Saturday, April 30, 2011
(in)courage
Check it out...I'm quite a fan of this newly discovered website! Such a great community of support and encouragement!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Poo-Pourri
On a less serious note...I'm convinced God's hand was with the inventor of this stuff! It's amazing and a must have for anyone
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Lukewarm
Right now I'm reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan, a book about falling in love and truly chasing a relentless God. I came across a section in the book addressing the profile of the lukewarm...those halfhearted and partially committed folks who say they're following Christ. I'll be the first to admit that my journey as a Christian has been filled with far too many times where this has described myself. As I read through multiple examples of lukewarm tendencies, this one stuck out to me...
Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens - they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them - they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live - they have life figured and mapped out.They don't depend on God on a daily basis - their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.
Holy cow, did that hit home! I constantly wonder why myself and Phil are still sitting here without jobs and if there is something bigger that we're missing. I quickly realize that this description would perfectly describe our lives. Had we not trusted in the Lord when I quit my job to move into an area with high unemployment, that it were His plans for both of us to start our marriage searching for jobs, we would be living life in this lukewarm territory described...comfy and cozy in our unfaithful worlds. I do believe, as always, that He had this road mapped out before us as a time for us to run from lukewarm and back into His arms.
Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens - they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them - they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live - they have life figured and mapped out.They don't depend on God on a daily basis - their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.
Holy cow, did that hit home! I constantly wonder why myself and Phil are still sitting here without jobs and if there is something bigger that we're missing. I quickly realize that this description would perfectly describe our lives. Had we not trusted in the Lord when I quit my job to move into an area with high unemployment, that it were His plans for both of us to start our marriage searching for jobs, we would be living life in this lukewarm territory described...comfy and cozy in our unfaithful worlds. I do believe, as always, that He had this road mapped out before us as a time for us to run from lukewarm and back into His arms.
Monday, April 4, 2011
My Dream Job
I had the amazing opportunity to apply for "my dream job", a position that I truly felt would be a wonderful next step professionally. I applied early and was given a phone interview. Saturday, when we got back in town from a trip to Greenville, a letter from the agency was waiting in the mailbox. I had not been chosen to continue to the in-person interviews. I felt so very confident about everything up until that point and was sure this would be my ticket out of unemployment.
To be honest, I heard a whisper last week. One I shared with Phil, but we quickly dismissed in fear that He would hear us saying it out loud.....as if He wasn't the one who whispered the thought to us in the first place! After the..oh..30th time of telling others that I had applied for "my dream job", I finally heard it. My dream job. There is no doubt I have a tremendous passion for children who have autism and their families. I have been blessed to find a profession that is something I truly love, it's not work for me. However, I do think I have neglected to let Christ take back that passion He gave me and channel it into the specific job that would fulfill His dream for me.
In the midst of all of this, I feel so blessed. My relationship with Christ has grown tremendously and in ways I wouldn't have paid attention to had I been employed. Phil and I are so thankful that we have been able to grow together and really put Christ at the center of our marriage. It is the most peaceful feeling in the midst of hard times! While this has been an awfully frustrating time period, we are not struggling. We continue to lay it all in the Lord's hands and He in turn continues to provide.
My favorite song right now is Chris Tomlin's, I Will Follow. Phil and I are so eager to respond as soon as the Lord tells us what to do. We so badly want to run after His plans for us, it's just that we're still searching for what those plans are. We are so eager that at the same time, we feel a bit vulnerable to the lies that Satan produces. Please pray for us to continue fixing our eyes on the Lord and discovering His plans for us.
To be honest, I heard a whisper last week. One I shared with Phil, but we quickly dismissed in fear that He would hear us saying it out loud.....as if He wasn't the one who whispered the thought to us in the first place! After the..oh..30th time of telling others that I had applied for "my dream job", I finally heard it. My dream job. There is no doubt I have a tremendous passion for children who have autism and their families. I have been blessed to find a profession that is something I truly love, it's not work for me. However, I do think I have neglected to let Christ take back that passion He gave me and channel it into the specific job that would fulfill His dream for me.
In the midst of all of this, I feel so blessed. My relationship with Christ has grown tremendously and in ways I wouldn't have paid attention to had I been employed. Phil and I are so thankful that we have been able to grow together and really put Christ at the center of our marriage. It is the most peaceful feeling in the midst of hard times! While this has been an awfully frustrating time period, we are not struggling. We continue to lay it all in the Lord's hands and He in turn continues to provide.
My favorite song right now is Chris Tomlin's, I Will Follow. Phil and I are so eager to respond as soon as the Lord tells us what to do. We so badly want to run after His plans for us, it's just that we're still searching for what those plans are. We are so eager that at the same time, we feel a bit vulnerable to the lies that Satan produces. Please pray for us to continue fixing our eyes on the Lord and discovering His plans for us.
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