Living your life

Levi and I have been having some big discussions lately about how our lives are going, and what we want our lives to be like in the future. We have been SO blessed, filled to overflow from our Lord and know that none of the blessing in these past 3-4ish years would have been possible without him. We recognize that it is God blessing us, but at the same time...we are very passionate about the fact that God made us extremely money-wise, and we are obedient to him with our money.

It doesn't consume our lives, and because we give to him first and have centered our budget around being able to bless others. Then we get to use it for fun afterwards...we live VERY full lives. One thing that has been interesting is how these blessing affect other people. Those close to us that understand our way of thinking are generally very excited for us about trips and want to hear every detail and love to talk about their trips too (because they have the "travel bug" as well). This can be an extremely touchy, awkward subject but it's something that has been on my heart lately.

I have been helping families at work who are having to deal with family member's that have strokes, alzheimers and other awful things that they are dealing with after their retirement. It makes us think hard about how we want to live life now. Levi and I have been discussing this and thinking...why wait till we're old to do the things we want to do, help the people we want to help. Why not do them now?

Found this quote today by Shauna Niequist and loved it.

“The life you’ve been waiting for is happening all around you. This is it. This is life in all its glory, swirling and unfolding around us, disguised as pedantic, pedestrian non-events. But pull off the mask, and you will find your life, waiting to be made, chosen, woven, crafted.
Your life, right now, is exploding with energy and power and detail and dimension, better than the best movie you have ever seen. You and your family and your friends and your house and your dinner table and your garage have all the makings of a life of epic proportions, a story for the ages, because they all are. Every life is.
You have stories worth telling, memories worth remembering, dreams worth working toward, a body worth feeding, a soul worth tending, and beyond that, as though that was not enough, the God of the Universe dwells within you, the true culmination of super and natural.
You are more than dust and bones. You are spirit and power and image of God. And you have been given today.”

Everyone has different ideas of what they want to do with their lives. Some people don't like traveling and love collecting specially made dishes (I insure tons of those at work). And that is awesome. Some people have amazing servants hearts and give most of their money away towards great causes. Levi and I are trying to figure out a balance of how to do that. But the thing I keep thinking is, that's awesome! Do what you like! Just understand you are making your own choices.

You don't have to go to Nicaragua to live an interesting life. You just have to listen to God. He'll provide the suspense and the dreams and the opportunity to be heroic and content with where you are in life and how your life is going.

THANKS!

Stress happens automatically- not delight.

And so that’s my mission. For the month of November I’m on a ‘gift hunt’. Intentionally making the decision to live and love out of a cup that is brimming with rich, steaming ‘enough. Laura gave me a little album of recycled paper clips and I'm going back to recording things that I love throughout the day that make me feel God's love. I had a little journal like that all throughout highschool that I called my happy book...but I lost it. Try two!

It's going to be an amazing month. We are in the middle of planning for Austin, Asia, new houses, new phone plans, new jobs, new EVERYTHING! (mostly anyways). I LOOOVE change. love it so much! Can't wait!

Facing Giants

There has been so much going on this past month with losing Christie Jacks, moves to new cities, building and buying new houses, scary car wrecks, besties getting married, babies coming into the world, parents overcoming cancer and dealing with cancer, trying to get new jobs and transitions in marriages, friendships etc. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around everything all the time and to not feel overwhelmed.  This gave me some encouragement and I hope it will for y’all too. 

“Maybe God allows giants in our lives so that we can be filled with whatever it’s going to take to defeat them. When little David faced and defeated the giant Goliath, he was filled with courage and total confidence in the power of his God- and it was those things that enabled him to be a mighty leader for the kingdom. As weird as it is to say- and as hard as it is to swallow- maybe those giants are in our lives for a reason. I’m not saying that God wants us to hurt or that He delights in watching us cry with searing confused hearts. But rather, that God wants to replace those hurts and that confusion with something new. Instead of taking away our insecurity, He wants us to be filled with an unshakable confidence of who we are because of whose we are. Instead of just taking away our pain, He wants to replace it with a much deeper healing- more than a Band-Aid or a Hoover could ever hope to accomplish.

