Maybe we all need to Eat Mor Chikin!

Hello dear readers. I write this post with a heavy heart,  yet as one who is joyful because my hope and strength are in the only One that matters. So many sad events have taken place in our world over the course of this year and for some reason they have weighed heavy on my heart more in the past few days. Things from my personal life to national events to international events. It could be the shock of the Aurora shootings that triggered this heaviness, but whatever the cause, the Lord is teaching so much.

As I have tried to analyze the heaviness in my heart, I realize that more than anything I see the sin and depravity of mankind more and more each day. This realization has truly weighted me down. I am thankful for this heaviness though because it gives me the tiniest of glimpses to what our Savior endured on the cross (and I mean tiny!). It is nearly impossible to fathom the weight He bore just from our sin alone...not even taking into account the physical pain from the cross, the nails and the crown of thorns, but the horrid pain of our sin weighing heavy on our perfect and sinless Savior! It brings tears to my eyes even as I write this.  The Lord gave Paul such amazing words in the book of Romans to help all of us understand what a depraved world we live in and how there truly is nothing new under the sun. This scripture passage is just as applicable today as it was then. Romans 1:29-32 says "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."  Is that not us?  Praise the Lord I have a Savior who washed me white as snow and takes away my sin so I can strive to be more like him each and everyday!

The question may be asked "what do I do with such heaviness of heart? how do I respond? how can I help bring change to such a depraved world?" The questions alone can bring heaviness of heart! Our answers in such a time come from the very same place we received our conviction...the Word. The first thing we must realize is that we alone can't bring about the change we so long to see in our world. We have to realize that we are only a vessel that the Lord uses for change and we must be willing no matter the circumstance or obstacles to be obedient to what He calls us to do. You may have noticed the title to my post was Maybe we all need to Eat Mor Chikin?  You can probably guess it has a little something to do with Chick-fil-a president Dan Cathy's recent stance on marriage. You would be right in your guess. What I appreciated about Dan Cathy was that he was obedient to the Word and what God asked of him.  He could have easily just not taken a stand at all and left well enough alone (being politically correct)...like so many of us do on a daily basis. But instead, he proclaimed the truth from the Word of God and used the platform God has given him to be a Christ centered light in such a dark world. He was willing to say with is actions that "no matter what the world may think or how it may affect my worldly business...I will stand for what is right and true!"  So to that I say...let's all Eat Mor Chikin and be willing to say I will stand for Christ no matter the cost! I know it isn't an easy task and believe me, this blog is far more for me than any of you reading along. Though my heart is heavy, I can find joy in the promises of God and I leave you with scripture from Hebrews 4: 14-16 which says, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." All praise honor, glory and power to Him forever and ever! Oddly enough, my heart doesn't seem so heavy anymore....=) Until next time my friends... 

Blogging....what's the big fuss about?

Sorry it has been a little bit since I have posted!  Things have been a little crazy lately. But, I am back and ready to ramble on about some new and interesting topic!  For this entry I have a bit of a bone to pick though. (Read at your own risk! =) Lately I have noticed a rather large amount of facebook posts where people remark that they are sick of reading other peoples blogs.  To which my reply is...then don't read them.  Might sound harsh, but it is the truth. The thing about blogging is that it is basically a public diary in which you allow people to read about your life and the thoughts you want to share. It really is a rather self serving way of communication, but hey, we are all just nosey enough to want to know as much about other people as we can. (Otherwise all these entertainment magazines and shows would be out of business!)  So,  a blog makes it perfectly easy to catch up with people without really having to interact with them at all. By no means am I upset or angry when writing this post, it is just an observation. And since this is my "public diary" I guess I can write about whatever I want, right?!...haha =) What I love about blogs is that I can check in on the people I care about the most and even the ones I am just curious about what they are up to in life. I can read about exciting trips that have been taken or see pics of new babies. I can learn a new recipe or even get an idea for a new book to read. Mainly, I can just be amused by the adventures and opinions of others. All that to say, I am thankful for all you bloggers out there whether I read what you write or not, or whether you read what I write or not.  Each of you knows that sometimes it just feels good to get your thoughts out there even if others don't read them =) To those folks who are sick of reading blogs, you do have the option not to read them. But, if I was a betting person, I would bet you will read them anyway because you are just as curious as the rest of us with what people do with their lives. Why else would you still be reading this =) For those who have stuck with me, I hope you have enjoyed my latest "observation," or maybe at least found it amusing =)  Some may agree and some may disagree. That is the beauty of America though, we have the right to speak our mind....at least for now...unless something changes in November...but hey, that might just have to be another "bone to pick" at another time =)  P.S. I promise my next post will be a little more fun and light hearted! Until we meet again...

