Borrowed Breath

You tell me.

The Dolly Sods in West Virginia.
Amazingly beautiful.

And here’s Seneca Rocks.

It’s hard to get a perspective from this picture.
So look at the individual trees.
It’s pretty high.
Michelle and I hiked up this mountain yesterday.
We were out on top of that rock formation.
Awesome.

It was well worth the ride.
Plus we got to hang out with some amazing people.

My soul’s batteries were recharged.

We are going camping with some friends this weekend at Seneca Rocks in West Virginia. This is a much needed getaway. It’s a 5 and 1/2 hour drive down there, but from what I heard, it’s worth it. Hope to have some pictures for you next week.

Be blessed and be a blessing.

Last night, before we went to bed, we read the third chapter of Proverbs together. And a verse jumped out at me like it never has before. Maybe it was the translation that made it different. We were reading from Michelle’s NIV Study Bible. The verse is Proverbs 3.32, and it reads, “For the LORD detests a perverse man, but takes the upright into his confidence.” It was that idea of the Lord taking someone into His confidence that caught my attention.

The tried-and-true King James Version translates that line this way, “…but his secret is with the righteous.” And my favorite translation, the English Standard Version, renders it, “…but the upright are in his confidence.”

All of them carry with them this mysterious truth that the God of the universe is looking for those in whom He can confide. All of us know people that we like, even love, but we would never let them into our confidence or share a secret with them. We know that they cannot be trusted. And here, our Lord finds souls that He can trust, and He shares things with them that He does not share with others.

I want to be someone in whom the Lord confides. I want to know the secrets of His heart. I want to be in His confidence.

Of course, we must take into account the beginning of the verse which lays out those in whom the Lord does not confide. As we saw, the NIV tells us, “…the LORD detests a perverse man…” The KJV reads, “…the froward is abomination to the LORD…” And the ESV translates the first half of the verse as, “…the devious person is an abomination to the LORD…”

If I truly want to be a secret-bearer of Jehovah, I must confess and forsake my perversion and my froward and deviant behavior, and I must embrace and receive the Lord’s uprightness and righteousness. I must keep in step with His Spirit. I must seek His heart and press into His presence.

Father God, strip away in me all that is not of you, things that draw me from you, things that keep me from hearing the whispers of your heart. And take me into your confidence.

Every Thursday evening, from 7:00 to 9:30, a group of us get together for a time of worship and intercessory prayer. There is no format. We sing and pray and worship as the Spirit leads. It has been a delightfully refreshing time for my soul. Last week, a young lady named Meg was praying for our body. Several people had already prayed fervently for purity in our group. And Meg prayed something that has stuck with me since Thursday evening. She asked the Lord to reveal to us that, in our area of greatest weakness, we are more than conquerors. 

Lord, reveal to us that, in our area of greatest weakness, we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yesterday, we celebrated Michelle’s birthday by spending time with the inspector in the dirty, stinky unoccupied townhouse we’re in the process of buying, barring any unforeseen large-dollar repairs.

For the most part, the inspection went well. There are a few areas of concern that we need to clear up.

From there, we went home and showered and decontaminated.
We then went to the carpet store and looked at carpet.
And then to Lowes to look at paint colors.
Before heading into West Chester for dinner, we stopped at Raymour and Flanigans and wished.

Finally, we went to Senora’s, a little Mexican restaurant in West Chester. This is Michelle’s favorite spot to eat.
Dinner was incredible. We still have some in the fridge for this evening.

Today, we are heading out to the Reading area to a place called Heeby’s. They have surplus building supplies and kitchen cabinets at a much reduced price.

After that, we’re heading to historic Saint Peters village. Hopefully the weather breaks. Right now it’s gray and raining.

Tomorrow, we’re heading out to Gettysburg to celebrate some birthdays with Michelle’s family.

Have a great weekend.
Shalom

…you’re crazy if you thought I was going to post my wife’s age on my website.

Today is Michelle’s birthday.

Happy birthday, baby!

Here she is with our nephew Ryan a few weeks ago.
He just turned 1 this month.
He doesn’t mind if I tell you how old he is.

Love, joy, and peace,

Multiply and increase

            In me and thru me.

Passion and purity,

Sense of security,

            Setting me free.

Love, embodied perfect love,

Shed His spotless blood,

            To redeem the lost.

Love, perfect love pours down,

Soaking the thirsty ground

            At the base of the cross.

Love, joy, and peace,

Multiply and increase

            In me and thru me.

Passion and purity,

Sense of security,

            Setting me free.

We are in the process of buying a fixer-upper, unoccupied townhouse in Downingtown. We were scheduled to have the inspection last Thursday. At the last minute, we found out that they were able to turn the water on, but not the electric. So we had to cancel the inspection. The electric was scheduled to be turned on yesterday, so we set up the inspection for this morning. Last night, our realtor called to say that the electric was still not on. So we had to cancel the inspection as well as meeting with the carpet guy for estimates. This falls under the category of frustrating.

Thanks for listening to me complain.

So yesterday, all day, Michelle had vertigo. She had to hold onto me when we walked.

I started calling her Verti-Girl. I asked her what her super power was.

She replied, “I can make the world spin around.”

…was very full.

Friday evening, Michelle surprised me with a belated birthday party with Jon (my best man in our wedding) and his lovely wife Jen and beautiful daughter Gloria Wren, along with my brother Tim and his amazing wife Jen and their world’s cutest boy Ryan Jay. We had a great time of food, drink and fellowship. And Ryan Jay took his first steps!

Then Saturday morning, I helped Michelle at Tabitha’s Treasure Chest, REST Ministries’ thrift store in Coatesville. I was her “do anything” guy for the day. After that, we headed to her sister and brother-in-law’s, Beth and Jon, in Lancaster, for a birthday dinner for both of us. Michelle’s birthday is Friday. Then Beth and Jon went out and we babysat their daughter Ella. After that, we spent the night at Michelle’s mom’s house.

Sunday morning, we went to Grace Baptist Church. This is the church Michelle grew up in and the one in which we got married. They are also a supporter of Michelle and me in ministry. So we met and had lunch with their very gracious Missions Committee.

In the afternoon, we went back to Beth and Jon’s for a house dedication. I had never been to a house dedication before, and it was a real blessing to be a part of dedicating their home to the Lord. From there, we drove back to Michelle’s mom to do some laundry and to watch the Eagles beat Pittsburgh. What a game!

On the way home, we stopped at Michelle’s grandparents to visit and look at a desk they are offering us.

And then, we drove home. I am grateful for my little 1995 Nissan Sentra that gets 30+ miles to the gallon. The needle on the gas gauge barely moved this weekend.

Have a great week.
Shalom