I've been pretty stressed out lately. My home church is hosting an outdoor concert event (Rivercity Faith Fest) for American Baptist Youth for the areas surrounding Evansville. This event has been in the works for quite some time. We've got a big-ish name band coming to play, and several churches have registered for their youth groups to come out. This could be a great opportunity to share the love of Christ with those in our neighborhood, as well as with those from farther away.
So why does this stress me out?
Well... I'm kind of in a band. My brother, my cousin and I have been playing worship music together since we were just learning to play our instruments in elementary school. We've gotten pretty decent, actually! And, well, we are the worship band that is going to be leading the whole group in praise songs right before the main band plays. So what's the problem? Well, there's a possibility that my brother can't get off work the day of the festival. That takes out our guitarist and lead vocals and leaves us with nothing but piano and drums. Lame is what that is. My cousin and I thought of a couple people who would do a fantastic job of filling in for him, but none of those people are available either. AND on top of that, another band that is supposed to be playing that day has not confirmed that they will be there, so we potentially will be playing TWICE during the day with only 2/3 of our band. This is not cool.
So, I've been stewing and stewing and thinking and planning and trying my darnedest to come up with a way to make this all better and work out! But it took a few words from my boyfriend to make me realize that I can't handle this situation. He said, "Give it to the Big Guy."
Oh, how we often forget in our lives that GOD is in control. Not us. We, as humans can DO all we want, but ultimately, if we leave all our troubles at God's faithful feet, He'll always take care of us. It's so nice to have a God that cares about His people. A God who is loving and forgiving. Even when we try to take matters into our own hands, and do things the way WE think they ought to be done, God is there to say, "It's ok. I knew you'd do that. I made you! I'm just glad you remembered that you can trust Me."
Trusting and obeying was the topic of the sermon at my Bloomington church last Sunday. That's a hard thing to do. Trusting God is one thing, but then to OBEY His commands and His guidance is even harder.
I'll leave this posting with this: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Even in the stressful times, when it looks like there's no hope and things are overwhelming, find joy. Give thanks. Turn your requests and burdens over to the God of the Universe who loves you and created you and made a new life for you, and He'll never lead you the wrong way. :-D
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Ah, the Port-a-Potty...
Jason and I were at the Evansville Freedom Festival last Saturday (AKA the Evansville White Trash Festival). We had just come straight into town from Bloomington, parked at my church and walked to the riverfront. Unfortunately, a 32 oz. bottle of water and basically a keg of Gatorade had left us with oh-so-full bladders. In the million degree weather with 110% humidity, we were left only to use the sweaty, smelly, heat-locker of a Port-a-Potty.
Bummer.
But this reminded me of something wonderful. On my first trip to Pass Christian, Mississippi to do Hurricane Katrina relief in 2006 (I think) we had outdoor shower stalls and port-a-potties (I assume that's the plural... lol) and an outdoor work sink as our "facilities" for the week. Not bad, considering our surroundings of debris and rubbish. It was incredibly humid and mosquito-y, so the breeze that came in the stalls during the showers felt very nice! The point of this story?
I love the smell of port-a-potty.
I do. I can't help it.
During that week, I had a little party in my heart when the port-a-potty truck would come and empty the "doody" and refill each toilet with that blue/green stuff. I'll tell you what. That blue/green stuff smells good! It smells fresh! Almost like the smell of car wax!
Every time I would hear that truck come driving up to our site, I would get really excited and want to be the first one to use the freshly cleaned port-a-potty. That was a real treat! :-/
So, even through the horrindous smell that billows out of the unknown below the seat of a port-a-potty, I can always smell that glimmer of hope...
And it makes me smile.
:-D
Bummer.
But this reminded me of something wonderful. On my first trip to Pass Christian, Mississippi to do Hurricane Katrina relief in 2006 (I think) we had outdoor shower stalls and port-a-potties (I assume that's the plural... lol) and an outdoor work sink as our "facilities" for the week. Not bad, considering our surroundings of debris and rubbish. It was incredibly humid and mosquito-y, so the breeze that came in the stalls during the showers felt very nice! The point of this story?
