Another Year of Grace

Well, another year of grace has come and gone for me and Kathy.  Thirty-three years of God's goodness and faithfulness.  As I look back upon the past, my heart rejoices in God's guidance and marvelous provision.  As I look into the future, my heart rests in the knowledge that he who has begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

It has been a different birthday with 600 miles between us, but how grateful I am for technology!  The ability to all FaceTime together this afternoon was indeed a most wonderful gift.

Knowing of the unique circumstances this year, I am thankful for all those who made conscious effort to make it a memorable birthday for me and Kathy.  Our family and friends in both cities made us feel loved and special.

Here at home, Laura and family (with all her precious kiddos), Dad, Mom, and Rachael all gave me a wonderful birthday celebration, beginning this past Saturday and continuing to today!   The table decorations for our Saturday night party were so fun with their bright, cheery colors, and I loved the flowers from Ben & Laura's garden, which Essie and Benjamin carefully cut and arranged for me.

Rather than a traditional baked treat for dessert, I settled on ice cream sundaes (or frozen yogurt sundaes), which proved to be a big hit!  Toppings included crumbled brownies, chopped Snickers bars and Reese's Pieces, almond M&M's, regular M&M's, crisp M&M's, granola, and chocolate syrup.  It sure is fun to go all out one day a year!

I also opened a few presents, which is always more enjoyable to do with little helpers. :)

Today (our actual birthday), a friend came over and walked on the Monon Trail with me for a couple of hours.  And then over the lunch hour we were able to FaceTime with Kathy as I mentioned earlier.  Mom and I spent the remaining afternoon hours shopping together and then preparing my second birthday meal:  tacos (with fresh salsa) and blueberry crisp.

I also received a steady flow of birthday emails, text messages, and cards.  The big surprise was the mail this afternoon:  a stack of envelops all addressed to me in beautiful calligraphy with notes and cards from each of my precious nieces and nephews.  Laura amazes me!!!  Even with all she has going on, she still makes time for her sisters.

So yes, a wonderful celebration with many special memories.  I'm grateful for the people God has put in my life and for the blessing of friendships!

Wisdom's Words

"Stand firm"-keep the posture of an upright man, ready for action, expecting further orders, cheerfully and patiently awaiting the directing voice; and it will not be long before God shall say to you, as distinctly as Moses said it to the people of Israel, "Go forward."

-Charles Spurgeon- 

Wisdom's Words

"A gracious spirit dwells in the palace of content."

-Charles Spurgeon

The Move

So now for the fun post.  

Any of you who really know Kathy will recall that she isn't all that organized when it comes to details and essentials.  So the two items we always seemed to be missing and looking for during our trip together were her cell phone charger and toothbrush.  And even after we purchased a package of four toothbrushes to replace the one she failed to pack with her from home, the essential item somehow failed to make it back to our hotel that night - and she had to ask the front desk to bail her out.  Come to find out the next morning all four beautiful, new toothbrushes were waiting for her back at her apartment. 

And what about the phone charger???  Well, I'll just say that one of ours ended up staying with her.. :)

To give her the benefit of the doubt, her life has literally been up in the air and a completely disorganized mess until the end of last week.  After taking her last final exam, moving to another apartment the very same day, flying home the next day, and then turning around and packing her belongings as compactly as possible all in one day, I tell you - it was very hard to make sense of where things were and how to find anything.  So if you combine the less than ideal circumstances with her own tendencies, I guess you could say it equalled nothing less than a disaster.   

Here's a look at one of the piles before we left home last week:

Our very first task upon arriving in Jackson other than unloading the van was unpacking the boxes and sorting the items by room.  While Dad and Rachael went shopping for furniture essentials, the rest of us tried to make heads and tails from the whirlwind packing job that had been done only days earlier.  It literally took an entire afternoon of team effort.

Her room before we came:  

And the final product after four days of work:

Even Tiger and Tiptop found a place among all her books as well as special memories from home.

One of my favorite aspects of last week was seeing the campus and being able to visualize the places she spoke to us about on the phone.  The library in particular was impressive.

And the mailroom where all her letters and packages arrive.

And the view of her apartment nestled with the rest of campus housing.

Even though it was very hot (upper 90 degree temperatures), the Lord gave us beautiful weather with no rain (and subsequently no humidity).  He truly blessed our efforts in trying to set up a workable environment for Kathy in which to pursue her studies.  We look forward to seeing how God uses this next chapter in her life to further prepare her for the work he has in store for her.

Miles Between - But Hearts Knit Together

At this time last year, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined Kathy moving away 600+ miles to pursue a vision God had been building in her heart over the last several years.  In fact, it was July a year ago that God suddenly put a halt to her plans to move to Charlotte, North Carolina.  Those were dark and disappointing days for all of us as we wondered what God was doing and where he was leading, but we urged one another to continue to trust in God's sovereignty and rest in his promises.

And now 12 months later, we return home from moving Kathy and her belongings to a city representing God's incredible provision and opening opportunities for further growth and new relationships.

Jackson, Mississippi.   We didn't know in June when she left home to take the summer Hebrew class at the Reformed Theological Seminary that God would provide for her to stay there permanently.  It happened so quickly and quite amazingly.  There's no word to describe it but bittersweet.

This last week together setting up her apartment and meeting new friends holds precious memories.  And now as we transition to living our lives with one of us hundreds of miles away, the distance is only proving to knit our hearts closer together.

