I love a routine. Ruts don’t bother me. I’m comfortable working a schedule.
They eliminate unnecessary angst of constant deliberation over everyday decisions. They’re freeing.
But I also love breaks. Today I’m taking one. No schedules or clock-watching or schoolwork.
Deep breaths. Rest. Appreciation of His presence.
He knows when I need to break from the ordinary to indulge in the sacred.
Today I can. Today I will.
Today, again, I’m thankful.
I decided last night: I would skip my workout this morning. I would be too rushed for time before I had to be out the door.
But when I woke up early, I thought, “Oh well, I’ll do just a little.” The minimum.
Sometimes that turns into more. Sometimes it stays just a little. But a little is better than nothing. And even a little can be good.
I do the same with Bible memory work. I have a set routine and order in reviewing the older verses and learning the latest. 
But sometimes I think, “I don’t have enough time” or “I just don’t feel like it.”
So I decide to do just a little instead. The minimum.
Sometimes little grows into big. Sometimes not. But a little is still better than nothing. And even a little can be good.
The memory work might turn into simply reading the verses instead. No testing of memory at all. Or I may only review a few, to linger on only one or two, letting those soak.
That’s okay.
Just as the end goal of my physical workouts isn’t to check it off a list (it’s to be healthy), so the end goal of memory work isn’t to check it off a list either — it’s to be spiritually healthy.
Transformed.
It’s not about me perfecting the words.
It’s about the Word perfecting me.
So I keep plugging away at my memory verses and chapters, a little at a time. Progress is sometimes hard to measure, and success, even harder.
But as long as I do at least a little, it keeps the door open for God to do a lot.
My physical workout this morning ended up fine. My memory work today? I haven’t begun yet. I don’t really have time and I don’t really feel like it. But I think I’ll do at least a little . . .
* * *
For more thoughts on memorization of God’s Word, visit with the community at Holy Experience.
I’ve had a weepy week so far.
The orange trees, the cooler temps, the crunch of leaves – these are forever tied in my mind to the loss of my second child on a cold November day. So I live with a touch of melancholy at this time of year.
As I was driving alone yesterday to pick up Jenna, another wave flooded over me about Kali’s 16th birthday around the corner.
Just then, an Aaron Shust song came on the radio, To God Alone.
Can You take me by the hand?
Can You use me as I am?
Break me into who You want me to be
When the time is finally right
Will You open up my eyes and show me everything You want me to see?
This life is not my own
“This life is not my own.” I have to be reminded of that quite often. I don’t control who lives or dies, or who God brings into or out of my life.
But what I can control is this: Will I give him the glory anyway? No matter what?
To God alone be the glory
To God alone be the praise
Everything I say and do
Let it be all for You
The glory is Yours alone
Yours alone
The song was just what I needed. The right song at the right time.
It reminded me of Job’s words. May none of us ever have to endure what Job did! But may we all have his attitude in whatever trials do come our way.
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.
And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Job 1:20-22
So I join with Job, saying: “Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
And I join with Aaron, saying: “To God alone be the glory.”
I’ve never eaten off this dish, nor will I. The collectible plate, “An Angel’s Kindness,” was given to Jeff and me from my parents as a Christmas gift a couple years after our baby Kali died.
I have pictures of Kali after she was born. She had chubby cheeks and a head full of black hair. I don’t know how she would have looked as she aged, but I can imagine her in this angel painted on the plate.
It sits atop a bookcase in our living room, along with a small white Bible with Kali’s name engraved on it, and a photo of Kali with a small white Bible beside her.
Had she lived, this Friday would have been her Sweet 16th Birthday. So this plate, one in the series of Heaven’s Little Sweethearts, is definitely fitting for my corner view this week, in sweet memory of my own little sweetheart happy and safe in Heaven.
For more views around the world, visit the links at Jane’s place.
My 6¾-yr-old neighbor (she’ll remind you of the “¾” if you forget) often pops in for a visit. We had a great conversation Sunday about her future plans. She said she wants to be a vegetarian when she grows up. We were surprised.
