He knows

So here it is, 4:17 am on Saturday morning, and I have been up since 6:40 am, Friday morning. It has been a very long day, and God has been a part of every minute.

As I've mentioned before, I work for a sports ministry. Our annual College Getaway started on Friday, so I had to go to the office, finish a few things and hit the road by noon. Of course, it didn't work out that way. I actually got on the road around 1:40. I was supposed to be at the campground (which is an hour and a half away) by 2 pm. Needless to say, I was late getting there.

My responsibility at this event was registration and housing - I organize registration and make sure everyone has a place to sleep. We were planning for 270 people to attend (including coaches and staff) but housing for the girls was really tight. So tight, that I knew there was a possibility that I might have to drive back home because there wouldn't be a place for me to sleep. We finish registration, eat dinner and then begins the process of balancing the money and checking to make sure housing is ok (while everyone else is participating in the service and activities that follow). I should have started with ironing out problems with the housing, but I dealt with the money first - that way, if there were any problems, I could still get with the coach or student leader from the school to work things out. This process always takes time - mostly because I have an accountant's personality.....details, details, details. For some reason, I don't feel like I've done a good job unless I know exactly which check or cash came with each person. And if I don't keep good records as we go through registration (because it gets busy)...it can mean a long time to reconcile.

So anyway, I'm working on getting the money straight (which it was, thank God!) and finally finish around 11:15pm...about the time that all the evening's activities are finishing up and people are getting ready for bed. All of a sudden, my worst expectations came true....we had a situation. There were more girls than beds! I thought we had worked everything out ok, but because of a mis-count of beds in one cabin, they were a bed short. On top of that, there were three beds without mattresses in this same cabin, which meant they were four beds short and nowhere else to go. So the room I was planning on staying in (which had space for four people) went to the overflow of girls.

Well, I'll tell ya - right up until this problem arose, I was extremely tired and was looking forward to going to bed. However, my adrenaline kicked in (not to mention some serious frustration), because I had a problem to fix, and the only way to fix it was to let them have my room and me drive home. An hour and a half drive. Mind you, by the time we resolved things and I got packed up, it was 12:45.

After stopping at a hotel for a bathroom break and a cup of coffee, I take off. Fortunately, I have a friend who was still up, so I called and talked to him for a while. He talked me through half of my trip home. Then I picked up a talk show about ghosts and hauntings and that kept my attention until I got within 20 miles of home. I was home free! Even better than that - I was going to be in bed by 3 am!

Or so I thought.

Something came up, of which I'm not at liberty to write about, and I knew then, that in the midst of all the turmoil and angst I had dealt with at camp, God had a reason for me leaving early.

You see, right before I left the campground, I decided to double check the boys housing. Turns out, there were two whole cabins that were empty, but because it was so late and everyone had just about settled in, we couldn't do anything about it. The thought had crossed my mind to double check the boys roster, but I didn't do it. God knew I needed to come home.

That's only happened to me a couple of other times, but each time God has moved in that way, I have been totally amazed, humbled and for a short while....scared. What if I had listened to myself, checked the boys roster and worked things out so I could stay at the camp? I would not have been in the right place at the right time to be where God wanted me to be. Only God knows the bad things that might have happened if I hadn't come home.

There are still things to be dealt with, but I believe God will use this incident to work in people's lives. I am eager to see what else He else has planned! No matter what anyone says, being a Christian is not boring!

Now I'm about to go to bed. I'm so exhausted, I'll probably sleep the whole day away. I haven't forgotten I promised to post about the part-time job. I'll try to write about that later today.

Good night! (Or Good morning!)

Getting nervous

I feel silly. My interview for a part-time job is this afternoon and I am getting nervous. What's that all about? Perhaps it's because deep down I wonder, "What if they don't like me?" or even "What if they like me and I get the job!?!?!?" It's crazy.....I admit it.

