Glorious Fall

When we first moved to Louisville, I missed home so much! I always said, "This is just not the south!" And it isn't. As I've lived here longer, though, Kentucky has grown on me. There are certain things I love about it. One of those things is the weather. Louisville has four distinct seasons. Unlike Alabama Summers, the summers here are actually bearable, and it isn't humid 80% of the year. We are experiencing our first Louisville fall, and it is gorgeous! I carry my camera everywhere, looking for photo opps of all the vibrant reds, golds, and oranges! I've posted a few pictures below. Enjoy!

We bought our first home! HA..I wish. I nanny for the family that lives here. They live a few miles out of the city, and it is gorgeous!
Another scene from the "nanny home."

They have gorgeous fields as their front yard

*The glory of God is the end of human life, as it is the end or purpose for the universe as a whole. Indeed, pride of place goes exclusively to the glory of God, not to human satisfaction, and certainly not to charting one's own course, or to human attainment. If it's not all about me, but it is all about God, then we humbly ask how we fit into his wise and glorious plan rather than refashioning God to fit better into the kind of life we might wish to design for ourselves. Humbly accepting what God has designed, and being at peace with this as good, wise, and glorious, allows us to submit to God and, at the same time, be free to be exactly what God has made us to be.*

-Bruce Ware, God's Greater Glory

I came across this quote in a book that I'm reading for class, and the Lord powerfully used it to convict my heart. I have found that if I truly examine the content of my heart, I am all too often working for my own personal fulfillment and exaltation in this life, rather than for the glory of Christ. Even in working for the Lord, it is so easy to subconciously let it become all about me. Furthermore, I am the queen of trying to chart my own course. I always have a plan, and I am so determined to carry out MY plan. Although I have heard many times that the chief end of man is to glorify God, I need daily reminders of this vital truth. The flesh is weak! I pray that the Lord would constantly remind me of how BIG He is and how small I am. I pray that He would daily teach me that if it weren't for His grace, I would not be here at all, and I would most certainly not know Him. I pray that He would enable me to crucify self and seek His will, His plan, and above all else, His glory through everything I do in my life.

Updates

The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity! If it's possible, life is just getting busier. This past friday was new student orientation at Southern Seminary. Adam and I were both in attendance since I am beginning classes this fall and Adam is an ambassador for the seminary (he was working the event). We have several friends who are also ambassadors as well friends starting classes. Thus, it was a fun day of worship and fellowship together with friends as we became "oriented" for the coming semester. I am thrilled about beginning classes, and I pray that the Lord will use this time here to better equip me for whatever ministry he has for me--be it counseling, women's ministry, just being a preacher's wife, or all of the above. We are so excited to see how and where the Lord will use us now and in the future. It is going to be a busy semester, though, and I have to admit that I am somewhat nervous about balancing school, work, and what I like to call "wifely duties" (cooking, housework, etc). Please keep us in your prayers this semester as we balance many responsibilities. Here is a brief update as to what the upcoming semester will hold for the Rice family: Adam will be taking Hebrew Syntax, Christian Preaching, and Personal Evangelism this semester. He is still working around 25 hours a week at Carmax, and we are so thankful for the Lord's provision through this job. As I mentioned, Adam is also serving as an ambassador for the seminary this year. He will spend a lot of time recruiting new students, working with admissions, and doing fundraising to help keep tuition low for students. As for my classes, I will be taking Systematic Theology 2 and Personal Evangelism. I am a nanny for 3 children every afternoon of the week, and I am still working 2 mornings a week at Ann Taylor. Whew!

In addition to attending orientation this past weekend, we also celebrated Adam's 25th birthday! Woo Hoo! He's getting old! :) Sunday night,we had a get-together with friends, complete with an Auburn birthday cake and lots of other yummy snacks. We are so blessed to already have such wonderful friends here to celebrate with. A good time was had by all. Poor Adam had to work on his actual birthday (Monday the 17th), so we ate his birthday supper (parmesan chicken--his favorite)when he arrived home around 10 pm. Growing up, my mom always cooked us a special meal on our birthdays (whatever we requested) and we got to eat our meal on the red plate. Now, the red plate is simply a red plate that says "You are Special Today." Eating off this plate is a little birthday tradition that I cherish. And guess what? Without even registering for it, Adam and I received our very own red plate as a wedding gift. So, we have continued this birthday tradition in our new little family.

