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)

Simple Thanks

Carolyn

My daughter has updated my blog to give me a background. She has insisted for a while that I need it, so I let her take control! It’s funny to me that she knows how to do this by herself, and I like what she chose!

I recognize this is a simple acknowledgment of thankfulness, but I feel it nonetheless and want to say it: I am thankful for 2 good dental checkups for my children today! I always dread the dentist, and my son has had some cavities in the past on 2 baby teeth, and I always am nervous how well they are brushing. So it is with a thankful heart that I received word of how great their teeth look, how good their bite is, how unlikely it is they will need braces, etc. I know this can seem like such a small item to give thanks for, but I want my heart to always be having a back and forth of thankfulness to God and rejoice in even small things. I don’t do that all the time, but this one struck me to do so, so I am!

I also am thankful for the school my children attend. As we are having some strategic planning sessions and prayer times simultaneously this month, my heart is reminded of the wonderful things God has done to bring this school into existence and the amazing things we see as we continue down this path. I pray He will always use it for His glory and eternal purposes and cause those who attend it to love Him and serve Him faithfully all of their lives. I pray for His perfect will and His continued leading. He has shown Himself so much to me in this endeavor, and I am thankful.

I would like to spend the next 24 hours or so really reflecting on things that I should be thankful for and seeing reasons to give thanks at every point in my day. I rarely am this deliberate, but I do want to cultivate a mind fixed on God and praising Him, thanking Him, and rejoicing.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Happy Anniversary

Carolyn

It’s hard to believe, but 17 years ago today, I married my high school sweetheart. Our first date was August 10, 1986. This means that we’ve really been dating or married for the last almost 24 years! That is definitely over half my life.

I remember this time in the spring and summer of 1993. We were married and moved to Dallas where my husband began seminary at Dallas Theological. His brother and his wife were also married that summer and moved off to Chicago, then Boston. His parents also moved that summer to take a position at a Christian college. His sister transferred colleges to attend the one where her parents were going. My husband’s family all scattered to different places, while my family remained in Memphis. It was a fun time for us to venture out on our own.

After 9 years, we finished my husband’s Th.M. (in Dallas) and Ph.D. (in Virginia) and ended up in Chicagoland where his whole family ultimately ended up, as well. We had all come full circle, just to a different location.

How fun, then, it is to be celebrating 17 years of marriage, while also today celebrating at a brunch the 17 years that my mother-in-law has served at this college. I reflect on the last 17 years with a heart of thankfulness to God for His leading in our lives, for His faithful provision, for His love and compassion, for His presence.

I am thankful for these many years together with my husband through so many things. We’ve already known the “for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health” seasons, and we’ve found God faithful in them all! God ultimately gets the praise and glory for calling us to Himself, then bringing us to one another, building a marriage and a family, and leading us in His ways.

The adventures continue, with new things happening even now, and I am thankful to share life with someone who loves God so much, who loves his family, who serves the students he teaches and the church we attend, who teaches and writes and lives with the glory of God in mind, and who does all things with great passion, hard work and discipline.

Now, if we had only had digital cameras back then, I could throw in a wedding picture! 🙂 We have changed a lot! This is the best I can do (I’m sure he’ll love this! Ha!):

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

A Quick Praise

Carolyn

Well, I went to the dermatologist a couple of weeks ago for a place that had come up on my nose a few weeks prior to that. While he assured me it was not dangerous, he immediately wanted to freeze it off. I didn’t want to do that, so he said I could come back when I wanted to, but that in the meantime, it would keep growing.

I had been praying about it since I had first noticed it, so I decided I would just keep praying about it. I’ve had things like this happen before where a doctor tells me what I need, I opt to wait and pray, and things improve. I’ve seen miracles in my daughter’s life and mine physically (both big and small), and why then would I begin to underestimate God?

I know this was small, I know it seems inconsequential, I know freezing it would have worked out just as well. But I chose to wait and pray. After my last appointment, it did seem to change, and I got nervous, and decided the sooner I got rid of it the better. I made another appointment for today, but continued to pray that it might go away before the visit.

Well, last night, I rubbed a washcloth over my face, and it came right off, completely. I was so thankful. The doctor’s office told me this morning to still come in so he could be sure it was gone, and it was. When he saw it was gone, the doctor asked me, “What did you do?” I could only tell him the only thing I had done: pray! He said, “Well, if it comes back, pray again.”

So anyway, I just want to thank the Lord for this. I know it’s a smaller thing, it wasn’t anything serious, but it was just a small sweet blessing. I had had a rotten day yesterday, too, and was so sad last night, convicted of my ugly sin — and at all times for Him to be gracious to me — in the midst of such ugliness — it just seemed to show me a glimpse of His kindness, patience and mercy, His forgiveness and help when I feel helpless.

