A Taste of Abundance

So I'm realizing more and more that the concept of "what goes in must come out" is so true. For so long, I've thought that I was one of those lucky ones who wasn't overly influenced by the media that I listen to and watch. I have felt like extremes are definitely not ok for me, but that media with a little "bad" aren't really that bad. I am who I am and those things don't have a negative influence on me.

Well, I'm not so sure that may still be a LITTLE bit true but I know what is MORE TRUE. When I fill my mind with GOOD things, things that are "pure, love, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy", those DEFINITELY affect me in a POSITIVE way. I've been listening to a lot of worship music lately, memorizing scripture, reading my Bible, reading books, and watching less and less TV and listening to less and less negative music-and I find myself happier. More satisfied with my own life. I think media often times causes us to be unhappy with what we have because media puts great value on the things of the world. Things that temporarily make us happy. I've noticed that even things like Facebook can cause discontentment because it's easy to look at someone's pictures or statuses and to assume that they have it made or to be envious of what they have. And honestly, I'm just tired of those things that make me temporarily happy. I want a peace and joy and happiness that LASTS and that isn't dependent on my mood, my hair day, or how those jeans don't fit quite like they used to. I know that can be found in Jesus, and I'm going to start, with God's help, to try to grab hold of that because I think that's how God intended us to live. A life of abundance.

A Taste of The Word

So back at the beginning of the year, my sis challenged me to join a group of women along with Beth Moore to memorize two scripture verses per month. It's called the "Siesta Scripture Memory Team." I accepted that challenge and have been amazed how God's word has spoken to me during these last seven months. We are supposed to post our verses at the beginning and middle of each month on Beth's blog I think partially to help keep us accountable and also to be able to see what other sisters in Christ are learning. Sometimes I find myself drawn to a specific verse that I've read in my time in the Word. Other times I literally flip through my Bible to find a verse that I sometime in the last 10 years underlined in my Bible that stands out to me. And yet other times, on my REAL lazy days, I scroll through other verses that ladies have posted and pick one of those! Haha I'm being real with ya guys right now and admitting that I haven't "prayed over" which verses God would have me to learn each time. It is incredible though how, even though I probably don't have the greatest of methods in choosing my verses, God still has blessed me through this memorization (and sometimes summarization) of God's word. Almost every single verse has been exactly what I needed to focus on for those 15 days. And as I read back through the verses, they sometimes are impactful in a new way when I read through them and recall them again. God is so good to work through our imperfect humanity to meet us exactly where we are, isn't He? So I thought I'd share the verses that I've memorized/summarized thus far! ONE is missing because I forgot to write it down, whoops!

January 1, 2011
"And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you." 1 Thessalonians 3:12 The Message

January 15, 2011
"And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there." 1 Corinthians 7:17 The Message

February 1, 2011
"Then we'll be a choir-not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!" Romans 15:6 The Message

February 15, 2011
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift my soul." Psalm 143:8 NIV

March 2, 2011
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

March 15, 2011
Forgot to write this one down!

April 1, 2011
"God hasn't invited us into a disorderly unkempt life, but into something holy and beautiful-as beautiful on the inside as the outside." 1 Thessalonians 4:7 The Message

April 15, 2011
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1 NIV

May 1, 2011
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 NIV

May 15, 2011
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8 NIV

June 1, 2011
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

June 15, 2011
"I will thank you Lord, with all of my heart, I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done." Psalm 9:1 NLT

July 5, 2011
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2 NIV

July 15, 2011
"But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:18 NIV

I would really really really recommend a similar challenge to you. It is well worth the time and investment and I believe God will bless you for it! I thank my sister for challenging me to do this. I don't want this to be just a one year thing-I want to be memorizing and hiding God's word in my heart for the rest of my life. I very much believe that how we treat people is the overflow of our heart. I want my heart to overflow with God's love and His word is one place where He shares that directly with us.

A Taste of Noah

So Noah's hilarious and here's a taste of why. . .

