You may have noticed. Yes, it's true. I've deactivated the Facebook.
I've debated fasting from it for a while. A friend of mine did it. She said that it was rather refreshing and once she turned Facebook back on, she wasn't going to the site as much.
I've noticed that I'll get on there and all of a sudden 45 minutes have passed and I've spent my time looking at pictures of kids whose parents I don't talk to and probably wouldn't know they existed were it not for the Facebook. Social media's great, but between Facebook, Google Reader, my blog and basic email, I'm just wasting a lot of time away.
So, I decided that we would take a baby step. With the holiday season here, everything is hustle and bustle. Time is always flying by. So, I decided to shut down the Facebook until 2010 and try to get a little bit of that time back. Perhaps I'll spend it preparing some goals for 2010.
We'll see how it goes. I give it a week max.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
I Am Thankful
Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!
Ephesians 1
The Blessings of Redemption
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1
The Blessings of Redemption
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Hello, House Beautiful Part II
Approximately two minutes after my last post, I was ashamed of myself.
I had logged onto Facebook and saw that my friend Sarah was back from her mission trip to Honduras. And, she had posted pictures! One of the pictures prior to this one was captioned with something to the extent of 'our crew working on building concrete floors.' Then, there was this picture showing an excited family with their new floor.
Look at their home: the floor is new, but there is still a gap between the floor and the walls. There is no electricity. There are no couches, ottomans, beds or flat screen TVs. It's a one room house.
Immediately, I was ashamed about spending an entire post talking about nothing but the materials things that I love and would make me so happy. Quickly, I was reminded by the Holy Spirit 'to store up my treasures in heaven' and that material things truly are meaningless in the big scheme of things.
Not that I think it's wrong to have nice things. But, when we're bad stewards of the money God has given us and we make those things more important than Him and than others, that's when we start to mess up. I'm slowly learning that being a servant is the highest calling we have and giving all of myself and possessions to others is more gratifying than having a pretty ottoman.
And, to fill you in, I saw Sarah on Sunday. She told me that the mother in this picture was so happy about getting this concrete floor and so determined that her family was going have get it that she was working with the men to get the job done. Apparently, they were up on a mountain and had to hike a ways down with 5 gallon buckets to get water to make the floor. Sarah said the mother was carrying a full bucket up on her shoulder (barefoot mind you!) and at one point, she had the bucket on one shoulder and was breast feeding her baby with the other arm!
I love this picture and I hope it says ingrained in my mind. This picture is one of a joyful wife and mother with her House Beautiful. It's a million times prettier than the images in my House Beautiful.
Monday, November 23, 2009
High on the Hog: Hickory Smoked Tuna Quesadilla
On Saturday, Shelly, The Blanchards and I went to Sue Stock's couponing class. It was great! We learned more than I think we could imagine. And, we didn't leave empty handed! Shelly won a bag of rice and The Blanchards won a $50 gift card to Lowe's Foods. I expect they'll invite me over to enjoy their winnings once they cook with them - hint, hint. :)
Faye Prosser of smartspendingresources.com was the other speaker at the class and she did a bit on menu planning using your stockpile from couponing. A stockpile is literally an inventory of non-perishables that you create by buying multiples of items when they are at their rock bottom price. Faye and other couponers say that you should look to your pantry for something to cook rather than picking a recipe first. So, I decided to give that a try tonight. Here is what I had (puh-leeze don't even ask me if that's my picture cuz you know it's not).
I had a pouch of StarKist Tuna Creations Hickory Smoked flavor that I had gotten for free during Harris Teeter triple coupons. There was a recipe on the back for a quesadilla that looked pretty good. I actually had the ingredients on hand - cream cheese, roasted red peppers, cheese, and cream cheese so I tried it out.
Now, I had not tried this Tuna Creation bit yet and the quesadilla was actually pretty good. The hard part was getting over the hickory smoked tuna smell. I thought I was going to vomit when I first opened the package.
My goal is to continue to grow my stockpile and hopefully be able to update you with my menus more often! But, I don't think you're going to see the tuna quesadilla again.
Faye Prosser of smartspendingresources.com was the other speaker at the class and she did a bit on menu planning using your stockpile from couponing. A stockpile is literally an inventory of non-perishables that you create by buying multiples of items when they are at their rock bottom price. Faye and other couponers say that you should look to your pantry for something to cook rather than picking a recipe first. So, I decided to give that a try tonight. Here is what I had (puh-leeze don't even ask me if that's my picture cuz you know it's not).
I had a pouch of StarKist Tuna Creations Hickory Smoked flavor that I had gotten for free during Harris Teeter triple coupons. There was a recipe on the back for a quesadilla that looked pretty good. I actually had the ingredients on hand - cream cheese, roasted red peppers, cheese, and cream cheese so I tried it out.
Now, I had not tried this Tuna Creation bit yet and the quesadilla was actually pretty good. The hard part was getting over the hickory smoked tuna smell. I thought I was going to vomit when I first opened the package.
My goal is to continue to grow my stockpile and hopefully be able to update you with my menus more often! But, I don't think you're going to see the tuna quesadilla again.
