I need You like a hurricane

"In a time when natural disasters are at an all time high and there are increasing wars and rumors of wars, we need to be convinced that God is who He says He is.  He is our ever present help in our time of trouble and He promises to be our refuge and the very strength of our life.  May the revelation of this promise bring a peace to all of us that passes our understanding."

365 Promises

Earthquakes.

Tsunamis.

Tornadoes.

Hurricanes.

Floods.

Fires.

Hatred.

Wars.

People facing troubled times and lots of lives lost.  Lots.

Could it be that we don't realize how much we need God until God is all we've got?

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

Title: Jimmy Needham's "Hurricane"

Momma's Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!!  I was lucky enough to spend my day with my mother, but sometimes I tend to forget just how fortunate I am to be able to say that.

Does your mom love to go to "The Sonic" and "Victoria Secrets," and is she on "The Facebook"?

You know you Love me...

As a single lady, I'm proud to say that I was not dreading Valentine's Day this year! What's my secret? Well, for one, you could refer back to my Valentine's Day post from last year. For two, I remind myself of this: Valentine's Day isn't about being a couple-- having someone take you out on that ever-so-cliche Valentine's Day date. It's not solely for those people who are so madly in love with each other that they can't keep their hands to themselves or their eyes on each other & are instead fondling the keyboard or the touch-screen of their smart phone & instantly uploading a picture of their gorgeous roses or engagement ring to the internet for the whole wide twitterverse/facebookworld to see.

Inhale.

And all of that is sweet and thoughtful and romantic. Valentine's Day is, after all, about love. No matter how you give it, no matter who you give it to, just as long as you give it. To your friends, your family, your neighbors, your enemies (yep!), your co-workers, your boss, your intern, your patients, your classmates... the list could go on!

Exhale.

AND, if you have the amazing, everlasting, forgiving, patient, kind, personal, extravagant, deep, merciful, glorious, unconditional, never-ending love of the One who is love, as I do, then you really have something to celebrate today.
(Try not to let the day pass without thanking Him for that.)

For those of you who are spending Valentine's Day with "that special someone," I wish you the best one yet!

And I apologize in advance for making anyone jealous because of the gentlemen I'll be spending my night with :)
(Totally forgot he was a TWIN! Twins are so cool... Or at least I've always thought so)
I'll leave you with a little romantic verse. Notice the chapter:verse. Coincidence?
"Show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely." Song of Songs 2:14


xoxo

To pack? Or to unpack?

I've always had the desire to move somewhere new... where all I have is myself, a job and the Lord, & then see where He takes me from there. The thought of moving is scary, but it's one of those fears that excites me! I feel like after being stuck in Arkansas for 23 years, I need a little change of scenery. However, it scares the beegies out of me thinking about being in a new city with people I don't know, perhaps no one at all! Since high school, I've made such stable friends in Fayetteville and in Little Rock. I've established friendships that are so strong I can hardly bare the thought of being away from them for a few years, much less permanently! What if I can't build new ones that give me the same sense of security? What if I lose touch with those that I'm close to now, & then those friendships dwindle? Now THAT'S a scary thought! What if I hate the city? What if I can't afford it? What if I get blown away by a tornado or a hurricane? What if, what if, what if...

These worries only remind me that I'm not trusting God with all that I am. I need that friendly reminder: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:11-13.

There's a specific city that has been popping up in my mind, & I'm not sure when or why I started thinking about it, but it's there. "Hurricane" by Jimmy Needham (I've included a link at the bottom) has been on repeat since I first heard it. There's a line in it that says, "I am Yours and You are mine. You know far better than I. And if destruction's what I need, then I'll receive it, Lord, from thee." I have no doubt in my mind that I would probably cry myself to sleep for a few weeks if I followed through with this whole moving thing. But, if that "destruction" is going to be the challenge I'm craving that tears my walls down so that God can reveal Himself to me more than ever, then so be it.

