Late night musings

Up late with a nagging cough that won't let me sleep. So as I slurp down my tea and honey, I thought I would share this new found song. Matt Maher is new to my music radar (and I'll gladly confess it's my husband who introduces me to almost all my music). I got to sing this with Josh last week for our college group and the more we practiced it the more I fell in love with the words to this song. I love in the bridge the call it gives to the church to stand in the light of the gospel, not the shame of sin. What powerful words to remind us that God in Christ has conquered sin and death by the death of His Son! How much I have to be thankful for!
You can listen to the song here.

Christ is Risen

Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
But fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love
And bled for us
Freely You've bled for us

{Chorus}

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bowed to none but heaven's will
No scheme of hell, no scoffer's crown
No burden great can hold You down
In strength You reign
Forever let Your church proclaim

{Bridge}
O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
The glory of God has defeated the night

O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
Our God is not dead
He's alive! He's alive!

The Battle of Belief

The Girl Talk blog (one of my favorites) recently posted this ever pertinent reminder from John Piper on the importance of using Scripture to battle anxiety. It's such a good reminder that when we allow ourselves to be anxious we are actually choosing not to believe the promises of God. This is true of most sins we struggle with. When I choose my sin over obedience to God, I am, in reality, telling God that what he has commanded and promised is not true.

When I choose to be dependent on myself instead of God, I am not believing that He is strong and mighty to save (Zephaniah 3:17).

When I choose to be prideful instead of humbling myself I deny that with pride comes disgrace (Proverbs 11:2).

When I choose to manipulate a situation rather than trust in God, I am not believing that God does not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).

We are constantly waging a battle against our unbelief. When the world all around seems menacing and there is so much to be anxious about, I need the reminders of Scripture in order to fight for faith in the promises of God.

Here are some reminders from John Piper:

* When I am anxious about some risky new venture or meeting, I battle unbelief with the promise: “Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God; I will help you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

* When I am anxious about my ministry being useless and empty, I fight unbelief with the promise, “So shall my word that goes forth from my mouth; it will not come back to me empty but accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

* When I am anxious about being too weak to do my work, I battle unbelief with the promise of Christ, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9), and “As your days so shall your strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:25).

* When I am anxious about decisions I have to make about the future, I battle unbelief with the promise, “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).

* When I am anxious about facing opponents, I battle unbelief with the promise, “If God is for us who can be against us!” (Romans 8:31).

* When I am anxious about being sick, I battle unbelief with the promise that “tribulation works patience, and patience approvedness, and approvedness hope, and hope does not make us ashamed” (Romans 5:3–5).

* When I am anxious about getting old, I battle unbelief with the promise, “Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (Isaiah 46:4).

* When I am anxious about dying, I battle unbelief with the promise that “none of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself; if we live we live to the Lord and if we die we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose again: that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living” (Romans 14:9–11).

* When I am anxious that I may make shipwreck of faith and fall away from God, I battle unbelief with the promise, “He who began a good work in you will complete it unto the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:6). “He who calls you is faithful. He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). “He is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

fall photo series

My Sweet husband knows how much I love the fall, as well as how much I completely miss it living in Southern California. This time of year I always get very homesick as I think about the changing weather and fall foliage in New Hampshire. In less than two weeks we will be back in New Hampshire, but until then my husband (did I mention how sweet he is?) has been taking a series of fall pictures on his iphone and sending to them to me throughout the day.
Here are a few of the highlights:

The tree outside our front door.

Pumpkin Time