Praise You In This Storm...

And I'll praise you in this storm

and I will lift my hands

for You are who You are

no matter where I am

and every tear I've cried

You hold in your hand

You never left my side

and though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

It's been an interesting week. I caught a cold at the beginning of the week and felt awful for a couple of days. Now it seems to be in my chest, which is causing discomfort. Andy's at his breaking point with his job. On Saturday he only had one other person in the store from 7p-12a. He's unbelievably frustrated and dreads going to work. Work for me is insanely busy and a large conference I'm helping to plan is happening in two weeks, thus causing a great amount of anxiety. Honestly, it hasn't been a wonderful week. A part of me feels guilty for saying that I've had a bad week, considering Haiti's earthquake and a fellow church member's recent diagnosis of cancer.

In all of this, the words to Casting Crowns keeps ringing in my head, "I will praise you in this storm". When things go beautifully, I will praise God. And when things go terribly, I will praise God. It's an important reminder of His sovereignty and a lesson in patient endurance.

Pastor Dan delivered a wonderful sermon on Sunday that really spoke to my heart. He spoke on the parable of the gracious employer, in Matthew, chapter 20, verses 1-16.

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

³ “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. ⁴ So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. ⁵ So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

⁶ “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

⁷ “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

⁸ “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. ⁹ When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. ¹⁰ When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. ¹¹ When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ¹² ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

¹³ “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? ¹⁴ Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. ¹⁵ Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

¹⁶ “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

I've read this parable before and have had the same reaction as the early workers - why aren't they paid more? They did more work; they were in the fields longer. But as PD went through the passage, I was struck by verse 15 "should you be jealous because I am kind to others?". It was so wonderful to see salvation in this passage and God's immeasurable grace and mercy. It was an important lesson for me to remember to shut up and serve and not worry about my "payment". What I have received is so priceless, I don't deserve it. And yet, it's been given to me, because of Jesus. As Andy and I drove home from church, our conversation proved that the sermon had done its work in us. We both had the light bulb go off at the same time; we both got to see that our attitudes about work had been wrong. Instead of working to get something, we should serve because we love our Father, just as Jesus served because he loved His Father. It certainly is good to be reminded that humility is important.

In other news, the weather has been warmer, which is doing the most beautiful thing to the trees around here. Ice develops and then snow blows around and it makes the most beautiful landscape. This morning, I took a few minutes to snap some pictures.

Dear gracious God, thank you for reminding me to be quiet, humble, and grateful. Your mercy is a mystery but I am so thankful for it. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

2009 Leaves and 2010 Begins!

Well, I can't believe it's literally been months since we updated our blog. The semesters continue to get quicker and quicker! As for a quick update on the end of the fall semester, my mom and stepdad visited us for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time, ate a ton of delicious food, and got to show family around town. Their visit was short, but very appreciated. Then, for winter break we headed to Andy's family first and had a wonderful trip spending time with family and friends. It was so good to have a full week there! After that we headed to my family's for a week for yet more visiting and relaxing before heading back to up here. We were proud to finally get the "vacation" part down for this trip and really did spend a lot of time relaxing, catching up, taking it easy, etc. We couldn't have asked for a better winter break! And, to top off the vacation, as soon as we got home, we received our new living room furniture!

We're both looking forward to the promises of 2010! Our only resolution together is to eat out only for celebrations (graduation; birthdays). As we continue learning self-discipline and good stewardship, we want to make sure we're intentional about how we use the provisions God has provided! My own resolution is to just take the pressure off and enjoy the moments more. I'm so thankful for all that God has given me; this year, I want to spend more time appreciating all my blessings and less time worrying about things I cannot control; things I don't have...I want to be more gracious and thankful.

Andy is set to graduate this May, having only 6 credit hours to complete this semester. That reality finally set in as we were driving back up here, when he would occasionally announce to me and Spike that he "only had six hours to graduate". Fortunately, we never got tired of sharing in Andy's excitement! I'm so proud of him and can't want to see him walk across the stage in May!

As we look back at 2009 we can't forget some of the struggles we faced, both individually and with our families. However, despite the hard times, one thing is certain; our faith in God has grown exponentially this year. We're so thankful for His grace and mercy; that He would draw us near we need it the most.

Dear Lord, thank you for our innumerable blessings. Enable us to keep you at the forefront of our thoughts, decisions, discussions, and actions. Let everything we say and everything we do bring glory to You.