Looking out my window
Texas Mountain Laurel is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring. They begin to bloom in February and continue through mid-April, but this year the ones in our backyard bloomed only for a short while in March. They have a unique fragrance, a very sweet scent that some describe as grape bubblegum or grape soda. I wish they bloomed more often.
I am thinking
I’ve been thinking about how my heart needs daily alignment with Jesus, with scripture. I’ve also been thinking about discipleship in the church, how to best disciple women of all ages, and especially how to minister well to singles in a church exploding with young families.
I am thankful
I’m grateful for all things lavender today –
The scent of mountain laurels drifting through the air at dusk
Soft purple skies just before night settles in
A delicate cup of lavender mint tea
The sweetness of grapes bursting with flavor
Purple wildflowers growing untended along the roadside
The way certain colors quiet the soul and invite stillness
One of my favorite things
The joy of taking a home-cooked meal to a shut-in friend.
I am creating
I enjoy writing and drawing.
I’ve been writing a series on Colossians on Tuesdays – check this last post.
I am listening to
I have a few favorite podcasts. One is The Next Right Thing by Emily P Freeman. Her episode on “Our Friend, Jesus” was excellent. I also like to listen to Russell Moore’s podcast, and I especially enjoyed this one where he interviews Allen Levi, author of Theo of Golden.
I am wearing
This is always a more challenging note to make. I’m actually wearing a shirt I found in Goodwill today – it’s a comfortable, daily kind of shirt. I wish I had bought the other shirt that was similar to this one last week.
I am reading
Our community group is reading through the New Testament in a semester.
This week we are reading 2 Corinthians. Interesting math fact, we have read 7 books or about 26% of the New Testament but in words we have read closer to 70% since we have read the longer books.
I’m reading The Secret Garden by Frances H Burnett – a children’s classic worth revisiting.
I am hoping
I am hoping that April will have calm, sweet days.
In my kitchen
We love these bowls for dinner. And this was a recent favorite dinner. Panfried chicken breast (pounded thin, coated in GF flour and parmesan cheese), a lemon caper sauce, GF ramen noodles, and stir-fried veggies – mushrooms & zucchini.
We love these noodles – we buy ours at Costco!
In my garden
My orchids are blooming which is always fun!
Quote
“People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.” (DA Carson)
A moment from my day
We are finishing up this Bible study in our Women’s Development. It has been a particularly enriching study – very meaningful for my current days. It has taken quite a bit of time and thought to process each lesson!
Closing Thought
We are in the middle of Holy Week. Thinking about Jesus resolutely setting his face towards the cross. Sacrificially giving his life to save the world. Celebrating his death, burial, resurrection, and in coming days his ascension.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17