Friday, November 20, 2009
My Parents Were Awesome
I came across My Parents Were Awesome recently via Snippet and Ink.I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
Image from My Parents Were Awesome.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Hello, House Beautiful
Tuesday was a long BUSY day and I was super tired when I got home. Much to my delight, this was waiting for me in my mailbox!
My first issue of my new ($5 amazon.com deal) House Beautiful subscription. I use to scour through my mom's copies when I was younger. Little do people know, I'm a HUGE decorating fan. I'm the girl who has all of her copies of Southern Living (which has gone south a bit - no pun intended), Better Homes and Gardens and Domino (RIP). I think if I could have my dream job, it would be doing the social media/marketing/advertising for some top notch southern designer. A friend of mine said 'why don't you find a job doing that?' Okay. Yea. I'll get right on it.
Now, I need your opinion, dear reader. Would it be wrong to leave the postman a note asking that he treat the House Beautiful with upmost respect and NOT cram it into our super small tube that's meant to be a mailbox? Please see exhibit A below.
Absolutely, positively, 100% in love with this ottoman!
The symetry of theses lamps and mirrors is divine!
My first issue of my new ($5 amazon.com deal) House Beautiful subscription. I use to scour through my mom's copies when I was younger. Little do people know, I'm a HUGE decorating fan. I'm the girl who has all of her copies of Southern Living (which has gone south a bit - no pun intended), Better Homes and Gardens and Domino (RIP). I think if I could have my dream job, it would be doing the social media/marketing/advertising for some top notch southern designer. A friend of mine said 'why don't you find a job doing that?' Okay. Yea. I'll get right on it.
Now, I need your opinion, dear reader. Would it be wrong to leave the postman a note asking that he treat the House Beautiful with upmost respect and NOT cram it into our super small tube that's meant to be a mailbox? Please see exhibit A below.
Nevertheless, I didn't check my mail until 9ish and stayed up way too late on a school night combing through this issue drooling at ever picture. Then, I dreamed I got a job working for Phoebe Howard.
I've been looking for a new place to live over the past week (can't take much more of living in the frat boy hood) and have been getting way ahead of myself thinking of all of the great furniture I could buy for my new pad. Hopefully, I'll get back to Planet Earth here soon and realize that the apartment I absolutely LURVE really is out of my price range and could potentially be hazardous to my health if I am within walking distance of Target. And, buying a whole lotta great furniture might not be the best idea if I'm probably going to be moving again in a couple of years when I buy a place and want new stuff all over again. Dave Ramsey is sitting on my shoulder saying 'Live like no one else, so that later, you can live like no one else.' I'M TRYIN' DAVE! I'M TRYIN'!
But, there's no hurt in having a hobby I guess? So, here's some living room eye candy from housebeautiful.com to tide us over.
Absolutely, positively, 100% in love with this ottoman!
The symetry of theses lamps and mirrors is divine!
Now, this is WAY outta my comfort zone and I would never go there as far as my own house is concerned, but you gotta love this couch and rug!
In completely random news, I've been a little burnt out at work (itchin' for a vacate I think) and decided to add some pep to my step with this new lovely notebook for my to-do list/note taking needs. It truly has helped with my motorvation!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
High on the Hog: Wii Deal!
Check out this Wii deal on amazon.com.
I've put off getting my Wii for a year now and I think it's now time to do it!
Total $289
Wii
Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board
Wii Play with Remote (I’m going to buy that with the $50 gift card)
Thanks Couponing to Disney!
I've put off getting my Wii for a year now and I think it's now time to do it!
Total $289
Wii
Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board
Wii Play with Remote (I’m going to buy that with the $50 gift card)
Thanks Couponing to Disney!
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Girl and The Boy Together
Isn't this the cutest thing ever!?!? When Andrew was six, he wrote this book that was latered merged with photos of him and his finance, Jami, to make one super cool engagement invite!
Here's to Andrew's mom for not throwing the book away!
Friday, November 13, 2009
JAE's Normal
Click here to read some good thoughts from my friend John about his 'normal' life. John is currently serving the Kingdom in the Amazon Basin of Brazil with the mission Project AmaZon!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
I Choose Truth
In previous posts, I have mentioned that I’m part of the Woman to Woman Mentoring program at church and that Patti is my mentor. We are doing the study Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
When Patti first asked me about doing this study, I wasn’t really feeling it because it has chapters that deal with marriage and children and things that basically aren’t relevant to me. Little did I know, God had something in store for me.
This past week’s study has been on ‘Honoring God in My Marriage.’ I seriously highly recommend it to all my girlfriends – married or not. It’s just awesome. In fact, I think it’s great that I’m going through this study before even dating someone. Just the truths that God is revealing to me and teaching me will not only prepare me to get married if He wills it, but prepare me for dating as well.
As God would have it, the first day that I started the section on marriage this week, a friend of mine replies to an email I sent her in regards to Harris Teeter Triple Coupons week and says ‘hey, if you’re ever on Facebook’ (like I’m never on Facebook), you should look up this guy and see if his profile is private or not. I think of you just about every time I talk to him.’ Random.
