prayer (Piper)

"Prayer remains one of the great and glorious mysteries of the universe—that the all-knowing, all-wise, all-sovereign God should ordain to run his world in response to our prayers is mind-boggling. But that is the uniform witness of Scripture. God hears and answers the prayers of his people. O do not neglect this amazing way of influencing nations and movements and institutions and churches and people’s hearts, especially your own."
~ John Piper, What to Pray For November 2006
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2006/1880_What_to_Pray_For/

This is a neat little article that gives a refreshing list of Biblical things to pray for that go beyond ourselves and encompass the "bigger picture" of life. I definitely recommend giving it a look! :)

happy birthday, dad! :)

Happy happy birthday, Dad!You're a blessing to me in many ways! May God continue to guide you in the years ahead.
ps - I feel like a new woman equipped with my screwdriver, my hammer, and nails. I've become quite handy...! :)

my new "babies"

day 1

we'll see how long they respond to my TLC.... :)

I love Northern Ontario!

The French River

family

I’m always super grateful that my parents let me crash at their place while I continue to do my “transition” thing. However, it’s always with mixed emotions that I go back there as a grown adult….In the end it was a huge blessing! Now that I’m “out,” here are some reflections….

Things I was reminded of while living with my family for a month this summer:
- No one can make me laugh quite as hard as my brothers (or at least they’re good competition for you, Sarah!)
- It’s much more fun to cook for a family (or a large group)…and even more rewarding when something I make passes the “brother taste test”
- I need my personal space / quiet time (which usually doesn’t happen there)
- I love having a piano available!!! (I miss it already here in my apartment)
- Family bonds run deep
- My parents are very generous
- I love playing games! Sports, card games, I’m in!
- My brothers affectionately consider me a true blonde
- Pets in the house aren’t my thing….but they still can be cute
- There isn’t always one “right” way….more often than not

I moved into my new place in London and love it! It’s a perfect size and a perfect location for me right now. I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the area, scoping out good rollerblade / bike trails, finding the bank, grocery stores, etc. After living up on the mountain for the past three years, living in the city is a welcome change! (I never thought I’d say that).

faithful GOD!!!

I have minimal time, but I just want to reiterate that
GOD is SOOO incredibly faithful!
I continue to be encouraged by those around me,
by His Word,
and by a host of other day-to-day things.

I stand in awe of that!

[I hope to eventually post some pictures! :)]

Growing

Growing.
Sometimes I think I've come so far...and somtimes I realize how far I have to go. Today I was humbled to realize how young I still am in my faith and in my knowledge in general. I'm a long way from where I was 5 years ago, but there is still so much ahead for me to learn.
I guess that is called the Christian's journey of life and discipleship, but it is humbling to be reminded.

I also noticed today that many of my thoughts and actions are reactionary (whether positively or negatively) - reactions to the cultures I've lived in, the churches I've attended, the people who have surrounded me, the books I have read, etc. I guess to a large extent, most people's lives and thoughts are based on their experience to a certain extent. But I also know I need to be grounded.
I want to be humble in my thoughts - less critical or "assumptionary."
And grounded in God's Word.

There will probably always be a hundred different reasons and rationales and ideas about things in the world and in the church...and we'll continue to live and work together...but the theme that keeps popping into my mind is the need for me to be humbly and prayerfully grounded.