Christmas Busyness

It feels like such a long time since I've written, but I'm sure you all know how busy the Christmas season is :) Here's a few things we've done since I wrote last time:

-Had our young adult group Christmas party (there were 27 people in our house!)
-Went across state for two family Christmas'
-Spent time with my brother and his girlfriend who live in Missouri
-Spent Christmas with two sides of family
-Been in the ER here, and a hospital two hours south

It has been interesting to say the least, but life throws all kinds of things at us, and we're used to that :) Both family Christmas' across state were wonderful. We got to see at least fifty people from my family, and my brother and his girlfriend were able to come to both parties this year. They come from Missouri every year, and because the parties were so close to Christmas, this year they were already here. It was great to see everyone and the family time was much needed.

The young adult group Christmas party was a lot of fun. We did a traditional dinner (there was absolutely no counter space left after everything was set out - and I have a lot of counters!) and a 'gift grab.' Everyone brought a dish to pass and white elephant gift. We ate (so much food..) and then we drew numbers to pick the gifts. There was stealing of gifts, shenanigans, and lots of commotion, but it was fun. It was a late night though, and we both had to work the next morning so it was quite exhausting.

Christmas here was fun. We spent Christmas Eve day with my family, and went to the service at night with Caleb's family and then opened gifts with them. Christmas morning was at my parents', dinner at his parents, and then we ended the night at my parents with a bunch of games before we came home and did gifts with each other. It was hectic and long, but it was a great Christmas day and we were able to spend time with lots of family.

The day after Christmas we had to work, but I went out to my parents for dinner. We ended up in the ER with my great grandma, and then got transferred to a bigger city. After many tests they confirmed it was a stroke. If you could please pray for her that would be greatly appreciated. She's 95, and has always been a fighter, but she could use a few prayer warriors to think about her.

As for me, I sit on my couch on a perfectly good Sunday morning, sick. I've been fighting something off since last weekend and it finally caught up to me. I'm not super sick, but my throat is irritated and I keep coughing up phlegm.. and just guessing, but thats probably the last thing people sitting next to me in a pew want to be around. So, I'll listen to the service on the radio. I was looking forward to the service though. I was supposed to be on praise team, and our friend - the youth pastor at our church - was given the opportunity to preach. He's so excited, and we're excited to see what he has to say. I just wish I could be there to see it,.. the radio is great, but I'm too fidgety to just sit so we'll see what happens.

Well, thats all for now. I hope your Christmas season was great, and you enjoyed celebrating the Saviors birth. Just remember that regardless of the season, we can always celebrate.

Merry Christmas Everyone! 

Buttery Deliciousness (aka English Toffee)

I've been wanting to make some of this for a while now, so I finally looked up a recipe tonight and figured out that it is super easy to make!

Here's what you need:
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
chopped nuts (optional)
chocolate chips (optional)

Here's what you do:
Melt the butter, add the sugar, and heat till it boils, stirring constantly.
Stir in the water and corn syrup and cook until mixture is 290 degrees F on a candy thermometer, stirring constantly. It'll start to turn light brown and thicken up.
Remove from heat and pour onto a lined/greased baking sheet - it sets up super fast, so be quick to spread it out!
Sprinkle with chocolate chips while toffee is still hot, and spread them over mixture once they start to melt.
Sprinkle chopped nuts over the top.

Let harden (or, if you're like me.. you'll be impatient and put it in the fridge), break into pieces, and enjoy! (And maybe share..)

AWANA - Just Listen First

I'm back much sooner than I thought! I mentioned AWANA a few months ago, and after last night's club I just felt like I had to come back and reiterate how cool the program is.

The goal of AWANA is "to reach boys and girls with the gospel of Christ and train them to serve Him." We try to achieve that by teaching them Bible verses, telling them a story/lesson, songs, and then, of course, we have a time for games :) The group I work with are 'Sparks' (K-2), and they are awesome. Between teaching them verses, helping at game time, and being there during their lessons, I'm sure they have taught me just as much as we teach them. I have a blast every week. Seeing their faces light up when they say a section of verses, earn a jewel from saying multiple sections, or their team wins for the night... those are the things that make me come back. The not-as-great times when we need to slow them down for a quick chat are good too, I mean hey.. we all need a little instruction now and then. I'd rather do it kindly in that kind of an environment though, where we can explain why certain actions/word aren't good.

Needless to say, last night was an exceptionally good night. Every student on our team had their uniform, said a section, and earned a jewel. We have been struggling with some of those things lately, and it was a great encouragement to know that these kids are still working hard. Not only did our team say 30 sections (some have more than one verse!), the whole Sparks group (approximately 35 kids) said 102 sections! How cool is that?!

I really think we underestimate kids. We were each a 'kid' once.. remember how adults undermined you, saying you couldn't do certain things because " " and they'd list reasons? They're so smart.. and sometimes we just forget that, or fail to acknowledge it. I observed a conversation last night between two boys on my team. We watched a movie for the lesson. It was about three trees; each had a dream of being something when they grew up, but God had a different plan for them. One became a manger, one a boat, and one a cross. The boys started whispering back and forth, so I leaned in so I could quiet them down. I overheard a comment about 'what do you think they're making with that?' so I stopped to listen. The other said 'oh, I betcha its the boat Jesus was on when he calmed the water!' 'oh yeah! that makes sense!' was the reply. Well sure enough.. that was what one of the trees was made into. At that point, I was a little flabbergasted... they weren't just watching the movie, they were consuming the movie. They whispered each other into a realization that the last tree was made into the cross that Jesus was crucified on too. I didn't stop the whispering. We were in the back row, no one was complaining, and it was healthy conversation between the two boys who were helping each other get more out of the movie. They got the point. I sat back and thought about their innocent conversation that only I had heard. We are often so quick to shush kids when they're whispering during a quiet time, that we fail to listen. We can miss so much if we don't listen. I'm glad I didn't tell them to stop whispering, because I learned once again, that we underestimate them.. who knows what they could be talking about. Yeah, sometimes its not pertinent to whats going on, they could just be fooling around. But we'll never find out if we don't listen first.

