In the meantime

I don’t really want to write a review or summary of this book.  However, I would like to share a little of what I took away from it, now that I finished it.  In short, it was a really good book. Kevin DeYoung’s style of writing is easy to follow, being spiritually meaty, while at the same time, not too deep for the average person. Bottom line, now that I’ve finished the book, I’ve been challenged in the area of growing in holiness in “the little things:” obedience and holiness begins there.  We all know that if we get enough small things together, they become big. Very related to holiness is the matter of abiding in Christ and having communion with Him. I know…I’ve heard all the facts and passed all the theology exams in school, but the dots are only now slowly connecting on how exactly I am to abide in Him. For starters, the statement “ We obey as we abide and abide as we obey” (pg. 127) is simplistic yet profound. And it helped me to understand...

I just wanted to try some recipes with quinoa, a protein-rich food that seems to be becoming quite popular. But I didn’t have any recipes for it. So I started searching online.  And then I ran into “EVOO.”  It appeared as an ingredient in more than one recipe.  Never before had I heard of such a thing until then.  And then, in a simple search for recipes using quinoa, almost every single recipe called for EVOO.  “What in the world is EVOO?!?” I thought as I scanned through the recipes.    “Oh well, it’s probably some kind of exotic seasoning that you have to get at the health-food store and I don’t want to spend big bucks on it anyway, so I’ll just omit it… After all, one little ingredient can’t make that much difference in a recipe, can it?”  Finally, after coming across probably five or six recipes that called for EVOO, I committed the deed that confirmed my absolute ignorance to the existence of the ingredient....

Ok, this article on why women need theology reminds me of a good friend of ours who is always saying that "girls should care about theology too--it's not just for guys!"  And it is true!  We need to be studying God's Word for ourselves... I like the statement the author makes about the study of God's Word being directly tied to our relationship with God:   " If we don’t study him, we won’t desire him, we won’t become like him, and we will not enjoy him." 

Unlike my husband, I am a slow and very un-dedicated reader.  However, I have started reading “The Hole in Our Holiness”  by Kevin DeYoung (Wheaton, Illinois:Crossway, 2012) and already it has been a challenging read! I don’t know about you, but for me, when I think about being holy, it always seems like something that is far beyond my spiritual grasp. Something that I’ll never quite reach.  Maybe it is because I like to have things detailed and concrete; I like to know exactly what holiness is supposed to look like in my life (but obviously [and thankfully!], the Bible doesn’t list it off as if it were a checklist to complete.) The last chapter that I read from DeYoung’s book, however, was particularly encouraging and challenging.  He made several points that brought home to me the necessity and the “grasp-ability” of holiness in the believer’s life. 1.  The Bible is full of examples of believers being declared upright and godly, walking blamelessly ...

I like Pinterest.  I do find though, that if I spend too much time on it, Pinterest, um, well, to put it bluntly, has a negative affect on me.  Maybe you can identify.  Thankfully, who I am isn't determined by how many things I actually use from Pinterest.  The Gospel According to Pinterest    was a nice reminder that I'm not an utter failure in the things that really matter in life.

A week ago today it was confirmed that we would never hold our twins in our arms…one was already gone and the other hadn’t grown any since the last ultrasound, three weeks before. I never dreamed that we’d be wearing these shoes—shoes that were one minute full of joy and anticipation at the thought of having twins running around the house and the next minute full of sadness and emptiness--but we are…and it is not just a bad dream that we’ll soon wake up from. The facts of Who God is has been an incredible source of comfort.  I have to keep reminding myself of these things   when the smile threatens to crumble under a wave of tears. P e ople around us showing that they care and are praying for us is also a huge encouragement.  The Psalms of Ascent or Degrees (Psalm 120-134) have been encouraging and a reminder of where our help comes from and I appreciate Courtney Reissig's testimony on finding her strength in the Lord.  And I know that the facts of God'...

Or not.  Laughter is good for the soul and I had to laugh as I read this account of “the worst honeymoon ever”!  The poor couple…I don’t think it could have gotten much worse for them! (and don’t worry, there is nothing questionable in this article.)

In a time of sadness and grief, God gave comfort and encouragement through His Word the other day. God is good. “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”  Job 1:21 God has taken away our precious little ones. Blessed be His name. God has allowed pain, but He is the God of all comfort. Blessed be His Name. He is the One Who gave us our little ones in the first place. Blessed be His name. He has made us to be as Mt Zion, unmovable and surrounded by the Lord. (Ps. 125:1-2) Blessed be His name. The Lord has done great things for us. (Ps. 126:3) Blessed be His name.  I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope. (Ps. 130:5) Blessed be the name of the Lord.                   He is good and His mercy endureth forever. (Ps. 136:1) Blessed be His name. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength i...