I Am...

Beyond Measure. I am
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within is..." - Ephesians 3:20

Loved Unconditionally. For this, I am
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38

Eternally Grateful. I have been
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:16,17

Saved by Grace. I will
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." - Ephesians 2:4,5

Sing Songs of Praise. Because
"Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me." - Psalm 63:7,8

Even in my Sinful Nature, my God
"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross." - Colossians 2:13,14

Delivered Me.
"For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave." - Psalm 86:13



Writing poetry is not necessarily my cup of tea, but I figured I would give it a go, if for the sake of time, if nothing else.

In the field of social work, in dealing with people, we talk often of feelings: How are you feeling? What are you feeling? How did this or that particular event make you feel?, etc...

I truly feel blessed. There is no word that describes it better. I know that I am forgiven; I know that I am loved. Even if all the other blessings and happy things in my life were stripped away, I would know that I am blessed because of the forgiveness, redemption, and life changing love that has been bestowed upon me through Jesus Christ, my Savior.

I wake up every day knowing that I serve a God who will never leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:8). And He has blessed me with more than I could ever have hoped for. He has surrounded me with people who need to be loved; all of those people are blessings. He has given me people who love me; all of those people are blessings. He has given me passions, desires, and goals; all of those things are blessings. He has changed my life and my heart in radical ways... And He is still changing me.

He is patient; slow to anger and abounding in love (Psalm 103:8).

There are days when I do not necessarily feel blessed, but even on those days, I know that I am blessed. On the days that I feel defeated, on the days I feel overwhelmed, and on the days when I am bored out of my mind (like today), I know one thing: I am blessed.

Happy Birthday!

Today is the birthday of one of the greatest men I have ever known: My dad.



I can think of no other person for whom I have greater respect than my father. I cannot think of a more godly man. He is the hardest worker I have ever beheld, and he has a gentler spirit than anyone else I know. He has lived his life in humility and in service to others; never putting himself first.

My dad has always been in my corner. My dad has stood for me when I have not had it in me to stand alone. He has defended me in the face of opposition. He has prayed and fasted for me when my prayers seemed to have fallen short. He has believed in me and in my dreams when no one else did. He has believed in my dreams even when I myself did not believe in them. He has supported every endeavor I have ever undertaken. He has encouraged me toward every goal I have ever expressed. He has confronted me for mistakes I have made, but has never shamed me for them.

In my life, my dad has been a wonderful demonstration of the grace of Christ. He has forgiven me when I have not deserved it. He has loved me when I have been unlovable. He has disciplined me when I have been in the wrong.

There is no one I know who has lived a more successful life than my father. Without him, I cannot imagine what my life up to this point would have been like.

No matter how old and frail he grows, he will still be able to beat the crap out of anyone who does not treat me well. No matter how much his memory may begin to fail one day, he will still be the smartest man I know. And no matter how wrinkly he becomes, he will still be one of the most handsome guys I know.

My dad has shown me the heart of Christ. My dad has shown me how to make mistakes. My dad has taught me to be teachable and to learn from those mistakes; to heed instruction from those who are wiser than I am. My dad has taught me that there is redemption from our mistakes, because we serve a God of second chances. My dad has taught me how to struggle well; and thus, how to live victoriously.

I could not be more proud of or more thankful for my dad. I could not love him more.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

A Little Bit of Prettiness

This bedroom dresser, from here, is totally unrealistic (for me, anyway), but so pretty!



I love the KitchenAid stand mixer! Why it is under the chair, I am not sure... Picture from here...



This happy Ferris wheel is from one of my current favorite blogs.


I just cannot keep from smiling when I look at this picture, from here!



From here. This picture just screams, "Please rain today so I can stay home in my pjs and read by my window!"

Easter Cupcakes

I know it is not technically Easter yet, but this weekend was pretty wide open for me. Andrew was out of town Saturday, I didn't have any big assignments to complete for work or for school... So I had some free time to do whatever the heck I wanted!
My mom and I shopped Saturday morning, and I bought a pair of pretty black heels to wear to Andrew's military ball. Afterward, I had a bit of a sweet tooth that I cured with these adorable cupcakes!

I used this recipe for the vanilla cake, and this one for the vanilla buttercream frosting, but instead of using 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract, I used 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract and 1/4 teaspoon of butter flavoring... The sweeter the better in my opinion!

For the grass, I used flaked coconut mixed with a little green food coloring.

Of course, the bunnies are Peeps marshmallows!

