sacrifices for lent

I'm not catholic but I greatly admire the honor and respect that they give for the Easter season. 


I baby-sit for a wonderful Catholic family and they have a beautiful tradition that I would love to incorporate into my future family. 


Each Lent the family has an empty jar and some pinto beans. It is a sacrifice jar. The point is to teach your child about how Jesus was obedient to the Father and sacrificed Himself for us, even though it was hard. 

photo credit

 As children (and adults!) go through the Lenten season they add a pinto bean to the jar each time they make a sacrifice. 


Then, on Easter morning, when the kids enter the kitchen they see their jar filled with jelly beans! 

 

You can then explain, on Easter morning, how God can take our obedience, even when it is a painful thing, and turn it into something beautiful! I think another good thing would be to make sure that you use a large jar that you know your family would never be able to fill on their own with the pinto beans. Then, on Easter fill the jar to the brim with jelly beans. You can talk about how there are more jelly beans than Easter beans because God gives us grace; something that we can never earn. 

I think the important thing would be to focus on Jesus, not the "good deeds" we can do. However, I do believe that it is a beautiful visual, especially for children. :) 

when the most wonderful time of the year...isn't

Last Friday night I sat in a normal living room on a normal Friday night during Bible study. We went around the room for prayer requests. Pray for this family who just experienced the death of the mother after their daughter was burned over 40% of her body just a few weeks ago. Pray for our friends, cancer has returned. Pray for my co-worker, her son might have autism. Pray for a friend who continues to battle addictions. Peace for the family, it's their first Christmas with their son in jail. Pray for their marriage. For his job. For her illness. 


In a season of joy, Christmas, this season where we are supposed to be reminding ourselves that our Lord has come to save and rescue and heal us we focus on wrapping paper, pretty lights, music. I sat there and it hit me like a ton of bricks; during the happiest season of the year, a time that I have fully been partaking in,  people are hurting and suffering and feeling so alone. 

We prayed. I wept. 

I drove and saw Christmas lights with my boyfriend last night. I could have been sitting next to his hospital bed. I wrote Christmas cards and passed them out at to co-workers. I could have been writing a bereavement card for a family member. I baked cookies and took them to work. I could have been wondering if I will be able to get a job to support myself.

This is where I struggle. In a time where we, I,  should be celebrating Christ and His love for us I do the exact opposite of what Christ would do in my place. I overlook those who are hurting and grieving and are lost. I sit in my happy little world and never stop to think about those whose pain is being magnified because of the season that it is. As I sat in my Bible study listening to the burdens of so many people being spilled before the Throne of Grace I prayed that God would heal my heart, not from a broken marriage or the loss of a loved one or a serious illness, but from indifference. 

My prayer this Christmas is that I will have His heart. That I will see people as He sees them and that I will be able to offer just a little bit of His joy and peace to others, not just during Christmas, but all year 'round. 

fighting for your marriage...before you're married

Divorce rates in America are ridiculously high. Especially when you consider that the divorce rates among christians is comparable to those who are not christians. I don't know about you, but that scares me.

I am learning how to fight for my future marriage. I am reading books and blogs and listening to sermons by godly people about how marriage works. I am watching godly couples who have withstood the test of time and trials and are stronger for it. I am storing away bits and pieces of wisdom and I am trying to implement all that I can into my relationship now.

I think that all too often people don't work on their marriages until things get bad. So why should I wait to work on things until I'm married?

Kristen wrote a recent post about fighting for her marriage. In her post she wrote something that I think is so true, yet often overlooked. Kristen writes, "The very fall of man, put husbands and wives at odds with each other. Marriage is not easy. At it’s best, it’s difficult.

But don’t be fooled: Satan wants your marriage to fail. He is a vicious opponent without mercy. If you won’t fight for your marriage, he will." (emphasis mine)

I've been blessed to have grown up in a christian home. I have been blessed with being surrounded by godly couples. I have been blessed to have awesome pastors who preach amazing sermons about marriage and the roles of husbands and wives.