A Weekend Away

This past weekend, Adam and I got to travel to Atlanta, Georgia (back to what we consider to be the "true south") for the wedding of some of our dearest friends, Marci and Justin SAKNINI. Our friendship with Justin and Marci (individually and as couple) was such a blessing to us during our years at Auburn, and we were so excited and honored to get to be a part of their big day. Everything about the wedding was beautiful and Christ-centered. We enjoyed it thoroughly. This weekend away from Lou was especially exciting because it marked the first time Adam and I had seen any of our friends from Auburn since our wedding seven months ago. Seven months is a long time, and we have missed everyone so much. It was truly wonderful to see all the people who were like family to us in Auburn. It's hard to believe how close you can get to people in just four years, but these were the people we lived with, ate with, took classes with, went to formals, socials, and events with, laughed with, and cried with. These people mean the world to us, and moving so far away from them and our true families has been the hardest thing about our first year of marriage. Needless to say, it was wonderful to spend quality time catching up with all the people that we love. Adam spent all weekend with the guys, and I spent all weekend with the girls. It felt like college again. Every season of life is precious, and we are absolutely loving this current season of life as a newlywed couple, exploring a new city, and becoming equipped for full-time ministry. However, our time as college students in Auburn, Alabama was a season that we will always treasure in our hearts and never forget. Here are a few pictures from the wedding weekend.

Their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Sanknini

Old Roomies...my Auburn family! In less than a month we will be spread all over the globe

This huge Aubie was outside the restaurant where

the rehearsal dinner was held. We were thrilled!

Alpha Gam friends at the rehearsal dinner

Practicing at the rehearsal. These are a bit out of order. :)

On our way to and from Atlanta we got to stop in Chattanooga, TN to visit Adam's sister and brother-in-law (Angela and Sean), and their three precious children (Bricen, Ana, and Ali).

When we arrived on Thursday, Sean and Angela treated us to a delicious lunch, and then we played an invigorating game of Nerf tag with Brice and Ana :). On the way home from Atlanta, we had another yummy lunch and a family game of UNO. It was so good to spend some time with our nieces and nephew. We don't get to see them often, and every time we do see them, they have grown so much. It's always a treat to be with them. Adam and I are both extremely blessed to have such precious, wonderful families who love the Lord. They always encourage us and bless our hearts. Praise the Father for giving good gifts to His children! We hope that in the future we will have many more "weekends away" that are as special as the one we just had. Here are a few more pictures.

Adam and Ali Grace

Is she not the cutest thing you have ever seen?

Mortifying Sin Before Sin Mortifies You!

In my recent days of reading about the old English Puritans, specifically one particular Puritan, Dr. John Owen. I now have a fond appreciation for the Puritans and their passion for living life in reckless abandon for Jesus Christ. The Puritans had a strong conviction of sin and they fully understood the weight of it. John Owen had a publication called The Mortification of Sin in Believers, plainly meaning to put sin to death. A book that every Christian should have in their arsenal. Unfortunately this is a subject that is avoided by most evangelical churches these days and many Christians suffer because of it. Tolerance is sweeping our churches and our households, something that which the Puritans taught very strongly against. One needs to understand the weight of his or hers own sin and the gravity of Christ bearing it to give eternal life. Furthermore the Apostle Paul posed the question, "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died in sin still live in it?" (Rom 6:1-2) If this question does not provoke conviction then you should strongly search your heart to see if Jesus Christ is really there! Furthermore, Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we could experience a regenerative heart, one that longs for holiness and is in constant pursuit of godliness. This further brings me back to the text! "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." (Rom 6: 12-14)

Have you taken the time today to thank Christ for what he did to carry the burden of sin, so that you can know what its like to live a life knowing that you are no longer bound to it? I pray that your conviction of sin would grow to the point that you are burden by it and cry out to God, because only He grants the grace which provokes sanctification in our lives! Lets pray for one another so that we can put sin to death!

Why we are going to blog?

"Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever."

- Thomas Watson

Sarah and I have surrendered our lives to working for the Kingdom of God, so our chief end is to glorify Him. We want to share what God is doing in our lives everyday with our family, friends, and anyone else interested in reading. Our prayer is that you will see Christ in and through our lives as we write. We want to discuss our ministry and, most of all, our passion for sound theology. So join us in our spiritual development as we enjoy God together!

A NEW BLOG WILL BE COMING SOON!

Probably Tonight!!!!!