So...yeah. Don't feel like writing but I'm trying to be thankful. My mood is down tonight and I just wanna be left alone with my thoughts. Maybe I'll write more on the mood later but for now, I just want to do my TI30 and be done. So here goes...
1. My support system at church. Although it's annoying to have your phone ringing off the hook sometimes and 50 people chasing you down to tell/ask you something, it secretly invigorates me. I love being a point person and being in leadership. Lest that sound haughty, I feel that I'm good at organizing, delegating and following up-which simply lends my personality towards leadership. Here lately I've been a little lax but I'm trying to tighten up the ship.
2. I love Autumn-the weather, the feeling in the air, the food, the holidays, the symbolism (new beginnings. I know, that's supposed to be Spring but think about it. Besides the environment most of the rest of us celebrate endings in Spring-school, sports seasons, tv seasons, etc. But in Autumn, there is the beginning of school, a new church year, new tv shows/seasons, etc. So Autumn is the new Spring. :) Ha!) The only thing I miss is being in NC for the changing of the leaves. Texas is SURE not as pretty when it comes to scenery.
3. My Alma Mater-Lee University. I received a mailing from the Alumni Relations department today and it just made me miss good ol' Cleveland. Those were good days and I'd love to visit soon. I realized tonight that I haven't been back in over a year. Sad. But I'm thankful for the Christian education I received there and for the impact it made on my life. I definitely wasn't the same person I was finishing as when I started. That small, Church of God university tucked away in a valley in the Southeastern corner of Tennessee holds a very special place in my heart.
So that's all for now. Perhaps I'll expound on my mood later.
Blessings,
B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Day 15
Yes, I'm actually sitting down at the end of the day to write this. Whether I finish this before I doze off is yet to be determined but hey, at least I'm trying.
Today's Thankful in 3o
1. I wish you could have been here today. The weather here in Paris was absolutely GORGEOUS! I was a little chilly on my way to work this morning but it was a perfect Autumn morning and Autumn hasn't even arrived yet. We started out in the upper 50's and by lunch were in the upper 60's. By 5:00, when I got off work, we were at the mid-70's and I was LOVING it! Sunroof open, windows down-it was the perfect day here weather wise. Thank you, Lord for the little tease of Fall this week. You are such an awesomely creative God who has such masterpieces in creation!
2. I know I'm stuck on food items but tonight I had a little piece of heaven that I had forgotten about in the form of...
Today's Thankful in 3o
1. I wish you could have been here today. The weather here in Paris was absolutely GORGEOUS! I was a little chilly on my way to work this morning but it was a perfect Autumn morning and Autumn hasn't even arrived yet. We started out in the upper 50's and by lunch were in the upper 60's. By 5:00, when I got off work, we were at the mid-70's and I was LOVING it! Sunroof open, windows down-it was the perfect day here weather wise. Thank you, Lord for the little tease of Fall this week. You are such an awesomely creative God who has such masterpieces in creation!
2. I know I'm stuck on food items but tonight I had a little piece of heaven that I had forgotten about in the form of...
JIFFY MUFFIN MIX
I know, I know. A very trivial food but have you tasted the sweet, buttery goodness of Jiffy corn muffins lately? AH-MAZE-ING!!! So yes, I'm thankful for Jiffy.
3. Lastly, tonight I'm thankful for communication. I'm so grateful that we, as humans, can express ourselves and communicate our thoughts, feelings, and emotions. That quality that is unique to humans invigorates me and excites me as I cherish the differences in the ways that we each emote. Thank you, Lord for the ability to communicate and the enjoyment of receiving others'.
*******************************************************************
Well, I made it but I'm tired. So with that, au revoir mes amis!
Blessings,
B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
I know, I know. A very trivial food but have you tasted the sweet, buttery goodness of Jiffy corn muffins lately? AH-MAZE-ING!!! So yes, I'm thankful for Jiffy.
