Monday, July 16

something new.


Beth Moore.
Mercy Triumphs.
Rocks. My. World.
I started this study back in January when we brought Emme home. It is a fantastic study. I sorta dropped the ball on the study around week 4. A few weeks ago I picked it back up and joined a Women's group at our church that is studying it this summer. And it is so good.
I woke up early this morning, like WAY TOO EARLY, and went on for a run with my good friend Brooke. (You should follow her blog here! Its really good!) I had 5 million reasons why I shouldn't go. Like...
1) its 5:30 AM who does that?!?!
2) I was up late listening to David Platt sermons with my honey so therefor I should sleep in
3) Running hurts every part of my body (I HATE it but want sooo desperately to LOVE it!)
4) I couldn't find my "good" headphones
5) My iPhone only had 12% battery life left (I ALWAYS forget to charge my phone)
6) Maybe I could just make something up to get out of it :)

I ended up going and though I couldn't breathe...My lungs were literally collapsing...well, not literally but whatever, they HURT... I LOVED it. I loved running with my friend, I loved getting to chat with someone before my day started, and I loved that I exercised early and was able to be home early get showered and start my day early. It just feels good. I came home, showered, put on some coffee started laundry and sat down to my James study.

I love how God can take a day that starts with a whiney attitude and just breath some fresh air into your soul and you feel renewed and awakened and challenged to something better then the day before.

Today's lesson is titled "Faith Perfected" based off of James 2:20-26. (HCSB)
"Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God's friend. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, wasn't Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."
If you know the history of Abraham and the story or Rahab, you are able to grasp the full redemptive goodness of Gods character. 

I love how further into the lesson Beth states that, "Yesterday's failure can become tomorrow's hero in the faith." That statement rung loud in my ears. Oh, how there is such truth in that statement. I don't want to give away the study for those who are going to do it or who are doing and aren't to this part yet but I had to share this section with you.
Beth:
"The actual Greek word translated "prostitute" in 2:25 is "porne". She could have been the porn star of Jericho, and God still called her to faith. When He who was, who is, and who He is to come, sees each of us, He sees who we were, who we are, and who we will become." ... "God can change what people do. He can change behavioral patterns that have been in play for decades. He can change what we do to cope, to find comfort, to survive conflict, to count. Rahab did the same old thing for years...and then she did something NEW" 

The example of Rahab captured my heart and my attention. I stopped there and thought, how many times have I been stuck in do the same-ole'-same-ole'? How many times have I kept something I did in the past from doing something NEW the Lord has called me to do? How many times have I relied on the way I cope get in the way of relying on the Lord to cope? How many times have I said "This is just the way is it and the way it has always been for me!"? 

I am ready for something "NEW"!! For God to use my past mistakes, for him to change the way I cope, the way I comfort myself (i.e. FOOD) and to change my behavioral patterns (i.e. LACK OF DISCIPLINE and LAZINESS) So today I RAN. Running is more then just a health and fitness thing for me. It is spiritual. It goes against the grain. It requires discipline and routine. I am NOT a creature of discipline and routine.  There are other areas in my life that need a good God led makeover. I'm always needing a good cleaning out. I believe God when he says he is healer, deliverer, redeemer, comforter, sustainer and that he is forever faithful! 

God can change my lack of discipline. My actions. My choices!! I will choose to do something NEW.  Will you? 


Thursday, July 5

Sleep.Over+July. 4th.

