MB (who I listed earlier in the list) went to Nac this week for a few weeks. She and I have been talking about good times at SFA lately... so in lieu of all of that, let's take some time to be thankful for SFA memories

A lot of these people, sadly, I do not keep in touch with anymore. Even still, they made an impact on my life, which I am thankful for.

0160- Sarah Pierson- one of the first people I met at SFA. She took me in immediately and was one of my best friends during my time at SFA.

0161- Allie Brill - what a hoot! Her sweet spirit never went unnoticed. And her heart for others is inspiring.

0162- Kodee (Zachariah) Roraback - I was often envious of her care free attitude! She was always so kind.

0163 - Sam Hughes - He had a heart as big as the planet. I loved nothing more than to sit down with him and talk for hours.

0164 - Zach Wood - Talk about a character. His witty remarks could make me smile on the worst days.

0165- Landon Sandy - I haven't talked to that kid in a couple of years probably. But I feel like I owe a lot to him. He and I were Care Group partners my sophmore year. He burst my little Christian bubble REAL quick, which I am very thankful for.

0166- Sean Massengale - Another one I haven't talked to in a couple of years - but I had plenty of good times with him

0167 - Caleb Canter - Who wouldn't want to marry that guy...seriously

0168- Lauren Radtke - One of my dearest friends the last couple of years. Her quiet attitude did not go unnoticed. She may be a few years younger than me, but she spoke plenty of wisdom into my life. I miss her

0169 - Clay Stephens- Man I miss that guy. He is another one that could cheer anyone up on the crappiest of days.

0170- Lerin - I really got to know her my last year, and I regret not taking the opportunity sooner.

0171- Erinne - WHO DOESN'T LOVE THAT GIRL! Good times are always had with her

0172- Kyle Worsham - He's another one that I could sit and talk with for hours...and did.

0173- Terell - What a beautiful and fun lady!

0174- Covin - I have no words

0175 - Alexis - I see her as being so wise! I wish we could have been better friends

0176- Rob Ramsey - The nights spent at the 431 are countless, as are the good times had with this guy

0177 - Shawn Berry - I never knew him THAT well, but I remember a few times, he would call out of the blue, just to see how I was doing. What a nice guy

0178- Keith Dailey- Though we haven't spoken since probably my junior year, I can't talk about SFA without mentioning him. My freshmen and sophomore year were filled with many good times with this guy.

0179- Bryant Davis- We were off-and-on friends... by both of our admissions. But he is always so much fun to hang out with. I loved my senior year when he would come over, we would watch a movie, then take Belle on a walk.


That's it for now... maybe more later..

You've missed me...haven't you? Christmas has kept me busy. But lo and behold, I return.

0146 - Jesus - total understatement...but how amazing that God came down to OUR level so WE could be saved

0147- Dinner with Joel and Erica - Liz and I went over to their house last week. It was such a sweet time of catching up. I love them...and their kids

0148- MY SEWING MACHINE! - that's right.... I got a sewing machine for Christmas...and I'm officially obsessed now

0149 - a WHOLE WEEK with Liz- Last week was amazing.. getting to hang out with her everyday!

0150 - My dad's (fairly) new job as a bus driver - He is a different person now.... in a good way

0151 - Heidi taking time to show me how to use my sewing machine!

0152 - Sweet times hanging out with my mom

0153 - Old school friends get-togethers- We make a point each Christmas to all get together. For some of us, it is the one time a year we see each other, but it's always great.

0154- HANNAH AND ELISHA GOT ENGAGED!!!

0155- I talked to Lindsay on Christmas Eve- I always love talking with her....on the other side of the world

0156- FREE SEWING PATTERNS ONLINE!! YAY!!!

0157 - I got to talk to Zach Wood today- Gosh I love that kid. Plus, now I can say that I know someone that works for the Discovery Channel!

0158- White chocolate mochas from Starbucks- it's a rare luxury, but truly loved

0159- A night out with Maribeth and Liz Rodriguez - much needed and fun

It's been a week... and don't deny it...you have missed me. So here we go...

0121 - Firefox's tabs. It's a genius idea and I love it.