Listen to a 'kid' today. You may be surprised at what they have to teach you :)

Tired Tellings

Wow.. so much has happened since I've been here to write. I'll share, but I know I won't be able to remember most of the stuff.. haha. I'm sure most realize that life gets a lot busier during the holiday season though.. :)

To start with, last week flew by. Monday and Tuesday were normal, but Wednesday night we started our normal routine and I ended up leaving for my hometown. Caleb had to work Thursday, and I figured that because we wanted to leave early it would just so happen that he would have to work late that day... so I left a night before him. And guess what? I was right... he didn't get started on his way across state until late Thursday. But regardless, we got to spend the weekend with my family and it was wonderful. There were many conversations, lots of food, and a lot of relaxing. Despite not getting back till late Sunday night and having to work early yesterday, it was a great weekend, and very refreshing.

Here's a thought (mainly for those who utilize smart phones): what would you do if you went away for a weekend and could only text and call with your phone? That would be crazy.. wouldn't it? I've been phone-less for over a week before, but somehow it wasn't as weird as it was this weekend only being able to text and call. No facebook, no twitter, no games that used internet... nothing other than calling and texting. It felt like depravity and freedom all at the same time. I didn't have to worry about who needed to get ahold of me via facebook or twitter, because I knew they would just have to wait, but it was weird to have a moment to spare and not be able to check either one. It wasn't a huge deal, but it brought how much I use my phone into perspective. I use it like a computer.. except it can travel in my pocket :)

After getting back and whipping the house into shape and getting to work and everything else, these past few days have went well. My body wouldn't let me sleep in this morning, so I did some grocery shopping before work, warmed up leftovers for dinner afterwards, and let fellowship relax me. Its crazy how our Bible study is such a large part of our life now, but I am so thankful that we got involved. Its great to have close friends who I can lean on that have a similar mindset. We have between fifteen and twenty people here every week, and after we start a new format next month, our numbers (Lord willing) may explode. Please pray for our group. I also love having a large enough house that we are able to have everyone over. When we were looking at houses one thing we really wanted to have was extra space to share... and we sure got our wish. With just under three thousand square feet, our house will hold quite a few people. It'll also make for extra room when children are running around inside... but who's counting down till that..? Oh wait.. me :) Hey, I can't lie, thats one thing I really look forward to. In His time.

Well, thanks for listening to what my tired mind has to share.. and a small snippet of what we've been up to. Goodnight!

A Little Bit..

...of Christmas cheer! And it's not even December yet!

I'm one of those people who refuse to decorate for Christmas or play Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. Why? Because I think it takes away from the season of thanksgiving we ought to enjoy before we focus on our Savior's birth.

Well, I had to work today, so we couldn't go away for the sales, we just stayed here in town. Caleb hit the stores yesterday morning, then we took my sister (she had never been frenzy shopping before) and hit the 8pm, 10pm, and then there were midnight, 5am and 6am sales. I didn't get to go to all of them, but we got a LOT of stuff, and a lot of it was Christmas gifts. Needless to say, it looked like a bomb went off in our house. To top it off, while I was at work, everyone else started wrapping gifts, and when I got home we put the tree up, wrapped more gifts, and I put up my nativity. I love the willow tree pieces, and this nativity is so beautiful! Anyway, our house is full of stuff right now and most counter and table tops are lacking any clear space. Oh darn.. ;)

How was your Thanksgiving? We had two dinners, within two hours. Busting? Absolutely. Everything was delicious, of course, and even though the second dinner was at 2pm, I wasn't hungry for the rest of the day. It was great to be family and laugh and relax, and we're thankful that we were able to see so many people.

Next on our agenda is a trip across state to my hometown. We haven't been there since July (which I think is the longest since I've moved here). We're really excited to get to see even more family and have a four day weekend. I'm sure it'll fly by, but we're so glad we get to make the trip. I miss everyone so much, and this visit is long overdue.

No promises, but I'll try to write again soon. Enjoy the beginning of your Christmas season!

Past Surprises

Hey all :) This'll be a quick one - I'm a bit crunched for time today.

Because one of my co-workers and her husband had to go to Minnesota this week for a biopsy, I worked a different shift, and somehow got a Friday off. But as thankful as I am for today off, my mind is heavy, please keep my co-worker and her husband in your prayers, they're going through some rough stuff right now.

Later on tonight, a few vans will depart from our church filled with high school students and some of our youth leadership staff. Caleb and I will be two of those staff.. with a bunch of high schoolers yet again, on our way up to camp, and we're pretty excited for the next few days. This weekend is the annual leadership retreat for high schoolers, and I can't wait to see how God is going to move. Unlike the camp I grew up going to that was about four hours away, this camp is only about an hour and a half away, so the drive isn't brutal. The weekend will be filled with camp games, chapel, food, fellowship and ohhh so much worship. Please keep our students and leaders in your prayers especially this weekend for safety, open hearts, vulnerability, growth, and a willingness to let God change what needs to be changed. Its greatly appreciated! Prayer warriors truly are gems, and regardless of what others say, I believe that prayer is powerful beyond words.

