Recent thoughts

So today I had some time to myself and I was trying to think about some of the things I truly enjoy in life, but don't take enough time to indulge in. And you know what I decided? I decided I'm going to indulge in them! That's right! So maybe I won't be getting as much sleep. Or maybe I won't be doing laundry as often. Or I might not even notice how bad we know to go to the grocery. But! But, I will remember to indulge in life's finest delicacies. And what are life's delicacies you might ask?
Well, I'm glad you did, because I've decided to think on what are the finest things to me...and then...I'm going to enjoy them! :)

-It makes me smile to wonder around in a city I dont know or even the city I've grown up in but always can find something new to discover
-I love to sit around the dining room table and paint with music playing from the loft upstairs
-I've found a new love of sitting around reading Nicholas Sparks books in a hot bathtub
-I like finding an adventure to do while I'm on lunch...getting my ears pierced, shopping for a washing machine....something you don't stereotypically do on lunch.
-I'm gonna stick with my goal of two books a month
-i'm gonna add to that goal to have ladies night out with all cares out the door at least once a month ;)
-i will enjoy saving money. i will enjoy saving money. i will enjoy saving money. (and i will keep repeating this to myself until its true and a true habit of mine)
-im also going to take the time and effort to get involved more with the hispanic community and spanish speakers. i miss enjoying spanish. im forgetting :(
-i will enjoy my new hobbies of rollerblading and knitting
-Im going to enjoy my toned abs after continuing with 50 crunches a day.

ok, so this has turned into more of an early new years resolution list. but im going to enjoy these goals and the finer things in life!

kentucky rain.....

Ok, so lots of people have been giving me subtle and not so subtle comments that I'm not posting very much lately :) LOL! So, I decided it had been two months and I should really blog some about what's happening in life for me right now....

Currently I'm interning with the state office of Woman's Missionary Union here in KY. That has been an awesome opportunity for me to have a platform for speaking in various churches and really encouraging churches to embrace more diversity in their church, speaking to Hispanic churches and providing them with resources and support to get their group more involved in missions, and also speaking at several acteens (Christian teen girls) events around the state. It has been pretty cool to see the networking of meeting lots of people from around the state doing some great things for God and also to meet several international missionaries at the National Meeting up in Indy in May. I am about halfway through my internship and starting to be in the office less and less and more out on the streets meeting and speaking with different groups! I love that part of it and am excited to see one group in particular in the south part of Louisville that is growing and seeing their Hispanic church really catch on to the vision of God's Heart for all peoples and are doing something about it in their area! Go Shively! :)
This week I am speaking in a woman's group in a local church that has almost no diversity in their church so please pray that I speak with grace and am not harsh on this group but encouraging them in loving all races that God created.

I am also working full time at Ann Taylor as the sales lead which keeps me busy. Its a lot of fun because I am running into clients and friends from when I lived here in Ky before, small world. Also, a lot of the sales associates and my co-managers are still the same group so its fun to reconnect. Ann Taylor is a huge financial blessing to me as it is allowing me to buy another car. (Sad, for those of you who didn't know I sold my much loved Jeep Wrangler, Isaac, before moving to Mexico) Also, I am moving into my much anticipated apartment August 1st. In the meantime......

Nathaniel is house shopping... Woohoo! Super exciting :) We are really wanting to make sure we start out on the right foot as much as we can prepare ourselves for. He is really good with finances, business and the like. Thank God, because those are areas I am weak and he totally compliments me on. So we are both trying to save like crazy and see what kind of good deal we can get for our first place. :)

And of course, I'm loving all the good catch-ups with friends. I recently went to Bristol, TN with Manecia to go and visit our friend Lindsey. We had so much fun hanging out with her and helping with her two kiddos. Back in April when I first got to the states I spent 10 days in Texas with my roommate from Florida, Hope, having some awesome time together and touring around Texas. That is her and I in the picture at a fun Texas Roadhouse! :) I'm getting ready to travel up to Iowa to attend my cousin Tera's wedding, where I will be sporting a fabulous choice turquoise bridesmaid dress. :) So yep, doing a lot of travel, hanging out with old friends, and finding my place again in Ky...