I love the smell of port-a-potty.
I do. I can't help it.
During that week, I had a little party in my heart when the port-a-potty truck would come and empty the "doody" and refill each toilet with that blue/green stuff. I'll tell you what. That blue/green stuff smells good! It smells fresh! Almost like the smell of car wax!
Every time I would hear that truck come driving up to our site, I would get really excited and want to be the first one to use the freshly cleaned port-a-potty. That was a real treat! :-/
So, even through the horrindous smell that billows out of the unknown below the seat of a port-a-potty, I can always smell that glimmer of hope...
And it makes me smile.
:-D
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Oh, Look! A blog!
So, I decided to make a blog. Not sure why. I think I have a complex where I feel like people just desperately need to know what I think about things, or need to know what I'm doing in my life. This complex makes me get addicted to things like Facebook, text messaging, and Twitter. A blog is JUST what I need... :-P (I'm also addicted to emoticons.)
I also wanted to start a blog because I'm in a very great place in my life right now. I'm happier than I've been in a long, long time. This happiness is due to a number of things.
1. I'm Content With Myself: I think about my life, and I've come to understand the person who I am today. For a long time, I was awkwardly searching for my own personality, because I felt as if I had none. I was a chameleon and would adapt to the different situations I was in, and I would change how I acted based on the company around me. Don't get me wrong, it's a great skill to have to be able to adapt well to different situations, but I was confused. I would literally change how I talked, acted, the things I was most interested in, and my level of maturity to "fit in" with those around me. That's not cool. :-/ After a lot of self introspection, I've learned to appreciate my true personality. It might rub some people the wrong way, but I am who I am. If I am bold about who I am, and I commit to the true personality that I have, I can never go wrong. I will be happy with who I am. And that's all that matters. I've also become content with the direction I would like my life to go in. I was working for a long time towards a goal that didn't please me. After a lot of inward struggle, letting go of my stubbornness, talking to a few influential people, and prayer, I'm on the right track (educationally) to where I want my life to be in the future. I won't get into detail about it. If you know me, then you know the details. If you don't know me, then it's really not that important. Now, I'd like to put in a plug for Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" book. I read that a few months ago, and it definitely sparked something within me to want to find that purpose in my life and to find that true happiness that everyone is so desperately in search of. It's a great 40 day journey into oneself. I (even as a non-reader) recommend it to EVERYONE. It's very much worth it.
2. I've Learned to Appreciate a Broken Past: You can't change your past. You can't change what has happened to you, who you've lost, what you've done that you wish you hadn't, and opportunities you missed out on. All you can do is learn from all of it, and move on. Press forward. Appreciate the things you've learned on this bumpy road called "Life" and try to improve your actions and emotions based on them. I've had a relatively decent past, but a few things in particular could have broken me down. Luckily I've been able to look back, assess, and move on with clear vision. I try not to have any regrets in my life. What happens, happens and what has happened is over and done.
3. I Have Found Love Again: With a heart as broken as mine was about a year ago, I thought I could never love another, and thought I'd never be loved by another again. Thank goodness I was wrong! My Jason is wonderful. I've never felt this connected to another person in my entire life. We just click! He has opened my eyes to new and wonderful things; he appreciates the little things I do for him, treats me exceptionally well, is open and honest with me about his feelings and emotions, and above all else, he makes me feel beautiful. Our personalities are so great together. He knows just how to make me *swoon* or to make me smile or laugh. ;P I love him for who he is, where he's been, what he's done, and how he makes me feel alive.
4. My God is Good: As undeserving as I am of God's love and forgiveness, he pours it out daily. He blesses me in more ways than I can imagine. I give Him thanks and praise for that. No matter what the circumstances, God's Spirit is right there with me, guiding me, protecting me, loving me. I'm not perfect, nor will I ever be, but having God's all-sufficient grace in my life is enough for me to be completely satisfied and happy with whatever is thrown into my lap. I've been blessed with an incredible family unlike any other, friends that don't see distance as a boundary, experiences that have shaped me, a healthy body, a roof over my head, an education in the works, a job with opportunity, food for my belly, and shoes on my feet!
