THANK YOU MOM :) I really do love it.
(recommend the James Taylor version)
Tuesday, November 30
Monday, November 29
Wake, awake
Wake, a-wake
for night is flying:
The watchmen on the heights are cry-ing
A-wake, Jerusalem, a-rise!
Mid-night's sol-
emn hour is tolling
His chariot wheels are nearer roll-ing;
He comes; prepare, ye virgins wise.
Rise up;
with willing feet
Go forth,
the Bridegroom meet;
Hallelujah! Bear through the night your well-trimmed light, Speed forth to join the marriage rite.
Such bliss and joy: We raise the song, we swell the throng, To praise Thee ages all along.
for night is flying:
The watchmen on the heights are cry-ing
A-wake, Jerusalem, a-rise!
Mid-night's sol-
emn hour is tolling
His chariot wheels are nearer roll-ing;
He comes; prepare, ye virgins wise.
Rise up;
with willing feet
Go forth,
the Bridegroom meet;
Hallelujah! Bear through the night your well-trimmed light, Speed forth to join the marriage rite.
Such bliss and joy: We raise the song, we swell the throng, To praise Thee ages all along.
Philipp Nicolai, 1599 -The Lutheran Hymnary printed 1956
Sunday, November 28
An excerpt from our Jewish Community Center Newsletter -
This Shabbat is the Shabbat following Thanksgiving. Of course Thanksgiving isn't specifically a Jewish holiday, but most American Jews celebrate it along with all their non-Jewish neighbors. A little known fact, however, is that after coming to the New World and establishing a holiday after their first harvest, the Pilgrims modeled their holiday after the Biblical holiday of Sukkot. Sukkot is a harvest festival, after all, and its major theme is "thanksgiving." The Pilgrims saw themselves as the New Israelites: they fled an evil king, crossed a sea and came to a promised land.
Shabbat Shalom!
Shabbat Shalom!
Saturday, November 27
Friday, November 26
Thursday, November 25
Im thankful for family who
Im thankful for family who lets us be unconventional (sweatpants tanksgimme)- and for my husband who never gives up
Wednesday, November 24
Lots of things running through my mind
...I read the Bible out loud instead of skimming a magazine while baby and I were waiting for hubby to get home.
...Is there anything I can mention tomorrow to our possibly less-God-fearing friends when we present the Thanksgiving turkey?
...I'm really bad at cooking/baking details now that I haven't been in the kitchen really for years (pumpkin pie disaster). Is it the same with God/Bible?
...Like that I'm getting more familiar with God again.
...New boss said that not having a Bachelors degree might be holding me back from my career goals. Is anything holding me back from God goals (This is seriously, mostly just a shameless ploy to get my mom to call me to discuss education and career opportunities)?
...Sang Jesus loves me after Old McDonald, Itsy bitsy spider and I'm a little teapot on the drive home from school and that was not cool with baby. Need to try starting with Jesus loves me instead. Anything else to add to my kiddy repertoire?
On my heart imprint thine image is coming; Just not quite as happy-go-lucky.
...Is there anything I can mention tomorrow to our possibly less-God-fearing friends when we present the Thanksgiving turkey?
...I'm really bad at cooking/baking details now that I haven't been in the kitchen really for years (pumpkin pie disaster). Is it the same with God/Bible?
...Like that I'm getting more familiar with God again.
...New boss said that not having a Bachelors degree might be holding me back from my career goals. Is anything holding me back from God goals (This is seriously, mostly just a shameless ploy to get my mom to call me to discuss education and career opportunities)?
...Sang Jesus loves me after Old McDonald, Itsy bitsy spider and I'm a little teapot on the drive home from school and that was not cool with baby. Need to try starting with Jesus loves me instead. Anything else to add to my kiddy repertoire?
On my heart imprint thine image is coming; Just not quite as happy-go-lucky.
Tuesday, November 23
Quick posts
Sorry- Everything's been quick lately. So much fun stuff to do with the Holidays approaching :) Anyway, I listened to another time of grace installment at work. I really like how he details more Bible history as additional info to the sermon...
Monday, November 22
Sunday, November 21
Saturday, November 20
1st John 3:19
This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence...
