Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Sunday was a good day...

Sunday was fantastic! Our new minister was here this weekend looking for a house to purchase (they won't actually be here until August). Worship was outstanding! I was moved to tears because I was so happy (I realize I am often moved to tears for various reasons but Sunday it was out of joy). God is so good and He is so faithful to those who seek after Him. I needed to be with my church family and praise Him with them.

We then had a picnic in the park across the street from the community center. We just hung out together and we haven't done that much. It was a good day. I love my church family.

That's all.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

It's Official...

Well folks, we have been waiting for this day. I know she is busy working her way through her list of people to contact but I am so excited for her that I can't keep my mouth shut (I often find this task difficult)...


PAULA IS ENGAGED!!!!! YAY FOR MY FRIEND!!!!


She has been patiently waiting for God to bring this man into her life. She did it God's way and I am so excited for her and proud of her for being wise and patient and doing what God wanted her to do. She is an example to me of what it means to trust God. May God bless you with decades of happiness, friend!

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

My friend Buffy

Today was a good day. I got to walking at the crack with Rebecca Marie (it's been a while) and catch up a little bit. The crack wasn't good but it was good to get this old body moving and talk with my friend.

The best part of the day (sorry Rebecca Marie) is that I got to see my friend Amy, who has several nicknames, one of them being Buffy. I'm not even sure at this point why that happened. I think one day we were making fun of old rich ladies and ridiculous names that they have and started calling each other Buffy...I have no idea anymore. She is the gold to my silver. Everything about us is opposite(she is short and I am tall, she is thin and I am...not, she is blonde, I am a brunette, etc.) except that we love God, we love each other and we love to laugh out loud a lot. I can't imagine my life without her in it. She lives in dumb ol' Houston with her husband, who is a youth minister (and her younger brother also lives there with them). Anyway, I don't remember exactly when the last time it was that I saw her (maybe Christmas 03?). She flew into Seattle to visit with her parents and other family in the area and then she and her momma (one of my other moms) got in the Golden Easter Egg to drive to California where her other brother and sister-in-law live. Amy has a niece that she has never seen (I would die if my brother and sister-in-law were still in Texas and I wasn't able to see
Madeline. Thankfully they wised up and moved back to the Northwest). So Amy and her mom stopped on their way through town so that we could have breakfast together. It is amazing to me that I can have a friend that I haven't seen in forever and it's like no time has passed at all. I am blessed to have a couple of these friends. We had a quick breakfast, good conversation and they were on their way. Buffy is currently with child and I am sad that she is so far away from me. It was, however, a really good day because I got to see my friend, Buffy.

God is so good at giving us people in our lives to love us the way He would if He were here in human form. Buffy is one of those people in my life. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that there is nothing I could do that would make her stop loving me, just as God does. I am so thankful for both.

This picture is me and Buffy from a couple of years ago. It's the only digital picture I have of the two of us:

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She is one of the best people that God ever made. I am thankful to call her friend.

Monday, May 23, 2005

Weekend?...Where?

So, here is how my weekend went...

I was getting ready to head to Seattle on Friday to do an
Arbonne class when I got a phone call from Timmy that his car had broken down on his way up from Salem and he was stranded at the N. Wilsonville exit (he was flying to California to do a youth rally). It was 11:45 and he was supposed to meet the other dude who was going at noon to ride to the airport. "Oh, ok. I will let him know and I will hop in my car and come get you. I'll be right there." Tim was able to find someone to take care of his car (which looks to be a bad battery), so he left it on the offramp and we headed to Portland. I got Tim connected with our friend and headed on my merry way to Seattle. I got to Seattle just fine (although traffic up there is horrid no matter what time of the day you get there). My friend Paula was running late so I sat in front of her apartment for 25 minutes waiting for her. We got ourselves put back together (sortof) and went to dinner and did some shopping at the ol' Super Mall (which isn't very super, by the way). We hung out and watched TLC's What Not To Wear (wild Friday night!!!!). Because we are both old and ridiculous, we went to bed at like 11 (and she had to go to work the next morning). I woke up at 9am bright eyed! I was so displeased. My plan was to sleep until like 11 but it didn't happen. I put a bagel in the toaster and went to the restroom. I was jolted off the toily by the sound of the smoke detector. I tried to burn down her apartment! I couldn't get the smoke alarm to shut up!!!! I was able to save the house but not the bagel. I made another but stayed and watched it very closely. I laid on the couch and watched episodes of Newlyweds with Nick and Jessica and Cribs before I finally got up and showered and got myself ready for the day. I went to Paula's sister's house, who was hosting the class for me. Paula's mom, sister and one other person were the only ones who showed. So, needless to say, it didn't go as well as any of us had hoped. Paula's sister and mom both gave me money because they felt bad and felt like I didn't even make enough to cover my gas. So sweet.

Paula got off work and came over to her sister's house. We were going to Sam's Club because Paula needed to get food for a thank-you party for her volunteers at work (Wild Saturday night is a brewin). Paula switched cars with her mom because all of her goods weren't going to fit in her car. Paula's sister came with us. We stopped at Applebee's for some half-priced appetizers for dinner. It was at Applebees that Paula realized she didn't have her wallet (uh-oh). She called her mom and asked her to look in the car. Not there. Not in her mom's car, not in the Applebee's bathroom, not at her sister's. Where was it???Paula at this point feels like she is losing her mind. Paula has a business check for Sam's club so we go there. She decides she would like to by her office just to make sure she didn't leave it there. We drive 45 minutes to the Sam's club on that side of town so that she can also go by her office. Crazy long night but it was fine. We chatted with one of the artists who was working on a mural at the Children's Village and her husband. They are Christians so it was nice to just talk about life. Her husband was a student at one of the other small Christian colleges in the Northwest. Paula got a phone call at like 10pm that her mom found her wallet in the car after all! YAY!!!!