3. Lastly, tonight I'm thankful for communication. I'm so grateful that we, as humans, can express ourselves and communicate our thoughts, feelings, and emotions. That quality that is unique to humans invigorates me and excites me as I cherish the differences in the ways that we each emote. Thank you, Lord for the ability to communicate and the enjoyment of receiving others'.
*******************************************************************
Well, I made it but I'm tired. So with that, au revoir mes amis!
Blessings,
B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Day 14
Yes, I'm still a day behind. But here's the deal-yesterday was completely draining for me-physically, emotionally, and mentally.
A synopsis of the day's events:
~To church early enough to find a couple problems but not early enough to have time to fix them. Have to find time to do that this week. So much work to be done there but my body is about a week behind my brain.
~Tried to teach Sunday School to my 10-14 year olds who think they are too cool for everything. Do you know how hard that is???
~Service was good but I felt a heaviness. There was a strain for me there and it's really hard for me to push through when I know I haven't been on top of my spiritual A-game throughout the week.
~The afternoon was dull-didn't accomplish much but did watch a Richard Gere movie. I missed the last 15 minutes so I have no idea how it ended and I didn't catch the title so I've gotta figure out which one it was.
~Drama ministry practice w/my kids (a mix of youth ages 10-15 w/a 4 year old thrown in) really tested my patience. I love them and they're doing great w/the song we're choreographing but they LOVE to goof off. Normally this wouldn't bother me but when we're trying to accomplish something in a limited amount of time, it works my nerves. But God helped me through it and I have a few days til the next one rolls around. Hopefully we'll be performing in the next few weeks.
~The evening service was...interesting. I'll leave it at that. I spent some time at the altar just praying for all the situations in my life. None of them directly involve me but I'm tired of carrying around all the worry. I know I do that to myself but it's still really hard to resist. I also got to reconcile with a friend whom I've been missing for a long time. Slowly, we're finding the Lord restoring our friendship. I'm very, very thankful for that.
~Got to see Pastor's new house after church and it is super cute! The backyard is perfect for the kids and the dog and I can see us spending a lot of time on the back porch this fall. I'm excited for them to get moved and situated.
~Talked to Z for a while after I got home-and polished off the oatmeal cookies-oops. :) We had a good chat about "stuff". It was really good to be able to talk to him. I miss him so much and am looking forward to seeing him this weekend. We're going on a date Friday night and perhaps to the Plano Hot Air Balloon festival Saturday. I'm just really anxious to be face-to-face with him again. I've really missed him these past 2 weeks.
~Fell asleep on the couch (hence no TI30) and made it the bed a little after 2am.
So as you can see, yesterday's behavior was not very conducive to blog writing and therefore, here I am. So without further ado, yesterday's Thankful in 30.
1. The #1 thing I am thankful for is my Jesus who meets me every time I step toward Him and takes on all my burdens and allows me to carry His. I read a statement recently that said something to the effect that we can walk miles away from God but it only takes 1 step to get back to Him. I am so grateful that even in the times I run away from the very One my heart needs, that in an instant, with a single step I can return to Him. Not that I've been running lately but in those moments, when I do return, I am able to cast every anxiety and fear on Him and take up His yoke for His "yoke is easy and (My) burden is light". Thank you Jesus for taking on all my pain and allowing me to cast my cares on You. Indeed, You do care for me.
2. I am also thankful for life's little moments of comedy. For instance, I mentioned how stressful my drama ministry practice was, but at some point during rehearsal, Gabe (my favorite 4 year old) came to me asking if he could be "God". Since he'd been begging me all practice to be "Jesus", I said yes just to appease him. Not 5 minutes later, here came Gabe up the aisle of the sanctuary with his arms and hands extended in true yoga style saying in his most "God-like" voice, "Here comes God!" It was the cutest thing and I needed that little chuckle during such a stressful time.