Today, I’m praying for tender hearts and for the giants and for the storms- and praying that God will replace pain with healing, brokenness with wholeness and despair with pure, sweet joy. Let this scripture soothe your soul. Let God’s Word soak into your heart- reminding you of who He is, and what He’s doing in even your messiest circumstances. Look for the things He’s replacing- and what He’s replacing them with.

Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, 
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
 They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

(full post here: http://stephanielouisemay.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/facing-giants/)

Thank you, thank you

HAPPY TUESDAY! Today has been a wonderful, great day. I'm drinking a caramel machiatto at work and I think I just sold 2 things on Craigslist! $200 more towards Asia woot! Loved this today:

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank you and grow.”

~Shauna Niequist 

I am, I will be

Today is a great day to proclaim truths. Mhmm!! So here it is.

Sometimes I can be a force to be reckoned with. I am mostly happy and confident and if I give you a snap of my fingers or a touch of attitude- you know you’re in.

I love to love. I'm the kind of woman that you just WANT to have on your side, because once I am, I’ll love you forever. I have a bit too much attitude sometimes, and sometimes my emotions can be frustrating for those around me, but I am loyal to the bone.

I love to make friends with everyone I meet, and love to have lots of different kinds of friends. I get my energy from other people and only need like...ehh 5% alone time a day... so I love to have lots of friends & family to call to hang out with or just chat.

I'm honest, faithful, loyal and I love with absolutely everything in me. But since we're declaring truths today, here's one of my best and worst flaws. I'm a fighter.

I'm a woman who hates injustice. I'm a woman that is not afraid of any type of confrontation if I think someone has been wronged or hurt. I'm a woman whose heart literally breaks for the people hurting around me, and I'm a woman that will get up and fix whatever wrong has been done without thinking twice. (Ask any of my friends or family...they will tell you that I will be glad to fight for them.)

This has also become one of my faults. I have had a few girls in my life that I have been WAY too aggressive towards because I thought that they were attacking the people I love. Unfortunately, I didn't feel bad about it either. (My mom used to call it the Kara bomb). Sadly, sometimes the people that are on the bad side of my attention have not really done anything wrong. Emotions have slightly thwarted the situation. OR, they did do something mean, and instead of lovingly trying to communicate, I decide I want to win for the sake of my loved ones. This normally means hurt feelings.

I am working on this, along with many other things. But today, I felt God telling me that I am loved, and I need to embrace the person he made me. Even though I'm not a laid-back, calm person...I am awesome. Mhmm thanks God!

I'm a daughter of the King and he has made me a passionate, loving, excitable, not laid-back, joyful person. I LOVE life, and I love getting excited over the little things in my life and other's lives. I don't mind having calm time every now and then, but I definitely love having a loud, good time with my friends. God has given me an AMAZING laid-back husband who is FULL of grace, which is such an amazing amazing blessing.

This is me. I am blessed.

loved loved LOVED

I'm sitting at work, drinking my White Macademia Coffee and thinking about all the ways that I feel God showing me how much he loves me. Here's my list for today:

• When Hey, Soul Sister by Train comes on the radio
• Dappled sunlight
• A warm, gorgeous day
• Sunrises
• ACU's campus in the morning when I'm walking home after my workout
• When God gives me and Levi the desires of our heart when we NEVER thought they would happen, woot!
• Walking the dogs in the evening
• Free samples at grocery stores (not kidding, I LOVE them)
• Starbuck's seasonal drinks, currently Pumpkin Spice Lattes!
• Levi Gates
• Sweet little Darla when she follows me around and isn't being annoying, I love cuddling with her
• Puppies
• Traveling

Happy Thursday!

Sparkle and Pop

Levi and I got back from Mozambique, Africa last Friday and I have been having a hard time adjusting. Not so much to my life back in the States but my perception of everything has changed.

We were blessed to get to spend a lot of time with family right when we got back and it was hard talking about the trip.

How do you summarize such an amazing experience that is nothing like the lives we live here, and the people are nothing like the people I know here.

I haven't quite wrapped my mind around the trip which makes it hard to talk about it. Sometimes little stories will pop out when something reminds me of Mozambique, or the kids.

