Philippians 4:8-9

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. 9Whatever 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.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Rules...

My husband and I carpool to work 2 days out of the week...So tonight we are driving home and we are in the carpool lane (don't be jealous) and he misses the exit that comes before our actual freeway exit..you know the one that lets you get out of carpool and be a law-abiding citizen..

Anyway, we drive right on by our exit which is Downey, then he refuses to get out of carpool and cross the "double solid lines" "NO he says, its against the law"
Oh my gosh!!! I get soooooo frustrated because we are going about 3 miles out of our way and past our home...
He is such a rule follower...so frustrating!

Ugh, just once I want to see him bend a rule, just for the satisfaction of knowing that he isn't perfect...don't get me wrong I really don't think he is perfect, but does he have to ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES????

You Alone...

Ok, so worship music is one of my vices... I need it, I love it and I often ponder the words in it. On the way to work today I heard this song, I can't remember the title but the words are as follows:

Lord I give you my heart, I give my soul, I live for YOU ALONE
every breath that I take, every moment I'm awake...
Lord Have Your way in me..

Please picture with me, if you will, me singing out the window this song driving on the 5 freeway, When I'm singing, I live for You Alone, I stopped...couldn't continue singing words that I know my heart doesn't mean right now. I want to live for ME, I want what I want right now, and not what the Lord wants for me. I serve myself, my desires, my needs instead of listening to His soft voice. I want to NOT work, I want to have children, I want more income, I want I want I want...before long I sounded like a 2 year old whining because she isn't getting HER way. Even I was irritated by the sound of my complaints...
So, ok, but what do I do with all this??
I believe one of the purposes of worship is draw you closer to the Lord. So as I examine my selfish ways, I am encouraged to KEEP WORSHIPPING, keep singing the words that I long to become the desires of my heart. Keep allowing the Lord to draw me closer thru worship...Keep allowing myself to hear the pulling of the Spirit to "check my heart"..Keep listening, Keep questioning, Keep asking "why"...

So, I love to worship, its one of my vices....I will KEEP...

Monday, March 24, 2008

People We Know

I find in my life there are 3 types of people that I know..

People that I want to KNOW ME:
This is people I look up to as "mentors" in my life or
people that I believe I can grow from, by being vulnerable
and exposing my success's and faults.

People that I WANT TO KNOW:
I find myself asking more questions of this group of people.
People that I want to get to know, hear their experiences and how
they have grown...solely for the purpose of understanding them better

People that I DON'T KNOW:
I think of this group as people that I perceive as "different" than me
People that I assume that I have nothing in common with, therefore make almost no effort to engage them.

I find the latter group of people most intriguing right now. People that I invest the least in can be the biggest blessings to me. I can learn so much more from someone who is so "different" than me. Keeping in mind that this "difference" is perceived only by me, when in reality we are more alike than I think.
We all have pain, we all have struggles, we all have success, we all have sinned.
We are all a little insecure, we've all felt hopeless and we all NEED God.
Today I will make an extra effort to connect with someone that is "different" than me. Will you??

TidBit:
BreakThrough:
Hope sets us apart from the animals. God-given hope is more than wishful thinking. Godly hope does not wish for something to happen, it confidently anticipates that an unbreakable promise is destined to occur. Hope is anchored in God's sovereignty.
Its grounded in the truth that all things work for the good for those who love him. Romans 8:28

Friday, March 21, 2008

My favorite things

My favorite things:
* Toasted bagels with lots of cream cheese
* People watching
* The smell of my deodorant
* The sound of little children's giggles:)
* Photography
* LOVE to cook
* Friends that don't care how your hair looks
* A good cry
* Laughing until you pee your pants just a little:)
* Forgiveness
* Grace
* Coffee with friends!!!!:)
* Putting :) after most of my sentences:) :) :)

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Whats wrong?

Whats wrong?? Very common, every day words (if you are a woman)..yet they can mean so many different things. When I get asked "whats wrong", my first thoughts are...Do you mean
physically, emotionally or spiritually. Are you referring to work, home or church, and lastly
How much do you really want to hear.
That is what I think of.

My husband is a different story, when he gets asked "whats wrong" he thinks for only
a moment and answers based on that exact first thought in his head. So you can imagine my surprise last night as we are getting ready for bed, that he wanted, no he actually NEEDED to talk with me about what was wrong. My heart jumped with excitment because I actually get a glimpse into his head, and he is willingly letting me in...
so I brace myself for the ride...
Only to find out that he is sad..or in his words "feeling ugly with a capitol U" ahhhhhhhh,
my heart drops at this news. Not only is my big strong man feeling sad, but he needs me to be
there for him and the words are just NOT coming to me.

Usually when I pour out my heart to him, he listens then trys to "fix" it. What I actually NEED for him to do is just listen and absorb.
So I try to listen and absorb, but quickly realize this isn't what he NEEDS. Then I switch to Travis speak and help him "fix" the way he is feeling...ok doin a little better.

My point in sharing this is so simple: I learned that I need to speak to my husband in the language that he understands and needs from me. My needs are NOT his needs.
I am constantly learning about the differences between us, I know many of you are saying "duh" But as basic as this sounds, I need to continually remind my heart to hear him. Not only the words that he is speaking but the meaning behind them.
This particular conversation reminded me that I need to affirm my husband every day.
Affirm him in his appearance, his work, his leadership and his friendship.

TidBit:
The First Five Years

"Men process life in boxes". Men's thinking is divided up into boxes that each have room for one issue and one issue only...
Women process life more like a plate of spaghetti. Women can manage many ideas at once and the often run into one another and intersect, so solving the problem may not be as important as talking about it"

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

This is me...

I finially decided to join the masses & get a blog, and YES, just because everyone else is doing it I would jump off a bridge..anything to be "cool":)
I'm just a girl in love with a guy going through life confused, excited, passionate, honest, dishonest, playfull, serious, open, guarded and for the most-part....Just me

Join me as I walk through my daily challenges and triumphs and attempt to share a piece of myself with you. My hope is that you will be encouraged and challenged as I share my heart, and that you would come to know me, as I will be coming to know myself.

Every entry I will end with an insert from one of the books I am reading...(you will come to learn I LOVE to read, and I read a TON!) This will be known as my "Tidbits"
Currently reading:
Break Through by Marsha Crockett; Unearthing God's Image to Find the Real You
The First Five Years by Bill & Pam Farrel; Make the Love Investment that Lasts a Lifetime

Tidbit (Break Through)
It's nearly impossible for me to think my way out of anger. Logic has no appeal in matters of the heart, and anger is as much a matter of the heart as is love.
If I can't keep myself from being consumed by negative emotions and the circumstances of life, then my only hope was in asking God to keep me...just keep me.
God, just keep me