No good thing does He withhold...

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you. --Psalm 84.1-2,10-12

::choose joy::

The Wonder Of It All

Se tu fossi nei miei occhi per un giorno
Vedresti la bellezza che piena d’allegria
Io trovo dentro gli occhi tuoi
E nearo se magia o lealta

Se tu fossi nel mio cuore per un giorno
Potreste avere un’idea
Di cio che sento io
Quando m’abbracci forte a te
E petto a petto, noi
Respiriamo insieme

Protagonista del tuo amor
Non so se sia magia
O lealta

Se tu fossi nella mia anima un giorno
Sapresti cosa sono in me
Che m’innamorai
Da quell’istante insieme a te
E cio che provo e
Solamente amore

@>~>~~

Last Saturday, I asked a father permission to court his daughter. So this Friday, I traveled to Northern Michigan and asked this beautiful and Godly young woman myself if she would allow me to pursue her heart and hand in marriage through the process of courtship. And, though I still cannot fathom the blessing of it all, Rachel Britton agreed to give me the honor of courting her.

I don't think I have awaken from the dream yet. This will be an incredible adventure as Rachel and I seek to glorify the Lord -- together.

My joy and excitement know no bounds!

~~<~<@

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory...

::choose joy::

Anticipation II - The Place of Grace

This is how we know what love is:
Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
--1 John 3.16--

I wandered out to the old bridge in Merritt Park on my rollerblades tonight. I hadn't planned on staying long, but for some reason I stopped... This week has been agonizing... I've gone from excited to very anxious to extremely excited. I've cried. I've laughed. I've wondered about the past. I've wondered about the future. I've tried to see things from God's perspective. I've tried to figure out if people can see Jesus in me.

I've tried to sleep - with only limited success.

I love standing on that old bridge and watching the water flow away down stream. It's so peaceful. No one wanders by. No cars zoom past. I can stand there and meet with my Savior. I remember back in mid-December running to the bridge and basically having a pity party in front of God. In the end, it was a wonderful opportunity to readjust my perspective and set my focus back on Jesus Christ. Tonight was different, though. I didn't have a pity party. I just wondered - wondered how I could ever really be like Christ. Wondered if I was really trying to know God. Wondered if I was letting the Holy Spirit work through me. It was such a good time on that old bridge - readjusting and refocusing. Asking God for wisdom. It's easy to talk with God there. Everytime I have met God on that bridge... there's peace. Not because I am perfect... but because I have a perfect Savior. God is not finished with me... and I am so excited to see what the future holds. God holds my future and I could not be more thankful or ecstatic.

Yes, I'm beaming right now!

::choose joy::

Anticipation

I am so excited. Three days...

It is simply impossible to concentrate at work.

The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. --Matthew 23.11-12

::choose joy::

Pugged

Rollerblading is a great outdoor activity. Especially when you have a pug attempting to bring you down. It's all you can do to keep from laughing as he snorts and coughs while struggling to stay with you. The poor blighters can't breath or run! I felt bad for the pug's owner... she kept calling for him to come back but the idiotic dog continued to follow me even though he had not a chance in the world of catching up.

Random story, to be sure.

Oh yes. I also received the results of my blood test today. The numbers look good - quite good. I particularly like the total cholesterol and HDL values. God has blessed me with excellent health and I would be remiss not to recognize that fact and thank Him for it.

If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;
though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just.
The law of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip. --Psalm 37.23-24,30-31

::choose joy::

Morning Devos

We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you. --Psalm 33.20-22

My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He holds victory in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you. --Proverbs 2.1-11

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." --Matthew 12.33-37

::choose joy::

Correspondence

I discovered last night that, in Jane Austen's time, correspondence between two unmarried and marriageable unrelated young people of the opposite sex was a sign that the two people were engaged. It's an interesting notion to say the least. I happened upon this information after finishing Persuasion - a book that rivals if not betters Pride and Prejudice. I have not been able to find any additional sources to verify the idea that correspondence was limited by propriety to be between engaged couples in the late 1700s and early 1800s. If it was an actual issue of propriety in the time period - and I suspect it was - what does that say about our day and age? Is it safe and prudent for such a mingling of the sexes as we have today to continue? Are we as a society and as individuals destroying the catalysts for marriage without a second thought as to the implications? The barriers and protections for women in the past were there for a reason - what are we doing to ourselves? And, perhaps most importantly, how shall I then live in a way that is wise and honoring to God and the women He has placed in my life?

This morning I led the men's Bible study at First Watch. I talked about "worry" - drawing from Matthew 6.25-34 and looking at the rest of the "Sermon on the Mount" to discover ways to keep from worrying and reasons why we don't need to worry. The study went well... and it was a much needed reminder for me. It is so easy to lose perspective and start fretting about things that ultimately don't matter. So very easy. I don't know how to listen to my own counsel. God is perfectly in control - and if He is, why do I worry?

::choose joy::