What spurred me to write this morning is something I found in my purse. I recently switched purses and found an old mp3 player from my freshman year of high school. Like any curious person, I popped in a new battery and tried to remember what songs would be on there.. the songs that were most meaningful to me at the time. The first few notes of the first song immediately brought a smile to my face and the melody of 'American Child' by Phil Vassar came loud and clear through my earbuds. I kept scrolling and came across a familiar title. I pushed play and at the first few notes of the song it felt like my heart lifted. The song was titled 'Hungry' but is known today as 'Hallelujah.' Its strange how we can connect so greatly to words someone else has written.. I remember sitting on the school bus after a long and bad day at school listening to this song with tears in my eyes, knowing that God's love is still powerful, even after the bad days. The melody, the words, the whole thing; its just one of those songs that makes you stop, close your eyes, and breathe... as if to tell you 'hey... just chill for a minute..' Fact is, some things aren't as important or dire as we think they are. In high school when we had a bad day, we often made it out to be the end of the world; but in reality it was just a day where a few things went wrong and we let it effect our whole day. Yes, it really was a choice.. and we made the choice to let it effect our whole day. But things seem so big at that age, and still now sometimes. It just makes me stop and think now, looking back a bit. I'm glad for little memories like that; ones that can be brought back just by hitting 'play.' Anyway, enough rambling, I'll give you the lyrics and then I'm off to pack, drop our dog off at my parents, and finish getting ready to head to camp. Here they are, 'Hallelujah:'

Your love is amazing, steady and unchanging

Your love is a mountain, firm beneath my feet

Your love is a mystery, how You gently lift me

When I am surrounded, Your love carries me

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Your love makes me sing

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Your love makes me sing

Your love is surprising, I can feel it rising

All the joy thats growing, deep inside of me

Every time I see You, all Your goodness shines through

I can feel this God-song, rising up in me

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Your love makes me sing

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Your love makes me sing

Here's my challenge to you: let the message of this song effect your day. I'm not going to tell you how - thats up to you to decide. And remember, its a choice. 

Halloween

Just a quick snippet of life today:

This will be the first year for pumpkins in our own house.. even if we're late carving them :) Since we always help at our church's "Harvest" (Halloween) Party, we won't even be home to pass out candy. That's ok though, we enjoy the harvest party immensely. Its safer than trick or treating and just as much fun, plus there's all sorts of games that make it family friendly. There's even a cardboard maze through parts of the building. Last year the youth group made it, this year our young adult group will be making it instead of meeting at our house for our usual Bible study.. fun fun.

Well, that's its for now. Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Just Love Them

Its crazy how busy life is. I'm sitting here listening to the rain and wind outside our cozy living room, just thinking. Life/Work/Church/Future/Family/Friends/Home.. Its 11pm and I could fall asleep right now, but I don't want to go to bed. My head is spinning..

I love this craziness. This world is insane, and as much as we all sometimes want to deny it, we can't. I often think about the students in the high school youth group I work with. Some of their lives are unimaginable. So are the lives of many of the middle school students that come to our Jr. High program. It hurts to hear about their lives and wonder what it must be like to live daily in their situations. We don't give some of them enough credit for just living. Coming from families with one (or no) parent(s), raising siblings, taking care of the house, dealing with drugs, gangs, wrong crowds, etc. Todays youth face so much more today than they did just a few years ago. Can you imagine how strong some of these individuals must be? And they're not even technically adults yet. We each face our own battles, so those of us who didn't grow up in situations like theirs have no idea what its like to live in their 'world,' and its hard to bridge that gap because many students from those situations have walls built up around them. Our church recently hired a new youth pastor after searching for over a year. He grew up in the area and really has a heart for students, and people in general. In a conversation with him early this summer, we were talking about how to get through to students like I mentioned above. This is what he said: just love them. 'Just love them?' I thought about this for a very short time before it clicked. Just love them. Thats what Jesus did; He just loved people. Like the woman at the well, and Zacchaeus, and everyone else. We're all drawn to Him because of His love that seems so unimaginable to us. So it made sense that the way to get through to our students is to just love them. They're not going to open up to someone who is judgmental, rude, not genuine, and doesn't seem to care. No, they're going to run to the person who has repeatedly made it know to them that they have value, and that they matter. And I'll tell you, it works. So, needless to say, "just love them" are three of the most valuable words I have ever been given in ministry advice to this day.

Just love them. Three words, just for ministry, right? Wrong. After thinking about loving these students it really made me think about just loving people. At some point in the last few years I made the decision to love people like Jesus did, but it never clicked as much as it did this summer. Lets get real, as adults - or anyone for that matter,  to 'just love them' is harder than it seems. We deal with so many people per day; young, old, smart, challenged, rude, etc., that sometimes we flat out don't want to show them love. We want to be rude just they like were to us, we want them to get paid back for the wrong they did, and on and on. But thats our nature, as humans, and its a daily battle. Loving can be a very hard and conscious choice, but can be easy for some. I'm not one of those people, and I'll be the first to admit it. Loving people isn't always easy, but its one of those things that drives me. Even within my family, its hard. Growing up I fought with my siblings, parents, extended family,.. everyone. I wasn't exactly agreeable. And then I moved out. And I realized how big of a jerk I was. I realized that the love I needed to be showing them should imitate the love of Christ. I still don't succeed in always showing that love to them, my husband, or others, but I can look back and see the progress I've made, and know that God's not finished with me yet. I make a conscious choice to love, and move on. Its one of those one-line prayers we utter, mine being "God help me to just love them" and rely on Him to guide us and grow us into a more loving person. After all, we're all just people trying to live, survive, and figure out where we're supposed to be; so lets cut each other some slack. Give grace, give love.

Just love them. Pure and simple.

Just love them.

Free to Struggle

 If you haven't guessed already, Tenth Avenue North is my favorite band. A few weeks ago we got the opportunity to go see them in concert again, this time a little closer to home, and without it being 95 degrees standing in the sun.. but, we were a lot further away from the stage.

My sister-in-law texted me late on a Monday telling me about the concert that Friday night, and by the next morning five tickets had been bought. Exciting? Very! So we headed down on Friday night to see Tenth Avenue North, Rend Collective, and Audrey Assad. It was a great concert. There was an energy surging through the air, and so much was talked about. Mike Donehey (lead singer from TenthAve) spoke in between songs explaining some of the meanings. The man definitely has a way with words, and a way with conveying God's love in a way people can relate and understand. I think that sometimes we are so used to hearing about God's love only in sermons that we start to just think "yeah, God loves me, I know" but we don't process it, act on it, and really bask in His love. I mean, hey, we are His children. He died for us, knowing that we may reject Him.

