in you

I am up way past my bed time right now. About two hours to be exact. So please excuse any typos or spelling errors that may occur. That is because I was in the car chatting it up with a wonderful gal after our bible study. Bless our husbands for putting up with our inspirational talks that have made us late more than once.

Anyways, one topic led to another, and before I know it I'm laying on my living room floor listening to Chris Tomlin's "I Will Follow You"..... and then I hear it.

"In You there's joy, unending joy."

My word for 2012 has been JOY... it was my new years resolution to learn more about joy and develop more joy within my heart. What I didn't know was that I was going about it the wrong way.

You see, joy is not something that you seek to develop within your self. Joy is something that you allow God to develop in you. God's got the joy, and He's got to give it to us.

Let me put the above quote into more context of the song.

"In you there's life ever lasting.
In You there's freedom for my soul.
In You there's joy, unending joy.
Where you go, I'll go."

Yes, I've know that God is the key to having joy, and that when we allow Him, there can be a supernatural joy that takes over us.... but it's more than that.

I don't gain more joy in my life by trying to be happy and positive. I get JOY in my life, through God.
I get true JOY when I ask God's spirit to dwell within me and free my soul from the bondage of sin. When I am truly allowing the Spirit to reign in me that I can experience His JOY.

In God there is JOY and when I allow God to be in me, JOY will be in me. 

I know that I've talked a little bit about this before, but it just hit me in a much clearer way tonight. Praise be to God for talking loud and clear to me! And perhaps I realized it before, but tonight I was refreshed. Heavens knows I need constant refreshing!

Autumn Fancies

Seriously, autumn can not get here soon enough! I know that so many people out there savor the last days of summer... not this gal. I find myself pretending it's already fall.

I've broken out the denim jacket! I don't care if it's still hot outside.... It's finally staying in the low 90's and 80's and besides, it's cool inside. I spend most of the day inside anyways.

I'm dreaming of the leaves changing.... romancing the idea of it anyways. It's not exactly Vermont around here, but we do get a little bit of color in some areas.

My taste buds are watering in anticipation for loads and loads of my mother-in-laws incredible chili recipe along with made-from-scratch cornbread. Along with roast and stews and turkey/ wild rice casserole.

Oh, and how about desserts? Pumpkin muffins, apple pies, crock pot apple sauce... oh that reminds me... pork chops and apple sauce.... pumpkin pies, CRANBERRIES!!! Oh goodness. Apple cider anyone?

Or how about Starbucks's pumpkin spiced latte? In the words of Jessie Tanner.... "HAVE MERCY"!!

I'm ready to pull out my pumpkin table runner and spiced candles. Ready to put our Pottery Barn duvet back on our bed.

I'm ready for Big Red and Dallas Cowboys football.... which means jalapeno poppers, home-made pizza sticks, veleveta cheese dip, and all those different dips I make from mixes I get at the fair.

The fair? Oh yes! The lovely Oklahoma State Fair! Where I can find my most anticipated treat... cheese-on-a-stick!

How about cooler weather? With all of this yummy food, I'll definitely be needed to take more walks/jogs. Oh that cool crisp air will feel so wonderful!

Have you noticed? Autumn is my favorite season of the year by a landslide!

Some how, everything seems so much more friendlier, cozier, and wonderful during the fall. I know we still have a few days to wait.... but I tell you what. When September gets here... wait no longer. It'll be fall in my book!

crazy days & blessings

Is it just me or does summer go by at turbo speed? It seems like only a couple weeks ago I was sitting beside the previous administrative aid at school getting in some training for my new job. Now I'm actually doing the things I learned... with my own pictures on the desk and my own sentsy warming my favorite scents.

I've gotta say, I think it was the fastest summer of my life. I don't say that every summer either. Summers tend to drag for me (even when they are packed with fun things), but this one really went fast.

August is by far going the fastest it's ever gone. It's like we are almost to the half way point! Well... there are still a few days but STILL!

OK so enough about that.

Anyways, I just find it so funny that I pictured things going so differently right now. Little did I know what was in store for me this month.

From going back to work - to buying a car in another state - to buying a washing machine. These 9 days have been insane. I've pulled frozen chicken breasts out to thaw and thrown them back in the freezer to instead have sandwiches or something else not needing cooking. I've had the same chicken in and out of the freezer probably 3 times. I know they say not to do that...but we haven't died yet.

As soon as things slow down something happens.

Tis life, I'm told. I guess we have to just hold on tight and brace ourselves.

In the mean time, I'll be counting my blessings as the hymn goes:

"Count your blessings. Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings. See what God has done."

