Vacation's End

The week "vacation" is at an end as of today. It is always bittersweet when something good comes to a close, but nonetheless, I am very grateful for the time to have been away from the normal routine of life.

My hubby and I made the most of Traverse City despite the intermittent rain and clouds. After my training ended each day we hopped in the car and did some sightseeing. We ventured downtown to the shops and to Old Town, then up to Bower's Harbor and Mission Point. We enjoyed delicious food, the beauty of vineyards and cherry trees, and spent quality time together being silly and adventurous. On our way back to Ludington, we took scenic route M-22 which is just an absolutely gorgeous ride along the lakeshore. All in all, it was a great time, and we've been able to recuperate at our "home away from home" these last couple days which has been fantastic considering a busy week is upon us at work and at home.

One of my favorite parts of my little vacation was being able to read another book. Yesterday, I finished "Do You Know Who I Am?" by Angela Thomas. I had never read her before, but when at the bookstore recently, felt compelled to pick this book up, and I am so glad I did. Her words combined with Scriptures really spoke to my heart. There were twelve chapters in all, each addressing a different question and every answer points to a different aspect of Jesus. To summarize...

He is worthy.
He is my God who sees.
He is my comfort.
He does not grow weary.
He is my sufficiency.
He is my Savior.
He is here.
He is my strength.
He is generous.
He is my King and Father.
He is my Redeemer.
He is my hope.

To this Jesus girl, these reminders of who He is in my life are exactly what I need with everything that has been going on. I am clinging to these truths and His Presence. I cannot get through life without Him. I know the anxiety and insecurity I've been facing are bumps in the road and will eventually pass as long as He is close to me. I am so blessed for the time to be able to soak in this book and in His Word. I pray I would be strengthened, uplifted, and motivated by these truths of who Jesus is in my life to fulfill the purposes to which He has called me.

That is it for today. We are going to pack things up and head back home shortly to get things around for the coming week. I am praying that my refreshment from this past week will carry forth into my home and work life. I need my Jesus. I know He is here with me. I thank Him for being my Rock and my Redeemer, my salvation and my hope. He is my God. I will love Him and praise Him my whole life long for what He has done and who He is!

Happy "Vacation!"

I'm not always one for surprises, but there are some (big and small) that just make life so sweet. We are back at our home away from home this weekend and had originally planned to head home this afternoon so I could work tomorrow. Well, because I have a training up north Tuesday through Thursday, which is about 40 hours altogether, I found out that I actually get Monday (tomorrow) off! Yippee! So, we get an extended period of time here and then we only have to go about 2 hours north of here for my training and then we can come back down here for next weekend. It's my summer vacation! LOL! It works out so well because my husband had taken the whole week off and wasn't all that thrilled about having to go back home for just one day, but now we don't have to do that and oh, what fun and relaxation we will enjoy!

This extended time away is such a blessing from God. It seriously couldn't have come at a better time considering all that I've been going through recently. Sometimes I think everything just sort of catches up with you all at once. Out of the blue, it can just feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, even though you look around and everything feels and seems perfect. There's no one explanation for it, it just seems to be everything culminating into one big something. This has been me lately. I think everything that I've experienced in the last year - the changes in living, health, and jobs - have finally sunk in and my body has been reacting to all the pent up stress. I'm a person who tends to stuff it all in and keeps going, going, and going. The problem with this, it gets to a point where you can't stuff anymore down and all this stuffing causes things to get off balance and then BOOM! It hits me - mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually - and I need time to sort it all out and release it all to God. (If only I could learn to do this sooner!) That is my hope over this week. I need to let things go; to be emptied of anything not of God. I need to release my desire for control to the Lord and let Him take over. I need to get my balance back and feel clear-headed, focused, and in tune with His presence. No more going through the motions. No more striving. No more lack of faith. Give it to God. Experience His love, grace, mercy, and redemption. And be fully alive in Him again. This is my prayer.

I finished my 40 day journey through The Purpose Driven Life this morning over a hot cup of vanilla coffee and the sound of raindrops falling from the trees onto the roof of my RV. (I love that sound - it's actually very calming.) I really learned a lot from reading that book. I had attempted to read it through in the past, but always ended up stopping for some reason. Looking back, maybe it wasn't the right time for me to read it. It's a full 40 days of discussing the five purposes for your life and I think you have to be ready for that kind of message. I think I'm finally at a point in my life that I can appreciate what the book had to say and definitely feel that it opened my eyes to understand the life I am called to live in Christ. To summarize, the five purposes for my life are to...