Of course, it all boils down to this one thing: change. As I've written before, change is the one thing we can count on in our lives. Even though I've dealt with a lot of changes in my life, I'm always amazed at how some changes are harder to deal with. I guess it's because some changes represent a failure or a goal that hasn't been achieved. I don't like those kinds of changes.

The fact that I need a part-time job is a result of a failure to manage my finances better. And I don't like that. You see, if I get this job, I know there will be people I know who will see me and think, "Gosh, I can't believe Christy is working two jobs! That's a shame." Of course, they probably won't think that, but even if they did - so what? Right? I don't usually do things or base my life around what others may think, but I can't help but think about it anyway.

The other thing I ponder is what if this isn't what God wants me to do? Will I hear his voice or am I trying to "fix" things again?

*sigh*

I guess I'll just go and see what happens. More later on....

Life could get interesting

So, back at the end of December, I go shopping at Old Navy. While I'm there, I casually ask one of the sales people if they are hiring. She didn't know, but directed me to one of the managers, who gave me an application and spent a few minutes talking with me. He told me they would be hiring the first of February.

Anyway, I get the phone call tonight to come for an interview. I'm rather nervous - ain't that crazy? I can do whatever I set my mind to - of that I'm sure - and I worked retail for nearly 5 years.....so I'm not sure why I'm nervous. Perhaps it's just because it represents a possible change in my life.

In case you were wondering why I am looking for a part-time job, I've just got some debt I need to eliminate. I've really been convicted about being a good steward of my finances. It has never really been a priority, and I know I've disappointed God on more than one occasion. :) It is an area in my life that needs work, so I'm working on it!

I think I've sub-consciously been waiting for God to swoop down and erase my financial problems, all along knowing that I should be doing more to help myself get out of the mess I created. Now, I'm not saying that God can't "open up the floodgates" and take care of it all...but I don't think He's going to...at least not at the moment. Maybe He will bring along "Joe Millionaire" who will pay off all my debts (don't worry, I'm not holding my breath!), but for now, I must do all I can to please my Lord. Who knows how He will bless me! :)

One positive about getting a part-time job (besides being able to pay off some debts!) is that I will be around people who may not know Christ. What a ministry opportunity!!! Do you know how hard it is to share the Gospel when everyone you work with and know is already a Christian? That's one reason I was so excited when we moved into this house. There are two coffee shops within a mile of our house, and I've been able to meet new people who need Jesus. It has been a really cool thing.

So, we will see how this all pans out. It could make for some interesting posts...although I hope not fewer ones!!!!

Shaping up to be a busy week

There is so much to do this next week, I don't know if I'll ever get it all done! The ministry I work for is having a college getaway this weekend, so we will be preparing for that - which means I've got a lot of paperwork to get done. In addition to that, it's the end of the month, so I've got to get our financial report done to send in to our home office. That's just what I have to do at work.

My room is still a mess....although it is a bit more organized. It's not that I haven't wanted to attack the room and get it clean.....I simply ran out of time! Of course, there were some times I could have put to better use, but hey....who doesn't goof off every now and then! Besides that, I haven't felt well for the last couple of weeks. I'm not sure what it is. I've been exercising regularly, but I think I need to do better with what I'm eating. I haven't been eating like I should - eating way too many carbs. I know some people think that's crazy....but I guess I'm one of those folks that need to watch carbs. When I cut back on them, I feel ten times better and have more energy....not to mention I lose weight like crazy! Time to get back into the groove of healthy eating. I probably should get my "sleep time" back on schedule. I'm going to have to start going to bed at 10pm. :)

Anyway....today was fabulous! We had a great time in church and then had the pastor and his family over for lunch. His uncle was our guest preacher today and he also came over. Deedee (one of my roommates) and I love to have company over. We're both very "people" oriented and love being with friends and/or family.

Well, it's past my bedtime already, so I'll close for now.

p.s. I can't wait for our Super Bowl party on Sunday!!!! We're going to have a blast!!!

