Just wanted you to know

I found out a few nights ago that a very dear Christian woman went home to the Lord. It was quite a shock because we haven't even seen each other in probably 10 years. However, I am eternally grateful to her.

When I was a freshman in high school, my friend Liz invited me to attend a Christian youth conference called Acquire the Fire. Her mom, Laurie, took us to the conference. Even though I had been to church sporadically as a child, I had never heard about the need for a relationship with Jesus. I gave my life to Christ at that conference. I spent quite a bit of time with Liz and her family during that year or so of my life. I had never seen what a Christian family looked like, and they provided such an amazing example. Even now when I think about how I want my own family to look one day, I imagine them. Her death has really made me reflect on how beautiful the promises of God are. He is faithful and true. His word stands forever. I am excited to see her in heaven one day. She will be greatly missed here and now though.

I wrote to her shortly before she passed away to let her know what an impact she had on me. Kind of a "Just wanted you to know..." moment. It made me think, "Why didn't I do this before?" I guess I'm learning to express my heart to those who are important to me. Laurie's death was unexpectedly hard for me. It also made me reflect on the legacy that I want to leave behind. Hers is so marked by impact for Jesus. How amazing!

So, that was a lot. I would love to hear your reactions and thoughts on any or all of it.

One Year

Wow. David and I will have been married for one year on Sunday, August 23. I can't believe it has already been a year, and yet, it seems like it has been so much longer than a year. I decided to write a top 10 list of things I've learned about marriage and David...here it goes:

10. Being married to the right person is a natural step. (People told me before marriage how much we would have to work through and deal with in order to get along. That wasn't the case for us. We just fit together after marriage. It has been easy.)

9. Being married to your best friend is fun. (Of course we argue once in a while, but it has been the most fun I've ever had living with anyone. Everything is better when I am with him.)

8. David snores only if he goes to sleep with his arms flung up over his head. (At first, I was polite and waited a while to see if he would stop snoring. Now if he lays down with his arms above his head, I make him move them right away.)

7. Dating after you are married is important. (Even though we see each other all the time, we still need isolated, concentrated time that is designated just for being with each other.)

6. David knows how to have a good balance in life of work and relaxation. (I tend to work myself really hard and then crash and not want to do anything. He understands the importance of pacing life, so you enjoy it along the way.)

5. Serving someone is much easier when you really love them. (I don't mind doing chore-like tasks for him. I don't mind doing chore-like tasks for him that I don't even want to do for myself.)

4. You need to splurge once in a while. (I totally understand financial constraints. It has been, by far, the poorest year of my life financially because of the wedding, move, and cost of living increases. However, we've found little ways to splurge and just treat ourselves. It's important because you just need to feel a little special every once in a while.)

3. God is the glue. (I cannot understand non-Christian marriages. I don't understand how they survive. David and I have a common view of life and marriage because we have a standard to look at in the Bible. We learn to love each other through God.)

2. David eats a lot. (I have had to adapt the amount of food I cook. I cannot cook just two portions because we are two people. David eats at least twice what I do...easily....and is still not full.)

1. Falling in love isn't just for people who are dating. (I am so much more in love now than I was even a year ago. My love for David is deeper, richer, and more powerful than I knew a year ago that it could be. I know more and more how blessed I am to have such an amazing man as my husband.)

I'm excited for our second year together!

Advice

Alright my blog friends, I need some advice.

Several years ago, I had one of those very best of friends kind of friends. She was (hopefully still is) a Christian. We had some pretty strong disagreements about the paths we were each taking in life, and slowly, our friendship just dissolved. It got to the point that she didn't even invite me to her wedding, and we haven't been in contact for at least 4 years.

I was looking back through some pictures and kind of got nostalgic thinking about all of the fun we had and how close we were. Now, I'm wondering if I should try and get in contact with her. It is a situation where the hurt caused was very deep. I have forgiven her, but I don't think we would ever go back to being how we used to be. Too much has been said. Is it worth trying to find her to let her know I love her and hope everything is okay? Should I just let it be? I don't want to find her only to make things weird or hear that she doesn't want anything to do with me now.