I will be honest - this separation is extremely painful, and I know the next several weeks in particular will hold many days of tears.  But we are confident this is where God wants Kathy for today, and the will of God doesn't mean life will be easy.  To pursue the Kingdom means sacrifice, but the investment brings eternal reward.

So yes, many miles - hundreds of miles - between us.  But the distance has been put there by God's gracious provision, and our hearts continue to be knit together by a unique cord of love.  Thank God with us for what he has done in Kathy's life and pray for an extra measure of grace as we adjust to these changes.

I thank the Lord for the family he has given me, and I appreciate the various interests and calls he has put on our lives.  As he continues to lead us down the paths he has ordained for us, I'll always treasure these relationships and pursue them - no matter the cost and no matter where they may lead.

Wisdom's Words

There is nothing you can want, there is nothing you can ask for, there is nothing you can need in time or eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing at the resurrection-morning, nothing in heaven that is not contained in this text:  "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  -Source Unknown

A Sure Entrance

It was a cold, damp March afternoon.  As I drove down Meridian Street, I could feel myself becoming more and more nervous.  I continued to rehearse what I had been told only hours earlier.  "The security guards are nice.  Just tell them you were invited at the last minute because of a cancellation."

As I pulled into the entrance of the Governor's residence, the stone-faced security guard standing there was far from comforting to this apprehensive guest.  "What's your name?" he asked as he looked down at his list.  "Jenny Blankenship" I replied.  "I was invited to take another guests' place who had to cancel."

The longer it took for him to read down the list of names the more I became unsure of myself.  I had nothing to give this officer as proof of invitation other than what I had been told by the event coordinator earlier that afternoon.  I went based on her word.  And I had been informed no one could enter the premise unless their name was on that list.

After what seemed like an eternity to me, the guard finally looked up and gave me clearance to proceed.  With a huge sigh of relief, I cruised up the drive and experienced an evening that I was soon to never forget.

***

It was indeed a high honor to be invited to this exclusive dinner in the Governor's residence with the Governor and First Lady and several other distinguished leaders.  But I could not enjoy these special privileges until that security officer found my name on his approved guest list and allowed me access to enter.  And my apprehension didn't wane until I knew that the actions of another for my benefit - which I acted upon in faith -  were indeed reality. 

This whole experience reminds me of something else, something far more important than a dinner at the Governor's residence.  Life isn't only about the here and now.  There's another Kingdom coming, and its future residents belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Whether one is a part of this Kingdom or not determines their eternal destiny.

In order to attend the dinner that evening, my name had to be on the guest list, but someone else had to add my name.  I couldn't do anything about it myself.  I acted based on the decisions of another.  All that I did and all that I experienced that evening which changed my life were entirely a result of someone else's actions for my benefit.

And so it is with the Kingdom of God.  This is why the gift of salvation is so beautiful.  We have absolutely nothing to do with it.  No goodness of of our own, no beauty, no fame, no wealth can ever purchase what the people of God are given through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ.  The only basis for any confidence that one's name is written in the Book of Life is because Jesus Christ died for them and his blood has washed them of sin and made them righteous before God the Father so that they can stand in his presence, see him face-to-face, and praise him with the angelic host for all of eternity.

We have nothing to do with our salvation.  It is all a gift of God through his Son, Jesus Christ.  He alone grants one faith to believe, and the means of salvation are applied and sealed.  Because this salvation is based on the person and work of Christ, it is sure and settled.  There is no room for doubt or performance.  It's sealed.  It's accomplished.  And all because of Christ.

Unlike that evening in March when I was afraid I would not be granted entrance, when it comes to the Kingdom of God, there is a bold confidence that I will indeed be with the Lord for all eternity because I belong to Christ, and what he has done for me has made me righteous.  And because of this beautiful gift of salvation, I want to live my life to his praise and glory.

What about you?  Is your name in the Book of Life?  Have you come to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and rest in his atoning death on the cross?  What I experienced that evening in March made me pray with more fervency for those I know who are not yet residents of the Kingdom of God.  I want them there.  I want them to be with me on that glorious day when I stand before the holy God and am transformed into his likeness, praising him for what he has accomplished for his saints and living in his presence for all eternity.

A sure entrance.  Do you have it?

A Graduate!

Lord-willing, on December 19, 2015 Rachael will graduate from the IUPUI School of Nursing with her BSN, and we are so looking forward to that day!

This past week, we did a photo shoot on campus for her graduation pictures.  With my Nikon D5300 in hand, we walked all over the grounds snapping pictures in some of her special places.  We had a grand time and were grateful for the beautiful weather that evening.

Here's a preview to some of the photos:

We also had a little fun...

It was a wonderful evening!  And the ice cream at the end made it even more sweet.  Special thanks to Beth for helping to carry all our gear and watch the hair. :)

You should see open house invitations soon!

Wisdom's Word

Be still and know that I am God.

In the words may be observed a duty described to be still before God, and under the dispensations of providence, which implies we must be still as to words, not speaking against the sovereign dispensations of providence or complaining of them, not darkening counsel by words without knowledge, or justifying ourselves and speaking great swelling words of vanity.  We must be still as to actions and outward behavior so as not to oppose God in his dispensations:  and as to the inward frame of our hearts, cultivate a calm and quite submission of soul to the sovereign pleasure of God, whatever that may be. - Jonathan Edwards