So, what are some of the things that I am doing now in my pre-nuptial days to protect my future marriage?

I am attempting to  practice the art of esteeming my boyfriend. I have read over and over again about how much men really do desire respect from their wives. I think there is a reason why the Bible admonishes men to "love their wives and wives to respect their husbands." (Ephesians 5:33, emphasis my own). It is so, so easy for me to disrespect my boyfriend. It can be as simple as teasing him when I know he doesn't like to be teased or as obvious as criticizing and nagging him. I fail a lot.  But I am trying.

Thankfulness- I try to thank him when he does something that I appreciate, because "kind words are like honey--sweet to the soul and healthy for the body." (Prov 16:24) Thank him for making me breakfast, opening that car door, playing the game he doesn't really like to, thank him for spending time with me, for being considerate of my feelings, for all the hugs and I love you's.

Along those same lines I am trying to learn how to hold my tongue. I try not to say anything negative about my boyfriend to other people because I don't want to be one of those wives who bashes on their husbands behind his back. Did you know that for every negative comment it takes five positive comment to cancel it out? Yikes. Words are powerful.

Pray. Pray, pray, pray. All the time. I pray for and with my boyfriend. I pray for guidance and protection and purity over our relationship. I thank God for positive relationships modeled in my life.

Learning how to manage conflicts. Now. My sweet boyfriend is a wonderful example of patience and understanding. I lose my temper far more often than he does...but I also apologize far less often than he does. Unfortunately the art of apologizing, and it is an art, is not something I learned from my home. It's not something that was shown in my boyfriend's home either...he just has an strong sense of justice and is  man enough to apologize when he knows he's wrong. I am learning, slowly, to follow my boyfriend's lead. To swallow this big ego that I have and to admit when I am wrong. It is humbling and I don't always do a good job but I think my boyfriend would tell you I've come a long way in the last four years.

I know that marriage is not a magic wand to be waved and that all my (and his) flaws and imperfections will not vanish once that ring is slipped on my finger. So I'm trying, really hard, to do what I can right now to fireproof my marriage.

I am thankful for all you godly women that write so honestly about your marriages. You may not realize it but you are giving my generation a chance to learn from you and that is a beautiful gift.  

What is your best piece of advice? What do you wish someone had told you before you got married?

it's [not] all about you

It was a normal day and I was walking across my college campus to my class when it caught my eye. A large black banner with yellow words. The banner read, "IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU!"  As I passed it and walked on towards class mulling the words over in my head..."all about you, all about you, all about you..."

And really, that is the world's mantra, isn't it? The world that encourages abortions because after all, "it's all about you." It's your body. Your life. Your choice. So you got pregnant, made a mistake. No problem. It's all about you, and because it's all about you, that baby, that "mass of tissue", can be disposed of the way you scrape gum off the bottom of your shoe.

Isn't that the world is screaming at us day after day? You spill your coffee in the car and get to sue the restaurant you bought it from because, hey, it's all about you. Credit card companies send out cards every day because you're entitled to have whatever you want. Never mind if you don't have the money to pay for it. It's all about you. You deserve those shoes, that car, this book, that house. You cheat on your boyfriend because he's just not cutting it for you. Never mind that he'll be heartbroken when he finds out, it doesn't matter, because it's all about you.

And isn't the world creeping into our christian circles? You don't tithe because there's just not enough money. Don't serve because there is no time. You don't love your neighbor because you haven't taken the time to meet your neighbor and you have no idea what their needs might be. And in essence, when we, the Body of Christ, do these things aren't we telling Him, "it's all about me, God."

I'd love to hang a sign on campus that says, "IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU."

Because it's not.  

modern day slavery

I posted last week about Peter and slavery and how, through teaching my little class of 2nd and 3rd graders, I wanted to plant a seed in them that abhorred injustice. My prayer is that that seed will grow and that once they are older will learn to fight for those without a voice. Because slavery still happens.

