1. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Anthology – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

2. Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien

3. Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis

4. Overcoming Sin and Temptation – John Owen

5. 100 Years of Solitude – Gabriel García Márquez

6. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas

7. Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan

8. Confessions – Saint Augustine

9. Desiring God – John Piper

10. Till We Have Faces – C.S. Lewis

11. Liar’s Poker – Michael Lewis

12. New Ideas from Dead Economists – Todd Bucholtz

13. John Adams – David McCullough

14. Band of Brothers – Stephen Ambrose

15. Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger

1) Totally clean.  I’d be comfortable sitting at one of his shows with my mom, goggy (grandma), future (Lord willing!) kids, or pastor.

2) Hilarious observations of life that are often so applicable and quotable.

3) Michael Jerrell introduced me to him during undergrad at UF, so I at once associate Brian with all things Gainesville, Gator, and good

This is a clip from one of his shows talking about the Me Monster. Reminds me of myself often enough.

2)

Brent Detwiler has this list of the fruits of pride and some of them totally caught me off guard, and yet totally make sense when I examine my heart honestly.

1)Love to Reveal My Mind (Proverbs 18:2) “I like to reveal my own mind. I have an answer for practically every situation and an opinion on every subject. I feel compelled to balance everyone else out and let them know my thoughts.”

2) Don‟t Listen to Ordinary People “I have a hard time listening to ordinary people. I listen better to those I respect or people I am wanting to leave with a good impression. I don‟t honestly listen when someone else is speaking because I am usually planning what I am going to say next.”

3) Interruptive “I interrupt people regularly. I don‟t let people finish what they are saying.”

Oh pride.  What a vicious sin you are.  You and I fight daily, and, often enough, you win the small fights.  But I take heart, because Christ has already overcome my sin.  He has vanquished it and of this I am certain.

I graduate from UVA with a master’s degree in accounting in 13 short days.  This is never something I saw myself doing.  In fact, almost every current aspect of my life isn’t something I saw myself doing – finance at UF, moving away from Florida, master’s degree at all, thinking about pursuing a job in the polical realm….

While the overarching desire of my heart remains unchanged – to live a life that is pleasing to God, and brings Him glory day in and day out – the way that I see this manifesting in my life is changing – day in and day out!

There are certain blessings from the Lord that I do pray for, (and being a single young woman I’m sure you can take an educated guess at what those are)…that I pray He has in store for me.  But until then, I do not just want to sit idly by.  So I’m taking chances, taking stances, getting involved, trying to make a difference on this earth-our temporary home.

All that being said, I’m ready to be done here in Virginia.  This party atmosphere just ain’t my style…I like my bedtimes!  But it’s stretched me, and taught me, and for that, I’m grateful.

There are certain things that I think are obvious that a person’s heart is being changed by a power greater than themselves…

1.  A die hard Seminoles fan starts cheering for the Gators because they finally realize that the Gators are CLEARLY the better team and deserving of their allegiance.

2.  A vegan digs into an aged del monico steak from Bern’s, because they realize meat is a good gift from God and should be enjoyed.

3.  A pro-choicer becomes a pro-lifer because their heart is convicted over the consequences and ramifications and evilness of abortion.

4.  Someone who was born and raised in Florida and has missed it dearly for the last year has the opportunity to transfer with her job and go back to Florida.  And she says NO.

That’s right.  That last one was me.  The opportunity recently presented itself to transfer with EY to Jacksonville, Florida.  And, unless something drastically changes from tonight till tomorrow morning, I will be turning it down.

I miss Florida.  I miss Florida family, Florida friends, Florida football, Florida familiarity…(sidenote – check out THAT alliteraion!).  But I also know that God brought me to Charlotte for a reason, and I don’t think he’s done with me here yet.

I’m excited about gospel opportunities in the coming year.   I’m learning to abide in Christ alone more than ever before…even here and now in Virginia.  I love that friends struggling with things in Florida are being connected with friends in Charlotte, who have, in the power of Christ, CONQUERED AND OVERCOME those same struggles and sins.

