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

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!

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.

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."

Pool Float = Life Giver (Action Required)

Something that keeps going through my mind lately is something that I read in a Priscilla Shirer book called "Discerning the Voice of God". This book has a lot of wisdom about how to hear and recognize the voice of the Lord and also what we should do in response to His voice. The Lord showed me a lot of things as I read this book and also through doing a Video Bible Study on the same book with some girls at church. One thing that has really stayed with me is something that she referred to as "pressing into the Lord." When things are hard to figure out or they don't make sense or when life seems to be throwing you nothing but curve balls or even when you feel like the Heavens are just utterly silent, Priscilla tells us in the book to "press into the Lord." And I know it may seem like a small little nothing thing to have gotten out of a book that says so many other things, but this idea of "pressing into" really got me thinking. I think because it implies an action (or movement) on our part as the child of God (not to be confused in any way that our actions "earn" anything from the Lord, but simply a way of showing the Lord that our faith and trust is in Him no matter what). I think so many times we just sit back and wait for God to bless us and wait for Him to reveal things to us or wait for Him to heal our loved ones or wait for Him to steer the direction of our lives, but that puts everything on God as if we play no role at all in the outcome of our own lives. But the Lord has given us options and choices. And while I think it's important to wait on the Lord, I think in our waiting we should be applying this action of "pressing into" Him. I think our normal reaction when adversity falls upon our lives is to recoil and to become withdrawn, sometimes especially when it comes to the Lord, because we think He should have done something to stop whatever the adversity is. But I think we need to do quite the opposite. As Priscilla says, "Press Into The Lord". This means, when you feel like moving away from Him, move closer to Him instead. It is not always the easy thing to do, but it is absolutely the best thing to do. Press closer into Him. One way that I have found that I can Press Into Him is by claiming the promises He has given us in Scripture and reading them often (I find that reading scripture out loud really helps me to grasp it - and pay closer attention to the Words). And then when you feel like you aren't seeing the light at the end of that long tunnel you've been going down....Press Into Him even more! Be diligent! He really is right there with you the whole time. Hang onto Him and Press Into Him the same as you would if you were out in the middle of the sea and had only a little pool float to keep you above water. You wouldn't let go even for a minute to see if you could make it on your own...and you wouldn't just float on your back waiting for a helicopter to rescue you. No, you would cling to that thing with every bit of strength you could muster...until your muscles were sore and shaking and then you'd hang on some more because you would know it was the only way you would stay alive in that sea and get back onto solid ground. In the same way, Press Into Him because He is the Life Giver!! (or pool float in this example). He will keep your head above water and keep you afloat and will give you assurance that you will see solid ground again if you hang onto Him and Press Into Him. Oh how much more your faith will increase and your love for the Lord will grow. Clinging to the Lord in times of struggle, heart-ache or confusion is sometimes the sweetest place you could ever be. James 1:2-6 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like the wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

My House - For Sale!

Feel free to forward any pictures along to anyone you know that might be interested. The house is located in the Valley Station area in Louisville, Ky.

$105,000

•Charming Ranch Style Brick Home – 3 Bedrooms, 1 Bath, Eat-in Kitchen • 1 Car Detached Garage, Large Lot, Fenced Backyard • New 20 –Year Roof April 2008 (House and Garage) •Newly Installed Security System (2008), Furnace only 5 years old •Laminate Wood Floors Throughout, Designer Colors, Updated Bath, Open Living Room/Kitchen Plan, Large Pantry, Updated Kitchen Cabinets & Counter, New Dishwasher (2006), Above-the-Range Microwave, 6-Panel Doors, All Bedroom Closets are Double-Hung, This is a Must See...Lots of Updates! • All New Landscaping Summer 2007, Backyard Provides Fresh Cut Flowers All Summer! • Move-in Ready! Great for First Time Home Buyers – All Big Items Done! • Seller to Provide Paralegal For All Paperwork – No Realtors Needed!

