Where is our Hope?

Very blessed to be sitting under faithful preaching for 7+ years now.

This past Sunday, Mark ended his sermon pointing us to the hope that we Christians have because of Jesus's victory on the cross and on our behalf if we are his.  He shared Isaac Backus's 4 Observations on Suffering:

• manifold trials attend God's people in this world;
• these are sent because we have need of them -- to kill pride, to cure us of worldly-mindedness and love of the creature, to rouse us from our slough and to quicken our regard to eternal things;
• these temptations and sorrows continue but for a short season;
• in the midst of them, God gives His saints springs of great joy.

Reminded me of what we've been studying as a small group in 1 Peter ...

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith -- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire -- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."  1 Peter 1:3-8

The Best Valentine's Day Ever of 2011

What a joy to be able to share a fancy dinner with a group of amazing ladies!  (I wonder if part of this is my way of coping with the Low's absence and trying to mimic their fancy dinners.)

First thing, we need a menu...

Then, we need props...

 And most importantly...

... great company.

What's on the menu?

To start, Brushetta and Legumes de Saison (aka. salad)...

Main course: Steak de Boeuf accompagne d'Asperges (translated "beef steak accompanied with asparagus").

(First time making steak -- and trying out a reheating method that I googled -- so kind of dry, especially as I forgot to make a sauce to go with it). We'll do better next time. :)

To finish it off, Croustade aux Pommes a la Mode ("Apple Crisp Served Fashionably" -- with ice cream).

What is up with the big hearts?

My roommates recently watched Julie & Julia and have been fascinated with Julia Child ever since -- pretending we speak French around the house (well, Joyce can speak French -- the rest of us pretends).

The comedy does not end just because our guests have left -- it is not a show, we are in fact crazy :)

And here are some of the lovely ladies who share Monday evenings with me as we study God's Word together and pray for one another.  I am constantly amazed at how the Lord has knit our lives and hearts together in such a short time.  Thank you, Lord!
Love you all!

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

... especially when they are friends who have walked with you your entire Christian life.  The Lord has definitely blessed me with an amazing relationship with Claire, my dear friend, sister & confidant.  We have been there in our ups and our downs, praised the Lord for His faithfulness, prayed for one another with our hopes and used by the Lord to point and sharpen our mind and heart toward greater devotion to Christ.

Claire & I spent our last evening in DC together sharing a meal @ Lebanese Taverna where we ordered enough for 4 people and then drove around town trying to find a place for dessert and coffee that stays open after 10pm on a Tuesday night -- the only one we found after many tries was Busboys & Poets.

Until we meet again, we'll settle for virtual coffee dates :)

Pictures stolen from the Low's blog :)

Quote for Rebekah Tooley

In honor of my dear, sweet friend, Rebekah Tooley, who sought me out last night and blessed me with a date, here's a quote I came across this morning (she loves quotes).

"The evil in our desire typically does not lie in what we want, but that we want it too much." -- John Calvin

Thank you for loving me, friend.

Schweinekoteletts mit Apfeln und Zwiebeln

Aka: Sauteed Pork Chops with Onions and Apples (apparently pork is one of the more popular meat in Germany)

... served with homemade Spatzle.  Quite delightful.
Reminded me of the time I made smothered pork chops and used cider vinegar instead of apple cider :(  And my small group was so gracious to eat it.  It was only afterward when I was wondering what was wrong with the recipe that I realized it was because I can't read properly :)

Noodles on 11

Today, I tried out this new restaurant near my work, Noodles on 11.  Interestingly, it is opened by the owner of the two restaurants sandwiching this one -- HaadThai and SushiAoi.  Guess what -- you can actually get pho from this place.  I was choosing between pho, wontons with noodles, or dry noodles with soup on the side -- I went for the last one with roast pork, thinking that this way, I can probably make two meals out of it (it is expensive to be buying lunch around here -- I can eat away all my wages).  But, I ate the whole thing :)  The noodles were crunchy and the soup was not bad.  The roast pork was also ok -- though I've had tastier and the color was coming off (I wonder how they make roast pork where the coloring doesn't do that...)

Sunrise

This morning I woke up to a beautiful sunrise.

The picture from my window just doesn't do it justice.  As I was enjoying the view, I was reminded of how it used to be a norm for me to be seeing the sunrise as I head out to work or arriving at work (since I used to get to work at around 7:10am, having been out of the house since 6:15am or so).  During those five years, there has been times when I would enjoy the various shades of a beautiful sunrise and also times when I just wished I was still in bed.  And now, to think that I'm getting up at around 7am -- what a change!  Although I don't have the built-in consistency of seeing the sun rise every morning and miss various aspects of my "former life," how gracious of the Lord to give me this season where I can sleep for longer stretches of time, not having to think about work for the most part when I'm not at work, being able to take part in so many other things and not be constantly exhausted from August to June.

Mark challenged us in his sermon this past Sunday to trust in the Lord without having to know all the specifics in our lives and to trust in the Lord with our uncertainties.  I definitely have a hard time in that -- I want to know everything and I want to be the one in control.  May 2011 be a year where I learn to trust the Lord for His plans and provisions every day He gives me on this side of heaven!