I Know that My Redeemer Lives!

This week I read Job 19:23-27. I've been reading and studying Job lately, and knowing the context of this book makes the verses in this section even more powerful. To know that Job wrote this section in the midst of incredible pain and trials provides such a rich context for this section:
"Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him with my own eyes -
I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

This has been on my mind the past couple of days, and provides such a powerful hope that no matter what our trials in this life, our Redeemer lives, and will come again. This fit right with today's sermon at church (and I just love when God does that!). We have been talking about Revelation and the second coming of Christ. Today we talked about the hope that we have because of the death and resurrection of Christ. On Friday when Christ was crucified, darkness covered the earth, and there was great pain and despair. But Friday was not the end, and Christ would rise again on Sunday, bringing life and hope to what seemed like a hopeless situation. Our pastor compared this to the trials we have in our lives. It may be Friday in our trials and pain, but Sunday is coming! This gives me such hope to know that no matter what happens on this earth, Christ wins in the end. It's Friday, but Sunday's coming!!!!

This ties right in to another verse I was reading in Hebrews this afternoon. I feel like this verse gives me the strength to hold on to hope during the "Fridays" of life.
"God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf."
Hebrews 6: 18-20

My prayer is that God would be the anchor for my soul. That I would hold on to him, no matter what life may bring, knowing that he will come again. "It's Friday, but Sunday's coming!"

Pretending like it's fall

It sure looks like fall out here, but it doesn't feel like it! While all the trees are changing colors, our temperatures have been in the 80's for the past week. It's supposed to cool down on Monday, but until then, I'm just pretending that it's not this hot. Last weekend I went on a pottery tour with a few friends from work. We drove up to the north hills (about 45 minutes away) and spent some time browsing through locally made pottery.



It was a really fun way to spend the afternoon, and the north hills are really beautiful this time of year, even if it's 80 degrees :) We went to 4 different stops, and most places had snacks, beverages, and music. It created a really fun atmosphere.



We saw awesome pottery, gorgeous views, and neat properties. I came home with a couple souvenirs, but the majority of the items were pretty expensive.



In continuing with my "pretend it's fall weather" tradition, I made corn chowder for dinner tonight. My mom found the recipe on Mimi's restaurant website. I am a huge fan of their corn chowder, so I was excited to give it a try. It turned out really well! I made blueberry muffins to go along with it, since that's what I always have at Mimi's.



This book has also consumed an amazing amount of my time this weekend. It is terrific! I highly recommend reading it, in fact, I will probably finish it by the end of the weekend.

Now all I have to do is wait a few more days for the real fall weather to arrive!

A Happy Weather Saturday

Today was one of my favorite days! I was so happy to wake up to cloudy and drizzly skies. I decided to make the most of this cool and gray Saturday, so I started the day with a cup of coffee and my Bible.


I made plans to cook some of my favorite comfort foods and headed off to the grocery store. After lunch I started white chicken chili in the crockpot and curled up with a book for a little while. Later in the afternoon, I whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies (and ate 2 straight from the oven!)


I spent the afternoon working on writing my testimony to share at church tomorrow. I am taking a class on Sunday mornings, and our assignment for the week was to write out our testimonies to share with each other. This was not as quick as I had thought, but it was really good for me to spend time thinking and writing about what God has done in my life. Then I went on a quick walk around the lake (forgot to take a picture, sorry!). When I came home it was time for my yummy dinner!


Now I'm curled up on the couch getting ready to watch "Prince Caspian" from the Chronicles of Narnia. I absolutely love this series! I'm planning to have some more chocolate chip cookies later, and maybe a cup of tea. Sounds like a perfect day to me!

A look behind the scenes

My dad left a book called "Let God be God: Life changing truths from the book of Job" with me when he was out visiting a few weeks ago. I started reading it this week, and it already has lots of good and challenging things to think about.


The first chapter looks at the "test" of Job. In the beginning of Job, we get a glimpse into the heavenly realm as we read about God's conversation with Satan (Job 1:6-12). The author compares this "behind the scenes" look to 2 Kings 6 where the heathen king of Aram sends a strong force of men and chariots to capture the prophet Elisha in the city of Dothan. This force of men and chariots went at night and surrounded the city. One of Elisha's servants woke up the next morning and went outside an saw the army surrounding the city. Here is what follows:

"Oh my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked? "Don't be afraid" the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Elisha's servant was granted a view behind the scenes into the heavenly realm where God's army is greater than any army they would come against. This is such a great reminder of the invisible army that surrounds us at all times. It is so easy to become focused on our struggles and how big they are compared to our strength. This was a great reminder to me that God is always bigger, and has a host of horses and chariots of fire all around me. That is such a great image, and helps me to know that I never face anything alone. It brings new meaning to the verse "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible!" (Matthew 19:26).

