Prayer Requests

Please keep us in your prayers during this especially hectic week. Ben is in the thick of his paper-writing time and is extremely busy from dawn to dusk. Both of our cars are giving us some trouble. Mine broke down this morning and is in the shop. Ben's will go in when we get mine out.
Also, this weekend we will be part of a marriage conference at a church in Indiana. Ben is leading two sessions and I will be leading one. The conference takes place on Friday evening and on Saturday. As this is a busy time for Ben, we need prayers for preparation time and for blessings on the conference itself.

Beginning and Ending Well

Everyone has those days when it is hard to face what waits for you. Many times I have had difficulty going into my day. God has blessed us with my job as it provides for us here, however a significant amount of stress accompanies the provision. Last semester I struggled with anxiety and fear when I woke up in the morning and when I went to bed at night. It's a long story, but suffice it to say that just the thought of going into my school was enough to make me despair. I know that God does not want those feelings for me. We should never despair in what He has ordained. So, I started doing some reading and I wanted to share some of the ways that I learned to change my thought processes.

Starting the day:

1) Begin by acknowledging that you really can't do anything - not without Christ! Remember and have faith in the fact that you need and are completely dependent upon Him.

2) Take your thoughts captive. (This was the hardest one for me.) Do not allow yourself to listen to your negative thoughts. Stop listening to yourself and talk to yourself about the goodness of God. Remember that you have faith for the future. He will bring his work in your life to completion for His glory and your good.

3) Use your commute or "getting ready" time to pray or memorize scripture. This also helps with #2! If you are busy memorizing or praying, you don't have time to think poisonous thoughts.

Ending the Day:

1) Thank God for the gift of sleep! (see blog below)

2) Thank Him for the blessings of the day and acknowledge that He is the source of all good things.

3) Seize this opportunity to express gratitude for the cross. There is no comparable gift.

These things have really worked for me. I am much less anxious and more positive as I begin my day. This has also helped me to have that invaluable reflection time before bed. Ending the day contemplating the blessings of God has a real affect on how you wake up.

Check out this blog...

Ben reads this blog pretty often. I recently commented on a post concerning the state of public schools. Check it out!

http://ericcarp.blogspot.com/

Savoring Sleep

After a 3 day weekend I am feeling particularly well-rested. One of the reasons for that feeling is the restful sleep that I have enjoyed. Reflecting on all of that sleep, I remembered a blog that I read a few months ago which hinted that naps may be a sinful thing. I disagree.

In his book, Humility, C.J. Mahaney charges Christians to praise God for sleep. It is certainly a gift like no other. Sleep did not have to be such a pleasant thing. God could have created another, less delightful (I do mean delightful) way for us to be rejuvenated. In addition to praising God for this gift, we can also praise Him for his sovereignty in a special way. What better example do we have for the all-sustaining sovereignty of God than sleep? Sleeping is a time when we have to admit to absolutely no control. He gives us every breath and every heartbeat. It is by His grace that we wake from our sleep. I am making it a habit to thank God for this gift every time I close my eyes to rest. I hope that you will do the same.

Happy Birthday to Ben

Monday is Ben's birthday! We had some other seminary students and their spouses come over on Friday night. We all ate red velvet cake (Ben's favorite) and chips. Ben wants to thank everyone for his great gifts which include a new watch and gift card to Lifeway from Mama Brown, some much-desired CD's and student loan payments from his parents, and some gift cards for eating out from Jeff and Matt. I got him a new TV. We have been watching on a tiny little one for a long time. No longer. It took some saving, but Ben is now the proud parent of a 42 inch HD TV.
It has been a pretty good birthday weekend for Ben!

Ike comes to Kentucky

While driving home from church on last Sunday, Ben and I experienced what the news is calling "Wind Storm 2008." Apparently, Ike's outer bands gained strength when it encountered a cold front and pounded Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio with 75 mph winds. In Louisville over 300,000 people lost power due to tremendous wind damage. We were without power for three days. Many people are still waiting as crews from Kentucky and other nearby states work to rebuild and restore the broken poles and lines.

Both my public school system and Southern Seminary canceled classes for the entire week, so Ben and I have been working ahead, reading, and rearranging furniture.

I have to take this opportunity to praise SBTS and thank God for them. The seminary went above and beyond to provide and care for those of us who live on campus. We were offered meals for three days and we were kept informed by text messages and people who went door to door to give us updates. The meals were a special blessing as many of us lost our weekly groceries when food went bad. This also provided us with an opportunity to sit in the dark and eat melting ice cream with people we did not know. That may not sound so good, but we have made new friends because of the experience. I am really proud to say that we are part of SBTS and I hope they know how much we appreciate the work done by professors, building and cafeteria staff, and the president and his family.

For Ben and I, this has brought back some unpleasant memories of life after Katrina. Fortunately, we have had mild weather to make our days bearable. With the exception of groceries and a week of class, we have lost very little. We continue to pray for the residents of Texas and Louisiana who are still struggling. We also remember the many in Kentucky and surrounding states who are without utilities and are dealing with home and auto damage from the storm.

A busy week...

The second week of school is really busy with new students and getting started activities. I am teaching all Freshmen this year, and they have no clue. They don't know where the bathroom is, how to open a locker, when to eat lunch, etc. They are wearing me out!

I am working until my eyes are blurry every night and getting up at 5:30. (Ben doesn't like that part.) Tonight, I am cheering myself up by posting some previously unseen pictures of our trip to Philadelphia and New York.

How long until summer break comes again?