I thought ‘why don’t I humor myself.’ See, I normally don’t let people (whether it be my mom, my BFF, a co-worker, someone at church) ‘set me up’ because I’m not comfortable going out with someone I don’t know. I have one primary rule when it comes to dating. If they’re not a Christian, I won’t even consider it. I feel like letting someone set me up puts an important part of my life in their hands and opens me up to possibly falling for someone who’s not a Christian. And, in Christian, I mean someone who believes the truth that we are sinners, believes that Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins, and that no other way than trusting in Jesus and Jesus alone will get them into Heaven. Secondary rule is that not only do they have to be a Christian, but they have to be producing fruit and growing in their walk.
So, I log on to Facebook to ‘humor myself’ and low and behold, this guy’s profile is not private and he appears to be an active Christian. Now, I go into analyzing mode. It’s not is he cute (well, maybe a little), what’s his job or how’s he dressed. It is: does he take the Bible literally and believe the real gospel, would he be God’s will for me and not my will, is he bearing fruit, does he appear to be embracing his role as a godly man, is allowing my friend to ‘set me up’ constitute my initiating and does it mean I’m not trusting in God’s perfect timing? (For instance, I won’t do online dating because I feel that I’m not trusting that his timing is in fact, perfect and that by actively seeking a husband means I’m controlling my life and not Him.)
Well, my friend was given the green light to pass along my info and the second round of questions came: what if he just calls me up and doesn’t try to find out about me? Does that mean he’ll compromise on who he goes out with? I don’t want to go out with someone who will compromise. What if his profile is just an act? What if he believes a false gospel? What if, what if, what if….
I stressed myself out about this and I had not even met the person, right? Maybe I was a little ahead of myself in some opinions, but it was such a praise to see how God has worked in my life over the past year, actually over the past few months. A year ago, this would not have been a case. It was a praise to see that while being attracted to someone is good and going out on a date is fun (oh, it’s just one little date – don’t we like to tell ourselves that girls?); seeking God’s best has become my number one priority. I’m truly learning to lay it all down at the foot of the cross and to let Him run the show. And, it’s all His doing. Only the Holy Spirit working in my life has made me this way. It’s nothing of my own doing and I think I was more excited about that, then the prospect of some guy actually calling me.
It only took a few days and then it came – the lies. There are lies that come into my head - lies that come from the enemy about how I should perceive this situation since I haven’t heard a peep from this guy.
Lies that I believe about myself: My profile’s not that bad is it? I know I’m not photogenic, but what’s wrong with me. Maybe I am that bad. Maybe I should get my nose done since it has that bump in it from breaking it playing softball. I hate my two chins that appear when I smile. Maybe I’m too goofy. Why won’t anyone like me? Am I worthless?
Lies that I believe about God: God doesn’t really love me. If He did, I would be married with kids by now. He’s too restrictive. There’s nothing wrong with me initiating a little convo is there? Is not that bad of is it? I have a lot of baggage. Maybe God hates my sin so much that He doesn’t want me to experience happiness.
Lies that I believe about guys: Can’t I be happy for once? A boyfriend will make me happy. Can’t I date someone and get married and be happy? Maybe I should send him an e-mail. If I don’t take initiative, nothing will happen. Most of them are shy anyway. They’re okay with girls being bold and making it easy on them.
These lies are things that we don’t like to say out loud, but things that all of us girls feel to be true at some point. These are things that the enemy is throwing at me right now to try to pull me into deception and ultimately destroy me.
But, God reigns. And, this study that I’m doing has been such a blessing and has been in perfect timing. It has taught me to recognize these feelings and emotions that spring up and take them for what they are – lies. And, I will not entertain them. I choose truth. I choose scripture. I choose to surrender my own rights and my own will to bring glory to Him.
TRUTH: God always has my best interest at heart. (Psalm 21)
TRUTH: God’s restrictions are always for my good. (James 1:19-27)
TRUTH: My value is not determined by what others think of me or what I think of myself. My value is determined by how God views me. (Psalm 139:1-18; Ephesians 1:3-8; 1 Peter 2:4)
TRUTH: I will always have unfulfilled longings this side of heaven. (Romans 8:23, 25; Ephesians 3:11; Hebrews 11:13-16)
TRUTH: If I will accept them, unfulfilled longings will increase my longing for God and for heaven. (Deuteronomy 8:3; Psalm 34:8-10; Philippians 3:20-4:1)
TRUTH: There is no person who can meet my deepest needs. No one and nothing can make me truly happy, apart from God. (Psalm 62:5; 118:8-9; Jeremiah 17:5-7)
TRUTH: God has promised to provide everything I need. If He will receive more glory by me being married, then He will provide a husband for me. (1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Job 42:1-2; Proverbs 16:9; 1 Corinthians 7:25-38)
TRUTH: Those who wait on the Lord always get His best. Those who insist on getting what they want often end up with heartache. (Psalm 37:4; 106:15; Jeremiah 17:5-8)
TRUTH: God created the man to be an initiator and the woman to be a responder. (Genesis 3:6)
TRUTH: If a woman takes the reins rather than waiting on God to move her husband, her husband is likely to be less motivated to fulfill his God-given responsibility. (Genesis 16:1-2; Psalm 27:14)
God is sovereign and He has a plan for me. He will provide His best for me as long as I surrender to Him and allow Him to change me into the most Christ-like woman that I can be. It is not going to be easy and I’m sure there will be rough days. The lies are going to come and they are going to come hard. But, “He gives a greater grace” and those lies will be replaced with Truth.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5
Note: The Truths list was adapted from Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
When Patti first asked me about doing this study, I wasn’t really feeling it because it has chapters that deal with marriage and children and things that basically aren’t relevant to me. Little did I know, God had something in store for me.
