God's Amazing Grace

True Life has been a huge blessing and a group that has had a tremendous part of pushing me to grow spiritually. I am very thankful for them. Just recently we have started studying Galatians which is all about Grace! So I've been thinking and studying MY response to this grace. The definition of grace is "unmerited favor." When I think that I have the "unmerited favor" of GOD, that produces so much HUMILITY in me. That humility causes me to want to be a servant of the ONE who gave me favor. I thought this verse in Romans was an awesome explanatin of the LAW vs God's Grace.

Rom 5:20
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.

I love that part... But where sin abouded, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND! Thank you LORD b/c sin DOES ABOUND in my life all too often!

Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

There is a musician that I LOVE named Andrew Peterson. I bought his new album Love and Thunder quite a while ago but hadn't really 'gotten into' the music till this past week when I was listening to it. When I heard the following song, I thought, that is a great lyrical analogy of what my response to God's grace should be!

SERVE HYMN
High this mountain, broad this sea
Still, my sin ran deeper
Grave offense my soul did wreak
against creation's keeper
But see what power so fell and fair
Has stayed His holy justice
God Himself all hell did bear
How great His love for us is

So serve Him, O serve Him
He who brings the morning
O serve Him, only serve Him
He who brings the morning

Ev'ry Hour is a precious boon
Ev'ry breath is a mercy
Ev'ry glimpse of yonder moon
a balm upon this journey
How vast the heavens above this place
so small beneath His glory
Still He stooped and showed His face
And poured His mercey o'er me

Jesus, our Messiah King
For those who don't deserve Him
Conquered death all life to bring
So seek His face and serve Him

Sing, O sing
Praise His name forever

Oh, praise Him
Oh, praise Him
Praise His name forever!

Amber

Last night I got to talk to my best friend, Amber. Amber was my roommate in Tallahassee. God has blessed me so much by giving that friendship to me! She's the BEST!

Tractor Pull

Ok, I did something last night that I NEVER thought I would do. I went...... to a..... TRACTOR PULL! For those of you that are not in the south, you may not know what that is... I didn't, but, boy have I been educated (or maybe that's not the right word). I've never seen so many pickup trucks in my life. A tractor pull is an event where all these supped up tractors try to (you guessed it!) pull things. It's very loud, and you hear funny things like,

"Guys, that's more tractor than anyone would ever need!"

And,

"This is going to be a loud one. If the elastic on your underwear is old, this engine may shake 'em right off ya."

Less any of you guys think that moving to North Carolina has 'converted' me to a country gal, let me explain. It was my little brother's birthday and I met my mom, Alan, and Brandon there to celebrate. :O)

Oh, I posted my Fourth of July Pics on my Website.