3. I confirmed with my mother that all of my family survived the hurricane safely. My aunt and uncle in Houston were without power and as of Sunday night were traveling to stay with my Grandmother for a few days. They suffered minimal wind damage and their daughter who resides in a different area of Houston only had water that came in through the window of her apartment. Grandmother lost a pear tree from her front yard but other than that came out well. Overall, everyone came out well and I am thankful for protection and favor during the storm. He is a faithful God who loves and cares for His children and I thank Him for grace and mercy on my loved ones.
Well, I guess with this post I am officially 'caught up' - at least until tonight when I forget or fall asleep again and have to catch up again tomorrow. But for now, I pray God's blessings on each of you. If you think about it, say a prayer for Z and his family tonight and tomorrow as the visitation and funeral for his grandmother are during those times. I know it will be difficult for him and his family.
~B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
A synopsis of the day's events:
~To church early enough to find a couple problems but not early enough to have time to fix them. Have to find time to do that this week. So much work to be done there but my body is about a week behind my brain.
~Tried to teach Sunday School to my 10-14 year olds who think they are too cool for everything. Do you know how hard that is???
~Service was good but I felt a heaviness. There was a strain for me there and it's really hard for me to push through when I know I haven't been on top of my spiritual A-game throughout the week.
~The afternoon was dull-didn't accomplish much but did watch a Richard Gere movie. I missed the last 15 minutes so I have no idea how it ended and I didn't catch the title so I've gotta figure out which one it was.
~Drama ministry practice w/my kids (a mix of youth ages 10-15 w/a 4 year old thrown in) really tested my patience. I love them and they're doing great w/the song we're choreographing but they LOVE to goof off. Normally this wouldn't bother me but when we're trying to accomplish something in a limited amount of time, it works my nerves. But God helped me through it and I have a few days til the next one rolls around. Hopefully we'll be performing in the next few weeks.
~The evening service was...interesting. I'll leave it at that. I spent some time at the altar just praying for all the situations in my life. None of them directly involve me but I'm tired of carrying around all the worry. I know I do that to myself but it's still really hard to resist. I also got to reconcile with a friend whom I've been missing for a long time. Slowly, we're finding the Lord restoring our friendship. I'm very, very thankful for that.
~Got to see Pastor's new house after church and it is super cute! The backyard is perfect for the kids and the dog and I can see us spending a lot of time on the back porch this fall. I'm excited for them to get moved and situated.
~Talked to Z for a while after I got home-and polished off the oatmeal cookies-oops. :) We had a good chat about "stuff". It was really good to be able to talk to him. I miss him so much and am looking forward to seeing him this weekend. We're going on a date Friday night and perhaps to the Plano Hot Air Balloon festival Saturday. I'm just really anxious to be face-to-face with him again. I've really missed him these past 2 weeks.
~Fell asleep on the couch (hence no TI30) and made it the bed a little after 2am.
So as you can see, yesterday's behavior was not very conducive to blog writing and therefore, here I am. So without further ado, yesterday's Thankful in 30.
1. The #1 thing I am thankful for is my Jesus who meets me every time I step toward Him and takes on all my burdens and allows me to carry His. I read a statement recently that said something to the effect that we can walk miles away from God but it only takes 1 step to get back to Him. I am so grateful that even in the times I run away from the very One my heart needs, that in an instant, with a single step I can return to Him. Not that I've been running lately but in those moments, when I do return, I am able to cast every anxiety and fear on Him and take up His yoke for His "yoke is easy and (My) burden is light". Thank you Jesus for taking on all my pain and allowing me to cast my cares on You. Indeed, You do care for me.
2. I am also thankful for life's little moments of comedy. For instance, I mentioned how stressful my drama ministry practice was, but at some point during rehearsal, Gabe (my favorite 4 year old) came to me asking if he could be "God". Since he'd been begging me all practice to be "Jesus", I said yes just to appease him. Not 5 minutes later, here came Gabe up the aisle of the sanctuary with his arms and hands extended in true yoga style saying in his most "God-like" voice, "Here comes God!" It was the cutest thing and I needed that little chuckle during such a stressful time.