"Ok Aunt Carrie. I can do a hand stand underwater for one minute. Ok, now count to 12." -Noah

"Hey! Aunt Carrie! Where are your tic tacs?" "My tic tacs?" "Yeah, those things that help you see better." -Noah

"Aunt Carrie, when are you going to get a husband?"-N "I don't know Noah. When do you think I should?"-C "On the same day that Daddy and Mommy got married." -N
"Noah, who do you think I should marry?"-C "I don't know his name, but someone who doesn't have kids yet."'-N

I hear Noah yelling from the bathroom. . ."Ummm, Aunt Carrie? I'm trying to get one of my poops out, and it's gonna take a long time." -Noah

"Aunt Carrie, Ive got a joke for you! How do escalators fly?" -N "How?"-C "With pixie dust!! Get it? Pixie dust!" –Noah

"Hey Aunt Carrie! We should go hang out somewhere. . .and talk!" -Noah

After reading the story of Adam and Eve to Noah. . ."Ok Aunt Carrie, Daddy can be Adam, you can be Eve, I'll be God, and Momma can be the snake!" -Noah

"I dont want to wash my hair, but Im going to cause God said to!" –Noah

"I need to exercise real quick. . .ok I'm done!" -Noah (after 15 sec workout this morning)

"Aunt Carrie, Im so glad you live with us now!" –Noah

"Noah, I know you're strong, but you're not going to be able to help us." -C "What are you lifting?" -N "Couches."-C "Oh! I don't do couches." –Noah

"He cares for you." 1 Peter Pan 5:7 –Noah

"I love you all the way up to the moon, all the way up to Jesus, past God, past Mars, past Rupiter, and inside the ground!" -Noah

"That's a really cool house!"-Me "You said it Aunt Carrie!"-Noah

"Hey Noah, you ok if we watch the movie at my apartment?" "I would be happy to!" -Noah
(these last two may not seem as cute but he just sounded like such a grown up on both of them)

A Taste of Ideas

IDEAS. CREATIVITY. PLANNING. ORGANIZING. HOSTING. THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX. All things I love. All things that I've found some way to do in each of my jobs. I wake up in the middle of the night with new ideas for things. I am inspired daily by random things and get new ideas for things. I have a funny magnet on my fridge that reads, "I'm not bossy, I just have better ideas." It's funny because although I do feel like God has given me talent in this area, it's also an area that I have to check myself on and not let me become prideful or to take away opportunity for others to develop this talent.

I feel like God put a desire in my heart for these things and has given me opportunities in each season of life to develop each of these. Student Government in high school and college. Summer camps in Colorado. Serving the community and church in Seattle. Working in a suspension program in Seattle. Behavior therapy in Nampa. RD @ Trevecca. BBBS in Nashville. Small Group in Nashville.

I feel like each experience has been enriched because of the opportunities that I had previously. I believe God prepared me for what He had next.

So, now I'm in Houston. So happy to be with family. Looking for a way to use these talents/passions/whatever you want to call them here and looking toward how God may want me to use these in the future. For most of my life, I think these talents have been used a little selfishly. I want them to be used to bring God praise.

It's funny because sometimes when I think of people who are serving God, I think that they have very concrete skills that God can use. Someone who can teach, preach, build, heal. My talents are a little more obscure. Someone who's creative. Someone who likes coming up with ideas. Someone who likes to host. Now I know God can use that just as much as someone who can preach, teach, etc. it's just a little trickier sometimes to know how or to know where to go with that. I have some ideas of some ways that I think God is laying on my heart, so I will keep praying and asking about those. I pray that each of you will be able to recognize what God given gifts and passions you have and will seek opportunities to develop them and to praise God with them!

