A Bali-bound Prayer

Holy God,

Thank you for your provision and grace this week.

For the way you calm the overwhelmed

and still amongst the busy.

Thank you for time away from work

and for the adventure that awaits.

I pray, Lord, that you'd protect us as we travel

and that you'd use this opportunity

to grow us, to rejuvenate us, to excite us,

to open our hearts more deeply

and ultimately to shape us more 

into the image and character of your Son.

In Jesus' name.

Amen

My Desire

I just want to be Your reflection.

- Urban Rescue

Rich with Pennies

I've been posting about pennies here for the past few years

and have been sharing them more regularly for the past couple weeks.

But one thing I hope is clear,

pennies don't mean that everything is hunky-dory.

Pennies don't somehow magically heal people,

They don't keep away divorce, addiction, cancer, hurt feelings, or infertility.

They don't prevent hurtful situations or unkind words.

And they sure as heck don't wrap you in emotional numbness

towards all of the just-plain-awful things

that we experience in this world.

Life is hard.

Relationships are work.

Illness abounds.

Tough decisions need to be made.

There are bad days, weeks and seasons.

But He gives more grace. 

My prayer is that the Creator of the Universe

would give us eyes to see the grace He has for us,

the mercy He showers upon us so lavishly

and the little pennies He's placed in our paths.

Because in times of trouble and trial,

in times of not-so-great and just-plain-awful...

we can look back on this jar of pennies we've been collecting

and see just how faithful God is to carry us through.

We are rich with pennies.

Thankfulness

This morning my heart is just bursting with thanksgiving.

For a full day of family time

For simple pleasures

For delicious food

For radiant sunshine

For humor

For my own space

For dreams and passions and ideas

For quiet mornings

For travel

For spontaneity

For barefeet and cucumber water

For hugs and smiles and hand-squeezes

For laughter

For new friends and old friends 

For a good cry

For a full heart

For energy and good health

For the opportunity to be married to my best friend

For open schedules

For new recipes

For warm summer nights

For air conditioning for said summer nights

For caffeine

and for the fullness my heart feels.

Thank you, Lord.

You are good.

Those days

Those days

Those days when you're tired of looking in the mirror

and seeing your sin, your failures and your shortcomings.

Those days when you need an extra big helping of grace

to get you through the day. 

Those days when He teaches you how to extend that grace to others

in light of yourself. in spite of yourself.

Those days when you couldn't possibly be more thankful

that God's plan didn't end in the garden.

Those days

like today

are the most precious of pennies.

------

Holy God,

thank You that You are God and we are not.

Thank You for revealing my need for You

even when it's painful, hurtful, and frustrating.

Thank you for the ways You've taught me grace.

What a beautiful melody.

  

In the morning

This morning,

I curled up in my favorite blanket,

lit one of my favorite candles,

and drank a warm cup of tea while I studied.

My body was comfy and cozy.

But my heart, it is wrestling.

Lord, that You would be the only God I serve.

Date 27: Cinepolis

Picture this:

You've got your feet kicked up in a recliner, 

wrapped up in a blanket if you'd like.

Cocktail of choice in hand.

You're chowin' on somethin' yummy.

Maybe a burger. Maybe sushi. Maybe fondue.

And your watching a new movie on a humongous screen.

You will never want to go to a 'normal' theater again.

The Mister and I saw the new Batman at the Cinepolis in Del Mar.

And apart from staring at the Exit for half the movie

praying almost continuously for the families in Aurora,

Jeremiah and I really loved the experience.

In fact, I think we'll go again this weekend. :)

Advice:

Don't forget to get your tickets ahead of time.

The chairs are numbered like theater seats.

The best seats go fast.

2013: Goals

The second half of 2012 was very much an equipping year for me.

It was a tearing down and a building up.

It was a preparation for what I believe will be an incredible 2013.

I've been talking with the Lord about some of these goals for months.

And others He more recently placed upon my heart.

Needless to say, I'm really excited about them.

