Post-Thanksgiving Post

Last week, on Tuesday I started to get that blogging itch that I get every Tuesday as I work on homework. But last Tuesday I was at home, snuggled up in the recliner under the heated blanket, watching reruns of "The Biggest Loser" and I though I started a post, I just couldn't finish it. I think the timing was wrong, but now my friends, the timing is right.

Maybe I'm alone on this point, but hopefully there are others out there like me, the holidays make me just the teensiest bit nervous. I love the holidays, but I stress about them not because of money, or getting the right gift, or having to see people or anything like that, but I get nervous because I want everyone to be happy, and maybe its selfish, but I want to be happy too! You know, I have to constantly remind myself that if God cares for the sparrow, then how much more does he care for us? And he wants us to be happy too... so should it come as any surprise that our great God works every single little thing out for our good... Ha, no, it shouldn't.

So, instead of the fretting, "change is coming, but I'm thankful anyways" post that I was going to write before Thanksgiving, here is my post-thanksgiving post:

The schedule of events:
Wednesday: Flu shot (yuck), grocery shopping (because my mom sent us, while she cleaned for company), cleaning (because she couldn't do it on her own of course!), cleaning (oh did I already say that?), and Church (where little Gracie decided she wants to be baptized... its happening tomorrow, Hallelujah!)
Thursday: Wake up, shower, get dressed, cook, cook, cook, cook, cook. Here's how things go at our house: Mom: Turkey, Dressing, and telling everyone else how to cook everything else, except me: Pecan Pie and Hashbrown Casserole (except, I took too long getting dressed so then we had an "everyone needs the oven" problem. Here's how I think we should solve it... get two ovens. done.) Christina: deviled eggs, Jessica: Cranberry Sauce (haha). Rebekah: Um, I don't remember what she made. And then everyone else brings the other goods like mashed potatoes, gravy, and the ridiculously amazing caramel pie that may have been dropped from heaven. THEN, movie time (we watched pirates of the carribbean) then Joseph came over and we went to my mammaw's for dinner. We played charades.

But wait! Thursday isn't over yet.

Get home about 8:00 pm. Joseph and I bundle up and leave around 8:30 to arrive at Target around 9:30 and wait in line until midnight for my first ever Black Friday shopping extravaganza. The whole world watched. Not. But we did stand in line for a total of four hours and I got the Nikon Coolpix L105 for $99, which I think was totally worth it. And of course, spending four hours with Joseph and having a good ol' time... I wouldn't trade it for a good nights sleep!

But I might should have, because I didn't sleep but two hours that night.

Friday: 6 am. More black friday shopping with Grandmama, mama, and the girls. I cannot even begin to account for all the great deals that were made haha. We returned home only to not take a nap, but to put up our Christmas decorations. But by that time I was cranky and it was time for bed.

There was more to this weekend, but this post is too long already, so just so you know, I am very thankful. It was the best thanksgiving of my life. :)

A Wish on a Wednesday

I wish my 12-page research paper about the second great awakening and it's affect on Kentucky would write itself.... 

No really, (though that would be awesome) I have lots of wishes. So I think I will make this a tradition, and hopefully I will stick to it. I mean the holiday season has begun and its definitely a time for wishes. Here it is:

I wish I had more motivation to do the not-so-fun things that I need to do, like write my paper, or go to class. I mean, I go to class, but I hate every moment of being there. I wish I had more motivation to exercise, to eat healthier. I wish I had more motivation to be self-motivated. How do I do that?

A Good Weekend to Fall in Love

Well, its about that time again. Time to update all of you, my readers, on the escapades of the past weekend and all the awesome things God is doing in my life! Funny how it always seems to come at this time... you know, Tuesdays, at work, when there is nothing to do but homework... hmm.

Anyways, last Friday Rebekah and I made a mad dash home, skipping out on class and work (I was excused) to pack up and hit the road with the family for Calvert City, Kentucky, where we spent the weekend with the people of Faith Apostolic Church. My grandparents have been going there on the second weekend of November every year for four years now, and we have joined them for the past two. Every year, on Friday night, they have a special service for the ladies and my grandmama speaks. Then on Saturday night and Sunday morning, my Granddad speaks. On Saturday morning, we get up and go shopping, and they always have good food. 

So that's basically the run-down of events.

However, this year was a little different. This year, they asked ME to speak along with my grandmama. She recently had a pretty serious surgery and was afraid she wouldn't be able to do the whole thing on her own, so she asked me to help out. I was honored, and nervous. I never, ever get nervous about speaking in front of people, but it has happened twice that I have been asked to speak at a "ladies conference" and it terrifies me. I mean, preparing for it, I just think to myself, "I'm only twenty years old. I'm not married, I've never had kids... what do I have to offer these women?" I should know by now that God has his ways of making us trust him more. Moreover, the topic they had chosen was the Proverbs 31 woman. WHAT? That whole proverb is about a married woman, one who takes care of her husband and her children and provides for them and all that stuff. I know nothing about it. But again, there is God, teaching me to trust him more. 

