TGIF!
It's been a long day to end a long week,
and I'm more than happy to be sitting at home this Friday night relaxing to a retro favorite . . .
Does anyone else get a rush when they hear this song?? I don't know what it is, but I always do.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
What makes you cringe?
I’ve been following the Olympics pretty religiously over the past week. I find myself coming home from work, plopping myself on the couch, and rooting the Olympians on as they do their thing. I love listening to the cheesy back stories they do on the athletes minutes before they’re about to race…being reminded over and over again of all the years of training coming down to this one moment. The bell rings, the race starts, the athlete begins to cruise along beautifully…and then it happens: a fall, a simple misstep that leads to a horrible crash. And what do I do?
I cringe.
I cringe at their pain.
I cringe at the disappointment they must feel in themselves.
Do you ever find yourself cruising through life and then taking a misstep? Are there moments in your life you look back on and just cringe? Do you have flashbacks to your past and think “Oh God, What the heck was I thinking?”
No matter how smart or logical you think you are, no matter how much you’ve “trained” yourself to act and be a certain way, there are those moments where your words and deeds don’t match the perceived reality of yourself.
Here is the reality: We are all sinners.
I am a sinner.
Let me say that again……I am a sinner.
Here’s the catch, the beauty I really see in that statement:
I’m glad I look back on moments in my life and wince, because I know the Lord is convicting me. He’s convicting me of my weaknesses, of the fact that I am a sinner and even more of my need for His grace. His grace reconciles me, not my works or lack thereof, but His grace, that’s it, that’s all. I would be more concerned if I didn’t feel the weight of my sins, not as a burden to bear, but as a reminder that He needs to be ever present for any hope of transformation. It’s not enough to know his Word, for even the devil could spit out the Lord’s words in verbatim…the Word has to penetrate, penetrate enough to cause change.
So unlike those athletes whose careers may be over after one horrible fall, our lives don’t have to be defined by our missteps. In fact the harder we “fall”, the greater the conviction that nothing can save us except for Christ…
Because Christ’s grace is sufficient…
Christ’s grace is sufficient for me….
Anytime I look back and cringe, I need to remember…
Christ’s grace is sufficient.
I cringe.
I cringe at their pain.
I cringe at the disappointment they must feel in themselves.
Do you ever find yourself cruising through life and then taking a misstep? Are there moments in your life you look back on and just cringe? Do you have flashbacks to your past and think “Oh God, What the heck was I thinking?”
No matter how smart or logical you think you are, no matter how much you’ve “trained” yourself to act and be a certain way, there are those moments where your words and deeds don’t match the perceived reality of yourself.
Here is the reality: We are all sinners.
I am a sinner.
Let me say that again……I am a sinner.
Here’s the catch, the beauty I really see in that statement:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. -2 Corinthians 12: 9
I’m glad I look back on moments in my life and wince, because I know the Lord is convicting me. He’s convicting me of my weaknesses, of the fact that I am a sinner and even more of my need for His grace. His grace reconciles me, not my works or lack thereof, but His grace, that’s it, that’s all. I would be more concerned if I didn’t feel the weight of my sins, not as a burden to bear, but as a reminder that He needs to be ever present for any hope of transformation. It’s not enough to know his Word, for even the devil could spit out the Lord’s words in verbatim…the Word has to penetrate, penetrate enough to cause change.
So unlike those athletes whose careers may be over after one horrible fall, our lives don’t have to be defined by our missteps. In fact the harder we “fall”, the greater the conviction that nothing can save us except for Christ…
Because Christ’s grace is sufficient…
Christ’s grace is sufficient for me….
Anytime I look back and cringe, I need to remember…
Christ’s grace is sufficient.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Good Eats - NYC Edition
Some good eats from Valentine's Day weekend in NYC...
