Have you read The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg? Me neither. But I'm reading it now. It's about spiritual disciplines. I'm in the chapter called "Dee Dah Days" where Mr. Ortberg talks about his youngest daughter who used to celebrate life by running in a circle and yelling "dee dah day". It was her hallelujah, if you will. This chapter is about joy and about seeking it and practicing it in your life. Definitely a discipline that must be practiced. But I sure have had a lot to celebrate lately.
It was a weird week. Remember my last post where I mentioned that Satan did not waste time attacking our marriage after the retreat last weekend? Well that lasted a couple of days. We are good now but it was a rocky start to my week. And then there was some drama at school that I did not feel equipped to handle. I didn't have to handle it much - it was mostly others who dealt with the situation, but a mom did hang up on me when I asked for her phone number to write on a message. "My son goes to your school. You don't have my phone number???" "I just wanted to write down the best number for her to reach you at, but I can just write down the numbers in your file if you would prefer." Click. That was the first mom to ever yell at me at this job. I never really got over it. I don't like yelling =-(
But it has been a really great weekend. After a long day Friday, Brett and I went to a local mom and pop Italian restaurant for dinner, and then went to see Laura, Jenna and my mom selling homemade pickles at a fall festival. The festival was outdoors, and it was a chilly 40 something degrees - so nice! And I ran into a good friend there. We came home and watched a movie after that, and I was just tuckered enough to sleep soundly all night. Victory!
Today was really fun too. I went to the Farmer's Market this weekend. It was GREAT! I can't believe I have lived here most of my life and never been to the Dallas Farmer's Market. I went with two girls in my Sunday School class that I am getting to know better, and I really like them both! We had a lot of fun and all found tasty treats. I bought new potatoes, onions, squash, plums, concord grapes, blackberries and an avocado. Also a hand carved and painted little turtle for $2 and a HUGE gorgeous yellow mum for $4. I can't believe it was only $4! I intended to buy a mum to put inside a pumpkin, but tonight I couldn't find a pumpkin big enough for my gorgeous mum. I'll try again tomorrow.
I picked up lunch for Brett and I on the way home from the market. Tasty tacos from Taco Cabana. Yumm! Then we drove to Southlake for my nephew's first birthday party! I can't believe Braylon is already a year old! He is so precious! My sister, Melanie decided to have the party at Jump For Fun so the other kids, who are not 1, would have fun things to do. Braylon has a lot of cousins. Well you may think 1 year old is too young to enjoy a bounce house, but you would be mistaken! I sure was! There are so many bounce houses at those jump places that it was easy to pick an empty one and let him crawl around and bounce with mom and dad. He was SO cute! I love his little laugh. He also had a little too much fun on a giant slide for Aunt Kim, but nothing was broken, so it worked out =-)
Today is one of those days that I wish I had a camera that took good pictures. I would have enjoyed it at the market and at the party. Maybe this Christmas? We'll see.
I hope you are having a good weekend! The weather here is gorgeous - I sure hope it sticks around.
And if you have some points/calories to spend, I recommend the peppermint mocha at McDonald's. It's really good, hot or cold. fyi =-)
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Revolution - A Chapter
One of the reasons that I haven't blogged much this past month is because of this weekend. I was a part of a women's conference at our church called The Revolution. It was for girls, ages middle school and up, and it was about sex.
That's right. I was asked to speak at a women's conference, and it was about, of all things, sex.
Here is the text that was used to advertise the weekend leading up to the event:
We are going to look at the Biblical definitions of intimacy, purity, and sexuality. We are taking a stand for Biblical standards. We are done allowing culture to be the loudest voice on these issues. We are done allowing the enemy to have a stronghold in our sexuality. We are taking it back. We are starting a REVOLUTION!