Another legend, lost...

Today, another icon of Children's Television died. Bob Keesan, aka Captain Kangaroo, passed away at the age of 76.

"Unlike many other children's programs, Captain Kangaroo was not filmed before a studio audience and did not include children in its cast," says the Museum of Broadcasting on its Web site. "Keeshan wanted nothing that would come between him and the children in his television audience and so spoke directly to the camera. He also personally supervised which commercials could air on the program, and promoted products, such as Play-Dough and Etch-a-Sketch, which he saw as facilitating creative play, while avoiding those he felt purely exploitative."...

He was critical of today's TV programs for children, saying they were too full of violence. And he spoke wherever he went about the importance of good parenting.

"Parents are the ultimate role models for children," he said. "Every word, movement and action has an effect. No other person or outside force has a greater influence on a child than the parent." - CBSNews.com

I fondly remember watching Captain Kangaroo as a child. It's a shame that there aren't people, like Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers, who are involved in providing good quality television for children. Have you watched children's tv lately? Oh my gosh! If I had kids, they would not be watching Nickelodeon or PBS (or much of any other station for that matter!) - one channel is notorious for "Adult" cartoons that are targeted at kids and the other simply provides leftist, liberal propoganda veiled in "educational programming". It's ridiculous. Long gone are the days of "Captain Kangaroo", "Mr. Rogers" and "The Electric Company". I miss those days! :-(

We are so blessed

Last night, after I got home from church, I was reading through some of the Iraqi blogs I recently added to my blogroll. Here in America, we are truly blessed.

We often take for granted that our electricity works, the sewers aren't overflowing, we don't have to listen to bombs, mortars and gunfire (at least in most parts of the US!) on a daily basis, and most importantly, we do not have to learn how to "handle" Freedom. For the Iraqi people, this is every day living. I think it is hard for us to understand the turmoil they are dealing with. Of course, it is a welcome "turmoil". Those people whose lives are vastly improved with the downfall of Saddam are extremely happy and optimistic. From what I've read and seen (in pictures) over the past few days, their lives were lived in fear - unless they were a member of Saddam's regime, and even then, their lives weren't guaranteed. We cannot imagine living in that hell.

Keep our troops and the people of Iraq in your prayers. There are still those (mostly terrorists from outside Iraq) who do not want to see Iraq succeed and will do anything to stop progress.

As I said....we are so blessed!

Goofin' off in church

Get this....we have wireless internet access at our church, so right now, I am posting this entry from church! I'll bet there aren't many churches around with this capability! :)

Of course, my pastor will read this later on and I'll be busted. :)

We are studying about the Dead Sea Scrolls and it is very interesting. Randy (my pastor) acquired a copy of the scrolls (digital, of course!) and we're actually able to read the scrolls and learn all about them. I can't even begin to explain what we've covered - I just know it's cool!

Ok - he's picking back up now, so I'd better go!

I'm proud to be an American!!!

Ok, I didn't get to hear every word of the President's speech (because I got to browsing around online - more about that in a sec) but what I heard made me proud to live in the greatest country on earth! I plan on downloading his speech and reading over it carefully in the next couple of days. Right now, I'm just trying to keep from screaming at Pelosi and Daschle on tv. Aaarrrggghhh! Do these people honestly think that if they keep repeating lies and half-truths long enough the people of America will believe them? OR that they will become true? I am truly amazed at their gall.

Anyway......

While the president was speaking about the victories in Iraq, I remembered that I've been wanting to look up some Iraqi blogs. You know, from people who actually live there and see what is going on. I found quite a few and have already linked to several. It is amazing to read how many of them are grateful for US intervention and for the changes taking place in their country. You won't hear about this stuff from our national media!

