Whispers of Truth

 Often we expect perfection of ourselves, and it is a heavy burden to bear. I am a sinner...saved by grace...but still living in the flesh and fighting it daily. One thing I continue to learn is that God can use my brokenness. Psalm 51 is a beautiful example of brokenness. Written after Nathan the prophet came to David and confronted him with his own sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband and his hypocrisy, it reveals why David is described as a man after God's own heart. Even though he had committed gross sins, David flings himself on the mercy of God and asks Him to be gracious to him not on his own merit, but on God's lovingkindness and compassion (v. 1). Like most of us when we sin, David's sin was "ever before" him (v. 3), but he realized that God was the one he had offended and held the right to judge him (v. 4).  He acknowledges that we are ALL born sinners (v. 5), but God desires for us to see ourselves as we are (i.e. "You desir...

As I shared in my last post, I recently had the opportunity to go with a group from my church, FBC Tallassee, on a mission trip to Ecuador. We returned a week ago today, and I have yet to post anything, which might seem rather strange for someone so excited about going. But I have to say that each time I have been on a mission trip, it takes me a while to process what I encountered. Ecuador is a beautiful country full of beautiful, generous people--many of whom are hungry for Jesus. We had the privilege to share in the market places, and I found that the thing I was most scared of doing became the thing that I enjoyed the most. God reminded me that getting out of my comfort zone is good for me. He stretched me, and I will continue to grow from the experience...for me, it was a neat experience to go where the Elliots had helped to lay a foundation so long ago among the Quichuas. The following report shares some of what we did while there if you're interested: On Saturday, Jun...