I think those are the highlights of what comes to mind of what's been the beginning of my season back home in Kentucky....I promise, I'll try and stay more updated on here guys ;)
Enjoy the day you've been given. Heck, even skip a little down the street today, for after all.......
THE LOVE OF GOD IS FOLLY!

World Fair Trade Day May 10

http://www.worldcraftsvillage.com/featuredcountry.asp

Check out this link to world crafts and enjoy some fair trade shopping. You can purchase from India, China and beyond. We can change a life, change the world :) How awesome!

let justice flow like a river.........

Tonight was an awesome opportunity to see a church reaching out and loving the community around them. I have always heard several people talk about this church "sojourn community" but never went there. It was really sweet to hear the words "let justice flow like a river...." and then hear a list of needs that had been seen in the local blocks around the church. It was a beautiful picture to see a group of twenty-somethings reaching out and taking the church outside the walls. We who believe and love Jesus Christ have a hope and peace that surpasses all else this world has to offer. How awesome to be able and take this out to our neighbors. Im super excited to see what God is up to in Louisville and see how I can be a hand of love to those around me and surrounding....

-----You can not do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good you can do. -Anonymous.

living a little more or dying a little bit?

I recently read this amazing book, The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. I loved it because he really wrote of the deep love and grace of the Father that we so often overlook. Too often we have let our Christianity become what we DO for God and not simply BEING with Him and enjoying the love He lavishes upon us. I think a lot of it comes back to that constant struggle of the Mary and Martha within us. The same struggle of Martha loving the Lord but showing it by buzzing around like a chicken with her head cut off, preparing things for God, and feeling frustrated that her sister wasn't doing likewise. However, Jesus commended Mary and said she had chosen the better thing of simply dwelling at His feet and chilling with Him. I love that! How I want to keep this verse on my forehead all my life,

2Co 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

I want to keep that awe and wonder of the pure and sincere devotion to Christ.
So anyhow, there was this one quote in the book that truly caused me to look at each situation and ask myself am I living in sincerity and pure devotion to Christ and finding myself satisfied in Him OR wanting more, feeling discouraged, unsatisfied, or worried?
Norman Mailer once said, "Each moment of our existence, we are either growing into more or retreating into less. We are either living a little more or dying a little bit."
I want to live more! I want to go deeper in hanging out with God and enjoying what He places in my life and that sweet hang out time with Him!
Most of all I want the words "L'amour de Dieu est folie" (the love of God is folly)
to be true of my life. I want to live in that childlike wonder of a God who created the universe and loves me simply for who I am, a child bought by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ!

red, yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight

Racism might be the symptom of a greater disease. What I mean is, as a human, I am flawed in that it is difficult for me to consider others before myself. It feels like I have to fight against this force, this current within me that, more often than not, wants to avoid serious issues and please myself, buy things for myself, feed myself, entertain myself, and all of that. All I’m saying is that if we, as a species, could fix our self-absorption, we could end a lot of pain in the world.
-Blue Like Jazz p. 61



man. if we could get rid of self absorption what would things look like huh? makes you think.....and hopefully causes us to look a little more like Christ....

Know YOU are LOVED

Father how you love me, I’ll never understand,
As I bask under the tree, and the clouds I see,
What is man that you are mindful of me?

The clouds in the purity, a reflection of you,
They float by your direction, as you do what you do.

You place the flower in the place you want it to grow,
Teach me my plot and land that only you know.

The trees range from the light yellow to the darkest of green,
All creatures on earth you have made and seen.

The red ant scurries along to toil and to strive,
How can I rest forever in this simplicity of being alive?

There’s a longing in my inner heart to love the very one who made my being,
I want to reflect to the world the power of His joy and freeing.

To the child who cries over there,
Know you are loved
Come to our Father and lay out your heart bare.

