holidays

are crazy! although, this Christmas we only went to 7 places instead of the 10 we were expected to go to. blah! i hate running around everywhere in fear of angering relatives.

i have a secret...

i can't even believe this

a while back i posted about a lady who had been on Fox news because she was protesting soldiers' funerals. recently, a young man from warren was killed in the line of duty and his funeral will be tomorrow. guess who'll be there?

i'm alive

and that's enough. this past week, a member of my step-mom's family passed from this life to the next. she wasn't afraid to die. she knew the Lord and she knew where she would spend her eternity. i still think she was too young, but God makes all things beautiful in their time. when someone close to you or to someone you love dies, it makes you think about your time on this earth. it all goes by so fast. i hope to make the most of my life. i care less and less about what other people think, partly because i don't have time for it. i'm doing my best. all we can do is trust that God will lead and guide us and help us make the best decisions. why get all caught up in drama when there are people around you who don't know the Lord? i'm not perfect...i never will be, but i can strive to be better. i trust God to take care of me and my family. i'm so thankful for the time i have here, but i know this isn't my home.

ministry is not at all what i expected it to be. when i was a teen, i thought, "how great it would be to be at church all day!" and it is. it's an amazing blessing and honor to work among so many Godly, upright people. it's always encouraging. but, there is a side to ministry that most people will never see. lorin and i have had to grow up big time. it's not easy. and from what i can see, it never will be. but, this is where God has called us. i love being in the ministry. i love how it stretches me, even though in the midst of change and heartache, it can feel like it's not even worth it. but, it always is.

tuba ruba

this was one my my sister and my favorite games when we were kids. it's also what she asked for, for Christmas this year.

r-e-s-p-e-c-t

what makes someone deserving of respect? i know it's not perfection, because if that was the case, none of us deserve it. growing up, we all learned - or should have learned - that you respect your elders. (Leviticus 19:32) it doesn't matter if you don't agree with them...you respect them in spite of it.

respect: willingness to show consideration or appreciation; polite expressions of consideration or deference.

Proverbs 24:21
fear God, dear child—respect your leaders; don't be defiant or mutinous...

funny...it doesn't say respect them if you agree with them. it doesn't matter who you are...if you disagree with the president, it's fine, but you have to respect him as our nation's leader. what happened from the time i was a teen until now? it blows my mind.

our society needs a lesson in responsibility.

Romans 13
To Be a Responsible Citizen
1-3Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it's God's order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you're irresponsible to the state, then you're irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you're trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear.

3-5Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you'll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you're breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren't there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That's why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it's the right way to live.

6-7That's also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders.

8-10Don't run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don't sleep with another person's spouse, don't take someone's life, don't take what isn't yours, don't always be wanting what you don't have, and any other "don't" you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can't go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.

11-14But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

neil...this beats yours

Do you know how to go?

my top 5 on itunes at the moment

1.tonight - jeremy camp

2.when it's over - adie

3.drifter - decemberadio

4.the time has come - hillsong

5.say the word - classic crime

not feeling creative

yesterday, we had a bonfire for jr. refuge...it was perfect! the weather was beautiful, the teens loved it, we made hot dogs and s'mores and played kickball and football. couldn't have asked for more.

crave is coming up...i'm so excited!! joe hohman's coming!!

stuff rolling around in my head

joe mackey is one of my favorite people

i'm married to the perfect man

nestle crunch dark choclate stix are really good

i can't control a darn thing, except the response i have to everything around me

i wish i was turning 24 again...instead of 25

i love our woodburner

lorin's grandma can't say fajita...she pronounces it like "fygeeta"

eastwood

if you haven't seen the eastwood mall in a while, drop what your doing and go! you'll wonder if you've lost your mind!

holidays

lorin and i are going to florida to be with his mom for thanksgiving this year. i'm really excited to get away for a while, relax, and eat some amazing food. it's my kind of holiday because i only have one place to go.

last christmas wasn't even fun for us because we ended up having to go to 9 places in 2 days. i realize now that we are never going to make everyone happy. what's the point in killing ourselves to get everywhere when it's never enough? this year, we're only committing to seeing our parents. i want to enjoy my holiday and focus on my husband and what christmas is all about.

kashi

my new favorite granola bars. i love fall and eating one of these pumpkin spice flax bars is like packing the season into a snack and eating fall. that sounded a little crazy...but, i don't care! they're good!

simplify

the weather was gorgeous yesterday, so i went for a drive. i went alone and it was completely refreshing. i drove around vienna for about an hour and a half with the sunroof and window open. it was just me and God...me thanking Him for His handiwork, Him ministering the peace i needed. it's amazing how uncomplicated life feels in His presence. i've learned i don't have the slightest clue what i'm doing...and it's ok. He knows. i've given up on any plans i think i should have. He'll tell me when i need to make a move and He certainly makes it clear when i shouldn't.

proverbs 19:21
"many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

c3 continued

c3

here are some pictures from this past weekend

love it...drifter, specifically.

this weekend

lorin, mikel, mackey, janine, and i got back from georgia yesterday at 10:30am after a 15 hour drive. my head is still in a fog. there is so much i could write about, but i'll leave the good stuff for when i get the pictures from janine. free chapel was the church where the conference was held. one word - gorgeous.

we hung around the church after the conference was over and met some amazing people who showed us around. we saw the stage, backstage, editing suites, everything. it was so fun!! one of the guys we met, let lorin and mikel take a couple t-shirts based on pastor franklin's series:



if you've noticed that the title of my blog is in italian, it's my ode to joy.

In the quiet, in the stillness
I know that You are God
In the secret of Your presence
I know there I am restored

When You call I won’t refuse
Each new day again I’ll choose

There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise

In the chaos, in confusion
I know You’re Sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do Your will

When You call I won’t delay
This my song through all my days

All my delight is in You Lord
All of my hope, all of my strength
All my delight is in You Lord Forevermore

c3

we (me, lorin, mikel l., and janine) might be going to this. I'm so excited!!

**edit**

we are definitely going and mackey's coming, too!!! woohoo!

Pastor Thom