Sunday Silence

And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name." Luke 1:46-49

Sunday Silence

He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' " Ezekiel 37:2-6

Sunday Silence

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." - John 4:13-14

Sunday Silence

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." Genesis 12:1

Sunday Silence

"Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him..." Psalm 32:2

Sunday Silence

"...Jesus...was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light." Matthew 17:1-2

Sunday Silence

"The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?" Psalm 27:1

Sunday Silence

"It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. " Revelation 21:11

Why Ps. 103:1-5 Is My Story

Psalm 103
Of David.
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 103:1-5 is the theme of this blog. Specifically, vs. 5 filters my blog content. I want to concentrate on "The Good Things", because my nature is just the opposite.

Psalm 103:1-5 is my story, mine and my husband's. These five verses have marched through our lives like an advancing army. There was little remaining when we reached vs. 3.

Then God began His redeeming work in vs. 4. And now, in vs. 5, He is renewing us.

On January 1, 2002, my husband's long hidden addiction to pornography tore into our lives. It shredded our ministry, our security, our marriage, our home. 2002 was spent in a dark basement, trying to pick up the pieces.

During that first year, we found a church that would love and accept us, found counselling, and began to learn the reality of vs. 3.

Over the course of four years, God freed my husband, healed our hearts and wove our family back together. It wasn't easy. We fought sin, depression, and poverty. But beautiful things came out of that time of fire.

On January 1, 2006, the same church that walked beside us, asked my husband to be their pastor. Now we minister together to the same people who ministered to us. Clearly God worked the miracle of verse 4 in our lives.

Today, we live in verse 5. The hurts of the past sometime still threaten us. The burdens of the ministry can weigh upon us. We sometimes still feel charred and tired and old. But I feel God calling us to find "The Good Things" and to join Him as He "renews our youth like the eagle's".

There are many things that bring me joy: some big, some small. They may not excite you, but that's OK. This blog is for me. My project to chronicle what brings me joy and what is renewing my youth.

I pray you find a bit of joy when you visit here.

Satisfied with The Good Things

I'm a negative thinker. I come from a well-stocked gene pool of negative thinkers. Why God made me a pastor's wife is beyond my ken. Maybe 1 Corinthians 1:27 is the key...

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise...

Negative thinking is a challenge. It's a challenge when trying to love five children. It's a challenge when trying to relate to a husband. It's a challenge when trying to serve a church.

If there's one verse that has helped me as a pastor's wife, it's Proverbs 17:28. I've toyed with making it my life verse.

Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he
holds his tongue.

This verse works! I wish I had cash money for every time someone has complimented me on my gentleness, wisdom, accomplishments, peacefulness. My peacefulness!?! Ha!

But I've only mastered this verse in public settings. My family gets full view of my negativity and knows who I really am.

A few years ago I committed the first five verses of Psalm 103 to memory. I've decided to meditate on those verses, using them as a springboard for positive thinking. God has done many, many good things in my life. It's my goal with this blog to share them.

God has done some amazing and miraculous things in my life. I will share those. But God has also done equally wonderful things in small details of my life. I will share those too. So I have two self-imposed criteria for this blog: 1) share something good for me; 2) share something good for someone else.

Psalm 103

Praise the LORD, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.