1) Bring God pleasure. (Worship)
2) Be a member of and participate in God's family. (Fellowship)
3) Become like Christ. (Discipleship)
4) Serve God. (Service)
5) Be on a mission. (Mission)

The book ends of this note that I need only focus on God's purposes for my life, as opposed to my plans, because His purposes are what will last forever. That's really something I need ingrained in my head. I lose this perspective all the time. I'm so structured and planned and organized, and these are definitely strengths and things God wants me to use for His glory, but so often my nature is to focus all of my attention on the plans and I end up losing complete sight of Him. I can only imagine the number of things I have missed out on because I have been so focused on my plans and not God's purposes. I don't want to live that way. I want to live out loud for Jesus and be His girl - all of my heart, all of my soul, all of mind, and all of my strength - fully committed to Him! I want it to be said of my life that "[Hannah]...served God's purpose in [her] own generation." (Acts 13:36a)

In other news, my dad and his girlfriend are now officially engaged! I am very happy for both of them. They have been together three years and our families have definitely become one in the course of that time, so it makes sense that this would be the next step for them. I'm really happy that my dad has found it in himself to be happy and trusting again. I know it's been a hard process for him, but he's persevered and overcame so much, and for that I am grateful and even inspired. It's great to see those you most care about in life truly happy.

Well, I suppose that is all for this post. I am so looking forward to the coming week - spending time with my God, my husband, my family, and all in the beauty of the great up north - does it get any better than this? Life is GOOD! God is GREAT!

Scripture Memory Verse #12

Just checking in quickly to share my Scripture Memory Verse #12...this is the half-way point...woohoo! So cool to flip through my spiral notecards and see all the verses I've been focusing on this year. Memorizing God's Word has greatly encouraged me to develop a more intimate relationship with Jesus and the more I draw closer to Him, the more He draws closer to me and this has been a tremendous blessing to me!

Here's my verse for the next 15 days...

Psalm 62:1-2, NIV
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

This passage means a great deal to me right now. I think all the changes I've been through the past year have finally caught up with me - I've been sort of teetering on the edge of burnout - and I know a lot of it has to do with the pressures I put on myself to do this, do that. I'm really trying to just trust God for everything and rest in Him, hence why this verse is so perfect for this season. In God, I am NEVER shaken. He keeps me firm and secure, and this knowledge is wonderful! I'm sticking with Him, no matter what!

Happy June!

I've been trying to get on my blog the past few days and for some reason, the usual route of getting here has not been working. But I have somehow defeated the odds today, and alas, I'm able to check in and say "hello!"

It's already June - hard to believe this year is essentially half over - how time is flying! And because it's a new month, that means I have a new scripture memory verse. This time I'm focusing on a well-known verse, but one that I believe is essential in getting me to my ultimate goal in life: a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus.

Mark 12:30, NIV
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

I know that in order to love Jesus more and become like Him, I must surrender my heart (my core, inner-self and all of my affections), my soul (my physical life and self-concept), my mind (my ideas, viewpoints, and perspectives), and my strength (my abilities, talents, gifts, and physical powers) to Him. In doing so, He makes me whole, complete, and life becomes more beautiful and wonderful! Hallelujah - He is GOOD!

That is all for today. I've added a few pictures to this post of the first sunset of summer at our great up north destination. The beauty and creativity of God never ceases to amaze me!

Blessings!

Oh what a beautiful morning!

The weather the last four days has been absolutely glorious! I have been able to plant my flowers and enjoy the outdoors of my home to the fullest - it's FABULOUS! I am currently sitting on my back deck, enjoying the sounds of birds chirping and reveling in all the green leaves that surround me - I love this country life I live!

This has been a really good week for me - productive and relaxing. I've actually been on call since Monday so it's always a little tense and you never know when your phone will ring. BUT, despite this, it's been great! And this weekend has just been pure joy. I've been up early which means I've accomplished the necessary tasks early enough to not impede on the rest of the day and as I said before, the weather has been fantastic so I've really been able to just enjoy being outside for a change.

I had dinner with my good friend twice this weekend, and might I also add that both Friday and Saturday nights we indulged in turtle sundaes...yes, we did! And they were mighty good, although I wouldn't have minded more caramel, fudge, and pecans...but I'm just sayin...LOL! I love this season and all the good food and desserts that come with it. I'm not overindulging either - I am still sticking to my guns with my diet and exercise routine while this foot heals - but I'm also trying to enjoy these things too. I'm a person who thrives on balance and I know well enough to not go too crazy, and fortunately I haven't backslided and have continued to maintain my healthy weight, so PRAISE GOD!