(First John is a good book)
(First John is a good book)
Friday, November 19
The unexpected
You may have read a couple days ago that I was sending a friend some sermons and they've had a really positive and wonderful result on her heart :) I suppose it's true that you can never predict how a message will be received and instead of it being a hard message to hear (I was thinking it would be a "pull your boot straps up and just trust the Lord" kind of feeling) she's taking at as "God can do anything" sort of miracles message. Her hopelessness is gone! I had no idea this would happen.
Amazing though.
Thank you God.
:)
Amazing though.
Thank you God.
:)
Thursday, November 18
Wednesday, November 17
Six degrees from God
You know that six degrees from Kevin Bacon thing? Well I got four degrees from God today :) LOL
So my sales rep knows a restaurant owner who knows a group of men that have coffee at a certain table almost every morning... One morning the lead guy said that he got a message from God the night before saying that their clutch shouldn't go to that owner's restaurant that day. And guess what? A truck barreled into the side of the restaurant that morning and took out the table they always sit at! And because that group of guys wasn't there that day - There was no one injured.
Amazing.
So my sales rep knows a restaurant owner who knows a group of men that have coffee at a certain table almost every morning... One morning the lead guy said that he got a message from God the night before saying that their clutch shouldn't go to that owner's restaurant that day. And guess what? A truck barreled into the side of the restaurant that morning and took out the table they always sit at! And because that group of guys wasn't there that day - There was no one injured.
Amazing.
Tuesday, November 16
Sharing!
I downloaded the four-part series "Death to Life" (Time of Grace with Pastor Jeske) for a friend of mine who has only been confirmed for a few months ~ Hopefully it peaks her interest as it did mine :) I'm praying for her spiritual health as she deals with some life issues.
Dear gracious and compassionate Lord, Please look down with special favor on my friend as she aches and prays for a larger family. Your awesome will be done! But like we all sometimes need, please provide her with comfort in the process of ironing all that out. And please help me to help her learn to pray like this (ACTS -Am I doing ok? I feel like I should be submitting some high school prayer assignments so I can get some feedback...). Lots of thanks, Yours truly, Nell
Dear gracious and compassionate Lord, Please look down with special favor on my friend as she aches and prays for a larger family. Your awesome will be done! But like we all sometimes need, please provide her with comfort in the process of ironing all that out. And please help me to help her learn to pray like this (ACTS -Am I doing ok? I feel like I should be submitting some high school prayer assignments so I can get some feedback...). Lots of thanks, Yours truly, Nell
Monday, November 15
Oooooooooo~
My arrangement (did I tell anyone I used to be a florist) wasn't turning out quite right and it felt appropriate to read while another foam was being soaked and I rambled upon Philippians 4:12-13 and I like it...
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
My arrangement (did I tell anyone I used to be a florist) wasn't turning out quite right and it felt appropriate to read while another foam was being soaked and I rambled upon Philippians 4:12-13 and I like it...
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
Being checked in
A couple things were running through my head and they kind of tie together? Maybe??
-We have a change in management style at my work and I find myself being held to a higher standard. I don't mind it (because generally I want to do a good job and I feel like being accountable will achieve that) BUT I find myself starting a little whine in my brain. Kind of like, "Oh... Do I really have to think about this instead of just sliding it on to the next department? Cause I'm sleepy and would rather sit here and stare at my desk top (look at the pretty waves and stripes...)".
-Read an article: Thankfulness by Kurt Bruner about giving thanks and how it's not for God's benefit but it's for our own. The words "bored" and "disillusioned" stood out because they are common in my life lately. I feel "bored" because my days are assembled by the same tasks over and over again. I like how the author points out that Paul seems to say that contentment is a discipline we learn! Actually, I think I remember someones therapist expressing a similar thing. The author's point is that to counteract our sinful ungrateful nature we need to be thankful.
Both of these issues I feel connect to "attending" (that's the word you used the other day, right Mom?); To being "checked in" to life I guess.
I'm bored when I live life in the fuzzy, hazy clouds where every minute is the same and I only think it's monotony because I'm not seeing the glorious and wonderful details that I see when I'm really living down here on earth.
Not sure if any of this made sense :) lol
But thanks for letting me try and noodle it out.
