Bono: Grace over Karma

Below are a few words from an interview with Bono in Christianity Today. He shares his thoughts on Grace and Karma. Grace is such a hard concept for humans to grasp because we are so "works" focused. Everything in this world has to be worked for or earned. I like the way Bono just logically talks about the topic of grace and karma.

Bono:
"You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff."

"But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there's a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let's face it, you're not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled… . It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven."

If you would like to read the whole interview just click
HERE.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:8-10

Birthday Bash!!

Well, this is my last birthday without children. It was definitely a birthday to remember. I have been on spring break this week and have enjoyed the time off with relaxing and kickin back. :) So today was no different when it came kickin back. :)


First thing in the morning when I woke up, Tim had displayed fresh tulips and a sweet card so this was the first thing I saw in the morning. What a way to start off the day! :)


After that great start, I headed out for my Starbuck's date with my sweet friend Alex. She was so thoughtful to buy me my drink. We had a great time chatting up a storm. :) (this pic was actually taken at the Dr. Pepper museum in Waco. I didn't take a pic of us at Starbucks :) )


Next my friends, Lisa and Diana, came over and we headed to Bread Winner's for lunch. We enjoyed fun conversation and yummy food.


Then we headed to West Village and enjoyed the shops and sunny weather. We spent alot of time in one store because Diana could not decide what ring to buy. When she did finally decide, it was a beauty. :)


From all the walking we did, we worked up a little appetite for some Yogurlious. If you have not been to this place, you need to check it out!! You pick from about 10 different flavors of yogurt and then you top the yogurt off with any topping you want! Toppings like, fruit, nuts, chocolate, and even cereal. What a treat!!

After we were stuffed, we headed back to my place, hung out for a little bit, and then said our goodbyes.


Tim had to work during the day so he surprised me with exciting plans for the evening. We started the evening by going to a new art gallery called Rising Gallery . They served free wine, beer, and orange juice for someone like me, preggers. ;)


Then we headed to dinner at Momo's Pasta. It was so fun!! They were so nice and hospitable. We had a fabulous time. To top our dinner off, they served us a free piece of delious cake, on the house!! They said it was for the baby. :) Then we told them it was actually my birthday today, they took the piece of cake away and brought it back with a candle in it. It was so sweet.




I had a fabulous time celebrating and I am thankful for everyone making me feel so special and remembering my b-day. It was a year I will not forget!

North Village Church

Looking around when you are at work, the grocery store, the gym, or just eating out you encounter people who are hopeless about life, searching for purpose, have questions about God, or just desire deeper relationships.

God has called believers to know God and make Him known. We are to love others as God loves us and gave His Son as a sacrifice for the salvation of mankind. We are called to make disciples and teach them how to love and obey God. (Matthew 28:19,20)
We cannot do this in our own ability, but through the holy spirit who lives in us.

Tim and I have the opportunity to be a part of what God is doing in Austin. We will be a part of a new church named North Village Church which is a church plant from Hill Country Bible Church. We are excited to move from Dallas to Austin and see God moving in the lives of people in Austin.

We don't want "church" to be a building we meet in once a week, but the body of Christ going into the community and loving others with the love Christ has given us, serving others selflessly, and sharing God's truth of our Beloved Savior.

We have been in awe of God's faithfulness so far of providing a vision for Austin, a team of believers in love with the Lord, and us seeing God pave the road for us to be in Austin. Tim is continuing to raise support and God has really encouraged us with friends who have already given and is continuing to teach us patience to rest in His promise of providing what we need.

This is an exciting, but nerve racking time of Tim graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary, me having our baby girl, and us moving to Austin all in one month. But we trust God is in control and is all-sufficient to meet our needs.

We have a Dog Fair this weekend in Austin on Sunday at Brentwood Park. Come check it out!! We are going to have a blast!

Ft. Hood Baby Shower

This past weekend, Tim and I had our first baby shower in Ft. Hood. It was a success and a blast. We enjoyed seeing friends from all seasons of life and spending time with them just catching up.

Tim and I excited about the shower and thankful for all the support and love from family and friends.



These two ladies were the hostnesses of the event. Shubhra, my older sister, is an amazing event planner. She is great at planning and making things BIG and MEMORABLE. She definitely did that. Joey, like a sister, grew up with us. She went with us on all our family trips and ordered me around like Shubhra did. When I was younger, the nickname she gave me was "Fatty" because her and another friend Robyn would joke about how skinny I was. They did an amazing job!


This is the cake my brother in-law Chad made from scratch. Talent!! It was amazing to look at and to eat. He recently picked this lobby up and has ran with it.


There was tons of food! I literally did not stop eating the whole time I was there. I am glad I have the excuse of being preggers. :)


We played games, one was wrapping toliet paper around me to see who came the closest to how big my belly is.


We received the cutest, most adorable gifts. One of our favs was this "Daddy Toolbelt". This toobelt came equiped with diapers, wipes, tongs, a face mask, goggles, butt paste, and so many more funny items. Tim was a sport and demonstrated the gift for everyone. It was so funny!



We had a fabulous time!

Flyleaf Benefit Concert tonight

Below are two flyers designed to get the word out about tonight's benefit concert to help Esther pay for cancer treatment at M.D. Anderson Hospital. Flyleaf is the headlining band.

Please continue to pray for people to come out to the concert and for donations to be made for Esther. Esther's time is short and she is need of immediate treatment. We are trusting in God's faithfulness and goodness.

Pray for people's hearts to be transformed by the gospel through this situation and tonight's concert. Thank you for your prayers and support.