What today looks like for me...

Had a bad cold for the last 2 days and it's not getting any better. So I thought I would just get lots of rest and catch up on some reading.
The Screwtape Letters are my first C.S. Lewis read... I know, I know, for as big of a reader as I am this is shameful that this is my first Lewis book. Nevertheless I started it today and am 50 pages in. Love it! Such an insightful book in dealing with the reality of spiritual warfare. Hopefully this will help me become a little better at fighting temptation and waging war against little bits of sin that seem insignificant and normal.
I've been able to read a lot over the last few months. Since November I have read:
The Shantung Revival- by C.L. Culpepper
Holiness- by J.C. Ryle
Marriage to a Difficult Man (Bio on Sarah Edwards)- by Elisabeth Dodds
The Holiness of God- by R.C. Sproul
Bio of Elizabeth Prentiss "More Love to Thee"- by Sharon James
Spiritual Depression- By Martyn L. Jones
There might have been one of two others I'm forgetting but all these books were great and I would especially recommend the last three!
Right now I'm currently reading-
Screwtape Letters and The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God- by D.A. Carson....
I think I'll be starting "Keep in Step with the Spirit" - by Packer soon as well.
So I've decided to try to set a goal for the number of books I wanna read by the end of this year...and I think I'm gonna push for 25 more. I think the hard part will be deciding which ones.... so I'll try to make a list and post those for next time.

My Fabulous Husband...

In the 892 days that Jason and I have been married, I have never questioned whether I married the right man. Now don't get me wrong- there were moments that were really hard but I can quickly say I have never regretted becoming his wife... and last Friday night was just another reason why I love belonging to him.
We always try to have date nights on Friday nights- Jason is usually in charge of planning the night and sometimes their casual and other times their a bit more extravagant. They hardly ever include going to the movies so he really does have to try hard at planning...
Last Friday afternoon I was finishing up Bible study with some college girls when Jason pulled in the driveway from work. The girls and I have been trying to make our way through the book of John and so it was oddly providential that those two hours actually revolved around women's roles in the church and then into what it means to be submissive in marriage. I tried to share any wisdom I have gained in the last 880 some days and remember telling them that being submissive will never be an extremely difficult task when they marry a man who joyfully lays down his life for his wife, like Christ did for the church, on a consistent basis. The more the husband loves the wife, the way Christ does the church, the more submission will feel like a delight than a duty. Equally the more the wife joyfully respects and submits to her husband, the more eager he will be to guide and protect her at all costs.
Anyways.... I thought it was such a sweet moment when Jason walked in the door with a dozen white roses for me. I don't get flowers very often and so I thought this was such a sweet moment that our Father wanted the girls to see.
After they left, Jason and I went to get some Chinese food ... when we came back to the house he asked me to stay in the car for a couple minutes while he did something inside....
He then told me I could come to the front door where I found this....

Of course I said yes and then came in to find this sign hanging from the ceiling...

I asked him if he had a sign for if I would've said no, and apparently he was pretty confident, and probably rightly so...
So I came in the living room to this, with Norah Jones playing in the background...


I laughed as I came over to him and saw our three scrapbooks I had made of us sitting on the coffee table...

Jason asked if I would dance with him (and of course I did) and then we looked through our scrapbooks and laughed as we talked about our relationship over the last 4 years- it was a great night and another reason why I silently thanked the Lord as I went to sleep- for the beautiful, difficult, and gracious gift of marriage.

Holiness or Enmity?