In case you are interested, here are the blogs I've linked to already:

Healing Iraq - Daily news and comments on the situation in post Saddam Iraq by an Iraqi dentist

Iraq & Iraqi's - Short Articles about the Mentality of Iraqi`s

Iraq at a Glance - Stories and news from Iraq after the liberation

The Mesopotamian - To bring one more Iraqi voice of the Silent Majority to the Attention of the World

State of the Union

I'm just sitting here, watching our wonderful president give the State of the Union Address. I must say, as much as I love our president, I've been disappointed in a few things his administration has advanced over the past few weeks and months.

I'm looking forward to what he has to say!

A day off!

I'm so excited to have a day off! *happy sigh* We're about to get into a really busy stretch at work, so it's nice to have this kind of day thrown in there.

I had three of my brother's four kids spend the night with me last night and they just left! I love my nieces and nephew, but whenever I start to have a pity party about not being married or having kids, I just load my brother's kids up and spend some quality time with them! Then, I'm thankful I'm single!! Really though, I love those kids and they are awesome....especially when they say, "Kiki...(that's what they call me!), I love you! I love you this much..." and then they'll stretch their arms wide and grin at me. However, I've noticed a pattern for this behavior from them...it comes about the time they're getting in trouble for something.....hmmmmm. :) Just kidding! :)

Now I've got the rest of the day to start working on some projects I've decided need to get done. First of all, I've got to organize my books! I have a bunch.....most of which, I've not read! So, to help me get my "list" of "books to read" in order, I've got to organize them. I'm going to organize them by type of book and then author. I'll probably create a database of all the books I have, just to help me keep up with them.

The other project I have in mind is to organize my cd's! I have a ton of those as well that are scattered among several different cases. In addition to those, I have a bunch of new ones I've acquired over the past year that need to be integrated with my old ones. I'll probably create a list of those as well.

Those are just a couple of projects I have in mind.

I know I sound like a freak with all this organizing and list making....but this is going to help me in several ways. The most obvious benefit of organizing these things is that it will help me straighten my bookcases and put things in their rightful place. I have several stacks of books and cd's that need a home.

Secondly, when my "stuff" is disorganized, it's a good sign that "me" is disorganized. My room is a direct reflection of what's going on within me. It's very strange how this works. I've noticed I can help keep the rest of the house clean and straightened out, but it is a struggle to clean my room. Same thing with me....I can keep up the outward appearances while inside I'm in turmoil. Interesting, huh? Cool thing is this...I've been cleaning my room! Slowly, but surely. :)

And finally, the other reason for organizing these things is to help me stay on a budget. "What?" I know, doesn't make sense at first glance, but let me explain. When I get these thing organized, I will then have a list of books and cd's that I haven't read or listened to. So, the next time I feel an urge to spend some money, simply because I want something to do....I will have these lists from which to pull for entertainment! Make sense? I've realized that I sometimes spend money, simply because I'm bored. Crazy....I know! So, in an effort to be a better steward of what God has given me, I'm going to provide myself with a way to avoid impulse spending. (Besides staying away from stores!)

So, with all that said...I guess I'd better get to work! I've got a water aerobics class at 4:45, so I've only got a little bit of time!

The Passion of the Christ

Well, I thought I'd add something to the multitudinous posts about this movie. As you may know, I work for a national sports ministry and one of our vice-presidents had an opportunity to see a private screening of Mel Gibson's movie. Here is a portion of the email he sent us about the movie:

Staff -

Last week, I had the opportunity to see a private screening of Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion" at the National Network of Youth Ministries Forum in New Mexico with 250 youth leaders. The movie is an account of Christ's last 12 hours, depicting the crucifixion.

The movie was riveting and numbing. It was a life-changing event for me as my eyes were opened to the depth of Christ's sacrifice. As a Christian for 28 years and one who has read and heard the crucifixion story hundreds of times, it was like the first time I had encountered it. It vividly reminded me that it is all about the cross. Anyone that sees the movie will be challenged with the reality of Christ's love for us. Bottom line - it is all about Christ crucified, and that is the story that needs to be told.