0122- Music - It has such a powerful way of speaking to the depths of my soul.

0123- Kevin Wooley - He gave me the (last minute) opportunity to sing a solo at church this morning! I was so nervous that I thought I was going to pee my pants and pass out at the same time, but it was good.

0124 - My FAMILY - I know I have mentioned them before, but they drove to sulphur springs in the wee hours this morning to hear me sing and that meant a lot

0125- The Lottie Moon Post Office at good ol SGBC - it raises money for missions and it is just so fun!

0126- MY PARENTS FINALLY PUT A TV IN MY ROOM BACK HOME!!!

0127- One last week with Amy- we went to Cicis, braums, watched a movie and just hung out for one last week

0128 - Words with Friends- I'm obsessed

0129 - Certain Dri - what can I say? I sweat... but this has worked WONDERS!

0130 - Bruce Welch - He answers many of my questions...both silly and serious

0131- Chris Sammons - Can't talk about answers to questions without mentioning Sammons. I can't even begin to add up the hours spent at the BSM talking with him about whatever was on my mind.

0132- Laughter- It has to be the medicine of the soul

0133 - Hats- such an easy way to get on with my day when I don't feel like taming my hair

0134- My Ipod tape deck in my car - with no radio, it's nice to keep the music going

0135 - Lindsay - my roommate from college - I learned so much from her and her friendship has meant so much to me.

0136- my ability to knit - it makes for cheap and relatively easy christmas gifts

0137 - Email - I check mine obsessively

0138 - Gorilla Glue - I just discovered it and I am already in love

0139 - Go Now Missions - What an awesome opportunity for college students to go on short term missions projects...and all set up by the Go Now team

0140 - Brenda Sanders- my mastermind behind Go Now... seriously, shes amazing

0141- Fabric Softener- I know I am spoiled, but I can't imagine what clothes would feel like without fabric softener

0142 - Belle- MY dog. Make no mistake, though she lives with my parents, she is MINE. I walk in the door and she FREAKS out because she is so excited to see me. I could be having the crappiest day, but she makes it all okay

0143 - Sunday night family dinners - some families from church (FBCSS) get together each Sunday night for dinner after church. This is one of my most favorite times of the week.

0144 - Larry Hughes- I love that man

0145- TWO WEEKS OFF!!!

0101 - The Dove commercials - they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

0102 - Slumber parties with MB - nothing is greater than sitting in your PJs chatting it up

0103 - Katy Reed - Spending a couple of days with her at the intern retreat made me realize what a cool girl she is.

0104- Katie (McGowan) Gravens - I don't know if she realizes the impact she has made on my life.

0105 - Sleep aid - I have been having trouble sleeping lately. But my sleep medicine is a God-send

0106 - The Intern Retreat- seriously... get us together and we get pretty mischievous. But I haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time.

0107 - The Notes application on my iPod - seriously... my life is on there

0108 - Team Tweeterphone - we dominated at EVERY GAME at the intern retreat..WHILE tweeting

0109 - Words with Friends - one of the latest games I downloaded on my ipod...and I am officially obsessed.

0110 - Glee Thursdays with Amy - Glee is over this season, and Amy is leaving this week... but for this semester, I always looked forward to watching Glee on Thursdays with her

0111 - Dr. Anderson - Today is his last day at FBC Sulphur Springs. His love for sharing Christ is awesome

0112 - My awesome brother, Bubba - he drives me crazy sometimes, but he does so much for me! (He did my laundry while I was at my retreat, then put my new license plates on!)

0113 - The search committee at church - For the past 18 months, they have been looking so hard for a new pastor, and Pastor Mark comes next week!

0114 - Adam and Suzie Hailes - They are living the Gospel...and are such an inspiration to me and so many others.

0115 - Cheryl - She is such an amazing example to me. And she listens to me time after time.

0116 - Brittany and Jeananne's tough questions - These two girls are always asking some pretty hard questions. But I love it. Because it challenges me.

0117 - Tupperware - 'nough said

0118 - My thick hair - I know sometimes I get frustrated with it, but I do appreciate that it's thick... I never have to worry about going bald!

