Mommy and Me

So, I don't know about all of you, but I really love my mommy. I know that to some that might make me some dorky kid who needs to grow up, but that just means you haven't met her. And for that, I feel bad for you! :)

And while, I realize that this blog will be slightly short, I figured I better give both of my readers a glimpse into the future. See, I get to spend the next couple of days with my mom at a Women of Faith Conference. And this, my dear friends, excites me very much. Mostly because I just love my mom, but also because I have had this desire to go to a cool women's conference with my mom for quite some time. And now, here it is! The chance has finally come. And to make it even better, we will be accompanied with two of her very dearest friends and one of mine. Can life get better? I submit that it cannot.

This week has been an interesting one and has been kinda rough at some points and yet incredibly amazing at other points. God continues to amaze me with His love and His care even in confusion and frustration. I am grateful that He has chosen me and that He continues to love me even when I tell Him that I hate His umbrella! :) Sorry, I am digressing just a bit.

The point is that the week has been an interesting one and has been kinda rough at some points and yet incredibly amazing at other points (is there an echo on here?). Therefore, I am grateful to be able to spend time with people that I love and that love me back. For all the stress, ridiculousness and joy that has been this week, I am excited to spend some time just soaking in Jesus and His Jesus-ness. :D

What do you love?

A few years back, a friend of mine was gracious enough to allow me to record a few of my original songs. He made it sound pretty, and I "released" it to close friends and family. It wasn't really a huge deal, but it was a lot of fun! It really challenged me to write things and to get my thoughts about God and my walk with Him down on paper.

I am not very good at journaling and though i used to do it all the time, have since been less and less frequent in my journal entires, to the point where, I am quite certain it has been about a year since my last one...whoops. Well, unfortunately, just as I got out of the habit of writing journal entries, I also got out of the habit of writing my thoughts down on paper in song/poem form.

Just recently, I was challenged to write a song for a specific event that is coming in our church. At first, I bucked at the idea because, well, because I am young and stupid, and still don't like to be told what to do! (Sorry, Jesus) But the more I got to thinking about it, the more I realized how much I needed this--not just for the event, but for me and Jesus.

I sat down one day and went to the Word (who says it better than God, Himself, right?). A friend of mine (I may have said this already, and if so, I apologize! Maybe I should read my own blog, huh?) sent me a verse a couple of months back Psalm 143:8, and it has really meant a lot to me--more than my friend probably knows.

Writing the song was fun, yes, but I think even more fun was the opportunity I had to allow others into this process with me. I don't generally like to have people hear a song before is completed, but something about this song made me think that it was time to move past my own desires and share this experience with some people. That has been the most rewarding of all, I think. It's like I got to open up who I am on the inside and who I want to be on the outside to people who love me and to people whom I love. I tend to think that people won't want to hear what I have written. Like somehow what I have to say about God is only for me. Not true. I know that the words I write on paper can mean just as much to others as they do to me--maybe even more, at times.

What do you love? What is it that draws you closer to your Creator? What is it that makes your heart beat faster and makes you want to share what just happened with all 900 of your closest friends? And just as importantly, do you share it? Do you tell them? Or do you think they won't care? Do you allow them to walk this journey with you? Or do you try to walk it alone?

People.....

So, I realize that people are everywhere. I mean, really....God told Adam and Eve to fill the earth and subdue it, and he told Noah the same thing after the flood. And as far as I can tell, they accomplished that task. So I realize that people are everywhere.

So I am still trying to figure out why I am surprised when God puts people in my life. I mean, really puts them in my life. Just this past week, God has shown me how blessed I am with the friends I have. Over and over again he has placed people in my path to show me things about me and about my life and about who I am in him. There is nothing like a good cry at midnight! Or an almost cry in a public place. :) Or just a conversation over the internet once a day.

A while ago, my friend encouraged me with Psalm 143:8 which says basically, "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Ever since that day, I have searched for his unfailing love every morning. And when I stop and think about it, well, good grief, he totally provided that! Man, he is so cool!

In the Beginning....

Well, I have been encouraged to start a blog. Why on earth would I start a blog? I barely even want to listen to myself, why would someone else want to know what I have been thinking? The answer? Yeah, I still have no idea. Yet here I am, with a blog.

The senior pastor at our church would like to start a blog, (See, now he has something to say.) so I thought to myself, "self, perhaps it would be easier to walk him through it if you have been through the same painful procedure." Self agreed. So here we are. And who knows. I may even enjoy it....