garage sale success!

as crazy and hectic as garage sales can sometimes be, this one was a huge success. going from unsure of what to do to raise money for the isaac home to having a 2 day garage sale with so much donated, it became a wonderful blessing. after all of the donations i received and what was sold at the sale, $1500 raised total! i am thankful beyond words for the people who gave money or things to be sold. i prayed before and during that the Lord would provide as He saw fit. i can't even begin to say how thankful i am for every single person in my life and for their love for God and people. i am inspired on a daily basis in my workplace by people i work for and with to love God and people in ways i would not have thought before.

this weekend, we also celebrated kt's bday! duck dynasty theme.

Tim Keller quotes

I'm reading several books at one time which typically happens. 1)love does with my office 2) the meaning of marriage 3) starting the book called heaven is for real and 4) doing a James study with my bible study and 5) my dads book. Riding the stationery bike today, I decided to open up the meaning of marriage. I love this book, because I feel like any and everyone can take from it. I'm having to learn about relationships and loving others more than myself. Tim Keller brings so much wisdom from a Biblical standpoint. I read these thinking in a general setting for any relationship whether marriage, friendship, etc...obviously the overall focus is marriage for this book.
"Christ embraced the ultimate "other"- sinful humanity. He didn't exclude us by simply consigning us to judgment. He embraced us by dying on the cross for our sins. To love the other, especially an Other that is hostile, entails sacrifice. It means sometimes experiencing betrayal, rejection, and attacks. The easiest thing is to leave. But Jesus did not do that. He embraced and loved us, the other, and brought us into a new unity with himself."
"learn the primary love languages of the other and send love over those channels, not over the channels you prefer for yourself. We tend to give through the channels in which we like to receive it."

"dwell"

i have been thinking about certain verses this week that have stuck in my mind lately... i decided to research one in particular a little further, which is from 2 cor 6:16 which says "as God has said- i will live with them and walk among them and i will be their God, and they will be my people"...the ESV translation says "dwell among them" instead of live with them. i looked this phrase up in a concordance to see how many times it is used in the Bible- i was surprised to see how many times and that it is carried out throughout the Scriptures. in fact, much of what Paul is referring to is from Leviticus 26:11- "i will put my dwelling place among you and i will not abhor you. i will walk among you and be your God and you will be my people". Jeremiah 30:22 says "so you will be my people and i will be your God". Revelation 21:3-4 says "and i heard a loud voice from the throne saying 'now the dwelling of God is with mean, and he will live with them. they will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. he will wipe every tear from their eyes there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain...'" i think this promise and the sense of God dwelling and walking among His people and calling us His people and Himself our GOD shows how personal and mighty and loving He is...it shows His glory as the only Triune God- dwelling (Spirit), walking (Jesus), and our God- the Father.
lastly, i love this picture from rev 7 which someone read last wk at fellowship-
"after this i looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation tribe people and language standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. they were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. and they cried out in a loud voice salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. all the angles were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. they fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying Amen! praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. amen!"

all this time

http://www.onlylyrics.com/britt-nicole-lyrics-1079067.php
read these lyrics & watch the video of her singing this song at the end! amazing.