0119 - Zumba - what a fun way to work out!

0120 - BSM Sleeping bags- I don't really know where they came from, but I can appreciate that there are sleeping bags that stay at the BSM...because I don't have one of my own, so I always use one of the BSM's

0081 - Joel Halpin - Joel has played a huge part in my spiritual life. He has been there to answer my random tough questions, encourage me, and just be a friend.

0082 - Jeremy McMahan - I remember vividly on a Wednesday night when we were sitting around after youth and he asked what I thought about Jesus. That was the start of my journey to Christ.

0083 - Free wifi- Seriously, if it wasn't for free wifi, I would want to cry during MANY meetings

0084 - Erica Halpin - I have watched her for many years and I have learned so much, like what a true Godly wife and mother looks like.

0085 - Deoderent - Really? Do I need to explain this one?

0086 - Jeananne's love for Scripture - The way she wants to REALLY dig in challenges me

0087 - Truett Cathy (Mr. Chik Fila) - There will no doubt be ChikFila in heaven

0088 - My Sunday school class for adopting a family - This is my second year with this class, and both years we have adopted a family to support at Christmas... I love it

0089 - The Christmas spirit - I love it... it just makes everything else better

0090 - Karmen Holland - She has been so kind to me, I cannot even begin to thank her enough

0091 - Brynette - My NEW MENTOR!! We met for the first time this week, and I am SO EXCITED to learn from her

0095- Ashleigh Inskeep - her heart for ministry is INCREDIBLE

0096 - Miss Campbell - My third grade teacher. She made me LOVE learning AND teaching

0097 - Clearance paint at Wal Mart - for a beginning crafter like myself, it is AMAZING

0098 - The Armstrongs and Litzlers - It was just brought to my attn that these two couples have expressed an interest to expand the college ministry at our church. We are meeting next week to talk about it and I am VERY excited.

0099 - Roy Smith - This man has my heart. Even if he is 83. He has such a heart for the Word and for sharing it ALL OVER THE WORLD! Seriously! He is in Siberia right now!

0100 - I AM A TENTH OF THE WAY DONE!!!

This week we have had our Leadership Team Christmas Party and our Christmas Banquet at the BSM... so I thought I'd share how I am thankful for each student on leadership team...

0071 - Katy Trela - She does a great job as President. She keeps LT focused and motivated.

0072 - Ashley Smith - her tender heart is something to be admired. She has such a servant's heart and attitude.

0073 - Bryce Burk - It's no secret that Bryce and I don't see eye to eye on much of anything... but I am very thankful that he is so adamant about his faith. And his ability to connect with international students is amazing.

0074 - Becky Burk - She does so well doing the "behind the scenes" stuff... and doesn't require recognition for it.

0075 - Heather Bowshier - Her love for the freedom in Christ is compelling. She has grown to mean so much to me.

0076 - Joanna Firth - One of the most independent people I know, but knows that she is nothing without Christ. And she connects with people in an incredible way.

0077 - Danny Sanders- I have LOVED getting to know him this semester. His passion for the Gospel is contagious. He GETS it. I don't know how else to say it.

0078 - Jared Horn - No doubt one of the most headstrong people I have ever met. His passion for internationals is very desirable. And he does a lot of the necessary work that noone really notices. Like tonight, after the banquet, he worked so hard to clean up....I appreciate that.

0079 - Lisa Mebane - that girl is a MESS! But I love her to pieces. I have LOVED getting to know her this semester. Her heart to truly KNOW Christ and make Him known leaves me speechless at times. Plus she's just hilarious

0080 - Andrew Hackler - No doubt the most servant hearted person on LT. I know I ask him to do a LOT, but he never complains. In fact, there are many times that he sees me doing something and comes and asks if he can do it. (Like tonight, I was putting trash bags back in the trash cans, and he just came and took the trash bags out of my hands and finished it for me) He is going to be one heck of a leader one day, as he is already showing great promise now.

0052 - My mom- she is one amazing lady. I hope I'm as cool of a mom as she is.