This past week’s study has been on ‘Honoring God in My Marriage.’ I seriously highly recommend it to all my girlfriends – married or not. It’s just awesome. In fact, I think it’s great that I’m going through this study before even dating someone. Just the truths that God is revealing to me and teaching me will not only prepare me to get married if He wills it, but prepare me for dating as well.
As God would have it, the first day that I started the section on marriage this week, a friend of mine replies to an email I sent her in regards to Harris Teeter Triple Coupons week and says ‘hey, if you’re ever on Facebook’ (like I’m never on Facebook), you should look up this guy and see if his profile is private or not. I think of you just about every time I talk to him.’ Random.
I thought ‘why don’t I humor myself.’ See, I normally don’t let people (whether it be my mom, my BFF, a co-worker, someone at church) ‘set me up’ because I’m not comfortable going out with someone I don’t know. I have one primary rule when it comes to dating. If they’re not a Christian, I won’t even consider it. I feel like letting someone set me up puts an important part of my life in their hands and opens me up to possibly falling for someone who’s not a Christian. And, in Christian, I mean someone who believes the truth that we are sinners, believes that Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins, and that no other way than trusting in Jesus and Jesus alone will get them into Heaven. Secondary rule is that not only do they have to be a Christian, but they have to be producing fruit and growing in their walk.
So, I log on to Facebook to ‘humor myself’ and low and behold, this guy’s profile is not private and he appears to be an active Christian. Now, I go into analyzing mode. It’s not is he cute (well, maybe a little), what’s his job or how’s he dressed. It is: does he take the Bible literally and believe the real gospel, would he be God’s will for me and not my will, is he bearing fruit, does he appear to be embracing his role as a godly man, is allowing my friend to ‘set me up’ constitute my initiating and does it mean I’m not trusting in God’s perfect timing? (For instance, I won’t do online dating because I feel that I’m not trusting that his timing is in fact, perfect and that by actively seeking a husband means I’m controlling my life and not Him.)
Well, my friend was given the green light to pass along my info and the second round of questions came: what if he just calls me up and doesn’t try to find out about me? Does that mean he’ll compromise on who he goes out with? I don’t want to go out with someone who will compromise. What if his profile is just an act? What if he believes a false gospel? What if, what if, what if….
I stressed myself out about this and I had not even met the person, right? Maybe I was a little ahead of myself in some opinions, but it was such a praise to see how God has worked in my life over the past year, actually over the past few months. A year ago, this would not have been a case. It was a praise to see that while being attracted to someone is good and going out on a date is fun (oh, it’s just one little date – don’t we like to tell ourselves that girls?); seeking God’s best has become my number one priority. I’m truly learning to lay it all down at the foot of the cross and to let Him run the show. And, it’s all His doing. Only the Holy Spirit working in my life has made me this way. It’s nothing of my own doing and I think I was more excited about that, then the prospect of some guy actually calling me.
It only took a few days and then it came – the lies. There are lies that come into my head - lies that come from the enemy about how I should perceive this situation since I haven’t heard a peep from this guy.
Lies that I believe about myself: My profile’s not that bad is it? I know I’m not photogenic, but what’s wrong with me. Maybe I am that bad. Maybe I should get my nose done since it has that bump in it from breaking it playing softball. I hate my two chins that appear when I smile. Maybe I’m too goofy. Why won’t anyone like me? Am I worthless?
Lies that I believe about God: God doesn’t really love me. If He did, I would be married with kids by now. He’s too restrictive. There’s nothing wrong with me initiating a little convo is there? Is not that bad of is it? I have a lot of baggage. Maybe God hates my sin so much that He doesn’t want me to experience happiness.
Lies that I believe about guys: Can’t I be happy for once? A boyfriend will make me happy. Can’t I date someone and get married and be happy? Maybe I should send him an e-mail. If I don’t take initiative, nothing will happen. Most of them are shy anyway. They’re okay with girls being bold and making it easy on them.
These lies are things that we don’t like to say out loud, but things that all of us girls feel to be true at some point. These are things that the enemy is throwing at me right now to try to pull me into deception and ultimately destroy me.
But, God reigns. And, this study that I’m doing has been such a blessing and has been in perfect timing. It has taught me to recognize these feelings and emotions that spring up and take them for what they are – lies. And, I will not entertain them. I choose truth. I choose scripture. I choose to surrender my own rights and my own will to bring glory to Him.
