eternal truth

The scriptures are shallow enough for the babe to drink from without drowning, and deep enough for the greatest theologian to swim in without ever touching the bottom.

-St. Jerome

God's plan unfolds

May vineyards flow from all the good the Lord has brought to me,

And richest life extend throughout the land for all to see

That not of my good will or sense the plan unfolds this way,

But in the gracious mind of God tomorrow forms today.

Copyright 2000, Kevin Hartnett

Christmas Joy

Royal King of Kings, Ancient of Days

Oh sing out now with song of praise.

Born in a manger, a baby lay

It was the first, best Christmas day.

Noel, Noel, sing all the earth

Sing of the Savior's lowly birth.

Our voices gifts to use for Him

No time to waste; He will return.

(By Zella May Robinson, my great-grandmother.)

This was a lady who passed down a faithful legacy to succeding generations. When my mother was just a young girl, Zella May prayed for her and for the children whe would have one day. She prayed for me, although I never knew her.

I want to know Christ

All I once held dear built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this.

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You're my all, You're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord

Now my heart's desire is to know You more
To be found in You, and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All surpassing gift of righteousness

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You're my all, You're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord

Oh to know the power of your risen life
And to know You in your suffering
To become like You in your death my Lord
So with You to live
And never die

Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you
There is no greater thing
You're my all, you're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord

(by Graham Kendrick)

This song is especially meaningful to me because the lyrics are a paraphrase of a passage in Philippians, written by the Apostle Paul. Recently I have studied this book in depth, and it is so rich in thought-provoking wisdom and truth.

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead

(Philippians 3:7-11).

Am I willing to surrender everything and suffer for the sake of Christ? Do I consider earthly things as "rubbish" compared to the glory of Christ? Do I strive for righteousness of my own, apart from the grace of God? Or do desire with all my being to know Christ? Lord, may this latter be so!

You were faithful

When I enter Heaven's glory
And I see my Savior's face,
I will offer Him ten thousand years of praise.
Then I'll find that special one
In whose life I saw God's Son,
And through tears of joy with trembling lips
These words I'll say:

I saw Jesus in you,
I saw Jesus in you.
I could hear His voice in the words you said
I saw Jesus in you.
In your eyes I saw His care,
I could see His love was there.
You were faithful,
And I saw Jesus in you.

When I stand before my Father
To receive my life's reward,
And my soul is bathed in God's eternal day,
When this race on earth is run,
And God sees the works I've done,
More than any thing I long to hear my Father say:

I saw Jesus in you,
I saw Jesus in you.
I could hear His voice in the words you said
I saw Jesus in you.
In your eyes I saw His care,
I could see His love was there.
You were faithful,
And I saw Jesus in you.

(written by Ron Hamilton)

Modesty Survey!

Check this out!

I plan to participate in this survey. Will you join me?

winter wonder

"To a Snowflake"

by Francis Thompson

What heart could have thought you?--
Past our devisal
(O filigree petal!)
Fashioned so purely,
Fragilely, surely,
From what Paradisal
Imagineless metal,
Too costly for cost?
Who hammered you, wrought you,
From argentine vapour?--
"God was my shaper.
Passing surmisal,
He hammered, he wrought me,
From curled silver vapour,
To lust of His mind:--
Thou couldst not have thought me!
So purely, so palely,
Tinily, surely,
Mightily, frailly,
Insculped and embossed,
With His hammer of wind,
And His graver of frost."

(Reprinted from An Anthology of Modern Verse, Ed. A. Methuen. London: Methuen & Co., 1921.)

path of purity

"When you chose to follow the way of purity, did you expect it to be easy? When you decided to wait for the best, did you think that waiting would be fun? Did you think that your faith would not be tested? When you decided to take the narrow path, did no one warn you that difficulties, hardship, and tears would be a part of the journey, and that you would often face rejection from others and be force to walk alone? My daughter, that which you wait for the longest you treasure the most, and through much struggle the prize is won."

(excerpted from Before You Meet Prince Charming, by Sarah Mally.)

Bright Lights

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of speaking at a Bright Lights retreat in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Bright Lights is a ministry dedicated to training young ladies to be strong for the Lord in their youth. The leader of this particular group is Erin Greer, a good of my family's.

This retreat's theme was A Basket of Flowers, by Christoph Von Schmid. The topic of my session for 8-11 year-old girls was hospitality. I enjoyed preparing this talk so much because I got to use a lot of personal stories and ideas. It was also challenging to me, as I studied hospitality in depth. I also wrote a skit for the session, and was so grateful to have three other ladies help me perform it.

speaking during my session

"Becca" and "Lisa"

(ie., Megan and Micah Noel)

l-r: Tiffany, Mrs. Carson, Megan, and me

l-r: Tiffany, Cassie, (my friend who came with us to the retreat,) and Megan

lunch

At the retreat, I was thrilled to get a copy of Sarah Mally's new book, Before You Meet Prince Charming. This is a book on purity that I would highly, highly recommend for all young ladies.

my weekend

Hi friends!
I was out of town last Friday through Monday, in case you missed me. :) I'm sure you all would like to hear about my weekend, especially when I say that I saw the President! Yes, its true! Here's the whole story:

Friday, my mother, my sister, and I went to Topeka to work on Jim Ryun's campaign. A rally was planned for Sunday, to which President Bush was coming to endorse Jim Ryun. (For those who don't know, Jim Ryun is our U.S. Representative.) Friday night we painted signs for the rally, and on Saturday we campaigned door-to-door in Topeka and Manhattan. That night we also did campaigning via phone. Sunday morning we had group devotions, and then rushed out to place literature on cars at various churches. At 10:45 we had a tour of the expo center before the Secret Service did their security sweep. By 2:00, we were back at the expo center, through security, and at our posts. Our job was to monitor the media and press, and make sure they were in their assigned area when the President arrived. Over the next four hours, about 9000 people flooded into the expo center. Jim Ryun, Phil Kline, Tom Barnett, and the other Republican candidates were on stage. At about 6:10, the President entered, to the sound of loud cheers and a standing ovation. As he spoke, the audience applauded and voiced their approval at almost the end of every sentence. President Bush spoke of his respect and admiration for Congressman Jim Ryun, and how he desired to see him continue in office. When he had concluded his speech, the President greeted some of the crowd personally. Then he returned backstage as the whole assembly wildly applauded. The crowd gradually dispersed, and we left about 8:30, exhausted, but exuberant. The next morning we campaigned door-to door again in Manhattan. Once we got back to Topeka, at about 5:30 that night, we left for home. It took me a couple days to get rested up again, but now I'm back to my usual self!

Personally, it was a beneficial experience for me. At first I was nervous at the thought of calling and knocking on the doors of complete strangers. I soon realized, however, that it was not a big deal at all. In fact, I kind of liked it, and I'd like to do it again. Imagine that. :)

Miscellaneous things I learned:
-contrary to what the media says, lots of people greatly appreciate President Bush
-having a position at a political rally has the tendency to go to one's head
-when bored, one can disguise oneself quite well using only tape and a Sharpie (see pictures on Bryant's blog)
-standing for seven hours on a concrete floor makes one's back and feet ache
-it is possible to gain massive amounts of muscle in on one's legs in one day just by walking

Be sure to check Bryant's blog for more pictures: http://www.whomihavenotseen.blogspot.com/

Jim and Ann Ryun

phone banking

Bryant and I at a restaurant after the rally

Live for Jesus

In a world of darkness
Who will shine God's light?
Who will live for Jesus,
And follow what is right?
Who will pay the price,
And follow in God's way?
Who will God find faithful
On the judgement day?

Lord, I will shine Your light,
With joy and a smile that's bright!
I will seek you all my days;
Lord I want to learn Your ways.
In this world of night
Lord, I will shine Your light.

Who will be a Rebekah
Quenching others' thirst?
Who will be a Mary
Putting Jesus first?
Who will be a Ruth
With virtue of great price?
Who will be an Esther
Laying down her life.

Lord, I will shine Your light
With joy and a smile that's bright
I will seek you all my days
Lord I want to learn Your ways
In this world of night
Lord I will shine Your light

(Who Will Shine God's Light, a song by Sarah and Grace Mally)

Modesty of heart

"No heathen god or goddess has ever had more zealous devotees than fashion, or more absurd and humiliating rituals, or more mortifying and cruel penances. Her laws, like those of the Medes and Persians, must be implicitly obeyed. But, unlike them, they change as certainly as the moon. They are rarely founded in reason, usually violate common sense and decency and uniformly common comfort" (from The Royal Path of Life).

Modesty, on the other hand, is unfading and timeless. Although it may not be the latest "style", it is feminine and attractive. True beauty does not start with external appearance, however; it begins in the heart. A life that is wholely submitted to Christ will radiate beauty. In this way, modesty works from the inside out.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful" (I Peter 3:3-5).

A great gift

"'God gave this gift to you on the day you were born,' said the queen, 'because He loves you so dearly.' 'And now,' continued the king, 'this kiss is yours to keep... or to give away, as you see fit. But use wisdom, my daughter,' warned the king, 'and save your kiss for the man you will marry. Never part with it for the sake of a stranger'" (excerpted from The Princess and the Kiss, by Jennie Bishop).

Shout for joy

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;

it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Praise the LORD with the harp;

make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

Sing to him a new song;

Play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Psalm 33:1-3

Come to Jesus

I would like to share the words to a compelling song by Chris Rice.

Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus)

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live

prayer request

I would like to ask for prayer for some friends of mine. It is for a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Michel, who are involved in the home school co-op I attend. Last Friday, Mrs. Michel had a CAT scan that showed a large mass in her uterus. Tomorrow at 10:30, she will be having a biopsy to see if the mass is malignant. Spiritually, she is doing very well, because the Lord is her refuge and help in time of trouble. She is having some physical discomfort, however, and the doctor has her on medicine for pain. Will you join me in praying that, if it is the Lord's will, the tumor will not be cancerous and the doctor will be able to operate on it? Please also pray that the Lord will be their provider, and that the Prince of Peace will comfort their hearts. Thank you so much.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog! It is with mixed emotions that I start this new venture: eagerness at the opportunity to share the Lord's work in my life with my friends, but also fear and apprehension, because I am brand new to the world of blogging. :) I am sure I'll learn quickly, though, since my sister Bryant is an accomplished blogger who willingly assists me. I look forward to keeping in touch with friends, and maybe I will make new acquaintances via the blogosphere.

As you will soon discover, I enjoy collecting inspirational quotes, and I would love to share some of these on my blog. I also plan to post insights and encouragements that the Lord reveals to me through His Word.

Here is recent insight I gained:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (II Corinthians 1:3-4). This passage is meaningful to me because it promises that God will comfort other people through me, if I am willing to be used by Him. I do struggle, however, with knowing exactly what to say to encourage someone. Different circumstances call for different responses, and I can't always know on my own what will be the most edifying. Just the other day, I found this verse that contains the answer to my dilemma. "The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary." I was so grateful to the Lord for showing me this bit of wisdom. The words that I should say will come through the Holy Spirit! I must just be faithful to minister to those whom God has laid on my heart, and God will do the rest.