For Sale By Owner

Tonight marks a milestone for me. I have put a For Sale sign in the front yard of my first home. It's been quite emotional actually. My parents came over and we had a little sign hoisting ceremony in the front yard (okay so it was more just sticking little metal rods in the ground than it was actually hoisting, but I like to exaggerate for effect). Then they prayed for me and that God would clearly direct me in the next steps of my life and that my house would sell. I think they think I'm a little crazy and I guess I am to sell my house with no real plan of action to follow. But one thing I don't mind being crazy about and consider it quite a compliment actually is when it comes to following the Lord. I want to be so crazy for Him that I will not hesitate to do what He asks of me, even if it means selling my little house. I think there is a lot of wonder and excitement in the unknown. Just knowing that God is moving and working in my life and growing me (and those around me) and asking us to do bigger and bigger things for Him....not even knowing the outcome. How amazing is that? That God in Heaven cares about our lives!! But I believe wholeheartedly and without reservation that if I will truly give my entire life to the Lord that He will not let me down. He knows that some things may cause me pain for a moment, but will bring much joy, growth, purpose, etc... at a later point. He knows that when I cry or feel pain or don't understand that He can see the bigger picture and that He really DOES have a plan for little ole me. I just pray that I will always follow Him. I pray that He keep me close to Him and that His voice is very recognizable to me. I pray that as I follow Him, that He would humble me and use me to show Him to others so that they would know His amazing, wonderful, awesome peace in their lives. So, this is the reason that I am putting my house up for sale. Because God asked me to and I want to do what He says, because my life serves a greater purpose than just whats going on in my own little world and how it's affecting me. And this will be the reason that I do whatever comes next, because He will have spoken it to me. If my life is lived for nothing more than to show others more and more of Christ, then I will be one joyful & fulfilled woman. I'll add some pictures tomorrow of my house. ...just in case anyone out there is interested. :) But for now, I'm heading off to bed and hoping for sweet dreams.

Late Night

I can't sleep tonight. I figured this would happen since I actually got in a nap this afternoon. Plus, I managed to set off the alarm system on my house at about 10pm so I think that got my adrenaline pumping. I read for a while which usually makes me sleepy, but nothing seems to be working tonight. On top of it all there have been some pretty loud thunderstorms roll through and now there are tornado warnings to the northwest of us and the storms are moving southeast, so I'm wondering if they are heading towards us? So, here I sit. Watching the news and enjoying the night-time hours. I'm a night-owl so this doesn't bother me all that much except for the fact that I have to leave for work at 6:30 every morning so late nights really cost me when the week gets here. I worked all weekend on various things around the house....touching up paint, installing closet rods, weeding flower beds, etc...trying to ready my house for sale. I was hoping to have a sign in the front yard by the end of today, but I am almost positive it will be tomorrow. I have some cleaning to do and then I have to take pictures around the house and make up a flier to put out with the sign. I will add some photos to the blog so if anyone out there wants to pass along the info they can (and I would be very appreciative). Well, I guess that's enough rambling for one night. Although I'm still not any sleepier, I feel like this post is going no where, so no use wasting anyone's time writing about nothing.....so until I have something more interesting to write about, good night and sweet dreams. ;)

Praline Goodness

My co-workers found out that I like to bake and so they actually started taking up a baking fund so that I would make something sweet to eat every week. So every Thursday I bring in some kind of treat. Usually it's chocolate chip cookies because I think I can make those in my sleep by now and everyone really likes them. But sometimes I switch it up and make something different. Today I brought in super-easy Praline Bars. I had them at my cousin's house a few days ago and they were very yummy!

In the pan

Ready for the co-workers

The best part is that they are very easy to make! I included the recipe below for anyone that wants to try it. Pre-heat oven to 350 Line a greased cookie sheet with a single layer of graham crackers Melt two sticks of butter in a sauce pan Add one cup of brown sugar to the melted butter and bring to a boil Boil butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes (stirring occasionally) Pour over top of graham crackers making sure to cover all parts Sprinkle 1 cup of chopped/crushed pecans over coated graham crackers Bake about 10 minutes Cool and cut with a pizza cutter (Tip: don't let them cool too much because it's harder to cut them! Plus they are really good when they are still a little warm.)