TRUTH: God always has my best interest at heart. (Psalm 21)
TRUTH: God’s restrictions are always for my good. (James 1:19-27)
TRUTH: My value is not determined by what others think of me or what I think of myself. My value is determined by how God views me. (Psalm 139:1-18; Ephesians 1:3-8; 1 Peter 2:4)
TRUTH: I will always have unfulfilled longings this side of heaven. (Romans 8:23, 25; Ephesians 3:11; Hebrews 11:13-16)
TRUTH: If I will accept them, unfulfilled longings will increase my longing for God and for heaven. (Deuteronomy 8:3; Psalm 34:8-10; Philippians 3:20-4:1)
TRUTH: There is no person who can meet my deepest needs. No one and nothing can make me truly happy, apart from God. (Psalm 62:5; 118:8-9; Jeremiah 17:5-7)
TRUTH: God has promised to provide everything I need. If He will receive more glory by me being married, then He will provide a husband for me. (1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Job 42:1-2; Proverbs 16:9; 1 Corinthians 7:25-38)
TRUTH: Those who wait on the Lord always get His best. Those who insist on getting what they want often end up with heartache. (Psalm 37:4; 106:15; Jeremiah 17:5-8)
TRUTH: God created the man to be an initiator and the woman to be a responder. (Genesis 3:6)
TRUTH: If a woman takes the reins rather than waiting on God to move her husband, her husband is likely to be less motivated to fulfill his God-given responsibility. (Genesis 16:1-2; Psalm 27:14)
God is sovereign and He has a plan for me. He will provide His best for me as long as I surrender to Him and allow Him to change me into the most Christ-like woman that I can be. It is not going to be easy and I’m sure there will be rough days. The lies are going to come and they are going to come hard. But, “He gives a greater grace” and those lies will be replaced with Truth.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5
Note: The Truths list was adapted from Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
30% off Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy
Click here to download your 30% off coupon for Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and their outlet stores. 5% of proceeds will be donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Good Nov. 12-15 only.
We're planning on hitting up OBX this weekend if the weather cooperates, so I'll definitely have my coupon in tow for the outlets!
This post has me reminiscing of my Team In Training days. Remember this?!?!
We're planning on hitting up OBX this weekend if the weather cooperates, so I'll definitely have my coupon in tow for the outlets!
This post has me reminiscing of my Team In Training days. Remember this?!?!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Murder Mystery Dinner Party
Saturday night, the Blanchard's (hehe - we sound old) had some of us CYCers over for a Murder Mystery Party. Unfortunately, I don't have my booklet anymore to tell you who all was who and what the plot was and who killed who in detail. What I can tell you is this:
These five lovely girls were not the killer.
J. Ellis Mann a.k.a. Dave was the killer! That's him on the far right.
My character was Madame Liza Lott. Kid-you-not, it was two days later before I realized that my name was Liza Lott and actually got it. DOH! Dressing up like a gypsy was so fun! I went shopping in Cheri and Karen's closets and the only purchased item was the Christmas ornament that served as my fortune ball and the mini-garland that served as part of my head scarf. So, frugal am I!
This is Turn a.k.a. Mark. I just had to post this picture because it makes me laugh.
Here's Andy. Andy didn't RSVP correctly and since you can only have 10 people involved, he didn't have a character. We decided to let him be Chef Boyardee. I could not take him seriously with that mustache!
This is Brantley, our gracious host. He played Iggy, the radio announcer/ladies' man.
The game's in progress:
All in all, it was a lot of fun! There were different 'rounds' of the game where everyone had different clues that they had to share with everyone. Once everyone got into it and the accusations were flying, it got very exciting!
These five lovely girls were not the killer.
J. Ellis Mann a.k.a. Dave was the killer! That's him on the far right.
My character was Madame Liza Lott. Kid-you-not, it was two days later before I realized that my name was Liza Lott and actually got it. DOH! Dressing up like a gypsy was so fun! I went shopping in Cheri and Karen's closets and the only purchased item was the Christmas ornament that served as my fortune ball and the mini-garland that served as part of my head scarf. So, frugal am I!
This is Turn a.k.a. Mark. I just had to post this picture because it makes me laugh.
Here's Andy. Andy didn't RSVP correctly and since you can only have 10 people involved, he didn't have a character. We decided to let him be Chef Boyardee. I could not take him seriously with that mustache!
This is Brantley, our gracious host. He played Iggy, the radio announcer/ladies' man.
The game's in progress:
All in all, it was a lot of fun! There were different 'rounds' of the game where everyone had different clues that they had to share with everyone. Once everyone got into it and the accusations were flying, it got very exciting!
Monday, November 9, 2009
It Feels Like I'm Breathing
I've spent the last couple of weeks reflecting on this complacency that I've seemed to fallen into. I realized that this is the first summer in four years that I haven't been on a mission trip and I just seemed to let the lack of a trip and the lack of that yearly spiritual high that I've come to depend on serve as an excuse to become complacent with my walk and my purpose in this world. Satan has been winning over the past few months. He's gotten me to live the "Christian life" without alone time and intimacy with Jesus. And, that's caused me to become defeated and ineffective. (what do you know - Casting Crowns' Slow Fade is playing on the mix as I type this)
Over the past few weeks, the complacency has started to break. Christ holds true to His promise to draw us near to Him. As Third Day says, it feels like I'm born again. Not in a 'born again' saved kinda way, cause I've got my salvation. It's a one time thing. But, it's that continous process of sanctification and renewing of my mind that is making me feel like I'm born again. It feels like I'm living. It feels like I'm breathing. It feels like I'm moving.
