So I’ve been a little busy lately and only been home long enough to get laundry done, pack, and repack it seems. I’ve wondered how I ever survived last year at this time with a full time job on top of this usual travel schedule. I’ve just added our Portland pictures to the site so be sure to check out all the fishing pictures from Portland and our Columbia River Gorge excursion. I’m not sure I even mentioned that we went fishing and Daniel caught an 8 foot, 300 lb sturgeon. Seriously!!! It was awesome.

I have so much to say and have not made the time to say it. Here is the a quick run down of my life and thoughts:

*Portland was awesome
*My older brother & sister-in-law welcomed their 2nd son
*I shopped at Opryland for 2 days while Daniel worked and barely found anything
*I have close friends that are hurting, anxious, overwhelmed, and on huge faith journeys and I have been working through my own responses to each of these scenarios and how God wants to use me or not use me. It is hard to sit and watch people you love go through stuff and feel so inept but I know God calls me to pray which is the best thing I can do.
*Daniel rode 106 miles in the Smokey Mountains on his bike with some buddies and I got to visit Emily in Alabama!
*My car died and came back to life
*We went to camp with our high school students and loved it as usual. It was hard at first for me not to be on the team running it but I am so thankful for the quality time I got to spend with my girls. I also wore superman underwear on stage and now the picture is all over facebook. Lovely.
*I cried on Veteran’s Day for the first time. And I kept crying. The military has been a little removed from my life but this year, three different scenarios forced me to a strong realization and thankfulness for their service.
*I’m the most thankful that I can ever remember. I’m very excited to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends.
*I just turned on Christmas music for the first time.

The LBD Dual Significance: I don’t have time to thoroughly explain how this relates but simply the fact the God is able to do anything we ask, but if He chooses not to, He is still worthy of all our praise, faith, and trust.

Daniel 3:17-18 “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Carrie Underwood – Lessons Learned

