Butlers Orchard

I had the opportunity to go pick apples and raspberries with my sister-in-law Priscila and my friend Deanna. Their kids are sooo cute. It provided many opportunities for taking pictures ;)

Here are a few:

Cute little Bryan was mesmerized by Gianna..it was quite cute!

Little Gianna trying to get some berries

I love this picture of the two of them!

Deanna and Bryan picking berries

Yum...apparently his fist was quite tasty!

Expectations

I have really enjoyed reading a blog recently called Holy Experience. It belongs to a mother of 6 who is an amazing writer and many times I am refreshed and encouraged by her perspective. Here is an excerpt of something I read there today that encouraged me SO VERY MUCH!

“Expectations kill relationship.”

I’ll never forget where I was standing, what the color of the sky was, when Mama said those words.

The words reverberate inside of me, and ring true, sure. When I expect something, demand something, presume, anticipate, await something, I fail to be to grateful for what is. I smother the gift of what simply is, in my stampeding expectation for what I proudly, arrogantly, wrongly think should be. My expectations of what kind of life God should give snuffs out my gratitude for the life He has given.

Read the rest here.

(Also I have been tagged to post some recipes....will do that soon!)

My Anthem

As I meditating on Scripture this morning I was amazed by God's unending nearness and presence that He has blessed me with because of His favor and was inspired to write down this prayer that I prayed. What a sweet truth that as sinners who deserve wrath, the cross has made a way for God to come to us in love.

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus” 1 Tim 5:21

Dear Lord,

I praise you, my God, for this truth. My God is a living God who is in all places at all times. Nothing happens with out your awareness or intended purpose. My life is in submission to your authority which is a blessing because I need you to lead me and guide me. Let this be my anthem, before me stands the One that was crucified for my sins and rose from the dead so that I may triumph over sin. Allow me to never forget Christ nearness to me. Increase my desire for your nearness so that I can live for you. As I continually bask in your presence let my heart overflow with gratefulness for paying my ransom. Let the nail scarred hands and feet remind me that my life is a living sacrifice for you, my lord.

Just for fun

I had Priscila and Rachel over for lunch today and got to take a lot of fun pictures of Gianna. Hard to believe how fast she's growing ;)

Here's a few just for fun:

Check out those teeth ;)




Checkin out the bookshelf. She seemed to be interested in the theology books


Cute chubby toes ;)

Delivering babies...and life

Life has dramatically changed the past few weeks, probably very evident by my lack of updating(and for some of you phone calls that haven't been returned!)...and that usually means one thing: school is consuming a majority of my time.

Yup the forgetfulness of everything important except medical terminology and all things clinical has begun...and even that has been more of a challenge this semester ;) The long summer break definitely made it a little harder for me to get back into school mode and not only that, but this is our last semester!! Hard to believe that graduation is right around the corner. Either way this semester has had a very exciting start! Yesterday was our first full clinical day in Labor and Delivery...what an amazing experience it was [right Maureen! ;)]. My friend Glenda and I had the opportunity to go right into a C-section and see a little boy come into this world and there are no words to put with this experience, it's just quite miraculous. We had the opportunity to do the babies first assessments, give it's first medications, get it's first weight, and take him on his first elevator ride ;) It was such a great experience. We also had the opportunity to spend most of the afternoon with the other Mom's recovering from their C-sections and there were so many cute little babies only a few hours old to ooh and ahh over. So, when I came home after our long day Lew got an earful about the whole experience....and how maybe I could see myself being this kind of nurse...we'll see ;)

In other news our two good friends Mark and Brandy got married this past Saturday! It was such a precious wedding. These two are very special to us and it was a joy to be a part of their special day. Here are some pictures:

This was how Mark looked as Brandy was walking down the isle. Priceless.
Isn't she beautiful! She was smiling at him in this picture ;)

Cutting the cake
My love and I. He was a groomsman, doesn't he look so handsome in his tux ;)

Well that's really all I have time for now. I do have a few recipes that I may (or may not!) post in the next couple days.

