Something Beautiful

The chapter from study at Potter's House this week was on Envy. It is striking to me how much envy consumes us, and we usually just shrug it off and think nothing of it. Envy is deadly. It will kill your soul faster than you can say green monster. Envy is the antithesis of contentment. It is not only wanting what someone else has but going so far as to destroy what they have. How is it possible to not allow the green monster to rule your life? For me it is to count my blessings. Instead of looking what everyone else has, I look at the rich blessings that God has given me. I find that when you are busy counting your blessings you don't have time to focus on what everyone else has. I also find that when I start to count my blessings it becomes more and more apparent just how many things I have to be thankful for. I wish I could remember how important counting my blessings are all the time. All-encompassing joy comes from the Joy-Giver. And He will fill you up completely to overfl

A friend and I were chatting the other night, catching up on life and all that. I ended up launching into a rather long story to explain why I was feeling the way I was. At one point my friend said that I am very self-sufficient person in regard to not needing to be in a relationship and being content with myself. That made me pause and consider for a moment because I definitely do not see myself as being self-sufficient. I do see what was meant by the statement, though. I can see how someone would think that I am very self-sufficient, but I know better. I am not self-sufficient. I am completely and totally dependent on Jesus. There is no way that I could be okay with being alone if He weren't with me every second of every day. The only way I am able to be content with being single when I so deeply desire to get married is that God is with me. I have confidence before God, and He is the greatest desire of my heart. "One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I

Warning: This post might contain a little bit of strong language. I'm going to vent for a moment...or several moments really. K and I often laugh about the fact that I seldom have opinions about things (I am trying to work on this), but the fact of the matter is that I have very strong opinions about things that really matter. So when a girl says "All men are assholes" it kind of pisses me off a little bit. And when all the rest of the girls at the table and the guy at the table agree with that girl it kind of pisses me off a lot. All men are not assholes. I know because I have a lot of guy friends who aren't. I have a father who isn't one. I have a father I adopted in SGF who isn't one. I have some amazing brothers in Christ who aren't. And I have a church full of men who are good, Godly, and not assholes. And we wonder why we have problems finding good men in our society. People live up to the standard that we set for them. If the standard for men is tha

I love to take pictures of flowers. I probably have taken over a thousand pictures of flowers in the short three years I have had my camera. I think I am genetically programed to like flowers because both of my grandma's were/are gardeners. So when Thymely Thoughts had a photo challenge on flowers, I was overjoyed because flowers are my favorite. There is a little garden where I love to go several times throughout the spring and summer to take pictures of the various flowers because they have different flowers according to the season when they bloom. I had not actually been there yet this year, so it was a delightful afternoon for me. Please enjoy. :) daisies are my mom's favorite such happy flowers :) There's my latest photographic adventure. Peace and Mercy.

I love cooking, especially when the people I'm cooking for love to eat. I actually went and visited a culinary school when I was deciding where I wanted to go to school. I obviously did not end up at culinary school, but I never stopped loving cooking. But I cook in an interesting way. I take a recipe and make it how I want to make it. I make it healthier. I make it tastier. I use substitutes and different ingredients that the recipe doesn't use. And I learned how to cook from not only my mom, but my grandma and various other women who learned to cook in old fashioned ways. All that to say...I think I should write a cookbook to encompass all of my craziness and to help my generation learn how to cook...like Grandma cooked (sort of). Also, I rediscovered today how much I love sewing. I made a gift for a friend who is getting married tomorrow, and I realized once more how much I enjoy taking raw fabric and making it into something. I love working with the colors, and I love the f

Trust is not something I come by easily. At times I feel I am much to trusting with people. And other times I find it impossible to trust anyone. Yes, I have fallen victim to Eve's syndrome--a distrustful heart...distrustful of her closest companion...distrustful of God. I like to believe the best of people. I like to assume that everyone is a friend and no one a foe. And I want to believe that no one will ever hurt me. But that's not true. This is a fallen world. People aren't trustworthy...well some of them aren't. People will let me down. People will hurt me. I can't control that. What I can control is my response. I can choose to let it eat away at me. I can choose to not trust people. I can choose to shut myself off from everyone...letting them see a mask of my true self. Or. I can choose to entrust myself, my heart, my feelings, to God. The One who alone is good and just. "When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not thre

