It's time

Regardless of how commitment phobic I've become, I'm going to take the leap. ... and NO I'm not getting involved again (sorry to my matchmaking friends and family).

Often, until you tell other people about something, you aren't completely committed to follow through with it. Maybe that's why couples invite everyone they know to witness their exchange of vows. Occasionally they need someone to remind them that they promised "till death do us part." This is kind of one of those things, only on a much smaller scale.

I'm on a quest to create a "healthier me." That's my commitment. Not to be a size 0 or run 15 miles; simply to be healthier. Maybe it's strange that I'm announcing it like this but I really need my friends and family to encourage me and keep me accountable. So, now I'm committed! If God can change me on the inside, I can certainly change me on the outside :o)

What a Bummer!

Tonight as I was leaving work, I got to see the sun set... at 7 PM! What wonder! What joy! And then I remembered that soon the clocks will change and leave us all in the dark again. Bummer.

Do most people even need an extra hour of daylight in the morning??? I certainly don't. I really don't mind not seeing the sun until I'm leaving the gym; nor do I mind not having it peek in my window on the mornings that I'm able to sleep in. However, it'd be grand to have that wonderful fire ball illuminating an evening hike or bike ride. Might be nice to plant flowers or visit friends in the daylight after a few frustrating hours at work too. But no, we get a glimpse of the freedom that daylight offers, then it's lights out again.

I'll say it again "What a bummer!"

Enjoy the late sunsets friends, they'll be coming a lot sooner in just a few short days...

Hmmm

So the quote in my Franklin today is "Those whom we support hold us up in life." (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach)

Not quite sure I agree with this one. In my mind, it's another one of those things that's circumstantial. I can support someone all I want but they may still be too self-centered to "hold me up." Unless of course she means that supporting others keeps us from getting where we need to be. I guess that depends on where we need to be.

I don't think I'm making much sense today. It's one of those "ouch" kind of days; too many memories, good and bad. Can't undo the past but, regardless of my approval, it shapes the future. As much as I've grown and learned, some days I still hurt for what could have been. What should have been... Whatever though! Moving on...

2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in weakness"
Song of the day... "For the Moments I Feel Faint" - Reliant K (it pretty much says it all)

Am I at the point of no improvement?
What of the death I still dwell in?
I try to excel, but I feel no movement.
Can I be free of this unreleasable sin?
Never underestimate my Jesus.
You're telling me that there's no hope.
I'm telling you your wrong.
Never underestimate my Jesus
When the world around you crumbles
He will be strong, He will be strong
I throw up my hands "Oh, the impossibilities"
Frustrated and tired Where do I go from here?
Now I'm searching for the confidence I've lost so willingly
Overcoming these obstacles is overcoming my fear
I think I can't, I think I can't
But I think you can, I think you can
I think I can't, I think I can't
But I think you can, I think you can
Gather my insufficiencies and place them in your hands,
place them in your hands, place themin your hands

... laboring until Christ is formed in us

So I attended a church ministries conference at Calvary Baptist this weekend. The experience was much different than what I was expecting! Actually, I’m not even sure what I was expecting...

The conference took place Friday evening and all day Saturday; 3 sessions total with speaking and music interspersed. The sessions that I selected were entitled “The Privilege of Prayer,” “Passing the Baton - Mentoring the Next Generation,” and a final session entitled “Making Relationships Real with Teens.” The insights that I gained through these lessons were priceless!

If ever you’ve considered attending the conference and haven’t made it a priority, DO IT!!! I can guarantee that you won’t regret it. Course you’ll have to wait a year to test that guarantee :o)

For those of you who were there with me; Let us remain focused on the fact that we labor for one thing… “that Christ may be formed in us” (Galatians 4:19)

Song of the Day... "Every Little Thing" - Hawk Nelson
"Life can be so simple if we'd all just learn to pray"

Office Visit

Here is a new photo of one of my favorite office visitors (notice the paperwork behind his head). He and his mommy joined me for lunch today, following his second doctor’s appointment. He got his first shot this morning and was a little trooper about it.

More to follow…

Please pray for my friend...

Last night the title of our Jr. High study was “God’s Nation in Distress.” We walked through the development of Jerusalem (via Ezekiel 16). Throughout the devotional, we compared the way that God was disregarded by his chosen people to the way that we regard Him and those that love us the most; our parents.

The conversations that our study led to were amazing! Girls who normally sit and chat amongst themselves during the study actually got involved in our discussion. They really opened up and left themselves vulnerable for a change. It was encouraging to see them focus and yet sad to discover the pain that lay buried deep within.

There is a beautiful young lady that I am blessed to have in my group of girls this year. She is funny, vibrant, and loyal but she has a broken heart and it is quickly and drastically affecting the person that she is becoming. Please join me in prayer for her. Specifically, pray that she begins to desire an intimate relationship with her Savior; the only One who can heal her broken heart. Also pray that she progresses in the openness that she exhibited last night and that she is reminded of our study and remains consistently aware of her behavior toward those who love her.

Thanks in advance for your prayers.

Ae

Just another day at Paradigm

Yesterday morning, as I watched the snow gently fall on the window that parallels my desk, I couldn’t help but think about how blessed my life is. Funny how a tiny little thing like a snow flake makes one appreciate life. God is good!

Pushing the Line

Here’s a question that I’ve been seriously conntemplating lately… Why is it that Christians are constantly pushing their way to the edge of the line that scripture has clearly defined? I’m so guilty of this it’s sad. Seriously!

For example, when does someone become a glutton? Or at what point does a physical relationship become fornication? What about materialism; when does one cross from simply enjoying the act of shopping or having nice things, to becoming a materialist. Alcohol; why is it that we can’t be satisfied with having a drink or two? Why must we take it to the point where we have a buzz or we’ve gone way too far and we’re flat out drunk? These examples are really just the tip of the iceberg! Why do we try to get as close as possible to the line that we know we are not to cross? Why is the temptation to test the boundary so great?

I’m not talking about moral nonbelievers; I’m talking about people with seemingly healthy relationships with Christ. If we asked around, we’d probably find that a majority of Christians have things that they regret doing or getting involved in. I certainly do! The regretted acts aren’t things that most of us intended to do, but we took enough steps in the wrong direction that we eventually fell off the cliff. Our seemingly minor daily decisions brought us closer and closer to the line that we didn’t want to cross. Before we knew it, we were shocked to discover that we’d stepped over that line. Personally, I can’t lie and say that I didn’t want to take those first steps; it was only the big ones I never planned.

So what’s the draw? Why do we so strongly desire to test the limits; push the line?

I’m at a loss…

I Live!

Do you ever have days where you’re just excited to be alive and healthy?

Maybe I’m alone in that… Following being miserably sick for over a week, I find myself extremely excited to be healthy again. I’m talking a spring in my step, whistling, the whole gambit. Some days it’s great to look around, breathe in and out (without an inhaler), and thank God that I am alive and healthy.

Psalm 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it.

Song of the Day… “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” - Song of The South
“Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, My, oh my what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine heading my way, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!"