Looking forward to going to the Women of Faith conference this weekend with my good friend Glory and some of the gals in her family! That is the next blessing coming my way!

facebook

As I eat my breakfast and watch Good Morning America I realize something. Every single thing they are talking about, I've already read about on facebook. I find myself wishing they would hurry up and quit taking so long to tell me the stories. The sad part? Most of the stories are only told in under 2 minutes! 

Before I go to bed, I check facebook on my phone. When I wake up, I check my facebook on my phone. Plus, multiple times throughout the day I check facebook on my phone. Then when I get home, I check facebook on my laptop. 

It's pretty crazy how far facebook has come. I got my account back in high school, I had a few friends and the fun part of facebook was giving each other bumper stickers and picking out flair for our boards. Never thought that everyone I knew would have an account along with every business out there. 

Hard to believe that facebook is how I hear most of the news and current events. It is though. 

And as much as people talk bad about facebook- I love it. I don't want it to go anywhere any time soon! 

how to take your spiritual life to new heights

In my last post, I talked about how I've really witnessed God working in my life to strengthen my faith. This is the second part of that post. I talked how I've noticed the change. Now I want to talk about HOW that change came about. (And I'm sorry it's so long! I tried to be brief!)

There is a secret to having growth in your faith. The secret is seeking God and opening your heart to the way He wants to move it. God wants to move our hearts, but because God gave us choice, we have to allow Him into our hearts to work. (Now, I still think that God can move us when our hearts are hard- goodness knows I don't want to deny the grace of God and how powerful it can be! But when we feel something missing and we long for a stronger faith, this is how we can do our part to let God to achieve it!) When we are focusing on God, we will see how He works in our lives. We will be continually moved by His grace for us. 

Several people have said to me, and I've noticed myself, that when we're digging in the word and studying the Bible we feel closer to God. After all the Bible is God's word, so it seems like the first place to go when we long to feel closer to Him! 

I think that the following 2 passages really show me how to strengthen my faith. Even though these are so familiar to us, I encourage you to really thing about what they say. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eves on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scoring its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the thrown of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and loose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

Did you catch that? If we want to avoid growing weary and loose our passion for God, we need to continually consider Christ and what His sacrifice meant. We also need to constantly be focusing on Jesus because if we do, He can can impact our faith, because he is the perfecter of our faith! It's like the magic words... right there! That just makes me so excited to see that!

Now.. the next verse of wisdom:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." 

Philippians 4:4-9

We gain the peace of God by thinking about good and pure things. It's time to put away those awful magazines full of immoral tips and articles telling us how to think self-rightously. Time to toss out the music that makes our minds tolerant to filthy and suggestive lyrics. Time to cancel our DVR on the shows that fill our minds with garbage. Instead we need to be thinking about things that are holy. That is how we get the peace of God!

 I tell you all of this from my personal experience. Because when I started putting my focus on rejoicing in God, thanking him, praying to him about my troubles, and focused on pure things- I found peace and joy like I'd never experienced it before. 

THAT my sisters, is how you find God, and how you open your heart to him! 

So fix your eyes on Christ and and fill your mind with what is pure. It'll take your relationship with God to new heights! 

show me where you brought me from

Happy Monday, friends! Over the weekend, Blake and I went to Bartlesville, OK to stay with his parents. Their church, Dewey Church of Christ, was celebrating their 60th anniversary. What a neat event that was! We had 2 very good potlucks. (And NO ONE can do a potluck dinner the way DCOC can!) We heard lots of stories, met new people, sang lots of songs, and had a fun time.

On Saturday evening during the song service we sang, "Remind Me, Dear Lord". (Click HERE if you want to hear that song.) I have to be honest, that's never been one of my favorites, and I'm not sure that I had ever heard that song before we went to South Yukon. Usually when I hear it I think, "oh my, this song sounds like it should be in an old Western Movie from the 60's!"(Now there was also a group of men who performed this song for us, and I thought it was real sweet, and I enjoyed that very much... but I'm talking about actually singing the song as a congregation.)

But God allowed me to hear it differently this time. I can't say it's my favorite song or anything, but I did actually think about the words. It's mostly the chorus that I really like:

"Roll back the curtain of memory now and then.
Show me where you brought me from
And where I could have been
Remember, I'm human
And humans forget
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord"

Now, having grown up in a Christian family, and having such steady Christian roots, I can't say that I have much of a past to be "reminded of". I do however remember those rebellious teen years that many find themselves in. Even though, I never did anything just awful, I do remember those horrible feelings of insecurity and the constant need to be impressing people. It's a horrible burden to hold. It's a burden that can easily lead to sin as well. It's also a burden that many people carry into adulthood. I've watched people I know carry it into their adult lives.

