thankful for such a loving wifey...

I was so tremendously blessed and encouraged by my wifey yesterday.  For my birthday, she hid a wonderful card that reflected on the joys of our first year of marriage.  Praise the Lord for His grace working in us!

Then, before I got home, I get a call from my wifey to make sure to let her know when I get off the bus station.  When I got home, there was a note attached to the front door.  It was another card that was so beautiful.  The card and what she wrote perfectly summarized how we see each other, how we feel about each other...my heart was just overflowing

Then, I opened the door, and the house was decorated with balloons, signs, mini candles in the shape of a heart, and a path of roses.  She left a glass of apple cider for me to refresh myself.  The roses led upstairs, so I followed...it led to our room, so I knocked.  And when I entered, she was standing in a pattern of roses that were placed to the shape of a heart and she greeted me with a joyful "Happy Birthday!" 

After opening very thoughtful and useful gifts (she got me some additional tools for grilling...woohoot!), we proceeded downstairs for a delicious meal of meat loaf (made from turkey meat), orzo (sp?), pasta, and a veritable mixture of mediterranean greens and olives and feta cheese and onions and tomatoes...topping that off with some super tasty desserts from Whole Foods (mini eclair, mini oatmeal raisin sandwich, mini chocolate fudge thingy with a strawberry, and a mini lime tart - our new favorite dessert).

After that, I figured things were done, but wait, there's more!  While I was studying, I hear the doorbell ring, which was weird because it was getting late and we weren't expecting anyone...or at least I wasn't.  Well, I always check the eye hole, so I saw several people with a candle-lit cake!  I opened up and it was several peeps from our home group!  I was so blessed by their thoughtfulness, encouragement, and their love for me.

After a crazy day, I got to reflect a bit on how blessed I truly am.  And not because of all the things that happened...those are like cherries on the top of the world best dessert...because in Christ, I truly have the greatest blessing ever...and I praise God for His mercy and grace poured out everyday.  And I'm so thankful for friends that remind me of that truth.  And even more so, I am thankful for my dearest, most closest, bestest friend...my wonderful wifey...I praise the Lord for providing such an undeserved gift that she is.  I love you wifey!  And I love you Lord.













Thankful.

Thankful for Tedd Tripp

As I've shared before, the wifey and I are listening to "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp to help us prepare for raising a child biblically.  And although it's specifically tailored towards parenthood, more often than not, the things he teaches are applicable to every day life.  One thing he shared in a recent sermon that really hit me good was an example of understanding the heart.  I will paraphrase what he said:

"A person came up to me and told me how some person really wronged him and he said to me "Man, if I wasn't a Christian, the things I would've done..."  And I thought to myself, "Is that really all that distinguishes Christians from the rest of the world?  That we refrain from doing what is evil?"

I think a lot of times I pat myself on the back when I refrain from lashing out, even though my heart really wants to.  Umm, didn't Jesus say that it was from the heart that all wickedness flows?   So yea, no brownie points for you, Rich.

Christ regenerates our hearts...so it's not just that we refrain from reacting sinfully, but instead, our hearts ought to respond in a manner that honors the Lord.  And this is why our hearts and minds need to be filled, trained and controlled by the Word of God..."in His Law he meditates DAY and NIGHT."

Thankful for fellow believers...

What a blessing it is to sit around with fellow, like-minded believers. I'm seriously so thankful to be able to learn from older believers, especially in the area of parenting. I'm looking forward to the school of sanctification ad PJ likes to call it.

Thankful that our God is the wonderful Maker...

Today the wifey and I went to a 6 hour birthing class.  I gotta say, I learned a whole bunch of good stuff.  But the one thing that kept coming into my mind was simply worship unto our great and awesome and powerful and wonderful and good Maker.  It is so amazing to see how God created the woman's body to take care of and deliver the body.  Seriously.  Fearfully and wonderfully we are made.

"Fearfully and wonderfully I was made
Placed here by God's sovereign grace.

I was made to praise You.
I was made to worship and adore You."

Thankful for the ability to remember...

Well, that seems like an odd thing to be thankful for, but I really am thankful that God created us with this ability. But being able to remember things is such a wonderful gift from the Lord. I mean think of all the great things we can do with remembering:

1. Memories - those are usually fond to recall
2. Recalling God's faithfulness
3. Memorizing Scripture

I mean, even just those three things you can never exhaust or run out of things to think about. The problem for me is that I too often fail to use my mind for these things. And that's a shame, isn't it?

I've said this before, but it applies well here. O to be like the psalmist who meditates on God's Word day and night. How blessed is he?

Thankful for being a nobody...

What a wonderful reminder from PJ this past Sunday!  Christ was constantly preaching that those who think they are healthy, those who think they have no needs, those who are satisfied with the things of this world, those who think they are righteous in themselves...such people will never see a need for Christ.

I hope I never become so foolish as to think that I don't need Christ for even one millisecond of my life.  I need Him always.

That song, "I Need Thee Every Hour" should've been called "I Need Thee Every Possible Moment", though those lyrics probably wouldn't have worked out as well

Thankful for wedding sermons...

We just got to witness our dear brother and sister, James and Ellice, tie the knot this past Sunday.  Weddings are always a joy, but it's so encouraging to hear the wedding message as well.  These are usually very practical, very personal words of wisdom coming from the Word of God.  This past Sunday was no different.  I was gently reminded of the absolute necessity of encountering God every day.  No, not in some sort of mystical, new-agey kind of thing.  But in the sense that you contemplate on the wonders of the gospel, and you deepen your relationship with the Savior. 

Too often I rush off to work without giving God a second thought until I pray for breakfast.  That must change.  How can I live with the proper perspective on life without going to the source of life to nourish and strengthen me?  He is the true vine.  I am the branch that needs to abide in Him continually. 

Praise God for using faithful men like our dear PJ to remind us of such important things.