I studied and studied and studied. I think I know the woman in Proverbs 31 as well as my best friend. She and I are tight now. The more I read about her, the more I realized that its not that hard to be like her. All she does is work hard, right? I mean, she goes out of her way to provide food for her family, she wakes up before the crack of dawn to make sure that they are prepared for the day ahead. She makes sure her husband looks good, she dresses her family in warm clothing, etc. She isn't lazy. However, the more I read about this woman, the more I realized that there is much more to her than a to-do list. Yeah, she's a hard worker, but there is motivation behind all of her work. 

The thing about my friend in Proverbs 31 is that she realizes she is more than just a woman. She is a wife. She is a bride. There is so much more to a relationship than a checklist of things to do. There has to be love, there has to be intimacy. And that is the part that hit home for me. Jeremiah 2:32 says "Does a maiden forget her jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number." Because if we are the bride of Christ, then our relationship to Jesus should look like the relationship of the Proverbs 31 woman to her husband. It has become easy for us to do work for the Lord, but we have forgotten for whom we do the work: Jesus. 

Revelation chapter 3 tells us of the church at Ephesus, who had forgotten their first love. In his letter to the church, God tells them to go back to their first love. To repent and do what they did in the beginning. Some of us have spent so long working for God, that we have forgotten when we fell in love with him. This happens in marriages too. That's why so many marriages fail, because people forget when and how they fell in love. There is a movie out and one of the characters says that part of making a marriage work is falling in love again every day. That goes for our relationship with God. We have to fall in love with him everyday. I mean, I'm guilty, I'm the worst. I was raised in church. I cut my teeth on the pews, I was taught to love God. I work hard for him. I have taught Sunday School, led youth groups, led praise and worship, played the piano, directed children's church, and everything else, but that means nothing if I'm not in love with Jesus. And sometimes I forget what that feels like. 

I encouraged the ladies in Calvert City this weekend to remember what it felt like to fall in love. Now I encourage you to remember as well.

Inspire me a little.

Because we all know we're addicted to those little quotes that make us feel inspired and alive and everything... Courtesy of thingsweforget.blogspot.com

"A diamond is just a piece of coal that stuck to its job"

"Bite off more than you can chew, and then chew it."

"Have big dreams, you will grow into them."

"Well done is better than well said."

"You don't have to attend every argument you're invited to." PREACH!

"Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death."

"There's a reason you have two hands, one to help yourself and one to help others." AMEN!

My Talented Sister

She drew this on a ceiling tile for her history classroom. She's a freshman in high school. Are you eat up with jealousy yet? I am.

So many thoughts. So little time.

I hope something here makes you smile, makes you think, lifts you up, or gives you peace:

• "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "this is the way; walk in it."" Isaiah 30:21
• Homeless ministry: that's what's up! My sister Rebekah had the vision to make a 'bum mat' for a homeless man in our hometown and asked all the girls on our floor in our dorm to give their extra plastic bags to the cause. The vision caught on! Now, not only is our room full of boxes of plastic bags, but Rebekah got to speak to the Hall Council about getting other people involved. She also found a group in our hometown that helps homeless people to get involved with. Win! Praise the Lord!
• Matthew Barnett: The Cause Within You. I'm hooked on that book! (and that rhymed) here's a quote... or two:
• "The fulfillment of your cause will leave things better than you found them- and that includes you."
• "You don't give God enough credit- not enough to believe that He would never set you up for failure, that He wants you to optimize your earthly journey, and that He loves you so much that He is eagerly awaiting the chance to partner with you to have an amazing impact in the lives you are able to touch."
• "While I suspect God appreciates our effort to do something great for Him, only He knows what is best for us and best for His kingdom."

• When people have children, it is common for others to tell them "Cherish this time, it flies by." We have all heard it. We should cherish the time we have with our families, our grandparents, in high school, etc. How about this: make the most of the time you have to be a witness. Do everything you can. Make the most of every moment at school, on the job, and in other everyday-life activities. Like Nike used to say (maybe they still do, I wouldn't know) Just do it!
• When I came home last weekend, my sister Christina was so excited to see me that she jumped on me, with both legs around me and broke my new purse. I couldn't be mad... 
• Being radical for Jesus is where it's at. Period.
• I am frustrated by people who are stupid. Some things are stupid. Stop being stupid. It's that easy.
• "Let every man sweep in front of his own door, then the entire world would be clean." The truth is, you can't clean up anyone's act but your own. We are responsible for catching fish, but God takes pride in cleaning them. Make sure you are clean. Make sure you are living a life that brings glory to God. If every person took care of themselves... 
• Rebekah and I started Bible Study with Chaley last week. It was SO AWESOME. We just talked about prayer, but God really revealed a lot to us and I felt so encouraged afterward. 
• If you tell someone you are going to pray for them: do it. Because if you don't pray then 1. you lied and 2. you're being a bad example.
• Fasting without praying is just starving. -Joseph
• It's not even noon and I've already had two awkward encounters with my boss's boss. Which makes him my boss too I guess... but I'm just... weird about it. I hope he doesn't think I'm insane. He probably does. Oh well, maybe I am.
• I got to go to the New Testament class today. I've been tutoring this whole time, but have been unable to attend the class because I've been tutoring... but I LOVE the New Testament class. It makes me so happy. The whole way back to work I had to convince myself that I'm too far into the Elementary Ed program to turn back now and that God needs me to teach nine-year-olds more than nineteen-year-olds.