Yesterday, after class, one of the mom's approached me. She said that her daughter was horrified by slavery and kept telling her mom, "I would never want to be a slave mom, never." So the mom, being the true teacher that she is, used that as an opportunity to explain to her child that slavery still exists. That people are still bought and sold and mistreated.

I came home and found a list of resources for the mom that she and her family might like to know about. And perhaps you would, too?

Invisible Children is dedicated to helping end the longest running war in Africa. Joseph Kony is a rebel army leader who abducts children and forces the boys to become child soldiers and uses the young girls for their bodies. This is an incredible organization, founded by 4 college age guys who went to Uganda, saw a need, and is doing something to fix it.

Love146 is an amazing organization dedicated to stop child trafficking. They have a heart breakingingly informative website about the evils of child sex slaves, how these little girls are displayed, sold, bought, used.

World Vision is tackling each of these issues, child soldiers, child sex tourism, child trafficking, and child labor.

Free the Slaves is an organization that partners with countless people across the globe to end slavery everywhere.

We are responsible for our knowledge. We are called to love mercy and to act justly. We are called to defend the orphans and widows, relieve the oppressed. If christians around the world took this call seriously and cared for widows, single mothers, and orphans abroad how many children would be saved from the trap of traffickers who promise them good jobs and education but then steal them away into slavery? If christians around the world took the call seriously to relieve the oppressed, how quickly would we be able to break into brothels and markets that list children on menus as though they are a meal to be bought and free them?

Slavery is still happening. It is real. And it is around us everywhere.

full of earth

Because sometimes a song is the only way to express how you feel.

One Solitary Life

"Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty and then for three years was an itinerant preacher. He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never traveled more than two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of those things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself….


While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed on a cross between two thieves. While he was dying his executors gambled for the only piece of property he had on earth - His coat. When he was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.


Nineteen long centuries have come and gone and today He is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of the column of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever were built, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life."
- Excerted from the book "One Solitary Life"

out of the mouth of babes

This is so worth the watch...this little girl knows her stuff!


The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Africa

If you had come up to me and told me a couple of years ago that I would have a desire to go to Africa I would have laughed at you.

I have a desire to go to Africa.

My interest in Africa started when I learned about Invisible Children and the fact that thousands of African children are abducted from their homes and forced to become child soldiers by the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army). This army that uses these young boys as cannon fodder is lead by Joseph Kony, an evil man who claims that God wants him to do this.

Then I watched Hotel Rwanda. A movie based on the true story of Paul Rusesabagina who takes action during the Rwandad Genocide, a civil war that breaks out because of labels that Dutch had assigned to the people of Rwanda when they used to rule their country. They categorized the people into two groups, tutsi and hutu. When they left they left the power to the tutsi and and this continued for several generations. Many of the hutu wanted power and one day, when over the radio, they were instructed to take up their machetes and murder thier neighbors, their friends, their co-workers who were of tutsi blood, they did. This happened in 1994.

My interest for Africa was further pushed when I became aware of Katie, a young woman exactly my age, who left home and family to move to Uganda to feed, love, and educate children in slums, or just completly in poverty. She is an adopted mommy to fourteen Ugandan girls. Fourteen girls that she feeds, clothes, and bathes. Fourteen girls that she prays over, puts band aids on, and disciplines. It is not a joke, it is her life. Along with helping children her ministry, Amazima Ministries helps Ugandad women to make necklace and sell them to an American company. That company, 147 Million Orphans, then sells the necklaces and sends half of the proceeds back to the women that made them. They're awesome necklaces, and I encourage anyone to buy one and support those women.

Then Kristen went to Africa with Compassion International abd blogged about sponsoring a child. God has spoken to Kristen and her husband and they are now in the process of opening up a home for pregnant girls in Africa. Won't you consider joining them as The Mercy House is launched and lives are transformed? Visit The Mercy Shop, each purchase makes a difference. My heart was touched by her stories and her photos, and doesn't the Bible say to much is given, much is required?