He also talked about how many of us have hurts, shame, and so many other things that make us feel far from God. Friends, the fact is, God is never far away. In fact, He's so close we can't even imagine His proximity. He died to forgive the things that we feel shame for. He died to give us life. He died out of love, and that same love is waiting for us to run to Him and ask Him to heal our hurts. He longs for us to come to Him, and He will always be there, never giving up on us, or failing us. Our egos, shame, sin, and so many other things make us feel like we're not good enough, that we we're not worthy to come to Him. But He died for those reasons, so we can come to Him. He's there, and always will be. He loves us. And always will. I pray that you not only believe that, but act on it in a way that gives love back to Him.

The new album is called 'the Struggle', and talks about how we're free to struggle, but we're not struggling to be free. Christ has already set us free. We're free to fail, because we fall into an ocean of grace. What a huge relief. I think so many people are afraid of failing... terrified, of failing. So, they don't act. But we can miss out on so many amazing things if we fear failure and don't do anything. We're not perfect, we're going to fail; but when we fail, it means we tried. God doesn't call us to be idle. Don't fear failing.. fall into an ocean of grace.

Check them out here:  http://tenthavenuenorth.com/home

"Hallelujah we are free to struggle

We're not struggling to be free

Your blood bought and made us children

So children drop your chains and sing"

The Self Worth of Today's Girl

My original intent for tonight was to post about a Tenth Avenue North concert and our small group Bible study, but I saw this quote on Facebook and had to give my own two cents:

Girls, why is it okay to call ourselves fat, ugly, and dumb, but if we admit to being smart, funny, or pretty we're conceited? Stop selling yourselves short. Being a "dumb slut" isn't endearing, or cute. What's cute is a girl who knows her worth. Can we stop ripping ourselves down for the sake of seeming humble? There's a difference between being humble and hating yourself.

 How well do you think this sums up many girls/young ladies/women today? I think it sums up their thoughts so well that many wouldn't admit to it. The thing is, that its true. An acquaintance from high school posted this. She grew up a PK, is going to a secular college, and is a fantastic young woman. I feel like her saying this and it being spread around could give so many girls the guts to start believing in themselves instead of cutting themselves down.

Thinking that girls today don't think these things about themselves and what this girl posted is out of line? You're wrong. Some girls know their worth, others believe what society has engrained into them. The girls that believe what society has engrained into them believe what the above quote is saying. In todays world, I'll be the first young adult to tell you that girls demean themselves in order to be seen as humble, but if we admit the good things about ourselves we are accused of being conceited. Thats how it is. Crazy? Ridiculous? Absolutely. Girls are taught to have hardly any self worth, and yet people wonder why eating disorders, rates of suicide, mental conditions, etc., are running at a high.

How can we help? Encourage girls around us. Let them know that it is o.k. to acknowledge their strong points and low points, but dwelling on either could pose a problem. We are each created so beautifully and uniquely that we shouldn't have anything bad to say against another. We are all different. That means we will all look different, think different, and have different qualities; good or bad. That's who we are; who God created us to be. Regardless if you believe in God or not, we are all worth more than we acknowledge, and that is a problem. Will you help me start a trend of treating others with worth to help turn some of these negative thoughts around?

Whats Up

This is how quite a fews go for me: rise'n'shine, work, home, walk, dinner, bed. This is the sight I see when we go for a walk.. head on is the channel going to Lake Michigan; passing through two marinas, and one that would go behind the onlooker. Beautiful, any day and any time.

Two Sundays ago, Caleb took me for a drive to show me where he had worked for a few days, some pumpkin patches, and miles and miles of turbines. I had never been this close to them before, so I couldn't help but take some pictures. In our corn fields they look like giants standing watch over their territory. They go for miles..

 

Look at the first picture of this post one more time. The peninsula the next few pictures are taken at, is where the left side of the first picture is.. it's only a couple hundred yards from one side to the other, but if you wanted to travel from one side to the other by anything other than boat, you have to drive south for about five minutes, turn west another five, and then go north yet another five minutes to be on that peninsula. However, the view is completely worth it. We drove here on our way back from looking at the turbines because it's gorgeous, and it's the only beach nearby where dogs are allowed.

Honey loves all the trails up and down the dunes :) She kept running up and down them and would run ahead a little bit them turn around and look at us as if to say; "Come on, hurry up! There's so much to see!" 

Sizzle steaks, with acorn squash and sauteed onions and peppers. I love to cook :) I have a lot of fun doing it... thankfully, ..because we have a few big eaters here. I can't imagine the size of the meals I'll have to make if we have a few teenage boys around someday though :0 yikes.

Our Honey is terrified of the mower (which I think is both good and bad..), so when Caleb put her up on his seat, it took all the she had to not jump down. She was shaking and wiggling, and it was so cute. She was ok after a while though.. considering it wasn't on or moving.

The fire dept. did a practice burn last Saturday.. except practically the whole town didn't think it was a practice burn. From the highway, it looked like something rather large was burning; huge billows of this thick black smoke were rolling high and over the highway. It made quite the spectacle, and many gawkers couldn't help but follow their curiosity to the end of the road to see what was happening.

This is  the latest project in our house: getting one more room done. The room is now completely livable. Caleb made the frame for the bed and the guys helped bring it upstairs on Tuesday, and there are now shades, a lamp, a complete vanity, and dresser all in place. Ready to go for whoever comes to visit! :)

And, finally, this is what I saw yesterday on our walk. Its just a few hundred yards up the walkway from the first picture of this post. The trees in the distance are the peninsula I talked about... and are absolutely stunning right now. Not to mention, it was misty/foggy yesterday, so it looked even more cool. I love this sight.

