She had a birfday!!

My roommate had a birfday, y'all! Check out this cake! I wanted to get her something fabulous for the big day so we did this! Well, almost this. It was basically this cake minus the bust in the top right corner.

It's cool to be able to afford to celebrate the people that you care about while they still have breath in their bodies. Grateful to God for this woman!

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!

Home for the holidays

sofreshandsogreen.com

Alas, the holiday season is upon us...SO EXCITED!!!!

I'm sitting at the office now...the only one here at the moment so I have free reign to compose a blog post...but I am thankful for so many things!  The Lord has really been gracious to me and for that, I say thank You! I love lists....so here's one...

I'm so grateful for:
1. Salvation of course (GLORY!!!)
2. A loving and supportive family (including a younger brother who thinks he's the big brother)
3. Laughter
4. My Spanish tutor
5. My job - though it is challenging and demanding, it is very rewarding!
6. Wonderful old friends
7. Emotional growth
8. Being stretched mentally
9. New opportunities

And oodles and oodles more!

What are YOU grateful for???

For my grandfather

Scooped from: sodahead.com

In memory of a man I respected and loved.

Enjoying this season

kingofuganda.blogspot.com

I've been doing a lot of self-reflection lately...as always...l.o.l...and I've realized that I really want to enjoy this season of my life.  At present, I'm single, working (in the process of changing careers), and I live with my family (what a cost-saver!).  This season presents many freedoms, challenges, and responsibilities.

I can come and go as I please. I can really invest my time into ministry without having to be concerned with cooking dinner for a husband and kids (although I occasionally cook dinner for my actual family).  I don't have to worry about pleasing a husband.  Reminds me of the words of 1 Corinthians 7:32-35:

You doing what?

Hello there!  We all probably know someone who we claim is "DOING TOO MUCH."  Y'all know what I'm talkin' 'bout! Example...let's call him Bro. Fantastic:  a dude that works 50 hours a week as a nurse in the children's ward, volunteers each week tutoring a child, is a Big Brother in Big Brothers Big Sisters, active in his church planning youth events and teaching the youth class in Sunday School, actually has a relationship with the Lord, disciplin' a dude from the youth ministry, spends a few hours every Saturday either takin' his grandma grocery shopping or visiting the sick and shut-in and sharing the Gospel wit da young brothas he runs into in da neighborhood.  


UM....HELLO??!?! He's doing A LOT!  You may be thinking, "Ok so he must have EXTRA brownie points wit Jesus.  Peter is ALREADY waitin' for him at da Pearly Gates to give him a personal tour around New Jerusalem that includes a chariot-ride with St. Paul 'n nem.  Mmm-hmm..." 

Green with Envy

Hello there!  Do you live on the East Coast like I do?  If so...YOOOO...did you feel that earthquake or the tremors from it?  That was ridiculously startling!  Whew!  I was sitting on the bed when that mattress began wobbling and I thought, "Oh no! Is this THE DAY?!" I started asking for forgiveness and ALL THAT just IN CASE I'd forgotten to confess something. Ha-ha-ha!  He's still coming back one day...I'm just glad it wasn't that day! But we should actually eagerly await the return of Christ and especially the rapture before the Tribulation...

Then today came and I looked at my news feed on Facebook and saw all these seemingly exciting things that were happening in the lives of my friends and I became envious.  While things are picking up on the missionary front and my life has been satisfyingly busy at the moment, I still found myself envying my friends' profile pictures in exotic places and the "cool people" it seemed like they were hanging out with and how happy they seemed to be.  With pictures and news of weddings, engagements, babies, statuses about how happy some were to be married or how some had enjoyed the day with his/her significant other, family vacay photos, road trips and such...I began to think that my own life was hum-drum and a bit...*gasps!* boring.  I even kind of mentally rolled my eyes a little and thought, "They can't be THAT happy." Then I thought, "What am I doing?! Why am I thinking this?!" I also asked the Lord to forgive me for envying others. I'm happy that my friends are enjoying their lives and the things/opportunities God has blessed them with!

I also started to think about the many goals and dreams the Lord has placed in my heart and mind.  So many that I almost feel like I will need TWO lifetimes to do all of those things.  But ya know what?  The God who gave me those goals and dreams knows exactly how long my life will be and what things I really will accomplish.  I praise Him for giving me those desires.  Even if I don't accomplish them all on this side of glory, I know that He will still be glorified.  Maybe I'll just have to write all of them down so that many other people can see the vision and become a part of what God is doing in my life and what He can do in theirs...

Til next time,
U.M.