Now literally, since I have arrived home this afternoon from the visit, seriously, there is a place itching on my face. I just went and looked in the mirror and it’s some kind of spot! What in the world am I to make of that?! Well, at all times, and in all things, God is in control. He is good. He is worthy of our trust. I want to believe Him and know that He is able. Even when we have suffered physically in greater ways, God has always been near and made Himself known. For all these things, for who He is, for His power and love, I am thankful!

Just Checking In

Carolyn

We spent a wonderful 10 days in Memphis over spring break and Easter. My sister was in town visiting with her children, as well, which made it fun for the cousins to be together. Here they are swinging in the back yard together in their Memphis Zoo shirts.

Here is my mom with my son on Easter in her backyard.


We were blessed by the Easter service at church, hearing the pastor speak on “Why the Cross?” We were also able to be there for Palm Sunday and hear the beautiful Easter music that the church there does each year at that time. That used to be my all time favorite Sunday growing up hearing the music, so it was nice to be there again with my family.

I’m so thankful to have a Risen Lord, full of power and strength, who has saved me from my sins!

My husband has a new book coming out on April 30th, and we have received the early copies. It’s been fun to read blogger reviews and see the website. It’s exciting to see the full project reach completion, though there are 2 books left to come in this trilogy.


I am looking forward now to a day to get organized from returning from our trip! Have a good weekend!

Mother-Daughter Tea

Carolyn


Today, my daughter and I attended a Mother-Daughter Tea at our church. It was a sweet time, and she loved it. She seemed so grown up today, in a new dress from her grandmother, sporting a new haircut. I love time spent with each of my children individually.

God keeps driving home to me the point I made in my last post — that He is strong, and I am weak, that I live this life by the power of His Spirit providing me the strength I need, not through my own self effort.

I had the opportunity to go out of town last weekend and visit friends we knew when we lived in Virginia. We had a nice day and a half of visiting before I got sick with a stomach bug! It is not fun to be sick away from home, and I was praying I wouldn’t infect this sweet family. (My friend is pregnant and has a young child, and her husband has a busy job… the last thing I wanted to leave them would be this “gift”!)

I have to say though that the Lord used this time to give me a great deal of sleep and rest and time to read and study for longer periods than I normally have. He continued to speak to me about the topic of my last post and some things He is helping me understand right to my core.

I had the time to read a great book by Andrew Murray entitled Absolute Surrender that my friend had. It was exactly on this topic of living in surrender to God, allowing His Spirit to fill and lead me, and how He is strong when we are weak. I was absolutely weak, recognizing that in this sickness I was experiencing my weakness in a very physical way, but that this is just a picture of how I really always am, whether I feel it or not! I so need God and His power and strength, and I need to trust Him!

Murray described more about this surrender to God:

  • God expects my surrender,
  • God accomplishes my surrender,
  • God accepts my surrender,
  • God maintains my surrender
  • God blesses when I surrender.

Murray says, “I come to you with a message, fearful and anxious one. God does not ask you to give the perfect surrender in your strength, or by the power of your will; God is willing to work it in you.” (Philippians 2:13) “Look away from ourselves and look up to God.”

Here are some quotes from Andrew Murray’s book that I loved:

“The Spirit of God has come to make our daily life an exhibition of divine power and a revelation of what God can do for His children.”

“May God grant that the Word may enter into the very depths of our being to search us, and if we discover that we have not come out from the world entirely, if God discovers to us that the self-life, self-will, and self exaltation are there, let us humble ourselves before Him.”

“Why is there not more blessing? We have not honored the Holy Ghost as we should have done. Is there one who can say that that is not true? Is not every thoughtful heart ready to cry: ‘God forgive me that I have not honored the Holy Spirit as I should have done, that I have grieved Him, that I have allowed self and the flesh and my own will to work where the Holy Ghost should have been honored! May God forgive me that I have allowed self and the flesh and the will actually to have the place that God wanted the Holy Ghost to have.'”

“Religious self effort always ends in sinful flesh.”

Murray states that we must:

  • Humble yourself in His sight.
  • Acknowledge that you have grieved the Holy Spirit by your self will, self confidence and self effort.
  • Bow humbly before Him in confession of that.
  • Ask Him to bring you into the dust before Him.
  • Then as you bow, accept God’s teaching that in your flesh there dwelleth no good thing (Romans 7:18) and that nothing will help you except another Life come in.
  • Denying self must every moment be the power of your life, and then Christ will come in and take possession of you.”

So the sickness, though at first glance could have been a temptation to feel disappointment, instead was meant for good, to give me rest, to give me time to think and pray, for God to continue to teach me what He’s been showing me, to give me more opportunity to trust Him. He is so faithful, and I am thankful.