Beginning of Fall

It is in fact the last day of September, and even though fall is my favorite, I have to say that I wish this summer would've been longer. It went way too fast for my liking. October brings Halloween and decorations, pumpkin lattes (mmm..), warm clothes, hot cider, blowing leaves, and lots of other fun stuff. It also brings many different kind of illnesses that are contagious, which I will catch at least one of. Oh wait, I already have... =[ Yesterday during class I found myself rather uncomfortable with lots of aches, a throbbing headache, a stuffed nose, and a sore throat. We also had to go out of town yesterday, so that wasn't fun. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, the Olive Garden, and I was so miserable that all I could eat was half a bowl of soup and half a breadstick. I called it pathetic. I did finally find some jeans that fit me though, so I was as happy as a sick girl could be. Anyway, I didn't go to work today, and by noon I found myself looking at my throat via flashlight in a mirror, only to find what I was hoping not to see... white blotches. Usually those mean strep for me, because I get it almost every year, so I started to call the doctors office. They were on lunch so I waited, and finally gave up because I knew their lunch was over, so I just went in. Luckily they were able to fit me in to see someone. The strep tests came back negative for now, but they're letting the cultures grow for a while longer. However, there are quite a few different things going around right now, and the doctor couldn't tell me which one I have. She gave me antibiotics and sent me home. You know, I really don't care what I have, I just want it to be gone - and not come back. So, after 48hrs I should be well on my way to feeling better, and hopefully up and going again, instead of sitting around the house all day. We'll see. And hopefully Caleb doesn't catch what I have. I doubt he will - he has an amazingly strong immune system! (Its just not fair..haha) Maybe I'm just too much of a germ freak...

Anyway, other than that the week has been pretty good. I got a B on that test I thought I failed, and we have the opportunity to retake it because a lot of the class did actually fail. I got to do a lot more office work at church this week, with making the newsletter and doing many other office things, and connecting with students. They are fantastic, and we're going to have a great year. I've also been trying to brainstorm some creative couples' halloween costumes for Caleb and I for the annual Harvest Party this year. Last year we went as Bob the Builder and his friend Wendy, so this year we're not sure. There are some pretty funny ones online, but they're also pretty expensive. I like inexpensive =] and it would also be nice to not have to buy them, and use whatever resources we already have. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!!!

Below are a few photos I took today. I just couldn't stay inside any longer, and I wanted to post a few pictures for the beginning of fall in west Michigan. Enjoy

The trees in a nearby state park 

The leaves that blew down in our yard during the windstorms yesterday and today 

Our North Breakwater Lighthouse at about 7pm on a windy day. Waves up over the breakwall, sun peaking through the clouds, dark water. Caleb's favorite quote for views like that is "This is why we live in Michigan."

Tough Stuff

This past week has made me completely nuts.

Besides my normal schedule, I had another paper to write, exam to study for, and more homework to do. Caleb's schedule, plus him working at our new house, and not seeing him has took its toll. Also, this week, I'm doing more for work, hurt my knee, and am trying to figure out how to not let the frustrations that got to me last weekend, get to me again. Let me tell you, its quite the project. So, today I got home after my exam (which didn't exactly go as well as I hoped it would..) and was on good 'ol Facebook. A friend of mine just posted about having an off day, and I was quick to respond with some encouragement off the top of my head (and Google, man, I sure love Google!). A few minutes after I posted, I realized those Bible verses applied directly to me too, and my struggles this past (and current) week. Here's what I had written:

2 Corinthians 12:9 - But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness"..


Isaiah 41:10 - "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous hand" 


Ephesians 3:20 - "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.." 




Bask in who He is.. and may your day get much better!

