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Today I’m enjoying the luxury of a relatively quiet day at home…alone for awhile.  My house is a complete and utter wreck.  Honestly!

We were beginning to have order and then the job that needed doing finally got started today: tearing down some ugly wallpaper and prepping the wall so it could be painted.  They expect to have it done in 3 days.  I hope so.

So all the counters of the 3 rooms have been cleared away, rugs are off the floors and they are bare.  Unfortunately, the nearby rooms are piled high!  By the end of the day, they should be piled high with pieces of wallpaper!

Do I not have anything else to do?  Yes, of course I do.  But today I’m taking some time out to do some writing while the house is quiet.  The only noise?  The sound of scraping and pulling off of wallpaper.  I’m so glad I’m not the one doing the job that it isn’t even distracting!

Over the next few days, I expect to get my major room that isn’t “together”, more organized.

Our Life Now

We have been in Huntsville about a month now.  We are back and forth with grandchildren like we have always been doing this.  It brings a fun element to life I must say!  Seeing life through their eyes is delightful.

We are settling in to church.  I’m enjoying leaving worship each week deeply encouraged, yet having much food for thought as well.

• What is the Gospel?
• What does it look like?
• How is it different from my long held views?
• How is it similar?
• Is what I hear Biblical?  I wouldn’t stay here if I didn’t think it was!
• Where am I being stretched to grow?

Do you know what our benediction is each Sunday before we leave?  It is a delightfully encouraging verse that we all stand and “receive it” by raising our hands.  I think I’ll soon have it memorized.

The Lord your God is in your midst,
    A mighty one who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
    He will quiet you by his love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

This looks slightly different than what we hear on Sunday, but it is close enough.  After a service where we confess our sins, acknowledge Christ’s forgiveness, read His Word, worship in song, giving and prayer and often in the Lord’s Supper, how encouraging is it to be reminded of this truth?

You are now leaving to go out into the world.  The Lord GOD is with you.  He is mighty!  At the same time, He rejoices over you with gladness, quiets you by His love and joyfully sings over you.  He is not just the mighty soldier who fights battles for you, or even just a judge.  He is also like a parent who adores you like no one else on earth! 

Is there anything better than leaving your home knowing you have good parents behind you?  You know they think you are great!  You know that they would do anything for you that is in their power to do.  Talk about a sense of security!

And we have that with GOD.  He graciously provided a way for us to be right with Him…to have this kind of relationship with Him.  To be his adopted child…not an orphan, or foster child who is trying to earn favor with the parent so they will want to adopt him/her.  How exhausting is that?

But being the adopted child who is dearly loved and desired…even chosen from all the others, that is who we are as those who are “in Christ.”

Somehow, when I walk out of church on Sundays, I walk with a lighter step, a more cheerful heart, and more hope that this week will be a good week…no matter what happens.

The belief that change is really possible!

Despite my failings, I don’t need to give up.

I can get up, trust GOD and keep moving.

Link to recent sermons by Jean Larroux III.  I recommend listening to the ones on the Fruit of the Spirit.  They will broaden your view of the gospel.  Very encouraging.  End with the recent one of Grace vs. Gardening.  It is a transition sermon.