Arky, arky!

For those of you who have asked for info about "Noah," here's a link with showtimes, seats, and ticket prices: http://www.lifehousetheater.com/.



(Photography by Jane Cason; used by permission of Dustin Ceithamer.)

Boiling pasta, shredding TP, and stuff that really matters

Today was hotter than a boiling pot of pasta. Just thinking made me sweat, and I may need to take a third shower before bed so I don't stick to my sheets.

My little Lucy cat is presently curled up in my chair with me, suffering from separation anxiety. I haven't been around much in the last two weeks, and she's made every effort to communicate her disapproval. Despite my creative attempts to outwit Luce, I have lost three rolls of TP to her. When she's angry, she drags a roll into the living room and shreds it into microbial-sized pieces.

In case you're afraid that I may be joining the ranks of bloggers who talk only about their mindless nothings and trivial happenings (such as "today I went to the grocery store" and "I think I'll paint my toenails blue tomorrow"; I mean who really cares if it was hot today or if Lucy is curled up in my chair?), I'll get to the point of what I really wanted to share here: a fabulous Scripture that has deeply encouraged my heart tonight!

"Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, 'In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.' Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him." Isaiah 30:15a, 18

Return.
Rest.
Be quiet.
Trust.
Wait.

If I was being tested on those five practices, I'd probably get an F. (Laughing. Now crying.) But what precious hope for people like me--the call to these habits is sandwiched in between wonderful truths of who God is!

The Lord is God.
He is the Holy One of Israel
The Lord waits to be gracious.
He exalts Himself to show mercy.
He is a God of justice.
He blesses those who wait for Him.

Friends, I hope this coming week is full of resting in and trusting God, quieting ourselves in His presence, and waiting on Him for all that we need.

Blessings on you all as you do!

Got emotions? (Yeah, me too.)

Sometimes I cave to a flood of emotions that seems to mock the dam that is my will.

Hmmm. That was very wordy. In simple terms: I’m a girl.

Now before I’m misunderstood, let me quickly say that I believe emotions are good, wonderful, and God-given. Throughout Scripture, we’re commanded to “emote” in a variety of ways: be at peace, have joy, delight in the Lord, don’t lose our zeal, feel awe, praise God, don’t fear, and so on. Our emotions are part of the whole; we cannot separate them from the body, soul, mind, spirit, will. But there’s a fine line between commanding our emotions and being commanded by them, glorifying God with our emotions and glorifying the emotions themselves.

So once in a while, especially when I’m drowning in emotion (whether it be fear, condemnation, jealousy, pity, anger, etc.), it’s helpful to meditate on a simple Scripture such as Luke 6:47-48.

"Everyone who
comes to Me and
hears My words and
does them,
I will show you what he is like: he is like a man
building a house who
dug deep and
laid the foundation on the rock.
And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built."

Come.
Hear.
Do.

Dig deep and lay a solid foundation.
Don’t let your house be shaken by the flood.

I love Jesus’ simple words to my complicated heart. I will go to Him. I will listen to Him. I will do what He says.