Saturday Dinner:
Saturday Dinner:
MXco
1491 Second Ave. at 78th St,
New York, NY 10075
212-249-6080
and a fabulous Sunday Brunch:
Penelope
159 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10016-8154
(212) 481-3800
My meal: Pumpkin waffles with apple butter.....soooo good!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Valentine's Day Weekend
I’m going to be bold here…
And mention Valentine’s Day…
As an unmarried Indian woman in her 30’s…(please sense my sarcasm here =P)
All kidding aside it was a great weekend spent with my best friends in NYC. We started off Valentine’s day with church at Redeemer Presbyterian and hearing a sermon by their senior pastor Tim Keller. I’ve been listening to his sermons online so it was a great pleasure to hear him in person for the first time.
His message was entitled “The Mocking and the Spitting” based off of Isaiah 50:4-11 and was the third sermon in a series called “The Songs of the Servant.” After his sermon which focused heavily on the torture of Christ before crucifixion he says (and I’m paraphrasing here) : “Don’t think I forgot about Valentine’s Day…..who else would love you enough to be tortured and killed just for you.” What a great reminder of a love with absolutely no limits especially on that day.
And mention Valentine’s Day…
As an unmarried Indian woman in her 30’s…(please sense my sarcasm here =P)
All kidding aside it was a great weekend spent with my best friends in NYC. We started off Valentine’s day with church at Redeemer Presbyterian and hearing a sermon by their senior pastor Tim Keller. I’ve been listening to his sermons online so it was a great pleasure to hear him in person for the first time.
His message was entitled “The Mocking and the Spitting” based off of Isaiah 50:4-11 and was the third sermon in a series called “The Songs of the Servant.” After his sermon which focused heavily on the torture of Christ before crucifixion he says (and I’m paraphrasing here) : “Don’t think I forgot about Valentine’s Day…..who else would love you enough to be tortured and killed just for you.” What a great reminder of a love with absolutely no limits especially on that day.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Quotable Quotes
"Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down."
- quoted from the soon to be famous Grace J. (who got it from a FB friend, who got it from ??... ultimately from Unknown)
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Road to Reward
A snippet from this week's The Weekly Walk :
You and I have got to conquer. Jesus said, "The one who endures to the end will be saved" (Mark 13:13). People who aren't really saved give up and quit. The truth is, we will all experience tough seasons in our lives. We will experience hard weeks or even a rough month or year. But we get moving again. Endurance doesn't save us, but it does prove our salvation. We have to finish strong. We have to pick up the pace as we get older. A real Christian says, "I love Him more and more. 'I press on' (Philippians 3:14) to be sanctified day after day, growing in Christ." That's the life of a believer - one who conquers. Conquerors get the rewards. Rewards will not go to the quitter. They will not go to the "I-tried-it-and-couldn't-do-it" type of people, nor to the "faith-was-just-a-phase-I-went-through" kind of people. All those people? Not conquerors.
"The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life." The book of life is the volume containing the names of all the people alive on the face of the earth. If they die outside of the Gospel, without receiving the gift of eternal life that is found in Christ - their names are blotted out of the book. They're not going to live forever...
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow . . .
One for the record books...
It’s the second biggest snow storm of all time in Philly (28.5 inches).
It’s the second major snow storm of this winter season.
It’s the second time we’ve had to shovel about 2 feet of snow.
It’s the second time we’ll be stuck indoors for 2 days straight.
I love the snow, but I SECOND the decision to end the winter weather already and bring on the springtime warmth and sunshine….one can dream, can’t they =)
PS - Oh and I forgot, there’s another major snowstorm scheduled for this Tuesday…..eek!
It’s the second biggest snow storm of all time in Philly (28.5 inches).
It’s the second major snow storm of this winter season.
It’s the second time we’ve had to shovel about 2 feet of snow.
It’s the second time we’ll be stuck indoors for 2 days straight.
I love the snow, but I SECOND the decision to end the winter weather already and bring on the springtime warmth and sunshine….one can dream, can’t they =)
PS - Oh and I forgot, there’s another major snowstorm scheduled for this Tuesday…..eek!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
“Can I ask you for some advice?”
Where do you seek wisdom from? Where do you go to get advice?