But mostly, I have just smiled and said, "it was amazing."

More than anything, I think Zimpeto orphanage and the kids showed me how to celebrate everything. Every child at the orphanage is loved and CELEBRATED. Levi and I got to work with the special-needs house at the orphanage and I think it was my favorite day of the trip.

 They have kids with all different kinds of disabilities such as CP, one was born without eyes, and none of the kids in the house could talk. One precious boy was born with some kind of disease that slowly eats away your muscles. He used to be able to walk and can't anymore.

 Another sweet boy named Alfredo couldn't do anything, and had to be carried everywhere and fed slowly because he wasn't able to swallow well.



One thing that touched me about the Tias (women that took care of the kids) was that they would tell us about the kids, then would praise God for them.

Thank God for something unique about the child whether it was how much they liked to dance, or how much they liked music or how sweet their smile was.

I tend to make huge lists and go through the motions for every-day life when I'm back at home. I used to be great at thinking of things that I loved throughout the day, "blessings" that I could thank God for, but it has been harder for me the past couple years.

I've been reading One thousand gifts by Ann Voskamp and I love her equation for feeling close to God and having the most amazing, joy-filled life. It's simply thanking God for everything.

I found this today and LOVED it. Put my thoughts into words:

My love language is beauty.
I see the world in color and flavors and surprises and gifts.
My favorite days are the kind where you feel pretty and strut down the street like the heroine in a movie with a really fantastic soundtrack.



You know- the kind of days where you have big eyes to soak in the beauty of the world- even when the beauty comes in the form of things that are hard.
My surroundings mean the world to me, and my entire day can be made by a really good cup of coffee.
My Pinterest account is the gift that keeps right on giving, and my desktop is constantly full of writing, videos, photos and beautiful things dragged and lovingly kept from all corners of the inspiration-explosion we call the internet.
I’m passionate about the necessity of well-chosen glassware (don’t even get me started), an intentionally decorated house (you have to LIVE there- why not make it look like the inside of your heart when it’s at it’s best?) and really fluffy linins (especially important to me having just spent a year sleeping on a mattress pad and showering with an REI quick dry towel.)
I love creativity and creating and the creations around me, but mostly because they reflect the face of my Creator who is the most stunning of all.
I believe that life is a brilliant display of sparkles and pops and if we take the time to zoom in on a moment and notice, we’ll find the dazzling kaleidoscope of color zinging and bouncing around our seemingly ordinary world.
I believe that beauty is both simple and profound and can be found IN the most simple and the most profound parts of life.
And I believe that a life looking for beauty is a life well lived. I believe that stopping to smell the roses is the key to satisfaction, contentment and joy, and that by celebrating the gifts that fill and overflow in our every day life, we give glory and honor and well deserved gratitude to the Giver of the best gifts.
The best gift of all, being life with Him.
So a toast.
To sparkles and pops and gifts and glitter and all things beautiful- both the simple and the profound.
And most of all, to taking time to notice them. And giving credit where credit is due.

Thank you Lord for such an amazing experience. We are filled to overflow, and are so so blessed.

My Race

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me the task of testifying to the good new of God's grace. Acts 20:24

Praying for the sweet orphans Levi and I get to meet next month! Can't wait to love on them and hold them.

CHINA- "wahhhhh"

When I lived in China, I went to go watch the Olympic torch go through Wuhan and when I started taking pictures...I noticed that all the people in my pictures were taking pictures of me. This happened quite frequently in China, but since the crowds were HUGE at the parade I got some really funny videos and pictures. Looking forward to this when we go in December! Especially with my super tall husband. He'll get all kind of "wahhhhhh"'s and pointing :) Also, note how much taller I am than everyone.

Yes, someone even busted out a video camera.

Can't wait to go back!

Peace

Feeling peace today.

New Living Translation:

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
² He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
³     He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
⁴ Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
⁵ You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
⁶ Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

For my sweet dad

Dad's starting his radiation treatments today and my sister did a great post for him. Head on over them and leave him an encouraging comment!!! Thank you! Love you dad!

Here's the link to her blog:
http://theadventuresoftootieandizzy.blogspot.com/

China and Thailand?

