Noteworthy.

"But I have, at all times, felt a disposition to leave it with God, and trust in him to direct me... I am a creature of God, and he has an undoubted right to do with me, as seemeth good in his sight. I rejoice, that I am in his hands--that he is every where present, and can protect me in one place as well as another. He has my heart in his hands, and when I am called to face danger, to pass through scenes of terror and distress, he can inspire me with fortitude, and enable me to trust in him. Jesus is faithful; his promises are precious."--Ann Judson

Speaking of Dieting.

Grace-Motivated...Dieting?

Rather than seeing our bodies in the light of the world's absurd standards, we see them as gifts meant to give God glory and to serve others.

Eat Your Veggies--3 Ways to Grow Up Spiritually 

The preciousness of salvation begins to grow commonplace, church becomes a routine, Bible reading a chore, prayer incidental. Sermons they used to relish are now a bland plate of brussel sprouts. As the years grind on, they dutifully trudge through the motions of spirituality, but the light flickered out years ago. 

And a picture of my fat dog.

R You Ready?

I watched a lot of the last season of "The Biggest Loser" partly because I knew some of it was filmed at the Aquatic Center out here and also because it was on right before "Parenthood". Even as I am typing out this blog post, Kim is watching this new season of "The Biggest Loser". I love watching this show. There is something inspirational about watching these people accomplish their weight loss goals and to see how badly they want to live. They know that if they continue to live as they have been they will die. Obesity will kill them.

At the beginning of this year instead of making a list of New Year's resolutions like I normally do, I tried to think of a theme that I wanted to characterize this year. I thought about the past year, 2011, and what it was characterized by. While there were plenty of good things that happened, what stood out were the bad--those sins that keep coming up. Wasting time watching so much tv. Not using my brain. Ungratefulness. Discontentment. Pride. The list went on. Spiritual obesity was running rampant last year. What could I change to make 20.12 a new year where sin is fought and defeated and christlikeness is more attained?

Spiritual obesity much like regular, physical obesity, is unacceptable. Obesity will kill you. Spiritual obesity will kill you. So to get my spiritual booty into shape, enter the year of "R"s! Read. Remember. Write. 20.12. (I know, I know "write" isn't really an 'R'...sorry 'bout it!)

1.) Read.

"Books are essential to Christian growth. And, if there is one disappointment I has as I reflect on over three decades of Christian ministry, it is the declining appetite among Christians for good Christian literature. As a consequence, today's Christianity is less robust"--Derek Thomas

 I definitely have not been reading as much as I could or should. So I am trying to generate a reasonable list of books to read. 10 Christian books and then 2 classics. We'll see how this goes! If you have recommendations let me know!

"If you haven't been jarred when you're reading the Bible, you're not reading it." --John Piper

 Goodbye mindless, duty oriented Bible reading! It's easy to read, but it's more difficult to really think about what I'm reading. I can love God with my emotions, in my heart, and in my actions, but He also commands me to love Him with my mind. (Mark 12:30) Time for Bible study! One OT book and one NT! I've started Genesis and so far it is so good. And I've only just finished chapter 1 verse 1.


2.) Remember.

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" Psalm 34:8-9

 Part of the reason why I am so prone to ungratefulness and discontentment is because 1.) I don't find full satisfaction in Christ and 2.) because I am blinded to the blessings already in my life. I made this "Best of My Days" notepad like Ashley at Under the Sycamore. You can make your own HERE! (Her blog is so cute!)


3.) Write.
I have not been journaling like I used to. How will I remember what happened during my life when I am old and have Alzheimer's disease? What will my loved ones read to me to help me remember??? "The Notebook" aside and in all seriousness, journaling has been so crucial in helping me think and meditate on God and has provided some good times of introspection. Even godly dudes journal, LOOK.
So farewell, obesity. Hello, 20.12.

"for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise from the present life and also for the life to come." --1Timothy 4:8

Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

"Romans 7:18, 'For I know that nothing good dwells in me.' Nothing. Nothing good dwells in me... But here's the good news, we have a God who takes nothing and brings about something. And so the Creator God, who had nothing and spoke everything into being, looks at our wicked hearts that hold nothing righteous--speaks a word of creation over them and there is something there. There is righteousness--given to us by Christ. And we become for the first time capable of truly worshiping the Creator instead of the creation." --Jennifer Wilkin 

Christmas Eve

"This is the Christian hope into which we were saved. We know that Jesus has already paid for our adoption, but we wait for the Father to send Him for us to renew our home and dwell among us eternally as we experience our resurrected bodies and the fullness of His glory. This is a salvation about so much more than just 'going to heaven when we die.' This is restoration, redemption, and renewal. This is going from enemies of God to sons and daughters of God, co-heirs with Christ. This is living fully in the image of God the way He intended. Oh what a day that will be[!] Come Lord Jesus, come[!]" -Advent Guide, The Village Church

Science is Cool!

Being on break has provided a few opportunities to do some things I didn't have time to do during the semester. I've been able to do a couple of science experiments! The first was from Pinterest. Cutting glass with acetone and flame.

Allison making fun of us as we prep our experiment.

Success!