The fact that I chose to stay in Charlotte over returning home…. this encourages me that the Holy Spirit is indeed at work in me.. changing me, shaping me, molding me more into the image of Christ.  Because I am denying my flesh, and putting on Christ, and believing that I can do more for the gospel in Charlotte than in Florida. At least for now.

So I am full of anticipation for what God is going to do in Charlotte this next year.  Because I don’t think He is keeping me there to live a safe little auditor’s life.  I am looking forward to His Spirit moving in a powerful way.

And mostly, I am humbled by the fact that the Holy Spirit of God is working in me…  in ME!

Christy sang a new hymn they had written called “Choose” and at the time, Whit LOVED this song.  I even contacted her label, but as Watermark had stopped recording, they didn’t have any resources for me to obtain the chords or lyrics or anything.

Well, Christy has released a solo CD today, and this song is on it! It’s cool that this song is now out there.  But I have some questions on it…

Let me be in love with what you love

Let me be most satisfied in you

Forsaking what this world has offered me

I choose to be in love with you

I will choose to be in love with you

In a later verse she sings

Let me know that have loved me first

and let me know the weight of my response

for you have long pursued my wandering heart

I choose to glory in your cross

If you know me at all, you know I am a Calvinist through and through, and hold to the biblical doctrines of reformed theology.  

But the more I grow and walk out my faith each day, the more I realize something.  God did choose me before the foundations of the earth, before time began.  And this choosing had nothing to do with my worth or merit, nor did it happen because God could see into the future and knew that I would choose Him.  He chose me based on nothing of myself or my decisions.  I did not choose Him, not would I ever have chosen Him had He not first chosen me.

But.  (I know.  Bare with me.) But…each day, I feel as though I do choose whether or not to pick up my cross and deny myself.  I feel like denying sin is a conscious choice I must make day in and day out.  So in that regard, I feel as though we do choose to love Him, to forsake the things of this world in light of, or because of the fact that He first chose us. 

Thoughts? Blasphemous? Do tell

“ 2 kinds of biblical. We need to know which is which when we use the word.

1. Things commanded by Scripture. (Don’t murder, Be wise, etc.)
2. Things consistent with Scripture. (Home schooling, public schooling, etc.)

Confusing these creates legalism.”

What is essential? What is the true Gospel?  At what point do we become modern day pharisees? What is worth making a mess over?  

I mean, I’m in South Carolina for the next two days, and my heart seriously skipped a beat when I saw this  

And I was minutes away from spending a couple hundred dollars on a plane ticket just to see my Florida life for a few short moments.  

And the other day, out of no where, thunder echoed through out Charlotte, and it was just a torrential afternoon down pour. But it was Florida-esque, so I loved it.  

And every time my phone rings, and I see an 813, 904, 352, or 407 area code, I do a little dance on the inside.  

So can happiness really be a grocery store? No.  But it sure represents a whole lot of goodness in my life.  

Shared with me by Mrs. Glick, by way of Amber Harrington

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to  an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I highly reccomend you going through this series with Driscoll’s church on 1 and 2 Peter.  But here’s the part that cause tears to come to my eyes during my morning commute:

In whatever trial you are, as it is grieving you, we are called to rejoice.  How? How do you do this?  Driscoll expounds upon this a great deal, but this gem uplifted my soul like nothing else.  Think about this-if you are a believer, covered by the blood of Christ, this life on earth?  That’s as bad as it’s gonna get!  This life, on earth, with all it’s trials and tribulations and hells and awfulness and tears and  tragedies and disappointments…it’s NEVER going to be any worse than this for those of us who are found in Christ Jesus. 

You think you have had a bad life?  It’s just life.  Imagine having a bad eternity.

I started thinking about this.  The bad days are the worst bad days I’ll ever had.  But that means the good days, they are no where NEAR the best days. 

Living today in light of THAT day. 

“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating – in work, in play, in love.  The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation.  To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life”

~Anne Morriss

(note that a friend first spoke of this quote on Monday.  but it was on my cup today, and it took today to take on personal meaning)