Happy Reformation Day to you!

Here is A Hymn for today  from one of George Grant's blogs.

Happy Reformation Sunday!

Scotty Smith prayers

A Gospel Prayer for Reformation Sunday

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Rom. 3:21-26

Dear Lord Jesus, how could your church ever forget, lose or reject this glorious gospel? What circumstances created the necessity for Martin Luther to nail his Ninety-Five Theses to the front door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg on October 31, 1517? Why would weever choose some other way of salvation over the way of grace? Rhetorical questions indeed, for I know my own proud and foolish heart.

I know that by nature I’m allergic to grace; and by notion, I want to believe there’s something I can do to make God accept and love me. But the gospel declares me to be a whole lot worse off than I can imagine, and certainly a whole lot worse than I want to acknowledge. I wasn’t just distanced from God; I was dead in my sins and trespasses—running as fast and as far as I could from free grace. Such is the insanity of sin.

Why was there a need for the first Reformation? Because of people like me. Why will the church continue to lose and rediscover the gospel of your grace? Because of people like me.

Jesus, how I praise you for showing me the great depth of my need and the ceiling-less heights of your provision in the gospel. Earn my salvation, impress God with my works, merit heaven by my rules keeping? I could sooner sneeze an aircraft carrier into existence; click my heels and turn the moon into chocolate cheesecake; snap my fingers and watch Niagara Falls reverse directions! O the arrogance of works righteousness. O the despair of works righteousness.

You’re no mere moral model to follow; you’re my perfect righteousness to wear. You don’t give second chances to sincere people, you give new life to rebels, fools and idolaters, like me. I needed you to fulfill all the demands of the law for me; and that is what you did by your life of perfect obedience. I needed you to absorb all the judgment and wrath I deserve from God; and that is what you accomplished once-and-for-all by your death on the cross.

I needed you to begin a good work in me by your Spirit and that you will complete by your Spirit; and that is what you have signed on for by your resurrection. I need you to be my Advocate before the Father when I sin, not my cheerleader or coach when I fall; and that is who are you this very moment. I need and want you to come back and finish making all things new—in me, in your whole Bride, and in your broken cosmos; and that is precisely what you will do one Day. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Jesus, on this Reformation Sunday, I once again affirm that my hope is built on nothingless, nothing more, and nothing other than your blood and your righteousness. On you, the solid and saving Rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. Keep bringing me back to the gospel, Jesus; keep bringing me back to the gospel plus nothing for my everything. So very Amen I pray, in your most holy and gracious name.

Savannah plus Andrew and Taylor equals fun

 Here we are celebrating my half-birthday on October 7th at Outback in Savannah with Andrew and Taylor.

 On Saturday October 8th Uncle John and Aunt Elaine joined us at Andrew's for a football watching day.  Our menu for the day included these fun burgers.  I can only handle them about once a year but they sure are fun!

On Sunday we drove to Hilton Head to visit Uncle John and Aunt Elaine in the condo they have been vacationing in.

Here we are at Truffles Cafe Hilton Head.  Carl found it on tripadvisor.com.  It was really good!    

Don't judge me because of Carl's bowling shirt, I try and I try      

Here are our cute and sweet host and hostess for the week.                                

It was a wonderful vacation for me.  Carl and I drove to Savannah and then Carl went to Dallas and Jackson and then flew back.  I got to be with Andrew for two Saturdays of college football.  We even got to watch some sport shows Andrew had recorded.  I got to see their YMCA, library and go to church with them twice.  We ate out and we cooked.  Andrew and I talked about their recent trip and I worked on a scrapbook for their past vacation.  We talked about Andrew doing some guest blogging for me, (I think you all would really enjoy his humor and outlook.)  Andrew showed me that on the homepage on Goodreads on my phone, there is a scanner so I can upload bar codes of books that I want to read or have read.   I learned that Margherita Pizza is named after the first queen of Italy and it has the colors of the Italian Flag.  But most of all we laughed.  Andrew used my computer and got on my facebook account.  He rated my children for me and guess who was number one!  I returned the favor and made his facebook status so sappy that several of his friends called to ask if he was ok!!

I believe a fun time was had by all!

The Roque Crew

While I was in Savannah I finished reading The Roque Crew. It is a Redwall book.   I love the Redwall books!  They are a series of books written by Brian Jacques.  The books take place in and around the abbey at Redwall.  The stories are about good and evil and good always wins but not without great cost.  The characters are all animals- British animals, some I have never heard of.   There are 22 books in this series and there will be no more because Mr Jacques died this past February.  He wrote the first 5 books for students he encountered on his milk route.  They were blind so he provided them with fantastic descriptions.  I love these books, some more than others.  My all time favorite is the first, Redwall.  I just finished his last one, The Roque Crew.  It was outstanding but I didn't really want to finish it.  Now I have to say good bye to all the friends that I have made over the years.  I am sad that we will have no new adventures together.

Maybe I'll start at the beginning and reread some...

Willy and Michael and me!

At the beginning of the month I was singing with Willy Nelson "On the Road Again, Just can't wait to get on the road again"   Carl and I left on the 6 and started our trip to Savannah and Andrew and Taylor's.  We stayed that night in a motel and made it there on the 7th.  Carl went on a few trips while I got to stay with them.  A fun time was had by all. We headed home on the 17th with a stop in Tupelo and a visit with our friend, Chris.  We made it home on the 18th.

On the morning of the 22, after Kaitlin walked The Race For the Cure and Carl and I cheered on the participates, we, three, headed to the airport.  Our destination was Santa Fe, NM.  Carl had a meeting there and Kaitlin and I got to go with him.  We had a blast.  We got home about 8 last night.  Near the end of our trip I started singing with Michael Buble "I want to go home"

I have lots of pictures to show you and lots of things I learned to share with you but now I need to go put some clothes in the wash and unpack my suitcases (I haven't unpacked from Savannah yet-yikes!)

What are you singing today??

Take your pick

 Kaitlin and I went to Walmart a few days ago.  We both found things we liked.  As I got ready to take a few pictures to show you our finds- Kaitlin got a little carried away with showing what she likes and what she doesn't!

White chocolate candy corn m&m's- yum.  They are very rich so you can just eat a few.  Look for them.

 

Kaitlin likes these interesting things.  hhhmmm is all I can say.  You will have to ask her about them because, well, I don't plan to try them but she loves them!!!!

contentment

I was encouraged by this devotion by Elisabeth Elliot