The Heavens Declare His Glory, and So Should We

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

²Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

³Without speech or language,

without a sound to be heard,

⁴their voice has gone out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun

⁵like a bridegroom emerging from his chamber,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

⁶It rises at one end of the heavens

and runs its circuit to the other;

nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷The law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

⁸The precepts of the LORD are right,

bringing joy to the heart;

the commandments of the LORD are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

⁹The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever;

the judgments of the LORD are true,

being altogether righteous.

¹⁰They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the comb.

¹¹By them indeed Your servant is warned;

in keeping them is great reward.

¹²Who can discern his own errors?

Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

¹³Keep Your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then I will be blameless

and cleansed of great transgression.

¹⁴May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in Your sight,

O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19 (Berean Study Bible).

The Maker of the ends of the earth, He to whom creation sings praises, is our Rock and our Redeemer, should we choose to accept Him! 

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" Romans 11:33 (English Standard).

Oh, for grace to comprehend the depth of the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God!

(image taken on my iPhone earlier this week -- no filters. Creation truly sings His praises!) 

Three Years: My Grandmother, Gone but Not Forgotten

Three years since we said goodbye. Since she said said she loved us for the last time. Gone from this earth, but not forgotten. 

So much has happened in three years, and I wish so deeply that I could tell her about my life, ask her advice about things, and introduce her to people I’ve met. 

She would have been so happy to hear about our lives, and how much we are growing (and challenging us to grow more, reminding us (probably in a teasing voice) about how young we still are). 

Thanking God for the time we had with her, the memories we made, and the wisdom we gained. 

I have regrets, but when all is said and done, God is sovereign, and I am trying to focus on the blessing of the time we had with her rather than the things we did or did not say. Blessed be the name of the Lord, who gives and takes away. Who offers salvation to all. 

Where is the Year Going? January's Speedy Transition to February

As the title of this post suggests, January simply flew by, and I can't believe we're already in the middle of February. Good times. Really, God is so, so good. 

The past weeks have been packed. Some highlights included a skiing adventure (Gubby and I had never gone before!), a trip to a semi-nearby German-themed "Christmas" town with our small group, a beautiful hike, and spending time with my nieces and nephew (baby Em has changed so much already!). Yesterday was Valentine's Day, and my Valentine and I had a fun, relaxed evening having dinner, exchanging chocolate, and watching The Incredibles 2 together. 

I've been learning a lot about trusting Christ in all things. Or, I should say, have been struggling with this and am praying for grace to let go of my life and surrender all aspects to him. On Wednesday, the high school group I help lead broke out into small groups and discussed Hebrews 4:

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

Hebrews 4:14-16 (English Standard). This passage was so encouraging, and also posed a challenge. We can, with confidence, hold fast to our confession of faith! Our Savior is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, loves us, and sits on the throne of grace! Oh, how incredible this truth is. We can draw near to the throne of the ETERNAL, OMNIPOTENT GOD; a throne of GRACE, offering us the underserved gift of MERCIFUL SALVATION and a relationship with the living God. Wow. Oh, for grace to trust Christ more. For grace to rest in the peace and joy he offers. For grace to share this incredible news with those who are lost. For grace to be on fire for Him, to put off my selfish desires and thoughts and truly make Him the throne of my heart, in all aspects of life.

Baby Em, making a hilarious face. 

 Me and Gubby (15) on our first skiing/snow boarding adventure. It was a lovely time, although Gubby sprained his wrist and sustained an impressive bloody/swollen nose.

 All the nieces and nephews (one nephew) together! 

Baby Em now -- she has changed so much already!

We took a lovely trip to visit my grandparents at the beach a few weeks back; we were so blessed with beautiful weather!

 A beautiful sunset.

 Part of  one of the two waterfalls we saw on our hike at the end of January!

 Dear, dear long-time friends. 

 Russian school -- learning prepositions!

 The Christmas store in the little Bavarian town!

 Sisters

 Auntie times

 Mozzarella (19) enjoying our recent sprinkling of snow

 Sweet Pea (16), Pollywog (21), Mozzarella, and I are taking a 6-week ballet workshop together!

 I don't think I will ever not like getting flowers!

 Baby Lucy and I last weekend! Munchette and I babysat 6 children under five years of age for 2.5 days; it was an exciting adventure. It did help that three of the kids were Squish, the Chunk, and Baby Lucy.

 The Squish enjoying the snow!

Babysitting adventures

My (dis)organized desk at work; honestly, I like it, even though it is kind of messy. 

Hold fast to Jesus!

Sonia