Update on showing love

 

So, ya might be curious on how "30 Days of Late Summer Love" went. It was a wild success but I was able to send some love via the United States Postal Service, hand-written notes, food, and little gifts.

It was great to really be intentional about letting the people in my life know that I care about them. I didn't do as much as I wanted, but I was able to make a small impact.

My goal is not to let the "project" end, but to really show the love of God that has been extended to me! In that regard, there is a LOTTA love to give! Praise the Lord!

Stay tuned for how I did with laziness....

Update on my struggles

If you remember from my post quite a while ago about my current struggles, you'll remember that I had some areas of my life that needed WORK. The next several posts will provide updates on those. Let's kick it off with the area I've grown the most in....drum roll please....




careerealism.com

WORK:

Would you believe that the area I've grown the most in is work?? The next updates won't be in any particular order. I've been working on all of these off and on since the February post.

I now feel more settled with my job now that I've been there for over a year. People know my face and relationships of trust have been built. It's pretty exciting to be able to be part of an organization that is really changing the community in which I live for the better. The picture above illustrates how I feel some days with my laptop on one side and the phone to my ear trying to get in touch with someone or remind organizational leaders about an upcoming event. I haven't felt as overwhelmed or

This job, more than any other I've had in my life, has had me at the THRONE OF GRACE because I have been in need of MUCH help and had many TIMES OF NEED. I give the glory to the One to whom it is due - Psalm 54:4 -> "Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life." Amen.

My love life

Scooped from: Fun Box

Relationships are such a hot topic. Even in the church. I hold the opinion that we shouldn't talk about others' relationships in an effort to gossip. We should talk about our own relationships in an effort to share experiences and wisdom and to encourage one another. Doesn't always happen that way now does it?

A dear, old (literally, 70+) friend of mine would often ask about my "love life" whenever I called her. She was so interested in what type of man I would choose. She viewed me as her granddaughter and had such a different perspective on things than I did. On that note, speaking of my love life, some interesting things have happened.

I have recently had an experience in which God has blessed me to be in a great friendship with a man who sincerely loves Him and is so sweet. The Lord has even used this brother to challenge me in my relationship with the Lord - specifically when it comes to my prayer life and sharing the Gospel. I am so thankful to the Lord for this friendship.

I have no idea where it will go, but for now, I am thankful. I haven't always been so patient when it comes to a relationship, so it is evident that the Lord is doin' a WORK in my heart. My plan for my "love life" consists of showing others the love of Christ so that they see Him and praying fervently for others. My love life is so much more than a relationship with a man of clay. It is about the way I love others.

Ponder that...

Never good enough

annabrixthomsen.com

Lately, I've found that I can't be "good enough" for God. When I look at what His Word demands of me and what I do, I'll never measure up. I'm so thankful for what Jesus did for me! Whew! In the Black church, at a comment like this, the preacher might say "Look atcho neighba and say, 'Neighba!...I'm thankful fo' da blood!!!'"

I am thankful.

This doesn't mean that I give my sin a pass just because of grace. I just realize that I will never be good enough. I will never be perfect. There is only One who is perfect. I continue to examine myself. I'm thankful for the One who is faithful to complete what He started in me (Phil. 1:6). One day I will be like Him. Until that day, I'm glad that He will continue to work in me as I abide in Him and He plucks out what's not like Him and produces the fruit in me. All we have to do is abide.

30 Days of Late Summer Love

tumblr.com

A challenge! Ooo, I like challenges. 30 days of sending love to the people I love. So, my goal is everyday for the next 30 days to send letters, cards, texts, etc. to the people I care about.

I guess that title is a bit misleading, huh? Lol.

Will you join me?

Don't be a hypocrite

Check out this post from Boundless.org entitled, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Bible Study". I think you'll enjoy it and it will challenge and convict. It was a great reminder for me!

-U.M.

Criticism

29 Days

Looking at the site linked above called "29 Days," you'll find an interesting read on criticism. 

Last year I was taking a introspective look at my life and how I handle criticism.  

Wasn't so good.

I usually found myself getting defensive, being in disbelief, and getting an attitude with the person who gave me the piece of advice.  Most of the criticism I receive is constructive, so one would think that I'd be receptive to stepping things up and doing better, right? 