Lord willing, these are some of our/my goals for 2013:

{Personal Goals}

*Continue to spend my mornings with the Lord
* Donate blood this Easter - There. I wrote it. Hold me accountable. Please

{Marital Goals}

* Spend Sundays Sabbathing - This year Jeremiah and I will not be making any commitments on Sundays. We will be reserving Sundays for the Lord, for rest, for reflection, for each other and for our families.
* Monthly Dates - Each month, we'd like to plan 3 dates: Something Old, Something New and an Act of Service, too. The "Something Old" will be something we've done before and have been wanting to do again. The "Something New" will follow the same format as our 50 First Dates. And the "Act of Service" will be some way of giving back to the community and loving on others. I'm really excited not only about the ways that we will continue to set aside intentional time to invest in our marriage, but also for intentionality of giving of our time and resources.

{Financial Goals}

* Give more generously - I'm really challenged that we would spend as month of our monthly budget on other people as we do on ourselves. To have actually factored this into our budgets in a couple ways in addition to tithing, I'm really excited about what God is doing here.
* Pay off our final Student Loan - I think there'll probably be a celebratory dinner once this bad boy is gonzo.
* Save. Save. Save - For a new car, for more home projects, for a rainy day

{Travel Goals}

* Watch the sunset over the Grand Canyon
* Take my picture in front of the MacLeod Castle
* Eat Dim Sum, Sushi and Thai in their native countries
* See the leaves change in the Pacific Northwest

Do you make any New Year's Resolutions? What are your goals for 2013?

Better Sacrifices

I am really hesitant to post this because I don't want it to come off pretencious or prideful, but my {relatively} new morning routine is ROCKING - MY - WORLD. 

 I want to write it down for documentation's sake, but also share it with my few remaining readers in case any of you are struggling to find time with the Lord and might be encouraged by what a big difference a small change can make.

My Old Morning Routine:

6:30am - Alarm goes off. Snooze a few times.

6:45am - Get up and get ready for work.

7:30am - Maybe grab something to munch on while I run out the door. 

7:45am - Stop at Starbucks if I didn't grab anything.

My New Morning Routine: starts 45 minutes earlier

5:45am - Alarm goes off (It's Christmas music right now - making me so happy). Snooze once.

5:55am - Get up and get ready for work.

6:45am - Go downstairs, light candles, and spend time reading/journaling/praying

7:15am - Make breakfast and pack a lunch (if I'm not too wrapped up in my quiet time)

7:30am - Leave for work

Not only am I absolutely loving the un-rushed and deeply fulfilling time that I'm spending with the Lord each day (it seriously feels like we have a coffee date heart-to-heart every morning), but I'm also feeling much better equipped for the day as a whole. I'm not wasting as much money (and calories!) on eating out and my heart is so SO full as I head off to work. 

The tiredness I thought I'd feel from getting up earlier is {almost} completely replaced with an excitement and anticipation that makes me eager to wake up the next morning. I pray often that the Lord would sustain this excitement as I incorporate this discipline into my daily routine.

---------------------

The Story Behind the Routine:

I didn't just wake up one day and decide to sleep less and do more.

For the past year, the Lord has been calling me (and preparing my heart) to lay better offerings before Him. These offerings fall into several categories, but one of the things specifically on my heart is giving sacrifices of the flesh. 

I'm not saying everyone needs to wake up early and read their Bible for hours on end. Or give everything they have to the poor and move to some third-world country.  

But for me, and what the Lord has for me right now, He's made it clear that He expects better sacrifices from me - and to start with, sacrifices of this world: sleep, comfort, money, resources, my own blood (in the form of donating blood), etc.

So I've made a step to sacrifice sleep to spend more time in relationship with Him.

And boy is He blessing that offering like crazy.

Thankful for: Our Church

Our church.

We've searched long and hard for this.

We've prayed about this for what felt like months.

And from our first visit,

this place felt like home.

We're getting involved now.

We're making friends now.

We're volunteering.

and learning.

and praying.

and contributing.

and belonging.

Finally.

We're home.

Holy God,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

for the gift of GVC.

Overwhelmed

This morning I read one of the most well-known passages in the Bible.

I've read it countless times,

but today...

today I needed the freedom in that passage to consume me.