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

As a kid, I read this book by Judith Viorst entitled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Many of you may have read it or even read it to your kids.  Most of us can relate to having one of these kinds of days every now and then too!  For me, that day was yesterday. Basically, my car broke down in the grocery store parking lot, I hit my head very hard on our refrigerator door (still feeling the headache from that), my sweet puppy pottied all over my foot in his excitement to see me and we received some sad medical news about Mike's grandma (pray for her as she has a broken hip and pneumonia).  Needless to say, it was a day where one thing just happened after another.  And like poor Alexander in the book, I got very mopey and whiney and just wanted to move to Australia (or least go to sleep and forget the day happened). Let's just say my attitude wasn't the greatest.  My poor hubby can attest to that, God love him!

But as I reflect on the day, I realize, unlike Alexander, there are many things to be thankful for even amidst the times of trouble.  See, Alexander's story ended by his mom telling him that sometimes we just have terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days and we just have to deal with them. While this is true statement, we as Christians have so much to be thankful for in spite of the difficult times in life.  God even blesses us during the middle of our crisis. So, instead of being mopey and whiney, I should have rejoiced in the fact that my sweet friends Amy and Cameron came and gave me a ride home from the grocery store (Mike was at church teaching Sunday school meeting for the first time...I wasn't about to bug him in the middle of that!) I should have been thankful when 2 people in the grocery store parking lot came over to help me and Mike try to figure out what was wrong with my car. I should have been thankful that even though my Lincoln went potty all over my foot at least he has unconditional love for me and is always happy to see me. As for my poor injured head, not quite sure how to be thankful for that except to say at least I have a refrigerator =) All that to say, God takes care of us even when we have tough days, we just have to be willing to look a little more closely and get passed our own bad attitudes.  I didn't pass that test very well yesterday, but thankfully my turn around is getting a little faster =)

I leave you with these verses from Matthew 6:25-27, 32-34, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?.... For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  These verses remind me that God has it all taken care of!  I definitely don't need to worry and I can definitely have a better attitude through the trials of life!  So, there is my little heart to heart lesson for the week. Please do keep Mike's grandmother in your prayers as they get her pass this pneumonia so that she can have surgery on her hip. And pray for my in-laws as they care for her during this time. Thanks for reading! I find blogging strangely refreshing. Helps me get all my crazy thoughts out.  I at least know my mom, my sister and my grandmother get some enjoyment out of it...shout out to them! Hopefully some of the rest of you do too!  Much love...until next time...

Afternoon Tea with Jane Austen

I have said for years (and my husband and family can attest to this) that I was born in the wrong time period. For the record, I am not doubting the Lord and His sovreignty in putting me on this planet when he did; I just often dream of times gone by.  I just chalk it up to my extreme love of history. With that said, I basically would love to visit anytime between the years1500-1900 England. From the halls of King Henry VIII to the defeating of the Spanish Armada under Queen Elizabeth I to the creation of the King James version of the Bible through all the King Charles's and King George's to colonization and the Revolutionary War up into the reign of the magnificent Queen Victoria. Each of these time periods entices me for numerous reasons. Have no fear, I will not bore you with all of them in this blog =) For those that hate history and are still with me I am impressed! On to the topic at hand though.

This blog is mainly about my love affair with the amazing Jane Austen. To understand this love, you had to have my little historical intro. I remember the first time I attempted to tackle a Jane Austen book was when I was studying abroad in England during my junior year of college. I had promised myself that I would finally read Pride and Prejudice in the country it was written in (cheesy I know, but that is what we history nerds do!) As I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time, I was swept up in a time gone by. The time of true ladies and gentlemen when chivalry was at its best and true love was for only a fortunate few. A time when clothes were handmade and as breathtaking to look at as they were to wear (minus the corsets!) A time when the Miss Elizabeth Bennetts and Mr. Darcys were the happy endings every english maiden longed for; including Jane Austen herself. As I sat in the park overlooking Kennsington Palace in London and finishing this incedible work of fiction, I began my love affair with all things Jane and all things England. Since that time I have read as much Jane Austen as I can and seen as many versions of the movies and miniseries that exist (the absolute best is the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth!) Then there are my tea sets, love of scones and black currant tea and the general need to ponder a return trip to England in the near future. Often times we are asked if we could sit down and have lunch with someone past or present who would we choose. Well, I have a fairly long list of people I would choose from (Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Esther of the Bible, The Apostle Paul, Joan of Arc, Jonathan Edwards and the list goes on...) but I always leave room for afternoon tea with Jane Austen. I think we could be quite good friends =)

