A celebration of the protestant reformation

i wanted to say something to mark today's anniversary of the reformation but saw my man had already done so on his blog - so i'm stealing it...

This Day in History and the Five Solas

My jewel, you are so precious to me. Another thing that I hold precious like no other was rediscovered on this day, October 31, 1517, 490 years ago. On this day, the Catholic monk Martin Luther came to the conclusion through study of the Word that salvation could not ever come through his own good works. Those works could not save him. The only means for his and mankind's salvation is the intercession of Jesus. He took his 95 Theses and nailed them to the door of the church in Wittenberg, sparking the Protestant Reformation and reclaiming the power of the true Gospel. From this concept flows the five solas:

1. Sola scriptura - Scripture Alone
   
2. Sola Fide - Faith Alone
   
3. Solus Christus - Christ Alone
   
4. Sola Gratia - Grace Alone
   
5. Soli Deo Gloria - Glory to God Alone

You will hear me refer to these ideas and doctrine often, because I cling to them like a life preserver in the vastness of the ocean. If I cannot rely on these truths, then my hope is lost. But because I can hang onto these truths, my hope in grace and future grace through faith saves me, and I pray that you will one day come to know and love them as well.

my new thing

http://www.courtneyscandles.com

fragrance oil lamps. ok - not comfortable about the alcohol content..... more on that when i have time! but regardless, do like the nice smell in the house.

Thoughts on eternity II

kind of cool how God answers questions we have. i had posted a "thoughts on eternity" regarding the relationship between faith and experiences. tonight at church, God answered it via a sermon on phil. where Paul talks about going from head knowledge to heart knowledge. the 4 key points being: single-mindedness (chapter 1), humble-minded (chapter 2), heaven-minded (chapter 3), right-minded (chapter 4).

paul was in prison when he wrote this and the reason he had such joy and contentment was because of his experience with the Gospel. He got it and he became single-minded about sharing it.

love it!

not a good trend...

the last several long runs, i've cut short my distance. for example, today i was supposed to do 14 and i only did 10.5. wouldn't it be funny if at mile 22 of the marathon, i just decided to stop because i didn't feel like running anymore, ha ha ha!

New favorite cookies

the plate of cookies is quickly disappearing into my stomach!

Courtesy of foodnetwork.com
(* my variation - used butter, not crisco. used more coconut then called for. used walnuts instead of pecans)

Cowboy Cookie Recipe courtesy David Sutherland, Minot, North Dakota Show: Food Network Challenge Episode: Challenge: Cookies

1 cup shortening (recommended: Crisco) 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 (6-ounce) package chocolate chips 1/2 cup shredded coconut Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and the vanilla and beat until well blended. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add oats, nuts, chocolate chips and coconut, mix until combined. Spoon cookie mixture onto greased foil lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

push up update

i'm at 70 - my man, how about you? i'm calling you out!

marathons in 2008?

i'm starting to get notices for sign ups on next year's races already... yikes! i haven't gotten through this one yet and already people are thinking of the next one?

speaking of which, i signed up for a pace group (basically that means that there's a person running your goal pace with a flag so you know to follow that person). this leader has run 107 marathons! is that crazy, or what?!

Men's toys

my man got a new mac today. no need to guess what he's going to be spending the evening doing. maybe that would be a good time to ask if i get my house now ;) ha ha ha.

Thoughts on eternity

Once you've become saved, do you HAVE to have an experience for your faith to grow? what exactly constitutes an experience? is it feeling driven? what does a relationship with God look like if you don't have any "experiences"? if you don't have any experiences, then what does that mean?
just something i'm pondering these days in light of a conversation with a friend.

Fun fun fun!

