whirl on, dear wind

It's time to face the fact: we're moving back to the USA. Facing it begins tomorrow with the arrival of the movers, then the cleaning, then the goodbyes continue.

A quick few days of holiday (Belgium and then the Ashes) will be our reward for the hard work of the last two weeks and will (hopefully) serve to relieve the stress of the move.

Then, goodbye to England and hello to our homeland.

I praise my God for the opportunity to see a bigger world, and to get to know our British friends (and the Mexican one), and for the lessons we've learned from this temporary lifestyle. God has been good to us.

This morning, I shall endlessly repeat these words from the precious word of God: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6.34

mentorship

How fitting that as I've been burdened about mentorship this week, I've been re-united with one of my former mentors. Many of my current convictions and even hobbies can be traced directly back to this person. Thank God for mentors!

If you're not a mentor, and if you're not mentored. Take steps to change that.

something I'm pondering

Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Not the other way around.

Today, I'm considering how my money choices dictate my heart choices. Putting my heart in the right place takes a fight. And with God's help, the battle will be won.

thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday. Not because I like turkey. I don't like it that much. (Except that turkey comes with canberry sauce. And I love canberry sauce.) Thanksgiving is my favorite because it comes with a couple of relaxed days with the family eating steak on thanksgiving day (my family doesn't eat turkey for thanksgiving. my family is from texas.) and sour cream and chicken enchiladas the day after. We don't even go shopping wicked early on the day after like most crazy Americans. We just relax and enjoy the time together. Play some games. Watch a movie. Go hiking. One year we went rappeling in Giant City State Park on Thanksgiving day. The park wasn't very crowded that day. Thanksgiving used to mean churchwide dinner at Garden Hills Baptist Church. It used to mean a long weekend sitting by the pond watching the dog chase the ducks at Uncle Clinton's house. It used to mean steak at Granny and PawPaw's. Today it means a quiet dinner of turkey and canberry sauce after Jason gets home from work. (Yes, England does have canberry sauce, which turns out to be jarberry, but is made by Ocean Spray, so it should be just as good.)

I'm sad to miss my family's Thanksgiving celebration today, but I have much to be thankful for. I'll only name 3: a caring, loving, joyful husband. wonderful memories and a strong, loving family. Jesus Christ who is the joy and song of my heart, in whom I rest for peace on this Thanksgiving.

What are you thankful for today?

blessed

things at our house have been a bit hectic of late. but jason has been a rock. here are a few things i'd like to tell you about my husband:

1. he made dinner last night

2. he cleaned up after dinner last night

3. he's been really good with our finances

4. he's working really hard to get us ready to go

5. he's smart and gifted, else he wouldn't have gotten this job

6. he's working hard without complaining

7. he's wise when it comes to debunking illogical arguments

8. he's carefully organized and budgeted for the move

9. he's been generous to me and has tolerated my silliness

10. he's excited for this adventure

11. he has made concessions in his own wishes to allow for my wishes

12. he has carefully remembered me in every step along the way

13. he has been a strong spiritual leader and has led in prayer for wisdom

14. he waits for me when i'm slow to make decisions

15. he's patient

the end

several months ago, i started a Bible study in my office building. if you want to track the long story, read here and here.

the short story is this: i have one girl and we are studying Mark. today is the last day (since I'll be leaving next week) and, by God's perfect timing, we are up to the final chapter: the resurrection.

today, Cynthia didn't show up. and my heart is broken.

my prayer is that my friend Cynthia will still study the final chapter for herself and that the grace of Jesus will dawn in her heart. and that Christ will become her treasure.

no boys allowed

ladies (and all you guys who know ladies), take a moment to browse this website.

Let's all stand and sing hymn number 406, "The Solid Rock"

I've grown up in the tradition of the The Baptist Hymnal. I have fond memories of standing on the pew between Mom and Dad on Sunday mornings or Granny and PawPaw on Sunday nights singing the gospel in big, old-fashioned words that I wouldn't understand for many years to come. I got great satisfaction from hearing my mom sing the alto part and my dad sing at all (I had a feeling that the choir director didn't really pay him not to sing in choir). And I knew from hearing my parents sing those old hymns all week long, that their faith was real.

I thank God that I've had that kind of musical influence in my life. But it wasn't really the music, per se, that was such an influence. It was those big, old-fashioned words that I didn't understand before, but now I do. It was the deep, heartfelt faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ that those old hymns so vividly expressed. It was the poetry set to music that caused me to memorize all those verses (or in many cases, verses 1, 2 and 4) and later look with pleasure at their sweet message.