Since joining this church, I have been asked to help out with several different things. It's one of the things that I love most about this church - they expect believers to be in the habit of serving, and they give you every opportunity to do so. I have been asked to sing, asked to greet, asked to serve food, asked to serve people. I was asked to be a group leader for the women's conference last year. Last year I said no. This year I said, what??? I have no idea why I, of all people, would be asked to speak at a conference about sex. There is nothing about my life that would indicate that I have any special knowledge on this subject. I've only been married 3 and half years. But when asked why, I was told that they had been praying about who should lead for months and that I was one of the names that God laid on their hearts. So I trusted God and I said yes.
That was months ago. I've been a nervous wreck ever since! haha. Seriously though. We had had lots of meetings, I had read two books, I had taken notes and I had prayed, but until Thursday night, I still wasn't sure what I was going to say on Saturday. Praise the Lord, we were teaching in teams. The two hour afternoon session for singles that I would be a part of was being lead by myself and a sweet girl names Lesli, who is also married, and who I had come to know in the newlywed class at our church. But though we had met, and sort of had a plan, it was not a plan that I was comfortable with. She wanted us to keep it comfortable and casual and have a lot of open discussion, and that all sounded great, but my borderline type A/B personality need more structure than that. So Thursday night, at 10:00, when I got home from coffee with one of the singles who would be attending the weekend, I sat down with my Bible, the book that the weekend was based on, a pen and a notepad. What followed was something that I have never experienced before.
It is absolute proof that countless women were praying for this event. For the leaders and for the women who would be in attendance. I flipped through the book, compiling the notes that I had written in the book and writing them down on my notepad. I wrote down scripture when I had something in mind to accompany the book. And then at 1:00 in the morning, I came in here, to my computer and started to type. 4 hours and 7 pages later, I had a packet and enough material to fill that two hours comfortably. It was amazing. Truly amazing. I believe that every moment of our lives is foreknown by God and that we are all a part of his plan, but this was like nothing I had ever felt before. Being in a moment and knowing that God was going to use it for his glory. It was incredibly humbling and very powerful.
The weekend went really well. Friday night we met at the church for some time of worship and for a message by a great speaker. Her name is Beth Cannon and she made herself very vulnerable and spoke very openly with us.
Yesterday went just as well. We had about 30 singles come to both sessions and I think that God spoke to a lot of women all over the church from every walk of life.
I was so thankful to be a part of this event. God taught me SOOO much. From the very beginning he showed me areas in my life and in my marriage that needed healing and change. I feel like blinders were taken off and now that it is over, I am seeking the Lord and his direction for the future.
Satan is already attacking our marriage. He does not want healing to take place. But my prayer is that God will foil his attacks and we would use the moments of disunity that Satan throws at us to grow and learn and become stronger.
Outside of myself, my prayer is that the church would no longer treat sex like it is a sin before it IS sin. By not talking about it, we give it a sense of mystery and danger that God never intended for his beloved. I would not stir up passion before it is time, but I hope that believers would not be afraid to ask questions and find answers within the church. They get messages about sex everywhere else in this world!
The book that most of this weekend was based on is by Linda Dillow and Loraine Pintus and it is called Intimate Issues. The singles version of this book is called Gift Wrapped by God. If you are looking for biblical answers about sex, they are good sources.
That's right. I was asked to speak at a women's conference, and it was about, of all things, sex.
Here is the text that was used to advertise the weekend leading up to the event:
We are going to look at the Biblical definitions of intimacy, purity, and sexuality. We are taking a stand for Biblical standards. We are done allowing culture to be the loudest voice on these issues. We are done allowing the enemy to have a stronghold in our sexuality. We are taking it back. We are starting a REVOLUTION!
Since joining this church, I have been asked to help out with several different things. It's one of the things that I love most about this church - they expect believers to be in the habit of serving, and they give you every opportunity to do so. I have been asked to sing, asked to greet, asked to serve food, asked to serve people. I was asked to be a group leader for the women's conference last year. Last year I said no. This year I said, what??? I have no idea why I, of all people, would be asked to speak at a conference about sex. There is nothing about my life that would indicate that I have any special knowledge on this subject. I've only been married 3 and half years. But when asked why, I was told that they had been praying about who should lead for months and that I was one of the names that God laid on their hearts. So I trusted God and I said yes.