“A vegetarian? No meat?”
No, no, no. “I mean veterinarian.” A little different. :-)
I’m thankful for her visits. But 6¾-yr-olds have lots of energy, and lots of needs, and I’m thankful that I don’t have to keep up with one full-time anymore.
I’ve fallen in love with a precious 1-yr-old at church. I love when she comes to me and lets me hold her. I remember my own single-mom 
days with a 1-yr-old at church. I was very thankful when someone offered to hold Morgan occasionally so I could listen and participate.
But with other people’s babies, as soon as they get fussy, I can hand them back to mom.
Same with the 6-month-old cutie in my extended family.
Happy? Stay with me.
Not happy? Let’s find mommy.
I have several friends who wanted to have children, but for one reason or another, have not seen that dream come true. No one else’s children can ever take the place of the ones they longed for.
But I’m thankful that everyone can at least have neighbors and church friends and cousins and co-workers who can share their children with the rest of us.
We need to love other people’s kids.
And other people’s kids need our love.
I’m thankful that’s how it goes.
Chapter 7 is one of my favorites so far.
Join Joanne’s group at The Simple Wife for discussion.
Purpose
What makes spiritual mentoring work? The mutual desire to live for God’s glory.
In the beginning, we all start out self-centered. As babies, we want our own way. But we soon discover it’s not all about me. It’s also about Mommy, Daddy, others.
But we should also discover it’s not all about others either. There’s Someone Else.
Growing from self-centered to God-centered means I stop using you to serve me, and start serving you to honor God.
When Mary was told she would have a baby, she did NOT say:
No, Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be as you say.” (Luke 1:38)
Elizabeth also submitted to the Lord’s plan, giving birth at a very old age. Both she and Mary understand their life purpose extended beyond themselves—not in honoring self, but in honoring God.
Humility
Humility is not a passive, syrupy sweetness. Humility is rugged obedience.
Neither Mary nor Elizabeth let pride rise up when it could have (after all, they were carrying the Lord’s boys!), but they both were humble to the Lord’s call. Easy? I don’t think so.
The humility they both expressed through obedience to the Lord also worked in their relationship with each other. Neither was possessive or needy or overly-attached. Their primary relationship was with God, which then opened up opportunities to enrich their relationship with each other.
Resent or Appreciate?
Susan Hunt explains a common dynamic among women’s relationships in the church.
An older woman may feel threatened by a younger woman’s energy and new ideas, and try to make herself feel better at the expense of the other, criticizing the younger woman’s choices. Or she may feel that today’s younger woman is too vain or self-centered or shallow, and take undue pride in her own spirituality and knowledge above the younger woman’s.
On the other hand, the younger woman may judge that the older woman has “retired” prematurely, and resents that she doesn’t help in ways that she would like her to. Or she feels that the older woman is so out of touch that there’s no way she could relate to the problems of today’s woman, and thus have no use for her.
The answer?
Learn to appreciate the value and meet the needs of each other. God has placed women in the church family in every stage and season of life, and they are to learn from and help each other, not resent each other. Living for God’s glory takes the emphasis off our individual agendas, and opens opportunities to serve each other instead.
Spiritual mentoring itself implies that one is farther along in development than the other. But even while the two are at different levels of growth, they are both heading the same direction.
And the goal of both is not only to live for God’s glory herself, but to help each other live for God’s glory.
Learned last week:
(Well, sort of. I didn’t do very well. So I’m working on it again this week, along with an easier one below.)
I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.
Jeremiah 32:40
I’m breaking it down like this:
God will MAKE
God will not TURN
God will PUT
so that we may not TURN
Looks like God is carrying the heavier workload.
He’s the one who cuts the covenant with us that will last forever.
He’s the one who continues to do good things for us.
He’s the one who gives us a reverence for him.
So that we won’t leave him.
Who would WANT to leave somebody with such devotion?
Um, me. You. Everybody else we know.
It’s hard to imagine why. But we get lured away by temptation all the time, to think bad thoughts, to act out improper behaviors, to love self more than loving him and others.