Time with the Lord was very helpful this morning- as always. I have been camping out in the book of James and part of me is ready to be done with it because I keep seeing how much I miss the mark and realize I'm not doing near as well as I thought. But the other part of me realizes how good this knowledge is, IF it leads me to obedience.
This morning I feel the Lord really changed how I view pursuing holiness as I meditated on James 4:4... "You adulterous people. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
I know, I know, the verse doesn't say anything about pursuing holiness but I just think it's the exact opposite of what holiness looks like. If I had to summarize what holiness is, I might say something like a consistent desire to please the Lord in all things. I think friendship with the world would be a desire to be applauded or accepted by the world. So because of this verse I see not only the necessity of pursuing holiness but I also see how gracious the opportunity is to pursue holiness.
I think it would be safe to say that you are either an enemy of God, or you are a friend. So unholy people are enemies of God. Doesn't that terrify you like it does me?
I know of nothing worse than to be an enemy of God Almighty. I also know of nothing better than to be His friend. Which makes the opportunity to pursue holiness a great gift from our Father. In His urging of us to be holy, He is also urging us to be His friend. He is protecting us from the danger of being destroyed as well. This morning, I could not help but praise the Lord for the opportunity to pursue holiness through Jesus Christ. This helps me see holiness as such an attractive goal rather than a duty or obligation.
I also thought about why this helps me long for more holiness in my friends, my church, my family. I do not want them to be an enemy of God, I so long for them to have an ever increasing personal, intimate, joy filled relationship with the Father.
I pleaded with the Lord this morning to protect me from dangerous friendships with the world- the obvious ones, and the ones that have the potential to creep in unnoticed.
Choosing holiness means choosing God and that makes the pursuit of it such an easy choice.

"Give and Get!" - Offering for Lottie Moon

12/14/09- Update- We have over $100 going to Lottie Moon from the book sales- so I just wanted to let you know what books were still left (see list below) and list two more we want to sell....
Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners- John Bunyan
Revival- Richard Owen Roberts


12/2/09** Update- Less than 24 hours after this post, we have $60 ready to go to Lottie! So I've removed all the books that have already been bought. Also, if you think you might not be willing to pay for shipping we can probably get them to you without having to worry about that. Just let me know. Thanks for your help!



Hopefully you have heard about the tragic truth that Southern Baptists have done a terrible job when it comes to giving to Missions- we fell so short of our goal last year that the International Mission Board has had to suspend 3 programs and will probably be pulling about 600 missionaries off the field very soon. This fact has hit home as we have dear friends who feel the call to go and yet cannot because their is no money to support them. People are leaving their families, their homes, and all the comforts we know here in America and boldly proclaming the gospel to the unreached and because we have failed to give, they are having to leave. According to surveys, we spend more on pet food and athletic shoes than we do on missions. How broken we should be over this!
Our pastor has been encouraging our church to evaluate how to give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year. Jason and I want to make sure that we will be giving sacrifically this year- and that will probably mean doing without a lot of the things we want. One of the ways we want to give this year is by selling books and giving 100% of the proceeds to the Lottie Moon Offering. Please let me know if you would like to purchase any of these- we are looking forward to how this might be a very small way to help spread the gospel.
We also want to encourage you and your family to do without this year and give sacrifically to missions.

Divine Conspiracy- Dallas Willard- $4
The Imitation of Christ- Thomas a Kempis $4
E.M. Bounds on Prayer- $4
The Hiding Place- Corrie Ten Boom- $2
Prison Letters- Corrie Ten Boom- $1
Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ- by John Piper $6

Don’t You Belong to Me? $1

God So Loved the World- Elizabeth Goudge $3
Teah Us to Pray- Charles Whiston $5
The Daily Bible in Chronological Order $3


Roget’s Thesaurus of the Bible Colin Day $5
The New Testament; It’s Background and Message- Thomas d. Lea $5
Leviticus; A Commentary Erhard S. Gerstenberger $15
The Loveliness of Christ- Samuel Rutherford $6

The Passion of Jesus Christ - John Piper $2 (4 Brand New copies)
Mere Christianity- C.S. Lewis $3

A Path Through Suffering- Elisabeth Elliot $4 (2 copies)
The Pastor’s Primer- Hawkins $1


A Time to Pray- $3
Absolute Surrender - Andrew Murray $1
The Blessings of Obedience- Andrew Murray $1
Covenants and Blessings- Andrew Murray $1
New Life- Andrew Murray $2
Be Perfect- Andrew Murray $2
Transforming Grace- Jerry Bridges $1
Basic Christianity- John Stott $3
The The place of help- Devotional Readings- Oswald Chambers $6


A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam $1

The Secret Garden- Illustrated- $1

Weight Watchers Meals in Minutes Cookbook by Weight Watchers $4

Stars On The Sea by Mason, F.van Wyck 1940- $4
The Brothers Karamazov – Fyodor Dostoyevsky $4
The Greatest Story Ever Told, a Tale of the Greatest Life Ever Lived- $3

1892! The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary, Ecclesiastes & Song of Solomon $10
Reno and Lake Tahoe $2
1972 Survival In The Outdoors - Outdoor Life Book $5
Church Aflame- Jerry Falwell and Elmer Towns- 1971 $3
I Believe, But…! – Walter Courtenay 1950 $5
Creating a Succesful Marriage- 4th ed McDonald- $6

The Transition....