0053 - Random sleepovers with Amy - her house was full and cold last night...so she came over to stay the night...I felt like I was in 8th grade all over again

0054 - FBC Commerce- For allowing us to host a free babysitting night at their church last night!

0055 - The humor of 4 year olds - Why is it that EVERYTHING that comes out of their mouths is SO funny!

0056 - Lisa Mebane's southern twang - Seriously- I just hear her voice and it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

0057 - My web cam - Because of it, I was able to skype with Vanessa today and show her my apt!

0058 - Starbucks Vanilla Double Shots - They sell them at Wal-mart.... I'd be lost on early mornings without them.

0059 - The coffee bar at church - I always look forward to Sunday mornings when I can go get a cup of coffee from the coffee bar at church, doctor it up with sweet goodness, then enjoy it during Sunday school

0060 - Cruise control - The cruise control on my car has been out for the past few years and let me tell you, you don't realize how awesome it is til its gone.

0061 - Morning Scriptures that Maribeth texts me - it seems that many times, she has read my heart and sent the Scripture that I needed in that moment.

0062 - Modern day medicine - It is modern day medicine that is treating Vanessa, so I am VERY grateful to it.

0063 - Lindsay Palmer - Vanessa's sister. She was a bone marrow match and gave bone marrow to Vanessa (through a not-so-hot procedure)

0064 - SNL - Call me a sinner, but I love it

0065 - My pumice stone - Since giving up pedicures to sponsor another Compassion child, my feet look like Fred Flinstone feet. (And I'm WAY conscious about my feet anyways) - but thanks to my pumice stone, I can keep it under control

0066 - Lindsay, my roommate from college - I can't imagine what my last two years of college would have been like without her. She became a dear friend during that time. And I pray for her everyday as she serves in South Asia!

0067 - The BSM - seriously...it was the Lord working through the BSM at SFA that caused me to grow so much in my faith while in college. Now I get the privelege of seeing Him use the ministry of the BSM to push others towards Him

0068 - Hot water - Do you realize how blessed we are to have hot running water?

0069 - Spagehtti-Os - I mean really, when you are living on your own and you are broke so you can't go buy dinner, do you know how hard it is to cook a meal for just one? That's why I choose spaghetti-os

0070 - I'm thankful that I'm being challenged to come up with 1001 things I am thankful for. I have realized in the last few days how hard it is to come up with things that I am NOT thankful for. It has been nice to sit down and reflect on things I SHOULD be thankful for.

a special 51st

0051 - Liz Brown - my best friend of over 10 years. I could go on and on about her. And I will. In fact, today, I will just list how I am thankful for my dearest Liz. This week, I have grown to love her even more. She has had to deal with immense tragedy and heartache this past week. She lost someone very dear to her in a terrible way. But when I checked my mail this week, guess what I got? A card from her telling me how she is praying for me during this time when I miss Margaret. SHE WAS CONSOLING ME!

There's more...

She calls me this morning. Mind you, the funeral for Thomas Young was yesterday. So I wake up this morning to Liz calling me. I asked how the day went and all, then casually ask what she's doing (she sounded so chipper for it to be early). She said she was going to spend the day with Vanessa. Vanessa is a friend of ours from high school that is in Houston at M D Anderson getting chemo, only after receiving a bone marrow tranfusion last week. (please keep Vanessa in your prayers!) Today was the day Vanessa had to shave her head and Liz was going to be there with her. She said she wanted to "love her and hold her hand."

HOW SELFLESS CAN THIS GIRL BE??

All week, I have been bragging to everyone at the BSM about MY best friend. I am sure they are all tired of hearing how awesome Liz is after this week. But seriously, I am humbled to even know Liz.



And these are only a COUPLE of the OH SO MANY reasons I am eternally grateful to Liz.

0026 - Worship- Tonight we had all worship at the BSM... amazing

0027 - Band-aids - I cut the CRAP out of my finger today.... thank goodness I had a band-aid handy!

0028- My bed - I have had this bed for a LONG time...but I LOVE it

0029 - Tim Armstrong, Doug Boney, and good ol' Aravind - they came over today to help me decorate for Christmas (granted, I came home tonight and re-did some of it!)