Philippians 4:13 is a popular verse that always gets a lot of mileage ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"), but the verse before that (Philippians 4:12) is often overlooked and has really spoken to me a lot in the past year: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Being content. That's all a person ever needs, really. My God has blessed me with that. I have contention with my life at this point. And I'm thrilled about it.
I also wanted to start a blog because I'm in a very great place in my life right now. I'm happier than I've been in a long, long time. This happiness is due to a number of things.
1. I'm Content With Myself: I think about my life, and I've come to understand the person who I am today. For a long time, I was awkwardly searching for my own personality, because I felt as if I had none. I was a chameleon and would adapt to the different situations I was in, and I would change how I acted based on the company around me. Don't get me wrong, it's a great skill to have to be able to adapt well to different situations, but I was confused. I would literally change how I talked, acted, the things I was most interested in, and my level of maturity to "fit in" with those around me. That's not cool. :-/ After a lot of self introspection, I've learned to appreciate my true personality. It might rub some people the wrong way, but I am who I am. If I am bold about who I am, and I commit to the true personality that I have, I can never go wrong. I will be happy with who I am. And that's all that matters. I've also become content with the direction I would like my life to go in. I was working for a long time towards a goal that didn't please me. After a lot of inward struggle, letting go of my stubbornness, talking to a few influential people, and prayer, I'm on the right track (educationally) to where I want my life to be in the future. I won't get into detail about it. If you know me, then you know the details. If you don't know me, then it's really not that important. Now, I'd like to put in a plug for Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" book. I read that a few months ago, and it definitely sparked something within me to want to find that purpose in my life and to find that true happiness that everyone is so desperately in search of. It's a great 40 day journey into oneself. I (even as a non-reader) recommend it to EVERYONE. It's very much worth it.
2. I've Learned to Appreciate a Broken Past: You can't change your past. You can't change what has happened to you, who you've lost, what you've done that you wish you hadn't, and opportunities you missed out on. All you can do is learn from all of it, and move on. Press forward. Appreciate the things you've learned on this bumpy road called "Life" and try to improve your actions and emotions based on them. I've had a relatively decent past, but a few things in particular could have broken me down. Luckily I've been able to look back, assess, and move on with clear vision. I try not to have any regrets in my life. What happens, happens and what has happened is over and done.
3. I Have Found Love Again: With a heart as broken as mine was about a year ago, I thought I could never love another, and thought I'd never be loved by another again. Thank goodness I was wrong! My Jason is wonderful. I've never felt this connected to another person in my entire life. We just click! He has opened my eyes to new and wonderful things; he appreciates the little things I do for him, treats me exceptionally well, is open and honest with me about his feelings and emotions, and above all else, he makes me feel beautiful. Our personalities are so great together. He knows just how to make me *swoon* or to make me smile or laugh. ;P I love him for who he is, where he's been, what he's done, and how he makes me feel alive.
4. My God is Good: As undeserving as I am of God's love and forgiveness, he pours it out daily. He blesses me in more ways than I can imagine. I give Him thanks and praise for that. No matter what the circumstances, God's Spirit is right there with me, guiding me, protecting me, loving me. I'm not perfect, nor will I ever be, but having God's all-sufficient grace in my life is enough for me to be completely satisfied and happy with whatever is thrown into my lap. I've been blessed with an incredible family unlike any other, friends that don't see distance as a boundary, experiences that have shaped me, a healthy body, a roof over my head, an education in the works, a job with opportunity, food for my belly, and shoes on my feet!
Philippians 4:13 is a popular verse that always gets a lot of mileage ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"), but the verse before that (Philippians 4:12) is often overlooked and has really spoken to me a lot in the past year: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Being content. That's all a person ever needs, really. My God has blessed me with that. I have contention with my life at this point. And I'm thrilled about it.
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