Warning: This post is going to be a little raw. Proceed at your own risk. At the Kansas-Colorado Border I hate missing people I don't even know. I'm thinking especially of my husband. I never knew I could miss someone so much who I have never met. Above all else, my heart desires to be near to God. But next in line would be the desire for my husband. Some days are much better than others. The last couple of days have been awful as far as my heart goes. It probably hasn't been helped by the fact that K, K and I watched The Young Victoria twice in the last two days. There is something so irresistibly attractive about Prince Albert. I think a lot of that has to do with how much of a gentleman he is. But my heart breaks when he says "Good Morning, Wife." Such a simple word, and yet so much is said. I do so long for the day when I will have the great delight to call a very special man Husband, and be called Wife. Until that day, I will cling to the One who is fairest a

Remember those places where you used to play as a child. The places that are filled with memories of long summer afternoons and the crazy dreams of childhood. Here are a few of mine. The Old Red Barn This barn's lean to was our play spot for a while...before the wasps and hornets managed to run us off. It had a dirt floor and was next to the old windmill. We liked it because it was a little bit of a secret because it was hidden from view by the tree row. Tree House Lodging the leftover pieces of childhood gone by I don't remember how many hours my sister and I spent up that tree playing house or whatever other story we could dream up, but it was a lot of hours. The branches of the tree just always seemed to call to us to climb and enjoy. I remember sitting on the park bench my mom put under this tree and shucking sweet corn in the summer because it was cooler outside than it was in the house. Such wonderful memories from childhood. I love that my parents still live where I live

Seven Deadly Sins. I never really think about these sins...in fact, I can't even name them all. Anger, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth...yep that's all the ones I can remember right now. I tend to be much more focused on living my life as a redeemed person, instead of thinking about my sin. This is true of most people. We don't want to think of ourselves as sinners, and if we do, then we excuse our sin by saying we are only human. So why am I thinking about it now. Because I'm reading the book Seven Deadly Sins for summertime Bible study at Potter's. This morning I read the chapter on Anger. I love gaining new perspective on something I just take at face value. I love when something makes me think and really examine what I believe or currently think. The book is just really good, but this is what I took away from it this morning about anger. What is it that makes you angry? Be angry about it...and take that anger to God. Ask what He wants you to do about the anger you

I had a dream the other night. I was in New Zealand. And I was riding a tandem bicycle...by myself. I was so happy. The weather was perfect; the sun was shining; the sky was blue. I was just cruising along and completely enjoying myself. If there is a day with nice weather when I'm down there, I am totally going to rent a tandem bicycle and ride it by myself... and take a picture. Picture from Google Images Peace out yo!

I had a rather nerdy post in store for today, but sadly I am much to tired to try to write it out tonight, so I'm just going to post some more pics of things that bring me joy. :) The Magnolia Tree in the Backyard This bag sold by The Body Shop is not only cute ...but also a bag with purpose. The proceeds from the sale of these bags goes to help stop sex trafficking ...I know, BRILLIANT!! So a couple more things that bring me joy...flowers, and good causes. Another great cause is The Starfish Project - Beautiful jewelry with a purpose...does it get any better? Watched When In Rome with a couple of close friends tonight...such a brilliant evening, and a fantastic finish to a wonderful, chill day. A fun upbeat song for you... Pencil Full of Lead - Paolo Nutini Peace out yo!