After I read them over a few more times, I realized that if I had just went to my Jesus last week when I got frustrated, it wouldn't have been as bad as it was. Its crazy how anger and frustration can make a person go nuts. These verses helped think through it now though. The first one is a favorite for me. Its such a sweet reminder that God's grace is truly sufficient for us, because even though we are so very weak, His power is perfect, and we are held in the palm of His powerful, loving hand. The second one is so wonderful to think about; the God of the universe is ours, yes ours!, and He has not only told us that, but also promised to strengthen, help, and uphold us. We can't slip out of His grip.. it just doesn't work that way, He won't let us go. What a promise! The third became a reality to me when my life started started to change drastically, after I had asked God to make me His, fully. He is SO able to do so much more than we can ask or think! He's the God of the universe, how can He not?! In the book of James, we are told to believe it can happen when we ask God to do something. I had asked, and waited, and waited, yet I didn't lose heart. Knowing that God is so amazing, and that He will work all things for the good of those who love Him, I knew that even if He didn't answer directly, I would get an answer that was best for me. And I did. He answered exceedingly abundantly beyond what I asked, and I am so thankful for that. Basking in who He is.. easier said than done, I know. But when we fully focus on God, who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing, it is so much easier to put off the day around us (good or bad!) and truly just live in Him and His wondrous glory. 

So, as I face the rest of my week keeping these in mind, we'll see how it goes. I know there will be things people do/say to me that I have no control over, but that's their problem, not mine. As I look ahead to See You At The Pole (tomorrow is National See You At The Pole Day, if you didn't know that. People will probably be meeting at your court house flag pole around 7:30 am if you want to participate in lifting up our nation, and many other things in prayer!), AWANA, class, planning youth activities, and more, I'll have some more comfort.. and truly bask in who my Lord and Savior is. 

May you do the same

Skies

As I was sitting on the couch earlier this morning after my devotion, the eastern sky caught my attention. There were faint hints of a rosy pink color beginning to peak up through the trees and light rain. Within a few minutes, the piece of sky I could see outside the window had turned pink with hints of purple and blue. Caught up in the sight, my phone scared me as it started ringing. It was my husband on his way to work. "Look outside," he said, "first toward the east, then towards the beach (west)"  He had seen a dark grey color coming off the lake as the storm blew in, and then a totally different scene as he turned eastward to head to work. The sky he saw had been painted pink with some purple and blue as well. But it had also been infused with orange as the sun began to rise. "Its so cool," he said, "it made me think of you. The sun looks like a glowing ball, it would be worth hopping in your car and driving just to see it." So I hopped in my car and started driving eastward. I saw what he had described, and it was beautiful. The sky was painted just like he said, and the sun was a glowing ball fighting the clouds just to be seen. The most the clouds let me see was a sliver, but saying it glowed was an understatement. Soon, the pink, purple, blue, and orange dispersed and gave way to a light blue sky with faint purple streaks. Going as far through town as I could, I turned around and headed home.

As I neared our house I decided I'd drive through the beach. The sight there was beautiful too, and I parked my car to sit a minute and take it all in. The dark grey color on the horizon of the water warned of the storm that was blowing in. Waves jumped at the breakwall, and the green light in the lighthouse flashed to warn any boats it was there. The wind whipped the rain and trees in every direction, and ruffled the feathers of the gulls who were hunched up protecting themselves from the cold, and begging me for food. Soon, that sky too gave way to a blue streaked sky and the rain slowed its fall. I started my car and began the drive home. 

On my way home, I thought of both views I had just witnessed as multiple things crossed my mind. The main thoughts were that just as sunrise or a storm blowing through, our life is only a few minutes on this earth compared to eternity. Are you making yours worth living? 

