this thought

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee

Jesus, the very thought of thee 

With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far thy face to see,

And in thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor tongue can frame, 

Nor can the mem'ry find
A sweeter sound than thy blest name, 

O Savior of mankind!

O hope of ev'ry contrite heart, 

O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind thou art!

 How good to those who seek!

Jesus, our only joy be thou, 

As thou our prize wilt be;

Jesus, be thou our glory now, 

And thru eternity.

~ St. Bernard of Clairvaux

For the Noisy Soul

First, let me say that this is all from Jim Berg's works Quieting a Noisy Soul and God is More Than Enough. My Sunday school studied the latter book last year for several months. It was such a blessing to me, as well as a conviction! Today I have been thirsting for verses on the goodness of God, His forgiveness, His peace.... How good of God to give us His Word! Such a vast treasure of holy truth, unparalleled righteousness, and unmatched grace and redemption! In our S.S. class each of us got to take home a little card with some main points from the study. We were each told to put the card in a spot where it'll be often and easily seen. I paper-clipped mine to my mirror in my room. I decided to share it with you.

Stabilizing Truths for Noisy Souls: The Knowledge of God

1. God is always good! That means He will always meet my genuine needs, He will always forgive my sin, He is always up to something good in my life, He will always love me personally, He will always give me the grace I need. 
2. God is always great! That means He is always in control of all things, He is always present with me, He is always the same, He is always trustworthy, He is always wise in what He does. 

Wow! I don't know about you, but I always have to go through that list ultra slowly to actually begin to grasp all of that, and let them all sink in. This list has brought me to tears several times - happy tears, btw!! - as I think of how undeserving I am of my Lord's goodness to me. His grace really IS amazing. He takes our marred persons and habits and personalities and likes and dislikes, and in His omnipotence turns it around and uses it for His glory when we are willing. He CHOOSES to work through us! One of my biggest dangers is believing Satan's lie that God cannot use me. When I repent and truly work to get closer to the character of Christ, I can experience these aspects of God more fully than anywhere else I could be. 

I'll admit it. This Tuesday I have a noisy soul. I have wars going on in my thoughts today. No sooner do I meditate on a verse and praise God for it than Satan throws another lie my way. I just finish wiping away tears and think I've gotten control over myself once again when another tear falls. God is using this day to bring me closer to Himself. This card by Jim Berg encouraged me and gave me comfort. I have no idea how your Tuesday is going -- if it's sunshiney out or raining, if you're happy or lonely, if you're hearing kind words or someone is hurting you. But I know that these truths stand firm throughout all, and I hope they encouraged you today. 

Resting in Jesus

Jesus I am resting, resting
In the Joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power
Thou hast made me whole.

O how great Thy loving kindness.
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O how marvellous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings;
Thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me,
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father's glory,
Sunshine of my Father's face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting;
Fill me with Thy grace.

~ Jean Pigott

Wait on the Lord

Say not, my soul, “From whence

Can God relieve my care?"

Remember that Omnipotence

Hath servants everywhere.

His help is always sure,

His methods seldom guessed;

Delay will make our pleasure pure:

Surprise will give it zest. 

His wisdom is sublime,

His heart profoundly kind;

God never is before His time,

And never is behind.

Hast thou assumed a load

Which none will bear with thee?

And art thou bearing it for God,

And shall He fail to see?

Be comforted at heart,

Thou art not left alone;

Now thou the Lord's companion art -- 

Soon thou shalt share His throne.

~ J. J. Lynch

My Birthday

Today is my last birthday as a single person. 

I really don't think it's hit me yet. *sniff*

Nope. *sniff* It's not sunk in yet. *sniff sniff wheeze*

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! :P

currently reading

• What Did You Expect? by Paul David Tripp
• The Autobiography of George Muller
• E. M. Bounds on Prayer

Got any book recommendations for me? :) What are YOU currently reading?

Did You Think to Pray?

Ere you left your room this morning,

Did you think to pray?

In the name of Christ, our Savior,

Did you ask for loving favor,

As a shield today?

When you met with great temptation, 

Did you think to pray?

By His dying love and merit

Did you claim the Holy Spirit

As your guide and stay?

When your heart was filled with anger,

Did you think to pray?

Did you plead for grace, my brother,

That you might forgive another

Who has crossed your way?

When sore trials came upon you,

Did you think to pray?

When your soul was bowed in sorrow,

Balm of Gilead did you borrow

At the gates of day?

Oh, how praying rests the weary!

Pray'r will change the night to day;

So when life seems dark and dreary,

Don't forget to pray.

~ Mary Kidder

Engaged!

When I was 14, I had one dream. A big, crazy dream I thought would never come true. It consumed me, really. I prayed about it. Wished for it whenever I threw coins into fountains, or blew out candles, or won the wishbone. I loved and wanted to marry Chris Marsceau. And, if that wasn't crazy enough, I dreamed of him proposing on Bald Rock, my favorite SC spot. :) 

I never dreamed that two years later we'd start writing each other, and two years after that we'd be engaged! 

So. The proposal story. After getting dinner at that place where I locked myself in the outhouse (lol), we drove up to Bald Rock. The sun was still fairly high and there were people around, so we walked to a more secluded area completely beautified by blooming laurel, dappled sunlight, and a flowing stream. We sat and Chris began to tell me sweet things that even you, my dear blog readers, are not privileged to know. ;) 

I knew it was coming, yet for a little while my heart decided to see how fast it could beat, and my brain decided to fog out. However, I was "with it" enough that when he got down and asked me to marry him, I said yes without a shaky voice. At least I hope so. (Chris, correct me if I'm wrong here. :D) 

He put the ring on my finger. That unbelievably gorgeous and perfect ring. The ring he so carefully chose and decided to give me, and oh my word it is lovely!

We both just sat there being so very happy. God's goodness has been so abundant to us, and to think our lives will finally be joined together is just about overwhelming! :) 

We came home to the family (who knew he was going to propose) and they were very happy. Everyone wanted to see the ring, of course, and congratulated us. 

Darling, thank you for this beautiful day and for your beautiful love. "The best is yet to be"! :) <3