in
bible study today -
sin shall not be
your master,
because
you are not under
law,
but
under
grace
my comment?
this isn't rocket science...
why is it so hard?
silence ensued
and then
an answer -
crucifixion
is a
slowpainful
death
and for these i am thankful:
107. joe and amanda's breakfast wraps for dinner
108. gabe, who bought a birthday cake for my jack
109. jack, my younger. he's turning 12.
110. jack's smiles
111. hank, my older. he's still 15.
112. hank's laughs
113. chris, my husband. he came home from ghana!
114. my girl, the one i mentor. just because.
115. red bud trees
116. a vegetable garden in what was formerly the front yard
117. my nephew. using my sister's ipad, he drew the awesome picture of me above
linking up with:
michelle at graceful for hear it on sunday, use it on monday
ann at a holy experience for multitude mondays
jen at finding heaven for soli deo gloria sisterhood
I love the ipad drawing, but I think you may have a little something in your right eye. No, wait, now that I look at it again, I see it's just your arm.
ReplyDeleteSweet.
So much packed into such a short answer. When I live *as if* He has not already freed me, do I make the death longer and more painful?
ReplyDeleteMy older turns 15 next week. And drawings like your nephew's seem not so long ago...
Have a great week Kendal!
Isn't it good when we get at least glimmers of understanding that we're under GRACE?!!
ReplyDeleteOh! love your takeaway from Romans...I memorized Romans 8 when I was pregnant with my daughter and have been dusting it off and reciting it...it's speaking to this law vs. Spirit/Grace stuff that I was slammed with this week...it IS hard and the king of lies spews through the world, the flesh and himself! but, yes, grace-soaked promises get him every time!;)
ReplyDeletegood to be back with you this week:-)
So, this grace thing is quite new to me and so I hunger for other people's knowledge and interpretations of it -- how it places out in their lives. So glad for your perspective!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad Paul was so honest about his own struggle with sin - building a rocket is much easier in theory than it is in practice!
ReplyDeletei took the answer to mean that letting go of a stronghold in our lives is difficult. and a long process at times.
ReplyDeleteIt IS hard -- and I so appreciate your acknowledgement of that. It's hard to even admit it sometimes, isn't it, that we struggle so much?
ReplyDeleteLove the drawing...a lovely likeness! :)
And just so you know...praying for your students gone to Him and their families today...
ReplyDeleteYes. Perhaps longer for me since I keep focusing on the sin and death part instead of the grace and freedom part. Seems I have quite the stronghold. I love your perspective, Kendal.
ReplyDeleteDrawing is too cute - caught my eye b/c it looks like something my 3-year-old would draw. Blessed by your list today. And this...."sin shall not be
ReplyDeleteyour master,
because
you are not under
law,
but
under
grace"
Powerful. Thank you. Blessings!!
You're right. It's grace. So glad your husband is home.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to Jack! Yay for Chris being safely home. A vegetable garden... such a gift! Love the picture! :)
ReplyDeleteSharing a definition of Grace that I heard some years back...
ReplyDeleteGod's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense
I love the practical use of the front yard!!!!! As nice as it is to see manicured, landscaped, perfect front yards, they take a LOT of work with no practical value. At least a veggie garden is worth the work you put into it! I love it! I loved your comment at the beginning of your post. As easy as it does sound, I've found it's taken a lifetime to die that death. And sometimes I wonder if I ever will when sin shows its ugly head. . ... again! Thank you for passing on your blessings today. It was great to be here!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great and true answer. I love your gratitude list this week--yea to hubby coming home!
ReplyDeletelove your blessings .I so enjoy reading as many bloggers that share with us on Mondays just makes for a great day
ReplyDeleteMay you be blessed today !!!
so many gifts.
ReplyDeletedying slowly with you, k.
Red bud trees make me smile.
ReplyDelete#113 Soo happy for you. Thank you for your beautiful list, I'm visiting from Ann's
ReplyDeletelove the drawing...glad hubby is home!...the one you mentor..yes:)
ReplyDeletecrucifixtion....slow and painful...just die already! ugh..love ya!
xo
I absolutely ask that question so much. Especially about grace and the Christian life. You reason is so true... and one thing for me...I so overthink it.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the picture of you :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd love that your husband is home and safely with you.
Wonderful post! Love the picture of you!
ReplyDeleteOh Kendal, gotta tell you this story! I thought of emailing you or calling you but thought this would be more fun...to surprise you! It's just so amazing how friends run along beside one another on our little paths God has set us on and often we don't realize we are just steps to the left or right of one another through the haze of life. Paths converge for a time and for those times, I am thankful...from our summers together on the mission field in the DR to marathon kickball games and your Wednesday bible studies. Since our paths to the same church have led both our families to our own but separate 'mission fields', I've missed you!
ReplyDeleteNot being much of a Facebook-er, it is only when someone contacts me via Facebook (and I get an email from Facebook) that I am out there. But as God would have it today, our Daniel (Elizabeth's son from our 'shared' mission family in the DR) 'friended' me and I went out to accept his request. It was there that I saw the listing for your blog and this sweet ipad portrait of you. I left my Facebook page open so I'd remember to go back and read your blog after I finished going through my email this morning. (Hang with me, the 'paths' connection gets even better!)
Researching last year for something on organizing and simplifying, I ran across several good blogs and over time realized many of them were connected via - (In) Courage. I had bookmarked several but hadn't had time to go back and dig deeper until after Christmas. Once I realized that several of the gals, whose blogs I'd bookmarked for further investigation, were encouraging one another as Christian women, as moms, as writers, photographers and artists, I eagerly joined in. Working and blogging all those years (seemingly alone) about just the same topics that many of these very women are blogging about now, it is refreshing to have a community and a group of girlfriends online! It was an answer to prayer for me and encouraged me to get back to posting more blogs to the blog section of my website.
Today as I checked my Inbox, I clicked over to Ann Voskamp's post at www.aholyexperience.com... and at the bottom on the second line of 'linky's" from all around the world, there was a familiar photo I'd just seen on Facebook!!! Kendal's ipad portrait!
...running along beside one another on similar but different paths
...both focused on letting God use us and the unique gifts He's bestowed upon us for His glory!
...reading and sharing encouragement via these same connections provided by technology.
I've been working in IT for many years and yet am still amazed daily how it can be used to connect and collect and share with and encourage God's people.
You are an amazing writer, Kendal. When your book was first published and you had your first 'signing' at our local library, I bought your book and read it all that very first night. So open and raw, full of healing and hope. Thank you for sharing such experiences... and continuing to write...so that others might be encouraged and find hope in your words.
Love you my sister in Christ! Be ENCOURAGED!
Grace & Peace,
Sharon
A lifetime of hearing the beautiful gospel message and I'm guessing a lifetime to learn to truly live it and embrace it. I'm thankful for small glimpses today.
ReplyDeleteI love the book of Romans. For all have sinned... Therefore having been justified by faith... Dead to sin but alive unto God... So many stirring verses.
ReplyDeleteA good day...grace, a birthday and a husband home to hold!
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet drawing...now I will spot you for sure if I ever pass you on the street! :)