Last night, we got a babysitter and got to go into the city for a night of sheer fun. we were the only ones in the group with a child so it was an opportunity to enjoy a night of no responsibilities and act like we're 21 again. when was the last time we did that??!

pear smoothie

recipe:

2 pears
1 TBL of honey
1/2C of plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

blend in blender.
recipe calls for pear juice to thin out, but my vita mix doesn't need that ;)

tip on honey - i use "really raw honey". http://www.reallyrawhoney.com/
it's really good stuff.

it was good, but next time i think i'll cut back on the honey - maybe 1/2 TBL. was a bit too pronounced.

original thought #1 follow up

just a quick search on going west produced a few of these verses:

• Ex 10:19 And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt.
• ex 26:22 Make six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle,
• ex 26:27 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle.
• ex 27:12 "The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases.

there were more verses that mentioned west as it related to the tabernacle. i also find interesting that the first verse above in ex 10 is that the LORD changed to wind to a WEST wind... this could affirm my thought in the previous post... so maybe west could be associated with God or eternity?? just a thought...

Original thought #1

ok, it's original to me -- i don't recall reading or hearing this anywhere but i'm sure if i did some research i would be able to find commentary on it... but for now, let's just call it my spiritual illumination ;)

so, for the past year i've been pondering this idea of going east. i noticed it the first time did the Bible in 90 days bit and with each reading i seem to see it more and more.

• gen 2:8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.
• gen 3:24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
• gen 4:16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
• gen 10:30 The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
• gen 11:2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
• gen 13:11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:
• Gen 25:6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

So what is this idea of going east? could there be an association with men/ God's creatures and going east? (then by implication, does that mean that spiritual/ eternity could be associated with going west?) in gen 3 - it says that God sent them east of eden - could that indicate an idea of going away from creation as it was intended in the Garden of Eden? could east be associated with sin? if you look at the references above in gen 11, gen 13 -- you see people groups of wickedness living in the east or going east. i'm sure there are holes in this hypothesis and i'm still pondering it - anyone else with additional insights?

So glad!

last long run is DONE!!! did 20 on saturday and now it's taper time, baby!
only about 2 weeks until marathon. can't wait for it to be OVER!

Adjusting to work

I've entered week two of the return to the professional life and wanna hear something strange? the biggest adjustment is sitting in a chair for 8/9 hours! no joke my bottom was so sore at the end of the day from sitting. funny that as at home i can't wait to be able to sit down :)

burning desires

so there's a part of me that wants the partner track and another part of me that wants to home school and then the stubborn part of me that says i can do both. my man just laughed...
God's good - He'll show us what to do in His own time... until then we'll just laugh together at my unrealistic goals :) ha ha ha

babysitters

why is it so hard to find babysitters these days? and why do they ask for so much??? "back in my day..." it was the other way around. ugh! date night is becoming a chore just because of the difficultly in finding a babysitter!

squash fries

we're almost at the end of our produce delivery for the year - so sad!

yesterday i made squash fries and told our jewel is was french fries and she gobbled them up! so awesome!! squash from the farm, peeled, cut into strips like fries, EVOO, salt, pepper on the cookie sheet and into the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. recipe called to put honey on time and eat immediately, but didn't need the honey - was so sweet without it.

competition update

i'm up to 60 push ups. my man, where are you?

AND i was so excited that i was able to do a full set of bicep curls with 15lbers. seeing improvements is awesome! if only, my running was seeing improvements these days.
i have one last long run to go - got a 20 miler this weekend and then it's taper time - yippee!! honestly, i'm tired of running; tired of training! can't wait for it to be over.

i'm debating taking a kickboxing class when i'm done. apparently it's called kickboxing because it kicks your butt! they advertise that you lose 700 to1000 calories an hour - that's on par with running - that's pretty intense. my running pal has been doing it and apparently it's great. i may use it to replace my weight lifting time as i don't exactly enjoy lifting weight by myself in an empty room... i need the competition and the smell of other people's sweat ;) esp. men's sweat. don't ask me why, but i've never been into the curves deal.... going to a lady's gym sounds weak to me / don't get me wrong - my mother in law is really into curves and i think that's great. there's definitely a niche for it - but personally, i'm a gold's kind of girl. although my man and i had this discussion how some guys just want to work out with other guys. i think that golds has changed since he was a member and now there are too many ladies in there for him. go figure!

ok, i've totally rambled on and on today.

entertaining kids on less than $1

you'll never guess where i found this article:
http://lifehacker.com/software/kids/10-ways-to-entertain-young-children-for-1-or-less-without-the-tv-283550.php

that's right - on an accountant's blog :) enjoy!

i'm one of THOSE...

as i sit here researching a new accounting software we're rolling in at work... i stumble on accounting blogs. man, i'm a geek! LOL

perhaps my man will enjoy some of them too :) ha ha ha
http://accounting.smartpros.com/x49035.xml

back to work!

first day of work yesterday. standard orientation stuff. feeling a lot better about it though then i was last week. i'm getting good vibes about it. :) thanks for praying!

