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Sorry for the long hiatus from the ol' blog, readers. I've been busy soaking up every ounce of quality free time I could possibly muster while school's out, and I must say, it was indeed a refreshing Christmas break.
I spent a few days in Oxford with the fam then headed to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl for a week with my parents (Staci was on a mission trip to Honduras...sweet!). I actually enjoyed watching Ole Miss regain some confidence in their football program, and it was nice to see Dad so excited again...even if the 50 million "Hotty Toddys" did drive me slightly crazy. Twas a great trip with my parents...harking back to the countless sports trips we made in the past. Ah, memories. Plus as an added bonus, I got to spend three whole days with Jenn and Chris! Man, I wish those kids lived closer because I love me some Carters! I love that you can be away from close friends for a while and just pick up right where you left off. And now that Jenn's married, it's like I've gained another great friend too in the hardcoredness that is Chris Carter. Haha! Fun times in the Big D!
And to top it all off, I just got back from Yoakum/Houston where Kaitlin and I visited Doug and Kat and the Taylor clan. It was beyond wonderful to get to catch up with them and hear how God's using them during the transition time between now and the time when they plan to go on the foreign mission field. They're so faithful to serve Him wholeheartedly wherever He has them even as they wait for a more permanent situation. It's inspiring.
Their pastor in Houston this morning spoke on discontentment, and I was reminded that we can never be content with how close we are to God and that we should be striving each day to know Him more and more and to serve Him sacrificially where we are in the now. It's a lesson I'm taking to heart personally as I finish out my last year of school. I want to give him 110% no matter how ready I am to start a new chapter. He still has abundantly more than I can imagine for me to do here in Baton Rouge, and I can't wait to see what's around the corner this semester. I'm so thankful God has blessed me with such incredible godly mentors and friends like the Taylors to visualize and exemplify that lesson to me as well. (Love you guys! I want to play more Spinner soon!)
That's all for tonight, folks. Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow.
P.S.: Running on hay bales is ENTIRELY too much fun. And I'm a horrible four-wheeler driver. ;)
I find it quite funny that the redecoration of the White House causes such a stir every four or eight years. Rumors abound about exactly what color schemes and patterns Michelle Obama will choose for their new home. Others speculate that she might utilize a strategy similar to her husband's:"The comedian Andy Borowitz suggested on the phone last week, they will follow the template the president-elect has laid out for his cabinet appointments. “That whole team-of-rivals approach,” Mr. Borowitz said, “so instead of one decorator there will be eight: four Republicans and four Democrats, none of whom can stand each other, and he’ll make them each do a room.”
That has reality TV written all over it. HGTV execs must be drooling at the very thought. Check out the whole NY Times article.
A dear friend sent me this a while back, and I found it tucked away in some saved emails today. It's a powerful video of testimonies of changed lives put together by Hillside Christian Church in Amarillo, TX. http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=9vs13ty1clWhat's your cardboard testimony?
I came across Psalm 66 this week. It's a song of victory over struggles through God and a reminder that God never wastes pain. We rarely understand why God allows us or our loved ones to go through painful circumstances, but this passage hints that one reason is so that we may tell of the amazing way God helped us through it, taking the emphasis off us and onto the glorious God who heals in His time.
The psalmist pleads with the reader to "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!" (v. 5). He doesn't diminish the degree of the pain but instead focuses on the victorious outcome only through God..."We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance" (v. 12b). What's our responsibility once we're standing in that place of abundance? To share with others how God got us there and offer encouragement to see them through, as the psalmist says in verse 16, "Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me"...not let me tell you how I did this but let me tell you how God did this miraculous thing for me.
This psalm is the basis for David Crowder's "Come and Listen." Check out the lyrics, and hit play on my playlist if you'd like...
Come and listen, come to the water's edge, all you who know and fear the Lord. Come and listen, come to the water's edge all you who are thirsty, come. Let me tell you what He has done for me. Let me tell you what He has done for me, He has done for you, He has done for us. Come and listen, come and listen to what He's done. Come and listen, come and listen to what He's done. Praise our God for He is good. Praise our God for He is good. Praise our God for He is good. Praise our God for He is good. He has done for me, He has done for you, He has done for us. Come and listen, come and listen to what He's done. Come and listen, come and listen to what He's done.
Remember that any pain you experience does not come from God; it comes out of this broken world. He allows us to go through things so we might grow closer to Him, learn more about who He is, and tell others about our encounter with the Almighty. You can bet that for any major hurt you experience, there will be a person in your future who'll need to hear the way God fathered you through a similar struggle. I hope to develop this come-and-listen type of faith, and I hope you do too. Grace and peace to you, readers. :)
Yes, that title would be an Oklahoma reference; I'm a musical nerd like that, but today I have reason to be. My semester is finished (only three more to go!!!), we got three inches of snow, I have time to read for fun (finally finished that C.S. Lewis book and the new H.P.!), and Christmas is just around the corner...all is right in the world. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it really was a spectacularly beautiful day, and I just love when God drops days like that into my life.
Here are a few pics from my early morning snow romp..
Then I went on a pre-last-final-exam adventure with Rachel (after having the best cappuccino of my life at Highland Coffees!). We had a mini snowball fight and made a teeny, tiny snowman because we had no gloves and our hands were FREEZING! I like to call him "Frosty the Snow Midget."
It was a great way to cap off a summer and a semester full of Stefanie and Rachel adventures! I'm gonna miss ya, Rach! Bring me something cool from Spain! ;)
And just in case you're still having trouble believing it actually snowed this much in Baton Rouge, LOUISIANA, here's video evidence to prove it: (Warning for the Motion-Sickness Proned: It's a bit shaky because I was just so excited that it was snowing!!!)P.S.: Check out these pics of Mike VI playing in the snow like a good half-Siberian tiger should.
IT'S SNOWING, IT'S SNOWING, IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!! I can't think of a more beautiful thing to wake up to than soft, white flakes falling outside my window. It's such a peaceful thing to watch...I could sit here just watching it snow for hours, but I think I might go play in it instead... :)
Dr. Lisa Lundy, my fabulous former mass comm prof, also writes for Missions Interchange. She asked me to do an interview for their student spotlight, and we came up with this: http://missionsinterchange.com/studentspot.asp. Check it out if you're interested in my thoughts on missions and other random things like whom I'd most like to have lunch with. :)