0030 - Vaseline - i put it on my cuticles every night before going to bed. Besides making a big mess, it is much needed during this time of the year

0031 - Twitter - I was so against it for so long, but now, i LOVE it

0032 - The smell of cinnamon - I don't know what it is, but the smell of cinnamon makes me smile

0033 - Whoever thought of the rewards system on Chase Debit cards - seriously.... I'm MAKING money by SPENDING money!

0034 - The joy I get from wrapping Christmas presents - it makes me all giddy inside. I think about what each person's face will look like when they open the gift

0035 - Christmas songs, before they get overplayed - I love this time of the year, when Thanksgiving is barely behind us and Christmas songs are just starting to be played on the radio- once you hear that dumb Chipmunk Christmas song for the 139487387th time, you want to shoot your eye out with a Red Rider gun

0036 - The good people at Hulu - for allowing me and Amy to have "Glee Thursdays" in the office

0037 - Wireless internet - Seriously........ who would have thought 10 years ago that I could watch Grey's on my laptop in the living room while wrapping presents, then bring it back to my room while I lie down?

0038 - Friday morning coffee dates with Hannah - 'nough said

0039 - My iTouch - Not only do I play on it when I'm bored, but I keep my grocery list, my Christmas list, my to do list, and my calendar on there

0040- The moments when you are singing a worship song and one line just really resonates with you... and you just keep singing that one line in your head over and over - as if it was written just for you

0041 - COUPONS - Now I am not nearly as bad as my mom, but I can appreciate a good coupon!

0042 - God providing for my family - the past year has been rough....no sense in lying. But I look back and see how much God has provided for us, in so many ways

0043 - The Communities in Schools people- I mentored a girl all last year and a little this fall (before she dropped out because she got pregnant- guess i failed there!) but I started with a new mentee today.... and I really do appreciate what the CIS people do.

0044 - Nate Smith - he led our night of all worship tonight and he did an awesome job. Towards the end, he directed the students to take some time and pray for the campus. It was a special time.

0045 - Baptism - I was just thinking back to the special baptism service we had a few weeks ago at church and how awesome that was.

My friend Alexis is listing off 1001 things that she is thankful for! Over the past few days of reading her posts, I have been inspired to do the same...so here we go!


0001 - Heating- though I am not a cold natured person, I DO appreciate the heater being turned on when its cold!

0002- My apartment - I love that I live alone and I can do what I want when I want

0003- My family- they drive me crazy sometimes, but I would be so lost without them

0004 - Shoes - we take shoes for granted often, but TOMS has really opened my eyes in this regard

0005- Running water- i LOVE taking hot showers, and not everyone can do that

0006- My car, Gina - she may be old and she may be ugly, but by golly she gets me from point A to point B

0007 - My AWESOME friends- collectively, they are an incredible group of people that i am lucky to know

0008 - My job- i LOVE doing college ministry.

0009 - Craft blogs - my latest obsession. I print out so many projects and put them in my "to attempt" folder

0010- Goodwill- i can't mention craft blogs without mentioning Goodwill. So many of my craft-y attempts wouldn't be possible without Goodwill

0011- My straightener- ok, this may sound petty...but my straightener is the bomb.com...and my hair is wild...trust me, you WANT me to straighten my hair

0012 - Facebook- it helps me keep up with old friends, new friends, and ex-roommates that live on the other side of the world!

0013- The postal service- speaking of friends on the other side of the world, I am thankful that we have a postal service that allows me to send packages to the other side of the world.

0014 - Dollar Stores - enough said

0015 - Wednesday afternoons - I LOVE sitting down with Brittany and Jeananne and digging into the Word.

0016- My dishwasher- I am BEYOND thankful that I don't have to hand wash all of my dishes

0017- Texting - I texted all day everyday.

0018 - Chapstick- at this time of the year, I use it constantly

0019 - Heather, Ashley, and Brittany - they all came over at some point over the past two days to help me bake for my bake sale

0020- My WOM group - we all came together tonight and baked all kinds of stuff to sale..and made over 500 BUCKS! and it will all go to missions!