Well, thats it for now. Sorry the formatting is crazy, I can't get it to go how I wanted.. and its driving me nuts so I'm just going to leave it be :) Sometimes its better that way.

Blessed is He..

It seems like forever since I've been on here. For the last two weeks, every night I have thought, "I should post, I have so much to say, we've been doing so much!" But time passes me by and here I am, over two weeks later, with more to say than I can write. So, I'll write whats on my mind, and then fill you in on the past two weeks in a continuation or another post.

This morning started with sleeping in, Jesus, coffee, and a cuddly puppy. Yes, I actually have a day off! (imagine that..). So, before tacking a to-do list, I sat down to spend some time with my Maker and see what He had to say to me through His word. I was in Psalm 83 and 84 today, and what hit me was from chapter 84. Here's the whole thing (NIV):

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    Lord Almighty!
² My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God.
³ Even the sparrow has found a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
    Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
    they are ever praising you.^[c]

⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.^[d]
7 They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.

⁸ Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
    listen to me, God of Jacob.
⁹ Look on our shield,^[e] O God;
    look with favor on your anointed one.

¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.

¹²     

Lord Almighty,

blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Now, this Psalm may seem familiar, as the song 'Better Is One Day' starts out with the first verse of this Psalm. So lets talk.. first, what is the interpretation of "dwelling place." Some might ask what that is. A different version I have calls the dwelling a tabernacle.  In the footnotes of my Bible, I'm told that the temple worship center was special in the OT because it allowed individuals to come into the presence of God. Think about it this way; "How lovely is Your [presence], Lord Almighty" That seems to be easier understood than dwelling place. But the writer, Asaph, is calling attention to how wonderful it is to be in God's presence, and I couldn't agree more.

Next, the word 'blessed' is used three times in this Psalm (verses 4, 5, and 12), and is describing the happiness of those who take refuge and trust in God. "Blessed are those who dwell in Your house... Blessed are those whose strength is in You... Blessed in the one who trusts in You" Replace blessed with happy/content. What do you think? I've found that taking refuge in God and truly searching out His heart for satisfaction gives a happiness nothing else can give. He is the giver of life, our deliverer, our rock, our hiding place, ..and yet so many times we look to things of this world like money, relationships, possessions, etc. to make us happy. We're looking in the wrong places for happiness, friends. "Blessed is the one who trusts in [Him] (v. 12). 

Good Stuff

Helloooo :) Since I got a new phone and figured out that I can put pictures on here from my phone.. it's much easier to share what's going on in our lives.

Caleb bought these for me almost two weeks ago and they're still hanging on! They're gorgeous. Thanks babe!

It's not a strange thing for flowers to be brought home around here. I love having them in the house and he loves getting them. So it's a win win for both of us. It had been an especially stressful day at work when he brought me these, and it took a little longer for him to get home but I didn't think much of it. Well, he showed up flowers in hand, grin on face, and gave me a grin too.


It was hard to get up this morning.. she thought so too :) We couldn't find her for a while and had to feel around on top of the covers for fear of squishing her. When I finally called her name and saw a section of the covers move, I pulled back the covers and all she would stick out was her nose..

Last Thursday we were supposed to have dinner with another couple but had to postpone. So tonight's the night for dinner and I made dessert :) Its a chocolate creme pie. I even realized how to make those chocolate shavings that curl and look so pretty... turns out a carrot peeler works great. Who would've thought..

A Case of the Mondays

This is sooner than I expected to be back, but I thought I'd share these yummy goodies with you. The young adult Bible study starts meeting at our house tomorrow, so I thought I'd make some sort of snack. I was going to make cookies but when I opened my cupboard I got the idea for these. I sandwiched peanut butter between whole wheat Ritz crackers, rolled the edges in melted chocolate, and then added another dollop on top. Caleb and I already did some taste testing, and agreed that they passed ;) 

So, the morning and early afternoon of today were the definition of a terrible Monday. Work was beyond stressful and I held back tears for the first time since I started. Customers were fine, but one of the ladies I work with was just rubbing me the wrong way. I think she knew.. and kept going. *Sigh* So I skipped my lunch break and left an hour early instead. It was a good decision because by then I was mentally done with the day. When the garage door opened and I saw Caleb's truck in the garage I lost it. Our dog met me at the door, and Caleb met me with a smile. The tears finally came. Of course, Caleb listened quietly and solved it with a bear hug. Because all I had eaten so far was a handful of dry cereal and some Nutter Butters I was getting shaky and nauseous, but he told me not to eat because he was taking me somewhere. He took me to my favorite restaurant in town. I was ok with leftovers (waste not, want not...) but he wanted to celebrate us owning our house for one year officially, since yesterday :) Soooo of course I was game. We had a good early dinner, took Honey for a quick walk, got ice cream, and settled in for the night because it was pouring rain and thundering, and of course our dog is terrified of storms. So we played Uno, did some tidying up, I made the goodies pictured above, and we are now watching live country music performers on tv. 

I guess today is going to end on a good note. Thankfully. Tomorrow should be good, and I'm glad to have a lighter work week. I actually get a day off! Woohoo :) 

I hope your Monday went well, and the rest of your week does also! Be back soon.. I hope ;) 

A Few Recent Pictures

This is right now.. its raining, and didn't start raining until after we had left for our w-a-l-k. Needless to say, someone's pouty face was staring at me because she didn't get to go out today for a walk, only for her car ride. Spoiled? Absolutely :)

These are the "Marina Lights" I wrote about last month. They're prettier in person, but this'll have to do for now. 

Just one of the sunsets on our beautiful Lake Michigan. This was taken Labor Day weekend.

I get to see sights like this almost every night!