But God has lifted me from that. Yes, I still feel insecure at times, and I can't say I never want to impress. But those feelings don't control me the way they used to. Of course, some of that was lifted when I met Blake, and even more of it was lifted after we were married. However, that was still a work of God. The Lord has also worked in my life to help me find peace and joy. Those two fruits of the Spirit are so important!

So when I hear those lyrics, "Remind me... show me where you brought me from", I think of that insecure girl I used to be. And I am so thankful that I've allowed God's grace to inhabit every part of me! I'm so glad that the Lord has stirred my heart in ways that have been life-altering.

It's so hard to imagine how life would be if instead of growing closer to God in the last 5 years, I grew further away. I'm so thankful that God's helped me to strengthen my faith, and really make it my own. I was telling someone the other day that I feel like I'm at a place in my life where I have all the good from the "old me" without any of the bad. It's very empowering when you are aware of God working in your life.

So hearing that song over the weekend helped me remember where I was, and realize where I am now. Glory to God for seeing me to this point! And I've got hope that He will continue to see me through my journey on Earth. Our God is an awesome God.

I've also got some thought on how to strengthen our faith and get closer to God. I'm going to save that for my next post though! For now, I want to focus on how thankful I am for new ground God has brought me to!

Chore Organization

This is a post that will more than likely make you laugh at me. You may even think I'm crazy. Or you might think I'm a little too overly optimistic. You might  think I'm a control freak and feel very sorry my husband. Either way I'm sharing this with you!

So, back in the day, you know.... a very long time ago... a whole TWO YEARS ago Blake and I got married. I worked full time that summer as a nanny when Blake worked full time as an IT guy at Sonic Headquarters. I was so optimistic at my ability to be "Sally Homemaker" that I willingly attempted to do all the chores. Let me say that I wasn't very good at it.... but never-the-less I tried. Then classes started and as Blake continued to work and do classes, I only worked a couple of hours and so I tried to more of the chores. Then last summer happened.

Yuck. I shutter thinking about last summer. I worked full time at the YMCA day care where it was SO HOT that we were stuck in a little room all day! (So glad I don't do that anymore!) Anyways, chores just didn't happen that summer. It was always a mess, plus we moved during that summer.

Then I got a wonderful part time job at an amazing Christian school just 5 minutes from home. So I attempted to do as many chores as possible.

This year will be different. I have a different position at the amazing Christian school and I will be working full time. Realizing that having a clean and well kept apartment makes me a more happy person, Blake wanted to help me out more. Blake has always been willing to help more, but I sorta felt bad when he was working more than I was. So anyways, we set out to sort the responsibilities and make a schedule. So let me introduce you to command central!

This is my life. It's were my calendar, menu planner, and now our chore chart can be seen at a glance. (Did you catch that? Chore chart. Yup... I'm that girl. I make chore charts. Call me a daughter after her own mother's heart. I make charts. I suppose I should have been a kindergarden teacher.)

So here you can see our regular, daily chores. The laundry responsibilities have been sorted. Blake perfers to do laundry on weekends- I hate doing it on weekends. So he'll do his then, I've put mine on week days. I also gave him Thursday and Friday to be responsible for dinner. I don't care what we eat on those days- I just don't want to be responsible for it! But I will clean up on those days. (KCP is kitchen clean up). He's taking the bed making, I'm taking the clutter control. Also, he's doing trash, but I'm doing grocery shopping. 

We also have A week and B week chores. So every other week is A week.. you get where I'm going right? This was something that the man I used to clean for did, and I liked the idea. Notice the bathroom does get cleaned every week, we jut take turns doing it. I really think we did a great job of organizing the responsibilities. It really is pretty evenly distributed. 

Yes, I have high hopes for our new schedule. We start next week. Sure, there might have to be some adjustments, but I'm excited! 

And just for kicks, here is my weekly menu sheet. (Not a lot of cooking going on this week as you can see!) I get it online- and I LOVE it! Click HERE to get it yourself! And because I'm even more crazy I do my actual grocery list in a Excel spread but this helps me write out my needs as I'm writing my menu. Click HERE if you want to see that template. It's pretty great!

Anyways... has your opinion of me changed after reading this? Have you laughed at me at said, "Oh you crazy girl, you're obviously a new-be at this stuff!"? 

I'm just doing what I can to make the best out my "charming life"!