Saturday, August 30, 2008

One Life

one life
one chance
changing daily
changing quickly
never changing
always hoping
dreams not yet fulfilled
wishing there was more
praying for another tomorrow
wanting to do better
thoughts in a whirlwind
anticipating what is next
listening
asking
longing
laughing
enjoying
learning
searching
knowing
remembering
smiling

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Hobby Retreat

This past weekend I organized my first Scrapbook/Hobby retreat as a Creative Memories Consultant. It was at a little retreat house called "Pieceful Haven" in Crestwood, KY. Here's a couple pictures...
Eating a Meal

The Hobby Room

The Tool Table

The t-shirt quilt I'm making out of my college shirts.

Just before we all started packing up....what a fun weekend!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

New Tunes and New Thoughts

Okay, so I decided that I wanted to try and keep my blog up to date on more of a daily basis.....nothing special, but just writing about some of my day to day activities and stuff......just so I can look back one day and see where I was and what I was up to and maybe see how I've grown (hopefully). :)
I got two new Cd's in the mail last week.....it was a pre-buy deal that 268generation.com was offering. For $25 you got three Cd's.....David Crowder Band's "Remedy" (which also includes a live DVD), Charlie Hall's "The Bright Sadness" and Chris Tomlin's "Hello Love." The first two arrived last week and I absolutely love them. The third will arrive next week. Charlie Hall is edging his way up my list of favorite artists.
I especially love Charlie's song "My Brightness"
It goes....
"Well I've been hit from every corner, I've been thrown from side to side and I'm cracked up on the inside so I come to you for life.
Your presence always heals me so I want to drink it in and you know where we're going, God, and you know where I've been.
And your love is like a rock when I'm spinning around.
Yesterday I felt so angry and today so insecure and I hate it that I wrestle with the God that I adore.
And your love is like a rock when I'm spinning around.
I know less about you but my heart loves you so much more. You're the bright in sadness, you're my brightness.
I wish this thing could pass from me but I'm wanting what you want. So bring me high or bring me low just hold me in your love.
And your love is like a rock when I'm spinning around."
Something just hits me in that song....and says what I want to say. As long as I'm here the Lord's not through with me yet and I know in time I'll figure out just what His purpose for me might be. As I look into the unknown that is my future, my prayer and my hope is simply that last line of the last verse...."bring me high or bring me low just hold me in your love." And I know He will. That's what makes all of this so scarily exciting. Part of the unknown is very scary because it is just that...unknown. But the other part is so exciting and I just get crazy with anticipation waiting for whatever it might be. I really want to be open to whatever it is the Lord is preparing me for. Whether He takes me across town, across the country or across seas, my heart just wants to please Him and live for Him and I don't want to do it half-heartedly. I want Him to have it all.
Until the Lord makes it clear in my life what is coming next, I want to continue to serve Him and make Him famous in the here and now. So that means working faithfully at my job and loving my co-workers the way He would. It means hanging out with friends and figuring out together what life is all about and pouring my life into theirs in hopes that they see Jesus in me. It means loving people just because they are people (even when they cancel appointments to look at my house!) because after all.....it's all in God's timing. And I can't do anything to hurry Him along just because I'm ready for it now. And I've said this to a good friend before and I remind myself now, that God didn't teach me patience for no reason. And part of learning patience is having to practice it.
I'm really tired of practicing patience, but it's where the Lord has me right now. So, I wait expectantly and with hope and a smile on my face because I know that following Him and being patient even when I don't want to be is the only place I really want to be anyway.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Daily....most definitely!

Does anyone else out there struggle with remembering to give everything over to God DAILY? Why is this such a hard concept? I didn't think that I was that forgetful of a person, but apparently I am. One day I have such a grasp on turning everything over to the Lord and keeping His promises fresh in my mind. The next I am wallowing in self-pity and declaring the Heavens silent, wondering where God is in all that I'm going through. But then when I stop to think about it, it is not God who has moved away from me, but I have moved away from Him. The desires in my heart are so strong and big sometimes that I can't get enough of praising the Lord or devouring the Bible or just knowing that the Lord is and will always be. Then there are literally weeks that go by without me even blowing the dust off my Bible, much less reading it. I so long to be consistent and faithful. Is there hope for me? I think that is one trick of the Devil, to slowly grab my attention to other things, just normal life things that are not harmful or wrong, but things that my attention turns to and then one day I look up and realize that it has been a while since I had a real conversation with God. I am not a very disciplined person a lot of times, but I want to be so very badly. I know that just asking God for discipline is not enough, that I have to be willing and make myself be disciplined. Man, that is so hard. But I encourage you who are reading this, as well as myself, to do it! Be self-disciplined and let God help you get there. Be sensitive to His proddings and as hard as it is to make yourself do something (or not do something) just remember that His way really is the best way! I can do it! You can too! :) Some verses that I keep close to me for encouragement are: Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Job 23:10 "But he knows the way I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." Psalm 1:1-2 "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Psalm 19:13 "Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgressions." Psalm 22:19 "But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my strength, come quickly to help me." Psalm 34:14 "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 138:8 "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever - do not abandon the works of your hands."