Only One Man Has Saved Us

As I'm sitting here drinking my tea, I'm reflecting on the powerful speeches that were just given by some big names in the Republican convention.  Many of these speeches pointed to the one man who could change this country for the better, who could set the tone for a political reformation, and who could save us from the mistakes of our current leadership.

While I believe that they really think that the Republican nominee for president could actually make some positive changes, my heart was stirring because there is one Man who could do all of that.   This one Man made radical changes while he walked here on earth and he continues to make radical changes in the lives of those who open their hearts in response to His calling.  This one Man, Jesus Christ, has the power to radically change this country like we have never seen it before and all we have to do is share and be open about what He did on the cross and how that mighty act of grace has affected our lives.  

When you stop and think about it, do you really live your life in reflection of the cross?  Can the people around you see the power of Christ's death and resurrection as you go about your life?  I'm honestly talking about myself here as I feel convicted in the fact that I tend to gloss over the most powerful event  in history.  The "Easter Story" is not just for Easter, it's for every day life.  We need to daily remind ourselves that because of Christ's torturous death (that was really meant for us) and resurrection, we have been cleansed from all sin.  ALL!!!!! If that doesn't make you leap out of your seat and jump for joy, I don't know what will?  

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that we should be walking around every day living in the JOY that comes from our salvation and that joy will spread to others and with Christ, we really can change this nation for the better.  It is one thing that God has promised:

Psalm 33:12- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage."

2 Chronicles  7:14- "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land."

Invade (Tour of My Nest)

Come, come in
Invade all You see of us
Any man, who'd walk Your road is welcomed here
And You're the only one

Jesus, come and walk the halls of this house
Tread this place and turn it inside out
With Your mercy...

Jesus, teach us the prayers that open these doors
Until Your light floods in and illuminates these floors
And let Your truth be on our steps and in these rooms
Jesus invade...

Reach, reach in
With the hand that heals all our suffering
Conquer all that is not of You

Bring Your spirit throughout

As we fill these walls with Your praise

Jesus, come and walk the halls of this house

Tread this place and turn it inside out

With Your mercy...

Jesus, teach us the prayers that open these doors

Until Your light floods in and illuminates these floors

And let Your truth be on our steps and in these rooms

Jesus invade...

"Invade" by Watermark.
Yep, this is the little studio we are renting as we are in a time of transition.  It's small but I love it (plus it only takes an hour to thoroughly clean!!)  We are now in a time of preparation and we feel God calling us to relocate to another State. Please be in prayer with us while we figure out all the details. We're not even sure yet when we are moving, we just know it's gonna happen and we are both terrified and excited! 
  

    

My Household Mission Statement

About a year ago, I read a few homemaking blogs that mentioned creating a household mission statement in order to set the tone for their homes.   I loved that idea and I began to pray about how the Lord would have me manage our home to the best of my ability and I came up (with the help of my husband) with my household mission statement.  I did well in following it for a few weeks, but I stuck it inside my home management binder and put it up on my bookshelf. Out of sight,  out of mind.

I recently cam upon my mission statement again and I realized how far off track I got.   I am wanting to post it here so that I can have a reminder and maybe even some accountability when it comes to following this statement.

Household Mission Statement  

My ultimate goal is to live my life looking first to the founder and perfecter of my faith, Jesus Christ, as I lay aside all my hindrances of selfishness, laziness and pride and run the race the Lord has set before me- The race of being His daughter, wife to (Husband's name) and shepherd to those He has put in my path.  To work towards this goal;

* I will daily come to the Throne of Grace and commit myself to His good work in my life.

* I will lovingly submit to my husband's loving and God given authority over me and I will strive to be his perfect helper and not to hinder him in any way.  I will deny my selfish desires daily in order to put his needs above my own and I will continue to prayerfully strive to have the gentle and quiet spirit which is precious to the Lord.

* I will strive to take care of myself as I am the temple of the Holy Spirit.  I will make healthier decisions as far as my food and exercise in order to have a more active lifestyle.  Through taking care of my physical needs, I will have more energy to devote to the needs of my home and those the Lord puts in my path.

* I will strive to manage our home in the most efficient way possible, creating an atmosphere of peace, rest and refreshment.

*I will strive to stay connected to the Holy Spirit and His leading in order to encourage and lead those he puts in my path through the various ministries I am involved in, both in and out of church.

Hebrews 12:1-2- Household Scripture. 

My prayer is that this keeps my focused on the important things God has place in my life; My relationship with Him, my husband, my home and my ministry. All in that exact order too.

