The Truth about the Lordship of Christ

 

“The Truth about the Lordship of Christ,” by John MacArthur is one of three books in the Truth Series.  After reading this one, I am inspired to also read the other two, “The Truth about Grace,” and The Truth about Forgiveness.”  These books are teachings of the core aspects of the Christian faith.  Whether you are a newbie or a well-seasoned Christian, learning for the first time or just being reminded and refreshed in your convictions, “The Truth about the Lordship of Christ,” is a book that will definitely speak to your inner spirit.

John MacArthur is a skillful writer and teacher who draws you right into comparing the life you are living with what God is willing for your personal relationship with Him.  The book has only six chapters, but they are wonderful chapters full of knowledge, assurance, biblical references, encouragement to believers, and explaining the consequences to unbelievers who deny Christ.  The chapter titles are:  Lord of the Universe; Lord in Our Lives; Daily Submission; Holy Living: Confession and Restoration; and Ultimate Destination.  Mr. MacArthur delves deeply into God’s character and purpose and how it applies to our daily walk of faith – things like the sovereignty of God, that only God can declare us righteous, the importance of repentance and of receiving a renewed mind, salvation. God wants us to have a Christ-like character, to become sanctified.  John MacArthur explains, “Sanctification is the continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in believers, making us holy by conforming our character, affections, and behavior to the image of Christ.”  What a loving and merciful God we have, who wants to make each of us like His own Son!  How grateful I am for that privilege.  I absolutely loved this book and recommend it be put at the top of your book reading list.

I received this complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson Publishing through their BookSneeze program.  A positive review was not required and the opinion expressed here is my own.

Robins & Birdhouses

Hi friends!  Are you stuck inside the house this afternoon like I am.  I just couldn't brave that wind today.  Although our spring time has seen a lot of rain showers and cloudy weather, there still have been enough days of sunshine to get outside and work in my flower gardens.  There's just something special about digging in the dirt and planting flowers.  And a special treat is watching the birds and listening to their sweet music.  I have a special little corner in the garden where I can sit very quietly and watch them dance and hop around in the branches overhead and listen to them sing to each other.  And I often think of Matthew 6:26 where Jesus says, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?"  What assurance it is to know that God will provide for my every need just as He does for the sparrows.  Wow!

My card, today, is not of sparrows but of robins.  I always get so excited when I see the first robin -- and the first ladybug, too!  I'm participating in a swap where the challenge is thinking outside the box when it comes to the shape of the card.  We're to make any shape except square or rectangle.  So as I was searching the web for some ideas, I found this adorable birdhouse card on a blog called "Create! With Dee."  Dee has a great video tutorial on her blog that you can check out here: 
http://createwithdee.typepad.com/my-blog/2011/05/video-template-for-birdhouse-card-.html

So here's my take on it, and now I only have to make about (gasp) 13 more (a few extra than what the swap calls for).  This is just an adorable little card and the paper combinations are endless.

Dee doesn't give written instructions, but she does list all the supplies and tools she used.  In case you want to make one of these sweet little things, I've listed a few measurements and tips:
1.  The birdhouse is cut on the fold of a 4 1/4" x
     11" piece of CS, folded in half.
2.  For the roof, cut two 1" x 4 1/2" pieces of CS.
     Dee ran them through a crimper but I used a
     Cuttlebug EF called Distressed Stripes.
3.  Since I don't have a 1 3/8' round punch, I used a 1 1/2" round punch and it worked just fine.

Hope you give it a try!
Annie