Emme had her first sleep over Tuesday night. She was so excited to have her friends come sleep at HER house! Lomi and Eva, her little friends, are also from Kamahi Ethiopia. Its so special that these three will get to grow up together and share that special bond of being from the same village. We eat dinner over at Lomi and Evas house then headed home for all the GIRLY festivities to begin. We played dress up, they took a long warm bubble bath and they showed me how they can be mermaids, then we painted our nails and toes for the 4th of July and finished our evening up by watch a Ballerina movie before we all crashed. It was a lot of fun. And a very different pace from the raging light saber wars and wrestling matches that have gone on during previous sleepovers:) 
 The next morning we got up and the girls continued to play "House" and Princess! While they played, I worked on some Pinterest projects for the days celebration. See below. My cakes-in-a-jar didn't turn out so cute but they were YUMMY!!!  My kids ate the rest for breakfast today! HA!!
 That night we went out to my mom's for a burger cookout and some fireworks. The 4th is always so much fun with the kids. They LOVE the fireworks. I was a little nervous about Emme since this is her first year around them but, she LOVED them! And what July 4th is complete without yummy homemade ice-cream?!! My favorite!!
I hope your 4th was as memorable as ours! Full of FUN, FOOD, FELLOWSHIP and GREAT MEMORIES!! 

Monday, July 2

Perk.

Do you ever have one of "those" weeks days where you are so busy at home that you forget everything you NEEDED to get done outside of the home like...let's see... drop things off at the post office or UPS Store or FedEx store... return something to a flooring center that you borrowed WEEKS ago.... Buy that special someone a graduation present (it's July and they graduated in May...yeah don't judge!)... Take you sweet husbands dry cleaning or your own for that matter... deliver Secret Sister gifts that have been sitting in your entry way for about 5 weeks? (shhh that may or not be me...I'm just saying') What about those days when all of your kids are sick and you have been at the Doctor for 5 hours (over half of that time wrestling with them in the waiting room) and you finally get home and get them all to bed for some much needed rest and you realize that you STILL have to get them all out and in the car while HOPING no one PUKES just to go get the meds?! Or what about those days when you have been stuck at the office from 8am - 8pm with no time left to get personal stuff done or delivered (or even important work documents delivered, mailed or faxed) ... or you are swamped with back-to-back appointments and your wife is stuck at home with puking kids and there are meds that need to be picked up and there are groceries that need to be bought. Or maybe you are in your Golden Years and you need some help running those errands like groceries, mail, dry cleaning, picking up meds or faxing things.

Whatever your situation is you know that you have had one of "THOSE" days. I have! My husband has! We ALL have! 

I may have the most perfect solution for you!! Let me introduce you to my sweet friend Katie.
Katie has one of the brightest personalities. She shines and splashes JOY everywhere she goes. She is fun. Genuine. Kind. Encouraging. And Perky. Phillip and Katie knew each other in High School and since college we have reconnected and her husband is now one of Phillips very best friends.  This couple share the heart of Jesus. They love people and they are always ready and willing to serve wherever the need may be. We love this couple! I know you will too! 

Katie and her Husband Charlie moved to Midland after getting married and graduating from McMurry University in 2008 (? is that right.. HA!) Anyway. After living here for a few years and working as a teacher and multimedia/marketing rep for a local church, Katie, noticed a need in her church and community. Many of her friends are busy moms, who either stay-at-home or work outside of the home and who simply do not have time to get all of their "extra" errands done. Or are struggling to get it all done. She also began to noticed that there are several businessmen and women who struggle with the same things.  Wether it be gift shopping, mailing, picking up and dropping of things or even grocery shopping. She also began to think about the need the elderly have. Like help with going to the grocery store and picking up their prescriptions.  She began to pray and think of a way to serve people in her community by giving them a little "extra" time. Thus Perk. was born. 
For only $40/hour during the 9am - 6pm time frame or $55/ hour before 9am or after 6pm you can get any of these services....
  • Gift Delivery
  • Grocery Shopping
  • Packing/Shipping
  • Pick-Up/Drop-off (Animal groomers, jewelry repair what ever the need)
  • Dry Cleaning
  • Gift Shopping
  • Pick-Up Drop off Prescriptions
  • Vehicle Maintenance
And soooo much more!!!!! I encourage you to visit her website and buy you some hours!! You will love this service and you will LOVE Katie!!!!