Daring to be Restless

God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live , my rescuing knight … ~ Psalm 18:2, Message Perhaps it’s a sign of my simple, fairy-tale loving nature, but I have always been entranced with castles.   The spires that reach wistfully to the sky, the majesty and magic that seem to surround them, the regal beauty hidden within them, the safety and mystery they simultaneously portray to a world of curiously ordinary people, the resplendent riches and luxuries they contain … There’s something about castles that has always intrigued my heart, and therefore, when I found this verse – I fell instantly in love with it.   I love that God is depicted as the “castle in which I live,” the castle of my soul; love that He is the richness and extravagance my soul luxuriates in – no matter what the circumstances look like; that He is my dwelling place, my place of security and strength.   But it’s amazing how much more this imagery suggests to us about the heart and nature of our relation

Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study.   Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life. -           Henry L. Doherty I am eager to learn all that you want me to do; help me to understand more and more … -           Psalm 119:32, CEV Growth – all our lives are about growth.   We grow taller; we grow wiser; we grow in skill and ability; we grow older.    But how do we keep learning as we grow?   Well, like Maria von Trapp in the Sound of Music sharing her favorite things, things that help her avoid fear and sadness, I want to share with you some of my favorite resources for growing and avoiding discouragement, stagnation, and lukewarmness! :)  So, here you go! Favorite Bible Study Tools/Websites: -           E-sword - a great downloadable resource with lots of free translations of the Bible (each of which you can search for specific words/phrases, when you’re doing a word study, for example), a Stro

Heroes – we’re looking for them everywhere.  In children’s movies, the hero rides in on a white horse and battles bravely to save the Princess.  In more “realistic” movies, the hero defends the girl of his dreams from people who would belittle her existence, protects her from wounds of a far more personal nature.  Something in our hearts thrives on this kind of heroic activity, thrills to see the fearlessness, the bravery, the chivalry, the happily-ever-afters that can only come after a battle has been fought and won – and we long to be a part of the adventure, long to meet a hero ourselves, or better yet, to become the hero.  But do we really know what a hero is?  According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, a “hero” is, “a man of distinguished valor, intrepidity or enterprise in danger; a great illustrious or extraordinary person.”  Though we all, on some level, want to be a hero in our own right, how many of us are willing to face danger to prove we have what it takes?  How many of us

Happy March 1 st , everyone!   I hope the month has treated you well!   And for those of you joining us on our book challenge, I hope that you were as blessed and challenged by John Bevere’s book Bait of Satan as I was.   Oh my goodness!   I have been so stretched, had so many opportunities to become offended with people (i.e. be tested in the new knowledge I have been acquiring, some of which I handled better than others) … Oh my goodness.   My older sister wrote an excellent blog   about the book already, which I encourage you to read.   The only problem with that is: she took some of the quotes I wanted to talk about and did such a good job discussing the meaty content of the book that I’m a little at a loss what to share!   Ahahaha!   :D There was so much good information, though, so much really challenging material, that I’m more at a loss about where to start than anything.   One of the things near the beginning of the book that jumped out at me right away was what he wro