Psalm 63:3 Because your lovingkindness is better than life,
my lips shall praise thee. 
The flowers are beautiful right now. The weather is warm. The sun is shining. The wind wisps through the trees. Thank you Father for the world around me that you created for my enjoyment, and ultimately to bring You glory as it reflects your greatness and amazing creativity.
What hope and life because of His sacrifice!
Justin & I had such a wonderful time celebrating our Savior’s victory over sin on Sunday; it was a blessing to attend both the Good Friday and Sunday morning services at church. We sang many great hymns of the faith as we reflected on Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Later in the day, Justin also played our keyboard at home and let me pick some of my favorite Easter hymns to sing. It was a sweet time spent together.
The weather was lovely and we cherished the opportunity to enjoy the afternoon with family.
Growing up, my family always had a weekly tradition of “family night” on Friday nights. Each of us (both kids & parents) would take a turn planning what we wanted to do when our special Friday came around once every six weeks. The possibilities were endless. We would do anything from walking to a nearby ice cream shop to watching movies or playing croquet. It was definitely a highlight of my childhood, and I’m thankful that my parents made it a priority.
It’s a tradition that has now become a part of the Brown family. Justin and I have set aside Thursday nights to have family night/date night. We use the terms somewhat interchangeably. The meaning is the same. It’s a night where work, seminary, house cleaning, etc. are set aside and we cherish each moment of the evening– just the two of us.
Together we recently started reading a portion of The Diary and Journal of David Brainerd (edited by Jonathan Edwards) each week during family night. It’s so good; makes us even more excited about missions with each page we read. We were both nearly in tears last week as he recounted with such obvious earnestness his pursuit of saving faith by works. For years he made this his utmost pursuit, knowing all the while that it was hopeless. What joy to hear how Mr. Brainerd finally came to realize that salvation is a free gift and not something he could ever effect in his own life. I’m so looking forward to reading more.
Recently I’ve been feeling overwhelmed as I think about all that lies before Justin and I–with various ministry opportunities, work, long-term missions, and other day-to-day responsibilities. I become discouraged, wishing I could do more, have more time, be more prepared, and the list could go on. Often when these anxious feelings come, I resign myself to my discouraging thoughts and don’t end up finishing what I am called to do at that moment.
Something that my mom would often say when I was younger was, “do the next thing.” This was a quote she remembered and held onto from an Elizabeth Elliot book she had read. She explained that when you don’t know what to do, you just do the next thing, and trust the Lord for the rest. This wise council echoes Matthew 6:33-34.
“But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
I pray that next time these thoughts come, I will not become overwhelmed. Rather, by God’s grace, may I be faithful and obedient in that moment. Really, that’s what this life is made up of: thousands of moments. As I look ahead to a life-time of serving my Savior may I be faithful in this moment trusting Him for the many to come.
And now I shall return to what this moment holds for me as I do the next thing– cleaning the shower and making dinner :)
The other day as I was driving down a well-paved road with my windows part way down, letting the fresh post-rain air in, I was reminded of the common grace of the Lord that is seen in every area of life. From the beautiful sunrays shining through the clouds in the afternoon– to the crunchy green granny smith apple in my lunch, I’m so thankful that God in His loving mercy allows each of us to experience evidence of His grace in our lives daily. It’s amazing to me that He extends this common grace both to those who call on Him as their Lord and Savior & to those who do not.
Knowing that I deserve nothing but eternal seperation from a holy God, I rejoice not only in my salvation but in every moment of His common grace throughout my day.
