doors

Thank you Lord for the numerous conversations I've had with several different people this week concerning Your Word. Thank you for opening doors for me to speak Your truth and thank you for giving me the courage to start and continue those conversations.

"Peace if possible. Truth at all costs." ~Martin Luther

flashcards

Captain America and Chocolate Frozen Yogurt make creating flash cards for the origin, insertion and action of 55 of the face and torso muscles slightly more tolerable. 

muddy shoes

muddy, totally soaked pointe shoes from a photo shoot this morning

Wet grass and pointe shoes don't get along very well. Cold, wet feet aren't exactly ideal for pictures either, but it was a lot of fun :)

midget

*photo credit: Cyndi Sain*

This precious little girl was baptized today. 

Thank you Lord for Your grace and mercy :)

 He has already begun to give her an incredible servant's heart. When my family first transitioned from homeschooling to attending New Covenant, it was really hard on all of us. I remember being particularly humbled in the mornings when Charlotte would be dressed and have her backpack packed long before the rest of us. She would always ask what she could do to help everyone else. She would spend most of the morning running around the house finding people's books and helping to pack lunch bags. I remember looking outside one morning to see her attempted to carry a backpack as big as she was to the van. 

Thank you Lord for this and so many other examples of Your grace in her life :) :) :) 

I pray that You would continue to work in her life, that You would continually increase her desire to glorify and enjoy you, and that would use her life to bring about Your glory. 

prayer

I know most people reading this post already know about this and are presently praying, but just in case...

My parents teach at the school that all of my siblings attend, New Covenant Christian School. I graduated from the school in 2011. In the past three days, quite a number of the students or former students have had an immediate family member admitted to or flown to a hospital for various entirely unrelated reasons, some of them life-threatening. The school is small and all of the students are very connected physically, emotionally and spiritually (which is a beautiful thing). It goes without saying, that the entire school is coming together in support and care and prayer and also finding it difficult to focus on their studies. Please be praying for the students and their families and all of the dear ones presently in the hospital. Also, please be praying for the teachers and headmaster and the administrative staff as they guide their students through these trials with care and compassion and also attempt to work through their course material for the year.

In all things, may the Lord be glorified and may we trust His sovereign will.

"God never pursues His glory at the expense of the good of His people, nor does He ever seek our good at the expense of His glory. He has designed His eternal purpose so that His glory and our good are inextricably bound together. What comfort and and encouragement this should be to us." 
~ Jerry Bridges 

Father, How Sweet

I'm addicted to this song right now...

VERSE 1 

Father, how sweet must be the pleasure 

You find in Your eternal Son 

For long before You made the heavens 

Both You and He rejoiced as one 

And long before You formed the angels 

Before You made the day and night 

Jesus exulted in Your presence 

And He was all of Your delight 

VERSE 2 

Father, what love You’ve shown to rebels 

That You would send Your Son so dear 

Into this world of grief and trouble 

To bring unworthy sinners near 

We’ll never fathom how it pained You 

When You supplied the offering 

To rescue those who had disdained You 

To watch Your dear Son suffering 

VERSE 3 

Jesus, it fills our hearts with wonder 

That You would leave Your heavenly place 

To take on flesh to thirst and hunger 

To save the ones who spurned Your grace 

You came to forfeit every mercy 

To die that mercy we would find 

And then You hung alone in darkness 

So in our hearts Your grace would shine 

VERSE 4 

Jesus, in glory You’ve ascended 

Never again to leave Your throne 

Because of You we are befriended 

Received and welcomed as God’s own 

Father, how sweet now is Your pleasure 

In us, Your daughters and Your sons 

We will delight in You forever 

In Jesus You have made us one 

Credits: 

Music and words by Mark Altrogge 

© 2012 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

          ~Father, How Sweet, From Age to Age (Sovereign Grace Music) 

This album came out in the spring. I don't personally like some of the tracks because they're hymns with altered music (there's probably a much more accurate way to say that, but I have no idea what it is). I loved learning hymns when I started going to New Covenant Christian School. I love the depth, richness of the lyrics, but I also like the arrangement of the music. So, I'm not of big fan of rearranging the music. Also, I just have an issue with altering things from their original state, whether that be fairy tales or music or really anything else. I think this stems from living for and by an eternally stable and unchanging standard. However, I've been learning about the inevitability of change and the potential beauty of artistic representation, but I'll save that for another post. Anyway, there are also a few tracks from this album that I love (From Age to Age, Immovable Our Hope Remains*, Father How Sweet). 

*I've never heard the original version of this hymn, but I'm guessing I would probably like it better :) 

                          

thank you

Thank you Lord , thank you for...

(Thursday night)
...the first night of Bible Study
...a leader who humbly shares about his own life
...everyone being so open share about their lives and struggles in Bible Study

(Friday)
...a though-provoking English discussion
...a wonderful jazz class
...a perfectly balanced ballet class (i.e. with lots of jumps)
...stepping outside my comfort zone and sharing an article with a new Bible Study member
...spending time praying for this girl and praying that the article would be beneficial to her
...copying my notes so other students can use them as a study tool
...walking home in the rain without an umbrella
...smiling the whole way home (and hoping no one thinks I'm crazy)

(Saturday)
...a crisp fall day
...finally getting to talk to my Mama
...desperately missing home
...close friends to cheer me up
...grocery shopping to get healthy, yummy food for the week
...driving to the beach to see the sunset
...a giant peanut butter yogurt cone
...playing Clue with British accents
...being excited for tomorrow because it's Sunday :)

:) Kathryn and Ali :)

Erie wind and bad lighting = photo fail :P 

this was delicious :)