-We have a change in management style at my work and I find myself being held to a higher standard. I don't mind it (because generally I want to do a good job and I feel like being accountable will achieve that) BUT I find myself starting a little whine in my brain. Kind of like, "Oh... Do I really have to think about this instead of just sliding it on to the next department? Cause I'm sleepy and would rather sit here and stare at my desk top (look at the pretty waves and stripes...)".
-Read an article: Thankfulness by Kurt Bruner about giving thanks and how it's not for God's benefit but it's for our own. The words "bored" and "disillusioned" stood out because they are common in my life lately. I feel "bored" because my days are assembled by the same tasks over and over again. I like how the author points out that Paul seems to say that contentment is a discipline we learn! Actually, I think I remember someones therapist expressing a similar thing. The author's point is that to counteract our sinful ungrateful nature we need to be thankful.
Both of these issues I feel connect to "attending" (that's the word you used the other day, right Mom?); To being "checked in" to life I guess.
I'm bored when I live life in the fuzzy, hazy clouds where every minute is the same and I only think it's monotony because I'm not seeing the glorious and wonderful details that I see when I'm really living down here on earth.
Not sure if any of this made sense :) lol
But thanks for letting me try and noodle it out.
Sunday, November 14
Sometimes i feel like the
Sometimes i feel like the world is only full of badness but then i turn on public radio and it seems like there.s a lot of good...
Yesterday
Sorry! Forgot to enter yesterday but the evening was filled with good conversation about how we converse with others about our faith. I think it's amazing to have Christian friends. My mom has a group who were close in high school and after many years have come back together and she says that every monthly chat time has a religious subject in it. How wonderful that faith is so much a part of each of their lives that it comes up in conversation?!
Speaking of that... I have taken to talking about "the universe" with a friend who has fallen away from God. It seems the term is generic enough not to offend her but my hopes are that she will come around to know God as God and Jesus as her savior ***
Speaking of that... I have taken to talking about "the universe" with a friend who has fallen away from God. It seems the term is generic enough not to offend her but my hopes are that she will come around to know God as God and Jesus as her savior ***
Friday, November 12
Life won't come between me and God
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I was struck by the fact that Paul says the unobvious, life will not separate us from the love of God. LOL -Cause it's so oposite sounding and yet so very true! Life gets in between me and God all the freaking time!!
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I was struck by the fact that Paul says the unobvious, life will not separate us from the love of God. LOL -Cause it's so oposite sounding and yet so very true! Life gets in between me and God all the freaking time!!
Thursday, November 11
Share
Why does God give us more than we need? So we can share. So we can meet others needs.
Maybe this doesn't even apply to dollars only -Maybe this applies to smiles and to companionship and to music and art?
I need to send out the word of encouragement to all of us who are young(?) and tech savvy; There is a world of podcasts and MP3 downloads and I just can't get enough of this sermon series. As a background, during the work day I used to talk to my best girlfriend because we shared a cubicle and when I moved to my own desk space then I listened a lot to conservative talk radio. A year or two later I got another desk mate (my former work-husband) and now that he's gone I've branched out to public radio (I can't believe what I've been missing! Literature is my favorite thing to listen about...I must have two dozen books on my reading list that I will possibly never get to). ANYWAY. For you desk jockeys or you long commuters, I encourage you to work at finding a pastor that you like that has media available for download. This week I've just been enamoured and I can totally feel my brain shifting as I absorb the concepts and the real life words. Don't get me wrong...Bible reading has been awesome...But there's this whole facet of opportunity that I've been missing so far.
Maybe this doesn't even apply to dollars only -Maybe this applies to smiles and to companionship and to music and art?
I need to send out the word of encouragement to all of us who are young(?) and tech savvy; There is a world of podcasts and MP3 downloads and I just can't get enough of this sermon series. As a background, during the work day I used to talk to my best girlfriend because we shared a cubicle and when I moved to my own desk space then I listened a lot to conservative talk radio. A year or two later I got another desk mate (my former work-husband) and now that he's gone I've branched out to public radio (I can't believe what I've been missing! Literature is my favorite thing to listen about...I must have two dozen books on my reading list that I will possibly never get to). ANYWAY. For you desk jockeys or you long commuters, I encourage you to work at finding a pastor that you like that has media available for download. This week I've just been enamoured and I can totally feel my brain shifting as I absorb the concepts and the real life words. Don't get me wrong...Bible reading has been awesome...But there's this whole facet of opportunity that I've been missing so far.