I’ve really grown to appreciate the lyrics of Lessons Learned on the album Some Hearts by Carrie Underwood. I’ve added the song to this page above so that you can listen, too. It is one of those that you might not notice as much at first because of the other songs on the album but the writing is great and it’s one of those songs that makes you stop and think about your life. I like it. It’s deep. And you know me and deep. Well, I learned a few lessons today. Daniel and I are actually on our way to Portland, Oregon right now for his business trip. We’re sitting in the Oakland airport looking out at the bay after a 5 hour flight from Nashville. It’s beautiful…at least in airport standards. We just had a little California Pizza Kitchen (since we are in Cali) while waiting to get on the last leg of our flight. Lesson #1: I checked us into our Southwest flights about 20 hours prior to departure….only 4 hours after online checkin opened for them. Our Nashville flight was already in the boarding group B by that point. Apparently others have learned the lesson I just learned. I normally wouldn’t care that much, but when you are on a 5 hour flight with your husband (or friend, or family member) on your semi-vacation trip, you kind of want to sit together and the letter “A” is usually your only guarantee for that. So the lesson I learned is to always check in ASAP for long flights because it seems like everybody else is doing the same. Lesson #2: Once we arrived at our gate, we got in the “B” line which was already quite long only to discover when we were boarding that a second “B” line had formed about 5 people ahead of us. This second line truly was the second line because it was not there when we got “in line”…but they didn’t know that. I’m trying really hard by this point to not care that much but find myself stressing over this a little too much. So, I remain calm and promptly tell my husband I am worried about not getting to sit together and hoping that some how he will fix it. (Random side note: I’m sitting next to this girl who is typing like 1000 words per minute and I am simultaneously finding myself trying to type faster. Ha! My typing skills are looking pretty lame about now and I used to consider myself a pretty good typist. I’m laughing at this competitive streak I have going today. Keep reading.) As the friendly Southwest personnel calls for group “B”, I inch my way forward trying to keep my place in line. And the lines converge…dun, dun, dunnnnn. So there is jostling, and scrambling, and screams, and scratching….just kidding….but there definitely was an air of competition and king of the hill syndrome going on between me and a few other people. I wasn’t going to make a scene but I really did want to sit by my husband and I knew that every person ahead of me was going against achieving that goal. I compromised and let two people go in front of me. I made a mental note to be kind and smile and then I was just frustrated with myself that I was caring this much. So this part of the lesson is a little more vague to me but definitely encompasses kindness, chilling out, and strategizing in line a little better. Lesson #3: Ok, here is the real lesson. So we are boarding the plane and the announcement is made that every single seat on the plane will be taken. As we make our way to the back of the plane, it becomes evident that there are not two seats together in the entire aircraft. Erghhhh. So I’m instantly disappointed and immediately turn my attention to finding two seats close together. I’m feeling a little obsessive at this point and somewhat crazy but it is my husband after all and we are on our trip together right? So I find two center seats on subsequent rows and go for them after Daniel says “I guess this means we don’t get to sit together.” After climbing over the aisle seater and sitting down, I turn around only to see Daniel going to the very back of the aircraft. What?!?! I think. I mouth to him something about him sitting close to me and he shrugs his shoulders. I went from disappointed to hurt and furious in about 1.5 seconds. I can feel the angry vibe seething from me and am feeling very sorry for the people beside me at this point. I honestly wanted to cry which seemed absurd and ludicrous but I was so upset by it and then upset that I was upset. Gosh, I let my emotions get the best of me sometimes. I decided in the 10 seconds before I am supposed to turn off my phone to text Daniel and tell him that I’m hurt and mad. I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea but I had a quick decision to make and the next 5 hours was already looking long in my middle seat. As soon as I pressed send, he walked up the aisle and asked me to get my bags and come with him. I felt like I was going to the principal’s office only for the lesson to hit me like a ton of bricks. I spoke way to soon. He had gone to the back because he saw a way to get us together by using some of his mad negotiating skillz. I should have known. I cannot jump to conclusions so quickly…especially when it pertains to my husband. I knew this one! I’ve already learned this lesson before. And then, to top it all off, the flight attendant makes an announcement about switching seats so a newlywed couple could sit together on their honeymoon. Ugh….I am so selfish. The LBD Dual Significance: I was reminded by my sweet friend Emily yesterday to lighten up about some things. She’s one of the only people on this earth who could smack me across the face and tell me to straighten up something and I wouldn’t be hurt by it. She’s definitely earned the right to speak truth into my life but somehow does it in a way that humbles me rather than upsets me. Thanks, Em. I went into today determined to do just that on this trip and on the very first segment of it, I’m already struggling. However, I am comforted to know that even though it is blatantly obvious that I am selfish and weak, I have this promise to cling to: Hebrews 4:15-16 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Lord, thank you for your never ending supply of mercy and grace. Help me to live it out in every circumstance of life so that I make your name great and known rather than my own selfishness.

I believe this post started in my mind a few weeks ago as a way of not writing too many “complaint” posts (see my #1 dislike). I by no means think that most of this stuff in the grand scheme of life is even that worthwhile but they are still my thoughts nonetheless and it is me being honest about my current life. I decided in order to state a dislike, I had better think of something I liked too. It’s all a matter of perspective and I want to maintain a positive perspective.

Top 10 Things I Dislike About My Current Life
10. Spiders
9. The addictive lure of the computer
8. Not being as tired at the end of the day… aka…
trouble falling asleep
7. It is lonely at times and I am not around friends as
much
6. Hard to be motivated without time constraints
5. Work on the house is really slow
4. Not as much in my day to talk about with others
3. My cell phone not really working at the house
2. Suffering of people that I love
1. Getting honked at by random men when I get the
mail or get in my car

Top 10 Things I Like About My Current Life
10. Going out of town and not having to catch up at work
when I return
9. Having a clean house
8. Time to really serve people
7. Getting in late & sleeping in the next morning
because of it
6. Having more undistracted time to think, journal, pray
5. Rebirth of cooking, baking, and grocery shopping
4. No alarm clock
3. Reading
2. Blogging
1. New definition of busy: Leaving the house

The LBD Dual Significance: With my analytical personality, it is really easy to get bogged down in the effects, consequences, and ramifications of decisions and circumstances. It is an area of my life that God has been working on. (See #37 & #66 of The List Post) I want to use that part of me as a gift for his glory, not a hindrance.