0021 - Spray paint - this goes along with my crafting...but it must be known, I spray paint EVERYTHING

0022 - Amy Hastings - over the past few months, she has become a good friend...someone I share a lot of good times and bad times with...I'm gonna miss her! (Plus she loves Goodwill too!)

0023 - Whoever puts Grey's Anatomy online - I'm obsessed. It's embarrassing how much Grey's I watch.

0024 - Gas prices - I paid 2.34 per gallon today. It's not ideal...but it's way better than the 4 bucks it was a couple of summers ago.

0025 - Razors - I HATE stubbly legs. I will get up in the middle of the night to shave just so I can sleep better... God Bless Mr Bic

Pray for the Sanctuary Fellowship

The following is an email I got from Liz regarding the devastating situation that has played out at her church, the Sanctuary Fellowship. I share it with you so you can know how to pray for the family, for the church, and for God to be glorified in this.


Dear Friends,


I wanted to write and ask you for your prayers. My pastor, Thomas Young, died Friday evening. As a friend, I covet your prayers. Pray for his wife, Erin, and their 3 children specifically Morgan(15), Graham(12), & Claudia(10). As you can imagine they are in intense pain. Pray for healing and understanding for the church members. Pray that Gods unending love is on the forefront of all our minds, that is all we really have. Pray for the staff as we make arrangements for the funeral and continue to lead The Sanctuary without our leader. Pray as friends and family of this man come to reconcile this with God. May our doubts and heartache lead to us knowing of God's suffering more.

We, as a church, have been OVERWHELMED by the graciousness of the churches and church leaders in Houston and around the US. We are blessed to be a part of a network of believes who know the body of Christ is not one group of people gathering in a building. The love of God is being poured over us throughout this time. Thank you for your words of encouragement and lifting up the family, friends, and our church members in your prayers. Check out the website, there are details posted and more to come. www.thesanctuaryfellowship.com Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The past is prologue,
Liz

Ministry Assistant
thesanctuaryfellowship.com

If you know me at all, you know I am obsessed with reading various blogs. Most authors of the blogs I read, I have never met and probably never will. One of my favorites is Ragamuffin Soul.

On today's post, Los, the author, posted a video from his time in Uganda will Compassion International. It shows Shannon, an American woman, meeting her sponsored child, Nukonga (I think). Shannon meets her child and throws her arms around him. It is beautiful. I cried.

Liz asked what I was watching and after I told her she said , "You should do that." (I sponsor a child in Tanzania. He just turned five and his name is Minifu. He is gorgeous. Maybe I could post a pic of him soon!)

My first reaction- "I can't. It would break my heart to love them and have to leave them there."

How embarrassing and terrible that this is my first reaction. I am more concerned with how it would make ME feel. When I get honest, in that moment, I would rather keep Minifu at a safe distance, as a picture on a postcard and an occassional letter than a real child.

But this is a real child.

200 POSTS!!!

I am here in Houston with Liz. I have heard so much about her church and her life group for so long, I was excited to get to experience it today.

Tonight, we were about to start the Bible study with her life group when they announced that one guy, Kenny, accepted Christ two weeks ago. HOORAY!!! Everyone was all excited about it (as they should be)! Someone asked Kenny if he had anything that he wanted to share. Kenny said something that was SO right, SO true, SO real. He said that now, he says that is now living on the "other side of the world." He realized that it was real, that it was genuine, and that it was something he needed. But that it was going to bring change. But he likes living on the "other side of the world."

The other side of the world...

So I've been on a hiatus...

...but I'm back...for now

It's the start of a new semester and it's been crazy already! Though it is absolutely exhausting, I LOVE the start of a new semester. All the excitement and anxiety is thrilling!

I decided to spend Labor Day in Houston, with Liz. It has been so good! I went to her church today, which I had been anticipating for a while. They were doing Communion. It was probably the most meaningful Communion service I have ever been a part of.

But one thing really stuck out. The pastor said at one point, "Some of us think that God got a deal when we became believers." I was like WHOA! How many times do I think that? How many times have I thought that God was awfully lucky to have me on His team.

Just a thought...

I recently read Tony Campolo's book "Letter to a Young Evangelical." He mentioned something in the book that has been stuck in my mind for quite some time now.