Happy Tuesday! Levi and I are having a grand ol' time coming up with things we want to do before he starts a real job. Since Lauren and Lark were accepted to China to teach English (wahoo!) we are trying to go over there with my parents for Christmas this year! YAY! Then...since Levi will be out of school and I will be done with my job (yessss) we are going to backpack in Thailand for a month! We are spoiling ourselves this year haha it's going to be tough next year to not leave the country every couple months :) Here are some places we are excited about visiting.

The Great Wall in Beijing, China



Phuket, Thailand

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Shanghai, China

We haven't planned anything out in detail yet...still trying to get through Africa planning.

On another note...
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Trying to wrap my head around all the different kinds of poverty we will experience in Mozambique, then in Thailand. They are going to be amazing trips and full of blessings but they will also be hard. It will be hard to see the child prostitution scene in Thailand/Phuket and not be able to change it. That is what I struggled with when I lived in China. I met all these amazing students, and saw the injustice of the school system, and also some of the government and I couldn't change it. Iris Ministries, that we are partnering with in Mozambique, has a saying that you "stop for the one." It is hard to make a huge difference immediately, but that stopping for one will slowing make a change. It's going to be an amazing year.

Love y'all!

Missing sweet friends today :)

This week has been a breath of fresh air to me! I've started a new workout phase at the gym which has been awesome, I got a new office at work with WINDOWS yay, and I have gotten to have friend dates every single night and have more coming up! Lauren and I have kind of been entertaining ourselves in good (lame) ol' Abilene, so it's been nice to have a different routine for a bit. (Speaking of new routines...Lauren come to the gym with me tomorrow, mmk?) :) Levi has his championship game tonight for basketball which should be really fun and I'm cleaning the house for the PARENTS coming to town! Blessed.

Lauren I'm praying this for you for Pinkle right now

Deuteronomy 7:13 He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.

Wednesday and Tyson

Happy Wednesday! Today has been an interesting and hard day. But somehow God managed to get my attention even though I am being extremely whiny and selfish today and He showed me that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now. That the job is hard because he is trying to make me into the person he wants me to be. And yes, he is shutting all other options right now because this is where I'm supposed to be. And thank God I haven't given up yet.

"And this is what I learned: the hard does not minimize His goodness but allows us to experience His goodness in a whole new way."

Prayers for Levi today!! He is being SO BLESSED by friends and family referring him to different people they know in the medical sales device field and has some "interviews" today. Woohoo! I know he'll do great. We're excited to see where God moves us! So many options :)

On another note, Tyson has decided to be a social farter in our house. We had 10 guests in and out of our house this weekend and Monday and Tyson strategically did room-clearing farts ONLY when we had guests over. That dog is sneaky. We've tried switching his food up but Levi thinks it's only making them more toxic. SO...come visit us in Abilene!! :)

AFRICA

SO SO SO excited to go to Africa with Levi! I am not nervous about disease or AIDS, or parasites (mostly), but I am nervous about what we will see over there and how we will never be the same again. Wondering and so excited to see what God will do with us while we're over there and how he will change our hearts!!

Proverbs 24:12  Once you have seen, you cannot pretend that you do not know. For the Father that knows your every thought, KNOWS that you KNOW!

Woohoo can't wait!!!!

haircut for Darla?

GO GO GO

Lots of thoughts bouncing around in my head today. We considered getting rid of our precious miniature aussiedoodle to one of my friends today because she's been desperately looking for a dog...and Levi doesn't love little Darla. But, after many long conversations Levi decided that he doesn't mind her as long as I am the one taking care of her. So, we'll see how that goes! It's been interesting though having to prioritize things in my life. I love Darla, but I love Levi more so if he says so, the dog has to go. And I love my Lord, but sometimes I love my life more. So if the Holy Spirit shows me someone I need to help and it doesn't fit my day or it could be really really awkward, sometimes I choose myself.

Lots of random thoughts, but it makes me think about what I really care about passionately and if I am living a PURPOSE driven life. Am I looking for the opportunities and not letting them happen to me. I read this the other day and it terrified me:

One of the clearest passages of Scripture that sheds light into what Jesus was passionate about is Matthew 25 verse 31-40. Jesus is speaking about the final judgment of mankind and the manner in which man will be judged. He talks about separating the goats from the sheep according to how they had lived their lives. Verses 34-40 read:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing, I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?”

