The spiritual attacks this week have felt especially heavy. It's been a challenging week for my parents as well! It seems like these attacks almost increase exponentially with how much I seek the Lord in the midst of them! I'm not about to stop ... I'm so grateful for every moment spent in His presence and He has been giving me joy as I spend that time with Him. I just need to keep holding on to Him. And He is doing wonderful things for the furtherance of His kingdom around the world ... Praise God that we can be a small part of this. :-)

A song that's really encouraged me ...

O Love that Wilt Not Let Me Go
O Love that wilt not let me go,I rest my weary soul in thee;I give thee back the life I owe,That in thine ocean depths its flowMay richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,I yield my flickering torch to thee;My heart restores its borrowed ray,That in thy sunshine’s blaze its dayMay brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,I cannot close my heart to thee;I trace the rainbow through the rain,And feel the promise is not vain,That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,I dare not ask to fly from thee;I lay in dust life’s glory dead,And from the ground there blossoms redLife that shall endless be.

George Matheson, 1882.

Hungry (Falling On My Knees)

Hungry, I come to You for I know You satisfy.
I am empty, but I know Your love does not run dry.

And so I wait for You so I wait for You.

I'm falling on my knees,
Offering all of me.

Jesus, You're all this heart is living for.

Broken, I run to You for Your arms are open wide I am weary, but I know Your touch restores my life.

And so I wait for You so I wait for You.

I'm falling on my knees,
Offering all of me.

Jesus, You're all this heart is living for.

Kathryn Scott - © 1999

Well, it has surely turned out to be a busy weekend! Not that I did that on purpose; just kind of turned out that way. But it's been so nice and refreshing ... and relatively productive, too!

Friday:
I was invited to dinner at the home of the same couple whose teenage son's basketball game I watched on Thursday. They invited some others on staff as well, and also there was one of our interns, who arrived here maybe a few weeks ago and has been staying with them this past week. It was a restful and enjoyable evening with everyone!

Saturday:
Went to the bank, did a little shopping, laundry, did some catching up on other stuff around the apartment, nice long walk at the nature
preserve. :-)
Then at 5:00, I met up with several other gals on staff at the Olive Garden to celebrate another friend's birthday. We had a great time!
And as Barnes and Noble was conveniently located closeby, I headed there afterwards and was able to make some good progress on web stories and a SEND! article. :-)

Sunday:
My friend Michele and I had lunch together and caught up. I was especially looking forward to this since she just arrived back a few days ago from the staff tour to India! It was so good to see her again.

And now? I am planning to do some more walking, do a few more chores around the apartment like vaccuuming, etc., and maybe work a little more on articles. And rest a bit, too!

It's been such a good weekend. Another highlight was hearing another one of my favorite songs come on the radio, one that talks about the all-surpassing joy of the Lord. Isn't is great that as Christians, because our ultimate security is in Christ, we can choose to have that joy in all of life's circumstances? To use a word that I don't tend to use very often in everyday conversation, Hallelujah! :-)

Tonight I enjoyed watching the basketball game of a 14-year-old son of a couple I'm good friends with on staff. The parents sitting by us in the bleachers were talkative and friendly even though I don't know any of them, and that was fun!

And me? I am still going through some "mini trials" (I don't know that I could really call them full-blown trials! ;0)), but the Lord has really been giving me the reassurance of His love, and I know that these things can bear much fruit in my life!

Oh ... funny story from today.

So, today I was on the phone, twice, about a memory card I'd ordered last night, working to get the transaction through since it didn't go through the first time. Well, as I was on hold the second time I called, I was also proofing a web story for a co-worker. Since I wanted to get it to her soon for deadline, I put the phone down and walked over to put it on her desk.

I was grinning and telling two of our other co-workers that I was on hold and wouldn't be at my desk to respond if one of the customer service representatives happened to pick up. Course, I kind of figured I had plenty of time, since I was on hold a while the first time. When I got back to my desk I could tell someone had already picked up and I was no longer on hold!

Me: "Oh! Hello?!"

Customer service rep: Proceeds to greet me and ask how he could help me.

Not really sure when he picked up, but of course my co-workers started laughing about the whole thing and so it was really hard for me to keep from laughing, too, as I explained about my order. I must say, I managed to do pretty well though! I had actually thought about putting him on speaker phone while I was away, so at least I'd know if he picked up. :o)

I've been going through a few hard times lately and was encouraged today when a friend on staff shared with me how it is often when we are in the thick of the battle that we are attacked the most. That really helped to encourage me and give me perspective on what is going on, and reminded me that God is always faithful!

In a little bit I am picking up Jacy, another friend on staff, at her apartment, and we will enjoy supper together at Wendy's before heading back here for our staff worship and prayer meeting. :-) We're both looking forward to that ... and I wouldn't be surprised if our conversation involves fun memories from our trip together a few years back to see the field in India. :-) [Today another staff group just returned from their trip to India, and I can't WAIT to hear their stories of how they were impacted there.]

P.S. One of the songs we'll be singing during worship tonight is Blessed Be Your Name - one of my favorites!