3. I confirmed with my mother that all of my family survived the hurricane safely. My aunt and uncle in Houston were without power and as of Sunday night were traveling to stay with my Grandmother for a few days. They suffered minimal wind damage and their daughter who resides in a different area of Houston only had water that came in through the window of her apartment. Grandmother lost a pear tree from her front yard but other than that came out well. Overall, everyone came out well and I am thankful for protection and favor during the storm. He is a faithful God who loves and cares for His children and I thank Him for grace and mercy on my loved ones.
Well, I guess with this post I am officially 'caught up' - at least until tonight when I forget or fall asleep again and have to catch up again tomorrow. But for now, I pray God's blessings on each of you. If you think about it, say a prayer for Z and his family tonight and tomorrow as the visitation and funeral for his grandmother are during those times. I know it will be difficult for him and his family.
~B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Day 13
Wow... I actually forgot about blogging yesterday. It was such a calm, peaceful Saturday (in spite of the hurricane) that I just went to bed without even thinking of TI30. I guess that will be #1 on my list for the day...
Thankful in 30
1. Calm, peaceful Saturdays when I don't have a thing to do. Although I was supposed to be in Henderson, that trip got cancelled thanks to Ike so I spent most of the day Saturday (after sleeping in since I had a late night of cleaning on Friday) doing more cleaning, getting organized and watching tv. Do you know how rare that is for me to be able to do that? I honestly can't remember the last Saturday I had nowhere to be or nothing to do. Thank goodness for catch up days-I even made oatmeal cookies. YUM :)
2. Family is family wherever you go. I heard from a cousin Friday that I saw at the reunions in July and it was so good to hear from her. I'm thankful that even though we may not see each other but once a year, we're family 24/7/365 and I love them!
3. Oatmeal cookies are my favorite & I (with the help of Betty Crocker) made an incredible batch. They are just plain oatmeal without raisins or any extras but I do love oatmeal chocolate chip & I should have put some of my many, many pecans in these. They are so yummy & I swear, I could eat the whole bowl of dough without ever baking one cookie!
Since I'm behind, I'll go for now. But I'll try to stay caught up as much as I can. Hope everyone will continue to remember those affected by Hurricane Ike in their thoughts & prayers.
Blessings,
B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Thankful in 30
1. Calm, peaceful Saturdays when I don't have a thing to do. Although I was supposed to be in Henderson, that trip got cancelled thanks to Ike so I spent most of the day Saturday (after sleeping in since I had a late night of cleaning on Friday) doing more cleaning, getting organized and watching tv. Do you know how rare that is for me to be able to do that? I honestly can't remember the last Saturday I had nowhere to be or nothing to do. Thank goodness for catch up days-I even made oatmeal cookies. YUM :)
2. Family is family wherever you go. I heard from a cousin Friday that I saw at the reunions in July and it was so good to hear from her. I'm thankful that even though we may not see each other but once a year, we're family 24/7/365 and I love them!
3. Oatmeal cookies are my favorite & I (with the help of Betty Crocker) made an incredible batch. They are just plain oatmeal without raisins or any extras but I do love oatmeal chocolate chip & I should have put some of my many, many pecans in these. They are so yummy & I swear, I could eat the whole bowl of dough without ever baking one cookie!
Since I'm behind, I'll go for now. But I'll try to stay caught up as much as I can. Hope everyone will continue to remember those affected by Hurricane Ike in their thoughts & prayers.
Blessings,
B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Day 12
Well, another day, another dollar earned. Thankfully (no pun intended), it's the weekend. I'm a bit nervous about this impending hurricane. I know Paris is a long way from the coast and according to my personal meteorologist, I have nothing to worry about. But it still makes me a bit anxious... I'm sure I'll be fine.
Today's Thankful in 30
1. The Holy Spirit is certainly something to be thankful for. Today I've been praying for Him to comfort the Parker family-especially Sharon. She lost her mom today and as that is the first parent that either she or Pastor Parker have lost, I know it will be hard. It was an unexpected passing yet I know it was no surprise to the Lord. They traveled to OK late tonight (thank you for safety of travel, God) and will be there through Tuesday after the funeral takes place. I'm thankful that the Lord gave us His Holy Spirit to comfort and give peace that passes understanding and I'm praying He'll do that for them in the days to come.