"I once heard a story from a young English evangelist. He told me about the day Charlie Peace, a well-known criminal in London, was hanged - February 25, 1879. The Anglican Church, which had a ceremony for nearly everything, even had a ceremony for hangings. So, when Charlie Peace was marched to the gallows, a priest walked behind him and said these words from a prayer book: 'Those who die without Christ experience Hell, which is the pain of forever dying without the release which death itself can bring.'
When these chilling words were read, Charlie Peace stopped in his tracks, turned to the priest, and shouted in his face, 'Do you believe that? Do you believe that?'
The priest, taken aback by this sudden verbal assault, stammered for a moment and then said, 'Well....I...suppose I do.'
'Well I don't,' said Charlie. 'But if I did, I'd get down on my hands and knees and crawl all over Great Britain, even if it were paved with pieces of broken glass, if I could just rescue one person from what you just told me.'"


I can't help but question if I would be willing to do that. No..not "would be..." More like "AM I willing to do this?"

How rich are you? >> I'm loaded. It's official. I'm the 624,392,883 richest person on earth!

This may seem like I'm pretty poor... But this puts me in the top 10.4% richest people in the world!

I had a bit of a personal revelation the other day.

I'm not going to lie.... it's been a bit of a rough year. I feel like things have been a constant rollercoaster. It is even more difficult when OTHER people make comments like, "You know, you really have had a crappy hand lately," or "Don't you just wish God would let up a bit?"

My gut instinct... YES!! Yes it has been kinda hard...YES I do sometimes wish God would let up.

But that's when my "AH-HA" moment came to me.

It's so easy to think that we somehow DESERVE to have it easy or good for a bit of time. I have cried out to the Lord before, begging for life to be easy before. But then I realized, what would be a sufficient amount of time for things to be good? At what point would I be able to turn to God and say, "Ok...you have given me what I deserve. NOW you can give me the tough stuff."

Let's say I thought I deserved six months of an easy life. And after that six months, God threw some curve balls my way. After I made it through that, I would probably ask God for more "easy time" next time. Maybe I would think I deserved eight months.

I am pretty sure that my selfish nature would cause me to keep asking for more time...no...asking is too nice... I would keep DEMANDING more "easy" time.

What gives us the audacity to think we DESERVE an easy life? Where do I come off thinking that?

I have been wrestling with this thought process for the past week.... just thought I'd share.

Saw this on another blog I read...It's definitely worth repeating...

This is Rolling Hills Baptist Church, Fayetteville, GA’s web banner on their website www.wheresthesteeple.org
Not the sexiest thing we have ever seen.
And you know what?
Who cares?

Rolling Hills Baptist Church, Fayetteville, GA
Their building and property is worth over 1.1 million dollars.
The church has a nice facility that is almost paid off.
The church owes less than one hundred thousand dollars.
The church has 1 million in equity.
The church has many families who have lost their homes and jobs.
The community is one that could use resources and money to help families in need.
The pastor and his congregation have decided to sell the church building and property to take care of his members and put roofs over peoples heads instead of their own on Sunday.

On October 5, 2008, the members of Rolling Hills voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining GOD in His redemptive work by selling her buildings and property, and using the proceeds to increase ministry and mission efforts in our community and beyond.

They are looking to lease a movie theater or something after the property sells.
Other churches have offered their facilities.
This is the church at work.
Pastor Frank is my new hero.
Bravo to you for doing what you most would never do.
Bravo for you for following in obedience.
May God bless you and your church richly.

This is the most backwardly beautiful thing I have seen a church do in a while.
I can only imagine what could happen if this became a trend.

While in Vienna, I had the most interesting opportunity I have EVER had to share about the grace that Christ offers.

Klaudia, our new friend who translated for us during the first week of camp, had my team over for dinner one evening towards the end of our stay in Austria. I knew a little of Klaudia's story, that she had grown up in the Catholic church (as most do in Austria). It was just a few years ago when someone explained to her what a relationship with Christ is about. Since then, she has turned her life over to the Lord. Her husband, Michael, was also raised in the Catholic church, but is still unsure about an actual relationship with Christ.