Nope.

Here's the checklist I created to get better at it...

1) Listen to what the person is saying. 
2) Thank them for bringing it to your attention & let them know that you will ponder what they've said and try to change.  
3) Ask them to tell you when you fall back into bad habits. 
4) Pray that the Lord will help you not to be mad at them for calling you out & that you won't hold it against them. 
5) Read Scripture about #4 and read Scriptures about that particular bad habit.

Continue to "pray my strength."

My new roommate

http://www.countryheart.co.uk/site/prod394.htm

So, if any of my original readers/followers are still following the blog...*chirp chirp chirp*

If you're out there(!), then you'll remember that I've been had some interesting living situations in the last year.

I actually didn't post about all of them, so let me give you a run-down:

When I first moved to the Midwest, I lived with two interesting people...one was a graduate student trying to finish her program before the summer ended and the other was a lost man who needed the love of Jesus. Really, they both needed the Savior. And I looked forward to sharing the Gospel with them!

I only lived there for a short time (but not before having spiritual conversations with both of them of course). Actually all of us only lived there for a short time before our sublease ran out.

Then I moved in with a Jewish family that volunteers with my organization. That was supposed to be another short-term arrangement, with me only staying for 3 months. Well, I fell in love with them. It was nice to "live with family." They fed me dinner, and I had access to everything in the house. Then my 3 months ended and they were ready for me to leave on the sneak...

So, I hurriedly moved in with a lady who seemed pretty normal when I'd met her 2 months earlier in my search for a new place to live. The first month was ok. Then the second month things got weird. By month three, things were cray-cray and she told me to go.

So, on to my fourth move...I moved in with a girl who'd had a "church-hurt" and suddenly needed a new roommate to help pay bills.  Bonding over our experiences with crazy roommates, I moved in. I found that the cleanliness of the place was a bit suspect after living with her for a few weeks. I also found out that the lease was ending soon and that she would be moving into a house with friends...

So, I had to look for yet another (yes, a fifth place) little space to call home. This time I was much more prayerful, and really gave this to God.

My fifth place is a blessing from the Lord. After 5 moves in one year, this girl was tired of moving!With nearly everything I want, including cheap rent, and a (bonus!) Christian roommate, I am grateful!!!! I've been here for a month now and love the location and the quiet. And, I'm finding a new "hanging partner" in my roommate. Who knows? Maybe one day, we'll be road dawgs....

That Word!

What's keeping me grounded right now? The WORD!!!!!!!!!

I set a goal to read through the Old Testament by the end of the year.

A bit of an audacious goal. But I'd like to get through it!

The majority of my time in the Word is in the New Testament, but I know there is some GOLD in the OT. And I wanna have some of those nuggets! Of course there's the wisdom of Ecclesiastes, the timeless advice of the Proverbs, and the lyrics we call the Psalms. But there's also some interesting battle stories, drama, love, forgiveness, and those words that point to the arrival of the Messiah...oh boy!

God's Word has been keeping me grounded as I walk out this journey we call life...fighting for my joy...hoping in the hope that does not disappoint, and seeking to make Him famous. Not just reading to be reading, but reading to have a foundation, to keep eternity in mind, and to apply it to daily living.

I'm in Exodus now. What are you reading in the Word?

Where have I been?

Well, I'd like to say that I've been handling all my responsibilities with my still-semi-new-job like this:

But it's really felt more like this as I fight for justice in my community:

I'm sure that many of you have felt like the Garfield picture (or maybe you always feel like that...). Lord knows, I've been staying at the throne! 

Waiting for busy season to calm down so that I can do this:

I've missed regularly blogging! In the meantime, check out these ladies' blogs:

Beauty Style Growth

Style Honestly

And my crazy, beautiful, cousin who's a new mom: The Jovial Mom

Ladies' Night

What I learned while fasting

micernest.com

Ya know...when Jesus was fasting in the wilderness, He was tempted by the devil (Luke 4)...when I was fasting on a workday, I was tempted by the devil.  My thought, "REALLY? This happens while I'm FASTING?!?" But if Jesus wasn't exempt, how could I expect to be?

Reality show

At the beginning of my job training, I had to find a place to live for 50 days. Who has training for only 50 days? Usually you hear of even numbers like "30 days," "90 days," ya know...but 50? Where was I supposed to live for 50 days? With complete strangers? Yep...one is on the left. Praise the Lord for grace! She turned out to be pretty nice! The other guy, not pictured of course, turned out to be ok, too...well, he did some things I wouldn't agree with and ended up in jail..but he didn't hurt the two of us pictured...P..T..L..!!

A thought

"If the movie theater represents the grand scheme of things and heaven is the movie...let's skip the previews."

A thought

considerthings.blogspot.com

“Our times are in God's hands; it is well they are so. Believers are not to expect great wealth, long life, or to be free from trials. But all will be ordered for the best. And remark from Job's history, that steadiness of mind and heart under trial, is one of the highest attainments of faith. There is little exercise for faith when all things go well. But if God raises a storm, permits the enemy to send wave after wave, and seemingly stands aloof from our prayers, then, still to hang on and trust God, when we cannot trace him, this is the patience of the saints. Blessed Saviour! how sweet it is to look unto thee, the Author and Finisher of faith, in such moments!" -Matthew Henry.  

Picture time!

My silly cousin on the left with our Grandma

Some days I just wanna be silly. Ya know? Those days when you're with people who know you well, and you know them (like the show Cheers, lol) and you can just let you hair down (or take your hair off)...throw yo' head back and laugh til your sides, cheeks, and stomach HURT!!!!!! Here's to being with the people you love and enjoying yourself this weekend.

Happy Friday!!!!!

Day of Love

cafefonte.com

Happy Valentine's Day!!! Whether you enjoy this day wicho' man or wicho' girls or by yourself...enjoy!  And don't forget: "This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son, as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" - 1 John 4:10 (NIV). Amen.

Reflection on marriage

blog.lib.umn.edu

I found this in my journal from last year around this time. I was really, seriously thinking about, praying about, and reading about marriage.  Here are some questions that I asked myself, and other things I thought about. So for you other single ladies (and especially those who've never been in a serious relationship like me)...be encouraged! :)

Am I a woman of prayer? Am I a woman that truly LOVES the Lord and shows that by the way I live (selflessly, boldly for Christ)?

Do I trust God above all others?

How do I:

steward my time?  My money?  My gifts from God (i.e. singing, teaching, creative caring ideas)?

Does my living space show that I: cook? Clean? Take care of my body?

How do I treat the men in my life? My dad? Brother? Male friends?

Do I always speak my mind or do I hold my peace and choose my words carefully? 

Am I compassionate towards others? How's my serve?

Am I patient? Am I a woman of grace?

Am I able to take criticism? Especially when it's constructive?

Struggles

feeling like this...

So this post is 'bout to get REAL. I've been on the Struggle Bus, and I need to get OFF!

Struggles as of late: being lazy about getting out of bed and having to rush to the first appointment of the day, lies (when I get it in a tight spot and want to make myself look good or just not telling the whole story...), not praying enough, and not reading the Word enough and feeling it (literally). I mentally feel weak when I don't spend enough time in the Word and would rather spend time reading other people's blogs, or a magazine, or something else...anything but the Word.  Being overwhelmed by my job and strugglin' to find my joy in Christ...really ain' even fighting for my joy...read on for more detail.

Pray my strength.

A life that matters

hutchcraft.com

A life that matters...swewww...does that resonate with you?  I'm only 24 but I often think about how I want to look back on my life when I'm (let's say) 55.  I don't wanna look back and regret all the time I wasted, all the youth I wasted doing dumb things, etc.  I want my life to mean something. Especially while I don't have a husband (or any prospects in front of me) or kids or health issues or limitations.  Do I wanna be remembered for being a 20-something who spent her weekends hittin' the clubs lookin too fly for words? Or do I wanna be remembered as that chick who stayed at the throne of grace?

I've been trying to finish this book for years. I started it when I was 19 I think...then lost it...bought another one when I was about 22...and just picked it up again.  It is very convicting and reminds me that God wants to use His people to get His glorious news of salvation out and that we need HIM to do this.  Reminds me of the importance of prayer...and how much more time I need to spend praying and using my words to share the Good News.