2. My friends in Paris are definitely a source of gratitude for me. I'm amazed that I've been here over a year now and how welcoming the people have been toward me. As of late, I haven't had much time to spend with my friends here with so much going on at church and trying to see Zeb as much as I can. I've just been staying so busy. But tonight I caught up a little with my 2nd family here and it was so good to spend time with them. They are a lot of fun and I know I can be myself with them which is such a good feeling. It felt good just to hang out again and I hope to have more time in the near future to see them more often. Thank you God for the friends I've made and for moving me here so our paths could cross.
3. Tonight I'm also thankful for my job. It may not be my favorite job and there may be days (more often than not) that I don't want to get up and go to work but at least I have a job. The pay may not be great but hey, it's not long term. (Of course, I can't believe I've been working there for a year.) My co-workers are bearable and my work load is fairly easy most of the time. I have a paycheck that comes in every 2 weeks and decent benefits with health insurance provided. Thank you God for a place of employment, job security and your grace to make it through each work day.
4. A short blurb about Z:
I'm so thankful for Z and his calm composure. I freak out over the smallest things (if you couldn't already tell) and he is the perfect complement to that part of my personality. He keeps his composure and is level-headed and cool as a cucumber 99% of the time (that I've seen anyway). He loves it when I overreact and I do too-because it gives him a chance to be my protector, a feeling that is certainly unequaled and extremely comforting. God knew exactly the kind of personality that I would need to complement me in a relationship and I'm so thankful for Z. (Thanks for putting up with my antics, hun.)
That's all for tonight.
Blessings,
B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Today's Thankful in 30
1. The Holy Spirit is certainly something to be thankful for. Today I've been praying for Him to comfort the Parker family-especially Sharon. She lost her mom today and as that is the first parent that either she or Pastor Parker have lost, I know it will be hard. It was an unexpected passing yet I know it was no surprise to the Lord. They traveled to OK late tonight (thank you for safety of travel, God) and will be there through Tuesday after the funeral takes place. I'm thankful that the Lord gave us His Holy Spirit to comfort and give peace that passes understanding and I'm praying He'll do that for them in the days to come.
2. My friends in Paris are definitely a source of gratitude for me. I'm amazed that I've been here over a year now and how welcoming the people have been toward me. As of late, I haven't had much time to spend with my friends here with so much going on at church and trying to see Zeb as much as I can. I've just been staying so busy. But tonight I caught up a little with my 2nd family here and it was so good to spend time with them. They are a lot of fun and I know I can be myself with them which is such a good feeling. It felt good just to hang out again and I hope to have more time in the near future to see them more often. Thank you God for the friends I've made and for moving me here so our paths could cross.
3. Tonight I'm also thankful for my job. It may not be my favorite job and there may be days (more often than not) that I don't want to get up and go to work but at least I have a job. The pay may not be great but hey, it's not long term. (Of course, I can't believe I've been working there for a year.) My co-workers are bearable and my work load is fairly easy most of the time. I have a paycheck that comes in every 2 weeks and decent benefits with health insurance provided. Thank you God for a place of employment, job security and your grace to make it through each work day.
4. A short blurb about Z:
I'm so thankful for Z and his calm composure. I freak out over the smallest things (if you couldn't already tell) and he is the perfect complement to that part of my personality. He keeps his composure and is level-headed and cool as a cucumber 99% of the time (that I've seen anyway). He loves it when I overreact and I do too-because it gives him a chance to be my protector, a feeling that is certainly unequaled and extremely comforting. God knew exactly the kind of personality that I would need to complement me in a relationship and I'm so thankful for Z. (Thanks for putting up with my antics, hun.)
That's all for tonight.
Blessings,
B
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
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