I can't believe it's already Wednesday. It's been a good week so far! Not a whole lot to write, but having a good week. I've been able to focus pretty well on my projects, which I'm so thankful for!

Today we all had a couple of staff meetings, which made the day go by fast! I completely forgot about the meetings. I saw a couple of my friends (interns) grab their stuff and leave our area, and I was thinking, "Oh, okay ... must be a special meeting this morning for interns." :oD Thankfully, one of my co-workers came in just a moment later and said something about us having a meeting. :o) So I headed downstairs just in time!

Wow, it has been a really nice weekend.

This has been so refreshing after a week or so of kind of rough times!

Friday Night: Went to Barnes and Noble to read in some books, buy a book I've been wanting to read, and look just a little bit over projects for work.

Saturday Morning: Went out to Allen Premium Outlets because I had an extra 20% off coupon for the Eddie Bauer outlet. :o) Found a great dress and pair of shorts for 70% off (plus 20%!!!) and a really cute long-sleeved knit striped shirt (bluish colors) for a good price after the coupon.

Saturday Afternoon: Left the Outlets for my 2:00 haircut appt. near Trinity Mills and the Tollway! After my haircut, I grabbed a "bite to eat" (to use my mom's expression :o)) and picked up three friends of mine from the ministry (all sisters!) at their house to go to Ross and Target, where we enjoyed their $1 popcorn and soda combo. :o) Then we had supper at their house! Great times.

Saturday Night: Ran over to a staff family's house where a bunch of young people from the ministry were meeting to play games and stuff. We played Balderdash (one of my favorites!), around-the-world ping pong and roasted marshmellows in the fire pit outside. It was so much fun!

Wow, what a week! I'm still not up to 100% physically ... lingering traces of my cold/allergies/sinuses from last week, combined with a couple of other physical "ailments" (nothing contagious). ;-) More than that, though, there were some intense times of being attacked in my thought life by the Enemy. I'm doing much better now, though, and I think the ladies' potluck fellowship last night really helped!

I'm so glad it's Friday and I have the weekend to rest and relax. :-) Have a good weekend, everyone!

I've been physically under the weather much of this week. It was relatively mild but made me REALLY tired for some reason. I wonder if it was a combo of allergies, sinuses and a mild cold. Anyhow, I feel relatively better, even if still physically weak.

I was at home most of a couple days resting, and it's been an intense past two days or so. I have felt buffeted about by the Enemy with discouraging thoughts, etc. It's been really intense.

Overall I'm doing a lot better at the moment, yet still so aware that it is a very real spiritual battle. I should feel comforted, for it is because I'm in the Lord's army that the Enemy torments me so at times. I think the battle has been especially intense for many at the office lately. But GOD WINS.

bummalo - a dried fish used in chutney relish

One of our definitions from last night's entertaining game of Balderdash at the home of a family from the ministry. I don't remember it word for word, I'm sure, but I think it's somewhat close. One of our favorite definitions for that word was M.T.'s -- "a bummed out buffalo". :o) Good times.

This morning's message in church was good, even if quite convicting ... He talked about how Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden is light, but how we only truly enter into that easy yoke and light burden when we faithfully SUBMIT to Him. I feel like I've been able to do that with relative ease in the BIG things (only by God's grace and working!), but in the "little" things it's much more of a challenge ... but I want to do better with these things, because they're important! I want to please Jesus.

Post #440.

Today was just one of those days that, I'm sorry, it just would have been a federal crime not to walk to work. Okay, so I'm exagerrating a bit but you do get the picture. :o) It was absolutely gorgeous out.

It's been another good week. I've been working on my newsletter, and also a bunch of projects, such as a welcome letter for a church packet, and earlier a Sri Lanka update. Things have been very busy, but overall a good kind of busy!

I am so grateful for this beautiful weather.

The Mercy Me concert and Rangers game were so much fun. The best part was the fellowship with everyone.