Today, those songs, deeply rooted in my mind, remind me that "when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay;" they point me to my "bright hope for tomorrow", or give me words for a prayer in the times when I don't know what to say; they remind me of certain Scripture passages and of Scripture's "firm foundation."

It saddens me that there are fewer of the deep, vivid, heart wrenching or joyful poems being written by Christian musicians these days. And there are even fewer of those old hymns being sung in churches (at lesat in my church we rarely see a hymn, and when we do all I hear are complaints that the song is "too slow" and "too long" and "too old"). Oh that we would look past the old-fashioned musical score and see the beauty of the message in those slow, long and old songs.

My hope and prayer is that those old hymns won't die, and Christians will joyously sing of their Reedemer in a way that is more than just musically pleasing, but has meaning and speaks to the depths of their souls.

But, for the record, I think those old hymns are more musically pleasing than much of today's "contemporary Christian music," and I get great pleasure from leafing through my hymnal and singing.

Note: it's possible that my hymnal isn't mine and actually belongs to my Dad. If it is, I'm sorry, and I owe you a new hymn book. But I'm pretty sure you have several of your own.

this is a test

if I don't forward the endless "forward this to 10 people if you love Jesus" e-mails and text messages, does it mean I don't love Jesus?

i'm sick, but really good at pretending to be well

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17

application

earlier this week, on a mission trip to West Virginia, i hung drywall.

today, it made a difference in how i designed a room.

i need some vbs advice

when you're talking to a three year old and all she does is stare at you, what do you do?

an old VBS song

My God is so BIG,
So strong and so mighty,
There's nothing my God cannot do.

My God is so BIG,
So strong and so mighty,
There's nothing my God cannot do.

The mountains are His
The valleys are His
The stars are His handiwork, too.

My God is so BIG,
So strong and so mighty,
There's nothing my God cannot do.

praise the Lord

I got this e-mail today:

"Aleigh,
I would like to attend the Bible study at 12:00 on Friday, I do however have lunch until 12:30. Would that be a problem?"

And once again, God proves Himself gracious.

"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations." Deut 7:9

burst bubble

A few weeks ago, i re-read John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life, and was specifically pricked by his "risk is right" challenge. So, after a long fight with God, I started a Bible Study in my office building, found a spare conference room and put up some signs. Twice, I had one guy come - the building manager, who, as of today, has moved on to a new job. The other times, it was just me. Now, my only Bible study attendee is gone. To top it off, I noticed today that all but one of my signs have been taken down, and the person in charge of the conference room called to tell me that there won't be chairs in there this week.

sometimes it's hard not to get defeated.

O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him,
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
--Eugene Monroe Bartlett, 1939

of first importance

i read a lot of blogs just about every day. today, this blog's entry reminded me of my continual need to preach the gospel to myself. and to constantly cast myself on the cross of Christ, loving the gospel, being reminded again and again that Jesus died in my place, bearing all my sin and all God's wrath. how glorious! and how often i forget.

elephants praise their creator, too

could this elephant be doing exactly what he was created to do - give glory to God?

my thoughts exactly

I highly recommend C.J. Mahaney's blog on modesty.

lessons learned from a fire

if someone had come to visit us on saturday evening, they would've found us outside in the rain with no shoes on. in fact, they would've found the whole community of squires manor apartments standing outside in the rain watching the smoke pour from the 5000 building.

the 5000 building just happens to be the same building we call our home. 5008 to be exact; second floor, front window. the smoke was coming from 5004; first floor, back window.

in the end, the fire wasn't that bad. we were only out in the rain for about 2 or 3 hours. and were only homeless overnight. but as i reflected on the whole story, i learned a few things. they follow here, in no specific order.

1. firefighters are amazing. volunteer firefighters don't get paid enough.
2. people are remarkably reluctant to leave a burning building.
3. always leave the fire doors closed. no matter how annoying they are. the fire chief taught us that one.
4. give to your local volunteer fire department.
5. renters insurance is a valuable thing. if you don't have it, you're stupid.
6. always leave a pair of shoes by the door.
7. a fire extinguisher is a good investment.
8. when your home is on fire, don't stop to think about all the stuff you'd like to save. no matter how valuable (sentimentally or monetarily), it isn't worth your life.
9. God is good.
10. smoke is a very overpowering scent. getting rid of it is not easy.
11. fabreeze and baking soda are good deodorizers.
12. the only thing of lasting value in all of life is Jesus. know Him.
13. smoke is really hard to see through and spreads really fast.

edited to add:
14. never blog about a fire in your apartment before you call your parents to tell them.

i hope i'm the latter

"you may, it is true, meet with a shell without the kernel; but it is rare to meet the kernel without the shell."
-Benjamin Keach, The Travels of True Godliness, p32