The Daily Grind

A Celebration of Love

Heather — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:32:00 +0000

Last week I was able to help out a bit at a Valentine’s Day dinner at church. The dinner was only for the married couples of the church. I overheard somebody bemoaning Valentine’s Day and all of the mushy things that come with it. I remember when I used to hate it, too, before I had a “significant other”. This individual was so adamant about how ridiculous the day was. He ranted about how stupid it is to have a holiday set aside to celebrate love. Then a thought struck me. We celebrate Easter and Christmas. These holidays are a celebration of love, for God is love in the purest and deepest form. Then this amazing song popped into my head. I haven’t heard it in forever, but the words are just incredible! Google helped me find all of the lyrics so that I could share the song with you

When love came down to earth
And made His home with men,
The hopeless found a hope,
The sinner found a friend.
Not to the powerful
But to the poor He came,
And humble, hungry hearts
Were satisfied again.

What joy, what peace has come to us!
What hope, what help, what love!

When every unclean thought,
And every sinful deed
Was scourged upon His back
And hammered through His feet.
The Innocent is cursed,
The guilty are released;
The punishment of God
On God has brought me peace.

Come lay your heavy load
Down at the Master’s feet;
Your shame will be removed,
Your joy will be complete.
Come crucify your pride,
And enter as a child;
For those who bow down low
He’ll lift up to His side.

Hot Coffee

Heather — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:18:00 +0000

God has been stretching me in ways that I never would have imagined. Through various circumstances He has revealed to me how desperately I depend on Him. He has been providing so many blessings for me that to sit here and lay them all out would take quite a long while. At times, I feel lost…not knowing what the next step will be, realizing that I am now in the “real world” that every adult always warns a child about before the time actually comes. This real world would be impossible to survive without God here to lead me along the way…to point me in the right direction, provide for me and protect me. The real world is a scary place sometimes, but God is writing my life story. I might not know what is going to happen next, but I know He does, and that is so encouraging!

It absolutely kills me that sometimes I can be so incredibly discontent with where I am. God has provided for me in so many ways and He is my Protector. I know I’m in a safe place and far better off than I could be. Somehow I allow myself to focus on the negative aspects of life.

It’s like when you are given a cup of coffee, not just black, but the yummy flavored kinds with cream and whipped topping and fun little caramel and chocolate drizzles. It’s beautiful. You take the first sip and quickly move the cup away from you. It’s too hot! It’s everything you wanted in a cup of coffee, but it’s too hot! So you refuse it. You choose to not accept this lot in life and leave it to let it cool. Guess what? Luke-warm coffee is disgusting. The individual who so kindly made you the beautiful cup of coffee knew that.

Sometimes God gives you things that aren’t exactly what you’d want, but they’re what you need. He knows what is best for you. Accept what He sends your way. Trust Him.

Wow…

Heather — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:39:00 +0000

Who Needs God Anymore?

November 13, 2008 at 9:32 pm � Filed under News Items

This appeared today on the news and my daughter’s reaction was very interesting. She said, “I guess they DO give Santa god-like qualities, I mean, think of the words, ‘he sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake.’ ”

That was very insightful I thought.

FoxNews Reported:

Ads proclaiming, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday….

Last month, the British Humanist Association caused a ruckus announcing a similar campaign on London buses with the message: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

If most of us really think about it… in the eyes of God we’d like to believe we are GOOD. An honest self evaluation would tell us different.

I like the way Neil puts it, have a read at his blog here, Christmas, Humanists, and Being Good

Warm Boots

Heather — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Weeks ago I met/got to know a sweet little girl here at school. She’s in my campus family and her parents are missionaries to Cambodia (I think that’s where). I wore my Uggs to a campus kids activity we had and she was asking me where I got them and so on because she really needs a pair of boots. If you know anything about Uggs, they’re not really cheap. I think the pair I had on that night (like the ones seen above) cost about $125…a going to school gift my freshman year, if I remember right. I have another pair of Uggs that I just got I think a year ago and the ones I was wearing that night I only ever wear for like playing in the snow or stuff like that. I told her she could have them because she needed boots and I knew (on a missionary salary) she wouldn’t be able to afford really nice boots…and it gets cold up here!

Within the past couple of weeks I’ve managed to go broke. There was a huge error in my checkbook and I ended up with a lot less money than I thought I had and my cash is gone. I’ve been praying that God would provide…I have to survive until Christmas break. Last week God provided some food for me through a care package from my extension church (a church I serve at while here at school).

