fun weekend

So my weekend started by just being absolutely lazy!! I'm talking...sit on the couch ALL DAY Saturday and Sunday (minus church Sunday morning) with my cat in my lap watching movies!

It was amazing! I got tired of sitting, and ended up going to my parent's house today which was nice! RIBS were consumed...delicious!!

Now I'm ending out this memorial day weekend with a Strawberry Daiquiri homemade by my sweet husband and watching The Bachelorette!

Happy Memorial Day....remember those who have fallen for our freedom.

I will always think of my cousin especially on this day. Ready this post to see the sacrifice he paid for us...

Lazy days and boredom

Saturdays should be so much better than this....

Let me just vent for a minute and say how much it absolutely stinks that my husband has had to work every stinking Saturday for the past 3 years that he has been selling cars! I'm talking 8-6!

And every now and then they will change the schedules to "short Saturdays" where there will rotate shifts and he'll either work 8-4 or 10-6! (wow, so much better! NOT!)

So that means every Saturday since we've been married I have been all alone (except for the few that he has taken off for a weekend trip or family functions).

Used to, Saturday would be my cleaning days, and I would just clean and do laundry all day. Well, since moving into our new apartment for some reason I have been cleaning on Wednesdays and Thursdays after work. Which leaves my Sats open with nothing to do! Actually today is the first Saturday since we've been here that I haven't been having a yard sale somewhere! Yep-3 weeks in a row, baby! lol

Sorry about the venting, but it was much needed!

So I'm sitting here, still in my pj's....thinking about what to do!?!?

Laundry-no

Pay Bills- maybe tonight

Work Out/exercise- maybe later

Lay Out by the pool- If I had somebody else to layout with me....

Watch PennyLane try to attack a squirrel through the glass doors to our patio- ALL DAY!

Sit here and watch TV- ALL day!!!

UGH, I really hate watching TV all day, bc since I rarely work on Fridays, that's what I do then too. So by the time Sat gets here, I'm tired of sitting and feeling all lazy.

Which brings me to another subject-sleep.

That's pretty much all I do lately! I seriously fall asleep around 9:30 or 10 and wake up with Michael around 6:45. Some days (like yesterday) I go back to sleep after he leaves and sleep until 10! Well, yesterday I sorta slept till about 10, then took another nap from about 12:30-2:30....geeze I'm lazy! Lazy...not pregnant, people! :)

Life in general

I just realized this week that it's been a while since I've done an update on just our lives! That alone should tell you that nothing too exciting has happened, except that we are all moved in and settled into our new apartment. (I think I've already told you that, though)

Since the move to the new place, we decided to look for a church closer to where we are now, so we wouldn't have to drive 30-40 minutes to church. So we have been going to Valleydale. We love it! It's such an answer to prayer, because we did enjoy Calera and wanted somewhere that we would fit in and be able to serve the Lord. Doors have already begun to open. On Friday of last week I received a phone call from a lady inviting us to Sunday School. She was very nice and said that we would be in her class.

This past Sunday we went to preaching again and they were talking about their VBS tshirts for sell. They said that the proceeds go to their summer missions project and trip, but that it's a secret until VBS. Well, the tshirts say "Wild Wild West" and have a cactus on them...so let's think about where that could be?!?!

Let me back up....Valleydale is a HUGE sponsor and support of Steve and Shari (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) and the whole gang out in Arizona at Grace Fellowship. Just a few weeks ago, Shari told me that they are taking a mission trip out there in July.

So this brings us back to Sunday...I just thought it was so cool how they are supporting our family and going out to help them this summer!!!! But shhh....it's a secret at Valleydale still! lol

As I type this right now, Thehubs and I both are here at home and I'm loving just being able to spend the day with him! Days like this are few and far between! I went to my visits this morning, and have my afternoon open, so I'm doing paperwork at home! LOVE my job! :)

Our 1 year anniversary is coming up, and I don't think we are going to do anything fancy other than spend an entire weekend together. I may make us unplug the computers and turn off the cell phones so it's like we're on vacation or something! I'm just so excited....he's off that Saturday (which NEVER happens) and it's just going to be us!!!

I hope to keep you guys updated about us more, but our lives are really pretty boring at the moment! Hey...I'm not complaining though!! :)

Psalm 78

"In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.

So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror.

Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.

They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.

But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues;

their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.

Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them.

Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.

He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return."

- Psalm 78:32-39

This was such a reminder to me this morning that God knows we are flesh and that we can never obtain perfection. However the psalmist goes on to write that "again and again they put God to the test..." and God later reigned down on them and destroyed them (showing that our sins will not go unpunished).

Thank you Jesus, for paying the price for my sins!

May I not be one that just flatters him with my mouth, lying with my tongue...having a heart that is unfaithful and no loyal to Him!