Of course, I'll be static in LR until next May, so I've got a lot of time to think about this. I prayed about this for the first time tonight, and I would appreciate nothing more than for you to pray for me, too! It's never too early to ask God for something :). You never know what could happen in a year!! I've been pretty emotional about this thought today, & if it's any indication as to how I'll feel about moving when it's really time to job hunt, I'm going to need all the praying I can get!

"Hurricane" by Jimmy Needham

It's past my bedtime...

This is so long overdue I honestly don't even know where to start or what to say without rambling like I always do. We're doing teacher evals in our classes this week- do we always do them this early? Is it really March already??

My "I'm gonna get in shape for Spring Break/summer starting Feb. 1" has been pushed back to "I'm gonna get in shape for Spring Break/summer starting March 1." Me & my procrastination habits... Why do I always find something to occupy myself when I am fully aware that I should be doing something more productive? Even something as pointless as organizing my binders from undergrad has kept me from doing what I need to be doing in the moment, such as SOAP notes, lesson plans, studying... you name it, I'm not doing it!

Glancing through "Having a Mary Spirit..." This book has changed my perspective on so many random things & I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good book that will really initiate a change in them. Just about the whole section called Faith is Our Withdrawal Slip from the chapter "Dying to Live" is underlined. Here it is in a leetle nutshell:

A lot of Christians are like the hitch-hiker carrying a heavy load. The driver of a passing wagon offers him a ride, and as he joyfully accepts, he keeps his pack on his shoulders. The driver asks why he doesn't lay down his heavy load, his burden.

"Oh, I feel that is almost too much to ask you to carry me," the man said. "I could not think of letting you carry my burden too."

Like the man in the story, many of us continue to let this accumulated weight of the world bear down on us to where we are practically crawling. When, all along, Jesus has been waiting to bear our load.

Faith--believing that what Christ did on the cross was enough for me, for my life, for my situation--is our withdrawal slip. It is the debit card that accesses our account. For to settle for so little when Jesus provided so much is like having a billion dollars in our bank account and never using a penny.

It's as if God is telling us this: "Give me all. I don't want so much of your money and so much of your work--I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good.... I will give you a new self instead. In fact I will give you myself, my own will shall become yours." (C.S. Lewis)

It's the great exchange. Christ's life for mine. The original holy makeover.

This chapter said a lot to me because so often do I think that no one wants to hear about my problems day-to-day. When in reality, there is One who wants to take them on... all of them! It's hard to fathom how I have any right to put all of my burdens on God, for He has already done so much for me. But, He is willing to let me cast all my cares on Him. He wants to take them from me- how cool is that?! I would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to hand over my worries to the Creator. It makes me think of the Cares Chorus: I cast all my cares upon You. I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet. At anytime I don't know what to do, I will cast all my cares upon You.

It is now officially March 4... one day closer to SBOneOh! I neeeeed/really really really want this break! To say I'm frickin ecstatic would be an understatement!! Can't wait to fill a few frilly pages in that "Auspie QB!!" :)

Syonara!

"This then is how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." -1 John 3:19-20

Something to think about

In honor of Valentine's Day (or Single's Awareness Day, whichever you prefer), I want to share with you something that was sent to me last week. So here goes:

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

God doesn't give us what we want. But He will give us our desires when they are first shaped by a delight in Him. In order to receive this promise, we must first meet the conditions attached to it: love God above all else. Verse 3 says to trust in the Lord. By doing so, our hearts will be seeking what He wants for us. Wanting the same thing God wants for us?! I can bet you that that will lead to lots of desires being met! Besides, I'm getting tired of begging God to want for me what I want for myself as if I know what's better for me than He does. And after all, His purpose for me can only be revealed when I put my full trust in Him and learn to seek His will for me.

When applying this to V-Day specifically, Marci put it pretty well: God wants us to have a man after Him. And we shouldn't settle for less. So... all my single ladies, flaunt your status! If Valentine's Day is all about love, then I'm celebrating the greatest love of all!

Take THAT, Valentine's Day!