Get in my belly

Auburn just got a new one of these.










*image from here

Trust me. You won't be disappointed.

Choices

I'm a huge fan of Oswald Chambers, particularly the compilation of his preachings in My Utmost for His Highest. My parents gave it to me as a birthday gift years ago and the Lord always speaks directly to my heart through these wise words. Yesterday's devotion was no different.

How incredible is it that God is in control of even our everyday choices?? Choices big or small, He's there, guiding our common sense and aligning our hearts in accordance with His will. But what about when we're stubborn? We're fully aware that His perfect path is in the opposite direction, yet we sprint wide open down our own. It's foolishness that assures us we know best.


Well, I certainly believe there's hope, that even in the midst of all my imperfections and just plain stupidity, God is there--probably lovingly laughing at me, fully equipped to instruct and refine me despite my low-down, no-good choices. He is sovereign and guides me even when I ignore Him. He uses the consequences of my choices to discipline me and reveal more of Himself to me. He chooses me even though I don't always choose Him.

I hope this post will be a reminder to all of us that God is so good. He can see so much farther than we can and His plan is absolutely, positively perfect. I want to listen to Him and allow Him to guide me in His truth, not a skewed view of my own. Way easier said than done. I know. But he is faithful!

He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. -Psalm 25:12

Ray LaMontagne

I never actually saw his face... "Forever My Friend" didn't make the line-up...He opened by dropping the "F" bomb...BUT...we had great seats at the Alabama Theatre last night to see the one and only Ray LaMontagne! And he is just as talented in person as he is on iTunes. Patrick and I also had a bird's eye view of a googly-eyed couple who stood up and swayed back and forth in the middle of the aisle during "Hold You In My Arms"--did I mention they were holding each other?? Appropriate, yet a really awkward PDA moment for the crowd seated around them. Overall, the night was alot of fun. If you ever have the chance, buy a ticket and see Ray live!

He is risen!

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " Matthew 27:39-43

As it rightfully should, the resurrection day of our Savior always cultivates fluctuating emotions in me. Part of me wants to weep uncontrollably, the other part wants to shout for joy. Part of me is ashamed of my sin, the other part feels prized beyond measure that Christ actually died for them. Love, righteousness, humility--exemplified to the highest degree in the form of God's son on the cross. I am in awe.

Though I am in no way undermining these qualities, I was impacted most today not by Christ's love, righteousness, or even humility in suffering on the cross, but by his obedience to remain there. How quickly he could've called upon the Father to redeem him from this responsibility. He had access to the creator of the universe, to ultimate redemption, yet remained. He stayed put.

Judas betrayed.
Peter denied.
Thomas doubted.
Christ OBEYED.

My prayer is that we would be more like Christ and not only be made loving, humble, and holy in his sight, but that we would be obedient to his commands and his calling, despite the cost.


He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Matthew 28:6

the Big Apple

Spring break. Fast pace. Subway hopping. Central Park. Celebrity sightings. Starbucks. Serendipity's peanut butter frozen hot chocolate. Crowds. Trying on expensive clothes for the fun of it. Buying none of them. Times Square. Attempting to see myself as a New York resident. Being unsuccessful in that attempt. Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes. Learning a little more about Redeemer. The Brooklyn Bridge. People watching. And my favorite...seeing our official New Yorker, Perryn!

Preachers write love letters??

Well, apparently. I found this letter on the Desiring God blog and couldn't resist posting it on my own. I was so captivated by it, I read it four times in one sitting. Promise.

Jonathan Edwards to his future wife, summer 1723...

They say there is a young lady in [New Haven] who is beloved of that great Being who made and rules the world, and that there are certain seasons in which this great Being, in some way or other invisible, comes to her and fills her mind with exceeding sweet delight, and that she hardly cares for anything, except to meditate on him—that she expects after a while to be received up where he is, to be raised up out of the world and caught up into heaven; being assured that he loves her too well to let her remain at a distance from him always. There she is to dwell with him, and to be ravished with his love and delight forever…. She has a strange sweetness in her mind, and singular purity in her affections; is most just and conscientious in all her conduct; and you could not persuade her to do anything wrong or sinful, if you would give her all the world, lest she should offend this great Being. She is of a wonderful sweetness, calmness and universal benevolence of mind; especially after this great God has manifested himself to her mind…. She loves to be alone, walking in the fields and groves, and seems to have someone invisible always conversing with her.

I am stunned at the casual ease in which he is able to define her. His words flow sincerely, yet as nonschalantly as eating breakfast or tying his shoes. Is your life such a testament to your maker that others could effortlessly say these things about you?

Time flies.

Good grief. These past few months have been a whirlwind and I can hardly believe that it's almost December. I just finished my last test until finals and it feels SO good. It's like that feeling you get when you wake up before your alarm clock and realize that you have at least an hour left to sleep. My alarm clock will sound again during finals week, but I am free as a bird until then. Thank you Lord!

Over the past month I've been to a wedding, attended several of my brother's high school football games, played lots of flag football, randomly attended a new Sunday School class, and studied like a maniac. Life is good. Fall in Auburn is beautiful. And I have much to be thankful for.

The Wedding. Hailee, Ashley, and I made a road trip to Dothan for Taylor & John David's wedding. Cathryn, Anna, and the three of us all squeezed into one hotel room for the night and had the best time. It was one of the sweetest ceremonies I've ever attended and Taylor was the most beautiful bride. It's so uplifting to leave a wedding and know that God has been glorified through the joining of two of His children. Of course I shed a few tears, but those were all gone by the time we reached the brunch line at the reception. The spread of food was unbelievable and we ate our little hearts out. On the ride home Hailee and I entertained ourselves by making a list of all of our college formal dates. I'll leave it at that. There were quite a hysterical few.

High school football. It's always fun to re-live the glory days and I've gotten to do this alot lately. My little brother is enjoying his senior year as QB and they have already made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs. I've been able to watch several of his games and we're hoping Crenshaw makes it to the Championship! Here's a picture of me and my neighbor from home at the game.

5th year Flag football. Chris, Thomas, Chase, Bo, Scotty B, Jenny, Bethany, Kate, Hillary, Lauren, Amanda, Jessie, Mary Lindsey, Rose and I have all had a ball every Tuesday night under the counsel of our trusty coach John Mark (aka the predator). We call ourselves the "Victory Lap" since we're still hanging onto another year of college. Yes, we even have jerseys. It's great to take a break and cut loose once a week with these wholesome people and so far we're undefeated.

Sunday School. As we were leaving church on Sunday, Alley and I randomly decided to check out the new ladies Sunday School class. I'll admit I was a bit skeptical of just popping in, for fear of what it might entail, but I'm so glad we did it. There were women of all ages and walks of life: married, single, mothers, grandmothers (?? I think). During the class we took turns reading one verse from each book of the Bible that depicts God's love for us. It was different from your typical Sunday School class, but worship knows no boundaries. Those verses were exactly what I needed to hear.

Well, there you have it. Now you know what I've been doing over the past month. I purposefully did not mention studying since it would far outweigh every other paragraph on this page. Hopefully I won't be away from the blogging scene for quite as long from now on. I'll have you know that I've turned into a blog fanatic and absolutely LOVE your posts. So to all you bloggers out there, keep posting.