Learning to Love

"There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more I am dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either  merit or sense."- Jane Austin- "Pride and Prejudice"

I can actually really relate to this quote.  Deep down, I'm really not a loving person and the longer I have lived, the more unloving I have become.  To some people who know me really well (the few I have let in), it's not a surprise but if you only know me through surface relationships, it may come as a shock.  In a recent church small group, I openly admitted that it's really hard for me to love people and it takes a super long time for me to trust someone enough to be real in front of them.  

The thing is, the people in my small group were shocked because on the surface, I am really friendly with many people and even yesterday in church, a woman was glowing over me because she just feels the love of the Lord pour out of me.  If she only knew...  

If she only knew how I am cynical and critical of everyone and everything... 

If she only knew that I don't trust anyone, even her because I fear that people are nice to me in order to get something from me... 

If she only knew that I practically run out of the door after church on Sunday, just to avoid talking to people (I really dislike small talk!) and I was annoyed because she caught me just before I exited the building... 

If she only knew that in reality, I'm inclined to dislike someone right away before ever getting a chance to really know them.  That was my defense mechanism growing up. I figured no one liked me anyway so I would dislike them first before they had a chance to hurt me later on. (I really did have a hard time Jr. high and high school with the typical girl back stabbing. One instance was so bad, my mom actually pulled me out of one school and placed me in another.)

If she only knew how much her glowing report convicted me because deep down, I know I'm not as loving as she thinks I am...

I'm beginning to think that the Lord is working on thawing my cold, cold heart.  The past couple of months I have been convicted on my less than loving attitude and He has moved me to tears as He has revealed to me ways in which I have been unloving towards others.  I was recently reading in John and stopped on Jesus' command to others to love one another:

This isn't just a request, it's a demand. One that I have to admit is tough for me.  You see, what Jesus is saying here is not that we just love one another.  He is calling us to love each other as HE has loved us.  Jesus has loved us with the most sacrificial love and we are to love others in the same way.  Jesus was the ultimate example of God's love toward us in that while we were still sinners and enemies of God, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8)  So even though I have the propensity to immediately assume that people don't like me, or are using me, I am called... No commanded, to love them anyway.  As Christ followers, we are to be that same living example to those around us.  Not only to those in the church,  but to unbelievers as well.  

As I said above, this will be very hard for me.  Please pray with me (and my real life prayer partners) that the Lord softens my heart as I forgive those who hurt me in the past  and to break down the wall of bitterness that surrounds my heart.  I am feeling such a strong pull from the Lord to love others as He has loved me and I need to be obedient to this calling.  

I'll close with this quote from Oswald Chambers that struck my heart:

"The knowledge that God has loved me to the uttermost, to the end of all my sin and meanness and selfishness and wrong, will send me forth into the world to love in the same way.  God's love to me is inexhaustible, and I must love others from the bedrock of God's love to me." 

August Reading

I love to read.  I'll just about read anything I can get my hands on (within reason) and I've been working on reading more Biblical non-fiction instead of fluff novels so that I can really gain a firm knowledge of Theology and I can defend my faith more readily.  I still enjoy an occasional fluff novel, but more and more my husband and I spend our time reading more edifying material.  

One of the problems I face is while I love to read,  I get distracted by other things and my books get set aside in favor of other things (the internet, a movie, etc.)  I am hoping that if I blog about what I'm reading it will hold me accountable and I can actually finish a book in a reasonable amount of time.  I can't tell you how many times I have had to start a book over because I set it aside for way to long.

Here is my list of books for August:

Death By Love by Mark Driscoll- While he may be controversial to some people, my husband and I have him to thank for getting us back on the right track with the Lord.  This book chronicles Christ's death on the cross and how His substitutionary death is relevant for all aspects of our life.

Idols of the Heart by Elyse Fitzpatrick-  I love Elyse Fitzpatrick. I've heard her speak many times and I can't get enough. I loved her book "Because He Loves Me" and I'm excited to dig in this one.  At the heart of every sin lies idolatry and it's important to identify what our idols are so that we can crush our habitual sins and live joy filled lives content with the path our Savior has us on.

Manual of Christian Doctrine by Louis Berkhof-  This is actually one that will take me awhile to go through.  My husband and I are actually studying this book one chapter at a time each week.  This is an abridged version of Berkhof's Systematic Theology so we don't want to rush this one.  My husband went through this book with our pastor and a couple other guys at church (they call themselves "Dudes of Doctrine")  and he was excited to go through this with me.  All I can say is I've done one chapter so far and it's DEEP.  I mean, really deep.

Lastly, I will read something just for fun.  I have really enjoyed The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins and I was able to borrow the third book in the trilogy, Mockingjay from my niece.  I most likely won't post about this since several other bloggers have already done so, and way better than I could.  

So that's my reading list for the month.  I'm hoping to get through one book a week, with the exception of the Berkhof one.   We'll see how disciplined I can really be!