At the very start of the movie, you could see people weeping - seeing the brutality of what Christ went through for us. No one left dry-eyed! It is a remarkable movie that not only every follower of Christ must see and also the skeptics. I pray that millions of movie watchers will be touched and transformed by the power of Christ. As I watched in awe, I realized that this might be one of the greatest evangelical tools ever! My prayer is that God will be lifted up and lives WILL be changed. In the movie, you see people encounter Christ in various settings and each one is transformed - the soldier whose ear was cut off by Peter, Pilate's wife, Simon who helped carry the cross, and many others. Transformation at each encounter. I pray that people can encounter Christ in a fresh, new way as they watch The Passion.

The movie will probably be Rated R. I have read that Mel Gibson commented to the brutality, "If you read the Bible -- the whole thing is pretty much rated R!" In order to accurately depict the crucifixion, he needed to hold back nothing from the torture Christ bore for us.

When asked what Mel's goal is for the movie, he said, "I hope they watch the movie and want to read the Book!" ... "I hope they are changed."

He spent over 35 million dollars of his own money, risked the doors of his world being slammed in his face and when asked "why?" he has said, "It was time. I just had to do it. It was just time to tell this story." Pray for Mel and this project.

I cannot wait to see this movie. I get a knot in my throat just watching the trailers, so I know I'll be one of those sobbing in the theater while watching it. I believe every Christian should go and see this film. I have a feeling it will cause a lot of folks to examine their walk....it's already got me looking into mine. To think that the Son of God would endure that type of torture, just so we could be with Him.......*eyes tearing up, and lump in throat*

It will be interesting to see the impact this film has.

The first member of the X-Men?

This is an amazing story about a girl who apparently has x-ray vision.

You know how so much of the technology that appeared in Star Trek (the original series) has now come into being? I wonder if this girl's story is another example of movies coming to life? Interesting thought.

Confessing sin

I found this great article on confessing sin. Here is an excerpt:

Many Christians, including yours truly, struggle with admitting sins. We know our heavenly parent sees all, yet we act as if we can hide sins from Him. We know He loves us with an everlasting love, yet we choose to believe He could never forgive us. We simply don’t want to talk about it, preferring to ignore our sins. King David, in Psalm 32, indicates that ignoring our sins is detrimental to our health and vitality. David attests to the liberating power of confession in verses 2-5: "When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." David exclaims, "Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!"

I don't know about you, but this is one of those things I struggle with. Like I said in my previous post, I don't want to admit when I'm wrong or when I've goofed up, or even when I need help. And yet, it's just like the author describes in her article - Jesus just wants us to confess so that He can get on with the business of cleaning us up so we can go on with our lives.

What an awesome God we serve!

No pain, no gain

Ok, so I didn't get up in time to make it to the 5:45 am Pilates class, BUT I still went and got in a good workout! I was there by 6:15 and had a great 45 min. of cardio and weight training. I will sleep good tonight! (Actually, I could do with a good nap right now!)

Anyway, my roommate and I were talking about workouts last night and I mentioned that the pain I was experiencing was good pain. I like this kind of pain. It lets me know that I'm working muscles that haven't been worked in a while and that if I keep at it, I will see a difference. As I was thinking about working out and physical fitness this morning, I was reminded of my spiritual fitness.

How many times in life do we experience pain in our walk with Christ? I'm not talking about those external circumstances which bring pain and sorrow. No, I'm talking about the pain that comes from growing in Christ - giving up an old habit or perception in order to have a mind more like Christ. Or how about those times when you're in the Word and, just like it says it would do, the Word becomes a mirror to reflect back to you the sin that is in your life? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Just like when we work muscles that have lain dormant for far too long, when we work our spiritual "muscles" there is some amount of pain that comes. It's that old self dying.

