Let Mercy Fall on Me...

Yesterday during worship, our church sang the song “Mighty to Save” by Hillsong Australia. Do you ever have those moments in worship where you are so completely struck by the words and meaning of the song that you can’t even sing? It’s almost as if singing the words aloud would disrupt them from sinking deep into your heart…I don’t know, maybe that’s just me. But yesterday, I definitely had one of those moments. I love it when surroundings fade away and it’s just my heart to God’s heart, communicating quietly. What struck me most significantly yesterday, was the first verse, I couldn’t get past it through the whole song. The lyrics state…

“Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.”

The phrase, “Let mercy fall on me” has been running through my head over and over. Yesterday, during that song, I asked the Lord to implant his mercy into my thoughts, my heart, my motives and my actions. I want to see people how Jesus did when he died for all mankind. I want to love ALL people like Jesus did when he gravitated toward the outcasts, the poor, and the disowned.

I know saying we want Christ’s mercy is one thing, but living it day in and day out is another complete. That is my prayer…that His mercy would fall and rest on me. That it would transfer to everything I do, say and think. That it would be the filter for how I live my life!

Tonight we are enjoying a wonderful slow rain! I love staying in and enjoying the rain. We needed a good soak for our roses, so it is a blessing to spend the evening with summer rain.

"Cakies"

I LOVE Sunday's! I always enjoy worshipping at church and spending a leisurely day with Chris...and today was no different. We had a great morning service and then went to a fish fry put on by our church youth group to raise money for camp. It was soooo good! There is not much better than fish and chips, and knowing it helps our youth go to camp was even better! We spent a leisurely afternoon napping and hanging around the house. Chris is programmed to take a nap every Sunday afternoon so he was out shortly after we got home. And of course, I couldn't let him out-do me so I took one too!

On another note, I offered to make cookies for Chris tonight while we were watching the Yankie game. Secretly, I wanted cookies for myself as well ;) I usually make the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Cookie Recipe and this time I decided to half it, so we didn't have four dozen cookies sitting in the kitchen...hello weight gain!!! Anyway, I accidently put in the two eggs instead of one and didn't realize it until they were in the oven. So, I warned Chris that these cookies may not be normal...well, they weren't normal but Chris LOVED them. He declared them the best cookies he had ever had...ha! They were more like a cake consistency so we deemed them "Cakies" instead of cookies :) Here are our cakies which do not look too appetizing but actually were really, really good! I have now been requested to make all of my cookies like this...we'll see!

A Jonas, Baggetts and Putt Putt

What a week...we have been running for the last several days! Our friends, Travis and Danielle, came to visit Tuesday through Thursday. We had a blast with them even though the time was short.

Here we are...with Chris being a dork :)

The highlight would have to be a visit to the Cheesecake Factory....yum! This was soooo good! And guess who we sat behind...Kevin Jonas from the Jonas Brothers. That was fun! Chris snapped a picture of him on his phone as proof...not the best quality but proof none the less!

Chris was so sweet and brought a beautiful bouquet of roses and daisy's on Wednesday for our 3rd anniversary! I LOVE them!!! It was so fun to have them at my desk all week and think about the last three years of our marriage! Here is a picture of them today (sorry they are slightly wilted...that's what I get for waiting to take a picture until today!)

Today, we slept in which was the best! After waking up we messed around the house and then went and stuffed ourselves at Abuelos. This is probably my favorite mexican food ever! Chris and I reverted back to childhood and decided to play a game of Putt Putt. It was fun despite the high-90's Texas heat! I am pretty sure he won although I came pretty close! I think I did pretty good since I never golf, and he golfs all the time :)

Our score card....and Chris' not-so-good penmanship!

Chris showing his great golfing skills

Well, hope everyone has a great weekend! Church tomorrow, fish fry for lunch, and hopefully Toy Story 3 in the afternoon!

Terrific Tuesday!

Hello Friends! I hope your week has started off as good as mine! Chris and I are pedaling along in our plans for church planting. I think each day gets more exciting and scary all at the same time. We have set up our PO Box for the church and begun to order some supplies we will need to start raising funds and beginning ministry! Chris and I have also found the absolute perfect place to live. We are praying the Lord will work it out for us to be able to move in there sometime in the fall. Pray for us as we build our core group and start the first steps of planting the church. Pray for wisdom, provision, and most of all that God would be glorified in our lives and ministry!

In other news, Chris and I are celebrating our last day of the second year of our marriage, because tomorrow is our THIRD ANNIVERSARY! I cannot believe it has flown by so fast. I can truly say I am more in love with my man today than even when we first were married (if that is even possible J). I have the best husband on the planet and thank God for each and every day we have had together!

As I write this, my sweet friend Courtney is arriving at the airport to fly out for a mission trip to India. I had the privilege of anointing her with prayer last night, and I know God will do great things in and through her life as she serves Him for several weeks in India. Pray for her safety, boldness, and faith as she seeks to minister to hurting people! She is an amazing young women and I am so excited for this journey she is going on!
Y’all have a great Tuesday and stay cool in this hot, hot weather!

Surviving vs. Thriving

I have thought much lately over a response I heard from an everyday question. Sitting at my desk at work, I recently heard someone ask a fellow believer “How are you?” Now I know this question is asked and responded to hundreds of times a day, but it was the response that I heard that got me thinking. The response this particular day was “Surviving!” I thought hmmm…that is interesting, and I wondered if maybe that individual was going through a trying time. But come to find out, that is this person’s typical response day in and day out.

This constant response of “Surviving” has really made me sit back and think about how I want to live my life. Do I just want to survive each and every day and walk around just glad to have made it through? Not really, while surviving is a good thing (I certainly would not want the opposite), I hope that my life reflects more than simply surviving…I want to be thriving. I believe Jesus wants the same thing for each of His followers. In fact in John 10:10 Jesus says,

“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly!”

It is clearly God’s intent for His children to walk victoriously, but perhaps we work to defeat ourselves by our words, thoughts, and attitudes so that our actions follow suit. My question today is, “Am I walking abundantly in victory or allowing the enemy to destroy my day to the point of just surviving?”

I know, there are periods of life and situations where surviving is the only thing that one can do. BUT day-to-day a follower of Christ can do much more than survive. He or she can walk victoriously through the power of the Holy Spirit. I don’t know about you, but I want an abundant life…a life that testifies to his greatness and power. May He receive ALL glory, and honor and praise for every moment of every day of my life!