Well we've been here for a little over four weeks now and I finally feel like this is becoming "home". I'm not sure if I want it to feel like home just yet but it needs to. I guess I still feel so connected to life in fort worth that it feels odd to be so involved here as well.
I have definitely felt like the Lord has continued to confirm that we are where we need to be- doesn't always mean things will be easy or comfortable but knowing you are where you are supposed to be makes dealing with the transition and issues bearable and in the end- a lot more satisfying.
One of the ways the Lord has confirmed this move is through a simple study group of college girls who are reading through "Desiring God" by Piper- that meets on Sunday afternoons. God has reminded me that He has given me a heart for college girls and that I find so much joy in talking and sharing with them. I am very thankful that He has already given me some of the desires of my heart.
I am still anxious to get involved in some discipleship relationships and teaching opportunities but I know that will come.
The apartment deserves a little more credit than I originally gave it- but not much. =) I have almost every room "done" and put in order except our bedroom - it probably needs a little extra time. Before and after pics will be coming soon!

I have really been enjoying Moses' company. We go for walks almost everyday and he is becoming more and more obedient so I think we might just be able to keep him.


Now things have not been absolutely perfect with him- while he has had mostly good days- he has had a couple bad ones- and his bad ones have been really bad ones.
To give you a glimpse of those days I have included some pics below-
One day we were watching a movie in our bedroom and after it was over I opened the bedroom door to find that Moses peed in the hallway upstairs- so I went downstairs to grab the cleaning supplies to find this:






Yep- lots of piles of poop.
We took pics because we thought others would think we were exaggerating when we said " a lot of poop". The garbage bag we loaded it in- weighed at least 3 pounds. Ohhh so gross.
So Moses was umm.... "disciplined" and let's just say his tail did not wag for the the next 6 hours- and it always wags.
Since then he's been pretty good so hopefully he'll keep up the good work. He has really been enjoying his friends- Gus & Mattie. After wrestling around they both took a break and looked so cute together!


Mattie and Moses like to play a lot and we've started to call her his girlfriend.


Moses also enjoyed the lake with us the other day- it was beautiful so I took a couple shots.





I will try to be better about updating and maybe I'll be succesful in posting again this week.

Change... A Love / Hate Relationship.

For many of you who have not heard yet, Jason and I will be moving to Louisiana in a very short month. We are so excited and thankful that the Lord has given us direction and has prepared some incredible oppoutunitites before us. I am thankful that I serve a God who has my best interest at heart and even though He is not obligated to give me direction and guidance, He does and that is something to be incredibly grateful for.
So a lot is about to change. I will move to a state that I have never lived in before, downsize from a four bedroom house to a two bedroom apartment, probably have to say goodbye to my sweet dog Moses, get used to community laundary facilities, leave incredible friends, get out of my comfort zone and make new friends, leave a very God-centered church family,as well as leave the possibility of living near my family, and get used to not working with my best friend and husband everyday. Not to metion a whole list of other things I have not realized just yet.
But this change also brings so much good news and oppourtunitites and so I believe it is worth the tradeoff.
Moving means I first of all need to realize how good God has been to us in these last two years in Fort Worth. Our jobs, friends, and church have been such an amazing blessing that they will all be hard to "top". I am glad that it is hard to leave because that means that the Lord gave us a tremendous amount of gifts here- people invested their lives in us in a very short time and that is something to never take for granted.
Moving also means starting to flesh out a dream God has given both Jason and I and that dream is discipling internationals and helping them desire to go back home and reach their people for the glory of God. How incredible it is to know that God has not only given us that desire, but that He will accomplish it since He has started the desire, and that we are about to begin the journey!
Moving also means I finally will have a bigger oppourtunity to disciple college girls. For the last year the Lord has been overwhelming me with the desire to teach and invest in girls and the thought that I am going to be able to do that is about to make me explode with joy!
Moving also means learning to support and come alongside of Jason in a new way. He'll be embarking on some new territory and I will need to serve him and encourage him as he discovers and prays through what it needs to look like. I am excited about how the Lord will grow our marriage concerning this area!
And last and proabbly least, moving means I get to re create our home. I am so excited about being able to decorate a new place and embrace the difficulty of making an ugly apartment into a cozy and welcoming home. I'll post before and after pics- cause I'm a dork like that. =)
It's really hard to contemplate that I only have 24 days left here in Fort Worth, only 9 days left at work, 3 Sundays at church, and 2 more times to meet with our caregroup. Wow, that makes me tear up pretty quickly.
Please pray that this change will be bitter sweet in all the ways it needs to be and that God will be the One we rest in during this time. I was looking back through some journal entries I wrote a couple years ago and saw a statement I made that is still true today: I would rather have God's presence in the darkness than His absence in the light.