So my next step in the Africa journey was taken. I sponsered a little girl, her name is Dorcas. Her birthday is coming up on October 15th. She lives in Kenya with her parents and siblings. I have never met her, but I love her, and it is our God that can knit the souls of two people together who are worlds apart and our God that can take a couple of hours of baby-sitting money a month to change a life.

Now I wait. I wait to see what God will place in my life, where I go from here. I desire to go to Africa. I don't know if this is a God driven desire or an Elizabeth desire. Maybe it's both. My church goes to Kenya each summer. We will see what happens them. For now, I'm going to sit tight and enjoy the ride.

Storytime by Nathan Greene

I work in a school. I love it. So when I saw this picture it touched my heart.
 Nathan Greene is the fantastic artist.

You hold me

 This is the song I want played at my memorial service.

Seperate, assimilate, or infiltrate?

This past Mother's Day our sermon at church was excellent. Not very motherly, however they did give a gift card to the mom with the most kids in each service, the winner at my service had eleven kids.


Our pastor talked about a christian's purpose in the world. He summed it up with three words.


1) separate


Christians are not to separate themselves from those who are not christians. We're not supposed to stand back and watch people live their life with our hands in front of us making an "x" and saying, "bad people! BAD!"


2) assimilate


Christians aren't supposed to assimilate to the worldly culture. He used the example of Daniel being taken to Babylon. Daniel was taken because he was smart and handsome. He had it all. He was told to eat food that he wasn't willing to, so he didn't. And God blessed him for it.


When he taken captive he was trained in magic, soothsaying, and astronomy (Daniel, Chapter 2). However, he didn't change his beliefs. He was steadfast. He KNEW that his God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the only true God. So when the king sent out to the decree to kill all the wise men Daniel asked him to wait. He got together with his buddies, they prayed about it, and God revealed to Daniel what Nebuchadnezzar's dream was, as well as the meaning. When Daniel went to the King he told him plain and simple,


"The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.


28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:


29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be.


30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart."


Daniel was taken away from his home. His family, his community and support groups. He could have gone through his training and not stuck to what he knew what was true. But he didn't. He could have assimilated. He could have decided, "You know, I was taken captive, I'm never going to return home, I might as well just do what I have to do to make life easy on myself." But he didn't. He refused to assimilate.


So, if you don't separate and you don't assimilate what do you do? Exactly what Daniel did.


3) infiltrate

I realize that that sounds sort of sneaky and awful, infiltrate, as though we are sneaking in the enemy camp and learning all their secrets. That's not the mental picture that should be coming across. However, the idea of Christians being in the world not just in churches or Bible study is true. I’m not suggesting that we should live our life incognito, living as though we don’t know the Truth. I mean we should be a part of life. An awesome example that I can think of is Triple X church, a ministry that sets up a booth inside the porn conventions and passes out Bibles. They don’t stand outside screaming that the people involved in that lifestyle are going to hell. They get in there. They meet people. They are open and honest and upfront and gentle. A light shining on a hill. The salt of the earth. You can't be a light if there's no darkness. Community is vital to keeping your relationship with Christ healthy, but if all you ever do is hang out with christian people you're missing the point. Jesus came and hung out with the tax collectors, prostitutes, and *shudder* sinful people. He also called us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Our goal is not to find people who aren't christians and wow them with our holy lifestyle. lifestyle according to God's standards, not the worlds, and hopefully, hopefully by doing that we will be a light. We're not going to win anyone to Christ by standing on a pedestal but if we are real people, with real love and care and concern (and yes, you can be loving without watering down the Truth) with real problems and difficulties, we can hope that instead of seeing us, people will see He who is within us.


It's a beautiful balance, to be able to infiltrate without being so stand-offish that we scare people off but strong enough to not assimilate. I know I'm not always there, but I'm working on it.


So what about you? How do you live your life? Do you separate, assimilate, or infiltrate?

How can anyone...