So, there is a small window into my love of all things Austen. This blog really only scratched the surface but I am impressed if you have stuck with me this long! If I wrote in great detail this would have to be a several part blog. As a final note to this entry, I wanted to share about one of my most favorite things on this planet. I know I can't take it with me to heaven, but I can enjoy it while I am on this earth =) My amazing husband is an incredible gift giver. He is a great listener and when I say there is something I like or wish to have, he files it away and odds are good I will receive it as a gift at some point. During our 2 years of dating/engagement, I mentioned on several occasions that I would love to have an original edition of Pride and Prejudice some day. Little did I know, my soon to be husband went searching for just such an item. The oldest copy he was able to find (that wasn't on display somewhere or cost an arm and a leg) was an 1895 Peacock Edition. The cover is gorgeous with a golden peacock etched on it and the pages are gold tipped. The best part, is it has that old book smell too =)  Mike gave this to me as a wedding gift and further proved why he was such a keeper (there are many other reasons too!)  I think more than anything, Jane Austen meant all the more to me in that moment because I realized I had finally found the Mr. Darcy I had always hoped for. Yes,that may sound cheesy, but to be honest that is the kind of sentimentality Jane would be proud of! Until next time...

Abraham Lincoln Brewster

Confused by the post title? Well let me enlighten you =) Many of you have at least heard of my little maltipoo puppy named Lincoln. But some of you may not know that his full name is Abraham Lincoln Brewster. How did he get that name you ask?  Well it is a morphing of my love of history and Mike's love of music. Abraham Lincoln is of course one of my most favorite presidents (and do not get me started on that horrible movie about Abraham Lincoln being a vampire chaser...that will be a blog post in and of itself!) and Lincoln Brewster is one of Mike's favorite christian artists. So, when we got our sweet little pup two and half years ago that was the name we decided on.  I will just say that even though he is only 8 pounds he lives up to his very long and involved name!  I have posted 2 pictures below because they are so typical of my full of personality pup!  We recently moved to on campus housing at the seminary and there are still some things not quite in place.  For example, the guest bedroom dresser mirror is currently leaning against the stair railing right outside our bathroom waiting to be hung. Lincoln pretty much always "stands guard" outside the bathroom as I get readyin the morning. But lately, he has found it more interesting to look at himself. In pic number one, I can't decide if he is self absorbed or if he really just wants a little furry friend like himself. What do you think?  Of course, he is adorable, but I may be a little biased. The second pic shows his sweet face and why we love him so much!  That is all for today. Two posts for blog launch day...don't expect that again =) Until next time.....

Welcome to the 21st Century

Mike and I are a little behind the times in that we seem to be one of a very few who does not have a blog. Because we live far away from many family and friends, we have been asked to create one many a time.  So, here you go...I finally did it! So glad we made it to the 21st Century.  I can't promise I will write all the time but I will do my best to have a post a week. And I might be able to persuade Mike to do some as well when he isn't swamped with school and work =) I plan to do all kinds of things on here. Odds are very good you will hear crazy stories about our dog Lincoln and since I love to cook so much, you will probably read about this as well. Posts may range from the spiritual to the absolute random. So, if you are that interested in what I might have to say, please come back anytime =)

For this first blog I want to state that our passion is to see people come to Christ and to see the Gospel go forth through out our world. I pray this blog is a way to glorify Christ and share all the amazing things he has done in our lives and the lives of others! I recently saw a facebook post that quoted Louie Giglio and he stated, "the difference between dust and a human being is the breath of God." What an amazing statement!  All we are and ever hope to be is because God the Father breathed life into us! Living life in light of this fact makes the things we do each day have a different purpose. For this reason, and because we are saved by grace, we seek to live our lives to the glory of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ! Our prayer for each of you is Ephesians 1: 16-19a which states, " I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." Much love to you all! Until we meet again...