A month?

The other day my roommate said to me “You need to blog!” I thought to myself … “Yes, I do. But I just did one a week or two ago.” I stand corrected … it’s definitely been a month. Oops.

So, this is a brief note to satisfy Polly … I’m back in the blogging sphere. Actually, we just got the internet at home, so I will (hopefully) start faithfully blogging once again. I was writing something to post today, but it ended up being longer than anticipated. Therefore, I set it aside to write this brief post to make Polly happy. More to come soon … I promise.

 

Worship 1/2 CD

Check out the Worship 1/2 CD … so funny, but also so sad because it’s true!

 

Success

I just heard someone quote John MacArthur on a definition he gave once for success. Part of the definition was “making others homesick for Jesus.” I really liked that phrase!

 

How to Help People

I am reading a chapter of Ed Welch’s book Blame it on the Brain. I thought the following principles for helping people were really good (taken from pp. 152-153).

1. Understand the person and what people are saying about the behavior

2. Distinguish between spiritual and physical symptoms

3. Address the issues of the heart

4. If relevant, address the physical problems

It was just a reminder to me of one of the keys to counseling (and really just dealing with people in general) … you cannot make assumptions. It’s important to gather the data and know the facts. It’s only after this that you can begin to help someone.

 

My Next Career Move

So I think pretty much everyone knows I’m looking for a job … I think I should go for this.

 

Birthday Party, Cheap gas, and Pumpkin Pie

Just a couple things I wanted to share as I realized today that I have not been faithful to blog since moving down to SoCal …

Birthday Party

Today was such a blessing, as I got to help the Stanisci family give a birthday party for their daughter Rebecca. She had a tea party with her friends and their moms. I had a blast helping with setting things up, serving tea, prepping food, and cleaning up. This family is very dear to my heart and any time I get to spend with them is a privilege. 

A little background for those of you who don’t know … the Staniscis were very instrumental in my going to Italy. Really, God used them to continue and grow the burden in my heart for Italy. They are from Rome and have been here at the Seminary and Grace Community Church for a few years. They will be heading back to Italy this summer. Here are a couple pictures of me and their kids.

Hannah and Rebecca with the beautiful birthday cake

 

Davide and Hannah – the kids painted fans, so this is his masterpiece

Here is Mattia - the youngest. I thought it was so cute when I looked over and saw him with his handful of cookies

“Cheap” Gas

I bought gas tonight for $2.95 a gallon!! I was amazed when my total for filling up my car only came to $30.

Pumpkin Pie

I don’t know about you, but I (and several of my friends) love anything and everything pumpkin! Whether it’s pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies … we’re all over it! Well tomorrow morning, I am making my very first pumpkin pie! I’m pretty excited. I actually will not be eating it (and neither will my friends who love pumpkin). It is for the Spitale family. Monday night, this family will arrive in Los Angeles from Italy. They are moving here for him to attend seminary. The Staniscis have been busily preparing for their arrival, and we are all so excited! The Spitales do not know this, but the house the Staniscis found for them has been fully furnished and stocked with food, bathroom supplies, linens, kitchen items, etc. (and all in the last week and a half)! My contribution … helping with some last minute preparations Monday evening … and a pumpkin pie and a can of whip cream. Nothing says welcome to the U.S. in fall like pumpkin pie (hopefully it will turn out … I’ll let you know).

 

A Fight to the Death

Last week, I started reading a book by Wayne Mack and Joshua Mack entitled A Fight to the Death. It is about fighting the sin within. I’m only through the first chapter, but what I have read so far is excellent. I wanted to share a quote from the book by Charles Spurgeon that deals with man’s depravity and the seriousness of sin.

“There are some professing Christians who can speak of themselves in terms of admiration; but, from my inmost heart, I loathe such speeches more and more every day that I live. Those who talk in such a boastful fashion must be constituted very differently from me. While they are congratulating themselves, I have to lie humbly at the foot of Christ’s Cross, and marvel that I am saved at all, for I know that I am saved. I have to wonder that I do not believe Christ more, and equally wonder that I am privileged to believe in Him at all – to wonder that I do not love Him more, and equally to wonder that I am not holier, and equally to wonder that I have any desire to be holy at all considering what a polluted, debased, depraved nature I find still within my soul, notwithstanding all that divine grace has done in me. If God were ever to allow the fountains of the great deeps of depravity to break up in the best man that lives, he would make as bad a devil as the devil himself is. I care nothing for what these boasters say concerning their own perfections; I feel sure that they do not know themselves, or they could not talk as they often do. There is tinder enough in the saint who is nearest to heaven to kindle another hell if God should but permit a spark to fall upon it. In the very best of men there is an infernal and well-nigh infinite depth of depravity. Some Christians never seem to find this out. I almost wish that they might not do so, for it is a painful discovery for anyone to make; but it has the beneficial effect of making us cease from trusting in ourselves, and causing us to glory only in the Lord.”

Charles Spurgeon, “Man’s Depravity.” Quoted in A.W. Pink, “The Christian in Romans 7,” www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Miscellaneous/romans_7.htm

 

Southern CA

Last week I spent 5 days in Southern CA for my cousin’s graduation from the nursing program at Biola University. All of my dad’s family (except my parents) were able to go down, and we had a blast. My cousin, Heidi, and I got to “surf” (we didn’t actually get up. I almost got up the last time I went) at Hunnington Beach. This was so fun for me, because ever since I took a surfing lesson in Hawaii I have wanted to surf with my uncle at Hunnington Beach. He used to live down there and surf all the time … so this was really fun! And cold and salty and hard. We spent a day at Disneyland, which was just wonderful! I love that place. Here’s a couple pictures of me and my cousins. A picture is worth a thousand words, so they should give an adequate idea of our time together. And of course we attended Heidi’s nursing ceremony and graduation, which was quite exciting! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness to her! And we were so thankful for the Lord’s grace and strength for my aunt to make it down for this exciting weekend. Right before Easter she was diagnosed with cancer. We have all been praying and praying for her health and strength to make it through this week, and praise the Lord she did!

Here’s me and my darling cousin Andrew! Me, Andrew, and our Uncle Steve got to Disneyland before it opened – we basically had the park to ourselves for about an hour and a half. So great!

 Me and the cousins – our look of terror as we were facing possible death on Indiana Jones

Britt, Heid, and me before falling to our death on Tower of Terror

David, Heidi and me at her Pinning Ceremony – doesn’t she look so cute in her little nursing outfit.

 

Getting the Facts Straight

I was recently corrected (by a Swiss friend) on a statement I made in a previous post about my trip to France and Switzerland. I stated that Switzerland is a Protestant country, but apparently that is incorrect. Parts of Switzerland are Protestant and parts are Catholic. Is that right Cristina?

 

I’m Home!

Hopefully you haven’t been on the edge of your seat wondering if I ever made it home. I did, although not without some problems … more about that in another post. This is just a quick note to say hi, I’m home, hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year’s. I am once again without the internet. But I will give you an update as soon as I can. And those of you in Southern CA, I can’t wait to see you! I will be down there January 14th – 21st, Lord willing.