Long Time Comin'

I wish I had some great excuse as to why I am so bad at this blog thing. I guess life just takes over, and I am more worried about getting communication right with those I interface with daily, and have little energy left over to blog. But, this one post every six months thing is working quite nicely for me, so why change now!?

The latest and greatest on this end, for those who don't know, is that we are pregnant! Baby JK (who is a boy) will be making his entrance at the beginning of June. We are ready for his arrival, trying to get everything in order before that day as well as juggle busy schedules. And yet, despite how hectic things seem now, I know we haven't seen nothing yet! So, enjoying every chance I can get to nap, sit in the quiet and stare at the wall, or run out of the house at a whim to get something...you know, all the things that won't be so easy the next 18 years or so. This is going to be good!

Rather than bore you with all the other things that we have going on, I will summarize with a simple, we are doing good! Busy but good, and very thankful for the ways that the Lord continues to grow us. Looking forward to this next chapter in our lives, and ready for warm weather :) We trust this finds each of you doing well, and we are continually grateful for our dear friends. Until next time, we pray you will seek Him continually. Blessings!

Grace Unmeasured

The title of this post comes from a Bob Kauflin song which is titled "Grace Unmeasured." It can be found from Sovereign Grace Music on the album Worship God Live, and I highly recommend that you check it out. The reason I have titled this post by that song rather than "Pell update #...", has a lot to do with the Lord's work in our lives over these past months. In many ways, it seems that we were being taught the truth of these words, and brought to a deeper understanding of just how great God's grace is. Here is a taste:

(Verse 2)
Grace abounding, strong and true
That makes me long to be like You
That turns me from my selfish pride
To love the cross on which you died
Grace unending, all my days
You'll give me strength to run this race
And when my years on earth are through
The praise will all belong to You

(Chorus)
Grace (grace, grace)
Paid for my sins and brought me to life
Grace (grace, grace)
Clothes me with power to do what is right
Grace (grace, grace)
Will lead me to heav'n where I'll see Your face
And never cease to thank You for Your grace



These past months have been a time in our lives where it was very tempting to be overwhelmed by our circumstances. Personally, my trust in the Lord and His perfect plan was shaken and challenged daily with pressing medical issues, daily responsibilites, and the weight of the final semester of grad school. Being overwhelmed by what was occuring, the temptation to isolate myself and withdraw from God was intense. It amazes me that in the times that we so desperately need to cling to Christ, draw near to God, and rest in Him, that we are most tempted to run the other way. And some of us do, embarking on the long downward spiral toward despair. However, we must fight the thoughts of "why are You doing this to me God?" and "I deserve better" and remember God's unmeasured grace. Remembering the truth of the Gospel is a great way to put things into perspective, as we reflect upon the fact that we are all sinners who are saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. When dwelling upon God's great grace in our lives, the temptation to despair is replaced by an overwhelming gratitude over what He has done. So while circumstances may be difficult, overwhelming, and pressing, we can learn to trust Him more by remembering His unmeasured grace in our lives. Have you stopped and looked at His grace in your life? It truly is unmeasured and undeserved.

Pell Update...Finally!

I think the other day was one of the first times in a while that I remembered we have a blog! Yes, that is sad, but it accurately reflects how crazy life has been since we last wrote. Since the last post we...

Ran a Marathon! Wow, that seems like forever ago now, thankfully!! We did it, and now can check that box, moving forward to bigger and better things, like water aerobics.

Finished and started another semester. We continue to be thankful for the wonderful education we have received at SBTS, and have grown immensely during our time here. By God's grace I will graduate this May, and husband will continue his program by taking two night classes and continuing to work full time.

Shot three deer!! This of course may not be as exciting to y'all, but for us it was a pretty good season. For a while I thought I might get skunked as husband shot two bucks by November, and I had not seen a single deer while spending many hours in the woods! However, Christmas day provided a chance to see if I could hit a broad side of a barn. It was the first time I have ever shot a unicorn, who knows what happened to the other horn.

On a more serious note, we have currently moved into a new ministry opportunity with our church, as the Lord has opened the door to participate in the birth of a new singles class. We are extremely excited for this opportunity, and already have great adventures in mind. Please keep husband in your prayers as he will be teaching most Sunday's, which might prove to be a challenge with his current schedule. We look forward to serving the Lord in this way, and are extremely excited to work alongside some of our good friends. It's a joy to serve the body of Christ!

Well, I think I hit on the main things that have happened over the past months. I wish I could take more time to articulate what the Lord has been teaching us, but that time most likely won't come until May. We want you to know we love y'all dearly and are thankful for your continued friendship and involvement in our lives. As we pray for our friends throughout the week, we are continually amazed at how the Lord has blessed us with so many dear friends who are all over the place! Thank you for your love and prayers. Drop us a line and catch us up on your lives, we would love to hear from you. Until next time....whenever that is!

The Pells

"Still, My Soul Be Still"

Words and Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend

Still my soul be still
And do not fear
Though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread
The fires of unexpected sorrow

God You are my God
And I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace renew
A steadfast spirit within me
To rest in You alone

Still my soul be still
Do not be moved
By lesser lights and fleeting shadows
Hold onto His ways
With shield of faith
Against temptations flaming arrows

Still my soul be still
Do not forsake
The Truth you learned in the beginning
Wait upon the Lord
And hope will rise As stars appear when day is dimming

This song has been such a blessing as of late. If you click here you will be able to listen to a sample. If the link does not work, simply go to gettymusic.com and under hymns and lyrics, click on the title of this song. We hope this song is a blessing to you too, and trust it will encourage you to rest in Him alone!