To take me over. To overwhelm me.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith 

 and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 

 not by works, so that no one can boast. 

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 

which God prepared in advance for us to do." 

Ephesians 2:8-9

Because the truth is, I've been overwhelmed by all sorts of things lately.

Overwhelmed by the hurt and brokenness

Overwhelmed with earthly things, earthly concepts, earthly feelings

Overwhelmed with callings and convictions

Overwhelmed with work and to do lists and perfectionism

Overwhelmed with good things that aren't necessarily better or best

Overwhelmed with my sin
Overwhelmed with new ideas and new passions

Overwhelmed with joy

Overwhelmed with emotion

Overwhelmed with some good things

and some bad.

But none as powerful as the Truth above.

I am saved.

Entirely by grace

Through an active, every-growing, ever-stretching faith

Not by my works  

But by His

Saved for a purpose

To glorify God

in the ways He's called me to.

Grateful.  

Thankful for: A Change of Scenery

We've been house sitting for the last couple days.
And while it's always a little bit inconvenient,
I've enjoyed the change of scenery.

I wake up to a different view
from a different backyard.
I wake up at a different time
to feed dogs I normally don't see.
I get to shower in a different bathroom
and use a different soap and shampoo.
I drive different windy roads covered in greenery
and see different people on my way to work.
I stop at a different coffee shop
and get something other than 'the usual.'
I see the world differently.

And when I drive home,
I stroll along the coast,
soaking in every last glimpse of sunlight
before it sneaks back over the horizon.
I try different restaurants
and play with dogs I normally don't see.
I peal away from chores
and from computers
and I see the world differently.

Thank you, Lord, for this change of scenery.
Thank you for the little beauties and treasure I get to delight in.
And thank you for eyes to see.

Thankful for: Our Home

We have a home.
We have running water.
and warm water at that.
We have a heater
and an air conditioner.
We have flooring with no stains (yet!).
We have a refrigerator
and a dish washer
and an oven.
We have a washing machine
and a dryer
and no neighbors above us.
We have a safe neighborhood.
and a garage.

But most importantly,
we have a home filled with love and with memories.
A place for relationship
and for shelter.
A place to gather.

We are rich.

and for that I'm beyond thankful.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for entrusting us with this home.
May we use it to glorify You:
to care for Your people, to entertain strangers,
and to remember that all good gifts come from You.
Please bless our home
and those who enter it.

Thankful for: Canceled Meetings

Sometimes the day just doesn't go as planned.
Production issues come up.
Fires need to be put out.
and well, it just isn't as expected.

But then there are those days.
Those busy days jam-packed with meetings.
The days you wonder when you're going to get any work done.
And then a meeting gets canceled.
or maybe even two.

And it's a little shiny penny
that I can choose to pick up and cherish.

and thank God for.

Thank you Lord, for canceled meetings
and for teaching me flexibility.

Thankful for: Productivity

We pray each Sunday morning
that the Lord would multiply the offering given,
so a while ago I started praying
that the Lord would also multiply the hours in my day.

Now of course He doesn't literally extend the day,
but I do believe that He blesses us when we spend our time wisely.

On Saturday morning,
I spent several hours with the Lord, reading the Word
Now I hate to say
"when I should have been cleaning the house,"
but that is what I had originally planned during that time.

When Saturday came along,
this time with the Lord became more important
and the cleaning got postponed
what felt like indefinitely.

But tonight,
in what I believe to be a divine appointment,
Jeremiah has spent the evening with his buddy
and I have had a chance to bust out the productivity.
Clean bathrooms. Vacuumed Floors.
Filtered Inbox. Paid Bills. Clean Laundry.
and it feels like Heaven.

Tonight I'm thankful for the gift of time
and for productivity.

Holy God,
Thank you for the ways it feels you create time in my day.
And thank you for the energy to accomplish the tasks I need to do.
Thank you for husbands who cook dinner.
And for minutes that feel like hours.
Thank you for blessing us and our home
as we try to be good stewards.

Thankful for: the Time Change

I'm all for long summer days
don't get me wrong.

But there's something encouraging
about the sun already being up
when I get out of bed in the morning.