A month or so ago, God answered a specific prayer showing just how powerful He is. That prayer didn't effect me personally and probably wasn't that big of a deal in the end, but He had placed it on my heart. It was the one thing I had still going with Him really. Satan, the World and my day to day 'priorities' were slowly sucking up the rest. God used that experience to draw me back to Him. I was making Him small and he needed to show me just how great He is, how much He loves us and how the small things matter. It's so easy to run off a spiritual high until you get your next one. Those highs are good. Answered prayers are good. But, I'm learning that it is also in the everyday mundane life activities where great faith is showed and He is glorified.
It's the waiting, the daily obedience, the persistent praying, and the rejoicing in small blessings when you're not sure you're in the perfect job for you, when you start going to more baby showers than wedding showers, when you feel like you can't get everything on your 'to-do' list done, when everyone else seems way ahead, when your emotions seem to get the best of you, when your circumstances just don't seem to suit you, when life just doesn't seem fair. It's the humbling yourself to allow Him to take over and provide you grace to get throughout the day. It's learning to find joy and contentment in Christ and Christ alone no matter what He has in store for you in life. It's knowing that He is forever faithful and that He will use YOU, AN UNWORTHY SINNER to bring glory to Himself. It's all of these things that grows your faith into one that can move a mountain.
He's showing me that a great faith can't be built without time with Him. He's put that desire to spend time with Him in me and is waking me up each morning. We're going on two weeks now of consistent daily time together. 30 minutes each morning is changing my life. It's been two of the best weeks of my life. I haven't been in a foreign country working with orphans or roofing a house in South Carolina. Great evangelical things aren't happening all around me. I've been right here in Raleigh. In my everyday. In my 'complacent' life, He's teaching me that it's His life for me and it glorifies Him no matter how 'complacent' it seems to me. He's teaching me what it means to be fully satisfied in Him. It feels great. It feels like I'm breathing again...
Over the past few weeks, the complacency has started to break. Christ holds true to His promise to draw us near to Him. As Third Day says, it feels like I'm born again. Not in a 'born again' saved kinda way, cause I've got my salvation. It's a one time thing. But, it's that continous process of sanctification and renewing of my mind that is making me feel like I'm born again. It feels like I'm living. It feels like I'm breathing. It feels like I'm moving.
A month or so ago, God answered a specific prayer showing just how powerful He is. That prayer didn't effect me personally and probably wasn't that big of a deal in the end, but He had placed it on my heart. It was the one thing I had still going with Him really. Satan, the World and my day to day 'priorities' were slowly sucking up the rest. God used that experience to draw me back to Him. I was making Him small and he needed to show me just how great He is, how much He loves us and how the small things matter. It's so easy to run off a spiritual high until you get your next one. Those highs are good. Answered prayers are good. But, I'm learning that it is also in the everyday mundane life activities where great faith is showed and He is glorified.
It's the waiting, the daily obedience, the persistent praying, and the rejoicing in small blessings when you're not sure you're in the perfect job for you, when you start going to more baby showers than wedding showers, when you feel like you can't get everything on your 'to-do' list done, when everyone else seems way ahead, when your emotions seem to get the best of you, when your circumstances just don't seem to suit you, when life just doesn't seem fair. It's the humbling yourself to allow Him to take over and provide you grace to get throughout the day. It's learning to find joy and contentment in Christ and Christ alone no matter what He has in store for you in life. It's knowing that He is forever faithful and that He will use YOU, AN UNWORTHY SINNER to bring glory to Himself. It's all of these things that grows your faith into one that can move a mountain.
He's showing me that a great faith can't be built without time with Him. He's put that desire to spend time with Him in me and is waking me up each morning. We're going on two weeks now of consistent daily time together. 30 minutes each morning is changing my life. It's been two of the best weeks of my life. I haven't been in a foreign country working with orphans or roofing a house in South Carolina. Great evangelical things aren't happening all around me. I've been right here in Raleigh. In my everyday. In my 'complacent' life, He's teaching me that it's His life for me and it glorifies Him no matter how 'complacent' it seems to me. He's teaching me what it means to be fully satisfied in Him. It feels great. It feels like I'm breathing again...
Friday, November 6, 2009
Song of the South: Everything Is Different
Shane and Shane's new CD Everything Is Different came out on Tuesday. I,of course, had a reminder set on my Outlook, had iTunes downloading by 10:00 am and changed my Song of the South image shortly thereafter. Didn't know I was such a fan? Shame on me for you not knowing.
Shane and Shane are by far my favorite Christian group. Mainly because most of their songs are based on specific scripture. For instance, they have an ENTIRE CD called Psalms which are (duh) songs of the Psalms. It's amazing how many times that I have found myself in a situation reciting (or singing really): the Lord is gracious and slow to anger. He is rich in love. He is good to all. All who call on Him in truth He is near to and He hears their cry and saves them. That's Psalms 145. And, because I have Shane and Shane on repeat in the car, I've memorized Truth that the Holy Spirit can bring to mind when it's needed. And, that's pretty dag um cool if you ask me.