Today I ate lunch at McDonald's with a friend on staff. It was nice sitting and chatting with her over a hamburger and french fries (me) and a side salad and some chicken nuggets (her), watching her kids laughing and peeking at us from various points above us on the Playland. (Were the playgrounds at McD's that high tech and fancy when I was a kid? :o) I mean, there were these really cool lights up there and EVERYTHING.)

Yesterday I received a very good report about my daddy! When he had a massive heart attack a year ago, his doctor seemed to believe that permanent heart damage would be inevitable. He was concerned, too, that the damage could be pretty extensive. Well, it had really been on my heart to pray that he wouldn't have any permanent damage to his heart ... even though I knew that from a human or medical standpoint, it didn't seem possible - It would take a miracle, something only the Lord could do! Well, yesterday around 4:30 my mom called to report that my dad's follow-up scan showed his heart to be normal, and the doctor said there is NO damage to his heart! Praise the Lord! I am so encouraged and reminded that there is nothing HE can't do.

As I get ready to go home and eat some leftover chicken stirfry before coming back to the office for our bi-monthly ladies' fellowship, I am incredibly grateful for friends. And food. And good reports about my daddy. :o)

Brrrr ... it's a little chilly out there! But at least it's not windy, so it doesn't feel at all unbearable!

I had a fun surprise this weekend - my friend and her husband, from back on the Coast, ended up deciding to come out this way, and yesterday afternoon they got in touch with me and asked if I'd like to go have supper with them. It was good to catch up a bit! (I just felt a little bad for them 'cuz they ended up having to go ahead and start driving back to the Coast right after we ate last night, as it looked like ice was coming soon! And they had just driven in to this area this morning sometime ...)

This afternoon I've been listening to my Mercy Me CD (the one I won at a Rangers game :o)) and reading back over some of my journal entries of what the Lord has been doing in my life and showing me at various times. It's been enjoyable and refreshing! And challenging at times, too!

Another good day. And another nice time with a friend over lunch. Thanks, Katie!

It's raining really hard out there, and I hear there is chance of ice this weekend. Hmmm ... I will probably be staying inside most of the weekend, where it's comfy, warm, and ice-free. ;-)

I may make some chicken stir fry this weekend to eat next week and freeze, too. Cooking is so much fun! (I just found this great chicken stir fry recipe that looks really easy and doesn't require many ingredients if anyone is interested! I've never heard of "Yoshida's gourmet sauce" though so I'll probably use something just a bit more simple and down to earth like soy sauce. :o))

It will also be a good time to read and catch up on stuff at the apartment. Looking forward to it. :o) Have a great weekend, everyone ... and try to stay warm!

Today's been such a good day!

I enjoyed going to lunch at Panda Express with a friend. :o) She jabbered me probably around 9ish this morning to see if I'd like to do lunch and I was like, "Sure!" What's really fun, too, is that I get to do lunch with her sister tomorrow! Good times.

Oh, and I've been continuing to get to help out a bit in our gift entry department and have been enjoying it so much! Today I got to open mail and check postmarks on envelopes, etc. It's really been a privilege and joy getting to help out in there. :0)

I am continuing to enjoy good times with the Lord.

I think I shall head out pretty soon here so I can make it to Colony Resale before they close, as I have a credit to use there. :o)

I did end up being sick a little bit last week. But it didn't last long, thankfully! :-) I really thank God, because that's usually not the case ... I don't get a cold that often anymore, but when I do, it often still hits me pretty hard. So I'm so glad this one was much, much shorter! The hardest part was having trouble sleeping (because it's always hard to sleep when you have a cold!).

Yesterday evening I had fun cooking in my apartment! I made pork tenderloin with herbed potatoes and also did salsa chicken soup in the crockpot. I had a great time, and the food will last me a while, too. :o) I also got in a couple of nice walks at the nature preserve over the weekend.

During part of my lunch break today I was blessed with some good time with the Lord, singing and praying and journaling. I am so grateful for His constant presence in my life, and that I can always lean on Him and find rest in that presence!

I was really encouraged by these Scriptures, as well as others:

"God Most High is my salvation and my honor" (Psalm 62:7)

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:25,26)

As 2007 continues to unfold, my prayer and deep desire is that my life bring Him glory and be used in the proclamation of His wonderful name.

My New Year's was nice. I found myself full of excitement and gratitude to the Lord over what He has been doing in my heart and life over this past year and what He is continuing to do! Truly I've been filled with a mixture of joy, expectancy, patience and hope concerning what He will do in the year 2007. :o)

And I spent New Year's Eve with my GFA family, at a New Year's Eve fellowship, prayer and thanksgiving service held at the office. I honestly can't think of a better way I could have spent this New Year's Eve; I would have to say it was one of my most memorable ones. I am so grateful to be here and for all the wonderful people the Lord has brought into my life here.

Earlier this afternoon my shoulders were hurting quite a bit but after a quick nap they were doing considerably better. My throat has also been hurting today ... although I'm thinking it could just be allergies? I guess I'll know tomorrow. ;) Hopefully it's just allergies!