Living as a Sheep

For the past 6 weeks, our church has been doing a series on Psalm 23 and preaching on a verse each week. This psalm has always been a comfort to me, but it's definitely been a passage that I sometimes glance over thinking there is nothing new I can learn...which of course it completely not true. Each verse started meaning something different to me this morning as the pastor summed each line of this famous psalm. This is what I wrote down:

God wants to be in relationship with me and leads me; He will provide for my needs.
He offers rest and refreshment amidst this hectic life.
He restores me to His image; He guides and leads me for His glory.
He offers peace in trouble; He is with me, He pursues me, He wants me; He disciplines me because He loves me.
He renders my enemies harmless, He protects me. I am His chosen one, His daughter. I am blessed by His abundance.
He pursues me with His love and mercy. I will live in Him forever.

Not too shabby of a life for a sheep. Amen!

A Year after the Flood

Today is a much sunnier day than one year ago when our basement was filling with water and homes in Atlanta were completely flooded. Some of the families I work with saw their homes destroyed by last year's storm waters - one even watched their car float away. Marc and I were still in our bright-eyed, bushy-tailed first time homeowner phase when the rains came. We had just purchased our first home in April and the realities of home-ownership hit us hard as water filled our basement. How were we going to pay for this? What do you mean there is evidence of previous water damage? It was a sobering experience to say the least.

We have learned more than we ever expected to from our first home. We've learned that home ownership is expensive and stressful especially when we are trying to save any money we have for Marc's school. We've learned that Bailey can climb chain-link fences. Marc has learned that I really love pulling weeds but have no idea how to really use the leaf blower though I really do try. Exactly one year after the flood, we learned that we have to get a very expensive termite treatment - definitely not expected nor on our lengthy "to-do" list. Darn you termites! But, this is the home where have enjoyed countless cook-outs, had our first trick-or-treaters, had 3 wonderful friends live with us and will be where we will become parents and raise children. But, I won't get ahead of myself because no, I am not pregnant even though my mom asked me within the first 10 minutes of visiting her this weekend. It went something like this, "You look so pretty...are you pregnant?"



"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." - Matthew 7:24-25

I like it...

...what can I say, I'm a sucker for a good pop song....

Conviction

Conviction...that's a hard word to even type because for me, I have 2 options once I get that tugging on my heart/stomach that will NOT go away and neither option is easy: ignore it and move on with life but still having the same realization OR putting that realization into action. Here's how I got to my tugging of the heart...

Part 1 - I've decided to read the Bible from front to back. I needed a good book to read and I've never read the entire Bible. I feel as a Christian, that's something I "should" do but even more than that, I want to know His truth. I am at a place in my life where I have certain desires and feel called by those desires. However, to say, "God has called me to ___," I feel like I need to know who He is. I want to know my Caller and His truth. So that's how I started my journey on reading the entire Bible. I just finished Genesis and wow...there's a lot in there I didn't know. I bet you didn't know the word semen was in Genesis...well come to find out it is.

Part 2 - (Almost) every morning, I read from Beth Moore's devotional. This morning was from Genesis 22 about Abraham being tested by God: "Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." I just read this in Genesis but Beth Moore's devotion brought this scripture into a completely different perspective for me today. Abraham and Rebekah prayed and prayed for a child and then the Lord granted them with Isaac. Then, the Lord asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham OBEYED because He trusted the Lord. God had promised to make Abraham's descendants as numerous as the stars - so even though God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, he obeyed because He trusted the Lord's promise. The story continues and God ended up stopping Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. Instead, the Lord provided Abraham with a ram to sacrifice.

Part 3 - I receive an e-mail devotion every day from Proverbs 31 Ministries. Today's was Out of the Waiting Room. Here's a few excerpts:

Why does the doctor provide such a calming environment? Because he or she knows that by and large, people do not like to wait there. Truth is, we don't much like to wait anywhere for any length of time.

And we often cringe at the mere idea of waiting on God - more than any other kind of waiting. He is so frequently not in a hurry. We don't want to learn patience by waiting, though it is often the best way to learn it.

But consider for a moment the flipside. Consider for a moment those times when the waiting room door has been thrown open but we're still sitting in the chair by the fish, afraid to get up, get out and get moving. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we sense God nudging us to step out, but instead we're oddly content to just wait it out - perhaps hoping someone else will make the move we're supposed to make.

Just as there are times when God wants us to wait on Him; there are times when He calls us to action. And just as we need to listen for His voice in times of waiting, we need to obey His prompting when the wait is over.

...all of this led to think what is my Isaac? What do I want to hold onto and not give to the Lord in obedience? My money, my time, my home, CONTROL. What do I want immediately rather than waiting on God's timing? Children, Marc's full time job, discovering this calling whatever it may look like.

I'm reminded through this, that I have to trust completely the Lord's promise and even more, His timing. He is faithful, He is trustworthy, He has plans for me and Marc. And, there will be times when it's painful and I won't understand what is being asked of me. I can only imagine what Abraham must have thought when God asked him to sacrifice his son. But, He provided a ram instead. There is a time for preparation and waiting and a time for obedience and action. Rather than always looking for the next season, I need to enjoy where He has me and trust Him in all circumstances.

Home Sweet Home

Ahhh...the beach was soooo relaxing....three full days of sitting on the beach, napping and having no particular schedule. Doesn't that sound just wonderful?!! Because our schedule can be so hectic, I love taking full advantage of doing nothing - and I know Marc enjoys it too. We seem to always be doing something between school, visiting kids, family or just getting stuff done around the house. ANYWAY, back to relaxing....ahhhh. We went with three other couples - two we know through our small group. We took turns cooking dinner and then on Monday night, went to Red Bar. Having a Red Bar experience makes you feel like you are a part of a secret club. I had a Red Bar experience twice my freshman year of college and whenever I would see people with Red Bar t-shirts or stickers on their car, I felt like we had this very special connection. It's this hole in the wall restaurant outside of Destin (Grayton Beach to be exact) with delicious food, live music and posters covering the wall. Just a very unique dining experience! I've only been talking to Marc about it forever and he finally was introduced to Red Bar. So, we went, we ate and I got a t-shirt!

Now it's home sweet home. I'm sitting here with my sweet hubby, 2 sleeping doggies and loving every minute of it!

Lather, Rinse, and Do Not Repeat...

This morning I washed my face with shampoo. I think this can only mean one thing and no, it's not that I'm crazy but rather...it's time for a vacation. Thank the LORD that we are leaving for the beach on Friday. I think I hear angels singing just saying that!

We are headed to the beaches of South Walton, FL near Destin with a few couples from our small group and this will be our home from Friday to Tuesday: http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/5801.html. The name of the house is Afternoon Nap - and yes, I plan to take quite a few on the beach. 2 MORE DAYS!!