You should like Andrew Bird.

a delightful, tear inducing day

Today was a wonderful day.

I sat next to my baby brother during church.

I had the joy of seeing a dear sister be baptized.

I got to help plan a NavNite! :)

I celebrated my cousin's birthday with him.

I conversed with my dear friend about her upcoming wedding, which apparently I will be singing in!

I also got a pair of jeans for free and prayed with Alicia.

And prayed Isaiah 54:2-3 most of the day.

AND the brother seems to be taking to memorizing Bible verses with me!!!

Teach him your way, O Lord, and he will walk in Your Truth; give him an undivided heart that he may fear Your name. Hallelujah, You are so good. You are faithful! My eyes are on You.

It is good to be small

It is good to be small.

I have always loved knowing the meaning of names. I remember my parents telling me early in life that they had spelled my name with an "i" instead of a "y" because they liked the meaning better (and my mom preferred it in cursive with "Williams," too). "Alissa" is derived from Alice, which is derived from the Greek word for truth. My middle name, Ruth, means compassion, hence the url for this blog. I always liked the meaning of my name and desire to be a woman of truth and compassion. Conversely, as a kid I always thought the meaning of my dad's name was LAME-O. His name is Paul and means small. Who wants to be small? (We're not talking waist size.).

But it is good to be small.

To be small is to have an accurate understanding of who and what one is. I am so very small. Sometimes I feel it more keenly than other times. It is freeing.

I am finite, and He is not. All of the Lord's attributes are infinite and pure. He is not limited by time and space. His workings are beyond us, beyond our comprehension. In light of how small I am and how very great my God is, I am left to rest secure in the knowledge of His goodness and graciousness.

It is good to be small, because we can better see God as He is!

Good Ol' Abe

This week as I traversed across the country with a good friend, I had the pleasant surprise of getting to see Abe Lincoln's birth place in the Kentucky woods.

I really love Abe Lincoln, so much so that I would marry him. Not really, but really.

I am often struck by the simplicity of much of what Abraham Lincoln said. He was a wise man, a man who valued God's Word and who acted in light of it. He was a man worth following.

“In regards to this great Book [the Bible], I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.” -Abe Lincoln

The top of the Memorial reads:
Here
Over the log cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born
Destined to preserve the Union and to free the slave
A grateful people have dedicated this memorial
To unity and brotherhood among the States
With malice toward none and charity for all

I left misty eyed and exhorted by his example.