Saturday, March 8, 2008

Psalm 37:4 Delight Yourself in the Lord

It is late on Saturday night, the wife has already gone to bed (tired from the hike), and I am making edits to our blog. I was looking for a good verse to post as a welcome and I came across Psalm 37:4. It really got me thinking about all of the request I have brought before the Lord in the last couple of months (some even for the last couple of years). Sometimes it feels as though He hasn't given me the desires of my heart. It is difficult to deal with the Lord giving an answer that doesn't go along with my "life plan". Luke 11:9 comes to mind where it says "and I say unto you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened". I am asking and I am knocking, but when nothing happens it is hard to understand why. So what can I do. That is where Psalm 37:4 comes in.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will tend to the desires of your heart.
-Psalm 37:4

What does it mean to delight yourself in the Lord? How can I delight myself in the Lord? I need to seek him, I need to sit at his feet and just listen. I have to get away from the business and distractions of the world, concentrate on His word and listen and let the Holy Spirit convict my heart. In order to delight in the Lord I need to do what pleases Him, I need to put Him first and have His word on my heart. Psalm 40:8 says "I delight to do your will, Oh God, and your law is within my heart."

If I delight myself in the Lord, He will help me see my true desires. When I think I know what I want in my life and I bring those desires to the Lord, He doesn't always answer, or at least He doesn't always answer the way I think He should. But if I desire the Lord first, everything else will come and He will give me the true desires of my heart in His time. The important thing for me to remember is to keep seeking the Lord, continue to knock and simply delight myself in Him. He has already blessed me with so much in my life, but I want to focus on the things that have yet to come and my current desires instead of just being joyful and content. God is good. He loves me and has always blessed me and taken care of me in the past, so I just need to be patient and delight myself in Him.

Our Hike to Horsetooth Rock

Today we went on a hike up to Horsetooth rock (just about 4 miles outside of Fort Collins) with our new friends Justin and Sara. It was a great day for a hike, in the mid 50s but a little cloudy and visibility wasn't the greatest. The views were still spectacular none the less. We went about 5 miles round trip, but our legs a burning now. Justin and I jogged for a little ways, but we couldn't handle too much. The altitude and "thin" air was killing us (they just moved from Oklahoma and are still adjusting too). Even though I have been running on a regular basis, running up hill and at a higher elevation was killer. It felt like there was somebody standing on my chest after just a couple of minutes! There are a lot of other trails in that area and we look forward to exploring more in the upcoming weeks. It is great to have good hiking areas so close.

The crew (even Hooch was able to climb up on most of the rocks, but he wasn't too interested in this photo opportunity).

Jamie, Sara, and Hooch


That's not us, but we can say it is...


Horsetooth Rock (I guess it looks like a horse's tooth, but you have to use a little imagination)



The view from the top overlooking Horsetooth Reservoir and Fort Collins



View of the base of Longs Peak (I think...)

Horsetooth Rock up close.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Winston is still up to his crazy shenanigans...

If you ever are curious as to the life of our cat, just find a bag or a box, any size, climb in and then just hang out...


Happy Birthday Wife!!

It was Jamie's 25th Birthday this past Tuesday and she was pretty bummed that she couldn't celebrate with her friends and family. So Friday night I organized a group to go out to eat at a local Mexican Restaurant. I invited some family friends that I knew growing up and also sent a general invite out to everybody from our new small group at church. I was so surprised at how many people made it. I think we had 20 people total, it was great. Even though Jamie couldn't celebrate with everyone back in Oregon, I think she had fun and was glad to see a bunch of people we just met come out and celebrate with us.



Justin and Sara, he is the new Youth Pastor at church. They moved here about a week after we did from Oklahoma City and they live right across the street from us in a different apartment complex. They are a lot of fun. And then there is Travis in the front looking a little intimidated by the size of his Margarita!

One end of the table.

Ryan and Jess

Ryan and Heather, they host and lead the small group.

Carla and Paula, Bud was home sick on the couch

Ron and Paula...I don't think Ron likes taking pictures!

The birthday girl!