So...we should rejoice! Right? I hear the half-hearted replies: "sure...oh yeah, of course..." I'm with you! To be honest, I haven't rejoiced when God is working those things out of me. In fact, I get down right mad. I don't want to think that I need to be "fixed" or that my spritual life is "out of shape" - although I know good and well it is! (At least it's not as good as it could be!)

As I commit to working on my physical body, I'm going to refocus on my spiritual side as well. As I experience the pain and discomfort of tired and sore muscles and the pain of giving up things to "have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus", I will remind myself of the title of this post......"No pain, no gain!"

Real quick

Just wanted to post something for today. I went and worked out this afternoon....water aerobics. I love doing that! If you think it is easy, guess again! It can be challenging, especially when you're using styrofoam dumbbells. I am so tired! But it is a good feeling.

I'm plan on getting up early to go work out before I go to work. I found out today they have a Pilates class at 5:45 am and I want to try it out.

I am trying to get in shape. I've always enjoyed working out, but have never really committed to a daily regimen - or even a regular schedule. It is time I must! Since adopting a change in eating habits - trying to stay away from unnecessary carbs (especially white flour) and sugar - I have lost 20 lbs! Woohoo! I won't tell you how many I have yet to go, but suffice it to say it will take some time. Working out will speed the process up.

Nevertheless, I'm excited! I'm hoping that by sharing this with the world, I'll be more accountable to stick to my goals. I will definitely be keeping you apprised of my successes, and yes, my failures - which I hope to keep to a bare minimum!

Wish me luck! (Or just pray for me!!!!!)

...and then, maybe not

Well, I may have spoken too soon! Now my throat is scratchy, dry and hurts. I REALLY hope it is nothing! I'm thinking my discomfort might be a result of the medicine I took last night, but only time will tell.

Anyway, I'm just sitting around watching the movie "Emma", starring Gwyneth Paltrow. It is quite a funny movie based on Jane Austen's book. What I didn't know was this - the movie "Clueless", with Alicia Silverstone, is also based on the story of "Emma". I must say, I haven't read the book (although now I plan to), but I have enjoyed both movies. *sigh* Another book to add to my list. :-)

Speaking of movies, I did finally get to see "LOTR: The Return of the King." All I can say is "wow". I must go and see it again, for I know I missed many things. I absolutely love those movies! I think the next time I go see it, I want to go by myself. That way, there are no distractions and I can give it my full attention!

False alarm!

Thank God!! I am not sick. Woohoo! I think yesterday was just a bad, wake-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed day. I'm feeling much better! Of course, drugs were involved, but hey - God works through those, too! ;-)

Looks like today is going to be a good one! At least, I pray it is!

If only...

You are going to marry Orlando Bloom. He will
always treat you right and is very romantic. He
will do anything for you. He is very polite and
has deep brown eyes and is very good looking
(which is another plus!). He can make anything
cheesy look really good (like sliding down
stairs on a shield shooting arrows or wearing
pointy ears for example). Congrats!!


Which male celebrity are you going to marry? (10 results that have pics!)
brought to you by Quizilla


In lieu of my post yesterday morning....this is not my definitive "list" for what I am looking for. Not even close.

Hey....let a girl dream, ok? :-D I just thought this was fun!

Yuck

After making it through the worst of the flu season, I fear I may be coming down with something. I feel like crap today. :(

Last night, I didn't feel so hot. In fact, I decided not to go to Winter Fest and see Audio Adrenaline, Relient K, Todd Agnew....and a whole bunch of other good artists....because I felt so crummy (and because I didn't really have the money!) In addition to that, my boss' wife had strep throat last week, and this morning I woke up with a sore throat. I hope and pray it is not strep! I do not like being sick.

Blah.

In spite of that, I praise God this morning...just because. I see His hand working in my life and the lives of so many others, and know that He has great things in store for us this year. I can't wait to see what He's going to do!

My pastor gave our "State of the Church Address" yesterday, and I am so excited and encouraged by what God is doing in our congregation. We've seen amazing growth this year (not just with numbers, but with lives changed by God) and anticipate seeing much more. I love the church I attend. The people are incredible.

