update... :)

Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas. Mine was really good. Okay, well except the part of running a fever of 102. OTHER than that, it was pleasant.

I've been spending the last few days watching Glee. I'm officially caught up and now a fan. Okay, so it's not the most WHOLESOME or MORAL show.. but the kids are talented..and well let's be honest, I'm a sucker for a handsome romantic man and good music..so Glee fits me.

I'm of course ready for the new year and things are shaping up and falling into place. Yay for Jesus, I know he's got some good stuff up his sleeve :)

Just wanted to give a quick update. Hope your Christmas was very merry. Love to you all!

Christmas Revelation

I can't believe it's already Christmas. It came so fast this year and the new year is approaching even faster.

The truth is, I made a snotty remark about resolutions this morning... but I'm starting to develop a few. Some that I honestly should have developed a long time ago. Sadly, I am regretting recent decisions, but not for reasons that I should. I am not regretting them because they were wrong. I'm regretting them because it seems like nothing good or beneficial will ever come from them. But I KNOW God is bigger than my selfish regret. He has some kind of crazy/awesome plan and I honestly have never been prouder to call him mine. I finally, FINALLY, praise Jesus feel like I am getting somewhere internally. Externally, it looks like I'm going backwards. Thankfully, inside I am moving at super-sonic speed. I don't know what all of it means or why it's happening now. I just know that it NEEDS to happen and I couldn't be happier about it. Whew...talk about words I never thought I'd say. This year is going to be a new kind of year. It's going to be NEW. I know everyone says that every year, but no... I really mean it. BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I will not stay the same. Although there's not a lot of change happening externally, I feel it coming.... I feel the grace coming to do what I never thought I could. Oh, praise you Jesus.

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Let this new year be THE year for starting over.

MERRY CHRISTMAS :) :) :)

late night blog fun.

Over the past couple of days.... well ever since Jordan's Christmas break officially began, I've started updating my facebook status to "Fav. things about Christmas break" just because we have so much fun and so many crazy/hilarious things happen when we're together. I wanted to share some of them with you!! :) And a few that I haven't even posted!

Fav. thing about Christmas break #268: watching re-runs of touched by an angel with Jordan

Fav. thing about Christmas break #190: Pulling out old/unused Christmas gifts from last year and trying to decide with Jordan if we should re-gift them.

Fav. thing about Christmas break #17: Jordan watching tv and laughing hysterically at a bloody cat on tv with the subtitle "WHY DID THEY HURT ME?" while i'm on the phone.

Fav. thing about Christmas break #301: Local Cemetery becomes "T-ville's Tanglewood."

Fav. thing about Christmas break #88: Peanut Butter. Crying over sledding. Carrotts and Ranch Dressing.

Fav. thing about Christmas break #47: Calling people on the phone and being dared by Jordan to refer to them as "fool"

I love this time of year. I love my sister and I love all that God is doing! Things are crazy, but I am loving them. Pray for me as I head into this new season of my life :)

Ministry

I'm really excited that Christmas is almost here. It comes at a time when the seasons of my life are changing. It couldn't have come at a better time... It's all just starting to make some sense.

I feel like that this past season has been a season of receiving. After spending 16 years with my family in the ministry, the last year of just receiving instead of always giving out was just what the Great Physician ordered. I finally feel the Lord calling me back into that place of ministry again. Thank you Jesus. I have truly missed it more than I'd ever imagined. When you're in the ministry for most of your life it gets very exhausting, very dry and really difficult to keep moving. This time of rest and recoop. has just been a blessing in disguise. While I felt myself growing restless in the past couple of months, I knew it was what God was calling for.

Although this has been a time of revelation, growing and receiving. I can honestly say that I receive more when ministering than when I don't. The reward of seeing the harvest of the seeds you plant ministers to the minister just as much (if not more sometimes) than to the person they're ministering to.

Christmas is an amazing time to minster and so I'm really excited about that. I'm excited to see what God is going to put in front of me to do this holiday season! I love this time of year and I can't wait to see what's in store for this next upcoming year!

"he will be even better...."

So, today I spent my day watching Christmas movies. I watched two that starred Neil Patrick Harris: "The Christmas Blessing" and "The Christmas Wish". Now, I have this hilarious habit of "imdb-ing" every actor in almost every movie I watch. I guess I just want to know more about the people behind the characters. So I'm watching these movies...bawling my little hazel eyes out and thinking to myself "Dear Jesus, please let me have a man like that one day......" but for some reason I just kept hearing.."yours will be even better.. he will be even better" I kept laughing it off thinking "try that one on for size...thats what you call WISHFUL THINKING." Then in my quest of "imdb-ing" Neil Patrick Harris, I discovered a major thing that probably most people know....he's gay. I groaned in agony and vented for about two minutes to myself how all the good ones are gay or old and I need to become a hollywood missionary and get these people in line. Then it hit me. He's one HECK of an actor....I would have NEVER guessed. All of the parts he plays, he plays straight and he's stinkin good at it. But then I thought...aren't we all good actors. There are so many people that we see in our daily lives or that we even know that are SO good at what they are pretending to be. Then I realized that I hope those words "he will be even better" are true. I want someone who isn't a good actor. I want someone who is the worst actor in the world, who cannot hide who they are or what their feeling at all. I want someone that is one of those people that "what you see...is what you get." People like that are so rare these days. Then I realized, I want to be one of those people as well. I want to be a person that is exactly who I portray myself to be... or rather that I always portray myself exactly as I am.

So, will my husband be as good looking as Neil Patrick Harris? Dear Lord, I hope so. But it just goes to show that our defintion of "amazing..or the best.." or our standards or current desires are not always the best. Sometimes, God shows up and allows us to "imdb" someone and see their true colors and who they are. It's then that we realize one day God will bring his perfect will for our lives and to us..."he will be even better....."

Growing, Grace, and Graduation

It's official. I have graduated High School! I never thought I'd see the day! I can't believe how fast time has flown by and that I am no longer considered a child anymore. It's an odd feeling and nothing like what you would expect it to be. Yesterday was the beginning of it all and I honestly feel like suddenly I've been dropped into an entire new role in my life. I'm now required to do things that I was not required to do...It's all a lot more than I can explain through a blog.

I think mostly the hardest part is realizing that I can no longer claim innocence or ignorance to excuse anything. Realizing that was huge for me... I now I have to own up to things a little more, but I know that's something that NEEDS to happen! It's so strange because I am the youngest grandchild on each side of my family and I have now graduated.. I can't believe how old all of us are and how fast time has flown. Looking back, there are a few things I'd do differently, but ultimately I'm at a good place and God is in control and if not for his amazing grace, who knows where i'd be!!

So what's next for the rest of this year? I have no idea. I haven't the slightest clue as to what God wants me to do, but I'm just trusting him. It's the scariest place i've ever been... but I also love it. I love the freedom of just falling into his arms knowing that even if I have to fall for a while, he will inevitably catch me!

Thank you to everyone who has been apart of my life for these past 17 years, I am so blessed to know each of you! I love you all! :)