I started reading The Purpose Driven Life a little over a week ago. The last time I spoke to a trusted spiritual mentor at church, she had mentioned that I might consider reading this book as I continue to seek and grow in my relationship with the Lord. I've actually owned the book for quite some time, but never got past Day 8 for some reason...I just must not have been ready for the content or something. I'm happy to say that I'm currently on my twelfth day and I'm really enjoying it. I just read one chapter a day and by the end, will have done this for a full 40 days. I hope to come away with a deeper understanding of who I am in Christ and what His purpose is for me by the end of this 40 day journey.

Summer tends to be more relaxed for me. My activity with the church tends to slow down a bit, as I like to recuperate after two full sessions of study and leadership during the fall and spring seasons. But just because my activity slows, doesn't mean I want my relationship with God to grow stagnant. I'm really praying that my relationship and friendship with the Lord would grow tremendously over these summer months and that I would be drawn into deeper intimacy with the God of my life. I'm really craving God - I've even come to think of myself as a Jesus Girl - I just want ALL of Him to envelope ALL of me! My aunt and I are actually looking to do a book study together starting late June. We're going to read Margaret Feinberg's "The Organic God" and I'm super stoked about it. I've only read one of her books to date, so I'm looking forward to checking out more of her material. I'm prayerful that my aunt and I will learn a great deal, and not only grow closer to God, but to each other as well. It's such a blessing to have a spiritual friend in my family!

I've included some random pictures as part of this post. These are the little things in life that bring me joy. It's part of that process of me becoming more transparent and living my life out loud and in the open. I think to be genuine is to be open with ourselves, others, and God about the things we like, dislike, etc. It can be difficult at times, but I think it's also the best way to be.

That's all for now. Time to enjoy this exquisite sunshine and warmth! Happy Sunday!

Scripture Memory Verse #10

Just a quick post to share my 10th Scripture Memory Verse...

John 15:5 (The Message)

"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing."

Made it through another week and ended it by going up north for the first time this weekend. Got everything opened up and cleaned. Looking forward to going up for the long Memorial Day weekend in two weeks and really having the time to enjoy it!

My husband took me to go see Soul Surfer last night, and wow! What a great movie that was! I was grocery shopping this afternoon and picked up the biography of Bethany Hamilton, under the same title, and am looking forward to learning more about her and her story. She is a true inspiration, especially for young women and really for all of us who have experienced hardship and asked, "Why me?" It really got me motivated for starting to run again after I heal from this foot injury and training for a half marathon. Bethany's hard work and determination, against all odds, really is testament that with God, nothing is impossible! (This actually applies to my memory verse too...gotta love it!)

Well, that's all for now. Making homemade tomato soup for dinner and trying to relax before the start of another week! Good evening!

Beauty in Bloom

Just checking in...it's an absolutely beautiful sunny day! Aside from going to church this morning, I've just been relaxing - journaling, reading, and napping - taking the time to rest and be refreshed in the Lord's beauty. It has been wonderful - I definitely needed some time to just chill out for a change.

In the past two weeks, everything has just started to pop to life up here. These pictures are of just things in our yard to document our first spring at the new house. It's hard to believe it's almost been a year since we closed on this property and officially made it our home. It's such a sanctuary compared to where we were before - I'm so blessed for the beauty of not only our home, but the country life around us. There's nothing like waking up and being able to watch the sunrise over the field across the street like we did this morning - a stretch of pink and a bright orange fireball in the midst of it to give us an invigorating start to the day and a reminder of God's majestic nature. It's awesome!

I'm still in the healing process with my broken foot. It's been sore, but I think that's part of it getting back to where it needs to be. Wearing the boot makes it easier to get around, but can make it almost too easy to overdo it as well. After a few days of "go, go, go" it takes a toll and I get to the point where I know it's time to take a break and put the foot up. I continue to pray that it heals and gets stronger everyday so that I can get back to the activities I love and miss so much, especially with this lovely weather. I am definitely more appreciative of my ability to run and be active since having this injury. Being broken seems to put everything, even the tiniest details of our lives, in perspective. I'm learning that it is when we are broken (metaphorically or literally) that we are most open to God and the wholeness that only He can provide. It allows us to get to a point where all we can do is look up to Him and accept the invitation He offers and what a life changing invitation that is! The things I've been learning and receiving from Him the past few weeks have been transforming. I want to keep moving forward in this direction of constant communion and fellowship with Him even after my foot heals. I've realized that my priorities need to be Him in first place, my marriage in second, and everything else after that. As I do that, He puts me back together - whole and complete in Him!

That's really all I have for today. I just felt the need to post a little something. I'll be headed up north for the first time next weekend and am looking forward to the get-away. It's almost Memorial Day and I have much to do to get our place in order for the summer months ahead. I can't wait to be on the lake, enjoying the scenery and peace and ice cream...LOL! It's going to be wonderful - I can feel it!