I’ve really seen the truth that feelings follow thoughts and that what I think about, dwell on, analyze, etc. really affects the way that I feel. In fact, in this very moment, God has just convicted me of dwelling on a certain area of my life and I am totally seeing how that has affected the way that I feel about it. Gosh, I can be so amiss.

Philippians 4:4-9 — Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you

My sweet friends, how are you feeling about your life?

If you are feeling down, what are you dwelling on and thinking about? Is it the types of things Paul mentions above?

If you are feeling good, what are you dwelling on and thinking about? Is it the types of things Paul mentions above?

I hope the Peace of God is alive and at work in you today!

We just returned from a last minute trip “home” to Lubbock, TX. My husband’s great-grandmother passed away after living over 99 years on this earth. It was a blessing to be with family and be able to remember and celebrate her life and that she is with Jesus for eternity.

After the funeral and burial, most of the great-grandkids went by her old house and then to see the old family farm. There was not much left of either and most of the younger kids were somewhat bored with what they were seeing. I don’t blame them, I probably would be too at that age.

However, as I watched my husband try to explain to his younger siblings the history of what they were seeing and after listening to the pastor talk about MaMarie living through 17 Presidents, the unveiling of the Model T, the Dust Bowl, and the Great Depression, I was struck by the enormity of the loss of this precious woman. Even apart from her influence on the people and places she touched, her perspective, her history was a huge asset. And although I know that those of us who knew her will carry many of those memories, stories, and perspective with us, it brought a new appreciation for what history really is and its precious value.

I never have been that much of a “history buff” and I still have a hard time appreciating historical things that I don’t feel the personal connection to, but my eyes have been opened even further to its importance.

The LBD Dual Significance: Remembering is important in scripture. From the old testament to the new testament there are countless examples of God remembering his covenants, of prophets remembering the law, of Job remembering the truth of God’s character, of David remembering His wondrous works, of Jesus admonishing His disciples to remember His teachings, to His disciples remembering his words. May you and I always remember all that He has done and has promised to do. Check out www.esv.org or www.bible.crosswalk.com for some word searches on “remember” for your own encouragement.

Although the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed have been around for centuries, I believe in many ways we have a newer creed on our hands. Granted, I’m sure there is much more to the definition of a creed but every time I read these words or worship my Lord and Savior through this song, I am focused on Christ alone…who is the way, the truth and the life and is the only solid ground to stand on. Proclaiming these truths is a rich blessing and encouraging to the depths of my soul.

“In Christ Alone”
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2001 Kingsway Thankyou Music

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost it’s grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

The LBD Dual Significance: Psalm 29:1-2 “Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.”

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Today is September 11, 2007. 9/11/07. The sixth anniversary of 9/11. The sixth year after the attacks.

Just as I have heard my parents generation remember exactly where they were when President Kennedy was shot or how I remember the night I sat with my family and watched O.J. Simpson elude police in the infamous white bronco, I very much remember where I was on September 11, 2001.

My radio alarm went off and as usual, I hit snooze for what seemed like 1000 times. I was in our first apartment bedroom with my husband of 52 days basically feeling on top of the world in my dazed morning mentality. I remember hearing, not music like I was used to on my alarm, but a very intense reporting voice but the words they were saying were not computing yet in my brain. Then my phone rang and obtrusively interrupted my slow awakening process.

It was my mom and she asked me if I knew what had happened and to turn on the television. I did so and yelled for Daniel to get up and come see this. I flipped between each channel and finally landed on Katie Couric over Peter Jennings. We did not have cable so I only had the main networks to choose from. I remember feeling dumbfounded, a little numb, scared, sorrowful, and so young.

I had to work at The Cottage, an antique and gift shop, from 10am – 6pm so I soon left the couch to get ready. Daniel had the day off from work and I really just wanted to stay with him but he told me to go because all I would do was sit on the couch and watch the TV all day long. When I got to The Cottage, Barry already had a television set up front at the registers and the somber atmosphere was overwhelming. I basically spent the whole day sitting at the counter, watching the television, and feeling what everyone else was feeling.

When I got home that evening, I think we had pizza or something and continued to watch the coverage on TV. I remember watching the President’s speech and being so grateful that it was President Bush who was in office. I had a lot more confidence in his course of action and his character than the previous President. I went to bed that night with my little bubble shattered and holding Daniel a little tighter than before. I think that day was the day I really transformed into feeling like an adult and knowing that from now on, I had the responsibility to act like one.

