Let the Countdown Begin

4 months until Singing School.  Get excited.

Crazy Love

Tonight I went to dinner at Nabeel's.  It's almost becoming a weekly tradition.  The food is delicious, and the atmosphere takes you to somewhere else.  Somewhere in the Mediterranean.  I like it, though, because I can simply bring a book or two and read while eating something fantastic.

So, I brought my One Year KJV Bible and the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  I have not followed the "days" at all, so I'm reading somewhere in June.  Before reading, I asked God to reveal whatever I needed in his Word.  And He did.  Of course He did.  I read 1 Kings 19:1-21.  It tells the story of Elijah, who after defeating the prophets of Baal, runs away from Jezebel.  He tells the Lord how hard he has worked and that only he is left among his servants.  And God reveals himself to Elijah in a small voice.  Elijah repeats the same words, and God tells him to go anoint Elisha.  Usually the focus of this story is that God had 7,000 others who had not bowed down to Baal.  But, tonight I focused in on the fact that God sent Elijah to anoint Elisha.  At one of Elijah's weakest moments, God reminds him that he is raising up servants to serve the Lord.  He is not the only one right now, nor will the ministry die with him.  What a comforting thought!

Then, I started the 2nd chapter of my book, Crazy Love.  I can already tell that it is going to be a perfect accompaniment to the Bible Study I started on Tuesday night.  The first chapter was all about re-discovering God.  Realizing just how awesome He is.  If you haven't seen this, you should really take a few minutes to watch the video below:

Pretty amazing, right?  That doesn't even do it justice.

The 2nd chapter, then, is all about death.  That may seem strange, but Chan points you to the fact that the "Movie of Life" is not about you.  It's about God.  He makes this parallel.  If you were an extra in a movie, and only your head was seen for about a second, yet you rented the entire movie theater out so people could see it, they would think you were crazy.  The movie obviously isn't about you.  And so it is with life.  We are here for a fraction of a second, and our entire purpose is to glorify God.  That's what it's all about (not the hokey pokey...sorry, I couldn't resist).  Let us be about our Father's business.

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."


"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."


Colossians 3:2,17

Birmingham Sunset

I've been thinking a lot about seeing God in the nature all around us.  I've always known that to be true, but I've really tried to dwell on it lately and not miss it.  It's so easy for a day to pass by and truly miss all the beauty that surrounds us and testifies of a magnificent Creator.

Tonight, as I travelled to Jasper, I couldn't help but be amazed at the sunset right before my eyes.  Now that spring is approaching, I don't leave work in the dark.  I can actually see the sun in its waning moments.  Sunsets are absolutely beautiful.  They leave you speechless and completely inspired.  Whether it's trying to comprehend the light itself or the magnitude of its size, or trying to count the many colors the sunset inspires - purples, blues, pinks, oranges - it all points back to Christ.  He is our light.  He sees and knows each of us individually.  He loves us.

Food Court Surprise!

How fun would that be? A LOT! Merry Christmas!

"For unto us a Saviour is born."

Gift Exchange

I have a Christmas party to attend tomorrow night where we are having a gift exchange. There will be males and females there from ages 22 to 50+. So, what do I get? Oddly enough, I found it hard to find a good list of " great gifts for both genders under $15-$20". I wandered around the mall tonight for a while, and came up with a list of my own. Hope it helps anyone else out there struggling for an idea!

1. Blanket/throw (I gave this last year and it went over well.)
2. Ornament
3. Flash drive
4. Hand sanitizer, lotion. (my gift this year - perhaps slightly on the girlie side, but who can't use hand sanitizer, especially during the flu season?)
5. Serving pieces (nice platters, cake knives, salad tossers, etc.)
6. Movie package (vouchers or DVD rentals)
7. Cocoa and mugs
8. Homemade gift, for the artsy types! Someone did a painting last year that was a big hit.
9. Magic 8 ball? Magnetic poetry? Rubix cube? These just came to me spontaneously. You probably wouldn't buy it for yourself, but you know you can't refuse to pick one up if someone else has it and just play with it.
10. And of course, if nothing else, gift cards are always wildly popular. Chic-fil-a was a popular one last year for grabs. Any restaurants or coffee places are great.

What ideas do you have? Comments? Thoughts?

All Clean

Last night I got in a cleaning mood.  I came home from work about 6:00 and I cleaned until my phone rang at 9:00.  I...

• washed the dishes
• laundered my bed sheets and clothes
• cleaned the fabric softener dispenser, which was starting to look gummy
• wiped my counters (AND) polished them - Ok, so I cheated.  It's a cleaner/polisher solution all-in-one.
• Disenfected and Sanitized my sink, toilet, and tub
• Scrubbed my bathroom floors (think Cinderella...on the floor on my hands and knees scrubbing)
• Dusted all my furniture
• Vacuumed my floors

It was a very productive evening!  I felt much better sitting down and relaxing after that, and not somewhat lazy as I usually do.  :-)

It also probably didn't hurt that I had Pandora Radio blaring over my phone for the entire 3 hours.  It helps pass the time so much more quickly.  It was set to my favorite customized station - Blackbird Radio.  LOVE it.  You should check out Pandora for yourself here.



Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com.



Thanksgiving

I would say that I am late, but it is never to late to give thanks.  I have so many things to be thankful for.  If I tried to list them all, I don't think I could.  But, it is so important to make every effort as often as possible to give thanks and see what the Lord has done in our lives.  If we fail to remember, it will be easy to forget.  So, without further delay, a wee glimpse of my thanks:

• Family - immediate, extended, church...I love them all.
• Friends whose love is unconditional
• Living in the United States of America - still the greatest country in the world to live, though I pray for it daily.
• My Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and his gift of hope to each and every one of his children.  Without this solid hope, I would be lost many days.
• Chic-Fil-A - My food pyramid some weeks really does consist of 1) Chic-Fil-A, and 2) everything else.
• Sweet Tea
• Music
• The Written Word and the Preached Word
• Blankets and Gas Heaters
• Health
• Grace

So many more...The Lord has been so good to me, I want to sing his praise, I want to glorify his name, all my remaining days.