This pier and lighthouse are located about a half hour north of here.   This is the town we explored when we went to see the comedian I wrote about a few posts ago. 

The wonderful SS Badger, coming into the harbor after the journey across Lake Michigan from Wisconsin.

The "Back To's"

What a hectic world we live in :)

Once Labor Day was over, most of the tourists started to filter out of town. The seasonal people are starting to trickle back down south, and traffic is starting to lighten up a little. It gets crazy once five o'clock hits, but for the most part it's not too bad. School, sports, and regular schedules have started and town really feels a bit more mellow. And constricting. Its getting dark sooner, there's a bit of a nip in the air, and the fall winds have arrived. Not to mention the trees already think its fall. *Sigh* If only summer would stay a bit longer..

Back to school means back to AWANA for us. No, we don't have children yet, but we both love them dearly and help with many of the children's programs at church. So, Wednesday nights we go to help out with the program. AWANA stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed, and serves as a training tool where students memorize scripture, play games, and hear a Bible story every week. It is a huge outreach to the community, as one third to half of the students who come otherwise don't go to church. Its a great experience though, and its a great opportunity for us to just love on these kids.
Check it out at the official site: http://awana.org/

Also, Caleb's aunt and uncle went back to the Philippines this week after being on furlough for the summer. Because they work at a theological college, they have summers off and it works out for them to come back home. It has been great to see them throughout the summer and spend time with them.

Other than that, we haven't been up to much except work and spending what little extra time we have with each other, family and friends. We do get to participate in a Bible study with other young adults around our age every week, but now that its dark and its too cold to meet at the beach, the group will be meeting at our house. I love having people over. We have just under 3,000 sq ft of house, so we definitely have room for quite a few people. It also makes the house not feel as empty ;) But we love getting together with the group, are excited that it is growing, and glad we can host them for the colder months. The number has been consistently around twenty people.. so it'll be a squeeze for our living room,.. good thing we like each other ;)

True Woman | The Cure for the Can’t-Have-People-Over Syndrome

True Woman | The Cure for the Can’t-Have-People-Over Syndrome

Please read this! It's a must hear for us all, unless, of course, you have a maid or house keeper (which most of us don't!).

Wild Weeks (cont.)

  After recovering the rest of the week, the weekend had its fair share of activities also. I went straight from work to the Tween Olympic event. I didn't have much planning in on this one, the ministry director did though, and it was loads of fun! There were apple shot puts, 100m dash with potato sacks, synchronized routines, and a bonfire with all the goodies. It was a good time, and we had quite a few new kids that I didn't recognize. Yay for outreach!

Saturday we took my sister shopping as part of her birthday present. We spend the day out of town shopping, filled our bellies at Red Robin (yummm), and headed home. It was a fun and successful day. She got quite a few things, and I even ended up with new work shoes and a sweater. Sunday was usual, ending with a bonfire at youth group, and the leaders enjoying some fellowship over half priced appetizer at Applebee's.

Then it was Monday again. Do your weekends go by that fast? I wish mine didn't..

This week has just been alright, but I hope its gets even better. I came down with something the other day. It escalated and yesterday my eyes and nose were runny and itchy, I was achy, I had fluid in my ears, and just felt lousy. I came home from work at noon to rest, and didn't even go in today. Last night after Caleb got home, he said he was going to pick out new phones. I knew I shouldn't have, but I had to tag along and pick out my phone. It ended up taking a lot longer than we thought, but we were lucky and were able to take advantage of some major sales, cutting our checkout fees in half! So we retreated home with take out chinese and I stayed home while Caleb went to run the movie in the park. I was bummed I didn't get to go, but I just felt so lousy all I wanted to do was lay on the couch, so that's exactly what I did. I played with my new phone (ok, it was more like trying to figure out how to work it. That phone is too smart for its own good), blew my nose a zillion times, and watched a whole DVD worth of NCIS episodes.

So, here I sit on my couch, bored, in pajamas :) My morning started with green tea, ramen in a cup (because, when you don't feel good and nothing is appetizing, you eat anything that sounds remotely appetizing), and Live With Kelly. I'm starting to feel a little better, but I still have zero energy. Last night Caleb brought me some medicine, and chocolate, so I'm all set for now. At least I'm not as itchy today. It sounds like I'll be missing a jewelry party tonight, but hopefully I'll be feeling up to going out by tomorrow. Caleb's parents bought us tickets to see comedian Yakov Smirnoff tomorrow night, and I was so excited. He'll be about a half hour north of here, and I haven't got to explore that town much, so we were going to make a day out of it. I'll be really bummed if we can't make it.

Yakov Smirnoff

Well, that's all for now :) I'll be back eventually. 

   

Wild Weeks

It has been too long since I've been on here, this might be rather long :)

So much has happened since I was here last. I've had a few more memorable instances down by the marina I told you about in my last post, the one by the coast guard station. The one that pops into my mind is from last Thursday. Before going downtown to watch the free movies in the park that Caleb helps with, I was taking Honey for her walk. We came upon a family who was trying to take pictures with the car ferry behind them as it came in. I offered to take their picture but I don't think they heard me, but strangely no one else would talk to them even though there were about fifteen people there. I stood, just a few feet away, and noticed that what sounded like clear speech from a few feet away was actually half grunting and trying to form words; this family was all partially deaf and could only speak a little bit. So I thought a minute and got the father's attention, enunciated the best I could and held up three fingers as I asked if they'd like me to take a picture of them together. They eagerly agreed with the biggest smiles I've seen from tourists in a while. So I took the picture, stood around for a minute and continued on my way. It shocked me how happy they were, but it brightened my day.