...see,

hear,

smell,

experience,

these things

and not believe?

cold

Cold- Marie Miller


Selfish heart, when did you become
The center of the universe?
A billion stars and you think you're the brightest one
It's so vain to put your world first
You used to give so freely of yourself
Now you don't seem the least bit concerned



Chorus:

This heart of mine can be so jaded
Frozen inside no sign of life
My conscience sleeps and it amazes me
That I can be so cold



Shallow heart you're an island to yourself
Drowning out all the lost at sea
You speak of love and you preach about your faith
But you ignore another soul in need
You know the truth so what it's gonna take
To wake you from your apathetic dream



This heart of mine can be so jaded
Frozen inside no sign of life
My conscience sleeps and it amazes me
That I can be so cold


Heaven help me
Burn within me
Melt me with your holy fire
Re-light my spirit
Ignite the mercy your desire
Oh help me Lord

Dayenu!

I went to a Messianic Passover Seder last night and it was beautiful. This part, especially, struck me. Dayenu means "it would have been sufficient"

"Leader: Had He only saved us from the Egyptians,
It would have been sufficient.
Had he only given us the Shabbat,
It would have been sufficient.
Had He only given us the Torah,
It would have been sufficient.

Had He taken us out of Egypt, but not brought judgment upon our adversaries

All: Dayenu!

Had he brought judgment upon our adversaries, but not allowed us to pass through the sea on dry land-

 Dayenu!

Had he allowed us to pass through the sea on dry land, but not destroyed our foes in it-

Dayenu!

Had he destroyed our foes, but not satisfied our needs in the wilderness for 40 years

Dayenu!

Had he satisfied our needs in the wilderness for 40 years, and not given us the Torah-

Dayenu!

BUT: He took us out of Egypt
He brought judgment upon our adversaries
He allowed us to pass through the sea on dry land
He destroyed our foes
He satisfied our needs in the wilderness
He gave us the Torah
He gave us the Messiah Yeshua as our atonement
He has preserved us to this day
He has given us Eretz Yisrael
Let us thank Him and Praise His name!

All: For all God's blessings we are grateful and thank Him unceasingly. Baruch HaShem!"

Dayenu! It is sufficient! Lord, on this Easter I thank you that your death is dayenu for my sins. Thank you that I can know and spend eterinity with You because of Your sacrifice!

Good Friday

When you really, truely, think about what happened on that Friday there is nothing good about it, unless you know the ending.

Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Which he then regrets and then hangs himself. The disciples are asked to stay awake while Jesus prays and they don't. Peter denies Jesus not once, not twice, but THREE times. Jesus is falsly accused of things he didn't do. A murderer is set free while the only truley innocent Man is sent to the cross. Even before the cross though, as if that is not aweful enough, he was beaten over and over and over again until His back became like hamburger meat. And, if that is not pain enough the Man who had instant access with God was forsaken because of the sins of others, of myself. If this was the end of the story there would be no good.

But it's not. :) And that is why this Friday is good. Because there is more to the story. The Man who was innocently put to death was raised again on the third day. Those sins that He bore...He did it for me, and you. Peter, the same person who denied Jesus three times, was affirmed three times after Jesus' ressurection.

It is so important though, for the full joy of Easter to be experienced, to remember the pain and sorrow and suffering that occured on Good Friday.

How He loves us

This song pretty much sums it all up, dontcha think?

Prayer Bench

I love the wisdom that I can glean from other bloggers. What a beautiful blessing to be able to click on a link and be inspired.

Ann Voskamp writes with words sent from heaven, I'm convinced. Her family has a prayer bench and I find it a beautiful and simple idea.

My Grandpa made me a hope chest and I have decided that once I have my own house it will be my own prayer bench. I love the way that Ann changes her bench to reflect the season. She did this and now this for lent.

Because I will be using my hope chest (the name is befitting is it not? a spot that will lead me and my future family to THE Hope)I will be able to store things inside of it. I'm thinking that it will be the perfect spot for my Jesse tree at Christmas, a resting spot for a Seder plate, the holding place for a menorah, and place for a box where sins can be quietly written then slipped into during lent.