Home and Students

Last Friday my husband and I officially became homeowners =] The house that I posted a picture of (that looks like a big red barn) will be our new home as soon as we get all the fixin-up done that needs doing! Thanks to all who prayed - we are super excited to start this new chapter in our lives and can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

Now on to ministry stuff! Yesterday, we took our youth group to see "The Grace Card" at another church with a few other youth groups. It was a fantastic movie, and even a great learning opportunity. The movie focused on concepts like grace, forgiveness, guilt, blame, relationships, loving others and second chances. We even had a time after the movie to split up in small groups and talk to our students about these concepts, the movie, and how it applies to their lives. The students had fantastic feedback for us, and their answers to our questions were encouraging - they had not only paid attention and grasped some of the concepts from the movie, but they had already thought about how they could apply them to their lives! Pray that they will continue to focus on these topics outside of the church atmosphere and and keep applying them to their lives.

Warriors and Soldiers

Youth Group back to school kickoff was last night, and I would call it a success. We had between thirty and forty middle and high schoolers come for some fun, food, and fellowship. We let them hang out a bit, then played three games. The first was a name game, the second a teamwork game, and the third a crazy game that was just for fun. The devotional was on spiritual warfare, and definitely gave our students a lot to think about. If you'd like something to chew on for the day, I wrote down something one of the leaders said when asked a question during the devotional. Here's what he said:

"We are not called warriors of Christ, because warriors stand alone. We are called soldiers of Christ, because soldiers stand together. As warriors we would die alone, but as soldiers we stand, fight, and live together."

 It hit me as completely true. As Christians, we can't live this life alone - we need others to help us, thus being called soldiers. Please pray that our students heard the message in their hearts and it will effect them in a positive way as they grow in Christ and in relationships in school. It looks like we're going to have a great group this year, and we (as staff) can't wait to see what's in store!

Some Summer Pictures!

First, here is our prospective house!

Close to 3,000 ft sq, tucked away, and ready for some tlc and love! Please keep praying that all goes well!

Now for a few pictures of what we've been up to =]

My mom sister and I rode our bikes to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse (and took our dogs) while at the State Park.

A walk to the North Breakwater Lighthouse one night while my parents were in town.

Caleb and I on the breakwall

Photo credits to my mom on the above three - I wish I had one with her in it too!

Below - photos of crud wars (see earlier posts for explanation)

I Challenge YOU!

Yes, you! I have a challenge. Go to the link below and make a promise to help change lives on September 11, 2011 - two days from now. In honor of those fallen defending our country, KLove is encouraging everyone to make a difference. The goal is to change one million, yes - one million, lives by encouraging us to love and bless others. Your promise doesn't have to be anything extravagent, sometimes the simplest of things can change lives in the largest ways. Will you take the challenge?!

http://www.klove.com/ministry/make-a-difference.aspx


(Also, as a side note, I would definitely recommend exploring KLove's website! You can listen to the radio station live online at any time, and there are lots of great resources! Enjoy!)

G.O.S.P.E.L - A Must See!

If you have a few minutes - please watch this video! It could change your life.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Shifting Sand

These last ten days have been crazy. Last week, I turned in notice of my last days at work, we found a house - made an offer - accepted a counter offer, and are now in the inspection period. College started again, my husband and I traveled for the holiday and visited family, and now I'm sitting back home with a racing mind and dreadfully counting down the minutes until I have to leave for class. 

Reading others' blog posts, I have to agree that these few months have been hard, and that asking God why things happen is a lot easier than asking how He can use these experiences in my life to bring Him glory and bring me closer to Him. Its a crazy thought, and one I struggle with. I've gotten better at it, but some days I almost feel like I'm too laid back in trusting Him.... is that possible? As I walked to the lighthouse and back early this morning, I spent some time talking to my sweet sweet Jesus and praising Him for the beauty around me. Its only because of Him that I am where I am today - and what a blessing. He has poured out His love, been faithful when I haven't, and continuously blessed me beyond what I can imagine. But, still some days, I really get to thinking, and shooting up question after question.. why is life sometimes so hard?? Today is more of an open minded (and sad to say apathetic) day: I have class and lab, and then am meeting the inspector at the house while he inspects every little minute detail that needs to be in good working condition. I go back and forth in attitudes about being there. Sometimes I'm interested to see how he does it/what he says, and other times I tell myself how long it takes and how bored I'll get. Ha.. it'll be interesting. 

