Lady A

A couple of friends & I went to see Lady Antebellum recently. It was, seriously, an amazing concert. For me, it ranked right up there with the two Tim & Faith concerts I've been to, and anyone that knows me will know how much that's saying! I have a new camera, and (of course) I haven't taken the time to read the manual to learn what the best settings are for taking pictures at a concert, so the ones I did take turned out, well, badly. But I'm attaching them anyway. ;)
David Nail opened for Lady A. He has an incredible voice. I had actually seen him just a few months ago, and this second performance was even better than the first. Lady A, however, was downright phenomenal. Really. Hillary's voice blows me away, and Charles...well, I could listen to Charles sing absolutely ANYthing. And, Dave is pretty great, too. I'd never heard him sing a solo before, but he sat at the piano & played & sang "Do I", which was recorded by Luke Bryan, but written by the members of Lady A along with Luke.
The best songs of the evening, though, were "Need You Now" (which is no surprise, I'm sure, since it has stayed at the top of the charts for AGES) and the encore, "Hello World". Both songs give me chills just hearing them on the radio/cd, but in person...wow. Tears! It was a wonderful 2 hours & I did NOT want it to end! I can't wait until their next tour!

Me, Michelle and Dara

David Nail

Lady Antebellum

Peace

"God has appointed this whole life to be all as a race or a battle; the state of rest, wherein we shall be so out of danger as to have no need of watching and fighting, is for another world."

--Jonathan Edwards

It's almost discouraging to think of my entire life as a race or battle, but the second part reminds me it's all worth it.

One day...one day, there will be no more watching or fighting. No more battles against the flesh.

One day there will be true...

Peace.

He Cares.

I don't know why I'm always amazed at God's timing, but I literally sat in amazement for a few minutes this morning when I saw today's daily reading. What an awesome reminder that He knows not only that I am anxious today, but He knows what I'm anxious about and He's reminding me that He's got it covered. No matter what the outcome is, He is in control.

I can't change it, but He can handle it. He cares.

I PETER 5:7

Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

You know what? God personally cares about the things that worry us. He cares more about them than we care about them: those things that hang in our minds as nagging, aching, worrisome thoughts. First Peter 5:7 invites you to cast "all your anxiety on Him, because He has a care for you." He cares. You are His personal concern. He cares about those aching thoughts that are like heavy anchors dragging you down.

--Charles Swindoll

Bedside Blessings

An Open Door

Now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away from God are brought near.

Ephesians 2:13

Nothing remains between you and God but an open door.

Something happened in the death of Christ that opened the door for you and me. And that something is described by the writer of Hebrews.

"So, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place without fear because of the blood of Jesus' death. We can enter through a new and living way that Jesus opened for us. It leads through the curtain—Christ's body" (Heb. 10:19-20).

To the original readers, those last four words were explosive: "the curtain—Christ's body."

According to the writer, the curtain equals Jesus. Hence, whatever happened to the flesh of Jesus happened to the curtain. What happened to his flesh? It was torn. Torn by the whips, torn by the thorns. Torn by the weight of the cross and the point of the nails. But in the horror of his torn flesh, we find the splendor of the open door.

He Chose the Nails

Max Lucado

Grace for the Moment, Volume II

This isn't 'Separate but Equal.' They're One.

I read this today and found it to be thought-provoking.

This Isn’t ‘Separate but Equal.’ They’re One.
by Pastor Mark Driscoll on Friday, August 27th, 2010 12:40 pm

There is one God and that this God exists as three persons – Father, Son, and Spirit – that are absolutely equal in every way, sharing all attributes and qualities. Scripture is clear here. And yet there is a difference of role and function between them: We see this in Genesis where God, the Father, speaks. Jesus Christ is the Word of God, the agent of creation. And the Holy Spirit hovers above the water, bringing order out of chaos, but the Holy Spirit is not birthed out of the womb of Mary. There is a difference between the Father, Son, and Spirit. And they have particular functions that they accomplish, but they are, in a very real sense, in every real sense, one. There is one God.

The Equality of Echad

And so, it is possible for there to be difference, yet equality and oneness, even though there are more than one persons. What is true – and God’s image is true in the image of the man and the woman – that as God is one, the man and the woman in marriage are supposed to echad, one, Genesis says. They are to be one as God is one.

Continue reading here.