A Taste of Singleness

Ok, let me preface this entry with what most little girls grow up doing and thinking. From a very young age, we start playing with Barbies and dolls and start pretending that we're dating Ken and going to a pool party or making dinner at our little play kitchen for our family and feeding our sweet non-crying baby. We make up names for our baby dolls and play house. We play MASH on the backrow of church and figure out who we are going to marry, what car we'll have, how many kids we'll have, and what kinds of pets we'll have. As we get a little older, we start watching movies and listening to music and all the messages we see and hear are that people aren't really happy until they have met Mr./Mrs. Right. Everywhere you look, there are messages that you aren't complete unless you are dating or married. For many of us, our parents got married at a fairly young age (mine at I think 22 or 23) and had kids before their mid-30s. Little girls who become teenage ladies who become young woman learn what's "normal" by both said and unsaid messages. "Oh, you aren't dating? Why not? Well why don't you try one of those online thingies, or wait, better yet, I've got the PERFECT guy for you!" It becomes people's mission to set you up with someone because they are convinced that you are missing out and can't be happy without that. Add to this that so many many many women struggle with self-esteem and we've got a pretty big mess on our hands people.

Here's my perspective on it all. God created us to be in relationship. Now I don't necessarily mean ROMANTIC relationship-for most people, I do think that God intends them to eventually be married and have that romantic relationship, but not all people. So, God created us to be in relationship and fellowship with others. He also, I believe, created us with a longing for completeness. I believe that He intended for us to find that completeness by having Him in our lives. Many of us though try to replace that longing with a romantic relationship which may well work for a while. But here's the thing; people make mistakes; people fail; people's love is not perfect. When we fill this void with human love, we end up falling short-maybe not right away, but eventually. I believe that only when we fill this void and am complete because of the Lord in our life, will we ever be able to fully appreciate and experience that love that He intended between a husband and wife. We won't be looking for that person to complete us. We will just share our life together and complement rather than complete each other.

Now, so I've come to believe this, and most of the time, I really am content and happy to be where I am in life, but then sometimes I look around and think "SURELY, those people aren't "complete in Christ" yet they found each other and are getting better and beginning life together. What's going on here God?" And this is when God reminds me that He never has let me down. He always has my best interest at heart. There have been many many many times when I thought that I had a great plan worked out for myself and God had other much better things in mind for me.

God knows the desires of my heart, and I believe has placed them there. If I am to be married someday, God's going to take care of that and all the details that will need to work together for that to happen. I don't need to put my life on hold while I wait for this. God has put me exactly where I am, with the passions and desires that I have right now, and has given me opportunities RIGHT now to use those and fulfill those-maybe in different ways than I had originally thought but in ways that will bring glory to his Name. So that's where I am. I believe that God uses each experience and time in our lives to prepare us for what He has for us next. I want to be completely where I am and taking advantage of the opportunities that God has for me here and the ways He wants me to minister to and love people.

Getting married someday? Being a Mom? Being a wife? Sure those are desires of mine. But being in the center of God's will and loving people and showing them His love. . .even more of a desire and something that I don't have to wait for opportunities to do because opportunities present themselves everyday-I just have to be sensitive to what God's telling me and follow his prompting.

A Taste of Reading

So growing up, in the summer my Mom would take us to the library, and I'd get AS MANY books as my Mom would allow me to get and the SECOND I got into the car, would start reading. I'd even read under my blankets with a flashlight after it was time to go to bed. I was such a book worm and couldn't get enough of reading. So along came high school and college with all of it's busyness and my passion for reading got forgotten. Well folks, I've rediscovered it! I think it started back sometime when I was in Nashville and had finished my Masters. I actually, now that I think of it, think that my passion was sparked by becoming a part of a book club which went by the name of SKOOBS (books spelled backwards!) A mutual friend, Leslie Jones, asked me if I wanted to be a part of a book club with her and a few of her friends. I decided that would be something fun and different to do, so I invited my roommate and we joined a group of four other girls. The group evolved and changed, but we kept meeting for about 2 years. The friendships, times, and discussions with those ladies was precious and such a great experience. In the midst of our book club, we also shared life together-joys, sorrows, challenges, and so much more. To this day I really value each of those lady's friendships-they are each such beautiful and unique women of God-they each have so much to offer the world. AND I realized just how many INCREDIBLE stories there are out there-fiction and non-fiction. Now I can't get enough of reading!