As for the CD, I'm not sure it's their best (I don't think anything will top An Evening with Shane and Shane) but it's still good.
On a random side note, since I've gotten back to regular blogging, I spent some time fishing through some old posts. Look at 2008 and you see posts about my walk and how God was working in my life. I was reading the Valentine's 2008 post earlier and just felt so happy about how far he's taken me in a year and a half. But, my posting about it has stopped and it makes me sad especially considering that to live is Christ.
So, no more my friends. No more. His mercies are new each morning and they need to be shared. And, I expect some accountability from you reader when they are missing. Some check in, please.
I'm in the Woman to Woman mentoring program at church and Patti's my mentor (shout out to Patti!). We're doing a study on Lies That Women Believe that I SO did not want to do when she asked about it, but God wanted to teach me some things and it's just been great. Expect a blog about it next week. (Look, I'm committed. Gotta do it now.)
{Exit random side note}
One of my favorite songs thus far on Everything Is Different is called Great Reward. Here's a little preview. ENJOY!
Shane and Shane are by far my favorite Christian group. Mainly because most of their songs are based on specific scripture. For instance, they have an ENTIRE CD called Psalms which are (duh) songs of the Psalms. It's amazing how many times that I have found myself in a situation reciting (or singing really): the Lord is gracious and slow to anger. He is rich in love. He is good to all. All who call on Him in truth He is near to and He hears their cry and saves them. That's Psalms 145. And, because I have Shane and Shane on repeat in the car, I've memorized Truth that the Holy Spirit can bring to mind when it's needed. And, that's pretty dag um cool if you ask me.
As for the CD, I'm not sure it's their best (I don't think anything will top An Evening with Shane and Shane) but it's still good.
On a random side note, since I've gotten back to regular blogging, I spent some time fishing through some old posts. Look at 2008 and you see posts about my walk and how God was working in my life. I was reading the Valentine's 2008 post earlier and just felt so happy about how far he's taken me in a year and a half. But, my posting about it has stopped and it makes me sad especially considering that to live is Christ.
So, no more my friends. No more. His mercies are new each morning and they need to be shared. And, I expect some accountability from you reader when they are missing. Some check in, please.
I'm in the Woman to Woman mentoring program at church and Patti's my mentor (shout out to Patti!). We're doing a study on Lies That Women Believe that I SO did not want to do when she asked about it, but God wanted to teach me some things and it's just been great. Expect a blog about it next week. (Look, I'm committed. Gotta do it now.)
{Exit random side note}
One of my favorite songs thus far on Everything Is Different is called Great Reward. Here's a little preview. ENJOY!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Gainfully Unemployed
I wanted to share this piece of a gem with you guys. Gainfully Unemployed is a new blog that was started by my former boss Janet. Unfortunately for me, Janet left in January and work has not been the same since. I have days where I say 'man, I miss my McVic.'
Janet has a great style of writing and is quite witty! She's only got a few posts thus far, but I can't wait to see what she rolls out for us!
So, head on over to Gainfully Unemployed and check her out!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Trees Are No Joke
My N.C. State friends forwarded me this blog post from espn.com's Heather Dinich in July. She ranked Kenan Stadium as the fourth toughest place to play in the ACC and seemed to base her conclusion on our picturesque pine trees. Joke were made. Whatever.
This past Monday, WRAL broke the news that Heather might have been on to something when two UNC students were struck by a falling tree on campus.
This past Monday, WRAL broke the news that Heather might have been on to something when two UNC students were struck by a falling tree on campus.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Happy Birthday Mama!
Today's my mama's birthday so I have to give her a quick shout out! She's all excited because her and my dad are going on a date tonight.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!
City of Oaks Half Marathon 2009
Or, we could call this post Racing in the Rain.
Rain, it did. It rained cats and dogs. It rained 'til the cows came home. It rained a monsoon. It did not rain men though. Too bad about that.
5 a.m. Sunday morning didn't come too early seeing as we got an extra hour of sleep after falling back on Halloween night. However, it was still early and the weather was crazy.
For those of you who were still sleeping off your late Halloween night out, at 5 a.m. Sunday morning it was 69 degrees. About 5:20 a.m. it started pouring and by 6:00 when we left for the City of Oaks Half Marathon, it had dropped seven degrees.
And, the temperature continued to drop and the rain continued to pour.
See this dude. Yea, he's hard core. He was running along side of us in the beginning with combat boots, the backpack, the flag, the whole kit-and-caboodle. I think we cheered for him just as loud as the spectators did.
Keri and Becki around Mile 10. Where's Ashely you ask?
Oh, there she is!
I'm the one who always keeps up until Mile 7/8ish and then starts slowing down. I'm thankful though that my friends aren't those friends. Like the girl I came up on around Mile 8 who was LITERALLY every two seconds was saying to her struggling friend 'come on,' 'you can do it,' 'it's only five more miles,' 'you can do it.' She was driving ME nuts and I didn't even know her. A Care Bear Stare was quickly given to her. It was all I could do to not tell her to shut up and leave her friend alone before she ruined the whole experience for her resulting into a lifelong ban of all running activites.
Rain, it did. It rained cats and dogs. It rained 'til the cows came home. It rained a monsoon. It did not rain men though. Too bad about that.