The LBD Dual Significance: This is the first year that I haven’t been “doing” something else on September 11th. Last year we were flying back from Hawaii for our 5 year anniversary trip. Every year prior, I was working or in school. This morning, I actually turned on the television to see what they were reporting and I saw reports on the mortgage crisis, Richard Gere, and some teen star rather than the memorial type reports I was expecting to see. I’m not really that much into memorializing things but I was a little surprised.

Then I spent some time in Wikipedia looking at the timeline of events and noticed the President’s comments: “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” This brought to mind last spring’s Virginia Tech massacre and the convocation speech given by Nikki Giovanni. Both are truly great speeches according to American standards and I remember thinking highly of both at that time. However, they both leave me with grasping for hope in the pride of my identity…as an American and as a would be Hokie. I actually believe that President Bush could be making a reference to Christ as the “foundation of America” but it still speaks to American pride. Nikki Giovanni mentions that “No one deserves a tragedy” and I know America as a whole did not believe we deserved the 9/11 attacks either.

The truth is, however, that we should expect tragedies such as these. Why else do we need to put on the full armor of God? Ephesians 6:11-13 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

However, as children of God, we receive the gift of his grace with eager expectation. Ephesians 1:5-8 “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.”

So, what do we deserve? I will mention that in a quick search in the ESV BIble, I found 25 uses of the English word ‘deserve’ and none of them were used in a positive context.

I’ll leave you to wrestle with the “deserve” question. And add a few more…

What is your hope in?…

…Is being an American enough to hope in?…

…is being a Hokie enough to hope in?…

…is being “you” enough to hope in?…

I just had an epiphany.

Most of my friends know that I am walking through a crazy little season of unknown. There is a whole lot of dual significance going on right now!!! But I’ll spare you that analysis. As a struggle to be content, joyful, excited, peaceful and rest during this new season of life, I have been constantly reminding myself to “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10. I have a hard time resting and when I am “resting”, I usually struggle to enjoy it.

After a rough day yesterday, I woke up this morning to sit before the Lord and wrestle through this. I decided to look back at my journal from about 3 months ago to refocus my dreams for this season, and BAM!…there it was! One of the verses God showed me during that decision making season was Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Great verse, but it honestly did not have a lot of significance to what I was processing at the time but was a reminder to me that He was in control. I believe now, he showed that to me then, because he knew I would look in my journal today. God is so cool.

The LBD Dual Significance: I’m still trying to build. Ergh! As much as I am striving to just be still, I still have this feeling inside that I have to come up with this great plan for this next phase of life. And every time I try and build, the Lord taps me on the shoulder, wipes it away, and reminds me to be still. So, my new prayer is “Build Lord Jesus, Build! And give me the patience to honor you in my rest and trust of your creation!”

I just recently finished up a study on the Book of Daniel in the Bible. I absolutely loved the familiarity of the ‘stories’ (The Fiery Furnace, The Lions Den) of the first 6 chapters and their challenge to live with integrity in this world no matter what comes. But I probably loved the last 6 chapters even more because of the history and prophecy that is just so stinkin cool in light of how awesome God is!

One random thing that stuck out to me was how God called the region of Israel “The Beautiful Land” (NIV) or “The Glorious Land” (ESV, KJV). When I think of Israel today, I picture the war zone, the dusty color of the buildings and definitely something I would not describe as beautiful. But after reading that in Daniel 8 & 11, I was struck by how the media has affected my view of God’s holy land, flowing with milk and honey, the beautiful land, by the images I have seen on TV. So today, I remembered to do a little web search on images of Israel and what I found WAS beautiful! You can check them out for yourself at www.israelimages.com.

I’ve been to Hawaii now and had heard for years how beautiful it is and how I just HAD to go. I would say the same thing to someone else having been there but now I really want to go to Israel! How cool would it be to not only walk the same places Jesus did and see all of the historical places, but to take in this “Beautiful Land” that God chose, out of every place on earth, to send His one and only Son to live as a man. To experience the human life on earth. I imagine it has to be pretty darn cool and I would love to be able to personally say, Hawaii is awesome but you HAVE to go to Israel!