But thankfully, God is actively at work to prevent those things. He wants to keep us walking to him, not away from him. So he is passionately doing and pursuing.
Quite amazing, huh? I hope to remember it better this week!
* * *
Learning this week:
(Very glad to see these next verses on our list to memorize. A great complement to the above Jeremiah verse!)
For I am convinced that
neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers,
neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
Are you memorizing a verse or two this week? Then join us at Joanne’s for Memory Monday.
It’s my magic hour.
Because my current “job” requires no commute, no dressing up, no clock-punching, no baby-feeding, I’m blessed to not have to use this hour anymore to take a shower and dress up and hit the traffic, or prod kids to get up and start the routine themselves to get out the door.
It’s simply bonus time. A freebie.
I usually stay in bed and read. Plan the day. Pray. Think. Sometimes write.
If I’m too sleepy to read, I listen to John Piper or somebody equally encouraging on my mp3. Or if I think there’s a chance of it, I try to sleep. 
When 7:00 hits, my mind has to shift. To workouts and cooking breakfast and schoolwork and getting on with the day.
But until then, I enjoy the sweetness of first light with Abba Father.
It’s a gift. This time for this season. We’re each given different ones. Ones that match our needs. I know I am blessed with this one.
And I know Who to thank for it. Yahweh — He is most generous with the presents of His presence. Thank you, Lord.
I remember the in-between stage. We had left one caring church family, but hadn’t found a new one.
For awhile we wandered. We visited the churches of our parents, a sibling, the grandparents. Those were good, but they weren’t us.
And then we found Central.
We intended to visit it as one among many more, but once we got there, we never left. It felt right. The people loved the Lord. And they loved each other. Some were quirky; others were straight arrows. A beautiful mixture of rich and poor, black and white, young and old. We could blend right in.
For fifteen years now, it’s been a place of intimate friendships and spiritual growth and healing nourishment.
It’s not perfect; we can be a dysfunctional family in certain ways. But the Lord is present there. It is home.
And I am thankful.
A holy people
Ezekiel 24 is full of symbols of purification. God is clean; pure; holy.
And he wants his people to be holy, too. He’ll do whatever is necessary to get them that way, including painful things not just to them, but to him.
All parents are obliged to say at some point in their parenting careers: “This is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you.” To which all kids, in their wonderful juvenile logic, reply, “Then don’t do it!”
But the parents are wiser and know that the refining process, while painful, yields beautiful results.
So when God set out to purge the impurities from among his people, it was 
painful to everybody. But the result would be worth it. At least for the survivors and those to follow (which is . . . us!). And definitely to God.
The fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonians in this third and final siege would be a cleansing like Jerusalem had never experienced before.
Here’s the story
On January 15, 588 BC, God gave this story to Ezekiel to pass along to his fellow exiles in Babylon:
Put on the cooking pot (Jerusalem). Pour in water, and fill it with the best chunks of meat and choice bones (corrupt Jewish leaders). Pile the wood (siege) high under the pot.
And bring it to a boil.
But the filthy scum (sin) on this pot can’t be cleaned just with water. So empty the pot (death or exile of the people), piece by piece. Put the empty pot on coals so hot that it melts.
I’m cleaning this mess up.
Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 24:24).
No mourning for the dead
As Jerusalem burned, Mrs. Ezekiel died. Another symbol. A costly one.
She was the delight of Ezekiel’s eyes. Jerusalem was the delight of the people’s eyes. God’s people were the delight of His eyes.
Ezekiel was to mourn his wife in quietness, demonstrating how the exiles were to mourn the loss of Jerusalem. And as God would mourn his people in kind. Forego normal rituals. The destruction of such filthiness surpassed all traditional expressions of grief.
The purification was tough. But the alternative would have been tougher. The unholy can never make themselves holy on their own. Only God can clean the pot.
And we should be thankful that he cares enough to do it. It really is for our own good.
. . . He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant,
but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:10-11
[Jesus Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us
from all lawlessness and to purify for himself
a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Titus 2:14
* * *
NEXT: Week 10, Restoration
Ezekiel 36-37
More Ezekiel notes
Class outline
“I just wanna be with You”
What a miracle that we can be!