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Want to say this at the end of my life:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now, the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me, but all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

Happy Valentines Day!

The hard does not minimize God's goodness but allows us to experience His goodness in a whole new way. Thank you Lord for giving us the most amazing example of love, a GREAT example on this day of love today.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!! I've been having a lovely day here in Abilene. Work hasn't been too crazy and it's warmed up to where I don't have to wear a jacket. (I hate covering cute clothes up in jackets...haha)

Very random blog post today, but I am thankful and I hope you are too as you're surrounded by loved ones on Valentines today!

Loving

I sent this to my mom last week and it's really hitting home with me today. It is written by Matt Chandler's wife, whose husband was diagnosed with brain cancer.

The gardener's sharp-edged knife promotes the fruitfulness of the tree, by thinning the clusters, and by cutting off superfluous shoots. So is it, Christian, with that pruning which the Lord gives to thee. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." John 15:1 - 2

As Matt's fourth (? I've lost count!) post-surgery MRI is only hours away, I've been hit with a curve-ball of anxiety. Until now, I've gone into each scan, appointment, or meeting with little fear. I'm not sure what's different this time aside from two things:

 1. With the exception of the first MRI (in the ER after his seizure) and diagnosis, we've gotten nothing but good, hopeful news. I am so grateful for this and am asking and wanting to believe Matt's complete healing. However, it's as if there is a part of me that is waiting for the other shoe to drop. There's a little whisper saying, it really is too good to be true.

 2. The Lord is wanting to expose the lie, however small, that I am believing. Let me tell you what the lie is NOT first. The lie is*not*: God will not heal Matt. I believe the Lord can and will heal Matt but even if He doesn't heal him on earth, he will be perfectly healed in heaven.

 *The lie is this: God is not good and He does not want my good.*

This is the lie that tripped up Eve in the garden. This is the lie that has plagued humankind ever since. This is the lie the Father exposed through His Son on the cross. "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay his life down for his friends." How can we not see through this lie? "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will he not also with Him graciously give us all things?" So, the Lord reveals the lie that a small part of me still believes. He uses the anxiety to remind me to be rooted in Him and His truth: if He is for me, what can be against me? He prunes the branches. He gets rid of the "superfluous shoot."

Childlike joy

"Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your truth, we wait eagerly for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our souls." Isaiah 26:8

 

It is a beautiful, gorgeous day in Abilene, Texas and I feel SO blessed to be alive and get to share my life here with Levi.

 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

He is good

"I shall feel rather nervous meeting a lion," said Susan.
"That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there is anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking they're either braver than most or just silly."
"Then He isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "Who said anything about safe?! Of Course He isn't safe. But He is good. He is the King I tell you."

(The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
C.S. Lewis

Living

From KissesfromKatie: http://www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

(This is an amazing blog written by a girl who moved to Africa at 18 to serve the poorest of the poor and has since then adopted 13 girls)

Francis Chan wrote, "How we live our days, is how we live our lives." I had to read it several times as I let it soak in. Because it is true. So often we find ourselves waiting for a specific moment, a specific call, something special. For what? How we spend our days... that will be our LIFE. Because today could be it. If Jesus came back today and said, "Let's go!" would we be ready? Would we be doing what we want to be doing when we meet Jesus? People say to me often, "You are so lucky that you found your calling, that you know your purpose in life." This statement boggles my mind. I AM so blessed to live the life that I do. But it isn't rocket science. God did NOT part the sky and shout out to me, "Katie! Serve my people." I read it in His word. You can too. We can all see as plain as day that Jesus says the number one commandment is to love the Lord and love your neighbor. I happened to move to Uganda and love those neighbors, but that is not the point. As believers, we should already KNOW our calling; it is to love the Lord and love our neighbors by caring for them in whatever broken state they are in. When He said that "the poor will always be among us" I don't think he meant that as an excuse not to worry about it but as a reminder that there is ALWAYS a neighbor, no matter where we are, in a worse condition than we are. I can only believe that God created us to make this world a little better. That he designed us in love to show that love to others. I just don't know what everyone is waiting for.

