be silent [or in some versions, still]." (verse 14)

Lingering in the Light: How he loves (w/Matt Chandler, John Piper)

Every morning when I wake up, I grab a bowl of cereal and sit down at the desk in my library (right now known as the room with the books piled in the middle of the floor.  This is my favorite room in the house, not only because of the books (I'm a nerd), but because, first thing every day, the sunlight comes shining right into this room.

I find that I have so much more clarity throughout the day when I start it here. So I think im going to use these moments to chronicle the little bits of clarity God grants me in the mornings. Today I was on facebook (gotta get a new homepage :P) and some friends of mine had both posted the same video. This video included a favorite song,  and the name of a favored speaker of mine. Two props. And so I hit play. And this is what I got:

in case the video is weird, you can also watch it at the source, here.

Wow. Just wow. We are messy. God KNEW we would be messy, from the beginning! 

But he still loves us. He is still jealous for us. He STILL sent his son to DIE FOR US!

(I know. I'm breaking my all caps rule. But this makes me want to shout. :) 

Cooking sans Catastrophe: Roasted Butternut Squash filled with [Pom]-soaked Fruit

So I think this might be my indirect attempt to embrace fall. Yes, I know. Gasp! I do talk a lot of smack about Summer being the best season of the year. Which, it still is. But the deep dark secret is... I love fall. Ssssh! Don't tell anyone. First Starbucks fall flavors, now butternut squash. Here we go.

I have also come into the habit of attempting the things I see in the innumerable amount of magazines I get for free. The cover in question today is Better Homes and Gardens. Their October issue features this lovely recipe (the original,  that is. There was tweaking.)

Here is what their "Roasted Butternut Squash filled with Port-soaked Fruit" is supposed to look like:

You are welcome to pass judgement at the end of the post. :P

2 Samuel 23 David's Lasting Influence

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Friday night's lesson part 4

2 Samuel 23:8-39 David's Lasting Influence

 SO first I am going to list out the mighty men and pretty much cliff note the stuff they did.  Then we'll go back and cover a couple of points.

David's Mighty Men
"The three Musketeers" - these three are referred to as "the three," and they often acted together. Verse 23:13 mention "three of the thirty cheif men." I am going to assume that is these three, for arguments sake. If I am wrong, feel free to let me know.

2 Samuel 24 David's Last Actions

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Friday night's lesson part 3

2 Samuel 24, David's Last Actions
Don't be alarmed. Were going a little out of order but it'll be OK.

(1-10) "Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, 'Go, number Israel and Judah.' So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, 'Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.' But Joab said to the king, 'May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?' But the king's word prevailed against Joab [...]. But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, 'I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done foolishly."

•  First of all it is unclear why the Lord was angered with Israel, nor is it clear why he incited David against them or gave him the idea to have a census. (Definition: A census is the numbering or registration of people generally for the purpose of taxation or military recruitment.) But it can be assumed that David either intended to tax the people or increase the size of his army. 

2 Samuel 23 David's Last Words

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Part 2 Friday Night's Lesson

David's Last Words, 2 Samuel 23:1-7

(1) "Now these are the last words of David: 'The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel."

•  Definition of "oracle:" An authoritative or wise statement or prediction; A command or revelation from God; In the Bible, the sanctuary of the Temple. 
• David wanted the remembrance of him to be an uplifting and encouraging thing. He didn't want people to remember his shortcomings or his failure. While we still study David's sins and the deterioration of his family as a message on consequences, and while we understand that David was in no way perfect, but human like the rest of us, he is still most commonly described as "a man after God's own heart." (Acts 13:22)

2 Samuel 22 David's Song of Deliverance

Monday, September 17, 2012 
Part 1 of Friday Night's lesson.

Praise Him at all times. What's the worst that could happen?

• 22:1-4 "And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, 'The LORD is my rock and my fortress, in whom I take refuge [...] you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised and I am saved from my enemies.'"

• David shows faith in the belief that God was worthy of praise even in the difficult and dangerous times of his life. We are constantly coasting through the easy times in our life, then when the waves get choppy, we turn and blame God. We wonder how he could put us through these things. We fail to see the truth in the idea of a Refining Fire. He doesn't bring us there to warm our hands, but to push us in. 

Most Important Days

"The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." -Mark Twain

 Mark Twain makes a good point, to which I would like to respond. In a sense he captures the essence of the fact that the things that make you who you are include where you came from and where you are going. 

I came from two pretty normal parents, who brought me into a world with a big sister, a great family, a loving church family, and one day a little brother, although I specifically asked for a puppy. 

First most important day of my life:

Actually this is 6 days before I was born, my parents' wedding day. Glamorous, I know. But you get the point. That's my momma, with Savy filling, and my daddy being silly (note the pouty lip).

My momma was a giving woman, always searching for ways to show someone love. For Christmas one year, she gave a little girl in our church a whole bucket of bubble gum, so that kids to come to her for gum, instead of her always searching some out right before service. Daddy was careful, but so much fun. He would tell dumb jokes, silly stories, and play games all the time. I remember the first time I laughed. It was with my daddy. 

So that's my past. It made me who I am today, for better or worse. 

Another crucial day in my more recent past looks more like this: 

Prayer: Jesus, Friend of Sinners

 "Greater Love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from the Father I have made known to you." John 15:14-15

"Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away
We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing

No, you're not dreaming

If you know me, this will come as a shock, but I have created a blog. Legit. And I actually plan on (key words) maintaining it.

This is really just a test-run post to make sure everything is working and to play with the new blogger App on my phone.

For a strictly hard copy journaler, this is different. But I hope to put it to good and godly use. I wont use it to.rant or post funny pictures. I have friends and pinterest for that. I wont write to the anonymous and ambiguous "internet." I might to me, to God, to prayer partners, to friends, or to any willing ear - er... eye - that God may lead to me. 

Some things might just be for me. But I hope that in turn it serves someone else too, even if only one person.
So... this should be fun.