House

So, it's official. David and I are pretty addicted to the tv show House. Since we don't have cable, we usually watch it online. However, I discovered last night that I can rent different seasons of the show at our video store. Major Score! So, we watched a couple of episodes last night.

When I was really little, I watched Inspector Gadget and wanted to be like Penny. When I was a little older, I watched Matlock and wanted to be a lawyer. I also watched Murder She Wrote and...okay I never wanted to be Angela Lansbury so scratch that train of thought. I think that House is my grown up version of wanting to be a person who figures out mysteries. Plus, he's funny.

If you don't watch House, you should. (David and I have a dance we do to the theme music. I hope he doesn't read this blog because I'm not sure it's okay if I tell you all that!)

Pray

I'm sure that at other points in the life of my blog, I'll ask whoever is actually reading this to pray.....

But today is seriously a very challenging day. Please pray for me that I have strength and don't lose my mind. Please pray that it really gets into my heart that things on earth are temporary, so I should not freak out about them.

I appreciate it.

Grrr

I really don't like it when people talk down to me. Maybe I need a lesson in humilty or something. I just want to say, "Who do you think you are?" It happened to me recently, and I was steamed. I had to seriously bite my tongue. God, help me to have grace and wisdom to react in love to everyone. In the end, it is really about how I react and not how other people act.

Something New

This week, Pastor Mark challenged us at Remnant Church to each do something we've never done before. I'm totally stuck on what to do. I know that there are things I've never done before but am having trouble thinking of anything that is feasible right now that I can do in the next few days...any suggestions?

Confused

Have you ever been so sleepy you get confused? It usually happens to me when I wake up from a nap mid-day. Like today. I'm not a big napper because I can't cat nap. I have to get a solid hour long nap in for it to really be worth it. Any shorter than an hour, and I just get mad that I can't sleep more. Back to the confusion though. Sometimes when I wake up, I genuinely can't figure out where I am, what time it is, etc. Today was one of my rare nap days. When I woke up, David was getting ready to go out for a meeting he has on Sunday nights. I got really upset with him at first when I woke up because I thought I was supposed to go to the meeting with him and that he was just going to leave me there without waking me up. Does this happen to anyone else?

The Past 6 Months

This is it! Remnant Church is having our first Sunday morning worship experience this Sunday, January 18. WOW. I can't believe we are actually doing it. God is amazing. Over the past few months, the Remnant core team has grown and changed so much. We have had trials, unexpected hurdles, and some pretty challenging situations. Through it, I think we are all more in love with Jesus than ever before. I have literally learned to walk by faith. As a team, our level of leadership ability has increased greatly. I know that this is God's increase but also is due to our Lead Pastor, Mark McGovern. He is constantly challenging us to grow, give, and excel. Each person on our team has been really transformed since we moved to Cali. I really am in awe. So, thanks God! Thanks Pastor Mark! Thanks Remnant core team! You all mean so much to me.

Wedding ring

I love my wedding ring. I really do. Even though I've now been married for about 4.5 months, I still catch myself just staring at it quite frequently. David did a really spectacular job picking it out (with a little guidance from me about what I like!). It is my favorite possession in the world.

I think the real reason I love it so much is because of what it stands for. David is committed to loving, cherishing, and honoring me for the rest of his life. It is a covenant. It is also his heart for me. Even when I'm away from him, I am constantly reminded of him, and he's worth being reminded about all the time! Okay, enough blogging...I'm going to go stare at my ring again for a while. BLING.

Airplane Etiquette Part I: Smelliness

As a frequent flier for business, I have experienced just about everything on airplanes. Due to many of my not so positive experiences, I've decided that the general public could use a class in airplane etiquette. So, here is class #1. The topic is smelliness.

Yesterday on a flight from Sacramento to Minneapolis, I had the pleasure of sitting in the middle seat--not my favorite thing to begin with but usually tolerable. However on this occasion, the gentleman to my right smelled (very strongly, I add) like salami. Now, don't get me wrong. I really like to eat salami, a trait anyone from the east coast or Chicago probably shares. After 3 hours of overwhelming salami-smelliness, I may never be able to enjoy it again.

When you ride on an airplane, you will be enclosed in a small, not well ventilated area for at least an hour but typically several hours. People, please shower, wear perfume/cologne, brush your teeth, etc before hopping on the plane. It really goes a long way, and the 28 people crammed within 4 feet of you will be eternally grateful.

Another typical smelliness violation occurs when people bring smelly foods like raw onions on sandwiches or garlic on the plane. I know that it smells/tastes good to the person consuming it. To the rest of us, it pretty much just stinks.

So next time you think are going to the airport, please have some etiquette and avoid smelly situations for the sake of the noses around you.

The God Endeavor

I completely believe that life gets better and better as you walk with Jesus. However, that doesn't mean it is always easy or predictable. My boss used to explain bad circumstances that seem uncontrollable by calling life "the human endeavor." Basically, he meant that because we're dealing with people, we can't control everything and things won't ever go exactly how we plan. On a small scale, I agree. No one is perfect, so mistakes happen. I think the problem comes in that most people don't isolate the concept of life as "the human endeavor" to small issues. Instead, it becomes a frame for how people see life on a big scale.

We look at life as "the human endeavor" with each person at liberty to do what he or she chooses because we are individuals and can decide how to live our own lives. As the wise man Bon Jovi said, "It's my life." Right? Wrong. God never intended for us to go it alone making choices by ourselves. He wants to be intimately involved in our lives. He never wanted for us to live even for a second outside of relationship with Him. Life is only "the human endeavor" on a large scale because we have made it that way. I'm not saying living "the God endeavor" is always easy, but it's always good. I've never regretted a decision that I've made as I live in the presence of God. More and more I want to live "the God endeavor."

You Never Know

I know that this is only my second blog posting, but I'm going deep today.

So, I had a really strange experience yesterday. I was bored and on facebook--okay that's not the strange part. This is: A guy who came to a Bible study I was in years ago posted some pictures with captions demonstrating that he is now living as a homosexual. When he was in the Bible study and coming to church, I would never have guessed that it was something he was struggling to overcome. When he stopped coming to Bible study and church, I knew he wasn't really pursuing God. I didn't know where that road would take him though. I felt yesterday (and still feel) such a sense of sadness for this guy who is now living a life that is taking him far from God.

I guess what I got out of this whole situation was that you just never know what someone is really dealing with. I have such conviction to really pray for the people around me whether they are Christians or haven't received Christ yet. When we make choices that seem small at the time (like to stop attending a Bible study), I don't think we really anticipate where those choices may lead. It also makes me think, "What choices am I making every day that lead me to walk with God or to turn from Him?"

Okay, sorry if that was heavy. It just really shocked me.

My Secret

It's true. I have secretly wanted to start a blog for several months now. I think random thoughts that seem pretty profound or just very funny and then wish I had a blog where I could share them. I hesitated because I was a little insecure that no one would read or that I wouldn't have anything to say or I would start and then get too busy with life to really be consistent. But...it's a new year. I'm going to do it. So, whether anyone reads this or not, here it is.



Things I'm excited about in 2009:

• My first full year being married.


• Remnant Church, our awesome core team, and all of the amazing things God is going to do.


• The friends I'm (FINALLY!!!) starting to make here in Cali.


• ? It's a crazy life I lead. I'm never really sure what is about to happen, and it makes every day an adventure.

What are you excited about as 2009 begins?