The Manhattan Declaration

I read something today that stirred my heart. If you have not heard about it, I would like to introduce you to my new friend, the Manhattan declaration.

Why I am so taken by this document:

• It looks like Christians daring to take an uncompromising stand on Biblical truth. The Church is called to make a difference in the world, even as we are in it. I think that living in agreement with this document looks like Christ and looks like love. It is not a push-over, teddy-bear edict with no substance. This is real. It covers three central themes, the value of human life, marriage, and religious liberty.
• It is coherent. It is well-written and thorough. I applaud those who invested in the drafting of this document.
• It is unifying and not divisive. This document represents Christ-loving leaders from the evangelical, Catholic and orthodox churches cooperating to take a decidedly Biblical and Christ-reminiscent stand against the humanistic policies of the American political scene. It is a beautiful product of true Christian synergy and "inter-faith" cooperation without compromise or dilution of the vitality of Christ and his message.
• It is courageous. This document proclaims boldly, "We will render to Caesar what is Caesar's, but we will not render to Caesar what is God's." That simple, bold statement sounds through the valleys of my heart like a summons to stand firm.
• It is a commitment. If you sign this document, there is no 'unsigning' it. You are publicly committing and declaring your stance. We must pro

There is a time to walk softly and a time to ruffle feathers. My heart is encouraged to see this beautiful sign of life in the Church as she stirs herself to an uncompromising and public stand for what she believes. So many battle metaphors are rattling through my head, but this is less a revolutionary call to fight and more a call to stand unflinchingly.

Melissa and I have both signed it. I hope you take fifteen minutes to read this and ponder it in your heart. This document reminds us that we are called to live our lives for something far greater than ourselves. Link to download the full document here.

Prayer & Faith

Physician's Prayer by Nathan Greene

My husband & I (and several others who we have engaged in dialogue) have recently been discussing prayer & faith. I think especially since we are going into medical missions & therefore will continually deal with disease, we are both trying to figure out where & what faith looks like in prayer.

My thoughts about this right now are rather scattered & I would love to hear what you guys all think -

What is the role of faith in prayer? Do we pray "Lord, if it be your will, heal this person"? Or rather "Lord, let this person be healed in the name of Jesus"?

What if they are not? Lack of faith? A misunderstanding of God's will?

Please share in our conversation. We would love to hear your thoughts.

Lost & Found....

Unbelievable.

This showed up today...

Yep, my wallet.

After all of that dumpster diving & the what-not, it was found a week later at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. And they sent it UPS to my house (obviously it was in a box & not just in the mailbox).

But it was all there.

Cash.

Cards.

Receipts.

And, most importantly, my frequent drinker card for the cafe at my church....*whew* (I have to admit I was mourning that loss because I had a free drink coming to me!! O the pain, the sorrow, the grief).

I am a Cracker Barrel fan for life. And a fan of whoever found it. Whoever you are, thank you, thank you, thank you.

In other news, check out what I did:

Cut those letters out free hand & I am pretty proud of my crafty-ness.

Also, I've been doing quite a bit of road-tripping lately, chasing my love all over the country as he goes & visits potential residencies and the etc.

On the way home from one of these I snapped a few pics of the sunset. Thought I would share:

Forgive the fuzziness. We won't discuss the speed I was going, or that I was driving as I took these, or that I might have also been trying to talk on my cell phone.

I leave you with this Old Irish Blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Just a little high

Well friends...it's been a little while since I blogged. Sorry about that....it's been a rough week.

First, I threw my wallet away. Not on purpose, of course.
So, I went dumpster diving. Behind McDonalds. In a cute shirt & jeans.

But no luck...

This guy isn't me, but it could have been...what an adventure.

Then, I got a kidney stone. Third one in a year. Wowzers. Actually, "got" is the incorrect tense. I have one currently as I am writing. And I am a little high on some pretty strong pain meds, along with some anti-nausea & antibiotics.

Unless....