In the meantime

Whether they're big or small, we all have expectations:     We expect the mail to come every day of the work-week.      We expect our children to obey us.     We expect our fridges to be filled with food and our houses to be warm during the cold winter months.     We expect others to treat us with respect.      We expect exercise and healthy eating habits to help us keep our weight down.      We expect those around us to be there for us when we need them.      We expect life to be filled with joy and happiness.  And when our expectations aren't met, then what?   Sometimes the sting, disappointment, and pain of unmet expectations go deep, way deeper than we ever thought they would. We realize how much importance we were putting on the fulfillment of those particular expectations to bring us joy in life.  We also discover (whether we want to or not) that those things in which we seek to find fulfillment and validation are all passing; they're all

Awhile back, I mentioned using Journibles.   Have I mentioned how much I like them?!? I've recently finished my Galatians-2 Thessalonians  Journible. This is the first time that I've used a Journible for more than a few days and haven't gotten side-tracked. The more I journible , the more I love it and appreciate the simplicity of the concept of copying down Scripture.  I don't know about you, but no matter how many times I've been instructed in the steps of Bible study--Observe, Interpret, Apply--it is still a complicated and confusing process, and one that quickly overwhelms me. Maybe I'm dense, maybe it is my personality, or maybe it is just my learning style. Whatever it is, I need help in simplifying these steps in my mind, and I think Journibles  have helped to do just that Here's why I love the concept behind  J ournible-ing :  1. It slows me down  Because the idea is to copy down every single word of the passage, I not only have t

The Swans are not Silent  is a series of biographies by John Piper, written with the purpose of reminding us of faithful heroes of the faith who have gone before us so that we might learn from them.  Each book is a compilation of three biographical sketches; each book also has a specific theme that is highlighted throughout the individual biographies.  As Piper shares in the Preface to Contending for Our All, "I am deeply thankful to God that the swans are not silent, and that the list of faith-inspiring heroes in Hebrews 11 did not end with the New Testament. God has worked through the lives of countless saints of whom we should say, 'Though they died, they still speak' (cf. Hebrews 11:4)." (page 9) I recently read three books from this series: The Legacy of Sovereign Joy,   Contending for Our All, and Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ (books one, four, and five, respectively.) The undeniably devotional-like quality of these books was an incredibl