To the young woman who awaits for her knight in shining armor to sweep her away,
Know you are loved
Don’t hide away in your dreams of what may be,
Reality is here, live out loud your life, today.

To the young man working hard and pushing himself to be the best,
Know you are loved
The Father smiles His approval, breathe in and may your spirit rest.

To the couple in love anticipating their next chapter and longing for its start,
Know you are loved
And the fullness of the Lord’s love longs for the top priority in your heart.

To the wife who feels deserted with only her children at her side,
Know you are loved
Come to the garden, meet with your husband, your maker, Come and abide.

To the widowed man whose spirit aches as he cries alone in the night,
Know you are loved
Tell it to Jesus, you are precious and treasured in His sight.

I lay under this sky, the canopy over us all,
Run and meet me here. Do not tarry, do not stall.

Bring your worries, your pains, and your fears. Truth and freedom cry out come and be Healed,
Blood was shed to heal us inside and out, on a hill at Calvary this payment was spilled.

Oh heart within there’s rest to be found,
Know you are loved
Run into His healing arms where love forever will abound.

All they wanna do is "date" God

"There is something in us that makes us afraid of the commitment that comes with real intimacy with God. For one thing, intimacy with God requires purity. The days of fun and games in the Church are over. What do I mean by "fun and games?" If your definition of fun is "low commitment and lots of thrills and chills," then all you've ever wanted to do is "date God." ...God is tired of us wanting to get our thrills from Him without putting on the ring of commitment! Some are more enamored with the "goose bumps" than the glory! They're addicted to the annointing, liking the feeling of being blessed, receiving the "gifts" like a religious "gold-digger", happy with chocolates, flowers and jewelry. The last time I checked, He was still looking for a bride, not a girlfriend; one who will "stick" with Him."
-God Chasers Tommy Tenney

This book really challenged me on so many levels. Its all about learning to give God a full commitment of all that we are. Seeking His face not just His hands, seeking the Giver not just the gifts, seeking the Blesser not just the blessings. It was really convicting to look at how we must die to ourselves to truly experience the absolute fullness of God. Frank Bartleman from the Azusa Revival said, "The depth of your repentance will determine the height of your revival." The more we want of God the more we must let go of ourselves and plunge into HIM!
How awesome that we have the privilege of dwelling with the Creator of the Universe. How awesome that He who sees all things and knows all things wants to simply hang out with us. How beautiful that He takes our mistakes and times that we fail Him and he casts them as far as the east is from the west. How incredible that we can be filled with all that He is until we overflow and splash onto others. What kind of commitment are you giving Him of yourself? How deep do you wanna go into God?

understanding, radically involved, and discovering

James 4:13-17 speaks of not claiming what you will do tomorrow, but rather "If the Lord wants us to, we will......." So my current plan is to head to work with the W.M.U. (woman's missionary union) in april. That is if its God's will. I truly believe this is His will as it has so easily came about. It's so awesome to see their vision statement and how it matches with my vision in life!

"WMU challenges Christian believers to understand and be radically involved in the mission of God. Kentucky WMU equips women, men, girls and boys to discover the joy of missions."

I am so excited to work with them and see others understand, involved, and discovering the JOY of missions :)

so happy belated new year!

So its been awhile since I wrote last.....I wanted to catch up on whats been going on since mid-December when I wrote last. I went back to the States on the 15th for a very exciting Christmas break. It was so good to visit with my family and friends back in KY. I wasn't sure how much culture shock I was gonna go thru, but had really prayed about it beforehand, had some good chats at the base here, and also read a really good book called "Re-entry." I was not sure how I would deal with the vast material wealth in the States in high contrast to the poverty that I've seen in Mexico. However, God really revealed an awesome lesson to me prior to leaving, to recognize that God pours out His favor and grace upon whom he chooses. Grace makes life not fair. And praise God for that....because if he just operated in fairness I would be plumb out of luck because I totally don't deserve the gifts he lavishes on me. So I really wanted to return stateside with an attitude of thanks for the goodness of God that he has laid upon so many in the US and that they are entrusted to use the gifts that God gives them with wisdom and as a good steward. And praise God, I was able to transition back to the states pretty easily. It was different being in restaraunts with menus......hadn't seen them in so long! It was different to jump in the car and go get a soda at the gas station! But one very different and highly exciting thing for me was being able to take bubble baths! they are totally my haven! i treasure my bath time and in mexico i have no bath tub....we shower for only two minutes every other day! needless to say this girly-girl really enjoyed her bubble baths :)
but on to the real recap...so much happened and i know you have a ton of stuff to do today...so i'll be list format (which I know is boring) ....but yet short and sweet on some of the highlights: :)