Yesterday was a crazy long day, too. We got up and went to church, which was fabulous and then I got on the road. I had to stop in Puyallup to deliver some products and then headed back home. I already knew at this point that I was going to need to take Tim back to Salem since his car was not here. The plan was for his plane to land at 5 and I was going to meet him here at the College at 5:30 and get him home. He called me about 3 and said his flight was delayed and he would be getting into town at 7:30ish. So, I just went straight home and took a little nap. I got up and went and visited my friend Amy and peeked in my new apartment (Amy said they had been sanding my beautiful hardwood floors all day). I can't wait to get moved in!!!! I left Amy's and came over to the College. I thought I would wait for him here, check email maybe get some work done until he got here. Well, he didn't get here until 9:30!!!!! I still had to drive Tim home to Salem. We had to go by my apartment so that Tim could get a few things that he had left there. We went through the Starbucks drive-thru for coffee and I noticed that I was short a headlight. Tim and I then drove over to the Fred Meyer and in the parking lot at 10pm with hardly any light, Tim changed the light for me. I didn't get home until 12:45 this morning. God sure thinks He's funny. He did orchestrate a great opportunity for Tim and I to catch up. I hadn't been to Tim's apartment yet and he was able to show me where some of their ministry stuff has been taking place as we drove to Tim's place. God is always good. I will choose to look at Tim's car breaking down, but easily fixed problem, and Paula's missing but then found wallet as God always showing us that He is in control and often, there is nothing that we can do to solve the problem (but how important it is to help each other out when we can). He also wanted me to be a helpful sister and have the chance to hang out with my fantastic brother, and be a supportive and calm presence to my very stressed out friend. So...long story about my crazy weekend~ hectic but good. It was nice to sleep in my bed last night and I am looking forward to doing it again very soon. Let's always look for the blessings in the craziness that is life!

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Just Thinking...

I was reading my fantastic brother Mike's blog about some of the things he heard at the Pepperdine lectures. I have also been reading the amazing things that Timmy has been saying about evangelism. I'm just wondering what it is going to take for us to really and I mean really get the message of Jesus. I mean, all of my life, I have known about Christ, I have gone to church and often times thought I was worshipping Christ. Why can't I love people, and by love people I mean really love people, the way that Christ wants me to? What is wrong with me? Where did I fall and totally and completely miss the mark? Why am I so stubborn? Why am I so unwilling to live my life with passion for the God who makes it possible for me to be in relationship with Him? Why do I so crave the trappings of the world when it so clear that my life is full when I am in Christ? Why do I get so caught up in my imperfections and lack the desire to share the saving power of Jesus with others because I fear that they will reject me? How dare I! How dare I not share Him with everyone I encounter! How dare I not ask my friends to hold me to holy living! How dare I not hold my friends to holy living! Will I look foolish? Maybe! Does it matter? No. I have been saved from my sin and yet I chose over and over to live in it and turn my back on the One who freed me from the death that comes with sin. Why do we continue to chose death? Why do we chose death for others by withholding the Gospel out of our own personal insecurities? I think if I truly felt the transforming power of the Gospel, I wouldn't have these hangups. How do I swallow the depth of the Message? Do I need to spend time working through the spiritual disciplines? What do we need to do? What is it going to take for us to really get it? What are we afraid of? What would the world look like if we all became dangerous Christians, unapologetic, unafraid, unrestrained...what would happen if we all let go of whatever doctrine that we have emersed ourselves in and emersed ourselves in the blood of Jesus Christ?

I know that my thoughts are jumbled. What I know for sure is that we have got to get serious about the faith that we claim to have. I need to get busy loving people and finding ways to meet people where they are and not expect them to walk through the doors of Living Streams and understand what is happening there (no matter what that may look like).

Lord, please reveal to me in an unquestionable way the Gospel as you intended it. Help me fight through my own issues so that others may also have life with you. May I never hold back your message out of my own fear. Continue to love me in the way that only you can and show me how to love others the way that you want me to. Please forgive me for all of the times that I haven't chosen to do the right thing for whatever reason I may have done it. Thank you for being a forgiving Father, a loving Father who wants nothing but the best for each of us, I know you want us to all live full happy lives covered in the peace of knowing that you are in love with us and can't wait to be reunited with us. What else could I possibly need?

Friday, May 06, 2005

New Lease on Life!

I am excited to report that I have signed a new lease and am moving at the end of the month. After spending time in South America, I felt like I was monopolizing more space than I need and I have WAY more junk than I need, so when my dear friend Amy told me that there was an apartment in her complex opening up, I decided to go for it. It is a charming complex but space is limited (not like Paula's space was limited but limited nonetheless). I get to downsize and get rid of things that I don't need/use and live more within my means. My challenge right now anyway is to deny myself more than I allow myself and I usually don't succeed. Do I really need all of the clothes I have? Do I need more CD's than I could listen to in a month? Do I need movies that I rarely watch? Where do you draw the line? I am currently challenging myself to get rid of half of my movies and CD's and to evaluate my wardrobe and take it down a little. It's been easy to toss all of the stored up chemically based makeup, shampoo and cleaning products that have been sitting in my cupboards for months but can I really give up 5 of the 10 sweaters I own? Probably with much struggle and inner dialogue. It really will feel better if I can get myself down to even 20 pairs of shoes, rather than 50. Who am I that I need so many things???? I am really truly looking forward to this task. Anyone wear a size 10 shoe who might could benefit from my purge? Let me know!