Graced with Grace

Dear Elisabeth, Happy birthday!!!!!! You probably thought I had forgotten what a gloriously special day it is, but hey, I remembered! It makes me smile to think that God gave me another little sister 17 years ago today. Another little baby to hold, another little sister to play with, a sister who is willing to laugh at all my crazinesses even if no one else laughs, a  sister who brightens my life with her laughter and makes me laugh even when I don't want to or else the sister I can make laugh when you don't want to. ;) There are very few people who understand my humor like you do and are willing to laugh with me. Sometimes all it took was to look at each other in the eyes and then we would lose it completely and start laughing hysterically. You not only bring much joy and laughter into my life, but you have taught me so much in life as well. You have taught me that it is ok to be myself and to be different from everyone else by your own example. You never seem...

Every day brings reminders of how much I must depend on Christ for everything and look to him for grace. But some days have particularly strong reminders of my need for Christ and the realization that I am nothing apart from him. Tonight was one of those days. I attend a rather large church that is very theologically and Biblically sound, nevertheless, today was a fresh reminder that not everyone who goes to this church has theologically sound doctrine, such as the lady that I spoke to before the service. She said that true joy comes from being kind and not being mean. She told me that she didn’t need Jesus to make her good or to be kind, but that she is kind on her own free will. The more she talked the more heart broken I was for this woman. It would be easy in that situation to just agree with everything she said just to avoid controversy, yet I knew consciously that I could not be silent. I had to speak, yet how could I? How was I to explain to her the gospel of ...

Sometimes its the little things in life that make one happy, such as...a leaf! My roommate and I were very excited to find a brown leaf on the ground today in downtown Minneapolis. For your information, this is a rare and precious sight for this time of year.  

  She looked at it It looked so sweet and good It called her name. "Just one bite, Just one bite," it said.     It can't hurt... Or maybe it can. That is where the fight began.     Every fleshly desire Says take and enjoy. It will be good it says. "If it didn't hurt him, It can't hurt you."     But deep inside. She hears her Savior say. "Look at me! All you need is me!" He says.     It maybe sweet. It may be good. But in the end It burns, it kills. Don't partake of sin, He says.   "I love you more than that." He says. "Take joy in me, And let that be. Sin's joy is but a moment, But joy in me is for forever."     She stood still, And looked into his eyes. And then glanced down At the sweet sugary sin. He was right. It wasn't worth it. Not even a taste.   She looked back again At her Savior dear And held his h...

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" Psalm 34:8

        What did you eat for dinner today?

I have always liked flowers and I always will, but I don't think I have appreciated them so much as I do now. This fresh enjoyment all comes from simply living in Minnesota during winter. Minnesota winters basically consist of snow from November to May. This being my first winter here, I am not sure of all the facts about a MN winter, but I can tell you that not only must we enjoy looking at snow for about six months, but some days are just excruciatingly cold, as in negative 20 or 30 or 50 or whatever. You get the point though. Its cold! And then when the warm days do come (positive 10° is considered warm around here) we get super excited. But it gets better! When the weather gets above freezing, like in the past few days, it gets even more wonderful. I have had the pleasure and honor of stepping in just a few "puddles" of water that ended up being like 7 or so inches deep. That makes for some rather cold wet feet. ;) So all in all, winter is wonder and snow is won...