*i was able to stay at my parent's house quite a bit and so enjoyed the beautiful way my mom had gone all out in decorating...the house was so cute and cozy :)......it was so nice to see the generosity of my parents and the way they love to treat others...the house was full of christmas goodies and yummy smells.......
*i also got to have some good hangout times with my brother....he is such a genius and i was so amazed to hang with him and see his talent in mechanics...i miss being able to chat with him much...you know how most men aren't big on emails...every now and then he will send me a short and sweet one :)
*i really enjoyed some good quality time with nathaniel.....he is so good to me....he was very patient and going to and from places i had to be......he really went all out and took us up to brown co. indiana for a good time getaway to do some shopping and enjoy the quaint little town there :)........i really had such a good time being able to spend time laughing with him and enjoying the fun we have together!........it was a little easier to leave him this time because I now have much more peace than I did last semester......its a bit easier i think to leave knowing when I would be back......when i had left last semester it was all up in the air of when i would return.......so praise GOd for a little more direction in my future to know I'll be returning stateside in April
*i had an interview with the wmu back home.....and will be doing an internship with them starting in april! this is so so so super exciting b/c there vision matches up so well with my vision....they are all about educating and inspiring the church to get out there and love others both stateside and in other countries...very exciting they just got onboard with the International Mission Board a few years back and are really focusing attention on the unreached people groups.....obviously this has a big place in my heart in knowing that of the 15k people groups in the world...still 6k have yet to hear the name of Christ!.......i am really pumped to work with this organization and be a part of writing English curriculum for missions overseas, student camps to inspire students in missions, and many other awesome endeavors.......
*i got to speak in a few classes at my home church and share about the awesome things God has been doing in Mexico...it was great to see the faces of those who are supporting me in finances and prayer back home....it was so good to share with them the awesome things we have seen God do from baptisms, to new relationships in our English classes, to Christians growing deeper in their faith, and loving others thru being the hands and feet of Christ
*i got to meet lots of mexicans living in the states as we of course visited lots of mexican restaraunts.....:) I missed the real mexican food! it was so good to be able to share about my faith with the manager at one fave restaraunt......it was so nice to share in the mexican culture and show love to those living in the states :).......im really excited when I get back this spring to also take some classes in teaching english as a second language.....i found lots of those i met had been in the states for awhile and didnt know english but really expressed to me their desire to learn and really connect with some american friends.....
*it was just awesome to be back home.....sharing with others what God had taught me while in Missionary training school and thru the relationships there......there is so much he has been teaching me over the past year.....trying to let it all sink in and just be a sponge....i wanna soak in all that he has for me.......send me an email if you'd like to hear more specifics :) i'd love to share!

ok....so thats a brief and general recap of my time back home in ky for christmas and new years.....
i pray that as we begin this new year......you and i can both look at our lives....look at our goals..our vision and call that we feel God has put us on this earth for.......what has he gifted you in? what are your talents? how can you use them to bring a smile to his face? what dreams do you have? what do you want to acheive in this life? in this year?

DREAM BIG! DREAM LARGE! DREAM VIVID! DREAM TODAY!
If today was my last day what would I do? ok...then....thats the way I wanna go ahead and live today! :)
take today and live it as a "gift" given to you....for that is what it is "the present"