After dinner, we were sitting in their living room just chatting. Klaudia turned to me and said, "I have a question. I told Michael I would ask this."

I froze. I had no idea what it could possibly be. Questions and doubts about the Bible, Christ, Hell, and everything in between ran through my mind.

What came next was never expected.

"The death penalty... "

Wait... did she just bring up the death penalty?

I DEFINITELY wasn't prepared for this.

"In Europe, that may the most common idea of Texas, that you issue the death penalty. It has been outlawed here for quite some time. What do you think about it? How can a 'Christian' nation advocate this, especially in the 'Bible belt?"

WHOA...

I had to take a second and think about it. I didn't stop to contemplate my view on this touchy subject, but more so on who was listening. There was Klaudia, a well-educated woman fairly new in Christ. I had my team of five girls, all Texans (or close to it) who were, for the most part, just as shocked as I was at the topic. And there was also Michael, quietly listening in the back.

How can I say this without stepping on toes? I am completely confident that the Lord took over. I had an immediate peace and words just came.

I think I said something like this... "You are right in that most Texans support the death penalty. In fact, that is how I was raised. I am pretty sure that everyone else in my family still supports it. Heck, when I was a freshmen in college (in my naiveity) I did a speech in a class on the reasons to support the death penalty. But now, I do NOT support the death penalty."

You should have seen the looks on the faces of everyone in the room.

I continued. "It wasn't until just a couple of years ago that I really started to think about it. And it was only when it was put in my face and I was forced to read about it in the Scriptures and in various other books. You see, in Texas, we aren't taught that most other civilized countries have abolished this practice. I didn't know this until recently, when I found it for myself."

I proceeded to make the bold statement that it is my personal belief that if Jesus were here today, he wouldn't support the death penalty. I can't help but think of John 8, when the Pharisees and scribes brought a woman who was caught in adultery to Jesus. Jewish law said that this woman should be stoned to death. But Jesus replied with "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Jesus took a situation that CALLED FOR the death penalty and showed his grace.

I was able to share about what grace is, and how it has affected me.

I also had to admit that if it were my loved one that had been killed by a murderer, the thought would probably cross my mind that this person should be put on death row. But what good would that do? Would it really make me feel better knowing that another person has died? Would I be exuding the love and grace of Christ?

The evening wrapped up and we all went our seperate ways. But this instance keeps coming back to mind. I repeat my words (what I can remember) in my head over and over throughout the day. And I can't think of any part of it that the Lord wasn't a part of.

I pray that this plants a seed. Not just in Michael, as he continues searching, but in all that were there. I pray that we would all continue to search Scripture and hold it up to our lives, to see if we are truly living it out, or if we are just talking about it.

Where have the past two weeks gone? This time tomorrow, I will be a few hours away from touching down in Dallas!

This week was a rough one! To say the kids were different from last week would be a TOTAL understatement. I ended up having to enforce a 'special friend' rule. If they said an inappropriate word or repeatedly disobeyed, they became my special friend for a bit. I would find a chore or something for them to do while everyone else continued with the program. It worked pretty well until the last day, when they actually ENJOYED being my special friend...fail.

I would definitely say the highlight of the week was on Wednesday evening at Lobau Park. Don't get me wrong...it was pretty miserable for the most part. It was INSANELY hot and the mosquitos were the worst I have ever seen! The kids were whining and I can't blame them...we were too! After dinner, it started pouring. We huddled all the kids in a teepee with a fire in the middle. I rallied my team of girls together and told them to LOOK ALIVE! It obviously was not the ideal situation, but we have to pretend like this was the plan all along. We had no idea how long we would be in that cramped teepee, but we were going to act like it was the night of our lives. And I think at some point, at least for me, it started to become just that.

We sang silly songs, told (funny) scary stories, and had an on-the-spot talent show! (I would point at someone, telling them that they are 'up next!'

I felt like that was night that we really connected with the kids. It reminded me that God uses any situation to bring him glory.

So we leave tomorrow...which is sad! I have met some INCREDIBLE people here (more on that later).