My First Post

So here it is. I'm officially a blogger. Like many others, I decided to start a blog as a way to document my life, to share about what I'm learning and what I'm involved in, and as a way for friends and family to stay connected with me. Hopefully it will be something that I keep up with pretty regularly and hopefully one or two people will actually read it. :) So for my first blog, I thought I'd just share about myself a little. I wanted to share maybe some things that people don't know about me. So here are the top ten things that you may not know about me that seemed fun to put in my first blog...

1. I'm laid back, but motivated; adventurous, but not a thrill-seeker; outgoing, but reserved; smart, but not a brainiac; creative, but not abstract; continually on the move, but a good listener; fun, but not crazy; organized, but messy.

2. I like old black and white movies. My mom and I used to watch these together a lot. There’s something nostalgic and classy about them. So different from today’s movies.

3. I have a great appreciation for Jazz music. My high school band director had lots of records (yes, records) that he played over the speaker in the band room all the time…guys like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Maynard Ferguson. We even played jazz tunes in our marching band.

4. I’ve recently really gotten into reading. For whatever reason I never enjoyed reading before now. But I have this new found love for it and find myself up til all hours of the night with a book in my hand.

5. I really like to work with my hands, creating something or building something or painting something or sewing something. If I could, I’d make a living just by selling stuff I’ve made. I have a hard time sitting still (which works great with my 40 hour a week desk job), so when I get home in the evenings I am always working on some kind of project. I have discovered that I am interested in so many things that there’s not enough hours in the day or months in the year to try them all. I want to learn how to paint, how to make clothes, how to crochet more than just a scarf, how to change a flat tire on my car. I want to travel the globe, learn new languages, learn about geography and cultures, get a stamp on my passport. I want to learn to play guitar, swing dance, water ski. I want to write a book, start a business, run a marathon, go camping for the first time. The list could go on and on. I have been exploring my own curiosities lately and have been learning a lot about myself in the process. I’m a lot more inquisitive than I used to be.

6. I would love, love, love to live in a studio apartment. I love the idea that everything is in one room. I would want a big wall of windows on one side that maybe has a nice view of something. It would be cool to live in the heart of a downtown city somewhere.

7. If I could pick one “super power” to have (and not necessarily one to fight crime or something), I would want the ability to eat anything I wanted and never gain weight. It’s no secret that I like to eat, so how wonderful would it be to eat anything at all and not have to worry about it adding on poundage??

8. I have this little redneck dream. I would love to get an RV and drive across the country. I think it would be cool to spend 3 months or more on the road…exploring, photographing, discovering. One of my goals is to visit all 50 states by the time I’m 30. I’m about half way there, but I’ve got less than a year and a half to go….and with the crazy gas prices I’m not sure I’ll make it to them all by then, but hopefully soon.

9. I look forward to being a wife and a mother one day. I am very content (most times) where I am in my life right now and where God has me, but I think one day when I get to be a wife and a mom that I will learn so much more about myself and about my relationship with Jesus. I don’t think right now that I am able to comprehend quite what unconditional love is. I know what it means, but I think having a husband and children will show me so much more of what it really is and show me so much more of who God is and the way He loves us. I look forward to Him teaching me many things through my children and by being a help-mate to my husband.

10. I am putting my house up for sale. For quite some time now, I have felt God leading me away from Louisville. I think I’ve probably drug my feet a little bit out of fear, but I have kept moving in that direction regardless. Sometimes I feel like I can’t grow up here. I’m stuck in this little world of Louisville. And while it’s not a bad little world by any means, I just think it’s time to challenge myself in new ways, to discover, to learn, to grow. I’ve always been Brad’s little sister, Robert and Cindy’s daughter….and I love that, don’t get me wrong, but I need to find who I am aside from being someone’s sister and daughter. My greatest desire in life is to become what God wants me to become and I think this is all just part of the journey. I’m excited for this next chapter in life and can’t wait to see where God leads me!

So there it is, 10 more things you didn't know about me. Thanks for reading!