A sense of urgency

I seem to have forgotten about my blog :) I'm going to try to post more regularly now, but we'll see how that goes! I want to shift the focus of this blog a little. While pictures of my dinner and walks are most certainly intriguing, I feel lead to write about deeper things right now.

I have finally really connected with a church and am starting to make some friends here in Omaha. With that has come a re-awakening of sorts. I'm sure some of the reason it took me so long to connect with a church is due to complacency, getting comfortable with my routine and being afraid to really step out of my comfort zone. Now that I have, I can't believe it took me so long! Just a few months ago I was asking God to provide some close friendships that would encourage me in my walk with Christ. I deeply missed those relationships from "the good ole days" (am I really old enough to say that??). God's answer was that I needed to be willing to make some changes and take action on my part, and He would meet me there. So I stepped out in faith and started getting involved in church. Over the course of the summer I began meeting people little by little, and then lots by lots (at least in my opinion). I'm now co-leading a bible study and have found the most wonderful weekly prayer group. This prayer group has been an oasis for my soul, to say the least. I can't think of a better way to spend the evening than surrounded by like-minded believers, worshipping and praying to God. I have met several great people through this group, and I'm hoping to continue getting to know them better. Who knows, maybe God does have some close friends for me here after all.

As I mentioned, the more I've become involved at church, the more God has awakened my desire to passionately follow after Him. The sermon at church this past Sunday was so incredibly appropriate for what God has been speaking to me lately. We are beginning a series on Revelation and the end of the world. At the end of his message, Pastor Mark discussed how we can't ever know when Christ will return, but that He does believe it will happen in our lifetime. He then went on to explain that we should all live with the belief that Christ will return at any moment. Living with this belief gives us a sense of urgency to bring others to Christ. I have to say, I never used to be all that focused on Christ returning. I enjoyed life, and wanted to experience more of it before it was over. I definitely prayed the prayer "God, I want you to return, but not before I have a chance to...."


All that changed for me after my dad's diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Just a few months ago when we found that his cancer had metastasized and he would begin chemo, I remember telling my mom, "God can come back any time now." It's amazing how things can change your perspective. I am so thankful that this world is not my home, and eternal life waits in heaven. Along with a greater longing for Christ's return comes the urgency of "it can't happen until everyone knows!" This is the urgency that God wants us to live each day with, knowing that the day to day things aren't nearly as important as reaching each person with the love of Christ. I have begun to realize this more and more each day. My prayer is that God would increase my sense of urgency and help me to live my life with an eternal perspective.

Stay tuned for more thoughts as I embark on reading a book from my dad "Let God be God: Life-changing truths from the book of Job."

Just another Sunday

I'm trying to get back into the habit of posting on my blog, so here are a couple pictures of my Sunday. I decided today to finally get rid of the dead tulips in the pot on my front porch. They weren't exactly beautiful anymore, so I decided it was time to move on. I stored the bulbs in a paper sack to plant in my yard once I do some landscaping later this summer. I went out to Home Depot this afternoon and found a few annuals to plant in my pot. I think it turned out pretty!



I decided to enjoy dinner outside tonight! I made some spaghetti and corn on the cob, along with a salad. Our corn on the cob is fantastic right now, and I have been eating my fair share. What is not pictured was my afternoon snack. I munched through almost half a carton of strawberries this afternoon, they were so sweet and yummy! My dinner outside didn't last very long, as it's a bit breezy today, and it cooled my dinner off quickly, plus my salad started blowing away. I'm not complaining though, I love being able to open my windows and let the breeze in my house, I know this won't last much longer!

Purple is my new favorite color

Today was the PurpleStride Omaha 2011! This was Omaha's first PurpleStride and there were over 400 people in attendance! We also raised over $40,000 for pancreatic cancer research! My wonderful co-workers helped me raise $520 to contribute towards this. I had 5 of them join me for the walk today, it was such a treat to experience this event with friends! Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture with everyone! I did take a few other pictures of the day, however:









Here's a picture of the thank you notes I made for friends who contributed to the event: