Extraordinary Faith for Everyday Life
Jane and Sarah put out sneak peaks to the calendar this weekend. One of my pictures made it to the front (far left…it’s hard to see)! Yay!
Last I checked, I think they should be out within the week. You can go ahead and pre-order at the links below.
Last night turned out REALLY good. We had less girls than we thought but it was a really good group of girls. The night consisted of lots of food including some yummy fondue, games, karoke, movies and some scavenger hunts.
I found out I’m HORRIBLE at Jenga. I think I lost all but one round I played.
I’d never really done karoke (I know *gasp*) but it was so much fun. We sang everything from Summer lovin’ to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun to What Hurts the Most to Santa Baby Here We Go Loopy Loo. We had four or five mics and with the music blaring on our sound system, we all were singing at the top of our lungs and putting on our own version of what a jazzercise class might be like. It really was a lot of fun.
Everyone finally settled in a sleeping bag around 1am for PS I Love You but they ended up switching movies at 2:30 and I went to sleep then. The leaders woke up at 9:30 for our Bible Study which actually means I got MORE sleep than I did the past three nights. Go figure.
So much of what my Bible Study has been about the last two weeks is getting through tough times. One week was about the goodness of God and knowing no matter what happens, He allows things to happen for His greater glory. Another was about believing and having faith that fights through those hard times and this past week was about gentleness. It emphasized that gentleness was born out of submission to God and His will…even through hard times.
She had us think of a tough time where we really struggled with God. Honestly I had a hard time coming up with something. Not because I’m a spiritual giant and don’t struggle but because I don’t think I’ve been put through a lot of times where I HAD to struggle. Yes, in the past few weeks I’ve been met with untimely deaths that had the ability to rock my beliefs to the very core but overall, I just haven’t been in a Job kind of place. That place where God tests you until everyone around you tells you to curse God because He’s tested you so thoroughly.
And I’ve just been completely overwhelmed about how God has blessed us. Like really, really blessed us. He’s been so good to us and I don’t know why He hasn’t chosen us for a Job type experience yet. Honestly, it scares me completely to think I’ve been going through these studies in preparation for something. Something that WILL cause me to question God’s goodness and put my faith to test and cause everyone around me to curse God. I’m not saying I’m worrying. I’m not. My point is I’m SO THANKFUL for how much He’s blessed us. Financially, emotionally, spiritually, physically. Everything. So much good stuff has been happening to me lately I just feel overwhelmed. And yes, I credit all the little stuff to God. He cares what we care about and He doesn’t miss the little things.
I know my heart has always been in a place to please God and obey his commands as much as possible. I don’t do it all the time. My time and attention isn’t always on Him but at my core, I want to please Him. I think Scott is the same way. We’ve always had that connection spiritually. And maybe, just maybe, I need to realize that God is the God that is loving and good and faithful to His promises and has chosen to bless us because of our obedience. I don’t understand why he has chosen us to bless and not others when they are truly submitted but for now, I just want to be so thankful that everything is so good.
Deuteronomy 28 – Blessings for Obedience
1″If you fully obey the LORD your God by keeping all the commands I am giving you today, the LORD your God will exalt you above all the nations of the world.
2You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God:
3 You will be blessed in your towns and in the country.
4 You will be blessed with many children and productive fields. You will be blessed with fertile herds and flocks.
5 You will be blessed with baskets overflowing with fruit, and with kneading bowls filled with bread.
6You will be blessed wherever you go, both in coming and in going.
7″The LORD will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!
8″The LORD will bless everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
9″If you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways, the LORD will establish you as his holy people as he solemnly promised to do.
10Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you.
11″The LORD will give you an abundance of good things in the land he swore to give your ancestors–many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops.
12The LORD will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens to bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them.
13If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God and carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always have the upper hand.
14You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today to follow after other gods and worship them.
OK, so the last post was all about how inside I’m freaking out a bit (lot) about my Twilight advanced screening tickets. I’ll try to make this one my I’m a normal Southern mom that has normal weekend plans post.
Lexi has a make-up school day today so she’s in preschool this morning. Scott is working nights all weekend so he’s in bed sleeping now and we won’t see too much of him this weekend. It’s been a quiet morning so far. Mom should be getting the girls for the afternoon so I expect a quiet day actually. And with the rain outside, it’s a pretty quiet Friday.
This evening though I’m helping chaperone a girls sleepover for the youth group while MIL keeps the kids tonight. We’re having fondue and watching chick flicks. I’m actually looking forward to it but I don’t expect quiet AT ALL.
Tomorrow morning we’re still planning Bible Study since three of us are chaperoning it anyway. I think tomorrow night Mom wants us to go visit one of her higher (est) end client’s houses. Sunday will be the norm so nothing new there.
So yeah, should be busy later today and tomorrow but hopefully I can rest on Sunday and be ready for my Twilight freak-out week!
Why, Happy Friday, folks! Have I mentioned I’m going to see Twilight on Tuesday? Because guess what? I’M GOING TO SEE TWILIGHT ON TUESDAY!!! The excitement has not waned a bit. I got my confirmation email yesterday evening. The show is near SouthPark in Charlotte, NC which is about a 20 minute drive or so. The show is at 7:30 and I’m supposed to be there 30 minutes early and bring the email or identification.
Absolutely no recording devices (even cell phones) are allowed in or they take it and all the contents and throw me out. And sorry folks, I love you, but I’m not getting thrown out. So no twittering, twit-pic-ing texting, SMSing or flip-ing from me. I’ll just have to video myself and blog until my fingers hurt when we get out.
I fully expect to be a blubbering mess the entire time so just be forewarned it’s not going to be pretty. I’m seriously concerned at my well-being at this thing. There has been so much hype on this and so many emotions while reading the book and oh my goodness, I’m seeing it THREE DAYS EARLY that I think the anticipation is going to make me do embarrassing things like throw up or pass out or cry for two hours straight. I know. It’s just. a. movie. But somehow it’s not and it just wouldn’t be right for me to sit calmly and watch the movie like a normal moviegoer and then twitter that hey, I saw this movie last night and it’s a must-see. Somehow only a FREAK-OUT seems to do its following justice.
So. Be prepared. Hopefully I won’t puke or faint. I fully expect to cry. But just realize. I’m already freakin’ out and don’t plan to quit until Tuesday night. Actually…probably will be freaking out until Friday at 2am after I watch the midnight showing on premiere day with a bunch of other Twilighters that are crazy enough to watch a movie that late. Then maybe. Just maybe. I’ll calm down. Nah, of course THEN everyone else will be hyped to see it that evening and I’ll have to stay up late Friday discussing it finally and then WE’LL ALL BE FREAKING OUT TOGETHER. So yeah. The next week of my life is Twilight freak-out week.
Around our house we try to relate reasons for not doing things back to the Bible. We want them to follow God’s Word and not simply because Mommy and Daddy says so, although that can be a valid reason as well. For example, a lot of times we say you have to share because Jesus says it’s better to give than receive. Well. Lexi comes into her bedroom where I’m talking on the phone to Heather, of course about our exciting trip to the Twilight advanced screening, and Lexi has a big bag of Halloween candy corn in her hands. She asks if she can have some candy and I say no, you don’t need any sugar right now. And she says very serious albeit a bit whiny…
But Mommy, Jesus says we can have candy after we eat our dinner.
I’m so excited!!! I just found a text message I received at 1:30 this afternoon saying I won 2 VIP passes to an early screening of Twilight on Tuesday in Charlotte (I assume b/c that’s the closest one to me). I emailed them my info and I should be hearing something soon. WOW!!! Heather of course is going with me and we were screaming like school girls over the phone.
