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.

Gratitude...in Everything Give Thanks

We had a pretty cool sermon at church yesterday that explained the whole, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" question. The analogy was the story of the men who built their house on sand and a rock. The story goes, the man who built his house on the sand found that when a storm hit, his house was destroyed, whereas the house built on the rock stood firm. The moral of the story is obvious that when we build our "foundation" on God (=the rock) we will not be destroyed.....But I had never thought of it in the sense that EVERY house gets hit by storms. Storms WILL come. It's inevitable--doesn't matter how good or bad you are. We live in an imperfect world that is full of grief. But, if we pay attention to where we build our life, we can avoid defeat. I'm really thankful for that, aren't you?

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with JOY, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever!" Psalm 30:11-12

Happy Monday to my Monday Girls!