Brothers-in-law, that is.
And it's true! I love and am so thankful for them. Besides the fact that I am thankful for what they are: ANSWERS TO PRAYER!, I am thankful for who they are. I love their individual gifts, and I love that they share them with others...probably without even noticing!
For instance, in just over 24 hours:
*Thomas challenged us by sharing what he's learned in his prayer class. I'm still processing all that he said, but it was a really precious time for me when I noticed some connections between scripture meditation, prayer, and communication with our God in Psalm 119. Thanks for your thoughtful, insight, Thomas. Also, I wish all of you could have heard his sermon on Sunday (now posted HERE!). Someone at church told me today that he "hit the nail on the head" with the Hebrews passage...and I was SO proud to tell that person that I have the privilege of being related to Thomas!
*Rob sacrificed watching the USA play to make tasty sauteed onions for our burgers. He even recognized that I might be excited to know the recipe, so he took the initiative in walking me through the steps on how he made it. Today I made my poor husband eat dreaded leftover hamburgers for lunch, but he was really excited to know that I could "add some of Rob's onions" for him to put on the burger, too. It put a smile on my face to think that Rob's time in the kitchen made my husband's day better today in a way that I couldn't.
The great thing about these is that they were both doing just what they normally do! I just had to post because a day after they've both been gone, these (in following Michelle's previous post) little big things brightened my day.
Rob and Thomas: "Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." (Philemon vs. 7)
I am thankful to the Lord for you two!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Little Big's
Yes, that's Rob's favorite slider restaurant in Houston. But that's not what this blog entry is about.
This morning the toilet overflowed. As in, the bathroom was a lake and I had no choice but to create a carpet of my (six) good bath towels to soak it all up. GROSS.
In a year and a half of marriage, Rob and I have only been separated by the Pig Roast and maybe one or two other days and nights. But this week I spent two days in Florida and he spent two days in Dallas. This little time apart has been a sweet blessing because it's reminded me of a the little things I so often take for granted.
...Like when he gets out of bed to stop the toilet from running. The running never bothers me; in fact, sometimes I think I might fall asleep faster with that (not-so-lovely-anymore) white noise. But as I stood in the lake this morning gazing at that confused toilet, I realized just how great my husband is.
That's just one of the many Little Big things that make him really wonderful.
This morning the toilet overflowed. As in, the bathroom was a lake and I had no choice but to create a carpet of my (six) good bath towels to soak it all up. GROSS.
In a year and a half of marriage, Rob and I have only been separated by the Pig Roast and maybe one or two other days and nights. But this week I spent two days in Florida and he spent two days in Dallas. This little time apart has been a sweet blessing because it's reminded me of a the little things I so often take for granted.
...Like when he gets out of bed to stop the toilet from running. The running never bothers me; in fact, sometimes I think I might fall asleep faster with that (not-so-lovely-anymore) white noise. But as I stood in the lake this morning gazing at that confused toilet, I realized just how great my husband is.
That's just one of the many Little Big things that make him really wonderful.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Big Biographies
I know I didn't read all the biographies in the RTBC library before I went to high school or left for college, but I thought Mom would be proud to know that I have been reading some lately. And they're big (at least for me).
They are both great. They are both recommended. Both men are amazing. Without doing a full book report here is a little info. Both do a good job of using lots of primary sources. Both also do a good job of summarizing the theology propounded by their subjects.
The Edwards biography is a little drier, but if there was ever anything you wanted to know about Edwards it's probably in there. I am more convinced than ever that Edwards is America's most intelligent individual.
The Bonhoeffer biography is not quite as timeless, but it does do a great job of describing the atmosphere in Nazi Germany's downward spiral. It is hard to imagine anyone more committed to doing God's will in a hard situation than Bonhoeffer.
They are both great. They are both recommended. Both men are amazing. Without doing a full book report here is a little info. Both do a good job of using lots of primary sources. Both also do a good job of summarizing the theology propounded by their subjects.
The Edwards biography is a little drier, but if there was ever anything you wanted to know about Edwards it's probably in there. I am more convinced than ever that Edwards is America's most intelligent individual.
The Bonhoeffer biography is not quite as timeless, but it does do a great job of describing the atmosphere in Nazi Germany's downward spiral. It is hard to imagine anyone more committed to doing God's will in a hard situation than Bonhoeffer.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Idols vs. Grace
God is in the business of His peoples' sanctification. God smashes our idols. He is jealous for our affections He vigorously cultivates our reliance on Him.
Over the last month God taught me an important lesson about my idols, His work, and His grace. About four weeks ago two of my idols collided. I was scheduled to fly back from a business trip at the same time as the US World Cup opener. At the time I even told Chandra that God had set two of my idols against each other to teach me a lesson. I went ahead and scheduled the flight that was supposed to touch down a little over an hour before the game started. If there were no delays at the airport and no traffic, I could catch half of the game. So I decided to hope that God would provide. Last week, Chandra and I also prayed that everything would go smoothly on my trip. This is the most rigorous test our software has been through, and it is taking place in a high-stress, high-visibility environment.
God would be totally justified in giving me no success on my trip and delaying my flight just enough to miss the entire soccer game. Instead, everything on my trip went more smoothly than anyone expected, and as a result I was able to catch an earlier flight back home. I spent the whole weekend with my wife, watched the game in my own living room, and did not worry about work a bit.
A few weeks ago I felt like God was cold and hard and had no regard for my happiness. Sitting in the airport an hour before my earlier flight, I realized that I don't have to be scared of God smashing my idols. I learned again that God loves to make His people (me) happy. I realized that he “is able to do immeasurably more than all we [I] ask or imagine”.
Also, I'm thinking of renaming the blog to sixbecomewalt.blogspot.com. Objections?
Over the last month God taught me an important lesson about my idols, His work, and His grace. About four weeks ago two of my idols collided. I was scheduled to fly back from a business trip at the same time as the US World Cup opener. At the time I even told Chandra that God had set two of my idols against each other to teach me a lesson. I went ahead and scheduled the flight that was supposed to touch down a little over an hour before the game started. If there were no delays at the airport and no traffic, I could catch half of the game. So I decided to hope that God would provide. Last week, Chandra and I also prayed that everything would go smoothly on my trip. This is the most rigorous test our software has been through, and it is taking place in a high-stress, high-visibility environment.
God would be totally justified in giving me no success on my trip and delaying my flight just enough to miss the entire soccer game. Instead, everything on my trip went more smoothly than anyone expected, and as a result I was able to catch an earlier flight back home. I spent the whole weekend with my wife, watched the game in my own living room, and did not worry about work a bit.
A few weeks ago I felt like God was cold and hard and had no regard for my happiness. Sitting in the airport an hour before my earlier flight, I realized that I don't have to be scared of God smashing my idols. I learned again that God loves to make His people (me) happy. I realized that he “is able to do immeasurably more than all we [I] ask or imagine”.
Also, I'm thinking of renaming the blog to sixbecomewalt.blogspot.com. Objections?
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