I’m thinking about this because I’m half-way thru the book of Proverbs and I’m amazed at how this book gives wisdom on basically every facet of human life…
From how to deal with finances, to courtship, to sexual ethics, to disciplining children, to how to speak, act, think, how to labor and how to love, how to choose your friends, how to obtain joy, on finding contentment….and the list goes on and on (and this is only from the first half of Proverbs.) I often make the Bible out to be such a “mystical” piece of literature, when it’s much more of a “let’s get our hands dirty with the nitty-gritty of everyday life” type of book.
Now I know that God should be the ultimate from whom we seek wisdom, but let’s face it, when something is going on in our lives it’s natural for us to seek advice from the people that surround us. A good friend once told me, be very careful who and what you listen to, especially when your heart and mind are in a vulnerable state. I don’t think I thought much of it at the time, but recently I’m seeing the validity of that statement.
As I’ve grown up, I’ve experienced the importance of surrounding myself with people that speak God’s truth. I find it very easy to be swayed and seduced by the ways of the world and I have found that in those moments when I’m not thinking clearly and looking for direction, the words and prayers of a person rooted in Christ is the ultimate blessing.
And you know who those people are and aren’t. You know who to approach to get sympathy, or who to see when you want someone to revel in your anger, or who to find when you’re looking for affirmation, but do you know who to go to when you’re really seeking the Truth?
Those are the people I want to go to and ask, “Can I ask you for some advice?”
I’m thinking about this because I’m half-way thru the book of Proverbs and I’m amazed at how this book gives wisdom on basically every facet of human life…
From how to deal with finances, to courtship, to sexual ethics, to disciplining children, to how to speak, act, think, how to labor and how to love, how to choose your friends, how to obtain joy, on finding contentment….and the list goes on and on (and this is only from the first half of Proverbs.) I often make the Bible out to be such a “mystical” piece of literature, when it’s much more of a “let’s get our hands dirty with the nitty-gritty of everyday life” type of book.
Now I know that God should be the ultimate from whom we seek wisdom, but let’s face it, when something is going on in our lives it’s natural for us to seek advice from the people that surround us. A good friend once told me, be very careful who and what you listen to, especially when your heart and mind are in a vulnerable state. I don’t think I thought much of it at the time, but recently I’m seeing the validity of that statement.
As I’ve grown up, I’ve experienced the importance of surrounding myself with people that speak God’s truth. I find it very easy to be swayed and seduced by the ways of the world and I have found that in those moments when I’m not thinking clearly and looking for direction, the words and prayers of a person rooted in Christ is the ultimate blessing.
And you know who those people are and aren’t. You know who to approach to get sympathy, or who to see when you want someone to revel in your anger, or who to find when you’re looking for affirmation, but do you know who to go to when you’re really seeking the Truth?
Those are the people I want to go to and ask, “Can I ask you for some advice?”
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Groundhog's Day
In my 4th yr rotations, the stars were aligned and I happened to be working out in the boondocks of Punxsutawney on Groundhog’s Day one year. I was kinda excited to be around Gobbler’s Knob because apparently they celebrate this "holiday" hardcore and it’s considered a BIG deal in that city.
Can I just tell you, the whole thing was a bit weird…a little freaky actually. When I had some down-time that day, I stepped out of the office to see all the hoopla. It was like a carnival atmosphere in frigid cold weather complete with ice sculptures, carnival booths, people with groundhog’s hats and big flasks of beer walkin’ around drunk and happy….all for a rodent!
I guess I can’t blame them, there’s not much else going for Punxsutawney, PA. =P
So the prediction was:
Can I just tell you, the whole thing was a bit weird…a little freaky actually. When I had some down-time that day, I stepped out of the office to see all the hoopla. It was like a carnival atmosphere in frigid cold weather complete with ice sculptures, carnival booths, people with groundhog’s hats and big flasks of beer walkin’ around drunk and happy….all for a rodent!
I guess I can’t blame them, there’s not much else going for Punxsutawney, PA. =P
So the prediction was:
Happy Groundhog's Day!
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