Hello, friends!
I’m noticing as I look back on this month that it held a good amount of firsts…what a sanctifying adventure it was!!
Lord Crucified, O mark Thy holy Cross
Amy Carmichael
On motive, preference, all fond desires,
On that which self in any form inspires,
Set Thou that sign of loss.
And when the touch of death is here and there
Laid on a thing most precious in our eyes,
Let us not wonder, let us recognize
The answer to this prayer.
Things worth remembering…
- worshipping with my aunt and uncle’s church family in CA at long last
- just sitting and watching the waves roll in from the Pacific for the first time
- clam chowder
- hiking in the California hills
- precious time with family I hadn’t seen in years
- getting the giggles with my sister/travel buddy multiple times
- my local library’s winter reading challenge
- reading in the sunshine
- coffee dates with friends
- shocking myself by thoroughly enjoying several rounds of hide and seek
- watching green grass begin to come through the lawn
- a spontaneous ice cream run
- getting to lead worship with a drum set for the first time
- the blizzard happening on a day I didn’t have to work (three cheers for my brother who braved the snow)
- hitting my mostly-annual spring high and writing my mostly-annual spring poem
- indulging in fresh flowers and lemons
- my sister’s birthday ice cream bar (ice cream is always a delight, but for some reason it was just insanely good that evening)
- unexpected happy mail from friends
In a sense, our minds and our hearts will spend our whole lives catching up with the reality of the love of Christ.
Alistair Begg in Pray Big
What I’ve been reading…
A New Song – Jan Karon
“‘May our sleep be deep and soft,โโ he whispered, โ’so our work be fresh and hard.'”
A gem of a book. I gasped audibly near the end…I think out of all the Mitford books thus far, I found this one the most moving.
Beauty Even Here – Laurel Luehmann
this, says Your whisper, is the test of my love, begging it to become a love that is not contingent on bloated expectations, but a love that trusts even when blood runs into the eyes and pain carves canyons in the heart.
Yes, I read my own books sometimes. XD
A Path Through Suffering – Elisabeth Elliot
The whole Christian life is a process of bringing the self-life down to death in order that the life of Jesus may be manifest in us.
I had meant to begin this book earlier, but as the Lord so often orchestrates things, I ended up reading it at a very meaningful time. I hadn’t read Elisabeth Elliot in a long time, and it was a joy to come back to her work. This is well worth the read.
A Common Life: The Wedding Story – Jan Karon
โFatherโcontinue to open me and lay me bare, for I have been selfish and closed, always keeping something back, even from You. Forgive me. . .โ
My goodness. I savored every moment of this book. I absolutely loved how the author gave so many of the townspeople a POV in this book, and told us so many of the characters’ love stories firsthand! It was absolutely adorable and the humor was impeccable, too…I was laughing out loud. If you love Mitford already, please please read this book.
The Lies We Live – Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht
As he tread past her to approach the sofa opposite her, she stuck her foot out, tripping him…she met his gaze with mock sincerity. “Oh, my apologies, I didn’t realise you were aware of my presence.”
It’s taking me a bit longer to get into this book, but it involves espionage, hidden backstories, and a WWI setting in England…I’m enjoying the vibes and look forward to getting swept up in the plot as it continues!
Measure thy life by loss and not by gain; not by the wine drunk but by the wine poured forth, for love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice, and he that suffereth most hath most to give.
Ugo Bassi
From the journal…
Flow through me, Father. Keep me emptied of my own selfish ambitions and desires, and satisfy me fully in Your love.
…forgive me for the times I have angrily or impatiently questioned You, despising Your simple, gracious provision. Open my eyes and hands to the riches You shower upon me!
There will never be a plot twist that reveals Your love to be less or absent – only ever greater and more lavish than I could have dreamed. Thank You for this grace.
Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
Proverbs 19:20-21
That you may be wise in your latter days.
There are many plans in a man’s heart,
Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel – that will stand.
What made your March memorable? What beauty have you been seeing these days?
โค Laurel
Scripture taken from the New King James Versionยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commissionโฆat no extra cost to you. We all win.:)




