Tried With Fire

I am thankful for the truth of this verse. I am also thankful that although my trust is imperfect, He does not render to me according to my success or failure but according to His faithfulness. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

We successfully moved into our new house and closed on the previous one today. I am thankful for the help of the saints to move our pets, kitchen, cleaning, and computer stuff on Monday. My best friend and her two youngest children cut our grass (.75 acres worth) with a push mower yesterday so the yard would not be shaggy for the new owners. The movers successfully moved everything in 6.5 hours which was less than their original estimate. We had an unexpected plumbing problem discovered at the walk through that was fixed down to the wire but did not hamper the closing. We had more help tonight when folks from the church helped set up the kitchen, hook up the washer and dryer, and put up window shades. Now that we have the phone/internet, kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms in a usable state, we can take our time with the rest. My daughter was falling asleep on her feet by the end of the day, and I'm pretty tired myself. I did want to share this story which is a testimony to God's a...

The last thing I want to pack is my computer. I 'm beginning to realize how much I rely on the internet and email, so it will be good for me to have a short computer fast. We're moving the pets and other household items today. The movers come tomorrow. We're generally familiar with the area since it is only 3 miles from where we are now. We need to find a good pizzeria, though. Lord willing, I'll be back on a few days. But I'll leave you with this in the meantime: ht: Pure Church

I am thankful for... Almost completed packing. Every closet is empty except for labelled boxes. The kitchen and pantry are packed except for the few dishes we are still using. I have packing on the brain because I dreamed that I found six rocking chairs of various sizes hiding in the house. I was glad it was just a dream. I've developed "packer's upper arm" (no relation to J.I.) due to wielding the packing tape dispenser and lowering things from the attic. Today the Peninsula Rescue Mission picked up furniture and household items. Our dining room has gone from this to this God's sovereignty. Some unexpected things came up regarding the sale but not unexpected to Him. I am thankful that God is fully in control of all these events and for grace to trust Him. Unexpected blessings. To my great surprise, I was one of the winner's of Tim Challies Free Stuff Fridays giveaway of The Essential Edwards Collection from Moody Press. I'm looking forward to reading...

Genuine biblical love is not holding a mirror in front of someone and saying, "How great you are." It is holding up the Word of God and saying how great He is. From today's sermon by Ryan Davidson ~ See How They Love One Another, Romans 12:9-21.

This is our attic. You may not think it is much to look at, but it's a beautiful sight to me because it's empty. A family from church helped bring down the remaining boxes and items in the attic. There were an assortment of books, old papers, and two computer monitors. The monitors were from the olden days when they were about the size of a small developing nation and weighed as much as a pregnant pachyderm. I was at a loss as to what to do with them because most charities will not accept old hardware any longer. Our friends suggested recycling them at Best Buy and offered to take them for us. For which there was much rejoicing! Even though we have a two-story house, my daughter said we have four-stories worth of stuff counting the attic and the basement. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the basement as well. Lord willing, we will bid farewell to many things in the basement, furniture, and household items when a local rescue mission comes to take t...

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heat will be also . Matthew 6:19 This verse came to mind today as we were taking boxes down from the attic. Over the years we have accumulated a lot of stuff. We're doing our best to give away and throw away, but the number of boxes grows and grows. Even though I'm not very sentimental, there are some things I won't part with - my ancient and furless teddy bear, my daughter's first pair of shoes and favorite stuffed animal, my dad's piano music now used by three generations, my mom's cookbook and mixing bowls. These don't have any monetary value, but these are little treasures because of the memories they invoke. I am surprised that I haven't dreaded packing. Perhaps it...

It has been said that you should not go to the grocery store when you're hungry. If that is the case, then this video by Tim Challies documenting the T4G bookstore in all its glory is dangerous if you're on a book diet. Books. Lots of books. Lots and lots of good theological books - 1600 different titles. Under one roof. Discounted. Be still my beating heart. I wonder if I could get a job at the bookstore at the next T4G...

It is a beautiful sunny day. We had summer-like temperatures in the middle of the week, so everything has burst into bloom, leaf, or pollen. I would be outside if I didn't have to pack and shred. There is a thick coat of yellow pollen outside which would have me sneezing constantly, so I have another reason to stay inside. I did venture out to take these pictures. My neighbor's wisteria has begun to creep into our yard. The fragrance is wonderful. This is Carolina sweet shrub. The flowers are an unusual reddish-brown. The fragrance is very sweet (hence the name) and reminds me of juicy fruit gum for some reason. I have been listening to two Welshmen today while packing. In addition to good preaching, I love the accent. First is Martin Downes , author of Risking the Truth . His talk Heresy Never Dies looks at Open Theism and brings it back to its historical root of Socinianism . Having believed some less than orthodox teachings and having people dear to me embracing less th...

Even though it's after 11 PM, it's still Thursday... I am thankful for the throne of grace where I can find strength to help in time of need. I needed to find refuge there this evening. As a mother, it has been a hard but necessary lesson to trust my daughter to the Lord. My desire would be for her to have a life free from suffering, grief, and hurt. Yet, God has decreed otherwise. Every instinct in me wants to protect and shield her, but there are things that have come into her life that are out of my control. But they are not out of God's control. He will not give her more than she can bear, and that same throne of grace is available to her as well.

Love is the Queen of the Christian graces. It is a holy disposition given to us when we are born again by God. It is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. True spiritual love is characterized by meekness and gentleness, yet it is vastly superior to the courtesies and kindnesses of the flesh. We must be careful not to confuse human sentimentality, carnal pleasantries, human amiability and affability with true spiritual love. The love God commands, first to Himself and then to others, is not human love. It is not the indulgent, self-seeking love which is in us by nature. If we indulgently allow our children to grow up with little or, no Scriptural discipline, Proverbs plainly says we do not love them, regardless of the human sentimentality and affection we may feel for them. Love is not a sentimental pampering of one another with a loose indifference as to our walk and obedience before the Lord. Glossing over one another's faults to ingratiate ourselves in the...

As I read John 18-21 today in preparation for Easter, these verses stood out to me in a new way: 'Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover ." John 18:28 I found it very interesting that the Jews were so careful to not defile themselves so they could eat the Passover, but they were rejecting the Lamb of God. All that the Passover was pointing to was about to be fulfilled, and they completely missed it. But before I could do any finger pointing, I recalled the words from Shai Linne's song "Were You There": "The way we treat the Lord of glory is debased and it’s foul Ashamed, I bow because I see my face in the crowd" As I considered what the Lord Jesus suffered on my behalf, I don't want to take it for granted or lose the sense of my sinfulness and complete lack of...

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree." 1 Peter 2:24 Certainly the whole punishment of body and soul which was due unto us—Christ our Redeemer suffered. Our blessed Savior bore all the sins of the elect. He suffered the whole punishment which was due unto us—which we would have endured, if He had not atoned for our sins. He felt the anguish of soul, and horror of God's wrath—and in soul, experienced the torments of hell for us—and sustained them and vanquished them! All the pains, torments, curse, and wrath which were due to the elect—fell on Christ, until divine justice was fully satisfied. Though Christ did not suffer eternal death for sinners—yet He suffered that which was equivalent, and therefore the justice of God is wholly appeased by His death. Christ's infinite excellency and glory, made His short sufferings to be of infinite worth, and equivalent to our everlasting sufferings. Jesus suffered that which was necessary for our redemption, namely—tha...