Don’t take it lightly.
I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
…You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:8-9,11
Come near to God and he will come near to you.
James 4:8
For more songs, join Amy for Then Sings My Soul Saturdays.
Take Me as I Am
LYRICS
This time I finally see the reason why
I can't do this alone
It took some time and concentration
To believe it, this I know
I need to build my faith sometimes
But I am so comfortable in line
I'm up, there's no more time,
To try to mess with this design
Tonight’s complete,
Everyone's asleep
And I wanna say these words to You
I'll be Your hands,
Take me as I am
I just wanna be with You
CHORUS
Take me as I am
‘Cause I'm going
I was too scared to start
Now I'm too scared to let go
Take me as I am,
‘Cause I'm growing
But it’s so hard to tell
When I'm not used to this so
REPEAT
I lift my voice to sing now
Let the sound of my heart ring out
These hands aren't holding me down
Never again will I be without
I need to build my faith sometimes
But I am so comfortable in line
I'm up, there's no more time
To try to mess with this design
Tonight’s complete,
Everyone's asleep
And I wanna say these words to You
I'll be Your hands,
Take me as I am
I just wanna be with You
CHORUS
When my daughters were small, we read many books together. Dr. Seuss, A. A. Milne, Beatrix Potter.
As they aged, we moved up to The Secret Garden, Jane Eyre, The Watsons Go to Birmingham.
But now we’ve entered a new phase. We don’t read together as much, but we still read some of the same books.
And it’s no longer just me reading their books, but they now want to read some of my books. The lines have blurred.
It’s a neat place to be in.
I’m currently reading Just Do Something. I think Morgan will love it so I’ll pass it along to her when I’m finished. Jenna is reading Sacred Pathways and I claim it next.
When Morgan left for college, I bought two copies of John Maxwell’s 25 Ways to Win with People. We kept one copy here for us to read, and sent one copy to Auburn for Morgan to read, including our weekly reading schedule so we’d all stay on the same page.
Another sign of growing up—this book swapping. It’s good for them. It’s good for me. I am thankful.
The car wreck that could have killed, but instead just left a bruise.
The lump that could have been cancer, but turned out benign.
The job cuts that reached the next cubicle, but stopped at your desk.
Things that are bad. But could have been worse.
Last Saturday, we watched on TV as Auburn’s Zac Etheridge took a hit during the football game. He collapsed on the ground. He tried to move, but coul
dn’t.
Players took a knee in prayer. Rodney Scott, an Ole Miss player trapped underneath Zac, didn’t even move, but lay perfectly still, for fear of what else might happen if he shifted position and jostled Zac’s body.
Zac couldn’t get up. “I was in shock just not being able to move,” he said. “The only thing I could say was, ‘Jesus, Jesus’ . . . just calling out his name.”
They moved Zac to a stretcher. And when he gave a little thumbs-up, the crowd roared.
What could have happened, didn’t.
He “only” has a cracked fifth vertebrae and torn ligaments. He may or may not play football ever again. But he says he’s blessed that he’s able to walk, and he expects a full recovery. [Read Zac’s story or watch it.]
Zac and his family praise God for that. Me, too.
But rewind. If Zac had immediately popped up after the hit, like he usually did, would we have praised God? Maybe at the end of the game we would have said, “Thanks for no injuries.” But not like we’re praising him now.
When things are going great, we can easily forget God.
And when things are going horribly, we can easily resent God.
But when there’s a little trouble that could get worse, but doesn’t, we’re grateful and give him honor. I can’t explain it, but I observe it and often live it. For example, . . .
1. Rest
I’m a horrible sleeper and had some very restless nights this week . . .
. . . but at least I slept a full seven hours straight last night! Thank you, God, for sweet rest.
2. Working in town
Jeff worked a lot of overtime this week and we didn’t see each other as much as we like to . . .
. . . but at least he has a job and gets to come home to us at the end of the day instead of sleeping in a hotel room in Denver. Thank you, God, for providing for us.
