Oh Lord, this is my prayer! Give me Your grace to live this out.

Take all I am, Lord, and all that I cling to
You are my Savior I owe everything to
Take all the treasures that lie in my storehouse
They cannot follow when I enter Your house

So I surrender all to You
I surrender all

Take all my cravings for vain recognition
Fleshly indulgence and worldly ambition
I want so much Lord to make You the focus
To serve You in secret and never be noticed

Take all my hunger for all that’s forbidden
Every desire and sin I keep hidden
Search me and know me I want to bring to You
A life that is holy and sanctified through You

The Seemingly Paradoxical Christian Life

I gain life through death.

I am healed through being broken.

I expose my faults to gain victory.

So much of the Christian life seems to be a paradox. One of these has become more evident to me in the past few weeks as I have been pondering contentment. "All of us desperately need contentment, a state of inner peace separate from our circumstances. Ultimately, contentment is more a shift in attitude than a change in circumstances" (Calm My Anxious Heart, Linda Dillow, p. 31). We are to be CONTENT in Christ. Our situations should not dominate our attitudes, our beliefs and our moods. Paul writes that "godliness with contentment is great gain" (I Tim 6:6) and states that he has "learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (Phil 4:12). The Old Testament shows many examples where the Israelites were discontent (i.e. complaining and grumbling) and the heart-wrenching and painful consequences of doubting God's goodness. Contentment is not easy to learn and yet it is essential to godliness.

There are, however, certain times in life when we are to be DISSATISFIED. Reading Ecclesiates reminds us that we are not made for this life. Yes, God is in control and He does work good out of all things, but this was not the way that He intended life to be. Death and illness always seem to cause people to question God's goodness, but we should remember that God planned a life for humans that didn't include those things. It was because of our choices that we have evil in our world. Being content doesn't mean never admitting that things are wrong. Life is gravely wrong.

We are to be content in all circumstances resting in Jesus and relying upon His promises, yet when I hear of some dearly beloved saint dying I am reminded that we were not made for this life and that everything that seems so incredibly and unexplainably wrong is simply giving me a deep longing and thirsting for Heaven, where all will be right.

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights;

hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up,

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to possess all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive,

that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,

and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine;

let me find Thy light in my darkness,

Thy life in my death,

Thy joy in my sorrow,

Thy grace in my sin,

Thy riches in my poverty,

Thy glory in my valley.

Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood

Above is the trailer for a recent documentary entitled "Consuming Kids". This past semester my Social Psychology professor showed this in class and then I found it online (via a blog) today. Take a look at it! Here is a link to author Ann Kroeker's blog where she discusses the video and includes links to the documentary on youtube.

Recipe for Gak

Recipe For Gak:

SOLUTION A

         1 1/2 c Warm water

         2 c Elmers white glue

Food coloring

         Mix together until completely dissolved

SOLUTION B

         3 T Borax

         1 1/3 c Warm water

         Mix together until completely dissolved (I usually prepare this in a small container with a lid, such as a water bottle, so that I can shake it before adding it to Solution A)

 INSTRUCTIONS

Pour solution A into Solution B.  Stir around with your hands to mix completely.  Lift Gak out and knead into shape.  Split into portions and proceed with fun!!

Cherished Moments of Solitude

I am not a loner.

I am not an introvert.

I am not a hermit.

And yet...I DESPERATELY NEED TIME ALONE!!!

I realized that this week more than ever as our house is overflowing with company.  This has made me cherish the tiny opportunities I have each day to be silent and be still.  At three separate intervals I found a few spare minutes of time to be alone and I treasured them for all they were worth!

This morning I was awake before the majority of the household and I was able to get ready in silence and have a few minutes to collect my thoughts.

This afternoon I took two siblings and four cousins to the park.  At one point I delegated the overseeing to the next oldest, leaving her in charge of the children on the playground.  I spent a few minutes with my camera in hand and just enjoyed the creation around me.  It's amazing how differently you see things when you take the time to look for the beauty.

And this evening I took five minutes longer in the shower than I needed just to have a couple more minutes of silence!

O Great God

O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore

I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me

 

>> Words and Music by Bob Kauflin
(Based on The Valley of Vision prayer “Regeneration”)

1, 2, 3, 4 Boring Yet Current Facts About My Life

1.  Tomorrow I am going to the doctor's.  blah.  I hate going to the doctor's.  I'm also have a CBC done so hopefully everything will come back normal.

2.  I'm reading Anna Karenina (by Leo Tolstoy) right now.  I've been wanting to read it for a while now, but I haven't gotten around to it until now.  So far it has been interesting, but I am only about 50 pages in.

3.  We are straddling homes right now.  We sleep at our current (rental) house and spend most days at the new house, trying to get all of the work done before we move in  It's strange...I've never moved like this before.  Half of my belongings in one house and half in the other for over a week at a time.  Happy News!!  Today I unpacked ALL of my books.  They have been packed up since we first found out that we were moving from Michigan (several years ago).  It was such a lovely, enchanting feeling to get them out of the boxes and place them on the shelves.  I have such a romantic view of books and hadn't realized how much I missed my overflowing bookshelf filled with texts.  They are all in perfect alphabetical order and just waiting to be grabbed off the shelf and read with relished delight.

4.  I am so, so ready to begin my penultimate year at Cedarville.