The Village Worship Blog

John and the 2 other worship Pastors, Michael Bleecker and Isaac Wimberly have started a worship blog called Sound Doctorine. It is on the churches website. They have posted some great stuff; I would encourage you to go read. John just did a great 2 part post on how we should be worshipping. It was very encouraging! Check it out here.

Sin Boulders

ok, I hope I am not starting a habit. This is only the 2nd "re-post" I have linked of this ladies blog but I am often moved deeply by the way she writes and more importantly the content of it.
Beau spoke this morning of feeling the weight of "The Fall" and our personal sin. Something I have been working through lately. I love the picture she gives us here and think it is amazing that she lives in the reality of that world. Sometimes I wish that we lived like her family because life seems slower and less full of stuff. Anyhow, click here to read!! Enjoy - and add her to your blogroll!

Do you want to be your idols?

I really felt prompted to open my Bible and read all of Psalm 115 after Matt referred to it last night. He was just referring to verse 1,

"Not to us, Oh Lord, Not to us, but to your name give glory; for the sake of your steadfast love and faithfulness"

Sounds encouraging, right. I always want to give glory to his name, right? In theory I do. But in my day to day actions do I? I think that is why I love that scripture and song so much because I am trying to convince myself that I do, my mind is recognizing that I really do want to but it also sees the discrepancy between my heart's desires and what my flesh acts out on. Keep reading...

Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
⁵They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
⁶They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
⁷They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
⁸ Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.


Wow! I will become like my idols! If I keep making idols of myself, my husband, perfectionism, family, home, etc I will become like them- no voice to speak, no eyes to see miracles, to see the spirit work, no ears to hear the spirit, no way to 'feel' or walk out the freedoms I have in the Lord, no ears to hear wisdom and learn, no "sound" to sing and give praises to the Lord. That weight hit me last night. I don't want to be dead, I want life, freedom- not to be lifeless!

This was a beautiful weight for me because for so long I have had a hard time really knowing what my sin was therefore I couldn't recognize the daily grace that the Lord generously gives to me, nor was I accepting it when I did know that I needed it.

Several months ago, maybe a year, I began asking the Lord to show me my sin**, because I didn't see it but knew it was there. He opened my eyes and my heart and I felt like last night was just a culmination of this. I read the Psalms and just felt heavy. Then we sang "Grace Greater than Our Sin". The two go hand in hand. I have to have His grace because I am up a creek with out it (to put it lightly). That song just brought me to tears. It is His grace that He is showing me my sin, and it is His grace that forgives that same sin. It's His grace that separates me from my sin, he literally removes my sin from me. John taught me about expiation a few months ago and it was enlightening! Not only did the cross provide propitiation which is where the wrath that I deserve it put on someone else (Jesus) but the cross also provided expiation, where my sin is taken away from me, removed forever! Thank you, our Great God!


** I grew up where sin was some big moral failure, some big easy to see struggle or sin- so it has taken so many years to really see my sin, day to day, maybe not what the world would see as sin but things that the Lord constantly calls out- pride,selfishness, dishonor, disprespect,etc...

The Seedbed

I was given the link to this blog for another reason but when I went I found this post. I am not a huge poetry person but this was incredibly moving and challenging to me. For some reason the Lord has given me a heart for the family unit and each part within that unit. I feel that our society has diminished the weight and importance of parenting.
I think she has given us a glimpse of what it should, what the Lord intends it to be and puts some meaning back into it. It is a huge job and holds way more weight than this society allows it. Click here to read! Take your time and even re-read it- I just loved it.

learning new things

So tonight has been a night of learning for me...which is giving my husband a lot of entertainment! Two things I learned tonight:

1. Wrestling isn't real, its all choreographed. Who knew?
2. The White House isn't the Capitol Building. (I am a little embarrassed that I didn't know this)
I feel like I might fail one of those Jay Leno "Jay Walking" segments.

Please comment and let me know if you knew these things.

We are going to D.C. in August with some friends so hopefully I will come away much smarter, I am teaching 2nd graders after all.

Is God Green? and Earth Hour

Is God Green?

This Friday is an event that our church (my hubby) has been working on for awhile and I am very excited about it. It is called "Is God Green" and we will be hearing from Dr. Timothy Pierce about how to think Christianly about the environment.

Earth Hour

Also, to make the weekend even more green, I am looking forward to participating in Earth Hour on Saturday night in which everyone turns their lights out at 8:30 local time. For those of you who are teachers there are also some worksheets available online.

Hope you all will join me in both events!!

Spring Break is over

random photo I took awhile back.

Well, I don't really even know what to post about but really wanted a new post on the blog. Maybe I should ask John to start posting...
Well, spring break is over. Sad day! Technically, I guess I don't go back to work until tomorrow but reality proves that I go back to work today. Yes, I do my lesson plans on Sundays. So, I just settled in at Jupiter House with my latte ( that I am not supposed to be drinking) and I need to start my lesson planning for the week.
This was my first spring break as a teacher and I really feel like it is such a tease! Maybe its that the weather has been so beautiful but it feels like summer. So, like I told someone this morning and I was half joking, spring break just leaves me angry. I am so ready for summer but I have 2 months of teaching left. And maybe me just saying all that reveals alot about my heart and the state of its contentment, or lack of! I saw on itunes that Josh Patterson recently preached on contentment, I really need to listen to it!
In other news, we are going to paint the laundry room soon! We were set to do it yesterday but John was starting to get sick, he didn't though- thanks to Influenza, a natural medicine! So hopefully we will get to that next weekend and I will post pics.
We also have bought several plants lately. I have decided that I love plants. They are so beautiful and add so much to a room! My latest purchase was 3 different succulents, I love succulents! I will post pics of them soon- they look so good!