Cutting glass is scary! Basically you wrap yarn around your glass bottle. Soak the yarn in Acetone (nail polish remover). Put the soaked yarn back on the bottle where you want it to cut. Light the yarn on fire. FLAMAS!!! Right before the flame goes out dunk the bottle in cold water. Eye protection--Check! Contemplated wearing lab coats...but I really wish we had flame retardant gloves! The fire was frightening and I didn't want to do it anymore, but Kim pointed out that Allison had already posted pictures on Facebook and we would look lame if we didn't post an "after" picture.

The next experiment is not for the faint of heart. I wanted to see approximately the maximum volume of my bladder. There is this one episode of Grey's Anatomy where Meredith and Karev (I think) drank a ton of water and then did an ultrasound to see who had the bigger bladder. Ever since then I wanted to see how big my bladder was. But I don't have an ultrasound machine! So I did the next best thing.

According to the National Institutes of Health the average bladder can hold 350-550mL of liquid. I drank 3,500mL of water and my output was about 700mL! Yippee! Above average.

Stay tuned for more scientific adventures! Instructables has a "Projects for Pyros: Holiday Edition" that seems interesting.

A song about science.

Grace Upon Grace.

- iMessage.
- "Mexican" Boba.
- Reminders to run my race.
- More free music. (I love Noisetrade!)

Girl Crush.

I love Lauren Chandler. SO excited to hear her speak this coming June! 
Here's an excerpt from her blog (she hasn't updated in some time, but go through the archives man)


"Sometimes He wrings the worship from our hearts."
If you get the chance, read Psalm 107.
There are times when worship overflows easily and effortlessly from a heart full of gratitude and praise. Yet, there are other times when we feel we have nothing left to offer up. We are tired, or thirsty, or imprisoned in our own chains through our own devices, or caught in the waves of a tumultuous sea. This is when God wraps His eternally powerful, ultimately creative, nail-scarred hands around our hearts and squeezes with appropriate might. Our hearts painfully twist and change shape as He wrings the worship out of it. It is a deep worship. It is an honest worship. It is the worship we sometimes forget. The humble worship of crying out to God in the midst of our pain. No flowery words. No shiny faces. Not in that moment. That will come later. But for now, this is the worship He seeks - an honest plea for Him to save us.

"Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress (Psalm 107:6,13, 19 & 28)."

O come, O come Emmanuel.

It gets darker earlier. The leaves on the trees are changing colors and falling. It's so cold (and crazy windy!!!). Christmas music is playing on KOST and The WAVE. It's December! Christmas is just around the corner!!!


Since college, I've become more and more excited about holidays (as in all of them, even Halloween which is sort of weird since I don't do anything too exciting). Christmas will always be more special than all the other holidays though. I love everything about it even the commercial, secular, pagan, this-is-not-what-Christmas-is-all-about parts. Christmas trees, egg nog, outrageous Christmas sweaters, Santa, cheesy romantic comedies centered around the holidays, Christmas music (who else loves the Justin Bieber Christmas album? the Michael Buble album?? N'SYNC???) Actually, I think I'm not the only one who loves Christmas and anyone who is not looking forward to the 25th is probably in the minority.


One tradition that we have at our house is the advent calendar. Each year my mother buys each of us a cardboard box with some Christmas scene printed on the front and 25 perforated windows numbered 1-25 (this year she is a little late...). Behind each window is a piece of chocolate! It's great. I remember one year she tried to change it up and use these ornaments with Bible verses on the back...those weren't as popular as the chocolate filled boxes (what can I say, we are sinners who love our chocolate!) Even with our countdown tradition, I don't think I've really understood the kind of eager anticipation I should have around Christmas time or even the kind of appreciation I should have for Christmas as a Christian.


Christians and most non-Christians can tell you that Christmas is really about Jesus being born in a manger--or more "theologically", the incarnation. Not to downplay the fact that God became human, but I always kind of thought Christmas was kind of just a big arrow pointing to the less-celebrated-and-slightly-less-commercialized Easter. Obviously, Jesus had to be born so that he could die. Be thankful. Rejoice. The end.


Probably due to my greater love for chocolate than the Word, I've failed to see that Christmas and the incarnation are reminders of the faithfulness of God. God promised the Jews a Messiah and though they might not have recognized Him, He came. God has made a promise to us too, that Jesus will come again.


It's crazy how this slightly delayed epiphany has transformed how view and feel about Christmas. When I'm counting down the days to Christmas (21 more days!) I have to stop and ask myself if I'm as excited about Jesus coming back again. Do I feel that same eager, anxious, anticipation for His return? Do I treasure this world and all that's in it more than I treasure Christ?


This year my favorite Christmas songs are "O come, O come Emmanuel" and "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" (On repeat all day, err'day!). Before when we'd sing these songs I'd try to pretend I was an Old Testament Jew. But that didn't really cause me to worship or feel anything because I'm not an Old Testament Jew waiting for the Messiah. This year though, I understand more. This year, I can listen to these songs and in my heart say, "Yes! Please, come!" With the same yearning the Jews had for a Messiah, I can sing and pray and plead, "Come Thou, long expected Jesus...From our fears and sins release us. Let us find our rest in Thee!" This longing for Christ to come again is backed by the reality that he came once before. As if God could not be trusted, we have the incarnation and the cross as proof that He is a keeper of His promises.


"O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny; from depths of hell Thy people save, and give them victory over the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel"


"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 3:8-9


Seriously, download this Advent Guide.

Grace Upon Grace

-La Cocina. OMG delicious Mexican food, get in my belly!
-Free music. Red Mountain Christmas Songs
- No class on Fridays.