Well, "Happy Monday!" and God bless. I guess I'd better get to work. :)

Stuff

Since I'm up, I thought I'd post something....anything. :) Seriously, though....I do like to post. Having a blog causes me to look deeper into things. When I remember I have a blog *grin*, I tend to look at every situation as an opportunity to share, so when I don't post....it usually means I'm just skating by and not really paying attention. I don't like that. I've been in a rut (so to speak) and I'm trying to get out of it.

One of the things that has been on my mind of late is relationships. Since I'm not in one at the present time, I get to observe a lot. I am confident of one thing....when I am blessed to be in a relationship, I definitely want God to be in the middle of it! Relationships are so tricky and man, can they be painful! I guess that's just life in general...right?

Anyway, I've got a friend dealing with issues in a relationship. Talking with her and listening to what she's going through has caused me to again look at what my expectations are in regards to a relationship. Sometimes I wonder if my expectations are too high....if I'm too picky. And then I'll read something like what Scott writes and think, "no way am I too picky!" I'm glad to know there are others with high standards and expectations.

I've told God many times, if I can't have a better than average marriage, I'd just rather stay single. I've seen too many "average" marriages, and they just don't appeal to me. I mean, if marriage is supposed to be an example of Christ's love for us, something is missing somewhere for a lot of folks. I can't imagine Christ treating me (or anyone) the way I've seen some husbands and wives treat each other. (I just hope that I'll remember that when I get married!)

Like I said...it's tricky, this relationship business. I just know I have to focus on my relationship with Christ and everything else will fall into place. However, I still have a "list" of expectations when it comes to "Mr. Right". Some of them may be unrealistic, but I'm trusting that as I get closer to Christ, my expectations will become what they need to be so I will recognize "him" when he enters my life. I can't wait to see how that turns out!

Changes

Life is full of changes. Of that I'm certain. They come in all shapes and sizes: expected, unexpected, turn-your-world-upside-down, make-your-world-right, they bring great joy or great sorrow, they hurt, feel good.....we all know about change.

The thing is, when change happens...things change. "Well, duh!" you might say, but have you ever really thought about it? I mean, look at some of these definitions:

1. To cause to be different.
   
2. To give a completely different form or appearance to; transform.
   
3. To exchange for or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category.
   
4. To lay aside, abandon, or leave for another; switch places.
   
5. To transfer from (one conveyance) to another.
   
6. To put a fresh covering on.
   

So, considering all these definitions, how do you deal with change? When it is the type of change that is unexpected or causes great pain, what do you do? What about change that is necessary, but still hurts? I could go on and on with different scenarios, but I'm sure you get the point.

The thing is, change always impacts more than one person. Even if the change taking place is within a person (i.e., they repent and give their life to Christ) it still impacts those around them. For instance, they no longer go out and "party" with the crowd because there's been a "change" in their heart. John Donne, poet and clergyman, once wrote: "No man is an island, entire of itself." Simple, but very profound. I think we all tend to forget that our actions will always affect someone else. That, in itself, is not necessarily a bad thing. It's just a very real fact of life.

I have a friend dealing with some change in her life, and yes, it impacts me and other friends of ours. Each of us, in our own way, will work through the process of dealing with this change, but I know God will work things out. He has promised that in His Word. In the meantime, I will walk with her through this change and try to help in any way I can. One of my all-time favorite scriptures is 1 Corinthians 2:9, which says, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him." I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it - another year filed away! Where does the time go?

Just wanted to post something quick to say "Thank You" to all my new friends I've made in the blogosphere! I really am humbled to know that people find what I write interesting. I hope I can keep it up!

Since I stayed up way too late last night, I'm going to bed early tonight. Besides, I want to be fresh when I see "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" tomorrow! I can't wait! :) I'll post my thoughts about it after tomorrow!

Ta ta for now! :)