Last week I heard a song that pretty much sums up what I was talking about a little bit ago; struggling with questions and a doubtful human nature. If I ever sing in church again, this would probably be the song I would sing; I feel like its summing up my life pretty well some days. Anyway, here it is, Shifting Sand, by Caedmon's Call 

Blessings!

I have a few updates for you!!

My cousin Carson was brought to our hometown and put in a rehab center! After being told he would be in Hurley in Flint for months at least, this is great news. He is doing wonderful.

Our family was also excited to welcome a new member: Caleb's cousins welcomed a baby girl early this Tuesday morning named Klara Jane. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as they adjust to her arrival!

After working my summer away, I decided that it was to both my and Calebs benefit to give up my job at the market. This was a hard decision, as it has been a fabulous few months and I have enjoyed working there immensely. Problem with it was, that I was working to the point of exhaustion, never having a break or seeing my husband, and I would need to take some time off now and then - which I was told wasn't a possibility. After making this decision, I was curious as to how it would effect my income (and another major decision we recently made!). Well, not long after that, someone at church approached me asking if I would be interested in a major ministry opportunity. Although I can't share much, I was shocked to be one of the first people they thought of for this position, and feel blessed that they are considering. Nothing is for sure yet, as it has to be brought before the boards at our church, but this opportunity would be a great learning opportunity, and I would be blessed to have it. We'll see =] It's in God's hands.

The other major decision we recently made is about housing! We had been looking at houses since last fall, and made an offer that fell through on the other guys' end, etc., so by last week we were pretty sick of looking for houses. For a while, we actually didn't look at all because of busy schedules, lack of motivation, excess of frustration...   But, last week Caleb's parents spotted one online and we just had to go look at it! It's tucked back into a nice neighborhood a few miles out of town. Two of its sides are surround by woods, one looks out to the road, and another to the neighboring house. Its almost 3,000 ft sq., with five bedrooms and three full bathrooms. It sounded too good to be true for the price, so we got some more information. Well, a pipe had burst in the basement, which had spurred the spreading of mold up the walls to the basement and some of the main floor. A family of raccoons had called the attic home, so that was damaged also. We went to take a look and fell in love with the house and it's surroundings. Caleb had done a lot of restoration in the past few years, so he knew what has to be done, and after talking about it, we decided its do-able. So, we made an offer and received a counter-offer the same day. We accepted it, signed papers, and are now in the ten day inspection period. Hopefully everything goes well and right, and we get it! It would take a while to get it fixed up, but essentially (given everything goes well time wise) we could have most of it finished and be living in it by spring. That, too, is in God's hands =] We're on pins and needles though, waiting. I'm excited. I grew up in a tiny house, so a house this big and open is what I really wanted to find. The only downside is that I wish there was more property attached. I'm sure I'll keep you posted.

Ok, on to this weekend! About a month ago, we were told a birthday party was going to be thrown for Calebs grandpa, so we decided to attend. His grandparents live on the other side of the state, about an hour north of my hometown. After deciding to go to the party, what else did we decided? To make a weekend out of it and go see my family also! =] So, I get to visit home and meet a bunch more family on Caleb's side I haven't got to meet yet! It should be a really good weekend. It sounds like it'll be busy already though. We won't get there until late tonight, and tomorrow is the party. After that will be Sunday church services and visiting more family. I have Monday off of school and work and Caleb has the holiday off for work, so we won't have to head home until Monday afternoon! That is one of the best parts, because usually we have to head back Sunday afternoon to get to work on Monday. Anyway, we'll be visiting a lot of family and just taking it easy. The only downside is that I have a lot of work to do for my online class this weekend, but that can be done at a coffee shop or McDonald's, when all else fails. =] haha. Please pray for traveling mercies for everything traveling (especially this holiday weekend!) and have a great weekend! Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures later!