Happy Reformation Day!!!!!!

I hope you enjoy this day by attending your local reading of the 95 Theses, or enjoy your own quiet independent study and reflection, and remember that you are saved by grace and not by your own righteousness.

?For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;?

-Eph. 2:8 NASB 

?My chains are gone

I?ve been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, Amazing grace?

Grace. I was trying to fall asleep several minutes ago and was listening to the song above on my ipod. Do I truly know what grace is? If so, how is it reflecting in my life? How is it reflecting in the lives of my friends whom I know are Christians? These questions kept flooding my mind. I have heard this song many times, and I have much love for Chris Tomlin (if he wasn?t some 15+ years older than me I would definitely marry the guy?.kidding), but this time God used the song to speak to me in much bigger ways. I am free under grace. I am no longer subject to the sin that enslaves me. So why don?t I live like that? God removed those chains, I no longer have to bear their weight and burden. I have accepted His wonderful gift of salvation, but have I truly accepted His gift of grace? Why live in my habitual, daily, ongoing sin, Instead why not live under His amazing, freeing, never ending grace?

These thoughts lead to more thoughts about not just myself, but others around me.  What would happen if all of the people around me started living under grace? Would that change the way we act around others? Would it change our want to spread the gospel so others could know of this amazing grace?

Tonight I saw it really clearly. And for me to get something God pretty much has to write it out in huge neon letters. Its like a gift setting there for my taking but I have yet to receive it.  Maybe this is a new thing for me and it may not be for others??.  But yeah, okay, that is all I have. Wow, that took a whole lot of energy out of me. Maybe now I can sleep.

Until then?..living under His amazing grace.

?And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ?

-Philippians 1:9-10

This has been my prayer today. Its hard to know that you need to grow, but not really sure where. This verse has been on my mind a lot but I am not really sure why. I do know that God will reveal it to me in His time, I just need to be patient.

Fall Break was lovely, and much needed. I was able to rest and spend time with my family, and watch many movies. My team that I went with last year is now back in Armenia this next week and a half. My prayers have been with them. Its funny, I was shopping at Wal-Mart tonight by myself and felt the need to pray for them, so I did standing in the frozen food section of the store.

I want my love to abound, I want to grow more and more in knowledge, depth, and insight. Discernment is so hard these days in a world saturated with the idea of no absolutes.

I posted. Go me.

One of my dear, dear, friends died today. I got the phone call from my mom telling me that she had passed. She was a caseworker for our campus and a good friend to me and Ray. Her name was Mel, only 31. I?m still in shock that she?s gone. No one knows what happened for sure, they are going to do an autopsy to find out more. Friends have come by to check on me, and mom has called several times. I know God has a plan but still??she?s gone. I can?t cry anymore and I hate that feeling. There are many hurting young girls tonight, and I wish with all that I am that I could take that pain away.

??I was her pet-sitter and she helped me learn Spanish in high school while we ate spicy cheeseburgers that she would make herself.

I told my mom on the phone a few moments ago that I don?t want to close my eyes and go to sleep. She said she understood and reminded me to rest in His love tonight.