the mister.

he's baaaaaack.

:)

best friend.

So my cute husband is gone for the week. He and eleven students, Tyler, & Rachel all drove down to Cleveland, TN to attend the Move conference.

I don't think I ever realized how good of a husband he is... until today.

:) I'm totally kidding. I know he's great, but seriously... I realized something as I was driving to work this morning.

Before he left, I had all these thoughts.

where the heck is the iPod charger?

where do we keep our food budget money?

why did the fan make an orange spark & a fiery noise this morning?

(answer: "dog was chewing on cord so be sure to unplug it when you get another one")

the bedroom windows get stuck & i can't get them open sometimes... what happens if it gets hot?

what do i do if my car breaks down?

where do we keep spare keys?

There were more... oh, there were more. Anyway, my point is: I NEED MY HUSBAND.

He knows where everything is, he's problem-solving chief, I know that I'm safe with him & can always count on him to take care of me.

Oh have I mentioned he's super cute.

With an awesome beard?

So needless to say, I really miss him. :(

tpg pt 2

"Honesty born of fear does nothing to root out the fundamental cause of evil in the world- the radical self-centeredness of the human heart."

"As long as you are trying to earn your salvation by controlling God through goodness, you will have to be sure you have been good enough for Him. You simply aren't sure God loves and delights in you."

how do we determine if we are plagued by the elder brother complex & doing our best to control God with goodness?

• if something goes wrong in our life, we immediately think it's because we're not living right enough. we think there is more we should be doing to receive God's love & care.
• criticism doesn't just hurt our feelings... it devastates us. it means that God's love has little power in our life and so to feel valued, we need the approval of others.
• we cannot let go of guilt and continuously punish ourselves for what we've done wrong
• "dry" prayer life without "wonder, awe, intimacy or delight in [our] conversations with God."

I'll write about the three forms of prayer later.

wilco will love ya, baby.

i

love

this

song

are you under the impression

this isn't your life?

do you dabble in depression?

is someone twisting a knife in your back?

are you being attacked?

oh, this is a fact that you need to know

Wilco

Wilco

Wilco will love you baby

are times getting tough?

are the roads you travel rough?

have you had enough of the old?

tired of being exposed to the cold?

stare of your stereo

put your headphones on before you explode

so many wars that just can't be won

even before the battle's begun

this is all of our arms open wide

sonic shoulder for you to cry

oh

Wilco

Wilco

Wilco will love you baby

-Wilco (The Song)-

the prodigal god.

I am very excited about a book I've been reading as of late.  The last "best book ever" I read that was non-fiction (because obviously, Twilight, A Long & Fatal Love Chase, and the Host would all reign in the fiction category) was Blue Like Jazz.  Totally amazing book, by the way, if you haven't read it already.  

Tim finally got me to start reading a little book that he read in like a day.  It's called A Reason for God by Tim Keller... and it, like Blue Like Jazz, has really opened my eyes to see the true condition of my heart.  It's always tough to work through your demons, but also crucial when it comes to your walk with Jesus.  

So I think in the next few days (or maybe today all at once) I'm going to post my favorite quotes, thoughts, & ideas.  I should probably also tell you what the book is really about.  Tim Keller basically takes the story of the Prodigal Son and looks at it from a very different perspective.  It's one I was never taught growing up.  Usually, the story has taught us that we can be the terrible, slimy creatures that we are and God will take us back with open arms.  And while that is part of it, one really fascinating thing about the story is the way that it ends.  

It simply ends with the "good" son, also known as the "elder brother," being angry with his father and refusing to join in on the feast.  He is angry that despite his efforts to be a "good" son who obeys and succeeds in life morally, his sinful younger brother is the one having a party thrown in his honor.  

The End.  That's it.  The story just stops right there.

I never gave much thought to it until now.  And the most important piece of this story puzzle is who Jesus is sharing this story with.  He's sharing it with the Pharisees AND the tax collectors & sinners.  

I'll write more later.

fasting.

My 4th of July was fantastic.  Some friends from the Oasis went over to celebrate with members of the Old Union Church.  I ended up having a ton of fun.  We ate hot dogs, listened to our worship band play (ps- they have a really hot drummer), listened to a great bluegrass band, enjoyed some ice cream, and watched fireworks in the rain.  It's hard to express the joy that I get from spending time with people who love Jesus & live their lives to serve Him.  You can see a difference in those kind of people.  It reminds me that I really need to surround myself with friends who encourage & push me in that direction.  

So this week's a little crazy.  I got a new boss & someone from work is on vacation.  That means I have to close an extra night and my schedule's a little weird.  I'm working six days in a row and I'm pretty sure that the only day I won't be crazy busy this week or the next will be... Thursday.  Saturday we're having a rummage sale at church and I'm pretty sure we'll be attending my cousin Kitlee's birthday party with my family.  Then next week is.... V.   B.   S.   oh boy :)  I love kids & cannot wait to have my own... but I will not lie, VBS wears me out.  Then the week after that, Tim will be gone to CIY.  

Sometimes when my schedule gets crazy, I get down & cranky.  Sometimes life just seems way too busy & complicated by things I don't want to do.  So here is my strategy to get through this: no soap operas for a week & no people.com for a week.  The soap opera thing sounds silly... but I'll come home from work, exhausted by being up at 4am and just lie on the couch for two hours watching soap operas.  We don't have cable, so that's really all I watch of TV, but I still feel it's a waste of time & a weird escape for me.  I need to read or sleep... that's what I need to do.  

It's supposed to take three weeks to make a habit... and this whole thing will be going on while Tim's at CIY so I'm praying I can make it happen.

Wish me luck!

=]

in the Light.

this has been stuck in my head for a few days now....

I keep trying to find a life

On my own, apart from you.

I am the king of excuses

I've got one for every selfish thing I do

What's going on inside of me?

I despise my own behavior

This only serves to confirm my suspicions

That I'm still a man in need of a Savior

I wanna be in the Light

as You are in the Light

I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens

Oh Lord be my Light and be my salvation

'Cause all I want is to be in the Light

All I want is to be in the Light

The disease of self runs through my blood

It's a cancer fatal to my soul

Every attempt on my behalf has failed

To bring this sickness under control

Honesty becomes me

There's nothing left to lose

The secrets that did run me

In Your presence are defused

Pride has no position

And riches have no worth

The fame that once did cover me

Has been sentenced to this earth

Have been sentenced to this earth

There's no other place that I want to be

No other place that I can see

A place to be that's just right

Someday I'm gonna be in the Light

That's where I need to be

That's right where I need to be

In the Light, DC Talk