Worth the Effort....

So I have this great friend named Robin (www.rolesofrobin.blogspot.com) who shares my love in bargain shopping! We love being frugal with our money and thrive on getting good deals. Robin has for some time now, been writing about her amazing deals with her use of "price-matching" and coupons. (For anyone who does not know, Wal-Mart accepts any competitor's ads and will match their prices.) She has been encouraging everyone to save ads and flyers and use them at Wal-Mart (since they already have good prices). So I took her up on the challenge. I saved my ads, went through and found deals on the groceries I needed to get, wrote my list out and shopped away!
I was blown away at my savings!
So I thought I would share as a means of encouraging others to see how much money they could save. I know you may feel like it's too much of a hassle and maybe it isn't worth the effort for you but after I saw the receipt I knew I was going to be addicted. So here is a pic of just the groceries I used price matching on. The total I spent for these items was $27.96 (and that includes 13.5 lbs of meat!):



And here are the numbers:
2lbs of Velveeta Cheese: Regular Price: $4.98 Sale:$3.99 = Savings of $0.79
(2packs)Philadelphia Cream Cheese: Regular Price: $1.23 Sale: $0.99= Savings of $0.48
Ground Beef (4.5lbs): Regular Price: $10.21 Sale: $3.55= Savings of $6.66!!!!!
(2 packs) Green Giant Vegetable Steamers Regular Price: $1.27 Sale: $0.99= Savings of $0.56
Life Cereal- Regular Price: $2.25 Sale: $1.99= Savings of $0.26
(12) Limes- Regular Price $0.22 each Sale: $0.08 = Savings of $1.65
(5lb bag) Russet Potatoes: Regular Price $2.25 Sale: $1.29= Savings of $0.96
Whole Chicken Fryer: Regular Price: $4.98 Sale $2.74= Savings of $2.24
Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts: Regular Price $2.20 Sale: $1.99= Savings of $0.21
(3Cans) Rotel: Regular Price $0.83 each Sale:$0.37 each= Savings of $1.38
And last but my favorite:
(5 lbs)Boneless/ Skinless Chicken Breasts: Regular Price: $13.98 Sale: $1.27 (lb)= Savings of $7.63!!!!
So that means if I would have paid regular price I would have spent $50.72, and I only paid $27.96 which means I saved: $22.72!!!!

So there's my attempt to encourage you to take a little time and try out price matching. I also just got a Sunday paper and went through the coupons in there so it'll be interesting to see what great deals I can get with combining price matching and coupons.
It has been really interesting learning all kinds of new responsibilities as a wife this last year and a half. And honestly I've enjoyed learning to grocery shop, cook creatively, host dinners, learn ways to save or make money, and keep a clean, inviting home.
I'm actually really thankful that the Lord gave me this role and opportunity to take care of my house and the needs of my family. Although some days I'd love to have a chef, maid and probably a nanny (for future kiddos), I'm ultimately thankful that He gives me the grace and wisdom to slowly learn what it means to model my life after Proverbs 31. Hopefully I will remember to always see these roles as opportunities for growth and joy and not simply roles I am obligated to fulfill just because.