Happy Tuesday!

uncreated One

As a social worker, we have rules about religion and what we are "supposed" to say and not to say about our beliefs. Well that's pretty much the case in any job these days, and I find that very sad. When I first began my job, even before I had my own case load I knew that God had me here for a purpose....that it would be easy to minister to people and share the love of Christ with them in their time of crisis.

However, as I have worked case after case, I've realized that on very few occasions have I actually shared my faith in Christ and said how powerful He is. (And this was AFTER my client's mentioned their belief in God first!) I've caught myself on a couple of occasions saying things like "Well, the power of prayer is great if that's something you believe in" and "If you're a believer...."

So that leads me to today at a conference I was at. I was in a particular break-out session on sex addiction (and let's not even to there on this one! lol) and the speaker claimed to be "spiritual" and " a believer in God" etc. etc. It wasn't until I heard him make a comment about how addicts have hope and that if your a believer in God or any other higher being then you can use that to overcome your addiction.

That got me thinking. Shamefully thinking about the many comments I have made like that.

It doesn't matter if you believe in prayer.....it works!

It doesn't matter if you believe in God's power....He is powerful!

It doesn't matter if you believe in some other higher being...GOD is the only way!

It doesn't matter if you try and try to break that addiction....without HIM you will still have that void in your life!

So why do we as Christians (and I'm mainly talking to myself here) think that we have to talk to people in a way as to try and not step on their toes or hurt their feelings?!?!?

My prayer today is that I will stop sugar-coating...and be straight forward!

May I boldly proclaim His name not only to friends and family, but to my clients...my coworkers....those at Walmart and Publix.....those who live next door.

It's not about "Oh IF you believe in God blah blah blah, THEN blah blah blah"......

No sir-ree......it's about He is who He is despite our beliefs. If you chose not to believe, then you're going to hell. Simple as that.

Our unbelief doesn't change who HE is!! He is the Uncreated One- who was and is and is to come!

Obsessed

Over the past week I've been spending more time with my Savior than I have in a long time. I think I too often get caught up in just the routine of ordinary life that I forget to stop and think about the One and Only that matters! I'm not promised my next breath, yet I have to worry and plan for tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year! (Anybody else with me?!)

I've just finished reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. I posted this post and this blog several weeks ago regarding the book and just picked it back up this week after settling in at our new place.

(Yes, we are all moved and settled in our new apartment in Inverness now)

Anyways.....God has really been speaking to my heart lately and there have been so many times that I wanted to pick up this laptop and blog, but it was like God was saying.... "No, just keep listening--you'll get distracted!" And I know that is so true, because I often get carried away when I get online. Please tell me I'm not the only one! lol

God has shown me that HE is the only thing in life that matters! I like how the psalmist words it in Psalm 62: 7

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock and refuge."

My prayer has been that my mind stays focused on Him, and that He molds me into the woman and wife that He wants me to be!

One of the last chapters in "Crazy Love" talks about being OBSESSED with God! I mean, how many of us have made fun and ridiculed those who have taken huge steps of faith...or said that the Lord was leading them to do something that in our human eyes is absolutely crazy?!!? That's exactly what Francis was talking about here....radical, sold out, obsessed people in love with God! Here are just a few quotes he so boldly says that got to my heart and I just had to share! (After all, if my toes are stepped on....I want you to share in the pain!) :)

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People who are OBSESSED with Jesus give freely and openly, without censure. OBSESSED people love those who hate them and who can never love them back.

People who are OBSESSED with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. OBSESSED people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.

People who are OBSESSED with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another. OBSESSED people believe that Jesus talked about money and the poor so often because it was really important to Him. (1 John 2:4-6; Matt. 16:24-26)

OBSESSED people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is OBSESSED with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth. As Martin Luther put it, "There are two days on my calendar: this day and that day" (Luke 14:25-35; Matt. 7:13-23; 8:18-22; Rev 3:1-6).

A person who is OBSESSED thinks about heaven frequently. OBSESSED people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is hear in front of them.

And lastly....

People who are OBSESSED with God have an intimate relationship with Him. They are nourished by God's Word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages.

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Now back to where God has brought me...

I get so confused sometimes about life. I mean, I'm certainly still trying to figure out everything about marriage and what a Godly wife looks like. So when thinking about serving God and all the things that He wants me to do or be, I get confused because I wonder if TheHubs has to be the leader in EVERYTHING!?!? I know he is the spiritual leader in our home, but when God tells me to go serve those around me whatever that may be.....should I then begin praying for God to reveal the same things to TheHubs, talk directly to ThuHubs about my thoughts, or just do it?? Now I know that option #3 is out of the question because in a marriage I know that NOTHING should be done without talking about it! (This, I have learned the hard way!)

That has been my struggle....I just pray that the Lord continues to show me His ways! I know he puts these questions in my heart to teach me things. So I shall continue seeking Him and learning more!!

The main thing here though is that I become OBSESSED with my Savior...my Lover....my Creator....and my King!