Dunk Tanks & Giving Thanks :)

Hi, sweet friends!

'Tis the season for gratitude and reflection, and God's grace in my life is overwhelming!

To say that it's been a tough year for our family would be a gross understatement, but the Lord has remained steadfast in each trial, sovereign in uncertainty, and great in His faithfulness.

Truly, His love never fails, and I was so excited to publicly acknowledge His mercies in my life at my baptism on 21 November.

My parents had me dedicated as an infant, and I accepted Christ as my savior when I was a little girl. But my faith really became my own in college - largely because of the fellowship, accountability, and support of the Monday Girls! Baptism by immersion was - for me - an act of obedience to Christ (Matt. 28:19-20) and a symbolic, external sign of the internal change God began in me when I first came to know Him personally.

As I stood in the (freezing!) water last weekend, I thought of our devotional times at Purdue. How grateful I am that the LORD saw fit to bring us together all those years ago...and that we're still connected thru Him today!

Thanks for your friendship and encouragement across the years and miles. Mondays - and YOU - will always have a special place in my heart :).

Love y'all,

MLH

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*PTL - we had 19 believers baptized! I'm in the middle, around 7:50...

Baptisms at Frontline Tysons - 11/21/10 from Frontline on Vimeo.

Delights & Desires

Happy Monday, girls!

My church, McLean Bible, has been praying through October, and our last devotional was on my favorite Bible verse (Psalm 37:4 - it's hanging on my wall!). I couldn't have written it better and thought I'd share it with you - hope it encourages you today!

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Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. ~ Psalm 37:4-6

Day 31: Delights and Desires

by Denny Harris, Executive Pastor of McLean Bible Church

In those fifteen words, the Psalmist has captured an essential element of prayer. The effectiveness of our prayer has far less to do with the words of our mouth than it does with the attitude and condition of our heart. At first glance, this may sound like one of those "too good to be true" offers. But it is true, not because it's about a great deal (you do this for me and I'll do this for you), but because it's about a great transformation of the heart. When we delight ourselves, first and foremost, in the Lord, when our focus is on His glory and His grace, He begins to transform the desires of our heart to mirror His own. And in that way, we experience the truth that prayer does not change things so much as it changes us at the deepest heart level.

It is a transformation that offers a rich reward. The writer is not talking about receiving normal, mundane things. Rather than our everyday needs, it's the infinitely higher level of our heart desires he has in mind -- the most precious concerns we might have.

Father, we realize that much of our prayer has to do with things that may only remotely reflect Your heart. Help us as we prepare for prayer to meditate on Your glory, Your grace and mercy. Help us to praise You not so much for what you do, but for who You are. We delight in You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Take Action: Commit to God that you will continue praying daily and ask Him to help you with that goal. He will!

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Love y'all,

MLH

P.S. Anyone else have a favorite verse? Share it with us in the comments!