One Quiet Life

It's Tuesday. I step out into the deep pitch of the morning and mentally prepare for the drive. I don't like driving this early.  Out of nowhere, white orbs hurtle toward me. They pierce the darkness and cause me to squint. I fight the urge to just close my eyes. Instead I focus on the tail lights in front of me. I know the one driving will always lead me to safety; he's been doing that for almost three decades now. Still my hands instinctively grasp tighter. My jaw clenches. A podcast keeps me company, diverts my attention from my fear. I glance at the clock and calculate how much time is left in the journey. A few minutes later, I repeat the same exercise. Rural darkness is like none other; it completely engulfs its surroundings. I know where I am, not because I see landmarks, but because I know how long I've been driving. Mercifully, it is over. My husband keeps driving to work, but I park and breathe a sigh of relief. I have arrived. Women start to trickle in. Swee...

Just two weeks into my 2016 reading plan and I'm already reaping the benefit of reading less and thinking more. The slower pace gives me space to tie my reading together and apply it. Though beneficial, I can't say it's entirely fun. In fact, this extended pondering has led to conviction and brokeness. Read the rest here ...

God's promised Messiah was a merciful gift of love to a people who needed both mercy and love. He could come to them in all their pain, brokenness, and struggle, and make everything new. They were desperate for this, and the proof of their desperation was perhaps most evident in the fact that they couldn't bring themselves to live as though this promise was real. ~Russ Ramsey, Behold the Lamb of God The gift of the Messiah is no less merciful today. Right here, right now. In the midst of my sinfulness - my stubborn pride, my harsh words, my critical spirit - God's mercy through Christ pours over me. I am in need of mercy and love. Oh! how great is that need! He meets it, without fail. He comes into my pain, brokeness, and struggle every day. Every day. Yet I am so wrapped up in my flesh that I forget God became flesh and dwelt among men in order to redeem me from this broken world. From suffering and sorrow. From sin and guilt. Like the children of Israel, I am desp...

In 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Paul describes four factions within the church at Corinth.  He sees that the church is fracturing over non-gospel issues. He urges them to agree, to be united in the same mind and the same judgment. David Prior points out that Paul was keen ...on harmony - not unison. He believed that it was not merely possible for Christians of many different kinds to live together in harmony, but that this was their calling from God. Such mutual recognition, giving each person the freedom to express his convictions and insights, would lead to a restoration of true unity... ( source )  This group of believers had come together in a largely immoral city. There was enough opposition to Christianity outside of the church; they certainly didn't need to be fighting against each other. Yet they found themselves divided into cliques. The "Paul" Followers. Perhaps they were devoted to Paul because he planted the church and he was the first one to lead them in the...

Today I'm over at Out of the Ordinary, rambling on with my thoughts on common grace.  You can read it by clicking here .

 Three years ago today, my Mama slipped the earthly bonds of this life. Today, I remember... Nearly three weeks ago, my husband dropped our daughter off at my parents. Several hours later, she called in tears. She'd found Mama unresponsive in the bedroom. And so began the longest two weeks of my life. Even in those first hours, I could see His grace upon grace .  Living only 10 minutes from my parents, and reaching the house before the EMTs whisked Mama away. A dear friend coming in to the ER, although she wasn't scheduled to work. Strength to stay awake all night with my Dad and my sister, as we waited for test results. Clarity of mind to make decisions. Mama was transported to a large hospital over an hour away. During the days that followed, I was blessed with friends nearby who opened their home, friends who prayed, friends who provided meals for my family.  A boss who understood I needed to be with Mama. Traveling mercies on those journeys. An ama...

It seems I’m always one step away from being completely overwhelmed by social media. I’ve purged my Twitter and Instagram feeds and I’ve radically altered my Facebook settings. These changes have made social media more enjoyable for me. I can better process what I see. I don’t feel as if I’m dodging a barrage of words and images being hurled at me at lightning speed. Pinterest is another story. Click here to read the rest.

When our Women's Ministry Team began talking about having a monthly discussion of Housewife Theologian: How the Gospel Interrupts the Ordinary , we were unsure of what to call it. Bible study was obviously out, even though we use the book as a guide for a systematic study on the issues confronting women today; Bible study is just that, studying the Bible . (Jen Wilkin recently wrote a fantastic post about Bible study and Bible literacy). Book club was also a misnomer. We wanted our time together, and the time spent reading between meetings, to be so much more than that. I think we landed on book study because it was somewhere in the middle. (And it was late and we were tired.) Then I read Eric Bancroft's post entitled "The Joy of Theology Reading Groups" . Bancroft's words struck a chord in my heart, perfectly outlined my hopes for our group. I wanted to see the people entrusted to my care know their God better and live lives reflecting joyful devo...

Under the Old Testament law more than 1,200,000 lambs were sacrificed every day. 6,000,000 animals were sacrificed on the first day of the month (see Numbers 26:2, 51; Numbers 28:1-3, 11).  The priests must have been covered in blood. Did their hands ever come clean? Yet the carnage wasn't sufficient; it wasn't meant to be. The animal sacrifice merely pointed to the ultimate sacrifice that would come. John the Baptist recognized it. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) The Jewish leaders, Jesus' followers and His disciples did not. They didn't understand that redemption would require a far greater sacrifice. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.For where a will is involved, the de...

Today I'm at Out of the Ordinary : I've been pondering this idea quite a bit lately, that believers (myself included) are often more prone to speak based on their assumptions about God rather than relying on God's Word itself. Read the rest here .

My pastor is currently preaching through the Book of Exodus. I really enjoy digging deeply into a book of the Bible, so I'm studing Exodus on my own during the week - with the help of Philip Graham Ryken's Exodus: Saved for God's Glory . Ryken's commentary is a wonderful supplement to my pastor's rich teaching. I have been caught up in this Gospel of the Old Testament, struck by the parallels between the lives of Moses and Jesus. While I've been studying Exodus 2:11 - 3:5, the Holy Spirit has shown me that what God did during this period of Moses' life can be extrapolated to my own. The Bible is God's direct revelation of Himself; it is not about me. Looking at a the Word through the lens of my life is a gross error. One I'm guilty of committing too many times. I should look at my life through the lens of God's Word. When I do that - come to God's Word with no objective in mind other than to know Him more - I'm often amazed at ...