New Music

Those of you who have read our blog know that we are big fans of Keith and Kristyn Getty. They recently have come out with a new album titled, "Awaken the Dawn," which you should purchase right now! I had an opportunity to see the Gettys in concert this past February, in which they shared some of these new songs. If you are familiar with their album "In Christ Alone" you will enjoy this new CD immensely, and will notice that they now have a full band (all of which are amazing musicians). By going to www.gettymusic.com you will be able to purchase the CD for $16.98, or you can download it for $9.99.

While you may not jump on the opportunity to spend money on music, I assure you that you will be blessed by this CD. I encourage you to take the plunge and spend the money for you will benefit greatly from this God-honoring music, as Keith and Kristyn do a wonderful job putting God's truth into modern hymn form. While we cannot make you do it, we sure have put forth a good effort to highly recommend and urge that you purchase this album!!

Spiritual Disciplines or Spiritual Safety?

The following post was written some time ago, but never finished, and consequently never published. While I almost deleted it, I thought I would post it anyway. I actually was convicted when reading over it just now, realizing how quickly I trust in my own spirituality...or more properly my filthy rags, rather than Christ. Oh to draw nearer to Him!


Bible reading is an essential part of the Christian walk. Yet, isn't it funny how this can be one of the first things that grows mundane? Remember how you would drink in every word off the pages of Scripture when you were a new believer, how about now? If I made a chart of my Bible reading and rated the interest, fervor, and overall excitement of my "quiet time", you would have the scariest looking roller coaster ever, followed by times of flat line that would cause one to wonder if I was still breathing. I can count on one hand the times I have missed reading my Bible over the past few years, but despite remaining disciplined to read my Bible I have suffered times of intense drought. How can this be? I assure you, it has little to do with the Word of God.

"For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12, NASB

God's Word never grows stale. Isn't it amazing how you can read the same passage every day and notice something different each time? Ever have the same passage speak to your heart in a myriad of situations? I think we lose this amazing reality when Bible reading becomes merely a practice of a spiritual discipline. While it is necessary to discipline ourselves in areas of prayer, meditation, fasting, giving, Bible reading, etc., the danger comes when we place our trust in these practices as an end, rather than the means to the end of knowing Jesus Christ better and becoming more like Him. It is possible to practice all of the spiritual disciplines and remain stagnant in your walk with the Lord. If trusting in the practice of a discipline, one can easily become like a whitewashed tomb...all nice on the outside but rotting within.

Hidden Agenda

The words, "If it's Your will, Lord" have left my lips numerous times, whether during prayer or conversation. If you think about it, it is not uncommon to hear this kind of talk in Christian circles; a tag we place at the end of a sentence to assure that we are submitted to Christ. This not only assures those who are listening but ourselves as well, feeling better if we qualify what we just said by these words. But what happens behind closed doors? Do we live truly wanting the Lord's will to be done above our own? While we might convince those around us along with ourselves by saying the right words, a close examination of our hearts can quickly reveal the opposite.

As of late, we have been reading through the Gospel of Matthew and recently spent time in chapter 26. This passage remarkably depicts Jesus' submission to the will of the Father above His own. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus speaks the words we so often echo, "yet not as I will, but as You will." However, Jesus' words are so different from ours, as in anguish He asked if the cup could pass from Him but still desired for the Father's will to be done. Later, when Jesus is betrayed He says with confidence that all of this must be done to fulfill Scripture. Jesus submitted to the will of the Father not simply in word, but in full obedience. Philippians 2 reminds us that He humbled Himself, submitted to the Father's will, and became obedient to the point of death (6-9). And Isaiah 53 reminds us, "Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him..." While we often echo the words of Jesus, we rarely mean these words with the same tenacity that manifests itself through radical obedience.

As I have contemplated these passages lately, I have been struck by my hidden agenda. I basically cry out, "Lord, I want Your agenda, not my agenda", but if I am really honest, that isn't true! That statement in reality comes with so many qualifiers: "I want Your agenda IF it fits into my schedule and time table", "I want Your agenda IF it doesn't cause me too much trouble or heartache", "I want Your agenda IF You act when I say and how I say...." and the list goes on. This hidden agenda became painfully clear when the fog of the right Christian lingo was permeated by examining my desire for control. Never had this problem? How about when you get frustrated because you planned and planned but things don't go as perfectly as you pictured? Or you are sure that you are going about something correctly, the perfect A-Z approach, only to be flung over the bridge by a slight bump...an unexpected phone call, a comment made in passing, a letter in the mail? Or, how about the times of vivid trial like the death of a loved one or an unexpected crisis? All of these can reveal our hearts desire to be in control. This desire is not unique, in fact you will find this very desire in Genesis in the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden. Sin convinces us that God doesn't know best, and that if we do things our way it will be better. After all, we are not patient people and doing things our way will produce instant results. Adam and Eve got instant results, but not the result they were looking for.

It is going to be a lifelong struggle to surrender to the Lord and rest in His perfect control. But we surely cannot wait until a later date to start trusting Him. The time is now, and we need to be serious about wanting His will above our own. If we are serious, we will follow the example of our Savior and respond in obedience, trusting in His control. And when we do so, what glorious peace and rest there is! So while we wait for the return of our glorious Savior, let's get serious about turning control over to Him, discovering our hidden agendas, and crying out for His help. He will help you; He will show you. I know, I'm a work in progress right along with you. When we get discouraged, let's remember to look to Christ, our perfect example.