Today, I got back to my room after a meeting I had and there was an envelope under the door. On the front of the envelope was a sketched picture of boots. It read, “Thank you so much for the warm boots! Here’s a little something for you to like buy a hat for yourself…or maybe stuff to make cookies for Jared this Thanksgiving. Thanks for always being cheerful and singing while you work! Your campus sister, Anna” Inside the envelope was $20! I’m not sure what I’ll do with it yet, probably save it for ABSOLUTE NECESSITIES, but it is such a huge answer to prayer!!

"O Great God"

Heather — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:36:00 +0000

O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore

I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me

Election Day

Heather — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:36:00 +0000

Sigh…it’s election day and a lot of people are going crazy about it. Trust God. The end, and yes, I voted.

Am I Dead?

Heather — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:14:48 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about being dead to self. As a believer, I put off the old and put on the new…the old man dies. I’ve been reading through Romans and in chapters 5-6 Paul is talking about how “…by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification for life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (5:18-19). Romans 5:20-6:1 go on to tell us that “…where sin abounded, grace did much more abound…Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? No.” In verse 2 of chapter 6 Paul asks the question, “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” He explains his answer by asking another question, “Know he not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life…Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” It seems as though Paul wants to make sure that his readers know that “being dead with Christ” is not the end, because in verse 8 of chapter 6 he says, “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:…For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ or Lord.”

So the question could be raised, “What exactly does it mean to be dead to self?” A friend of mine gave me the following:

DYING TO SELF

When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient loving silence, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any lack of punctuality or any annoyance, when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility…and endure it as Jesus endured it, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy or question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstance, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

Obviously, the above is not inspired, but I do think that it is a pretty accurate description of “dying to self”. I would even venture to say that there is much more entailed in dying to self. The above just scrapes the surface, giving us a few meager examples of true “self-death”.

“That I may know him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.”—Philippians 3:10

Am I Dead?

Heather — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:10:00 +0000

So the question could be raised, “What exactly does it mean to be dead to self?” A friend of mine gave me the following:

DYING TO SELF

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

“That I may know him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.”—Philippians 3:10

Creases

Heather — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:37:00 +0000

So often I find myself wanting to grow closer to God…wanting to change and I feel as if I…I just can’t! Why?! Why can’t I change? I want to…I’m trying to…

In chapel today the speaker gave us an example similar to this:

Let’s say I hate having creases in my pants. You know how some people iron this permanent crease right in the front of their pant leg? I hate that! Now let’s imagine that my mom decided one day that she was going to iron my pants…she’s not really paying much attention to what she’s doing, but I notice that she is ironing CREASES into my pants!! Reacting the complete wrong way, I get upset and tell her she is NEVER going to iron my pants again! (I’m sure she’d jump with joy.) The thing is…she will never get this ironing thing right until she thinks they way I do about creases. Not until she despises crinkles in pants the way I do will she iron pants the way I do.

Much the same way, not until we think the way God thinks about things will we be able to change. I need to hate sin the way God hates sin. Do you think the way God thinks about things?

Oh, to Be Out of Breath in My Pursuit of God!

Heather — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:43:00 +0000

It’s the third day of classes and I’m already starting to feel a bit discouraged…nothing to do with classes really. I miss Jared. I miss him like all kinds of craziness. I got to see him for a few hours on Monday which was amazing, but something about being on the campus where we met and started dating and shared so many memories without him just makes things so much harder. The summer wasn’t easy, but we made it with God’s help I’m not one to really feel “down” often, but I have been…feeling lonely I suppose…which ultimately is my own fault because I’m focussing on myself, I know. Regardless, tonight we had “campus church”. Being the first Wednesday night of the semester not many students have chosen a place of worship/ministry for their midweek service, so a good majority of us were at the service on campus. After hearing a few testimonies about how God worked in and through people this summer and praising God through song, Coach Wehry spoke on Psalm 63. David wrote this Psalm while he was running away from his son. That might have sounded non-chalant. Listen (read) closely…David’s SON was chasing him!! David was running and hiding from his own son!

His response:

(paraphrased) “Oh God you are my God, in earnest will I seek Thee; for in a dry and weary land my soul and body yearn and thirst for You. I see You in the sanctuary and I behold Your power and glory. Because Your love is more than life my lips will praise You, Lord! Thus I will bless You while I’m living, with hands held high and praises giving. My spirit satisfied will be, my mouth will praise You, Lord!”

OK, so Jared isn’t here with me. Maybe I’m still in college and I just want to be done with it and move on and get married and go on with my life. Maybe I don’t do so well in classes. Maybe school completely terrifies me. My God is a personal, intimate God. He is in control of each and every situation that I face and you know what?! I should trust Him. I should praise and honor and glorify Him in the midst of whatever issues I may be going through. He knows they’re important to me. He knows what is best for me. He loves me.

My “job”: Seek Him earnestly! Long for Him!