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)

Waiting

Carolyn

I have been mostly in bed since Saturday with an injured knee. I don’t know how I did it exactly. The pain has been increasing over the last few months, finally to the point I couldn’t walk. I decided then maybe it was time to go to the doctor!

After x-rays, he discovered some sort of loose body or fragment in the bone joint. I had an MRI on Tuesday, and I can’t see the orthopedist until Friday.

So I wait. I suppose the Labor Day weekend slowed this process some. It started out feeling a little bit retreat like! I listened at home on Sunday to our church service. I caught up on my Beth Moore Bible Study on Esther and watched a couple of the videos. I read, prayed, emailed, surfed blogs and Facebook, and even became so bored as to join Twitter! (That’s another story!)

By the time, though, that I finished the retreat-like aspect of my knee journey, I suddenly came to be bothered by the wait, by not being able to jump up and do things, by not being able to go to work, irritated with the discomfort.

But God is in this. He is in the waiting. He has permitted these days for a reason. I want to discover it and pray it has something of an eternal purpose. I want to trust Him more. Fear overtook me in the night suddenly. But His Word and prayer and the remembrance of who He is and all that He has done in my life brought comfort. Not immediately. It took deliberate focus of my thoughts to allow Him to move me from fear to more faith, but after two hours, I was in a much better place.

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

I pray this day will be spent not so scattered, so feeling torn by what I should be doing but cannot do, but more restful, relaxed, and focused on Him. And may He be glorified in some way through this.

I have much for which to praise Him. My mom is now living in town and able to cook for us and help me. My husband has had flexibility with his schedule and helped keep the house clean and laundry going, staying home with me two days this week. My children have not been demanding, but have helped me get things I need. This is in the grand scheme of life but a small trial, but it reminds me of the many gifts God has given me, and I praise and thank Him.

The Last Week and the New Academic Year

Carolyn

It’s been a big week for us. A humbling week. A week of seeing God’s faithful provision.

My mom’s house sold, and my husband drove to Memphis this weekend to pack her things and move them here. We unloaded everything Sunday afternoon with the help of four friends — what a wonderful gift! The move could not have gone more smoothly. Every detail went just as planned and organized. I was so thankful for that answered prayer!

Monday night we went to the faculty dinner where my husband teaches.

Then Tuesday we all started back: my husband to in-service, my children to a half day of school, and me back in my work schedule.

First Day of School
Tonight we finished the James Bible Study. It was truly a wonderful study. I think we all learned so much. It’s been beautiful to see the things the Lord has done in our lives over the course of the eight weeks of this study as we’ve prayed for one another and studied together.
 
Last Night of Bible Study (I took the picture!)

I am very tired tonight after this last week of moving and starting the new school year. We even painted my daughter’s room since my mom was bringing her a new bedroom set of furniture. We still have things all over the place to organize, but soon. I just need to get to the weekend! But I want to praise the Lord for His goodness to us in all of these things and for providing for every need. I am grateful!

I’ll end the post with another Matt Redman song from his CD that I am loving. I got it at Lifeway a week or two ago for $5! Couldn’t pass it up, and these songs are wonderful. This is “Never Once.”

But He Gives a Greater Grace

Carolyn
 James: Mercy Triumphs (Member Book)

One of the highlights of this summer has been studying the book of James with about 12 women. If I had tried to plan a Bible study, it wouldn’t have happened. I was marveling the other day about how God really planned it and brought us together.

Earlier in the spring, three different friends had asked me about what I would be doing for Bible study this summer. Then I ran into my friend Sasha, and she was willing to do this James Bible study with me and help lead it. My mom was moving here and had the DVDs. We decided to just pray about it and see who God brought into our paths. I contacted the three friends, and then the rest of the ladies truly were people who entered our paths at exact moments. (Those are fun stories, too!) They range in age from 28 to 68, attend a variety of churches, and most of the women met each other here in the group!

This group has been such a blessing. This study has been wonderful!

A verse from this study that has stayed on my mind this last week was James 4:6a: “But He gives a greater grace….” I’m not sure exactly what to make of it in context or even out of context!

I’ve been intrigued by learning that James is much like the Proverbs of the New Testament with lots of wise sayings that often don’t seem connected (but upon further study, sometimes actually seem like they are). Is this statement (“But He gives a greater grace…”) simply one that stands alone and separate, or is it in some way connected?

I’ve also benefited from thinking through how the teachings in James mesh with and complement the teachings of Paul, despite a first glance that might make us think they could be contradictory. One writer focuses more on the works of our faith (James), while one stresses grace over works (Paul). Yet here, in the middle of the book of James, we see, “But He gives a greater grace…”  It makes me think of this overarching grace over all our works, grace flowing down, the acknowledgement from James that grace really is greater than all our sins, all our works.

But I don’t know. I haven’t studied this in depth (nor did the study we’re doing), and I’m no theologian or scholar. But it has been running through my mind… grace, grace, grace… His grace is enough, it’s sufficient for all my sins. It’s greater than I know. It flows from the top down to me, not me working hard from the bottom up to earn it. It’s just flowing down on me. God’s grace. I don’t deserve it. I didn’t earn it. It covers me. It covers my sin. It’s greater than my shortcomings and my best efforts. For this I am so thankful.

Summer Update

Carolyn
At the Cubs game Saturday night

My husband returned today from his annual overseas trip. Students travel to Europe for classes and summer credit, and he teaches some of the classes in Italy and Switzerland. They tour many places, and he enjoys traveling and tour guiding/sightseeing. We are glad to have him home, and I praise the Lord for safety and protection.

It is always a busy time of year when he is away. School finished for my children, and I was wrapping up some things at work to slow down for the summer, too. So between field day, Shakespeare, 8th grade promotion, teacher gifts, parent teacher conferences, final field trips, and my working, we were on the go.

Once summer arrives though, we slow down and lose our routine and aren’t sure exactly how to spend our days! But it is a welcome change, and I have caught up on a lot of little things around the house.

So this is a big week for us!

  • I can return to blogging now that we have a computer back in the house.
  • I took my son to a Cubs game on Saturday! We were offered great free tickets, and I managed to figure out how to get there and back all by myself. It wasn’t too hard.
  • My husband arrived home today, just in time for his birthday this week and just after Father’s Day.
  • We picked up my husband’s third book in the Chiveis trilogy today. It will be released later this month.
The third and final installment!

10,000 Reasons

Carolyn

Psalm 103:1-10

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, 
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

I love this song, 10,000 Reasons, by Matt Redman. Maybe it’s because it resonates with the words of Psalm 103 which I love. Have you heard it?

 

Psalm 103:11-22

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!