100%

I was inspired tonight by my friend Kelly to blog more. She said she actually likes to read what I write! :) And I have recent confirmation from my comments section that at least 3 people read my blog.

Do you remember when you first started your blog? NO ONE else I knew had one when I started, and I would get SO excited about a new comment. After I posted a new entry, I would check back a million times a day to see if anyone read it or commented. :) Now the only thing I check is if there is poop in one of my children's diapers. : ) Ha! (Thankfully, by the way, it's just Simon & Elliot's diapers that I'm checking. Luke is now 100% free of any pull-ups at night! Yes, he'll be six this July. And if you're gasping or saying "wow" to yourself, you just wait. Maybe you'll have a "late bloomer" too. :)

But enough silly chit-chat. Since I now blog rather infrequently, I want to get right to the point. My God is REALLY good! He has been blessing me and rooting his Word deep in my over the past, oh, six months. Many lessons that I am learning I have been learning for a very long time. In other areas, I am rejoicing in new-found victory by the grace of God. One of those areas is that of personal time with God through the Bible and prayer. And, oddly enough, one of the greatest tools that has helped with this has been my iPod! Chris surprised me with an iPod Touch shortly before I had Elliot. Since then, my soul has been blessed by listening to sermons online. My two go-to sermon sources are Mars Hill and my former pastor, David Sunday. (You can listen to more recent and future sermons of his here.) I think especially during these busy years as a mom, this is one additional way, other than reading, that I can get God's Word into my heart. I am thankful for modern technology!

I could relate to you several truths that God has been using in my life to encourage, strengthen and sustain me, and I hopefully will share more of them at a later time. But for now, I'll just tell you about a favorite phrase that Chris and I have told ourselves and each other many, MANY times over the past several months. "God is 100% for me!" (From one of Pastor David's sermons.)

We are at the end of many years of graduate school for Chris. These have been lean, sometimes stressful, transitional, uncertain years. Sometimes the uncertainties and unknown future looming before us causes me to worry and be fearful. It's as if I am not sure if God will really provide for us, really has a plan for us. This is a lie of the Devil! God is not 90% for me, leaving a 10% margin of error. He is 100% for me. He is the one true God, sovereign and all-powerful. And this sovereign and all-powerful God is 100% for me. Shazzam! This really helps one sleep at night.

Recently at church, we've sung Graham Kendrick's song Knowing You. I've known this song for a while and have always really loved it. Almost every line is one that I can't sing without my eyes tightly shut and a hand in the air - or at the very least a fist clenched in agreement! (Though this can get complicated because I'm always playing the piano at church.) There is one phrase, though, that I've always found a bit annoying because it sounds so trite. A line in the chorus reads, You're my all. You're the best. The word "best" always seemed a bit off - too trite. I often replaced it with the word "rest" instead. But, recently, I have loved that phrase, because it just really is true! Jesus is THE BEST. (It's similar to how the word awesome has lost its genuine meaning because we say things like "Shamrock shakes are awesome!")

So, I'll leave the lyrics to Knowing You here for you to read and enjoy. I'm marking my favorite parts, just like your grandma or mom or that cute lady at church always underlines, double-underlines and makes all manner of markings to the message in a greeting card.

Knowing You by Graham Kendrick

All I once held dear, built my life upon All this world reveres, and wars to own All I once thought gain I have counted loss, Spent and worthless now, compared to this: Knowing you, JESUS, knowing you There is no greater thing. You're my all you're the BEST

You're my joy, my righteousness And I love you, Lord. Now my heart's desire is to know you more. To be found in you, and known as yours. To possess by faith what I could not earn, All surpassing gift of righteousness. Oh to know the power of your risen life, And to know you in your suffering. To become like you in your death my Lord, So with You to live And never die.