I am my problem...

"You are not my main problem. My parents were not my main problem. My enemies are not my main problem. I am my main problem. Not my deeds, and not my circumstances, and not the people in my life, but my nature is my deepest personal problem."

Brilliantly true. Taken from Finally Alive by J.Piper

I strongly suggest this book if there is confusion in your understanding of Salvation/New Birth in Christ Jesus.

Grapples with the heart of who we are. Sinful and fallen. The book doesn't leave you there but drives you back to the written Word, the Bible.

"I did not first have a good nature and then do bad things and get a bad nature. 'Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me' (Ps. 51:5). This is who I am. My nature is selfish and self-centered and demanding and very skilled in making you feel like the problem. And if your first response to that statement is I know people like that, you may be totally blind to the deceitfulness of your own heart. Our first response should not be finger-pointing. That's part of the problem. Our first response should be contrition."

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation- if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 1:22-2:3

Oh Heavenly Father

Psalm 30

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up

and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,

and you have healed me.

O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;

you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,

and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity,

“I shall never be moved.”By your favor, O Lord,

you made my mountain stand strong;

you hid your face;

I was dismayed.

To you, O Lord, I cry,

and to the Lord I plead for mercy:

“What profit is there in my death,

if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it tell of your faithfulness?

Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!

O Lord, be my helper!”

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

you have loosed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,

that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Praising the God of great mercy and grace ...

Lamentations 3:22 -24

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, therefore I will hope in him."

You're not alone...

One of the saddest...

A tribute to our long lost favorite...

http://brandenburgink.blogspot.com/2010/02/our-cat-grayson-2001-2010.html

May you rest in peace little one.

Thank you Toni and Ben for rescuing her from mom and dad's basement closet.

She truly went out with a dignified life.

Oh little Robin...have no fear.

Today is a day that will go down in history. Not only is there another enormous blizzard upon us, there is also a rescue mission happening as we speak. I have a dear friend named Colby Phelps who I swear loves animals more than people. This is an aspect of her character that I normally find very odd and slightly disturbing, but not today. No, today- Colby plays the hero. It all started about an hour ago when Jessica and I were returning from braving the storm.
As we reached the fourth floor of our apartment building we ran into this little guy shivering in the corner.
Tears immediately filled my eyes. I don't know why so much emotion overtook me? Especially for a little bird!? I wanted to pick it up and bring it home to our apartment. I didn't know what to do!? All of a sudden flashes of Colby flew through my brain. A quick phone call was in place and Operation Robin was in motion. The bird is now residing in Colby's apartment. She is warm, happy and so thankful to be alive. I have not stopped laughing through this entire process. I am working on uploading more photos...until then these little snippets of info keep me hoping for the best. =)

These special little nuggets of info from my special friend Colby keep coming in...

Colby Phelps to me

show details 1:32 PM (1 minute ago)

I just gave her water and a little bread.

- Show quoted text -

Colby: my mom just spent 15 mins on the phone with a rescue center

get this - they wanted us to soak puppy kibble in water, then mix it with plain yogurt, and finely chopped apples and pears

holy toledo

The joys of snow...

Epic snowstorm hits the Eastern Coast. =) So thankful to be part of this historical snowfall.
I have two sweet California girls I am sharing this once in a lifetime snowfall with.
I seem to have gained a few more wrinkles on this blemish free face of mine because I cannot stop smiling! I love people and in times like these we see the funniest sides of men and women. Praise God for orchestrating events in our lives which drive us to depend on one another and most importantly Him. Colby mentioned today the scripture verse in Isaiah One. "Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be white as snow." Looking outside and thinking of the stark contrast of scarlet from the whitest of fresh snow, there is reason enough in my soul to lift my hands in praise to our redemptive savior. Praise God for his mercies. They are new every morning! Great is thy faithfulness!

Grandpa Al and Grandma Beth

I am so thankful for my grandparents. =) What a dear couple. Faithful they are! Married for 60 years? maybe more. Thank you Lord for keeping them near and dear to your heart. Thanking God for such a rich heritage. Love you guys.

1 Peter 1:3-9

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, has 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 now 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. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Jordan & Vanesa Minnick

My sweet friend Vanesa was wed last week. Beautiful bride and groom. The day went 100% not according to plan, but what a beautiful, peaceful wedding it turned out to be. I sadly did not get any pictures of the actual wedding day, so I have added the photographers link. I am so thankful for this marriage. Vanesa and Jordan, I love you both. To God be the Glory. =)
A few professional photos


Vanesa & her father rehearsing the walk.


The hand off to the hubby


Ash made me laugh out loud with this face... "typical, this would totally happen to Vanesa..." the headlines read..."Massive snowstorm hits east coast."


Danielle and her sweet husband Jeff


My favorite, Rachel Davis and her little one Bri


Favorite Groomsman. =)


Yvonne & Vanesa (V's last female roommate.)


Bri & I.

Mans best friend, my best friend?

Oh really...

A Little Trip Down South

I think I should start each blog post I write with the same doxology.
Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.
This past week was a true blessing that came in an unexpected way.

It all started on Friday morning as I sat in Reagan National Airport waiting to board my flight to Miami.
I was pleased to be seated at my gate with time to spare. If you know me, this is not always the case.
After my last disaster flying out of Reagan you would have thought I had never been through an airport.
That is another story for another time.

Anyways as I sat reading, a gentleman across the way asked me what I was studying. He was definitely in his mid 60's and had a grin like a jolly old man. I smiled back at him with an almost bigger grin due to the fact that this is a typical encounter, men over the age of fifty, children under the age of 5 and mothers who have their hands full. Long story short, I was reading through the Proverb of the day. To my surprise this man disclosed that he was a Christian and had come to trust Christ only a few years previous. He is a lawyer, who now defends the unborn. Who would have ever thought? I was so blessed to hear his stories and gain some wisdom on how to approach sanctity of life in the status quo. What really struck me is that all his arguments, though conservative in approach, and definitely taken from a Biblical worldview were not new. It's the age old story. Nothing is new under the sun. I was so blessed to see a man quietly but boldly fighting for justice of little ones.

I arrived to La Paz, Bolivia the next morning. I was there to transport back the first little kiddo for Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project. SP has been in Bolivia for some time, but this was CHP's first trip.
Jose's Profile
Jose is posted below, a little gem. He will be having his surgery in the upcoming week. Keep him in your prayers. He is such a little stinker, full of life.
After a five hour delay and cancelled flight, a re-routing through Lima, Peru and horrible food poisoning from Lima to Miami we finally made it to the states. Once again, praise God.

During my short stay in La Paz I toured a small portion of the city, had my hair cut by Claudio Inglesia (the best male hair stylist in all of Bolivia), met an interesting man who loves the Lord from Chile, fell in love with the people, faced my deep conviction of not speaking fluent Spanish, and of course was attacked by the Saltenas. (food poisoning) =) Aye aye aye.

I had to grab a photo of this little guy as we toured the city. He was so pleased to be eating an ice cream cone without a care in the world. There is something very precious about the innocence and naivety of children.


I'll write more later- just wanted to give you a quick update about the trip. Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging words.
Words to live by, "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything." Acts 17:24-25
So thankful to serve the Sovereign God of the nations. May he find me faithful- here in DC or wherever my little body ends up in the world. To God be the Glory- living to know Him and make Him known.