That was months ago. I've been a nervous wreck ever since! haha. Seriously though. We had had lots of meetings, I had read two books, I had taken notes and I had prayed, but until Thursday night, I still wasn't sure what I was going to say on Saturday. Praise the Lord, we were teaching in teams. The two hour afternoon session for singles that I would be a part of was being lead by myself and a sweet girl names Lesli, who is also married, and who I had come to know in the newlywed class at our church. But though we had met, and sort of had a plan, it was not a plan that I was comfortable with. She wanted us to keep it comfortable and casual and have a lot of open discussion, and that all sounded great, but my borderline type A/B personality need more structure than that. So Thursday night, at 10:00, when I got home from coffee with one of the singles who would be attending the weekend, I sat down with my Bible, the book that the weekend was based on, a pen and a notepad. What followed was something that I have never experienced before.
It is absolute proof that countless women were praying for this event. For the leaders and for the women who would be in attendance. I flipped through the book, compiling the notes that I had written in the book and writing them down on my notepad. I wrote down scripture when I had something in mind to accompany the book. And then at 1:00 in the morning, I came in here, to my computer and started to type. 4 hours and 7 pages later, I had a packet and enough material to fill that two hours comfortably. It was amazing. Truly amazing. I believe that every moment of our lives is foreknown by God and that we are all a part of his plan, but this was like nothing I had ever felt before. Being in a moment and knowing that God was going to use it for his glory. It was incredibly humbling and very powerful.
The weekend went really well. Friday night we met at the church for some time of worship and for a message by a great speaker. Her name is Beth Cannon and she made herself very vulnerable and spoke very openly with us.
Yesterday went just as well. We had about 30 singles come to both sessions and I think that God spoke to a lot of women all over the church from every walk of life.
I was so thankful to be a part of this event. God taught me SOOO much. From the very beginning he showed me areas in my life and in my marriage that needed healing and change. I feel like blinders were taken off and now that it is over, I am seeking the Lord and his direction for the future.
Satan is already attacking our marriage. He does not want healing to take place. But my prayer is that God will foil his attacks and we would use the moments of disunity that Satan throws at us to grow and learn and become stronger.
Outside of myself, my prayer is that the church would no longer treat sex like it is a sin before it IS sin. By not talking about it, we give it a sense of mystery and danger that God never intended for his beloved. I would not stir up passion before it is time, but I hope that believers would not be afraid to ask questions and find answers within the church. They get messages about sex everywhere else in this world!
The book that most of this weekend was based on is by Linda Dillow and Loraine Pintus and it is called Intimate Issues. The singles version of this book is called Gift Wrapped by God. If you are looking for biblical answers about sex, they are good sources.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
A Lovely Weekend
Just read posts from some of my favorite bloggers, and two of them wished their readers a "lovely weekend". So far, that is the perfect description of my weekend. Lovely =-) Doesn't that word just make you smile?
According to my car, while I was out driving, the high today was 58 degrees. It was breezy, overcast, and absolutely lovely. Fall is coming. Not full blown here - the trees haven't changed yet. But today... man. That is my kind of weather =-) It was a great day!
I'm reading Casual Vacancy, J. K. Rowling's new book, which I am enjoying, though I am also finding it a little depressing. She is the kind of author that writes a character so completely. You really feel like you know her characters. And when they suffer, it hurts. At least, that's how it works in my mind. So it's been a bit of a rough read, but I am definitely liking the book. I'll be in bed in about 30 minutes continuing my read!
Today I took my book to Starbucks and enjoyed the most delicious new drink that I have had there since adding pumpkin to my chai! The salted caramel mocha. Man oh man! It is delicious! I ordered it hot and sipped it slowly while I read my book. It was so relaxing - sitting in my jeans, flip flops and long sleeve t-shirt, my hands tucked inside the sleeves to keep me warm by the window. There is currently a very colorful carnival across the street from this Starbucks - I couldn't take my eyes off of the purple tilt-a-whirl. Someday, I will have a decent camera and will take gorgeous pictures at a street carnival. Hopefully the one that makes frequent appearances at the mall in my hometown.