Wednesday, November 10
Being a peacemaker without being a wallflower
I'm still listening to the "Just do it" series from South Valley and its starting to sink in that being a Christian means one does works as opposed to just refraining from commenting...BUT HOW ALSO then does one balance the fact that preaching on someone uninvitedly would cause a rift?
Tuesday, November 9
Being a peacemaker and not a trouble maker
A friend turned me on to a sermon series from her church -Here's the first from 09/05/2010 titled Seven Marks of a Mature Person
What struck me as I was listening to it and typity-typing away at work was the comment about being a peacemaker and not a trouble maker... The sermon texts are from James and I think this could be traced back to chapter 3 verses 13-18. It also reminds me though of The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."
SIGH
I had a chance this week to be a peacemaker and I chose to be a trouble maker :( What's extra disappointing is that I didn't pray to God for the strength to resist the temptation [because I knew the opportunity was there and I was trying not to take it but of course I can't hold that line all on my own].
Dear God, Through you all great and small things are possible. I'm sorry I set to my co-worker's minds a slander about our boss. Thank you for bringing this sermon to my ears today so that with your help I can resist the temptation next time. Amen.
(I'm not that good at praying yet but tried to use the A.C.T.S. method / I'm open to critique or comment!)
What struck me as I was listening to it and typity-typing away at work was the comment about being a peacemaker and not a trouble maker... The sermon texts are from James and I think this could be traced back to chapter 3 verses 13-18. It also reminds me though of The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."
SIGH
I had a chance this week to be a peacemaker and I chose to be a trouble maker :( What's extra disappointing is that I didn't pray to God for the strength to resist the temptation [because I knew the opportunity was there and I was trying not to take it but of course I can't hold that line all on my own].
Dear God, Through you all great and small things are possible. I'm sorry I set to my co-worker's minds a slander about our boss. Thank you for bringing this sermon to my ears today so that with your help I can resist the temptation next time. Amen.
(I'm not that good at praying yet but tried to use the A.C.T.S. method / I'm open to critique or comment!)
Monday, November 8
Bubble
I feel like I might be over the bubble of "will this really change my life?"
You know - When you start a diet or some other kind of health habit, there is the pattern of emtions... First I'm all like, "got get'em" and then I think, "oh man this sucks" and then I start living the benefits and then I'm hooked :) At least for a while, right?
Anyway, replacing worldy thoughts or negative energies with God's word is starting to become the way I want to live.
and I like it.
You know - When you start a diet or some other kind of health habit, there is the pattern of emtions... First I'm all like, "got get'em" and then I think, "oh man this sucks" and then I start living the benefits and then I'm hooked :) At least for a while, right?
Anyway, replacing worldy thoughts or negative energies with God's word is starting to become the way I want to live.
and I like it.
Sunday, November 7
Saturday, November 6
Started reading a book on
Started reading a book on how to read the bible... Was struck by the importance of the holy spiit. Id forgotten him...
Friday, November 5
Thursday, November 4
Struggling Pastors
I found this blog/entry when searching for more insight on the book of James:
http://strugglingpastors.com/2010/11/01/the-difficulty-of-preaching-through-the-book-of-james/
http://strugglingpastors.com/2010/11/01/the-difficulty-of-preaching-through-the-book-of-james/
Wednesday, November 3
Ethereal
So I hauled Halloween costumes back from my office today and just like a week ago I felt puffed up with celestial beauty because those tinsely angel wings were adorning my tote bag and with it slung over my shoulder I felt like a pretty pretty heavenly being again.
I kinda want that feeling every day!
OH! And the Bethany bookstore was out of 2009 spring concert cds (they still have cassettes left) so I got the 2008 spring concert cd (it came in the mail today) and that's the one I remembered more anyway I think. I LOVE IT!! Can't wait to play it to Charlotte so she can learn the parts with me!!!
I kinda want that feeling every day!
OH! And the Bethany bookstore was out of 2009 spring concert cds (they still have cassettes left) so I got the 2008 spring concert cd (it came in the mail today) and that's the one I remembered more anyway I think. I LOVE IT!! Can't wait to play it to Charlotte so she can learn the parts with me!!!
Tuesday, November 2
Monday, November 1
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