Wisdom's Words: God's Work

"He does not need to transplant us into a different field...He transforms the very things that were before our greatest hindrances, into the chiefest and most blessed means of our growth.  No difficulties in your case can baffle Him...Put yourself absolutely into His hands, and let Him have His own way with you."  

-Hannah Whitall Smith

This and That

With the arrival of spring has come another wave of a flurry of activity.  In times like these I am so thankful for God's faithfulness and grace for each new day.

Rachael took her last two finals last week, and we all breathed a huge sigh relief!!!  One more semester down, and only three more to go.  With her new job at St. Vincents Hospital beginning next Monday, a trip to Scrubs and Beyond for the appropriate apparel was in order.  And now she looks really cute. :)

In between a lot of activity and rainy weather (not mention being plagued with a virus that lasted an entire week), I managed to squeeze in some gardening.  The spring flowers with the backdrop of lush, green grass is so pretty!

I love our lilacs!  We have three bushes, and their smell is so wonderful!

It was entirely unintentional, but I see a common color theme going here:  purple and white.  Since those are the Gardener's favorite colors, you can understand the flower selections.  

But not to worry!  Some pink ended up in the backyard:

Oh the loveliness of spring!  God certainly does give us a wonderful gift with the changing of the seasons!

Our primary project for the spring and summer is preparing Kathy for her move to Charlotte, North Carolina in mid-July.  The last several weeks have been spent making lists of to-dos, going through clothes, looking for apartments online, and going through the house and attic to find items to furnish her new home.  At the moment this is what our front room looks like:

It's been amazing to already see God's provision for her in so many ways, and this gives confidence for the future as we take these next steps.

Wisdom's Words: Faith

"Faith is not inferred from the happy way things always work.  It is an act of the will, a choice, based on the unbreakable Word of God who cannot lie and who showed us what love and obedience and sacrifice mean, in the person of Jesus Christ.

For most of us, it will not mean lions' dens or Auca spears or imprisonment, but it will mean a daily, faithful, humble, glad obedience to the same Lord who has held steady all those who commit themselves to Him."

~Elisabeth Elliot

Little Blessings

This past week held several special blessings that made the days that much more sweet.  I love how the Lord does that for His people!  God always knows when to send little encouragements along the way, and that just proves how much He does indeed love His children.

This past Thursday was the National Day of Prayer.  I was honored to once more prepare the programs for the service at the Statehouse.  I was delighted to receive some beautiful flowers for my efforts.  I enjoyed them for several days in my office before taking them home last night for everyone in the family to see.

On Thursday night, Dad and I attended the Life Centers banquet where Eric Metaxas gave the keynote address.  We thoroughly enjoyed the program that evening.  An added blessing for me was that my special friend, Miriam, was assigned to our table.  We had so much fun visiting with one another throughout the evening!  Here we are together at the conclusion of the banquet:

And then, last but not least, a group of us girls spent Friday night together in honor of Nirmala's 30th birthday.  Although it was overcast and a bit chilly, we so enjoyed walking around the Art Museum gardens and chatting along the way.  As long as as we kept moving, we weren't too cold!

All the spring flowers were beautiful!!!

If you ever need help in trying to find the ultimate activity to celebrate a 30th birthday, just ask us.  We stumbled upon it last night and had a blast.  You might find it a bit surprising, but it's cheap and safe...

Swinging!  Yes, swinging!  Oh, it was so fun!  And due to the dreariness of the evening, we had the whole place to ourselves!!!

I guess you could say this simple activity caused us to momentarily shed a few years and revive our playful, youthful spirits. :)

Upon the conclusion of our excursions at the gardens, we took off for Cracker Barrel to enjoy a late-night dessert.  It was the perfect ending to a wonderful evening together.  These friendships will last a lifetime - another of God's little blessings.  

A Spring Wedding

From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, 

no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.   

(Isaiah 64:4)

Last Saturday, we witnessed the covenant marriage of a dear friend of ours.  We had been praying for several years that God would lead a godly partner to Kim, so you can only imagine our sheer delight when we heard of a budding relationship between her and Daniel last fall and witnessed their engagement in December.  Saturday was the fulfillment of so many prayers as well as an encouragement to continue hoping in God's power and wisdom as we wait on Him to satisfy our desires.

I was delighted in January when Kim asked me to be her wedding coordinator!  It was a tremendous blessing for me to work alongside both Kim and Daniel as they planned their ceremony and see the great love they had for another as well as their continual care for others even when life became so full with wedding details.  

Saturday was a gorgeous day both inside and out!  Thankfully everything that had been carefully planned was executed with relative success.  I had so much fun serving Kim, the bridal party, and all the family on that special day.  Here are a few pictures that both me and Kathy snapped in between running around everywhere:

Kathy was honored to be the guest book attendant.  I also solicited her help with many other duties that day.  She and Alissa were a wonderful support.

The flowers were so gorgeous!  And Kim's colors just happened to be my absolute favorite.

I was grateful to have a few moments with the beautiful bride before the ceremony.  

Although not the best shot, I only had my phone with me when I realized it was a "Kodak moment."  This bridal party was such a pleasant, happy group and made my job so easy!

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Hemken!!!

Wisdom's Words: A Gospel-Oriented Life

"The Gospel is one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves his gospel purposes in me.  When I view my circumstances in this light, I realize that the gospel is not just one piece of good news that fits into my life somewhere among all the bad.  I realize instead that the gospel makes genuinely good news out of every aspect of my life, including my severest trials.  The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me conformed to the image of Christ."  
-Milton Vincent

National Day of Prayer