My husband often tells me that I am a stick in the mud and I don't think that anything is funny. Well, that is just not true. It is true that we have a very different sense of humor. We also have very different ways of expressing emotions (everyone knows that he is a major crier!). I would like to prove to the world that I do have a sense of humor.
Wednesday, my friend Brooke showed me a video someone had emailed her. This started a journey to YouTube. I must admit, this was my first real visit to YouTube. Others have shown me things on the site, but I had never gone their myself. This was quite an experience. Last night I shared my findings with Bryan. Bryan, the loud laugher, was cracking up at my finds. I also was enjoying them, however, I am a silent laugher. I can prove I was cracking up though, there were tears! Just ask him!
Anyway, I am attaching my findings for your viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoy!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
$204 poorer and frustrated
What did you hate the most about youth camp as a teenager? I know for me it was typically the terrible bathrooms. Remember wearing your shower shoes? As if that wasn't bad enough, there was never decent water pressure. You always had to dance around under the shower head for 10 minutes just to get your whole body wet. Oh, the memories!
I thought it was exactly that, a memory, but boy was I wrong! Yesterday, the water pressure in our shower hit a new low. It was one of those days that there was no point in attempting to wash my hair. There is no way that my hair would have been completely wet even after 5 or 10 minutes. The soap would not even come off my body. On top of that I had to channel my inner Super Girl just to turn the water on and then again to turn it off. I was so aggravated! The aggravation comes because we thought this had been fixed!
Just before Christmas Bryan and I spent $204 for a plumber to come out and fix a couple of things. One of those things was our leaky shower head. For about a week the shower seemed better, but things went down hill from there. Bryan was convinced that it was the shower head and I didn't agree, but yesterday I finally broke down and bought a new one. It is cool and all, but just as I suspected, that did not fix our problem. The water will not turn off! It runs constantly and you have to turn the handles so hard to stop the flow that I can't use them. I feel like an idiot having to use towels (or whatever is close by) to grip the handles. It is ridiculous! Even with all that you can still hear the water running.
I am so frustrated and ready for it to be fixed!!!!
I thought it was exactly that, a memory, but boy was I wrong! Yesterday, the water pressure in our shower hit a new low. It was one of those days that there was no point in attempting to wash my hair. There is no way that my hair would have been completely wet even after 5 or 10 minutes. The soap would not even come off my body. On top of that I had to channel my inner Super Girl just to turn the water on and then again to turn it off. I was so aggravated! The aggravation comes because we thought this had been fixed!
Just before Christmas Bryan and I spent $204 for a plumber to come out and fix a couple of things. One of those things was our leaky shower head. For about a week the shower seemed better, but things went down hill from there. Bryan was convinced that it was the shower head and I didn't agree, but yesterday I finally broke down and bought a new one. It is cool and all, but just as I suspected, that did not fix our problem. The water will not turn off! It runs constantly and you have to turn the handles so hard to stop the flow that I can't use them. I feel like an idiot having to use towels (or whatever is close by) to grip the handles. It is ridiculous! Even with all that you can still hear the water running.
I am so frustrated and ready for it to be fixed!!!!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Insecurity
Today's lesson was about insecurity, and I must admit that I am guilty of letting insecurity creep in and take over. Insecurity seems to be the root of my perfectionism. (That word keeps coming up over and over again. I wonder if God is trying to tell me something.)
I had not really equated my perfectionism and controlling tendencies with insecurity, but lets call an apple an apple. This is so frustrating because I thought I was secure in who I am and why I am here. I will say, that sometimes struggle with my worth.
Purpose has always been something really vague and out of reach for me. I've always known that God had a purpose for me, but I could never grasp exactly what that purpose was. I think I've always expected God to show me something big like a doctor, teacher, etc. I totally missed the fact that God gives us a purpose everyday. No, it is not a life career, it is a lifestyle. He calls me to live for Him each day. The purpose is for me to be a beacon of Him, to produce fruit, and to be His hands, feet, and mouth.
It's funny how He makes things so plain and simple that I miss it looking for the big picture. This is just another reminder that it is not about me at all, but it is all about Him. If I would stop searching for the Holy Grail, I might see the cup in my hand.
I had not really equated my perfectionism and controlling tendencies with insecurity, but lets call an apple an apple. This is so frustrating because I thought I was secure in who I am and why I am here. I will say, that sometimes struggle with my worth.
Purpose has always been something really vague and out of reach for me. I've always known that God had a purpose for me, but I could never grasp exactly what that purpose was. I think I've always expected God to show me something big like a doctor, teacher, etc. I totally missed the fact that God gives us a purpose everyday. No, it is not a life career, it is a lifestyle. He calls me to live for Him each day. The purpose is for me to be a beacon of Him, to produce fruit, and to be His hands, feet, and mouth.
It's funny how He makes things so plain and simple that I miss it looking for the big picture. This is just another reminder that it is not about me at all, but it is all about Him. If I would stop searching for the Holy Grail, I might see the cup in my hand.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Confidence
As I shared last week, I started a new devotional study. Last week it was about pride and this week it is about confidence. In a sense I am very confident, but then in another sense I am not. My confidence never wanes in the fact that I know the Lord is with me in everything and He has a purpose for every situation that I face. However, my confidence does at times wane in my ability to handle situations or respond to things that catch me off guard.
Today was my first day in the confidence lessons and God has already shown me some things. I am going to share some the things that stood out to me and how God spoke to me personally. First the highlights:
*Self confidence comes not from believing in yourself but from having faith in God.
*Confidence is only as good as the one in whom you place your confidence.
*We can try really hard to make our appearance just right, but if that is what our confidence is based on then it could be destroyed by a rainy day or bad breath.
*According to sociologists, our self-esteem is based on what we believe the most important person in our life thinks about us. Then our confidence wanes when we get disapproval from that person. God’s view of us is the only solid unchanging one.
In Judges 4&5 we meet Deborah who was an incredible example of confidence. She had complete faith in God and that became the strength of an army. She was confident because she listened to God, spoke His word, and pointed people to Him. She was not concerned about what others thought of this. She was decisive and not a people pleaser or a conformist. The Bible doesn’t give us any indication as to why God chose her. It must have been the she was usable, obedient, and faithful. God told her to go and she did. He told her to tell Barak to go and she did, she even went with him.
This challenged me to consider where He is telling me to go, which led me back to the quote above about people influencing your confidence. Over the last week I have been really seeking God’s guidance in a family situation. There is a family event this weekend that I was uncertain about attending. After reading this morning, I realized that God is telling me to step up and go. He is reminding me that I must be obedient like Deborah. No matter how small they make feel me He will make me big!
Today was my first day in the confidence lessons and God has already shown me some things. I am going to share some the things that stood out to me and how God spoke to me personally. First the highlights:
*Self confidence comes not from believing in yourself but from having faith in God.
*Confidence is only as good as the one in whom you place your confidence.
*We can try really hard to make our appearance just right, but if that is what our confidence is based on then it could be destroyed by a rainy day or bad breath.
*According to sociologists, our self-esteem is based on what we believe the most important person in our life thinks about us. Then our confidence wanes when we get disapproval from that person. God’s view of us is the only solid unchanging one.
In Judges 4&5 we meet Deborah who was an incredible example of confidence. She had complete faith in God and that became the strength of an army. She was confident because she listened to God, spoke His word, and pointed people to Him. She was not concerned about what others thought of this. She was decisive and not a people pleaser or a conformist. The Bible doesn’t give us any indication as to why God chose her. It must have been the she was usable, obedient, and faithful. God told her to go and she did. He told her to tell Barak to go and she did, she even went with him.
This challenged me to consider where He is telling me to go, which led me back to the quote above about people influencing your confidence. Over the last week I have been really seeking God’s guidance in a family situation. There is a family event this weekend that I was uncertain about attending. After reading this morning, I realized that God is telling me to step up and go. He is reminding me that I must be obedient like Deborah. No matter how small they make feel me He will make me big!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Step away from the disaster, step away!
Saturday night a dear friend shared his heart with Bryan and I. He is concerned about the choices that a friend is making. I could totally relate to him. Here is one of my stories and my response to him. Most of us have probably been there, so I hope that this helps someone.
In college there was a guy that I dated and we stayed friends after we broke up. The whole time that we dated and were friends he really struggled with his calling. I could totally see God molding him for missions or camp ministry. After we broke up, he seemed to start seeing things more clearly and moving toward that. Then he started dating another girl. A mutual friend came to me concerned about it and said that the girl was completely against him in ministry and was really trying to push him away from that. It made me so angry and broke my heart at the same time. I wanted so bad to step into the situation and fix it, but I couldn't. Honestly, I don't know what happened with them, but I still pray for him.
I think that God gives us wisdom sometimes to see things in others that they don't yet see in themselves. It is kind of a blessing and a curse for me, because I want them to see it so badly. I want to open up their head and pour it in, but I can't. It is a test of my faith to step back and trust that God is still in control and that He will make it happen in His timing and His way. He may have to take them through the muck and mire to get to the point that they see it. It may even come to the point of being broken and that is OK.
Sometimes being broken is the only way they can truly hear and see Him clearly. I have to think about the times that I have been broken and what a blessing it was. Even though the road is hard, think how much we learn and grow through that. We can't deny them that blessing. This is usually the point where I hear him saying, "Crystal, who is in control, you or me?"
Don't loose heart, He is in control. As hard as it is, just remember they will never learn or appreciate lessons that they don't learn on their own. Often, the best thing that we can do is step out of the situation and let Him work. As much as it hurts, we need to wait for the process to run its course and be there waiting at the end to help them put things back together.
In college there was a guy that I dated and we stayed friends after we broke up. The whole time that we dated and were friends he really struggled with his calling. I could totally see God molding him for missions or camp ministry. After we broke up, he seemed to start seeing things more clearly and moving toward that. Then he started dating another girl. A mutual friend came to me concerned about it and said that the girl was completely against him in ministry and was really trying to push him away from that. It made me so angry and broke my heart at the same time. I wanted so bad to step into the situation and fix it, but I couldn't. Honestly, I don't know what happened with them, but I still pray for him.
I think that God gives us wisdom sometimes to see things in others that they don't yet see in themselves. It is kind of a blessing and a curse for me, because I want them to see it so badly. I want to open up their head and pour it in, but I can't. It is a test of my faith to step back and trust that God is still in control and that He will make it happen in His timing and His way. He may have to take them through the muck and mire to get to the point that they see it. It may even come to the point of being broken and that is OK.
Sometimes being broken is the only way they can truly hear and see Him clearly. I have to think about the times that I have been broken and what a blessing it was. Even though the road is hard, think how much we learn and grow through that. We can't deny them that blessing. This is usually the point where I hear him saying, "Crystal, who is in control, you or me?"
Don't loose heart, He is in control. As hard as it is, just remember they will never learn or appreciate lessons that they don't learn on their own. Often, the best thing that we can do is step out of the situation and let Him work. As much as it hurts, we need to wait for the process to run its course and be there waiting at the end to help them put things back together.
Friday, March 14, 2008
A new understanding of pride
As I mentioned earlier in the week, one of my new year's resolutions was to be more consistent with my quiet times. On Wednesday I made a trip to Family Christian Store to get a devotion book that I had read about. Character Makeover by Katie Brazelton and Shelley Leith was reviewed in either CCM or Relevant, so I wanted to check it out.
In case you didn't figure it out, it is a study about Godly character. It focuses on eight character traits (Humility, Confidence, Courage, Self-Control, Patience, Contentment, Generosity, and Perseverance). The first of which is Humility. At first I didn't think that this was something that was a struggle for me. I am not the girl that goes around bragging about stuff and I am usually pretty conscientious about others. Of course, I have my days and moments where I have to check myself and my attitude, by no means am I perfect (I know that is a shock to my husband). This made me wonder how much I would really get out of a week's worth of study on humility.
I was quite surprised to take the pride test and get a fairly high score on one section and middle of the road on another. The test broke pride down into four areas: exalting myself, belittling myself, attacking others, and ignoring others. I had never thought of belittling yourself as a form of pride. This was a whole new perspective for me. The authors said, "Worthlessness is the most deceptive form of pride. ...it is a reverse method of attracting attention." A list of methods women use to belittle themselves included:
*Women who overwork and let others take advantage of them.
*Perfectionists who secretly try to prove they are worthy by absolutely controlling some area of their lives.
This is a matter of undervaluing your worth. Oh my goodness, that was a smack in the face. God created me the way that I am for a divinely perfect purpose and I am smacking Him and His creation in the face when I undervalue myself.
Undervaluing myself is just as much an issue of humility as undervaluing or ignoring others. An issue that goes along with undervaluing others is remaining stuck in bad patterns. Some women see their past or personality as a trap in which they're stuck, instead of realizing they can choose either to stay the same or change their behavior. We have to stop using the excuse of "this is just how I am and you have to accept me like this." Ignoring others is the refusal to be influenced by those the Holy Spirit is trying to use to speak into your life. It is saying to God: "I am fine just the way I am."
How many times have I been guilty of thinking that I am fine just the way I am. I tend to be a perfectionist and because of this I often have a hard time letting go of things. I would rather do it myself to make sure that it is done right, as if no one else can do things properly. My personality type tends to be very organized, systematic, and logical. Systems work, I love plans and organization, and that is not a bad thing. Systems and organization are needed, especially in my home with my non-planner, spur of the moment, whatever feels good husband. I know that my personality drives him crazy, but I never thought of it as a matter of humility.
It totally makes sense though. How self centered do you have to be to think that no one else can do something as well as you? How self centered is it to waste so much time focusing on perfection? That is not to say that I can walk away from those tendencies right now, nor am I saying that I want to. What I am saying is that I have to throw off the attitude that I am fine just the way I am and be willing to listen and learn from others.
I firmly believe that God has called us as Christians to live lives above reproach and to strive for excellence. My prayer now is to learn the balance between striving for excellence and doing so with humility. It is not going to be easy, change never is, but I refuse to give up excellence for perfection.
In case you didn't figure it out, it is a study about Godly character. It focuses on eight character traits (Humility, Confidence, Courage, Self-Control, Patience, Contentment, Generosity, and Perseverance). The first of which is Humility. At first I didn't think that this was something that was a struggle for me. I am not the girl that goes around bragging about stuff and I am usually pretty conscientious about others. Of course, I have my days and moments where I have to check myself and my attitude, by no means am I perfect (I know that is a shock to my husband). This made me wonder how much I would really get out of a week's worth of study on humility.
I was quite surprised to take the pride test and get a fairly high score on one section and middle of the road on another. The test broke pride down into four areas: exalting myself, belittling myself, attacking others, and ignoring others. I had never thought of belittling yourself as a form of pride. This was a whole new perspective for me. The authors said, "Worthlessness is the most deceptive form of pride. ...it is a reverse method of attracting attention." A list of methods women use to belittle themselves included:
*Women who overwork and let others take advantage of them.
*Perfectionists who secretly try to prove they are worthy by absolutely controlling some area of their lives.
This is a matter of undervaluing your worth. Oh my goodness, that was a smack in the face. God created me the way that I am for a divinely perfect purpose and I am smacking Him and His creation in the face when I undervalue myself.
Undervaluing myself is just as much an issue of humility as undervaluing or ignoring others. An issue that goes along with undervaluing others is remaining stuck in bad patterns. Some women see their past or personality as a trap in which they're stuck, instead of realizing they can choose either to stay the same or change their behavior. We have to stop using the excuse of "this is just how I am and you have to accept me like this." Ignoring others is the refusal to be influenced by those the Holy Spirit is trying to use to speak into your life. It is saying to God: "I am fine just the way I am."
How many times have I been guilty of thinking that I am fine just the way I am. I tend to be a perfectionist and because of this I often have a hard time letting go of things. I would rather do it myself to make sure that it is done right, as if no one else can do things properly. My personality type tends to be very organized, systematic, and logical. Systems work, I love plans and organization, and that is not a bad thing. Systems and organization are needed, especially in my home with my non-planner, spur of the moment, whatever feels good husband. I know that my personality drives him crazy, but I never thought of it as a matter of humility.
It totally makes sense though. How self centered do you have to be to think that no one else can do something as well as you? How self centered is it to waste so much time focusing on perfection? That is not to say that I can walk away from those tendencies right now, nor am I saying that I want to. What I am saying is that I have to throw off the attitude that I am fine just the way I am and be willing to listen and learn from others.
I firmly believe that God has called us as Christians to live lives above reproach and to strive for excellence. My prayer now is to learn the balance between striving for excellence and doing so with humility. It is not going to be easy, change never is, but I refuse to give up excellence for perfection.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Almost on track
This year I decided to make a new year's resolution and to make it practical and attainable. I never seem to keep them because they are always so far fetched and I have no accountability. Though I thought this year would be better, it is not going as smoothly as I had hoped. Here is my cry for accountability!
So what was the resolution you ask? Well, let me tell you... I resolved to get my daily quiet time back on track and to get consistent with an exercise routine. I have hit and missed on both. It has become very clear to me that these were not just things that sounded good to me, but prompted by God. There is a calendar on my desk that you flip each day. Many days I forget to even look at it much less flip it. Ironically in February, every day that I did flip it, the blurb was about personal quiet time. After the fourth or fifth day of that, I laughed out loud and said, "Ok, God, I get it!"
I somehow always find an excuse about the exercise. Bryan and I have a gym membership, and he goes regularly. The gym is 30 minutes from here and 45 minutes from my office and I don't go anywhere near it to get to either. Needless to say, I have never been. I got a video in the $2.50 bin at Target. Tried it a few times, but could not keep up with it. A couple of weekends ago I bought a Dancing with the Stars video and I like it. I simply have to make the time to do it. Someone please hold me accountable. I really want to do this but I need help!
So what was the resolution you ask? Well, let me tell you... I resolved to get my daily quiet time back on track and to get consistent with an exercise routine. I have hit and missed on both. It has become very clear to me that these were not just things that sounded good to me, but prompted by God. There is a calendar on my desk that you flip each day. Many days I forget to even look at it much less flip it. Ironically in February, every day that I did flip it, the blurb was about personal quiet time. After the fourth or fifth day of that, I laughed out loud and said, "Ok, God, I get it!"
I somehow always find an excuse about the exercise. Bryan and I have a gym membership, and he goes regularly. The gym is 30 minutes from here and 45 minutes from my office and I don't go anywhere near it to get to either. Needless to say, I have never been. I got a video in the $2.50 bin at Target. Tried it a few times, but could not keep up with it. A couple of weekends ago I bought a Dancing with the Stars video and I like it. I simply have to make the time to do it. Someone please hold me accountable. I really want to do this but I need help!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The Circle of Life
Yesterday was a somewhat unusual day for us. My day began early with a baby shower that Emily DeRoberts and my self hosted for my friend Casey. As I was leaving the shower, Bryan was on his way to a funeral. We met up after the funeral and went to a wedding. We hit every stage of life yesterday. I made reference to that a few times over the day, but it didn't really hit me until late last night what we had truly experienced.
Casey and her husband Chase will be welcoming a baby boy into their home in a couple of months. Nick and Victoria, students in our church, were saying goodbye to their grandfather. Justin, a friend of Bryan's, was beginning a new stage of life as he married his bride. It was what followed the wedding that made me realize how significant the day really was.
Sammy Clary performed the wedding ceremony. Sammy and his wife Melissa are our best friends. We have been blessed beyond measure to share our lives with them. For the last four years they have taught us more about living life and truly trusting Christ than we had learned in all our years prior to that.
We met the Clary's nearly four years ago and yesterday was the first time we have ever gone out to a public place together. If you think about that, that is somewhat unusual. No, we are not ashamed to be seen with them. (Melissa and I do often try to hide from the men though. They can be quite embarrassing.) Sammy and Melissa are the parents of an incredible little guy named Issac. Issac has faced some serious medical problems in his 10 short years. Due to Issac's problems, he isn't able to be around a lot of people. He can't go into crowded places and at times can not go out at all. Due to this, we always do take out or we go out with either Sammy or Melissa and the other one stays with Isaac.
It was a huge treat for us to be out with them last night. After dinner, we picked Issac up from his grandparents and headed to their house. As Melissa and I were talking, Issac's initial diagnoses came up. I had never known exactly how to ask about this before, so I was glad it came up. I asked a lot of questions and learned a lot I didn't know.
There have been several close calls for Isaac in his short life. To hear Melissa tell her story and to see how much she has trusted the Lord all the way is so amazing to me. I often find my self in awe of her. She is an INCREDIBLE woman. I pray that I could be half the woman and mother she is. She really amazes me.
The Clary's truly embrace every day and live it to the fullest. Walking through life with them has and is teaching me about truly living. For them everyday is truly lived. Every morning that Isaac is with them and healthy is a new beginning. Every test and Dr. visit is a new stage for them. At the end of the day, they put it all behind them and plan to start fresh the next. They live the circle of life everyday.
Thank you Clary's for teaching us how to live, love, and appreciate life!
Casey and her husband Chase will be welcoming a baby boy into their home in a couple of months. Nick and Victoria, students in our church, were saying goodbye to their grandfather. Justin, a friend of Bryan's, was beginning a new stage of life as he married his bride. It was what followed the wedding that made me realize how significant the day really was.
Sammy Clary performed the wedding ceremony. Sammy and his wife Melissa are our best friends. We have been blessed beyond measure to share our lives with them. For the last four years they have taught us more about living life and truly trusting Christ than we had learned in all our years prior to that.
We met the Clary's nearly four years ago and yesterday was the first time we have ever gone out to a public place together. If you think about that, that is somewhat unusual. No, we are not ashamed to be seen with them. (Melissa and I do often try to hide from the men though. They can be quite embarrassing.) Sammy and Melissa are the parents of an incredible little guy named Issac. Issac has faced some serious medical problems in his 10 short years. Due to Issac's problems, he isn't able to be around a lot of people. He can't go into crowded places and at times can not go out at all. Due to this, we always do take out or we go out with either Sammy or Melissa and the other one stays with Isaac.
It was a huge treat for us to be out with them last night. After dinner, we picked Issac up from his grandparents and headed to their house. As Melissa and I were talking, Issac's initial diagnoses came up. I had never known exactly how to ask about this before, so I was glad it came up. I asked a lot of questions and learned a lot I didn't know.
There have been several close calls for Isaac in his short life. To hear Melissa tell her story and to see how much she has trusted the Lord all the way is so amazing to me. I often find my self in awe of her. She is an INCREDIBLE woman. I pray that I could be half the woman and mother she is. She really amazes me.
The Clary's truly embrace every day and live it to the fullest. Walking through life with them has and is teaching me about truly living. For them everyday is truly lived. Every morning that Isaac is with them and healthy is a new beginning. Every test and Dr. visit is a new stage for them. At the end of the day, they put it all behind them and plan to start fresh the next. They live the circle of life everyday.
Thank you Clary's for teaching us how to live, love, and appreciate life!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
A little sad...
Let me start by saying that I HATE being alone. I am so scared of being home alone. Yes, I am nearly 30 years old. We all have our hang ups and this is one of mine. I have had too many weird and freakish things happen to me when I have been home alone. Bryan and I have been married almost 7 years and I have been home one night alone. Belle and I huddled up on the couch and watched tv all night. I didn't close my eyes once. I was a basket case!!
Bryan left last night to drive to Florida for a couple of days. The normal plan in a case like this is for me to stay with my Grandma or get a babysitter. This week I got a babysitter. My cousin graciously came over and kept me company. I can at least attempt to sleep if I am not totally alone. Bryan doesn't leave me often, but when he does it is always a big deal.
I would take his squirmy snoringness any day over the alternative. There is something about him being there beside me that is comforting and soothing. If he is booted from the bed, he has to sleep on the couch. Yes, we do have another bed, but it is all the way across the house. I can't handle the distance. He might as well not even be in the house. It amazes me how dependent I have become on him. I like to think of myself as a strong independent woman, but I melt without him.
So, it is needless to say that I miss him very much and can't wait for him to come home. I love my Bubby! Hurry back to me!
Bryan left last night to drive to Florida for a couple of days. The normal plan in a case like this is for me to stay with my Grandma or get a babysitter. This week I got a babysitter. My cousin graciously came over and kept me company. I can at least attempt to sleep if I am not totally alone. Bryan doesn't leave me often, but when he does it is always a big deal.
I would take his squirmy snoringness any day over the alternative. There is something about him being there beside me that is comforting and soothing. If he is booted from the bed, he has to sleep on the couch. Yes, we do have another bed, but it is all the way across the house. I can't handle the distance. He might as well not even be in the house. It amazes me how dependent I have become on him. I like to think of myself as a strong independent woman, but I melt without him.
So, it is needless to say that I miss him very much and can't wait for him to come home. I love my Bubby! Hurry back to me!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Every fall our pastor, Eddie, talks about being a good steward of your money. He always challenges our people to tithe for 3 months and see what God does. The promise is that if God doesn't bless you, then you can have all of your money back. Never once has he had to give the money back. His goal is to show us that we can't out give God.
Growing up VERY poor, the management of our finances is very important to me. When we got married, my friend Stephanie recommended that we read a Dave Ramsey book that she and her husband were using. In the last year or so, Bryan and I finally got on the same page about the finances and agreed to start using Dave's debt snowball. One of the first things he talks about is giving 10%. Bryan and I had always given regularly, but it wasn't always the first thing.
As a part of the church staff, it is of utmost importance that we lead by example. Bryan and I not only made a plan to get out of debt, but committed to giving first. This year, that has been a top priority. Even when bills would have to wait or the savings would have to be tapped, we wrote the tithe check first. Sometimes, a lot of times, it hurt.
Using the debt snowball, at the end of February we had only 4 debts besides our house. As of Saturday, we are down to two. On Friday, both Bryan and I got paid, so our bills were taken care of for the end of the month. Bryan checked the mail that afternoon and there were two unexpected checks that pretty much doubled our income for that pay period. It paid off two of the four remaining debts with enough left to make an extra payment on one of the others.
On top of all of that, we went to dinner that night and our bill was about $17. When we went to check out, I gave the girl a $20 and she gave me $10 back. I started to walk away and realized that she had given me the wrong change. I went back and told her and she redid the bill twice. The computer did the same thing every time and only charged us for $9 worth of the food. The girl assured me that her drawer would come up right and that she would not be in trouble for the charge as it was.
I was amazed at how God blessed us! Eddie sure knew what he was talking about. You can't out give God and He will not let your faithfulness go unrewarded.
Growing up VERY poor, the management of our finances is very important to me. When we got married, my friend Stephanie recommended that we read a Dave Ramsey book that she and her husband were using. In the last year or so, Bryan and I finally got on the same page about the finances and agreed to start using Dave's debt snowball. One of the first things he talks about is giving 10%. Bryan and I had always given regularly, but it wasn't always the first thing.
As a part of the church staff, it is of utmost importance that we lead by example. Bryan and I not only made a plan to get out of debt, but committed to giving first. This year, that has been a top priority. Even when bills would have to wait or the savings would have to be tapped, we wrote the tithe check first. Sometimes, a lot of times, it hurt.
Using the debt snowball, at the end of February we had only 4 debts besides our house. As of Saturday, we are down to two. On Friday, both Bryan and I got paid, so our bills were taken care of for the end of the month. Bryan checked the mail that afternoon and there were two unexpected checks that pretty much doubled our income for that pay period. It paid off two of the four remaining debts with enough left to make an extra payment on one of the others.
On top of all of that, we went to dinner that night and our bill was about $17. When we went to check out, I gave the girl a $20 and she gave me $10 back. I started to walk away and realized that she had given me the wrong change. I went back and told her and she redid the bill twice. The computer did the same thing every time and only charged us for $9 worth of the food. The girl assured me that her drawer would come up right and that she would not be in trouble for the charge as it was.
I was amazed at how God blessed us! Eddie sure knew what he was talking about. You can't out give God and He will not let your faithfulness go unrewarded.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Family Night
Bryan's aunt and uncle are in town from Pennsylvania, so tonight we had family night. Almost everyone participated (cousins, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc.) so there were probably 20 to 25 of us. Most of the family met at Silver Bay for dinner followed by bowling. Bryan and I joined them at the bowling alley due to my body's severe aversion to seafood.