I am stuck on God. He amazes me. He astounds me. He is beyond my comprehension. He is the Joy-giver. And He has put so many things in my life that give me great joy. I'm going to start posting pictures of these things. Here's the first. Mint Leaves Rich Soil And the title comes from this lovely song: Your Song - Kate Nash

Sometimes life appears to be moving in slow motion. Other times I can't seem to catch up. Right now I feel like God had me in slow motion and then hit the fast forward button, and I'm left trying to process everything. In the last two days so much has happened that I don't even know where to begin. For starters--I AM HOME. After a long and tiring week and a half, I have actually made it home, although my desire to sleep in my own bed has been thwarted for an additional two nights. My sister and her boyfriend were bringing my car to me so I could come home after BAK ended. On their way they encountered some heavy rains, and they ended up hydroplaning and hit a concrete barrier with the side of Trudy. Thankfully they are both okay although a little shaken up. That did leave me in Kansas without a car, and after a week of just wanting to come home and sleep in my own bed...let's just say I shed a few tears. Enter Parents. My amazing parents drove me down to SGF so that I c

I have been a little absent from blogging as of late, but with good reason. I have been driving SAG for my parents and their group as they are Biking Across Kansas. Hence I have had little access to internet or a computer. However, last night and tonight we have been at home because the bike route has been close to our house. I can't tell you how delightful it is to sleep in a real bed and have a shower that is not in a community shower and have my own room and space away from people. Not that I don't love people, but 24/7 of having limited privacy is wearing. BAK is this cool thing where 800+ people ride across the state of Kansas on bicycles. They have set amounts that they ride every day and when you get to the destination city you either camp or stay in a school gym. It is really awesome to experience this (even as a SAG driver), so much so that I think I may be participating as a cyclist next year...we'll see what next year holds first. However, this isn't quite th

A dear friend tagged me in this circulating blog post...so I'm reposting for you, H. However, between H and K I no longer have anyone to tag in this post, so I won't be tagging anyone. Sorry. This came from The Little Blog of Happiness and is based off of Cassie's Therapy Video so I hope you enjoy my responses... The task is: fill in 12 likes, 1 love and 8 hates like Cassie in her therapy video. Below, the bolded things are what you MUST include. Also, please make sure you link it back to me, and link it onto 3 other blogs you admire! Abracadabra, Wow! I like boys with strong and tender hearts for God and girls with confidence. I like the smell of Spring in Winter I like the first flowers that open their petals I like red wine with dark chocolate I like being tan in the summer I like long, peaceful quiet times outside with sunshine and iced tea I like blogging I like discovering new interests I like having my own style I like coffeehouse chats with good friends I li

I love adventure. I give credit for my adventurous spirit and gypsy-esque ways to my parents. I like the old tradition of having a family motto, so our family motto is "It's Always An Adventure!" My first trip was when I was a month old and we flew to Seattle. It's been difficult for me to keep my feet firmly planted in one place ever since. It is most certainly a family genetic, but since I have nothing tying me down at present I think I am much more prone to indulging in my wunderlust. However, adventures come in all shapes and sizes, not just traveling to far off lands across the sea. Today, for instance, I have had several adventures. One of which involved the merging of two cookie recipes (and praying it would turn out well). Cooking is always an adventure...especially if I am cooking. I almost never follow a recipe exactly. I am a switch and dump cook. I switch ingredients, and I often don't measure, but rather just dump what seems to be the right amount.

A seemingly ridiculous amount of people I know are in transition. My two "Big Sisters" are both in transition. Three of my close guy friends are in transition. Another guy from church in in transition. My own parents are in transition. And that's just the ones I can think of off the top of my head right now. I spent the weekend helping one of my friends move out of her house. It was a quick and mildly unexpected move, but it brought up the topic of how so many people we know are in transition. I guess part of that is just being surrounded by college aged and young adults. Everyone is trying to figure out what to do with their lives, where to go, what job to take, etc. What brought this to my mind tonight was that as I made myself a cup of green tea and was preparing to make some banana bread for a dinner tomorrow night, I suddenly realized that I don't have any of my cookbooks at my apartment. Because I myself am in transition. After living in the same apartment with