I'm going to Celebrate Freedom in about an hour! I'm looking forward to it ... ever since I moved here and heard about it I've always kind of wanted to go, and the Lord even worked out a way for me to ride with some friends from work who have free parking. :-D He is so good.

I've been continuing to learn so much and be encouraged through the Experiencing God Bible study, the Psalms and Proverbs, and some books I've been reading. I'm so grateful.

What's pretty exciting, too, about Celebrate Freedom is we're getting to have a GFA booth out there. I think this is the first year we've been able to do that! Well off I go ... hope I don't slip and slide too much in the mud out there (hee hee). :o)

It's been raining pretty much every day here! It's raining right now and I'm hoping for a good break so I can run out to the car ... since I don't have my umbrella with me. ;-D Tonight I'm going to a Bible study (the last one in a series on evangelism) and then probably making a stop or two.

I'm continuing to enjoy the stories from Voice of the Martyrs ... one I started last night, in Hearts Afire, is about a 13-year-old girl who courageously shared the Gospel in the cramped conditions of a refugee camp area. I can't wait to finish it.

I have been reading some books from Voice of the Martyrs. One of them is Extreme Devotion, which has daily devotionals with Scripture verses and stories about the persecuted Church.

One member of the underground Church, a Chinese pastor, had his bag all packed and ready to go when his meeting was interupted by anti-Christian forces. He had already been arrested numorous times and was prepared ... not only physically, but in his heart as well. He knew God's provision and care for him extended even into prison.

Stories like his really encourage, challenge and strengthen my faith. It's hard to even begin to imagine the suffering so many Christians in other countries endure daily ... yet the Lord has given them supernatural courage, joy, and trust in His provision in the midst of it. It's humbling, yet amazing at the same time ... what a cloud of witnesses, of whom the writer of Hebrews tells us, "the world was not worthy" (Hebrews 11).

Wow - has another week really gone by since I last posted? I am quite the negligent poster these days. Do I still have my devoted audience? :o)

Last weekend was a bit different than I had been planning in that it was not quite as productive as I'd hoped. Yet it felt like it was of the Lord in that He orchestrated a number of opportunities for me both to encourage and be encouraged.

I enjoyed meeting up with an old friend, walking with her, and praying and worshipping together at her apartment. And Michele and I very much enjoyed hanging out and fellowshipping on Saturday night, too! I thank the Lord for these great opportunities for fellowship ... and that He knows what I need so much more than I do. :o)

I can hardly believe it's the weekend again ... I am looking forward to a restful yet very productive one ... unless God ordains otherwise. :-D I do know that, weather permitting, I am hoping to play volleyball with others from the ministry. That will be fun!

Ever have one of those time periods in life where you just seem to do, well, silly things ... and feel, well, silly afterwards. And feel, well, like a pretty silly person at times, even though you don't really want to. :-D Well thankfully, God is faithful and patient with me and others and gives me good laughs in the meantime. :oP

And it will be a nice weekend. Don't have much planned so far, but looking forward to days filled with ...

Spending time with Jesus.

Catching up on laundry. (yes, I actually enjoy doing laundry ... strange, I know :o))
Getting in some good walks at the nature preserve.

Restocking fruits and vegetables in my serving size containers (much-needed!).

Just hanging out and relaxing.

Catching up on the phone with my mom and maybe a couple of good friends from back home.

Maybe some reading in a good Christian book, enjoying the sunny weather!

Possibly meeting up with some people for a little bit tomorrow.

Church and Sunday school.

I like weekends. And I like that God's mercies are new every morning.

Yesterday was a nice day.

Got caught up a lot on stuff around the apartment - cleaning, laundry, etc. Late afternoon, went to White Rock Lake with my friend D. We biked the nine miles around the lake, enjoyed the view, and got in some kind of cool conversations with people along the way. :o) Oh, she also introduced me to Raisin' Canes Chicken Fingers. Good stuff! :-D

Today I went to lunch with a group after church. In a little bit, a big group of us from the ministry playing volleyball. Yahoo!

I'm glad for friends ... and nice sunny days ... and biking and fellowship and volleyball. :-D And most of all for JESUS ... I mean, where would I be without Him?

Has the week really gone by this fast? WOW. It's been a good one. And I feel happy and encouraged in the Lord. We have all-night prayer tonight, and I'm looking forward to that! It will be nice to pray and fellowship with everyone. :-)

Tomorrow a friend and I may go biking at White Rock Lake - yahoo! Whatever the weekend holds, I am sure it will be a nice one ... I am looking forward to resting, spending some more time with the Lord, fellowship with others and catching up on stuff at home.

I think now I'm going to go take a walk at the nature preserve ... gorgeous weather! :-D