God did bless me something really special, too. I actually won the newest Mercy Me CD! Needless to say, I was excited, but even more so when I saw that "So Long Self" was on it.

That is a song the Lord really used to speak to my heart in a powerful way one day as I was coming home from a prayer meeting we had at the ministry. And not only do I now have a copy of that song to listen to(and for free!), I got to hear them sing it in person out there on the stadium lawn. Praise God. Another reminder that He cares abuot every little detail of our lives.

I've been having such a good week.

I can't believe it's already almost a three day weekend, too! This weekend will be a full one.

Friday: Extended prayer night here at the ministry
Saturday: Meeting up with some friends from my old church for our traditional trip to an area Dillard's closeout store that has great deals on Labor Day weekend. [I'm driving myself so I can sleep in a little extra if I need to. :o)] Then, not that much time until I need to be here at the office so I can meet up with a big group on staff to go to a Mercy Me concert and Rangers game. :o)
Sunday: Church (of course), then helping some friends from the ministry move.

I look forward to the weekend!

Another good day.

Took my friend Steph to the airport so she could go for a press check, for our 2007 GFA calendar. (We're so excited about that!)

Ate spaghetti I'd made, grapes, and carrots downstairs in our staff kitchen for lunch, while fellowshipping with some of our new interns who just arrived. :c)

And now? I'm heading to rest around the apartment and get ready for prayer meeting tonight.

It's truly been a good day. :o)

The Lord encouraged me so much this morning through a devotional someone emailed me. It talked about how in our "poverty" (meaning the valleys and hard times in our lives), we are driven all the more to Jesus and Him alone, and how therein is abundant fruit.

I am fixing to head out so I can meet my good friend and co-worker, Jacy, for supper and fellowship. :o) We're meeting at Qdoba. (Yum!) After our supper I will probably stop at the store and then come home to rest and do stuff around the apartment.

I think it will be a nice evening!

The day sure did go by fast!

Well, there were various projects to work on, plus I took my friend Tee to the airport so she can be with her parents to celebrate their 50th (I think?) wedding anniversary!

Tonight I'm heading over to Krista's home, as she and her family (here on staff at GFA) will be moving (just down the street, so not far) this weekend. I'll be picking up Jamie, another co-worker, and we'll be helping them pack and line shelves. Well, Jamie will help line shelves becuase she's skilled in such delicacies ... As for me, I shall be there for PACKING and, of course, moral support. :C) It should be fun!

And Saturday is the big move, that we all get to help with. I truly enjoy moving parties here at the ministry; they're such great times of fellowship and laughter, not to mention it's an incredible blessing that people can be moved so quickly because so many pitch in!

Okay, I shall be heading now so I can hopefully get in some good time with the Lord before Jamie and I head over to Krista's. Have a blessed night, everyone.

I'm back. I must apologize, for I have been sadly remiss (is that a word?) about posting lately. Overall, things are good! And I had a nice weekend, too.

I will write more soon ... but the library is about to close. (Yikes!) :o)

Much love to all of y'all!

I'm back.

I have been so blessed with wonderful friends and family! This weekend and this week have really reminded me of just how much. :-)

Friday night:
Cotrina, Sara and Joelle (from my old church) took me to the Olive Garden!
Saturday:
I had a great time hanging out with Julie looking at stuff for her apartment, and then that night hanging out and playing Nerts with some other good friends on staff at a family's house. We all had a blast ... our favorite phrase of the evening was "not my problem". (It pertained to something really funny that happened during the game. :o) If you'd like to hear about it, I'll be happy to tell you; it would just take too long for me to post it here!)
Sunday:
Some friends kidnapped me and took me to a really fun waterpark! Good times.

This week:
I have been treated to a birthday lunch TWICE. And, on Monday, a good friend gave me a birthday party where we all had a wonderful time of fellowship and prayer together.

I feel so loved! Thank you to ALL of you who made my birthday so special. I don't deserve it, but I am still so appreciative. :o) I love you all!