Commentaries

I haven't done a "weekend read" post in a while, but I did want to post about a different kind of read. If anyone takes a look at my Amazon wishlist, it is obvious that one of my favorites read is Bible commentaries. I have recently created the goal of studying all of the Bible with a commentary and this is also includes owning a different commentary on each book of the Bible. My collection has steadily been growing one great aid in this endeavor is buying used on Amazon.com. A website that I recently discovered is Bookfinder.com which will find the cheapest prices for books online.

Some of the commentary series that I would recommend are

The Bible Speaks Today - Section by section exposition with analysis of context and verses. Easy to find application and very accessible. This series is a fairly new and have all been written in my lifetime. A bonus about this series is that it covers every book of the Bible.
Crossway Classic Commentaries - This is quickly become one of my favorite commentary series. It includes commentaries written by Calvin, Luther and Hodge but modified from their original language for easier comprehension. Unlike the Bible Speaks Today this includes verse by verse exposition, which I prefer because it makes it easier to follow along with the text. The only downside to this series is that it isn't available for every book of the Bible.

Essential commentaries that are not in a series:

Anything by James Montgomery Boice - I only have his series on Genesis and the Minor Prophets, but I definitely plan to add others to my collection. His commentaries are a verse by verse exposition, but they read like a sermon and are very nourishing for my soul.
Treasury of David - It's a verse by verse exposition of the Psalms by Spurgeon! Really, does anything else need to be said?
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible - Let's say you are not like me and only wish to own one commentary, this is the commentary to own. From Genesis to Revelations this commentary is a verse by verse exposition with detailed explanation of passages in a devotional format that is very practical. Even if you do plan on owning many commentaries this is a great one to start your library with.
J.C. Ryle's exposition of the Gospels - I recently got this set when I was honored at a small group leader's retreat. I have yet to really dig into it, but from what I've read in it as I've skimmed different sections, it definitely has potential to become one of my favorites. Ryle is very practical and instructive in these writings that deal section by section with the gospel's. He uncovers sins and points to grace with each page.

Finally pictures...

Here are a few from our trip. We had such a great time in North Carolina with my sister's family! Thank you guys for letting us stay with you for a whole week!! We love you guys ;)

(some of the pictures uploaded a little blurry..not sure why and can't seem to fix it.)

Group kisses

Lots of play time with "Unc Woo" (Uncle Lew)

Glorious bubbles ;) He loves them

He looks mesmerized in this picture!

so cute.

Little boxer

Playing his little piano

Tickle time!

Cute little laugh!

My sweet love and I. I love you so much babe. What a joy it is to be your wife ;)

Giving honor where honor is due

I am away at Deep Creek Lake right now and I just wanted to take a brief moment to give thanks for the amazing gift that God has given me in Laura.

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies (Proverbs 31:10).

Laura made a tremendous sacrifice that serves myself and the single's ministry of our church, by letting me go away for the weekend for a time of fellowship and planning. I cannot say thanks enough for her willingness to release me for this.

Other ways that Laura's worth is far above rubies is by the way she worked with one of the pastor's to honor me and get me a commentary set on the four gospels. Laura is also a wise steward of her time and has spent this weekend serving our care group ladies as well as her family.

I truly do have an excellent wife who is an example of God's grace and goodness to me!

Home again...Home again

Back home and settling for a new semester for Laura and a busy next couple of weekends for myself with a wedding and a retreat. Laura will be postings pictures soon and telling about our trip, but I just wanted to point out a link on the side bar that I added.

Tim Challies is having a give away for the new Reformed Expository Commentary set. I have already signed up and you can sign up as well. By using the link on the side it will automatically enter my referral number and increase my chances of winning. Even if you are not interested in winning this contest, click on the link so I can have more referrals a better chance to win!

Lastly, I just wanted to take a moment to brag on my wife who is becoming quite the photographer!



You can check out more on her Flickr page