Author: Carolyn

I am a Christian, a sinner saved by God's amazing grace. Much like my life, my blog is a work in progress. The main objective I have for this blog is to "proclaim the praises" of the One who called me out of darkness and into His marvelous light! (1 Peter 2:9)

Valentine’s Day 2013

Carolyn

I had such a sweet Valentine’s Day this year. My husband took me to lunch and got me candy that he knows I love. I realized it was our 27th year as being each other’s Valentine, way back to our high school days! Then we ended up waiting to go out to dinner with friends on Sunday night at a time we could all get together and enjoy it.

What made this Valentine’s Day so extra special, though, was that my son made me cookies. (My daughter was away at a friend’s for a sleepover.) On his own, he decided to do this. He found a recipe online, made sugar cookies, made the yummy icing with almond flavoring, colored it pink, and then cleaned it all up! The cookies were delicious, some of the best I’ve ever had. I was so impressed. We watched a movie together, too (Seven Days in Utopia – I would recommend), and had BBQ sandwiches I had thrown together with some leftover pork tender.

It’s not often young teenage boys care to spend much time with their mothers anymore — or think to bake them cookies — and I realize tomorrow may come and this is over! So I have to capture it here on the blog with thankfulness for the special day so I can remember this memory!

Happy New Year 2013!

Carolyn

It’s been a while since I blogged. We were busy the last couple of months of 2012. My sister and her family came to visit us for two weeks for Thanksgiving. I had not seen them for almost 2 1/2 years — and that visit was for my step-father’s funeral and was a short time together. We toured many museums and had so much fun watching the cousins together.

Christmas was wonderful. I often feel overwhelmed at Christmas with all that has to be done, but this year seemed very smooth and was so much fun. We entertained a few times in December, having students out twice, having our small group over, and hosting friends two or three times for dinner. One dinner party was unexpected and planned on short notice, but those seem always to be the easiest and best kind.

My husband’s family were all out of town this Christmas, so we enjoyed a quieter one with my mom. I’m so glad she moved here this year and is getting to spend a few weeks with us while the family that has rented the house to her are back in town for their Christmas vacation. It’s been great!

So now we enter a new year. I don’t like to leave the last year without some kinds of reflections and enter the new one without having a theme.

A few reflections for 2012:

I never did update after I took the 10 day prayer challenge in October about how my heart was being deceived. At first, I anticipated a specific answer each day, but there were 2 specific answers during that time. One was the blog post I wrote about bridling my tongue. That has continued to come to mind more times than I can count when I am in conversation. It has been an important truth for me to remember and an area where I can continue to grow.

The other answer came over several days and seemed to be a highlight of those days of prayer. It was a verse that showed up in both of my Bible studies during that time. And it was a verse I saw on Facebook and in other places during those days. It was this:

Matthew 16:24-25:

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

There were specific ways this was applicable to me at that time. Isn’t this such the reverse of what we would naturally desire? Self-denial, carrying a cross, losing our lives? But it’s in embracing those things as we follow Jesus that we really discover our lives and true joy! My heart can deceive me in these kinds of things.

So those were some meaningful verses for me in 2012.

Some “Favorites” from 2012:

A favorite song was 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. The third and last verse will always remind me of our friend who went to be with the Lord in 2012.

Some Bible studies I enjoyed in 2012 were Beth Moore’s study of James, Beth Moore’s study of Esther that I did on my own and finally finished last night!, and the Bible studies we did at church on the minor prophets (spring) and the Storyline of the Bible (fall).

This is when it’s fun to keep a blog and scroll through some of the events from the last year and remember different things, from speaking at Women’s Bible Study in the spring, to the third book in my husband’s trilogy being released this summer, to knee surgery in the fall, to seeing our friend go to be with the Lord. It’s good to trace the journey of life through these seasons and record God’s hand at work in each of them.

Entering 2013, I don’t yet have a theme for the year. Last year it was prayer. I’ll give this some thought over the next few days and see what emerges. I am going to try to read through the Bible in a year. I’ve tried before, but never actually done it! This is the book I am using:

I’m very excited and enjoyed the first day today! We’ll see how it goes!

Happy New Year to whoever stumbles upon this blog! May you be blessed in the new year and know the joy of following Jesus daily.

Sovereign God

Carolyn

It’s strange to think that I started this blog over four years ago now!

As I was looking back recently, I noticed that I had written four years ago about the last presidential election.

I thought I’d repost some of the truths I was reflecting on then:

  • I’m thankful for a Sovereign God who is seated on the throne in the heavens and whose kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:19).
  • I’m thankful to know that He alone raises up and brings down leaders and rulers (Daniel 2:21).
  • I’m thankful that He alone is great and worthy of all praise (Psalm 145:3), worthy as the Lamb who was slain to receive all power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise (Rev. 5:12).
  • I’m thankful that He sets my feet on the Rock (Psalm 40:2) and keeps me secure.
  • In Him, I have complete confidence and hope, and I have no cause for fear.
  • He is my Rock, fortress, deliverer, strength, salvation, and shield (II Samuel 22; Psalm 18).
  • He will not forsake those who trust in Him (Psalm 9:10).

I’m thankful that the Lord knows the outcome of tomorrow. He knows the beginning from the end, and He is not surprised. May His good and perfect will be done.

Friendship

Carolyn

I opened my email this morning to find this picture sent from one of our friends. It made my day! We were in small group with these friends in Virginia (not sure where one of the guys is in the picture — if he was taking the picture or off on a military assignment at the time).

Our small group and best friends from our Charlottesville days

We have all been through so much together — hard things, unexpected, even unusual things. One of our friends in the picture is already with Jesus, having faithfully journeyed through cancer and death’s dark shadows while rejoicing in God his Savior. Jeff gave us an example to follow.

I can’t see this group without reflecting on God’s faithfulness to us and the joy of Christian friendships to go through life together. And also with a touch of sadness as I remember our friend and brother in Christ. We will see him again and look forward to it! Thank You, Lord!

We ended this day by going to our current small group of five couples here in the area where we now live. It’s been several months since we had gathered, and it was good to be together again in a warm, inviting home and share the latest about the things going on in our lives. Again, it made me grateful for the gift of friends and being able to journey through life together. I’m grateful to start and end the day with two different small groups that have meant and mean so much to us.

The Deceitful Heart, Day One

Carolyn

I watched Beth Moore’s video devotional (below) yesterday. She challenged us to pray for 10 days and ask God how our heart is deceiving us (Jer. 17:9). She also encouraged us to listen for the answer. So I’m doing this because yesterday was a hard day where I felt like I was listening to lies and being deceived.

So I prayed about it, and this morning, while I rode the exercise bike (part of my exercise plan for my knee), I got out the Bible and decided to work on a chunk of Bible memory, returning to James from this summer.

I was biking and reading it out loud. As I read, I came to this verse in James 1:26:

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.

Did you catch that? “… but deceives his own heart,….”  Well, that seemed pretty pointed. I’m deceiving my own heart when I don’t bridle my tongue. And that tells something about my faith.

I was expecting the answer to my prayer to be some sort of answer to my pathetic self absorption and “woe is me” attitude from the day before, but this went a completely different direction. I thought of all the ways I use my words and what they reveal and the trouble they cause when I don’t bridle my tongue. I wouldn’t have thought this a big problem for me, but as I thought about it, I could see areas where I need a greater obedience on this.

I don’t want to linger long here. It’s late and I’m tired, and my husband is calling for his computer, but I wanted to capture this first day and continue to ask God to reveal where I am being deceived.