Blessed

Today has been a gorgeous day and I have been soaking it in, loving every minute of it. God is so good and is whispering words of love to me today, despite my selfishness and despite my inability to always choose him. He is teaching me so many new things and opening my eyes to ways I need to act NOW, and be present now and serve him now. So, I'm looking for ways to do that now in my community.

A couple weeks ago I heard about someone prophesying, (someone that I know), that Jesus is coming back in the next couple years. My first reaction was to want to know more. What all did he say? What did he say is going to happen in our world until then? Then my next reaction was, I need to start living completely for him if I only have a couple years left! As time went on I thought the vision this person saw and described had parts that were a little strange, but regardless of the message I don't believe it would hurt to live like Jesus is coming back soon. Which leads me to today. God has been working on my heart and letting me see how I live for tomorrow, not for Christ, the hope of glory. Why would I want to live life completely for Him and devote my life completely to him only if he's coming back soon? It's something Levi and I have been thinking about a lot. We're thinking it's time to do some changes.

Here is some inspiration I found today. Hope y'all are having a WONDERFUL blessed day. He has entrusted us with much, and much is expected from us in return. Trying to live life for him.

"We bend.

I bend to sweep crumbs and I bend to wipe vomit and I bend to pick up little ones and wipe away tears. I bend over a big pot of stew and I bend to fold endless laundry and I bend over math books and spelling sentences and history quiz corrections. And at the end of these days I bend next to the bed and I ask only that I could bend more, bend lower.

Because I serve a Savior who came to be a servant. He lived bent low. And bent down here is where I see His face.

He lived, only to die.

Could I?

Die to self and just break open for love.

This Savior, His one purpose to spend Himself on behalf of messy us. Will I spend myself on behalf of those in front of me?

And people say, “Don’t you get tired?” and yes, I do. But I’m face to face with Jesus in the dirt, and the more I bend the harder and better and fuller this life gets. And sure, we are tired, but oh we are happy. Because bent down low is where we find fullness of Joy.

Praying for you as you bend today for whoever is in front of you. He will meet you there."

Puerto Rico!

We're leaving for Puerto Rico so soon!!! It's supposed to be 80 degrees the whole time we're there and we CAN'T WAIT! Levi is really looking forward to going paddleboarding in the ocean together :)

Happy New Year!

I've been having a lovely work day and I've been doing a lot of thinking about new year's resolutions. So I've decided to compile some resolutions/goals for 2012. Woot!

Personal:
-I'd like to learn to live without fear. of shame, or embarrassment, or of judgement. I want to live purely in the moment. I want to truly believe that God made me in his likeness and I am wholly and wonderfully made. I'd like to kick low self-esteem and worries of inadequacy right out the door, finally.
-On that note, I'd like to live with purpose. To intentionally treat people well every day and focus my life around the hope of Christ in me the hope of glory, not on the hope of tomorrow.
-Do a daily Bible/prayer time every day. It's too sporadic right now.
-Stop eating crap. Yep that means Rosa's unfortunately...UNLESS i decide to choose chicken soft tacos at Rosa's instead of my favorite Chips and Queso and bean burritos? But basically stop eating crap.
-Exercise every day even if it's not a lot. It makes me happy, but I forget this when I stop going.
-Drink lots of water.
-Have at least 2 friend dates a week. Don't go crazy with social time though or I won't see Levi enough.
-Hang out with my sister every week.

Ministry:
-Be more intentional with my time at Beltway and with our 4 year old's on Sundays. Focus on what a blessing it is and how much of an impact I can have, not how hungry I am and when lunch is. After hour 2 on Sundays I am SOO hungry.

Marriage:
-3 or 4 evening dates a month with Levi. Woohoo! They don't have to be fancy, just out of the house and fun. Like a picnic!
-Marriage Retreat? That would be neat.
-Build Levi up every day
-Flirt with Levi every day

I'm printing these out and sticking them under my computer screen like I did last year. It's fun to be able to check them off when I feel like I'm accomplishing something.