I have sadly neglected this blog! But not by choice. I've just been so incredibly busy. But in a good way!

It feels like so many people have done such thoughtful things for me for my birthday these past few days. I feel so loved. :-)

I wish I could write more, but I need to scoot off to spend some time with the Lord and then come back and pray with others who are also sharing a testimony during our staff prayer meeting tonight. I am so excited to share, for God has been doing some really neat things.

Be blessed.

It's been a good day.

I think the Lord has been doing much in my life this week. I feel like He's always working in my life, showing me those areas I need to grow in, or bringing about particular growth in my life. That's encouraging.

Okay, tonight is a busy night because I need to gather together some clothes for the Up for Grabs our ministry is having this weekend. :o) And possibly work a bit on projects ... if there's time!

It's been a busy week and has gone by pretty fast.

Tomorrow night I'm getting together with Cotrina and Sara for a fun birthday outing at the Olive Garden (yum!!!) and then over the weekend I'm getting to hang out with good friends from the ministry. :o) Good times.

Weekend. Good times, good food, good people. :-)

Friday was all-night prayer. By the time I got home and got to sleep, it was around 5 a.m. I think! Saturday I slept in until 2 in the afternoon. :oD

Saturday night I met up with Cotrina for a movie at the dollar theater. We also split a hamburger at Swenson's.

Yesterday I visited my old church and got to catch up a little with people. Last night I went over to GC's place for yummy enchilada's and a really nice time of fellowship with friends on staff. [Did you know if you put Mentos candy into a newly opened 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke, it causes a mini explosion of sorts? Last night I got to experience this firsthand. :-D Great times!]

I can hardly believe how quickly this day has gone by. It has been a good day. I thank the Lord for getting me through this week. It was kind of a toughie.

Well, it is now 4:00 and I am getting to head out soon because we have all-night prayer tonight. :)I think I am going to make spaghetti, do some cleaning around the apartment and maybe go walking at the nature preserve.

Tomorrow night I am meeting up with Cotrina, a good friend from my old church, to go see a dollar movie. :oD And I'm seriously thinking of visiting back at my old church for this Sunday, as it could be the last time I would get to see a friend before he moves to Illinois with his new job.

Sunday night I am getting to meet up with some friends from work. That will be nice.

Okay, you all, have a good weekend.

These are the words of a dear friend and supporter of mine back home who just lost her husband to cancer.

Yesterday Steve's earthly tent was exchanged for his house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. He finished strong and won because he found his sufficiency in Christ. Thank you for your faithful prayer support and encouragement during this journey.

Wow.

Wow. I love this. It has helped me in so many life circumstances, more than I can count.

Each Day
by Max Lucado

It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot.
The sky is still black.
The world is still asleep.
The day is coming.
In a few moments, the day will arrive.
It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun.
The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day.
The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding of the human race.
The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.
For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands.
It is now I must make a choice.
Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose.

And so I choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE…
No occasion justifies hatred;
no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love.
Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…
the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see
people as anything less than human beings,
created by God.
I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll
invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the
wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment
to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new
assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
I will be kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to
the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS…
I will go without a dollar
before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked
before I will boast. I will confess before I will
accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…
Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates
will not question my word. My wife will not
question my love. And my children will never fear
that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it only be of myself.
I am a spiritual being…

After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal.
I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek His grace.
And then, when this day is done,
I will place my head on my pillow
and rest.

Max Lucado, quoted from his book,
When God Whispers Your Name.

I have found the Lord to be so faithful to bring various challenges or trials into my life at different times, to draw me closer to Him and seek to conform me more into His image. This has been happening lately ... and my deep longing is to experience HIM in a deeper way in the midst of it. Of course, in my flesh, I would just long for these hardships to be taken away, because sometimes it feels like more than I can bear ... and because my flesh naturally craves comfort and security.

I am glad the Lord is more concerned with my character than my comfort.