Before heading to Starbucks, I stopped by the 27th annual "arts and crafts" fair at a local church in town. It was really neat! Not what I was expecting. I'm so glad that I went. I bought a unicorn pin for $4 that I have fun plans for in an upcoming collage. I also bought what I think is part of a vintage postcard. I just thought the picture was sweet. It's a little boy and girl sitting on a bench and the girl is making googly eyes at the boy, who is looking nervous. Not sure what I am going to use it for yet, but it will be something sweet, for sure!
After the craft fair and mind blowing mocha, I did something that I have been wanting to do for a loooooooong time. I swept our driveway. I'm not going to tell you how many times I have worked in the yard in the year and half that we have been in this house. It's an embarrassingly small number. I would like to be better about making our pretty house pretty. I plan on decorating the porch this week. Nothing fancy, just some pumpkins. The sunlight never hits the porch, so plants just die when I put them there. But I'm going to buy a cheap potted plant to stick in a pumpkin on the porch anyway. It will be pretty while it lasts.
The best part of my weekend has been seeing my sweet friend who recently miscarried. It was the first time she felt able to be around people in the last two weeks, and the three of us who went to visit her were so thankful to see her in person. She's still mourning, but slowly healing. She has been on my mind constantly and it was good to be able to put my arms around her and tell her how much I love her.
I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend =-) I'm off to read my good/kind of depressing book. Sleep tight!
According to my car, while I was out driving, the high today was 58 degrees. It was breezy, overcast, and absolutely lovely. Fall is coming. Not full blown here - the trees haven't changed yet. But today... man. That is my kind of weather =-) It was a great day!
I'm reading Casual Vacancy, J. K. Rowling's new book, which I am enjoying, though I am also finding it a little depressing. She is the kind of author that writes a character so completely. You really feel like you know her characters. And when they suffer, it hurts. At least, that's how it works in my mind. So it's been a bit of a rough read, but I am definitely liking the book. I'll be in bed in about 30 minutes continuing my read!
Today I took my book to Starbucks and enjoyed the most delicious new drink that I have had there since adding pumpkin to my chai! The salted caramel mocha. Man oh man! It is delicious! I ordered it hot and sipped it slowly while I read my book. It was so relaxing - sitting in my jeans, flip flops and long sleeve t-shirt, my hands tucked inside the sleeves to keep me warm by the window. There is currently a very colorful carnival across the street from this Starbucks - I couldn't take my eyes off of the purple tilt-a-whirl. Someday, I will have a decent camera and will take gorgeous pictures at a street carnival. Hopefully the one that makes frequent appearances at the mall in my hometown.
Before heading to Starbucks, I stopped by the 27th annual "arts and crafts" fair at a local church in town. It was really neat! Not what I was expecting. I'm so glad that I went. I bought a unicorn pin for $4 that I have fun plans for in an upcoming collage. I also bought what I think is part of a vintage postcard. I just thought the picture was sweet. It's a little boy and girl sitting on a bench and the girl is making googly eyes at the boy, who is looking nervous. Not sure what I am going to use it for yet, but it will be something sweet, for sure!
After the craft fair and mind blowing mocha, I did something that I have been wanting to do for a loooooooong time. I swept our driveway. I'm not going to tell you how many times I have worked in the yard in the year and half that we have been in this house. It's an embarrassingly small number. I would like to be better about making our pretty house pretty. I plan on decorating the porch this week. Nothing fancy, just some pumpkins. The sunlight never hits the porch, so plants just die when I put them there. But I'm going to buy a cheap potted plant to stick in a pumpkin on the porch anyway. It will be pretty while it lasts.
The best part of my weekend has been seeing my sweet friend who recently miscarried. It was the first time she felt able to be around people in the last two weeks, and the three of us who went to visit her were so thankful to see her in person. She's still mourning, but slowly healing. She has been on my mind constantly and it was good to be able to put my arms around her and tell her how much I love her.
I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend =-) I'm off to read my good/kind of depressing book. Sleep tight!
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