The time for honoring yourself will soon be at an end

• Finally watched all of Gladiator this week (the toned-down, less graphic TV version -- yes, please).  It was EPIC.  Full of spiritual truths and parallels.  I was really surprised by how much I loved it, even the ending!  Movies like that do so much for my spirit.

• "You have a great name.  He must kill your name before he kills you." ❤
• "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."  Woo, for a tiny moment, that made me a Russell Crowe fan.
• "Whatever comes out of these gates, we've got a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand? If we stay together, we survive."
• Satan is also cruel and cowardly and uses anything he can against us, especially in areas where he knows we are weak and hurting, but God has chosen us and given us authority, and we have the power to overcome evil when we "lock our shields" of faith and use our Sword.  LOVE IT.
• I am so thankful for the grace of God.  For His mercy.
• My talk with Jeff last night made me think about what I've learned from my past, what I want for my future, and how that is changing.  Blog post coming soon.
• "I'd rather have five minutes of wonderful ...than a lifetime of nothing special!"  -Shelby, Steel Magnolias
• First tennis lesson yesterday.  I'm an awful tennis player, but it's still fun somehow. :)
• This FB status cracked me up: "Attention all Creepers, Go to the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market right now. You all are having a convention of sorts at this time." (Amanda Wille)
• I commented last week in Bible study that I view Satan as the enemy of God, and all people as people that God loves... yet David refers to people as enemies of God in the Psalms. 
• And then I found this verse: "You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? ...Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." (James 4)
• "Your loyalty is divided" - that phrase really gets me!  God so desires our entire heart, and we have to humble ourselves before Him to be called His friends.
• Another appropriate Gladiator quote (that applies to all enemies of God): "The time for honoring yourself will soon be at an end." 
• I want to be humble and pure before God, to always fight for His glory and honor and not my own.
• Okaaaay, time to get back to work!!