Read This Book!

Lately I've been a bit discouraged in my spiritual life, falling into the (untrue) thinking that I have not performed well enough for the Lord and He must be getting irritated at me, especially for my sins of omission. Of course He is not, He deals with me based on the finished work of Christ but I tend to slide into this thinking wrongly without realizing it, and it makes for some kind of misery!
So on Sunday, after listening to a wonderful sermon by my pastor on grace (which is really every Sunday) I realized how deeply my false thinking was affecting my relationship with the Lord. I scanned our book table at church and read the back of Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges:

Funny how the exceeding riches of God's grace seem to run out the moment we're saved. From then on, we tend to base our relationship with Him on our performance rather than on His grace. Of course, God continues to deal with us on the basis of His grace, whether or not we understand it. It's just that when we don't, we forgo the abundant freedoms that come from not having to measure up.

Exactly what I needed. Funny how we so easily "forget" the gospel of grace. I try to remind myself of it daily but it's nice to have someone else 'preach' it for you. This book has done just that! I highly recommend it. Sometimes I think my problem is that God's grace, kindness and mercy is so amazing that it's hard to believe that it is really true! Anyway, snag a copy of this good book! I'm positive it is one I will read and re-read for years to come. Click on the picture of the book for a link!

Worse than I think I am...

Some words from C.H. Spurgeon:

"If you feel you are desperately bad, remember you are worse than you think you are. Your case is in itself desperate, hopeless, damnable! If you feel that you are lost, you do not feel too strongly, you are in the true light where God will meet with you. The Lord will not consent to parley with you on the ground that you are not much of a sinner, and that after all your sin is not a great evil. No, he will meet you where the truth is and nowhere else; when you confess that you are unworthy of his pity, you are owning the truth, and when you feel guilty, you feel what is really fact; on this footing of truth, sad truth though it be, the Lord will meet with you through the atoning blood. It is in your vileness that sovereign grace o'er sin abounding will come to you and cleanse you, and therefore the sooner you come to the honest truth the better for you, for the sootier will you obtain joy and peace through believing in Christ..."

Tagged!

So this is me on September 6, 2008 on my wedding day getting all beautified to become Ryan's wife. Our wedding was a dream! I was calm and relaxed and could hardly wait until 2 o'clock. I am so blessed that the Lord has called me to be Ryan's wife. He is such a sweet reminder of what a great Savior we have!

How to respond when tagged:

Here are the directions:
1. Go to your 4th folder where you store your photos.
2. Select your 4th picture (no exceptions)!
3. Post the picture with an explanation and link it back to your tagger.
4. Tag 4 people (or as many as you want) to do the same!!ged:

Here are the directions:
1. Go to your 4th folder where you store your photos.
2. Select your 4th picture (no exceptions)!
3. Post the picture with an explanation and link it back to your tagger.
4. Tag 4 people (or as many as you want) to do the same!!

• Lauryn
• Trent
• ummm can't think of anyone else who hasn't done this! Tag yourself!
  

Amazing Grace: The History & Theology of Calvinism

Some friends of ours from church graciously allowed us to borrow this dvd on the history of reformed theology. It's amazing to me how the theology of our Christian forefathers has nearly slipped out of the foundation of mainstream churches in America today.

The first part deals with history of the debates between Augustine and Pelagius through the semi-pelagian controversy, Martin Luther and his debate with Desiderius Erasmus, then ends with the the 5 points of Arminianism and the response from the Synod of Dort.

The second part compares Arminianism to the Word of God and how the 5 points of Calvinism came about to respond.

The third part is about evangelism, God's sovereignty, man's depravity, and God's amazing grace in saving sinners.

The speakers are some of the great theologians and speakers of our time:

Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. D. James Kennedy, Dr. George Grant, Dr. Stephen Mansfield, Dr. Thomas Ascol, Dr. Thomas Nettles, Dr. Roger Schultz, Pastor Walt Chantry, Dr. Joe Morecraft, Dr. Ken Talbot, Pastor Walter Bowie and Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr....not to mention from Martin Luther, Augustine, and the 'Prince of Preachers' Charles H. Spurgeon who are heavily quoted.

It's a documentary that would be beneficial for any believer. It gets down to the core of the gospel of Christ and helped to give us a fresh taste of how amazing grace really is.

You know you're a nurse when....

...you think your husband is your patient in the middle of the night...
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sometime around 2:30am:

Me: unintelligible mumbling

Ryan (groggy): "What'd you say?"

Me: "What's your pain level?"

Ryan (a little confused and half asleep): "Well, I'm pretty sure it's a zero...[long pause]..I don't think you need to be working while you are sleeping."
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I am required to ask my patients a zillion times a day to rate their pain "on a scale from 1 to 10...ten being the worst pain you could ever imagine..."

So, what's your pain level?

a highly recommended gift

...be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ... -Eph 5:18-20

ryan and i have been waiting anxiously patiently for this to arrive in the mail. we finally received it and listened to this cd together tonight, and it was a great tool to spur us on to worship and adore Christ. if you're in need of a christmas gift, this is a great one.

Click here to get it: Together for the Gospel Live

A little valley.

At present it is a day of small things with me,
I have light enough to see my darkness,
sensibility enough to feel the hardness of my heart,
spirituality enough to mourn my want of a heavenly mind;
but I might have had more,
I ought to have had more...
thou has always placed before me an infinite fullness
and I have not taken it...

O recall me to thyself, and enable me to feel my first love!

-"Mortification," The Valley of Vision

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord! -Romans 7:24-25