Crossing Borders

had a representative come to church today to talk about a ministry that's gotten me intrigued:
crossingbordersnk.org
it's a ministry that focuses on north korean refugees that have escaped into china. it's so overwhelming and sad.

overwhelmed

on the eve of reentering the audit world, i find that i'm on the verge of entering our 3rd small group, still carrying a weekend part time job, training for a marathon, trying to keep the house spotless, and attempting to maintain my sanity.. oh and yes, be a good mother to our jewel.

Anne of the Island

ok, i think it's this book but i can't remember and i'm too tired to look it up... but as i was reading gen 10 - i saw the verse gen 10:2 "The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras." and it made me think of the two porcelain china dogs in Anne of the Island - Gog and Magog. do you think L.M. took it from this verse? just a random thought....

Tommy Nelson

My husband mentioned the Song of Solomon series a long time ago but i just never got around to it. Well, the time has finally come to listen to the famous series. and gals - it's good stuff! you can tell tommy nelson is such a texan! it cracks me up. it's a 6 part series and i finished the 4th today. i'm eager to listen to the rest of it and discuss with the man :)
i love when people are excited about the Word - it's contagious!

competition progress

or lack there of... my man's up to 230lbs but i'm still hovering around 50 push ups. honestly with the marathon being a month away, i don't know if i have the energy to do 100...
i think my man will get to his goal soon :) way to go!

Chair

it took me 9 months but i finally finished the chair! yes!!! since i don't really know what i'm doing - it was a trial and error thing - most of the time spent in error! i'm so glad i can finally cross this project off my to do list!!

homeschool?

ugh!!! to homeschool or not? you know, i used to think homeschoolers were odd... then i said, homeschooling is great but it's not for me... and now here i am debating it. i keep going back and forth! when you're reading the books on it, it's inspiring and you think you can do it. then you start to look at the curriculum and your kid and man! it's overwhelming!

dehydrator 2

pineapple and pears were dried yesterday and it's so YUM!!!!
esp the pineapple. i actually have to try and exercise self control not to eat too much because the acidity will really get to the roof of your mouth!

Job

i've decided to go back to work part time. praying for the transition period and adjustment.
may God give me the sensitivity to listen to the hearts of my family. if it causes me to slip in my responsibilities, may i be able to walk away.

BS insight

so i'm in a BS this year Wednesday mornings and we're going through the Pentateuch. this week's study was on genesis 9-11.
i love finding little gems of insight. our pastor calls them spiritual illumination.
i saw the connection between Ham's curse by his dad and God's sovereignty in how it gets played out in future generations.

Chapter 9 talks about Noah's curse on Ham's descendants - Canaan. here's the curse:

25 he said,
"Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers."

26 He also said,
"Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.

27 May God extend the territory of Japheth ;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be his slave."

You see how the curse is carried out in chapter 10 when it lays out Ham's lineage: from Canaan:

10 The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

13 Mizraim was the father of
the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.

15 Canaan was the father of
Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.
Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19 and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

Notice the bold (my addition). I pulled out the major people groups that the Bible mentions later on. It's amazing how one action can impact generations upon generations! these people groups are enemies to the isrealites. of further note is that in deut. after the isrealites leave egypt, God commands the isrealites to destroy the people mentioned in verse 15-18 above.

it makes me think that we leave behind a spiritual lineage - whether good or bad. may by His glory and grace, we raise children who love Jesus and seek to serve Him.

Food Dehydrator

So far, i've used it with asian pears and apples. not bad. still need to work on it as i think the ones i had earlier were more flavorful. i think i'll adjust the temperature next time. but so far, so good :)