Making the Most of Every Opportunity

God responds to the needs of the poor with compassion. Wonder how God responds to those who neglect the needs of the poor? Challenged by David Platt... encouraging you to watch this short clip and be challenged as well.

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." So thankful God's timing is perfect and His ways are for our good.

I have SO many resources that I love, but I want to share a few gems that I hope will hit your reading list, too. 1) the Daily Walk Bible - Though it's not super insightful, it's special to me because it's the Bible I first used to read through God's Word from Genesis to Revelation. That time impacted me and began a habit of reading through the Word. I have grown to know God in such deeper ways and even know His Word so much better because of the habit started by this Bible format. Really, I would just encourage you to pick a Bible and reading plan that best fit you and read it. This has impacted my life more than ANY other thing I've ever done. 2) Don't Waste Your Life , John Piper- I remember bawling on a plane in Panama when I read a page where he spoke as a father pleased with us for seeking God. My dad loves me (a lot), but that is something he doesn't understand about me and to hear a father encourage me that my life is unwasted when Christ is the ...

I LOVE the post Dane Ortlund wrote showing grace throughout the Bible. I think we tend to miss how grace-filled His Word is (we especially miss it in the Old Testament). Go read the full list of every book  and be encouraged at how unified (not uniform) the Bible is! Here are some highlights... Genesis shows God’s grace to a universally wicked world as he enters into relationship with a sinful family line (Abraham) and promises to bless the world through him. Exodus shows God’s grace to his enslaved people in bringing them out of Egyptian bondage. Leviticus shows God’s grace in providing his people with a sacrificial system to atone for their sins. Numbers shows God’s grace in patiently sustaining his grumbling people in the wilderness and bringing them to the border of the promised land not because of them but in spite of them.... Esther shows God’s grace in protecting his people from a Persian plot to eradicate them through a string of 'fortuitous' events. Job ...

I'm still processing through my encounter with a woman in the Walmart parking lot. Maybe you've had these encounters too... We've had people at rest stops who say they lost their credit card and can't get home, men at gas stations asking us to fill their tanks, teens in parking lots asking for donations (and offering a "gift" out of their trunk) to teach at risk kids about drug abuse, and, most often, women (sometimes with a child) crying and telling us how mean everyone has been as they ask for $4 to catch a bus home. It happens a lot. Definitely once a month, sometimes several times in one week. My thoughts are not about whether the stories are true or not. I don't know the motivation, but I'm usually guessing it's a "scam" (though I hate that word). It's where my heart goes that bothers me... and I believe God continues to allow these encounters to lovingly draw out my own pride and sense of entitlement. I usually give money, bu...

I blogged last month (read the posts  here and here ) about our choice this Christmas to give up receiving gifts and instead seek Christ together and give to the least of His people. Have you wondered if our Christmas day was odd without getting gifts? It was hands-down the most incredible Christmas I've ever experienced. We kept our traditions of writing things we love about Jesus on paper ornaments (but skipped stocking stuffers attached), eating birthday cake, and reading/acting out Luke 2 and Matthew 2. I just felt overwhelmed by the truth that Jesus IS THE treasure our hearts seek. And He so freely gave Himself to us. I'm so beyond thrilled to be His and the time we had to reflect and pour Him into our kids all morning served as a sweet reminder to me of Jesus as THE gift.  And then we went online to give through Gospel for Asia. That was so much fun and such an amazing feeling. We really are so very rich and it felt so right to spend our riches giving to meet...

Tis the season for renewed vigor at seeking Christ, caring for our bodies, loving our family better, and getting our homes in shape. I thought I'd share my favorite book for gaining a vision for your home and simplifying it. It's a book called Organized Simplicity . It's awesome! In it, Tsh has tips for scheduling, calendars, etc. and takes you through an actual step by step/room to room process to a clean home, but first has you set a mission and vision with your husband for your family, home, and then evaluate how each room fits that. It radically changed how we fill our home. They wanted to play together, but I wanted safety Example: We realized as we went though that Jimmy's room wasn't fitting our family. Because he had a toddler brother and lots of small toys, his door always had to be closed. But Jimmy never went in there because he hated being alone. So we sorted through, giving away some toys and added shelving and bins to his closet, making room for hi...

Some of you have asked me to share how my surgery went. I'm sitting here almost a week later staring at my precious third baby boy thinking how sweet God's gifts to us are. He's small and cute and perfect. Our family is so much fuller because he's here and it makes it seem silly to talk about anything else...but onto the surgery and what I learned: We need the church - I felt so overwhelmed by fear at just the thought of going into surgery and yet God so covered me with His grace and strength through the love of friends and family. So many sent Scripture to encourage me, blog posts to help prep me, and lots of hugs, prayers, and kind words. It reminded me that we need each other. In a time of really weak faith, I had an army of faith-filled friends and family fighting with me to hold me strong towards God. It was Ephesians 6 (armor of God) lived out in community and it was an incredible (and humbling) experience. Sometimes the things you fear DO happen - When I st...

Awesome sermon : "Dr. Russell Moore preached a powerful sermon at Covenant Life about when Satan tempted Jesus to jump from the temple. Ever wondered why that would have tempted Jesus? Russell shows how we face the same temptations to demand by sight what God has given by faith and to vindicate ourselves." Here's the sermon !