5 a.m. Sunday morning didn't come too early seeing as we got an extra hour of sleep after falling back on Halloween night. However, it was still early and the weather was crazy.
For those of you who were still sleeping off your late Halloween night out, at 5 a.m. Sunday morning it was 69 degrees. About 5:20 a.m. it started pouring and by 6:00 when we left for the City of Oaks Half Marathon, it had dropped seven degrees.
And, the temperature continued to drop and the rain continued to pour.
Keri, Becki and I were the runners plus Mark who is a gazelle and runs 13 miles in less than 90 minutes and had to wait a hour for us at the finish. He is beyond out of control. I keep trying to talk him into running a marathon. Maybe one day.
Here we are near Cameron Village between Miles 5&6. We had some awesome spectators that included Andrew (Keri's fiancee!), Andrew's parents (Keri's future in-laws!), Lisa and Kristine. They were such an encouragement to us and it was so awesome that they woke up early to stand in the freezing rain and cheer us on!
See this dude. Yea, he's hard core. He was running along side of us in the beginning with combat boots, the backpack, the flag, the whole kit-and-caboodle. I think we cheered for him just as loud as the spectators did.
Keri and Becki around Mile 10. Where's Ashely you ask?
Oh, there she is!
I'm the one who always keeps up until Mile 7/8ish and then starts slowing down. I'm thankful though that my friends aren't those friends. Like the girl I came up on around Mile 8 who was LITERALLY every two seconds was saying to her struggling friend 'come on,' 'you can do it,' 'it's only five more miles,' 'you can do it.' She was driving ME nuts and I didn't even know her. A Care Bear Stare was quickly given to her. It was all I could do to not tell her to shut up and leave her friend alone before she ruined the whole experience for her resulting into a lifelong ban of all running activites.
Please do notice that my shirt is caught up in my fuel belt. Apparently, it was like that for most of the race. So, not cool.
These guys here are the 2 hour 30 minute pace leaders. Pace leaders are normally found in larger races and their purpose is to help you pace yourself so that you can meet your race goal. My goal was to stay in front of them as my best so far has been 2:30 and I would love to beat that. I did stay in front of them until about Mile 7 when I started tireing (is that a word?) down and then they passed me around Mile 10 and I just never could catch back up. They finished about 100 yards in front of me. I'm not sure what my final time was because the site's down and I wasn't paying attention. Fingers crossed that we were early, but I doubt it.
These guys here are the 2 hour 30 minute pace leaders. Pace leaders are normally found in larger races and their purpose is to help you pace yourself so that you can meet your race goal. My goal was to stay in front of them as my best so far has been 2:30 and I would love to beat that. I did stay in front of them until about Mile 7 when I started tireing (is that a word?) down and then they passed me around Mile 10 and I just never could catch back up. They finished about 100 yards in front of me. I'm not sure what my final time was because the site's down and I wasn't paying attention. Fingers crossed that we were early, but I doubt it.
Here's Keri coming into the finish. One day I'll finish with her. One day. I could see her and Becki in front of me on Western at Mile 12.5ish. So close they were.
Yay Becki! Becki was a blast to train with! It was her first half marathon and first race more than 5K so it was fun after every long run to hear her say 'I've never run that far before!'
And, last but not least, here I come! Do please notice the rain. In fact, you have probably noticed it in all of the photographs. And, as you notice the rain, notice that we're all still smiles! 
Finishers! Happy to be done and eating yummy snacks! So ready for the heat in the car!
And, yes. I am a dork who wears her race shirt to work the next day and proudly looks at everyone with a snot-ball look on her face that says 'I ran 13.1 miles yesterday with sheets of rain plowing into me. What did you do?' 
*Please note that the pictures that are not of my group were borrowed from the City of Oaks website 2009 candid shots. Hopefully, they will not mind.
Yay Becki! Becki was a blast to train with! It was her first half marathon and first race more than 5K so it was fun after every long run to hear her say 'I've never run that far before!'
And, last but not least, here I come! Do please notice the rain. In fact, you have probably noticed it in all of the photographs. And, as you notice the rain, notice that we're all still smiles! I've come to realize that I'll never be a fast runner and finish with the serious faces. But, I don't care. It's so awesome to run slower, have a blast and say 'good mornin' ya'll' to everyone I pass. Being in the back is where it's at!
Finishers! Happy to be done and eating yummy snacks! So ready for the heat in the car!
And, yes. I am a dork who wears her race shirt to work the next day and proudly looks at everyone with a snot-ball look on her face that says 'I ran 13.1 miles yesterday with sheets of rain plowing into me. What did you do?'
*Please note that the pictures that are not of my group were borrowed from the City of Oaks website 2009 candid shots. Hopefully, they will not mind.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Redicklous
Apparently, our boy JJ is working on a rap CD. Maybe his gangta name can be Redicklous.
I particularly like that the reporters are laughing at him throughout the entire interview.
I thought maybe this site was like The Onion or something, but unfortunately for America, it appears to be real.
I particularly like that the reporters are laughing at him throughout the entire interview.
I thought maybe this site was like The Onion or something, but unfortunately for America, it appears to be real.
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