3. Healing
My sweet 15-yr-old neighbor was hospitalized this week for respiratory distress and they still have no diagnosis . . .
. . . but at least the doctors could give her breathing treatments, oxygen, and steroids, and she is greatly improved and back at home. Thank you, God, for hospitals and medicines and wonderful neighbors.
4. Visits
My college daughter may miss every Thanksgiving meal we have this year . . .
. . . but at least we’ll get to see her before and after, and she’ll be loved wherever she is. Thank you, God, for time spent together.
5. Glasses
I think my vision has taken another small detour in the wrong direction lately . . .
. . . but at least I have reading glasses when I need them, and an eye doctor available when I choose to go. Thank you, God, for the ability to see.
* * *
Yes, things could be worse. MUCH worse . . .
. . . but instead, they’re good. VERY good! Thank you, God.
Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
(Join Susanne and the gang
for more Friday’s Fave Five.)
I heard the phone ring this morning. Caller-ID said it was Mama Jo. So Jenna answered it to have an early-morning giggle with her grandmother.
Jenna is the baby on both sides of the family, and receives all the privileges that come with the title—one of which is having a special bond with the grandmothers. She really loves them; they really love her.
On the phone with Mama Jo, she swapped stories and plans and laughs. A teen girl and a older woman. They couldn’t have more fun together.
I am thankful for that.
* * *
What are you thankful for this month? Share one thing each day of November by leaving a comment on Rebecca’s blog, or e-mailing her, or writing your own post. She then compiles and shares them daily. Count your blessings!
This story captured my heart.
KABUL24, by Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson, tells the factual story of eight Western aid workers in Afghanistan in 2001. And of their harrowing arrest and subsequent captivity as hostages in a country about to enter war with their own.
For 108 days, these eight Christians, along with 16 native Afghans also working for Shelter Now International, were imprisoned against their will by the Taliban, on trumped-up charges of attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity.
Their story is one of faith and determination and the desire for release with no bloodshed of their own or of their captors.
Their story also includes their daily rituals, when possible, that kept them encouraged; what motivated them to maintain positive attitudes; and of the goodness that they saw among others who helped them in big and small ways.
The facts and emotions of their trauma have been encapsulated both in book form and now in film. The DVD is presently only available through the web, but should be released this month in retail stores and shown in churches.
Read the book. Watch the movie. You’ll be inspired too.
We probably have more than our fair share of these types in my church—teachers full of knowledge, full of integrity, full of Christ.
I’m thankful for all of those qualities (especially “full of Christ”!).
But there’s another ingredient in the mix that I’m also thankful for: full of passion.
When I sit under a teacher, I not only want to learn their information; I want to catch their fire. I want it to matter. Because it’s exciting to them, it becomes exciting to me.
I’m in class at church on the book of Ezekiel. I wasn’t sure what to expect about the subject matter. But I knew the teacher. I knew he would teach not only with truth, but also with intensity and curiosity and heart. So I signed up.
And I was right. He, along with his two helpers, have a burning desire in their hearts (Jeremiah 20:9) to share what they’ve learned with enthusiasm and joy because God is so amazing to them.
That’s the kind of teacher I want. That’s the kind of teacher I want to be.
Not just knowledgeable. Knowledge by itself leads to arrogance (1 Corinthians 8:1). But knowledge with love. Knowledge with purpose. And with a craving to share it because it is important and God-glorifying.
God’s message is a passionate one.
May his teachers bring it on that way!
Yesterday when my neighbor was in the hospital, I sent a tweet asking for prayers for her recovery.
Not only did people I know pray, but people I didn’t know also prayed. My tweet was retweeted to someone else, who retweeted it to someone else, etc. It’s a wonderful use of technology.
Writing my thoughts in 140 characters or less for Twitter is sometimes easy, sometimes hard.
The same with praying. Sometimes it takes lots of words to spit out all I want to say to the Lord.
But other times, it takes very few words to send him my message.
Some of my favorite “twitter prayers” to God:
Short, easy prayers, but God still lets me go over the limit of characters anytime I need to.
