tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302980052024-03-13T03:34:54.932-04:00Breath of LifeA blasphemer, forgiven. A woman, loved.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06975604185902947297noreply@blogger.comBlogger778125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-47608872371858897252013-04-29T05:00:00.000-04:002013-04-29T05:00:07.384-04:00The Year of Growing: A New DirectionIn January I dubbed 2013 The Year of Growing. My husband and I were making a series of decisions that would have a significant impact on our family, decisions that would require - and produce - tremendous growth in all three of us.
Four months later we are still in the early stages of the process. God's grace and faithfulness have been evident, but this has been far from easy. And while I want Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-18804031628834823822013-04-25T07:17:00.004-04:002013-04-25T07:17:48.263-04:00Thankful ThursdayIn an attempt to return to blogging, I'm joining others who are publicly giving thanks to the Lord. This week, I'm especially thankful for:
~the Word of God and the wisdom the Holy Spirit imparts to help me understand it
~wonderful, matchless, infinite grace and the evidences of it in my family
~an answer to prayer
~the coming end of a season that's both grown and strengthened my family
~Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-12215759693629515392013-03-22T06:29:00.001-04:002013-03-22T06:29:17.022-04:00Once again, the blog has been dormant for an extended period of time. My post at Desiring Virtue may lend some insight into why.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-1903915288810808502013-02-12T05:00:00.000-05:002013-02-13T06:24:16.195-05:00Around the House: FebruaryThese days I am:
~Enjoying the seasonal temperatures, which have been seldom and fleeting. Like much of the country, the weather in Virginia has been extremely unpredictable.
~Cheering as my girl plays indoor field hockey. I still don't understand the rules, but I do enjoy watching.
~Thankful for God's grace in difficult conversations with my girl. Being the mother of a teenage daughter Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-63792295945175456712013-01-31T05:00:00.000-05:002013-01-31T05:00:05.290-05:00The Process of GrowingSince November, my sweet man has been tackling some renovation projects around our home. The changes have made a big impact but the details have been imperceptible to others, a testimony to my husband's hard work and precise hand. He has the talent of making things fit in as if they were always there, rather than calling attention to them. In my opinion, that's the mark of a true craftsman.
He Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-42020971808965422072013-01-25T05:00:00.000-05:002013-01-25T05:00:01.896-05:00Book Review: Puritan PortraitsI confess, I was never curious about the Puritans until recently. Quotes posted on blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, piqued my interest. Friends' recommendations sealed the deal. Still, I was certain where to start. When I saw J.I. Packer's book, Puritan Portraits: J.I. Packer on selected Classic Pastors and Pastoral Classics, I immediately put it on my wishlist. I was thrilled when Christian Focus Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-51369625610693070062013-01-10T05:00:00.000-05:002013-01-10T05:00:08.383-05:002013: Books I'll be StudyingMy third and final reading list for 2013 is the books I'll be studying:
To learn more about the Gospel and living it out:
~The Kingdom of God by Lloyd-Jones
~Gospel Wakefulness by Wilson
~What Is the Gospel? by Gilbert
~The World-Tilting Gospel: Embracing a Biblical Worldview and Hanging on Tight by Phillips
~Christ Formed in You: The Power of the Gospel for Personal Change by Hedges
~Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-72612865340607853522013-01-08T05:00:00.000-05:002013-01-08T05:00:04.792-05:002013: Books I'll be Listening ToI've shared the books I'll be reading for pleasure this year.
A friend talked me into my first audio book a couple of years ago. Since that time, it's rare that I don't have a book on CD in my car. I've learned to be discerning in what books I listen to rather than read. I've also learned that the reader is just as important as the material itself. (Personally, I think Edward Herrmann Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-59687939378800314122013-01-07T05:00:00.000-05:002013-01-07T05:00:02.314-05:00Growing in My Pleasure ReadingMy prayer is that the Year of Growing will encompass all areas of my life. Two of my goals are to grow in my appreciation of beauty and in my willingness to do hard things. I hope my lengthy reading list will help me in accomplishing both. I've chosen most of these works because I think they will be beautiful, they will inspire me to do hard things, or they are beyond my normal reading fare (Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-22572512219946553772013-01-01T05:00:00.000-05:002013-01-01T05:00:00.289-05:002013: The Year of GrowingI've typed numerous versions of an opening sentence for this post - none quite right. I suppose the best way to begin is to do just that. And so I start typing, on the cusp of a new year. I wonder what it will bring. After 2012 - a year filled with joy and grief unspeakable - I'm hesitant to even venture a guess. I have a shadow of an idea floating in the recesses of my mind, a slight thought of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-2351845282564816242012-12-11T05:00:00.000-05:002012-12-11T05:00:12.386-05:00December ThoughtsThis space has been quiet for a while now. I've been reluctant to put fingers to keyboard, to attempt words that could perhaps explain my absence - if anyone still reads and cares. There are a number of things I could write about...
~tears that threaten to brim my eyes constantly. When I set out the nativity Mama painted for me. When I hung my favorite set of ornaments from my childhood. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-28118369728385102982012-11-27T05:00:00.000-05:002012-11-27T05:00:02.469-05:00Living Quietly Revisited: Choosing CommitmentsDuring this busy time of year, I need to give much thought to my commitments!
...aspire to live quietly, and
to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed
you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on
no one.
