Top of the Charts

It's official. "In Christ Alone" is my favorite hymn. The title in and of itself is amazing, but with the addition of such rich lyrics, I feel myself choking up every time I listen to/sing this hymn. Especially when I get to the line that says "no power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck my from his hand." This song is such a clear presentation of the gospel. It over and over again challenges my faith to rest and rely "In Christ Alone". Below are the lyrics with my favorite lines highlighted. Also here is a great version of the song to listen to.

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

‘Til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

‘til He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Excited for Pesto

A couple months ago I had a post about how Eddie and I were growing some plants on our back deck. Well I am excited to say that we have some amazing plants now. Here are some pictures!

Cucumber plant...

with cucumbers growing!

                                          Tomato Plant                                               Cilantro

And I just harvested a bunch of basil!

I'm excited!

My Mother Was Right

Do you remember all those prophetic things your mother would tell you as a child? Well one of them has come true in my life.

When I was in grade school I was very active; I played multiple sports, was in the marching band, and did a variety of other activities. And my metabolism was through the roof. And my mother always told me (as I was scarfing food down) that when I turned 25 I wouldn't be able to eat whatever I wanted and not worry about my weight anymore. And I would just shrug it off and jokingly say something like, "well I guess I better eat as much as I can now before that happens".

And she was right. I'm 26 years old and over the last year I have started to notice that it's not as easy as it used to be to stay in shape. The combination of a slowing metabolism and a less active lifestyle has brought me to a point of being careful of what I eat (no more eating half a carton of Dryer's Loaded Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup ice cream without consequences). Which is not entirely a bad thing, but I would like a little more freedom in that area.

So I have decided to start running on a regular basis. But long distance running has always been difficult for me. Even in high school I was a sprinter not an endurance runner. So if I found it difficult in high school, it's been a huge struggle now. But I have been using a running plan to help build my cardio endurance level and I have really enjoyed it.

It's basically an 8 week plan to get you up to running 30 minutes without stopping. Here is the gist of it.


Week 1: Walk 6 minutes, Jog 1 minute. Repeat 3 times. Aim for 3 sessions during the week.

Week 2: Walk 5 minutes, Jog 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Aim for 3 sessions during the week.

Week 3: Walk 3 minutes, Jog 4 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Aim for 4 sessions during the week.

Week 4: Walk 2 minutes, Jog 5 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Aim for 4 sessions during the week.

Week 5: Walk 2 minutes, Jog 8 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Aim for 4 sessions during the week.

Week 6: Walk 2 minutes, Jog 9 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Aim for 4 sessions during the week.

Week 7: Walk 1 minutes, Jog 11 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Aim for 4 sessions during the week.

Week 8: Jog 30 minutes

I am happy to say that I can now successfully jog 30 minutes without stopping and I am look forward to building more endurance as I continue on from here. So if you are wanting to take better care of your body and you want to get into running, I highly recommend this plan. You should click the link above and read through more information on helpful running tips before you get started.