Walking in Memphis

I got to experience Memphis for the first time this past weekend. Daniel Jinks and I went to his parents' house for the weekend. Although I never really got to see the city of Memphis (but rather its suburbs), I really enjoyed it.

Some things I learned from my trip:

1. Daniel Jinks' dad is very funny and also very weird
2. I really miss David Dugas (who lives in Memphis, for those who don't know)
3. Every male in Millington has a handlebar mustache and a Dodge truck
4. Andrew Thornbury has a big dog that thinks it is a little dog (You just have to experience Elliot for yourself)
5. There is no 'S' in Collierville
6. Germantown has cameras at EVERY red light
7. David Dugas' mom is super nice
8. The age of EVERY building in Millington/Munford - courtesy of Daniel Jinks: "Those buildings weren't here when I graduated, and that one was built 3 months ago, and that one was owned by a pirate with a peg-leg before it burned down and was rebuilt last October."
9. There is an Ethiopian restaurant in Collierville...How? Ethiopians don't even eat (not my joke but apparently the official joke of Collierville)

I had a lot of fun in Memphis. I would visit it again.

Yeah, well, not every post needs a title...

Eating Raisin Bran, listening to Charlie Hall - How Great Thou Art, and thinking about how Jerry Bridges in Transforming Grace talks about how God owes us nothing.

Truly, God owes me nothing. Even if I perfectly obey the law, I would only be doing my duty. I don't deserve any reward for simply doing my duty. Unworthy! I am unworthy to even simply be enjoying Raisin Bran and music.


Just thought I'd throw that up on the ol' blog as I enjoy Raisin Bran and Chris Tomlin - How Great Is Our God . (Playlist randomly played them back-to-back, I like it!)

So God, I Trust in You

Lord, all sufficient One, meet me with new grace and new mercy, today. Teach me to boast only in the cross of Jesus Christ. Help me to be as transparent as glass, hiding nothing from anyone. God, Your opinion of me is the only one that matters, and You see all, even the depths of my heart and thoughts! Christ intercedes for me! Therefore, I should not be afraid of what others think of me. I am righteous before God by faith in Christ, my Mediator and Savior! Father, I cannot be self-sufficient and do good. Any good thing I do is by Your grace and Your omnipotence. God, thank You for redeeming me by the cross. Only in Jesus' name can I pray. Amen.

What/ Who do I trust?
Myself. "I have to do ___ myself in order for it to get done correctly." I rely on my own (limited, though I think unlimited) strength and knowledge. I judge a situation based on whether I think that I can or cannot do it.

What do I think about?
My circumstances. "What do I have to do, today?" Mostly, my satisfaction is based on my circumstances. As they change, I want to be satisfied, so I spend much of my time thinking about them.

What do I talk about?
My knowledge/successes. I don't mean that I directly talk about my knowledge and successes: "Well, my IQ is ___ and I did ___." Rather, I indirectly talk about them by answering questions I don't have to answer, or I express them in a way that is arrogant. I don't express my thoughts as follows: "I think ____ but am not sure about that." I express my answers in a way that says, " I know ____ to be true and am not wrong." Also, I express things I just learned as if I knew them all of my life. Plus, if someone doesn't know something that I know, I am quick to think of them as stupid, even though I didn't know it once and that they know things I don't know.

What do I fear?
Failure, of any kind. "I don't know," is not allowed. I don't want people to view me as ignorant or as a sinner. Though, I am! I don't want anyone's view of me to be soiled by a mistake or failure. I want myself to be highly esteemed in other's eyes.

God, You should be the answer to all of these questions. That is why there is joy in grace! You generously and sovereignly provide and sustain me, even while I am sinful. Grace abounded all the more! Lord, thank You for showing me my sinful answers to these questions and helping me to be like Your Son.

If anyone reading this ever sees that God is not the answer to these questions in my life, hold me accountable to it and correct me.


God Moves

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform.
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
and rides upon the storm.
Deep in His dark and hidden mines,
with never failing skill,
He fashions all His bright designs,
and works His sovereign will.

Oh fearful saints, new courage take:
the clouds that you now dread
are big with mercy and will break
in blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
but trust Him for His grace.
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.

God's purposes will ripen fast,
unfolding every hour.
The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
and scan His work in vain.
God is His own interpreter,
and He will make it plain.

So God, we trust in You.
O God, we trust in You.
When tears are great and comforts few,
we hope in mercies ever new.
We trust in You.

Respect the Little Guy

Hummer-schmummer! Is there anything a golf cart can't handle?! Well, yes a lot in fact, but that is beside the point.

Today, I dished out a lot to my poor little golf cart at work. Let's just say that golf carts can serve as an amphibious assault vehicle. If you don't understand that, my cart rolled down a steep embankment and wound up in the creek and came to rest over rocks and water (very precarious). I bailed for safety and was left to helplessly watch it roll away. The little guy had to be pulled out by a tractor. Yet, nothing was broken and it continued to run the rest of the day. In fact, I later zigged and zagged the cart in and out of a really deep ditch along the road to the golf course. Leaning, raring back, and rocking! Words fail to describe the madness except to say that it stayed on two wheels more than on all four.

I've seen carts roll over, hit concrete posts, smash into trees, and fly into the air. Every cart at work has severe body damage, but they take every beating we dish out...and keep on a-truckin'!