Picture of everyone that my uncle photoshopped

To go back a little bit, a few weeks ago was our family reunion. Contrary to many people, I love family reunions, and attend every chance I get. I may vaguely recognize people, but I don't know who half of the people are :) isn't that how reunions are supposed to go? Thank goodness for name tags. This reunion was special to me. In the last few years I have realized just how precious family is. The reunion is from my great grandma's family, which was very large. However, now there are only four of the sisters left, and they're not doing very well healthwise. It really made me think though, how they are the basis of the reunions. Will these get togethers still carry on when they are no longer with us? I hope so. To see them all together talking, leaned in so they could hear each other, was so precious. They may live far away, but they just pick up where they left off and go from there. When their parents immigrated here from Hungary, they sought a different life, and they built up a family. It's crazy to think that there are only a few of that generation left.. and they live far away from each other. It seems everyone lives far away from each other now. Seeing all the other family is great too. It's usually the one time every two years that I get to see most of them. I was bummed Caleb couldn't go, he would've got a kick out of the "silent" auction, which was exactly the opposite of silent. But it was a fun day regardless, and I got to catch up with quite a few of the cousins. I also got to see my grandparents and a few girls from church. It was good to be in my hometown for a weekend.

As the weekend ended and I drove home with my sister as co-pilot, we talked about our upcoming trip with the youth group to the amusement park, Cedar Point. I hadn't realized we left the very next day, so I tried to gear up and mentally create a packing list. My sister had never been there before, but she had been looking up the roller coasters and watching videos filmed from the first cart, so she was pretty psyched to finally get to go. I was just glad I wasn't one of the people who had to drive the fifteen passenger vans there and back. So as Monday afternoon rolled around, we headed to the church and I got a phone call asking if I would drive one of the vans.. because no one else could. I nervously agreed to do so, and don't regret it. Besides being very tired from the weekend before, I made it through. A lot of prayer, caffeine, and music aided my consciousness though :) We arrived at the church we were staying the night at around 1am, and shortly after crashed for the night. We got up, had breakfast, and headed out to CP, which was only now a mile away. After splitting into groups and heading into the park, the first ride our group decided to go on was the Mantis (right).

Personally, it is one of my favorite rides. My sister had told me that she didn't want to go on some of the really big coasters because she
can't breathe and her stomach hurts, but we learned that she can defy breathing and a stomachache real quickly. She absolutely loved Mantis. The one neither of us felt like going on was the Top Thrill Dragster. It is 420 feet high and accelerates to 120mph in 4seconds. It's crazy. I had been on it before, and didn't think it was all that its cracked up to be. But halfway through the day as we were walking towards its, my sister said, "lets go on Dragster," so on we went.

Normally there's a wait that is a few hours long, but due to rain that morning the park was pretty clear. We were sitting on the cart in ten minutes, ready to go. There were some shaking knees, but as soon as it shoots you forward there is no turning back. So up we went... parallel to the ground, the only thing around us for a split second was the blue sky. Then we peaked, spiraled downward, and before we knew it our ride of less than 20 seconds was over. There was talk of going on Millennium Force next (right), because its the next smallest, and my sister had just been on the largest one, so we did. It was fun. As the afternoon became evening, those of us who were driving met up to talk, and were told to get some rest. I was told to get some sleep on a bench, but refused because a small young girl sleeping on a bench in the middle of a very large amusement park doesn't strike me as a good idea. So we found a grassy spot and I tried to nap while some friends sat around and talked. We headed for home around nine, and again with much prayer, caffeine, and music, made it home around 4am, and crashed for some much needed sleep.

After driving one of the vans with thirteen high schoolers back and forth, I understand why the drivers of the vans when I was in youth group needed quiet, good behavior, etc. I always knew it was good, of course, but I didn't quite realize how nerve racking it actually is to drive a very large vehicle with other lives in your hands. Kudos to all the youth leaders who do that on a regular basis - you deserve some major props for sure!


(to be continued)

Marina Lights

Today started, and almost ended, as an ordinary day. We got up and went to work, came home and had dinner, made a trip to see my parents, sister, and great grandma, and then came back home just in time for a walk before it got too dark.

As different as the two towns are, I find more to love about each every day. Tonight we decided to go for a walk, and I wanted to watch the carferry leave on its nightly journey to Wisconsin. Where our favorite spot to watch it leave is, there's a walk loop. I always make it a little longer that it actually is, but it's all right along the water and absolutely gorgeous. First, I start out in the marina playground, go past the marina, and start the actual loop. It takes you to a narrow path with boulders and a railing on one side and boulders, yard and condos on the other. The water is right next to you on one side, and on it's other side is the end of a peninsula through the harbor. The carferry passes right through there.. and its so close you can see the expressions on passengers' faces. As you keep walking, you can either go straight to a small breakwall or turn to continue the loop through a boat launch, and pass a fish cleaning station. You go up  a few blocks, and then are back to the marina. It doesn't take too long, and since I felt like being by the water, we took the narrow way that we had come from back to where we started. The sky was blue and grey with white puffs added here and there, and you could see the green gleam of the lighthouse, the faint lights of the carferry, and the silhouette of a sailboat outlined on the horizon. Upon noticing the sailboat, we decided to sit atop a few of the boulders and wait for it so we could watch it come into the harbor. It was steadily getting darker, and as I looked around I couldn't believe I had never witnessed the sight before. On one side you could see the lake, lighthouse, boats, and channel coming into the harbor, and on the other you could see the marina, the playground, the carferry docks, an the channel that leads to a few smaller marinas further inland. Everything was lit up. Lights glowed orange and yellow, dotted by a few white ones, and reflected off the dark glassy water like the sun does at high noon. I sat there with Caleb and Honey on a boulder, in a spot that was scarcely lit, and felt tiny amid all the lights. Everything gleamed around me, and the sky seemed to fade darker and darker shades of blue and grey. I felt so small, and everything looked so gorgeous.