The Cause Within You

I haven't read a book for pleasure in a long time. Not since Winter Break, probably. Last night though, Joseph brought me this book called The cause within you: Finding the one great thing God created you to do in this world. The book is by Matthew Barnett, who is the author of The church that never sleeps. Which is the last book I tried to read. Matthew Barnett is the pastor of the Dream Center in Los Angeles, and his story is really awesome. He was at the Soul Winners Boot Camp that Joseph attended this past weekend. 

Anyways, this is what I am reading right now, and its really inspiring. I have found that when I get interested in something, it's all I can think about. It isn't always a good thing. Sometimes I worry, and that becomes all I can think about. Sometimes I'm studying for a history test and I find myself talking about Hammurabi's Code or the Civil War in the middle of everyday conversations. Lately, okay for the past three days, all I can think about is outreach. Changing the world. I find myself just watching people and thinking about how I could start a conversation about Jesus with them. 

And sometimes that is all I do: Think. Today I was walking to work and the two girls who are my neighbors were walking in front of me. I have never talked to them, but I sure have thought about it. Even today, I thought, "how could I start a conversation with them?" and I came up with a couple of scenarios in my head, but did I talk to them? No. It would have probably been awkward. Not a good excuse. I thought, "What would Jesus do?" and felt like a ten-year-old again, but what a solid thought. What would Jesus do? I can tell you what he wouldn't do... He would not be silent. So often though, we are silent. Why?

This quote from the book really stuck out to me:

"Fear cannot own you when a great cause rules your heart."

So what's my cause? The name of Jesus? That seems like a pretty great cause, so fear should not own me. 

Think about it: what is the cause ruling in your heart, and what is stopping you from changing the world?

#GoWinSouls

I have been inspired.

This past weekend Joseph and a group from his church attended Soul Winner's Boot Camp, in West Monroe, Louisiana. I was so distraught that I couldn't go because I knew what a life-changing/awesome event it would be. And I was right. However, despite the fact that I could not go, I feel like I learned SO much just from Joseph's experience and everything that he has shared with me. His trip just set the ball rolling for what I want to do in my church and my community.

Part of what Joseph learned is something I really already knew, but hearing the results (and seeing them on video) really impressed me and encouraged me. As far as I am concerned, there are two key factors to winning souls. 1. Be Radical and 2. Ask questions.

I really need to work on the "Be Radical" thing. My sister Christina though, she's about to get it. I have to share this story about her. Yesterday she played the guitar and sang for the state Beta convention here at WKU. On Sunday night, after praise and worship, she looked at me and said "I know what I'm going to do, it just slapped me in the face while we were singing. I'm going to preach tomorrow at Beta." So I told her if she didn't preach I would be disappointed in her, but I did not doubt her. She's crazy. So yesterday, she got up to sing, and before she started the song, she grabbed the microphone and made a call for worship. In the middle of a talent show. She talked to the students about how great God is and how we are made to worship him, and then she asked that they, if they felt like it, would stand to worship while she sang. So she started singing, and people started standing. After it was over, one of the judges came up to her and told her it was the most courageous thing she had ever seen a student do. The thing is, people didn't come crying up to the front, giving their lives to the Lord, but Christina made an impression on those students, and the adults there. They aren't going to forget her boldness, and I think she has yet to see the results it will have on her school.

The second part, asking questions, is something I definitely don't have trouble with. I mean, I have some work to do, but I like to talk, and I know that people like to talk about themselves. Something I have learned in my job as a tutor is that the best way to help a student is to allow them to find the answer themselves, don't just give it to them. This is the same with lost souls. If you can get a person to actually think about their soul, their eternity, they will start seeking truth. I know there is a desire within each and every one of us to find truth and our job is to get people started on that journey and ultimately to help them find it. I had an awesome experience shopping the other day when I met a couple in line who used to pastor a pentecostal church, but are no longer in church. How did I find that out? I asked. Christina has a friend at school who told her that the only reason she had not come to church yet was because Christina had not asked her.

That's the key. Be bold, inspire people to find truth. Ask questions. Go win souls.