Room

I just wrote a blog here...
http://www.summitwestclub.com/?p=825
Check it out!

Still?

I think it's appropriate that the last post "Still" has been up for so long. Appropriate for obvious reasons. For instance, we are STILL in the Still Standing series at church. I STILL want to point you to the daily devotionals and Proverb reading.

I have another post coming this week but I hope that you will STILL visit www.SummitRDU.com and read along in Proverbs with us.

Still

We just started a new series at The Summit Church called Still Standing. We are going through Proverbs together. Won't you join us?

You can click here to read the devotionals that we as a staff are putting together for you.

You can click here to read a little more about it and sign up for email reminders.

I'm looking forward to a great end of summer time of learning about wisdom! Let me know what you're learning too.

Faithful

I've been reminded through 7 or 8 specific instances in my life over the past 2 1/2 weeks that have reminded me that God is faithful and trustworthy even when I may think otherwise.

Be reminded that God's word is true. Always.

Get in it a little more this summer!

Disturbed

I've been reading The Mortification of Sin (Owen) with the college student I disciple. For that reason, we have drawn it out - reading only a few chapters a week. With school breaks, and trips, and work, we have 2 chapters left. I picked it up today to finish. Finally.

As you've seen, this book is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it for quick, light reading. So it is with the quote I'm leaving for you today.

Owen is talking about being careful not to speak peace to yourself regarding your dealing with sin in your life...

"If men are wounded by sin, disturbed and perplexed, and realize that there is no remedy for them except in the mercy of God and through the blood of Christ; and if such look to Him and His covenant promises, and upon this basis quiet their hearts, believing that it will indeed be well with them, and that God will be gracious to them - and yet do not detest with utter hatred the sin in question - this is to heal themselves and not to be healed by God." p.103

In case you didn't catch it, you can't heal yourself. Be disturbed by your sin, be brought to utter hatred over your sin. Receive God's grace for your sin. Friend, He is holy & righteous and He desires to extend grace and righteousness to you. O, that you would glorify Him!

Summer

I need to let you know that although summertime is a slower-pace for most people. For me, and the rest of the studentLIFE staff, it is our busiest season. Students are out of school, after all.

I am telling you that so that you will hopefully extend grace in my infrequent posts. I will still post as I have will surely be learning a lot and will want to share some of it with you.

Enjoy your summer! Make sure that you keep up with the blog.

Ten - Day 25

How are you doing with your ten minutes of prayer? What? Or challenge is over? Well, I had another tip for you.

One way you can spend your time praying is by praying for the things you will be doing on that day... before the day begins. You certainly come in contact with people (either in person, on the phone, or via internet) that you can be praying for.

Here's an example from my life*:
Staff meeting - pray for the staff, families, and ministries they oversee
Lunch with student/leader - pray for that student/leader (may lead me to pray for other students/ leaders as it did this morning)
Planning meeting - pray for event logistics, attitudes, people coming, GOSPEL to be clear and responded to
Walk with roommate - pray for roommates, people living in the neighborhood we're walking in, for us to find a house in that neighborhood, for the church (it's in that neighborhood)
Coffee with a potential leader - pray for her, pray for others to come along side studentLIFE in leadership roles, for others in our body of believers to serve the church, for direction and discernment
Errands - pray for the other customers, for a chance to encourage someone, for the employees at the store (I try to go to the same person at each store so that I can build a relationship with them - Ana is at South Square Target. I'd love it if you would pray for her), for your attitude and motive behind your buying (yikes!)

So those are just some example of how you can be praying.



*I realize that some of you are moms that have the honor of staying home with your little one(s) and may feel like you don't have anything going on during the day outside of your little one(s). I could write a whole different post on that. But, I want to encourage you to be purposeful in two ways.

First, be purposeful in praying for others WITH your little one(s) - even if they aren't "old enough to understand." It will help you to be in the practice of praying in front of and with your children so that when they are "old enough" they will be learning how to pray. Oh, what an honor you have!

The second is this, be purposeful to reach out to your neighbors. I have seen that staying home all day can be draining. I recognize that raising children isn't simply a walk in the park. Bake some cookies with your little one(s), let them "write" a note, and walk next door. Yes, you will have to plan it... be purposeful. Again, whether they are "old enough" or not get in the practice of reaching out. Then (for those of you who think you may not have anyone to pray for) you will have at least one person to be praying for outside of your family and close friends.