What do you think?

Sweet Spot

At Remnant, we refer to your sweet spot a lot. It's the intersection of your unique gifting, abilities, and talents, with what God has called you to do. Your sweet spot is the place where you find yourself happiest, most productive, and most successful.

For some people, sweet spots are obvious. They just know that they are supposed to be a _____. (Whatever career, life path, role in the church, etc you can fill in there.) For others of us, me included, it's a little trickier. I've never been quite sure how I fit. I'm good at a lot of things but not necessarily passionate about them. I can do a bunch of different roles, but I don't feel like I'm really called to any of them. Every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of myself doing something sweet-spot-ish. I can tell because it's when I really feel fully alive and time just flies. It's never anything that lasts though...just a passing activity or moment.

I think a lot of Christians get burnt out because they are operating outside of their sweet spot. They are filling a role or doing a job for one of the following reasons: Someone asked them to do it, they like the prestige/honor/blessing that comes with a doing it, they think they don't have any other options so they might as well do it. I am pretty sure that I have tried to make different areas my sweet spot for all of the reasons above. Take it from me. You won't be satisfied. You will eventually get frustrated, bored, or apathetic because you are doing something God never intended.

I'm still on my journey to find Lara Alyson Jackson's sweet spot. Now, I'm hunting for those sweet spot moments and trying to figure out how to cobble them together into something permanent. I'll let you know when I figure it out.

What's your sweet spot?

The Garden

Lara to David: Ooh these grapes are good! Try one. (I hold a grape to his mouth.)
David: (Eats the grape.) Those are good....I just had a flashback to Adam and Eve.

LOL.

A weekend with no plans...

Glorious. I have been going fast and furious lately, and I am sooo excited to literally have nothing on my plate for this weekend. Things I do want to do: go out for Saturday breakfast, go to the gym, vacuum and dust the house (I've made a commitment to vacuum and dust every other weekend and then clean the bathrooms and mop on the other weekends. It makes me feel good to keep the house clean!), go for a walk in the park near our house, and paint my toenails. I'll probably end up doing some laundry and grocery shopping in there somewhere, but such is life.

What are your favorite plans for weekends when you don't have any plans?

Jesus Culture

So, I recently attended Jesus Culture....check it out here if you are unfamiliar with what it's all about: http://www.jesusculture.org/. It was pretty much amazing. Here is how I can best explain it using incomplete sentences:

1. People my age and younger who are passionate about Jesus.
2. Music that is off the chain. Seriously. How do that many amazingly talented people all gather in one location? (oops...part of that was a complete sentence)
3. Miracles--lots of people unleashed to pray for strangers in public with huge expectations=God shows up.
4. Bill Johnson. Enough said.
5. Large numbers of men wearing deep v-neck shirts and/or skinny jeans. (Don't understand? Come to Nor-Cal and you will.)
6. Revelation being dropped like it's hot.
7. Seeing people get rocked (by God) and all of the funny things that happen when that happens.
8. Learning that God is not good at hiding...just ask me and I can explain.
9. Remembering my personal call and what God has made me to be passionate about.
10. Kim Walker, Chris Quilala, Joel Houston--yes from Hillsong. Again, enough said.
11. Soaking.
12. Creating a personal history with God--what you do in secret sets you up for what God wants to do in public.
13. Lots of people with very cool haircuts. (I've made a resolution to soon shed my mid-western-ness, and do something crazy with my hair.)

That's it in a nutshell...love to tell you about it if you want to hear! (How can you really write an adequate blog about a 2.5 day all out Jesus-fest that totally refreshes you? I'm not sure it's possible.)

P.S. Buy the new Jesus Culture CD "Consumed." You will not be disappointed!