I am excited to be able to create a space that will be a visual reminder to search out God and a beautiful way to train my children in the Truth.

Lent

Today was Ash Wednesday. I'm not catholic so that doesn't mean a whole lot to me.

However, in my heart I feel as though Lent should have a place in my life. But how? How do I work Lent into my non-denominatinal relationship with Christ? How do I make it so that it's not just something meaningless like giving up soda (which for some, might not be meaningless, but for myself, it would be.) I don't want to do something that will easily turn into a routine with no deeper connection with Christ. I don't want it to become legalistic. I want it to be a time where I am focusing my heart intently and intentionally on what Jesus did for me.

I think that it is important, especially for those who have grown up in the church, to take the things that we feel we know so well and to take a good, long, hard look and remind ourselves, no matter how many times I've heard it before, I still will not be able to fully comprehend or appreciate it this side of heaven. Growing up in the church I've heard it all before. And I find myself more and more tuning out in church when the pastor starts talking about something I already know. Just because I've heard it before doesn't make it any less holy.

After much internet researching and trying to figure out how other christians incorporate lent into their walk here is just a few recources that I found helpful.

Ann Voskamp reveals how she incorporates the forgivness we find due to Christ's death and resurection on their prayer bench- When Family Needs Fresh Start Making


Season of Dust- an article describing lent and the call that Christ gives His followers

The Upper Room Devotionals: This website gives you a devotional for each day. I especially love what their four goals for the lenten season are.

Refletions on Lent gives a much needed reminder on how and why we so joyously celebrate Easter. We tend to look at the happy ending but forget what Christ had to endure before the happy ending could occur.

The Challenge of the Lenten Season made me smile becuase I feel as though it was written just for me.

I believe that tomorrow I will head to the library and see if I can find any more books on lent. For now I will be partaking in the devotions from The Upper Room and trying to weave this foreign concept of lent into my every day walk with Christ.

2010

It's a new year. A new chapter of my life. As I sat on my couch not feeling the greatest last night I was thinking about 2009. I tried to come up with one word that would sum up that year. Quite sadly, the biggest thing I thought of was, "stats class." This year I strive for more. This year I dub the year of pursuing holiness.

I've taken a couple of sign language classes and the word holy in sign language is two different words combined. They were a modified version of the sign for good and then the sign for clean. I loved taking sign language because you get such a beautiful picture when you know how each of the signs are made.

Holy. Good. Clean. And is that not what I have been called to? "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. For it is written, 'Be holy for I am holy.'" 1 Peter 1:15-16

It has been on my mind a lot lately, this idea that there is such a thing as being "to pure" or "to holy." On the one hand, you do not want your desire for purity and holiness to become legalistic, however, on the other hand when our ultimate goal is to be as the Father can you ever really be "to holy?"

I think that often times I look at the bar that the world has set and I hover right above that bar. I then feel good about myself, because look, I'm not where they are. Then I look up. Way up. And I see the bar that God has set. And I realize that I had it wrong all along. The goal is not to stay hovering above the worlds bar. The goal is to be climbing, stretching, reaching, constantly to be as close to God's bar as I can be. Will I ever get there? No, not in this life time. I am human. I err. God does not. Does that mean I shouldn't try? No. I need to strive, to reach, to stretch, to grow.

So this year I pursue holiness.

Holy: in the way that I use my money. "Then you shall say before the Lord yoru God, 'I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandments which you have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them." Deut 26:13

Holy: in my mind and thought. "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:1-2

Holy: in my interactions with my boyfriend. "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside his body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Cor 6:18-20

Holy: before God. "just as He chose us in Him before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love..." Ephesians 1:4

Holy: in my actions. "As obediant children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance, but as He who called you is Holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy for I am holy.'" 1 Peter 1:14-16

Our Bible study is going throught the book, "The Pursuit of Holiness" and I highly recomend it.

Join me, will you, in pursuing holiness this year?