Improving my Spanish

spanishlessons4you.com

I studied Spanish all throughout high school and college (actually started in the 8th grade...). Embarrassingly enough, I could not piece together a good, full paragraph without using a translator or dictionary of some sort.  For this reason, I tried to avoid telling people that I spoke Spanish, because it really wasn't true! I was a wannabe...as I often have been in many pursuits.

One day, about 5 years ago, while doing some evangelism in a mobile neighborhood (some people refer to these as trailer parks, but mobile neighborhood sounds better) my evangelistic deacon and I knocked on the door of a Spanish-speaking household. I really wanted to share the Gospel with them but COULDN'T since I, ya know, didn't speak Spanish. I think it was then that my desire to share the Gospel in Spanish started.

Here's to Hindsight

taraleighcobble.com

I haven't done a book review in a longgg time, (and this post won't be a review) but this is a great book!  Reading Tara Leigh's honest account of her life and her relationship with the Lord was so touching and like laying on the bed next to your best friends at a (20-something) sleepover sharing about your ups and downs, crushes and making yourself look like an idiot (in hindsight), and how you're growing in your relationship with God. Reading this helped me see the hand of God in my own life and grow in excitement of what's to come! Check it out! And visit her website to learn more about her ministry.

Labor pains

bucknell.edu

Look at these adorable loves!!! So a cousin of mine recently had a baby...WHEWWWWOWZA! She got to the point where she said that she was going to the hospital and not leaving without a baby. I thought about the pain that she..and every woman since Eve have gone through for child birth. Going through labor so that one (a baby; a new little life) might live reminds me of Jesus' sacrifice for us. Both are/were painful, but both result(ed) in a beautiful new life. Ours results in being new creations and inheriting eternal life. And oh, so much more! Praise the LORD!!!!!!!!

MLK Day

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!  As a Black woman from the southern part of Virginia, I thank God for Dr. King! His work influences the work that I do today - fighting against the injustices of our society.

New friend, Sasha!

This is how I felt with Sasha!

So I've been a bit M.I.A. lately as life as been pretty busy, but...I've come to the conclusion that Sashas are awesome!  Anybody remember that post about my accountability partner, Sasha? Well...I met another girl named Sasha about six months ago.  We finally hung out about two months ago and had a blast!!! I'm not really a cash-carrying shopper anymore - this means I'm more of a window shopper now - but we went out to lunch after church and went shopping!  The shopping was because my work pumps had become dangerous to walk in and I wanted to get a new pair. You ever had a pair of pumps were the heel had become so rounded that any moment on any surface that wasn't carpet was a time for slip-n-slide?? Yeahhhh....that'd become the story of my life. A couple of embarrassing moments but I'd tried to play 'em off.

Anyway, my new friend Sasha is great! We had so much fun hanging out the first day.  Even though she's such a fashionista, and I'm such a wannabe (but too cheap and lazy!).  We had a chance to talk about loving on people, work, her husband, church, and more! It was such a great day!

Be grateful for all the Sashas in your life!

He is good

yourhighercalling.blogspot.com

"O give thanks to the Lord"...appears so many times in the Psalms.  Why do you think that is?

It is usually followed by the words, "for He is good." 

Selah.

Well, it's written in the Book cuz it's true!!! We should give Him thanks...cuz He's good! All throughout my life, God has been good.  To me.  To you.  I'm definitely not saying that my life has been a bed of roses with sugar on top AT ALL, but He is good.

Even when I felt like God had forgotten all about me since things weren't going MY WAY (when this life ain' about me anyway!)...even when my uncle died from cancer...when my best friend got married and I felt all alone...when my brother was diagnosed with lupus...when a friend of mine was in an abusive relationship and wouldn't leave...when I didn't get a job right away after college...when people I loved did stupid, crazy stuff I couldn't understand...HE WAS STILL GOOD!

That summer

We climbed this! Table Mountain! book-a-bash.com

Happy New Year!!!!!!!  Usually the ending of one year and the beginning of a new year bring thoughts and reflections of the year that passed (or is that just on TV shows when they showcase the New Year's Eve party??). Anywho, with this chilly (or dare I say chilling) weather, my mind sometimes wishes for the heat of summer.  I can remember summers in college spent serving the Lord and others.  Such good times...full of new friends, adventure, and oh-so-much-growth.