please pray...

Currently Listening The Life and Times of Absolute Truth By Tree63 see related

Some day...

Currently Reading Knowing God By J. I. Packer see related

Domains of Grace...

Well, I almost made it 6 months!  Summer was amazing and school has started...but more on that later (it's just a question of how much later).  I've been thinking a lot lately about sin and repentance.  We should be grieved by our sins, but I am learning that even in our sins, we keep the focus on the sin instead of on God and His grace in freeing us from that sin.  This post is one of the devotions I read from Spurgeon's Morning and Evening:

September 6 - Evening
"If you are lead by the Spirit, you are not under law." - Galatians 5:18

We who look at our own character and position from a legal point of view will not only despair when we come to the end of our reckoning, but, if we're smart, will despair at the beginning; for, if we are to be judged on the footing of the law, no living human being will ever be justified.  How blessed to know that we dwell in the domains of grace and not of law!  When thinking of my state before God the question isn't, "Am I perfect in myself before the law?" but, "Am I perfect in Christ Jesus?"  That is a very different matter.  We needn't inquire, "Am I in myself well pleasing to God?" but "Am I accepted in the Beloved?"  We look at our proof from the top of Sinai and grow alarmed concerning our salvation.  It is much better for us if we read our title by the light of Calvary.  "Why," we say, "my faith has unbelief in it, it is not able to save me."  Suppose we had considered  the object of our faith instead of our faith, then we would have said "There is no failure in Him, and therefore I am safe."  We sigh over our hope: "Ah! my hope is marred and dimmed by an anxious distress about present things; how can I be accepted?"  Had we regarded the ground of our hope, we would have seen that the promise of God stands sure, and that whatever our doubts may be, the oath and promis never fail.  Ah! believer, it is always safer for you to be led by the Spirit into gospel liberty than to wear legal handcuffs.  Judge yourself by what Christ is rather than by what you are.  Satan will try to mar your peace by reminding you of your sinfulness and imperfections: you can only meet his accusations by faithfully adhering to the gospel and refusing to wear the yoke of bondage.

Currently Listening Give Up By The Postal Service see related

So, an update every few months is better than none right???  I can’t believe how fast this semester has gone.  It has been wonderful and challenging, and a big growing experience all throughout.  God is teaching me so much about faithfulness, integrity, compassion, and joy just to name a few.  Instead of telling you about all the details I’ll just give you a few highlights.

·        I applied for SLS and get to be an ARA in Waldock next year.

·        God provided cheap plane tickets so that I could fly home for Spring break!!

·        This is kind of good and kind of bad, but I was able to bring my guitar back to school with me after spring break.  It’s good because now I get to play and I’m actually improving quite a bit.  But it is bad because I want to spend way more time playing when I should be doing homework.

·        I was asked to be the assistant coach of a national Bible quiz team.  God once   again provided cheap plane tickets and my home church is paying for all the other costs except for my gas to drive up there.

·        I got a fish…and named him Japheth (Master’s was flooded the day I got him.  You know, like Noah’s son…the flood…Japheth…cause Noah isn’t a very good fish name, haha.)  He waves at me sometimes (ok, so he’s swimming with one fin thing, but its still pretty cool) and the other day he was pigging out on his little beta pellets and he went for two at once and they got stuck on his nostrils.  Do fish have nostrils??  I dunno, but it made me laugh!

-     I’ve been going through the Psalms in my quiet time and am LOVING it.  I have learned so much, and have been convicted about so many things.  God is really using it to grow me in many areas.  I’m thinking about doing my small group on Psalms next semester, and possibly having the girls write their own Psalm at the end of it.  Any thoughts on this???

·        My summer plans are finally coming together.  I’m taking chemistry and maybe a clep test or two in June.  Then hopefully I’ll be at Koinonia in July.  After that I may stay with the twins at their apt. for a week or two, and then SLS retreat, WOW and then school starts again!

·        Had my advising appointment last week, and I think I’m going to be able to graduate on time (spring ’08), despite not being able to transfer all my credits from MO West.  Sometimes I wonder why God didn't bring me to Master's my freshman year, but I have to remember that He is sovereign.  He sees the big picture and knows what is best for me.  His plans are better than mine could ever be!

·        I found out that I get tax $ back!!!!!  I’m not as poor as I thought I was.

·        I  chapel!  I get to go every M/W/F and worship with, hear awesome biblical truths taught, and pray with my entire school.  What a blessing!

 I was reading over my quiet time journal yesterday, and came across this verse I read about a month ago.  This is the prayer of my heart,  “That my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” –Psalm 30:12