Taking a Break

My intention had been to keep posting through tomorrow. I have several posts in process and a couple of books that I had wanted to post on...but life has caught up with me this week and things are a bit busier than anticipated. So, I will go with it. I will take what life is giving right now and put some things on hold. I will be on a break from my blog until sometime in July-that is my best guess anyway. I hope to be back at it early in July, but we are saying our goodbyes to M, packing our house here, going on a leisurely drive back home-taking in some sights along the way. Should be fun. I would appreciate your prayers as this is a trying time in ways, but also a good time. God is gracious and He is at work. My parents are here to drive back home with the kids and I. We are looking forward to making some good memories as we make the long drive-this time will be made at a much slower pace than when we drove out here in January. It will be good to see the sights. I can still get email on my phone, so feel free to email and be patient if I don't respond for awhile. =) Things are a little crazy right now.

The Passion of Jesus Christ by John Piper

I found this book in like-new condition at a garage sale.  My intentions were to read it during Lent.  I forgot and ended up starting it about a week before Easter and just recently finished it.  

Some things I am still thinking about:

"Being sanctified means that we are imperfect and in process.  We are becoming holy-but are not yet fully holy.  And it is precisely these-and only these-who are already perfected.  The joyful encouragement here is that the evidence of our perfection before God is not our experienced perfection, but our experienced progress.  The good news is that being on the way is proof that we have arrived."

"And what are these "good works"?  Without limiting their scope , the Bible means mainly helping people in urgent need, especially those who posses least and suffer most...Christ died to make us this kind of people-passionate to help the poor and the perishing.  It is the best life, no matter what it costs us in this world: They get help,  we get joy, God gets glory."

"Christ died to save a great diversity of peoples.  Sin is no respecter of cultures.  All peoples have sinned.  Every race and culture needs to be reconciled to God.  As the disease of sin is global, so the remedy is global.  Jesus saw the agony of the cross coming and spoke boldly about the scope of his purpose; "I, when I am lifted up from earth, will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32).  As he planned his death, he embraced the world."

"Our happiest moments have not been self-saturated moments, but self-forgetful moments.  There have been times when we stood beside the Grand  Canyon, or at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, or viewed a stunning sunset over the Sahara, and for a fleeting moment felt the joy of sheer wonder.  This is what we were made for.  Paradise will not be a hall of mirrors.  It will be a display of majesty.  And it won't be ours."

"The origin of evil is shrouded in mystery.  The Bible does not takes us as far as we might like to go.  Rather it says, "The secret things belong to...God" (Deuteronomy 29:29)  The heart of the Bible is not an explanation of where evil came from, but a demonstration of how God enters into it and turns it for the very opposite-everlasting righteousness and joy."

The Beginning of the Goodbyes

I have started packing.  Since we packed minimally when we headed east, most of what we have is in use, and can't be packed until right before we leave, but I have started filling a box here and there.  

We have started saying, "goodbye" and I had forgotten how painful goodbyes can be.  I don't think it ever gets easy to say, but it always feels like a shock to me at how difficult it feels.  And the next week and a half contain many more goodbyes to be said, each will be hard, but they are hard because the relationships are meaningful.  As much as it hurts and as much as I don't like the hurt, I am so thankful for the blessing of meaningful relationships.  They are truly a gift.

@ the pool

we are hoping to get in some more of this fun today at our neighborhood pool

What I am listening to right now...

album, The Ringing Bell-Derek Webb (Thanks Jawan for introducing me to him.)

single, The Wedding Dress-Derek Webb

single, You  Make it Real For Me-James Morrison

single, Super Trouper-Abba

single, Waterloo-Abba

single, Get Rhythm-Johnny Cash

single, I Love You Because-Johnny Cash 

"I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am."

~John Newton