the old bookshelf...

Sometimes I speak before thinking. Usually it's not a good thing. But yesterday was different.

I knew Bryan was going to be late coming home from work...so I thought I'd stop in at my favorite store in GR. Icapsa Bookstore. A used bookstore...millions and millions of book-friends...and (the best part) thrifty prices!

My excuse? Bryan needs a Greek New Testament. :P I had to wait for the computer to "think" through a search of the store so I half-jokingly asked the owner if they were hiring. Then I realized what I said.

Actually...yes. They're looking for independent book sellers to list their books online - from home. Icapsa buys crates of books from area thrift stores (World Mission, Salvation Army, etc.), sorts through them, lists them online (via people like me), then ships them all over the world.

Sound like fun? I called this morning...and got the job! Training is next week...and after that? I sell books! I can work at my own pace, do it from home, and can keep as many of the books I want for free. :)

Fun hobby + extra income = Thank you Lord!

first day of school...

How do mommy's do it? Today...a little after 8am...I sent my sweetheart off to his first day of "school" - seminary to be exact. I would have a picture up for you all, but the response to that was something close to "don't you dare". LOL But boy, are we both excited!

Yesterday was orientation for the newbies. We couldn't be more thankful/blessed/excited to be a part of such a Godly seminary!

The first thing that struck us was the huge number of international students. Bryan will be studying with folks from South Korea, Brazil, Myanmar, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Syria...and India!! Biggest surprise of the day for me was meeting one of the young men I met in India two years ago. No idea he was studying here or in the US. Talk about a small world!

We met several of the teachers and they all seem to be very humble Godly learned men with a heart to serve, not just to teach. And the bookstore...ooohhh....(shhh! students get a 50% discount. yay!)

Another neat perk was finding out that they bring in a speech teacher from Calvin College and offer free speech lessons to all their students. In the spring they also have speech sessions for whoever wants practice.

Probably the best part of the day though was meeting other like-minded young people with a heart for God and serving His people. Living as close to school as we do, it's going to be fun having people over and making friends. We're blessed to have family and friends here already; so many of the others are from other states/countries and don't have that.

Today Bryan's off to "Systematic Theology: Theology Proper" and "Greek I". See why he's excited? :-P His other two classes are taught by men from outside the US and will be week-long intensives with assignments due throughout the semester.

We have a busy - but fun - next few years ahead of us. It's not going to be easy, but we're confident this is where God wants us (for now anyways!) and He has our next steps already planned out. PTL!

A cup o'coffee...mmm....It sure doesn't seem like August today! Our thermometer reads 58 and it's raining. But no matter. This is still a day that our God has made...and I will be glad in it. :)

God gave us a surprise yesterday. Bryan was finishing up a carpet job when the wife asked him if he could use a used jacket? She handed him...a like-new beautiful leather thick coat! Exactly what he was needing - his old one was not fit to be seen. :P Her husband had bought it for work, wasn't using it, and they were going to give it to Goodwill - until she "thought" to ask Bryan. God knew. God loved. God provided.

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life...what you shall put on. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field...will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" Matthew 6

Heard a quote recently..."Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve. Mercy is God holding back what we do deserve."

So what have I been up to? (after all, that's what a "blog" is supposed to be about anyways, right? :P)

We're getting ready for fall! :) Still working on last-minute things for Primetime - the new Wed. night program for 3-6th grade Bryan and I will be leading this fall. We're going to be teaching a "Journey Through the Bible". Many of these kids don't come from Christian families so our goal is to get them familiar with God's Word and teach what th eBible is all about - Jesus Christ!

My piano teaching schedule is all made out for this year. Yay! That's always a challenge. I'll be teaching Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I don't think I've been this *not* busy in a long time. Although...I've never had a house to clean, laundry to do, and a husband to look after either. :P

I'm going to be teaching three music classes on Wed. afternoons to a homeschool group at our church in Oakfield...so I have lesson plans in the works.

Organ lessons are still going very well (have one today actually!) and I'm excited about starting piano lessons back up again with Kayleen. With all the playing I've been doing lately...I'm realizing how rusty my fingers are getting. :P

In other news...Bryan was officially accepted into Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary as of Wednesday. His classes start up September 1st!

Time for me to stop writing and get going (pretty sure my hair has dried by now...lol)

Blessings! ~ Lindsay

me? journal?! no...

New Years resolutions. Remember those? All those high and worthy aspirations so nobly sought after...for the first month. no...week...or is it days...of January. Mine this year? To marry Prince Charming, read through the entire Bible, and yes, to start a journal. #1 - check! #2...hm...I'm through Joshua...#3....I wrote exactly 1 1/2 sentences on January 2 and stopped mid-thought.

Ah...but it's still not too late. My calendar tells me it is still 2009. Who says you can't start a journal on July 20 instead of January 1?

So here I am. Thanks to Patty and Emilee, I've decided to try it. :) I have no idea how often I'll be updating, or even what I'll be updating, but be patient with me, dear reader. My dream is to "Step Heavenward". I want this blog to be a place where I can write down God's faithfulnesses. My Prince Charming Bryan and I have been married for less than four months...but God has been busy! I'll always remember the big life-steps...but remembering the little things can be just as meaningful.

So! Where do I start? Yesterday was Sunday, and a very good one at that. Here's a highlight...

Bryan taught a combined Sunday School class before church teaching out of the book "Respectable Sins". The two we discussed yesterday? Ungodliness and unthankfulness.

Ungodliness...how often do I think of my Savior throughout the day? How many times do I consult Him before saying or doing or thinking something? Is He the center of what I do or just the lining?

Unthankfulness...are my prayers praises or to-do lists for God? How often do I thank God for the things in my house, for safe travel, for my health and loved ones?

There's a story in the Bible about ten lepers healed by Jesus. Nine ran off to celebrate. Only one came back to thank Jesus. So many times I've condemed those nine lepers. How could they run away from Jesus?! Poor selfish ungrateful men! But wait...isn't God's condemnation worse than leprosy? Sin and it's consequences last much longer than a physical disease would. When is the last time I thanked Jesus forhealing...unthankful me?

Enough preaching. That's my husband's job. I have dishes in the sink, organ music to practice, phone calls to return, groceries to buy, and PRIMEtime to work on. It's a beautiful day outside...and I'm thankful for it. :)

Singing His praises,

Lindsay