Complete happiness

My joy is complete. God has given abundantly more than I could ever wish for, "pressed down, shaken together and overflowing" (Luke 6:38).

On May 20, 2011 John and I became engaged.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;

and You give them to drink of the river or Your delights.

For with You is the fountain of life;

in Your light we see light. (Psalms 36:7-9)

Love bade me welcome

Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,

Guilty of dust and sin.

But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack

From my first entrance in,

Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning

If I lack'd anything

"A guest," I answer'd, "worthy to be here";

Love said, "You shall be he."

"I, the unkind, the ungrateful? ah my Dear,

I cannot look on Thee."

Love took my hand and smiling did reply,

"Who made the eyes but I?"

"Truth, Lord, but I have marr'd them; let my shame

Go where it doth deserve."

"And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"

"My Dear, then I will serve."

"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."

So I did sit and eat.

--George Herbert

Just breathe

I was standing waste deep in water, gasping for breath. I love to swim. It had been a while since I had last swum, and I wanted to go for a long distance. On the last few laps I decided to give it my all and see how fast I could swim the pool. It wasn't very fast, but it certainly winded me, and therefore I was standing in the pool, trying to recover by taking deep gulps of air. I was so thankful for lungs that could fill with the life giving oxygen.

So many times we take air for granted. Breathing comes so naturally that we don't think about it, even though we use air constantly. Certain types of air are irresistible: salty sea air, balsam scented mountain air, and snow laden, crisp winter air. We might not realize how important breathing is until we are limited in our supply. When playing long sections on my oboe, I am so thankful for the composers who leave one or two rests to recuperate my lungs.

I was reading the other day in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "pray without ceasing". It reminded me of a quote from Ellen G. White

“Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can be substituted, and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the Well-spring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health and vigor.”—Ellen G. White, Gospel Workers, pp. 254, 255

How often do we pray? Do we take long intermissions in our prayer life and end up depleted as I was after swimming? Do we breathe prayer and cleanse our spiritual lungs as often as we cleanse our physical lungs? Without respiration there is no life. Lord, remind me to breathe prayers to You throughout my whole day.

Busy

Recently my life has consisted of...

I am so thankful for...

But most importantly, I am indebted to...

Forever student

I love studying biology. Yes, I know I'm a typical biology major, but I feel that the more that I study about biology, the more I realize how little I know, and how much I want to know.

My favorite part of the week is my Vertebrate Natural History lab. Wandering outside looking in crevices for lizards, or peering into streams for fish, is so exciting. The intricacies of the animal kingdom are fascinating.

It's a good thing that I have many more years of study ahead of me, because I doubt that I will ever get my full dose of studying in. I think I will be a professional student.

That's why this morning I was so excited to read this excerpt from EGW's Prophets and Kings. She had been describing heaven in glorious detail:

"There every power will be developed, every capability increased. The grandest enterprises will be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations will be reached, the highest ambitions realized. And still there will appear new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects of study to call forth the powers of body and mind and soul." (PK 731)

Can you imagine? Having our whole, uncompromised minds that can soak up every bit of information that we acquire? The greatest thing to look forward to though, is that the Creator of all living things will be our professor.

John

Happiness is dating my best friend

Happiness is having God as the center of our relationship, for God is the center of happiness.

Maine...

...Is beautiful