I even actually, don't have a TV in my house right now because I feel like I have the potential of wasting a lot of time watching stuff that really doesn't add value to my life. I'd rather be reading, spending time with people, working out, etc. I'm loving it so far! I got a Nook for this last birthday and although I definitely read paper books still, love the ease and convenience of the Nook.

Some books and authors I've read lately that I'd highly recommend:
Anything by Francine Rivers-especially the Mark of the Lion Trilogy & Redeeming Love. The Mark of the Lion series made me look at the New Testament in a completely different light as the stories are written during the time right after Jesus' death and talk about life in Corinth, Galatia, and many other cities. Redeeming Love is a book that once someone starts reading, they literally can not put it down-this is a great book even for those who typically aren't readers.

The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker-he's a new author I just discovered and this trilogy is one of the BEST I've ever read. So creative and well written and so many underlying connections with Christianity-similar to C.S. Lewis books. I want to read more of his stuff. I think he has another five or so books that are connected to this trilogy. (The Lost Books & The Paradise Novels)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is also a trilogy-I see a pattern here for me. I'm actually on the third book right now. So many twists and turns to these stories. Thus far, I've read for mostly pleasure but know that the stories bring up a lot of social issues and injustices that would be interesting to talk about with people. Very well written and can't put it down.

And then I've also been interested in books that talk about what's going on around the world and some of the injustices that people are facing as well as what people are doing about them. "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin was pretty incredible as was "Sold" by Patricia McCormick and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. Each of these stories are pretty heart wrenching at times but also very inspiring. It's hard to know where to start in how I can be involved because I do believe that the Lord calls us to "preach good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, and release prisoners from darkness." (Isaiah 61:1) I'm praying about that and trying to see what the Lord has for me. In the meantime, I'm going to keep praying and keep reading about what others are doing because I know that sometimes the Lord can speak through others and can ignite a passion in our hearts for the broken through this.

If you've got any book suggestions for me-bring it on! I've got QUITE the list already but always happy to add on a few more!

A Taste of Houston

So I've been in Houston for about 4 months now! It's hard to believe it's been that long! It's crazy what chain of events brought me to where I am now, hot and sweaty in my apartment in muggy Houston! I have ALWAYS dreamed of living close to my sister, especially when she had her first child, Noah, but honestly didn't ever really see it happening. But I do believe that God gave me this opportunity to live close to them and truely has blessed my decision to come to Houston. It's definitely not been an easy adjustment, but it truely has been a blessing, and I'm SO thankful for this time that I get to spend with my family. To say it's been fun to be around Noah and Briley in her first few months is an understatement. I don't know HOW I'll ever live far away from them again. It is so amazing to just be able to pop on by their house to hang out or say hi or get a good night hug and kiss from Noah. He is hilarious and so smart and cracks me up every time we are together. Briley is 2 months now and is so sweet. Being so close to my sister and bro-in law also is so wonderful. I guess I almost forgot what I was missing-living close to family-because I have for so long kind of been on my own. Having them so close brings a certain sense of home and security even in a new place where I haven't really gotten to know too many people yet. I pray that God will help me to truely cherish every moment I get to spend with them and to not take this time for granted. God has me here for a purpose, and I want to be a blessing to my family during this time and want to be able to show Noah and Briley how much I truely love them. I also have gotten the great opportunity to be one of the leaders for the 9th/10th graders at church and that has been such a blessing as well. Some of the conversations that I've had with some of the girls have reminded me the importance of being a good listener and being able to show someone that you genuinely care about them. They are amazing young ladies, and I hope that God uses me to be an example to them of a confident woman who loves God with all of her heart and uses me to encourage and challenge them in their relationship with God. God is definitely stretching me and teaching me a lot in this time. I'm trying to be sensitive to what He'd have me to learn. I believe that God uses each moment to prepare us for what He has for us next, but I also don't want to miss what He has for me right now as well!