~1 Thess. 4:11-12
Thoughts of living a quiet life continue to woo me. They were birthed as the result of a particularly chaoticUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-51963085991114470002012-11-23T05:00:00.000-05:002012-11-23T05:00:01.882-05:00Reducing the Noise Part II (Revisited)Still thinking long and hard about the noise I'm contributing to this wonder called the internet.
...aspire to live quietly, and
to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed
you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on
no one.
~1 Thess. 4:11-12
Living quietly means more than controlling the level of noise allowed into my life. I am Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-45253269885633530732012-11-21T05:00:00.000-05:002012-11-21T05:00:06.346-05:00Reducing the Noise RevisitedThe holiday season is full of noise. These questions may be harder to ask ourselves during this time, but they are perhaps even more necessary.
...aspire to live quietly, and
to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed
you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on
no one.
~1 Thess. 4:11-12
I've been pondering the quiet life and its Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-56298343407101974722012-11-20T08:50:00.000-05:002012-11-20T08:50:06.844-05:00A Quiet Life: RevisitedWith the holiday season approaching, I need to revisit this series from the archives.
...aspire to live quietly, and
to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed
you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on
no one.
~1 Thess. 4:11-12
Quiet. One of my favorite words. One of my favorite things.
...low tones of
classical Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-27464217734617735612012-11-15T05:00:00.000-05:002012-11-15T05:00:05.555-05:00Thankful ThursdayPraising the Lord this week for:
~a freshly painted living room and kitchen
~the man and the girl I worked with to make it happen
~answered prayers
~refreshment provided by a visit to this church
~a new Bible study
~these words...
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-39632734340449721032012-11-14T05:00:00.000-05:002012-11-14T07:10:49.024-05:00Do We Really Need Strong Faith?I recently heard a pastor share an analogy about faith that has given me much to ponder. Consider a frozen pond. If you walk out on it with great confidence and the ice is thin, the ice will not sustain your weight no matter how much you believe it will. If you walk out on it with great hesitancy and the ice is thick, the ice will easily sustain your weight no matter how little you believe Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-4062408476539137522012-10-25T05:00:00.000-04:002012-10-25T05:00:10.515-04:00Thankful ThursdayIt's been three years since the rug was jerked from beneath our feet. Three years since we started forging a new life. We're starting to grow comfortable in this place that looks remarkably the same and yet radically different. Sometimes I find myself slipping into old attitudes, old desires come stealthily creeping. I don't ever want to forget how the Lord brought us through. I never want to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-36699575279933460392012-10-16T05:00:00.000-04:002012-10-16T05:00:05.129-04:00Review: On HIs Majesty's ServiceChristian Focus for Kids has a wonderful series of biographies for younger readers (ages 7- 14). The Trailblazers series is a fantastic way for children (and adults) to learn about the great cloud of witnesses who've gone before us, such as John Stott and Charles Spurgeon, and those who are still paving the way, like Joni Eareckson Tada.
When CF4K announced the Trailblazer Extravaganza forUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-21136716306813798442012-10-11T09:25:00.002-04:002012-10-11T09:25:42.446-04:00Thankful ThursdayWe celebrated my girl's 14th birthday this week. The Lord has given us many reasons to be grateful these past 14 years. This week, I've been thankful for:
~watching her blow out those 14 candles, surrounded by a band of giggling girls
~her stand for something she believes in strongly, even though it's been hard and has pulled her away from people she cares about
~the way God is growing her Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-27244518851911795552012-10-08T07:13:00.005-04:002012-10-08T07:13:52.530-04:00Fighting for Your Girl's Worth: Part IToday I'm at Out of the Ordinary, confessing my battle with finding my worth in my accomplishments, and in my daughter's.
Click on over to join the discussion.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-61869855454266355872012-10-04T05:00:00.000-04:002012-10-04T11:37:50.702-04:00Thankful ThursdayPraising the Lord this week for:
~A long-awaited answer to a friend's prayer. Not happening the way we thought, but happening nonetheless and it's wonderful to see.
~A double date with my man and our closest friends to see this show.
~Football, football, and more football.
~The opportunity to teach and discuss things of the Lord with my girl.
~Friday night in with a good movie.
~A husband Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-58959325831931786142012-10-03T05:00:00.000-04:002012-10-03T05:00:09.575-04:00Review: the life of GOD in the soul of the churchOver the past few weeks I've been enjoying The Life of God in the Soul of the Church: The Root and Fruit of Spiritual Fellowship by Thabiti Anyabwile. The book is actually a series of sermons that Anyabwile preached at his church, First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman, regarding true biblical fellowship.
Anybwile expounds upon the theme of Henry Scougal's
Life of God in the Soul of Man, whichUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-88666456579167708062012-09-27T09:39:00.001-04:002012-09-27T09:39:30.453-04:00Thankful Thursday~A date with my man. Sharing a pizza at our favorite local restaurant always does my soul good.
~Friends who pray.
~The bittersweet ending of a good book. I didn't want to let Francie go.
~The announcement of October's reading selection for The Book Club at Desiring Virtue. I ordered Fierce Women: The Power of a Soft Warrior the day Jessalyn told us about it.
~Thought provoking and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30298005.post-8597799737882413052012-09-24T05:15:00.000-04:002012-09-24T06:22:45.278-04:00Fighting for Your Girl's HeartToday I'm over at Out of the Ordinary blogging about how to fight for your daughter's heart. Click on over and join me as we continue to wrestle this out together...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0