After getting home and logging onto to Facebook to fill myself in on the latest happenings, I saw a friends pictures of East Michigan sunsets, and had memory after memory flow in. My mom loves sunsets, storms, and everything like them. If there was a gorgeous sunset or storm, we'd always go to the highest point of town, by the police station, and park to the side of the road on top of the hill. And just sit. It reminded me of those times. I saw a picture of a sunset over a cornfield and one from a woodline, and I thought of the countless times I'd witnessed sunsets just like them while out for a bike ride. I love sunsets over the lake, but I sure do miss sunsets over cornfields and woodlines. They bring back so many amazing memories.

That said, tonight has been filled with more memories, new and old. I have been blessed beyond measure with my experiences, all the while living in two small towns.. and I wouldn't change those experiences. Those marina lights in the dark made my day a little brighter, and brought back some great memories. It makes me all the more eager to visit my hometown this weekend for a family reunion.

Psalms

Lately I have been spending a lot of time with King David and my Jesus. In other words, I'm working my way through reading the Psalms. I have found some extremely fascinating and uplifting things. On a notecard, I have been keeping track of some of the themes I have noticed so far.

Here are just a few so far: Praising God - God's unfailing love - God's faithfulness - Standing in awe of God - Thanking God - God delivering us - God as our refuge and strength - Having an attitude of prayer - Crying out to God - Trusting God - God never being far away

What amazes me is David's attitude of prayer. From what I've read so far, He goes back and forth from pleading and crying out to God and praising Him. There's nothing in between.. He is always communicating in some way with his Creator. Sometimes I feel like we fail to spend time with God unless we're pleading and crying out to Him, because when everything is going alright we're ok. But what if everyone was to have this attitude of prayer? It makes me think of 1 Thessalonians 5:7, which says "pray without ceasing." In high school, my youth pastor described this as not praying 24/7, just having the attitude of prayer. You don't have to pray all day. It's more like keeping God close in your thoughts, actions, etc. Your prayers don't have to be long and super deep... a "God help me to love these people in my check out line that are driving me crazy" is sufficient, because you're relying on God and calling on Him. I think of it as simply being in close contact with Him throughout the day. What you think about colors your attitude, thoughts, actions, etc., so why not let what you're thinking about be something good.. like your Jesus? He longs for that. He wants us to focus on Him, and spend time with Him. He's a very jealous God, and yet showers us with blessings. David praised Him as the most amazing thing, which He really is. But what if we were to do that in our lives, just like David did?   I wonder how much we would grow, and how strong our relationship with Him would be.

Here's what I think would happen:

"The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand" -Psalm 37:23-24

"The Lord helps [the righteous] and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him" -Psalm 37:40 (emphasis personally added)

The last part of verse forty sticks out to me. It just seems to bring to my attention that taking refuge in Him, is what God wants us to do. And when we do, we get showered in blessings.  Also, Isaiah 26:3 comes to mind, which says; "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." David was at peace, because His mind was stayed on God and he trusted Him. Can we say the same for ourselves?

I think having a mind stayed on Jesus and an attitude of prayer go hand in hand. What do you think?

Splashes of Color

Tonight we got together with some of our high school girls for some ice cream and chit chat but decided to call it a night as a few rain drops started falling. They soon stopped, but as I turned the corner for home I couldn't help be drawn to the sight in front of me; as one side of the sky was being overcome by dark rain clouds, the other side was splashed hot pink and orange. I passed the corner that would take me home and headed straight down the avenue toward the beach. The white lighthouse stood out like a monument against the sky that was quickly changing colors. As the rain clouds got darker, the hot pink and orange became deep red mixed with orange, light pink, and a soft yellow. None of the pictures I took on my phone could do the sight justice. I stood there for a moment thinking how beautiful this place is. People travel from all over just to be here for a weekend, and I get to live here. My house is two miles from the beach.. I started wondering how I had not grown up with these sights, but I then remembered waking up to the most beautiful sunbursts, visible across the fields, and I didn't even have to get out of bed to enjoy them. Yes, I was spoiled, and I still am, there is beauty all around me. There is beauty all around you too, you just may have to look harder to see, feel, or know it.

As I walked to my car, I let the wind take my hair as it whipped up and around my face. My light loose shirt was blowing like a blanket left on a clothesline through a storm, and I could feel the rain coming. The air hung heavy around me, and may have felt suffocating had it been ten degrees warmer. It wrapped around my skin like a warm blanket and reminded me how much I love summer nights. Some days I wish we had more than three months of summer here.

So I sit here now listening to the thunder and thinking how today was a wonderful end to a wonderful month. So much has happened and there is so much ahead for next month. I just finished up my first week of training at my new job. Yes, God provided yet again! We knew He would, it was just in His time. I was offered a position, and jumped at the opportunity. I love to be around people, and love to see many of them a day. It was originally on my radar since I started looking in April, but nothing came about until about two weeks ago. It has been a great first few days and I'm excited to see how it will continue to go.

We currently have family here from out of state also. They come once a summer and we always enjoy their time here. We saw them in January for our godson's baptism, and were excited to welcome them back when they arrived early Sunday morning. It will be good to get to spend some time with them again. Also, this weekend my grandparents are hopefully going to be here. We really hope they can make the trip, and are super excited to welcome them back to town. They came for our wedding last summer, so we would love for them to come again. We even have a house to show them this time ;) and it would be great to be able to spend some time with them.

Next on the radar is a family reunion. My moms side of the family is Hungarian, and is it ever huge! Thankfully we wear name tags, because I don't know who half the people at the reunions are (but seriously, who does know all the people at family reunions?!) Then there's a trip to Cedar Point with the youth group. I grew up going to CP every summer with my youth group, and its exciting to get to go with my sister now. I always promised we'd get to go together sometime, and now is our chance, so we're grabbing it :)  It will be a blast.

As for the rest of the month, one of my best friends is celebrating her 21st Birthday, and we'll see whatever else gets thrown at us. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I usually do. I'll be back anyway.

Well I hope you have a great day/night, or whatever time it is where you are ;)