We took up four lanes at the bowling alley with one of them being bumper bowling for the little ones. We had 5 girls bowling on that lane with a baby brother simply watching. It was so funny to watch these girls. The tiniest of the girls was little Jessica who probably weighs 20 pounds soaking wet. To see her carrying that 6 or 7 pound ball was amazing. She was so proud of herself for hauling that thing all the way to the lane. When she would plop the ball down, it would barely roll. More than once it literally didn't roll. The first time her ball stopped mid lane, I was convinced that I would save the day and bump her ball with another ball. Boy, that was a bad idea!
I totally missed!!! I felt better when my bother-in-law missed also. This was the first of two trips that the maintenance man made to save her stranded ball. More than once Jessica tried to bowl on our lane instead of her own. Everyone was getting a little nervous due to her impeccable timing. Each time she tried to use the wrong lane someone was playing for a spare. She was totally clueless about her mistake. The second time, I pointed out the bumpers to her and told her that they would help her ball stay of track and knock the pins down. If she would look for the bumpers she would know she was in the right lane.
Isn't it funny how God does that for us. He puts bumpers (guardrails) in our path everyday. If we will just stay between those rails, we will have a much greater chance of hitting the target. Those boundaries protect us just like those guards guide the ball. Sometimes, we just need someone to point the boundaries out to us. Why is it that we get so bent out of shape when we are given boundaries? We get even more bent out of shape when we have to try again. Our childlike faith should push us to try again, to seek out the excitement of a new experiences.
Each time Jessica got up she was so excited. She didn't care that she only hit one pin or that she hit 5 or 6, or even none. Her exuberance never changed. As the night went on, she got some coaching and figured out how to roll the ball rather than her original throw and plop technique. She got much better results! She was sure that it was great no matter what she did. Oh to have childlike faith and wonder!
Kids never cease to amaze me and teach me more than I could ever teach them. And they say the craziest (and sometimes most inappropriate) things. Take for instance my niece tonight. Gailey greeted my sister-in-law with this, "Linda, did you know I had diarrhea today?"
I Love Kids!
We took up four lanes at the bowling alley with one of them being bumper bowling for the little ones. We had 5 girls bowling on that lane with a baby brother simply watching. It was so funny to watch these girls. The tiniest of the girls was little Jessica who probably weighs 20 pounds soaking wet. To see her carrying that 6 or 7 pound ball was amazing. She was so proud of herself for hauling that thing all the way to the lane. When she would plop the ball down, it would barely roll. More than once it literally didn't roll. The first time her ball stopped mid lane, I was convinced that I would save the day and bump her ball with another ball. Boy, that was a bad idea!
I totally missed!!! I felt better when my bother-in-law missed also. This was the first of two trips that the maintenance man made to save her stranded ball. More than once Jessica tried to bowl on our lane instead of her own. Everyone was getting a little nervous due to her impeccable timing. Each time she tried to use the wrong lane someone was playing for a spare. She was totally clueless about her mistake. The second time, I pointed out the bumpers to her and told her that they would help her ball stay of track and knock the pins down. If she would look for the bumpers she would know she was in the right lane.
Isn't it funny how God does that for us. He puts bumpers (guardrails) in our path everyday. If we will just stay between those rails, we will have a much greater chance of hitting the target. Those boundaries protect us just like those guards guide the ball. Sometimes, we just need someone to point the boundaries out to us. Why is it that we get so bent out of shape when we are given boundaries? We get even more bent out of shape when we have to try again. Our childlike faith should push us to try again, to seek out the excitement of a new experiences.
Each time Jessica got up she was so excited. She didn't care that she only hit one pin or that she hit 5 or 6, or even none. Her exuberance never changed. As the night went on, she got some coaching and figured out how to roll the ball rather than her original throw and plop technique. She got much better results! She was sure that it was great no matter what she did. Oh to have childlike faith and wonder!
Kids never cease to amaze me and teach me more than I could ever teach them. And they say the craziest (and sometimes most inappropriate) things. Take for instance my niece tonight. Gailey greeted my sister-in-law with this, "Linda, did you know I had diarrhea today?"
I Love Kids!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)