His service is never down. His connection is full bars. His updates are always relevant. He retweets my requests to the right people. He lets just anybody be his follower, and he always follows you back. He never spams and needs no blocking.
He reads and answers every single tweet he receives. Every single one.
The perfect Twitter Friend. He’s the King of social networking…and mental transformation…and lifestyle modification…and replacing bad hearts with pure ones.
He does it all. I am thankful.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
John 1:1
Ann asks this week, “What one spiritual practice has most deeply affected your relationship with Jesus?”
One? That’s hard to answer.
I’ll say:
Worship. Or, maybe meditation. Or journaling? No, study. Definitely study. But what about fellowship? Ooh, don’t forget memorization. Or should it be prayer? Yes, prayer.
Or, maybe I just don’t know.
But I see a common thread running through all those ways of connecting with Jesus. It’s the Word. 
The Word is the foundation for song lyrics and purposed thoughts and focused studies and interactions with believers and memorizing truths and conversations with God.
Yes, the Word is my answer.
The Bible is home base. It grounds me. It's a sure spot to see Him, to learn about Him, to believe in Him, to worship Him. To know Him.
I am ushered into His presence through the knowledge of His truths (John 8:31-32).
There I uncover His grace. His holiness. His glory. His love.
I come to the Word to be changed by it. To be changed by Him. Yes, He is my answer.
* * *
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
The Word Is Alive
LYRICS
Looking out from His throne, the Father of light and of men
Chose to make Himself known and show us the way back to Him
Speaking wisdom and truth into the hearts of peasants and kings
He began to unveil the Word that would change the course of all things
With eyes wide open, all would see
CHORUS
The Word is alive
And it cuts like a sword through the darkness
With a message of life to the hopeless and afraid
Breathing life into all who believe
The Word is alive
And the world and its glories will fade
But His truth, it will not pass away
It remains yesterday and forever the same
The Word is alive
Simple strokes on a page
Eternity's secrets revealed, carried on from age to age
It speaks Truth to us even still
And as the rain falls from Heaven, feeds the earth before it returns
Let Your Word fall on us and bring forth the fruit You deserve
With eyes wide open, let us see
CHORUS
* * *
How would you answer? What spiritual practice has most deeply affected your relationship with Jesus? Share with others at Walk with Him Wednesday.
What new words have you learned this week? Join Kathy at Bermuda Onion to discover more.
1. numinous
(adj) [NOO-muh-nuhs]
Definition—surpassing comprehension or understanding; arousing spiritual or religious emotions; mysterious or awe-inspiring
Use—“Does it [Christian public worship] offer what people are seeking—the element of mystery, the sense of the numinous, in biblical language the “fear of God,” in modern language “transcendence,” so that we “bow down before the Infinitely Great” in the mixture of awe, wonder, and joy called worship?”
~ Recalling the Hope of Glory
2. trisagion
(n)
Definition—(Eccl.) An ancient anthem, usually known by its Latin name tersanctus
Use—“In the church this is often called the trisagion, “thrice holy” (hagios in Greek is “holy”).
~ Recalling the Hope of Glory
Today’s Corner View is contrasts.
Lone bloom
Yesterday I was throwing away dead limbs and stems, when I noticed this lone bloom, faithfully holding on to its bright spot of color amidst the browns and grays surrounding it.
Trash or treasure?
My husband collects and trades old Cushman scooters. His most recent purchase stayed outside a few days. One afternoon our doorbell rang. An older gentleman had noticed the “stuff” and wondered if we had any scrap metal he could haul away. Um, no thank you. One wife’s trash is her sweet husband’s treasure. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
* * *
I don’t always understand how these work, but I love the contrasts that Jesus teaches us.
To die to self now is to live forever in perfection.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25
The first will be last, and the last will be first.
But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Mark 10:31
Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:12
What man means for evil, God can turn into good.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…
Genesis 50:20
When I am weak, then I am strong.
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:10
* * *
To view some beautiful contrasts around the world, visit the links at Jane’s place.