There's something inspiring
about its' rays peaking through our blinds.

And there's something majestically jaw-dropping
about the gorgeous sunsets I see
in my rear-view mirror
as I drive home into the darkness after work.

Today, I'm thankful for the time change.

God,
Thank you for the beauty of your creation.
And thank you for the reminder this Sunday
that how we spend our time
is a reflection of the priorities of our heart.
Continue to open my eyes
to what you have for me during this season of life.
May I not be in constant battle with the Ticktator,
but may I find peace in Your timing
and in the beautiful reminders
that time is in Your hands.

Thankful for: Major Minute

Point Loma has a new event this year
just for undeclared students.

It's called Major Minute.

And it's an event for students who are openly still searching for a major.
It's a place where they can come to hear recent alumni
share minute-long anecdotes about their own experiences.

Last month, I had the honor of speaking at this event.
I wasn't sure quite what to expect,
but it ended up being a great casual networking event
and a wonderful chance to hang out with the students
(and watch the gorgeous Loma sunset!!)

While I'm not necessarily passionate
about Computer Science majors (my major!) specifically,
I have a very tender place in my heart
for the process of processing vocation.

I firmly believe that not only has the Lord gifted us each uniquely,
but that He has also placed a call on our lives.
I believe that the way that we work
says far more about our walk with the Lord
than the way we worship.

And I believe that this event was not just a great opportunity for the students,
but also a reminder to reflect on my own journey.

Lord, thank you for continuing to lead me through this process.
And thank you for the desire you've placed in these students' hearts
to pursue a life that glorifies You.
May Your Spirit speak to their souls as they seek You
and may their ears be open to hear Your guidance.

Thankful for: Glimpses of the Kingdom

Last night we honored some very special friends of ours
as we bid them safe travels to their new home in Texas.

It was a night of people coming together
to show their appreciation for two people
who have so uniquely touched the lives of many people.

A beautiful picture of community,
of loyalty, of generosity, of consideration,
and of love.

And to see men gather around them
and pray for their journey...

it blessed my heart
and I know it blessed theirs.

This morning I'm so very thankful
for glimpses of the Kingdom.

Lord, thank you for the people you've placed in our lives,
the people who reflect your heart,
the people who carry each others' burdens,
and the people who need to know Your love.
May you be glorified. May you be recognized.
May you guide our dear friends on their journey.

Thankful for: Grace

I am beyond thankful for grace today.
and grace yesterday and grace tomorrow
for that matter.

I do not have it all together.
In fact, today, I don't even feel like I have some of it together.
I juggle, and juggle, and juggle,
and then the balls start to drop.
Or they all pound to the floor simultaneously.

Welcome to today.

A few years ago, this would of stressed me out.
It would have crumbled me to a crying mess,
completely void of worth.

But today,
it reminds me
of my need for the Lord
and of my deep dependence on
and thankfulness for His grace.

Heavenly Father,
thank you for sending your Son to the Cross for me,
thank you not only for your mercy that meets me in my time of need,
but for the abundant grace you've shown me
again and again and again.
You are Holy. You are what I need.

Thankful for: Co-workers

I'm one of those people who practically keeps a running list
of things I'm thankful for -
little things and big things alike,
commonplace experiences and sacred moments.

So during the month of November,
a month so commonly dedicated to, among other things, thanksgiving...
I've decided to share one of these pretty pennies each day.

Today I'm thankful for my co-workers.

co-workers who can't wait to hear about my recent vacation,
co-workers who offer to give rides,
co-workers who invite me to parties,
co-workers who are understanding,
co-workers who I eat lunch with,
co-workers who I can rely on,
co-workers who bring gifts back from vacation,
co-workers who make me laugh,
co-workers who miss me while I'm gone,
co-workers who challenge me to be better at my job,
co-workers who are thoughtful,
co-workers who make me feel sane,
co-workers who share,
co-workers who care,
and co-workers that have slowly but surely turned into friends.

Lord, thank you for preparing me for my work environment,
for ministering to me through my co-workers
and for opening my eyes to the daily blessings you bestow upon your children.