These were really easy, and absolutely delicious! No one in my family likes Peeps, so most people threw them away. But they were still cute to use as decorations. Next time, I may use jelly beans, or chocolate bunnies instead!

Next time may not be until next Easter though, because we have quite the weekend planned next week! Andrew's family is coming into town Thursday, and they are staying until Sunday morning. My grandmother is also coming that same weekend. Plus, my mom planned an Easter egg hunt for the kids at church, so that will occupy most of next Saturday! Not among the least of these things, my dad's birthday is also next weekend! :)

So happy Palm Sunday.

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.- Hal Borland

There are an abundance of reasons I cannot wait until Springtime:

1) I can say goodbye to my winter coats until next year (FINALLY)!
2) With Spring comes... EASTER! :)
3) I can wear flip-flops, thus showing off the ridiculously expensive new nail polish I have recently acquired (that I would never buy if it were not for a sister who is in cosmetology school).
4) I am graduating from college (and this event is accompanied by a host of emotions other than just excitement... Maybe I will get into those details some other time)!
5) I am going to WASHINGTON, DC!

This list could go on, but I will stop here and highlight Reason #5, which will be occurring in 43 days. The following list was compiled based upon the best interest of all members of the traveling party. We all realize that there is much more to see in our nation's great capital; however, we will be pinched for time, and three of the four of us have been to D.C. in the past. In light of this, we were able to opt out of doing and seeing a few of the things that we have done and seen previously. Here are the must sees of the trip:

• Lincoln Memorial
• World War II Memorial
  
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
  
• Arlington National Cemetery
  
• Korean War Veterans Memorial
  
• Jefferson Memorial
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

(and all other memorials in the surrounding area)

• Washington Monument
• Holocaust Museum
• National Archives Building
• National Museum of American History
• American Art Museum
• Ford Theatre
• Lincoln Theatre

(other Smithsonians are optional dependent upon time)

• Williamsburg (which will require a full day)
  
• Mount Vernon, home of George Washington

In honor of this upcoming adventure, here are some precious pictures:

Steal My Heart

I so look forward to the day that I can become a pet owner. And these Italian Greyhounds have absolutely won me over.
If you click here, you can read all about the wonderful personalities these dogs possess.

from here

from here

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from here

from here

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from here

from here

from here

That is all for now. My laziness has gotten the best of me today! :)

Watchfulness

"Be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
- Luke 12:35-40

In 2003, the summer I turned fourteen, I attended a ten day teen conference: Nazarene Youth Conference. The conference, in Houston, Texas, was a gathering of teenagers from across the United States, all of whom were affiliated with the Nazarene church. The format has changed a lot since the year I went, but this particular year, we had an opening ceremony, and then each day following, we had big services each morning and evening; during the day we had options of various seminars and small groups to attend; one day we participated in a community service project; one day we went to Six Flags (but it was miserably hot and humid... particularly for someone who was used to dry, desert heat); each night, there were concerts available for us to attend if we chose to do so.

With so much activity crammed into such a short amount of time, I have forgotten most of what occurred during the week. I do not remember the names of most of the speakers. I have forgotten the names of most of the artists who performed, and I cannot remember the topics of many of the seminars I attended. I can vividly remember only one service from that week. It was the first service of the entire conference, and she was the very first speaker of the week. This woman was not even the main speaker; she spoke only briefly before introducing the main speaker of the evening. But what she said spoke profoundly to my fourteen-year-old heart, and it changed the way that I would live my life from that point on.

The speaker (I wish I remembered her name) related the passage above to infatuation. When someone is in the beginning stages of a dating relationship, she is totally smitten with her new significant other: She dresses for him, wearing clothes that she knows he will like. She takes extra time on her hair. If she thinks there is even the smallest possibility of him showing up at her front door, she takes extra time scrubbing the entire house from top to bottom, until there is not even one streak on a window or a crumb on the floor. After she has thoroughly cleaned the house, she will prepare herself again for the time when she may see her lover. When all the preparations have been made, she will sit by the door, or gaze out the window, until she sees him coming up the drive. She has prepared herself, her home, and her heart for the one whom she desires.

As any fourteen- year-old girl may, I thought I grasped this concept clearly. I had the BIGGEST crush on a boy at school. I dressed for him, prepared for him, did for him things that were completely irrational in the eyes of others. I knew people thought I was being silly, or even foolish, but that did not stop me from doing what I was doing. And what I was doing, basically, was living for the one whom I thought I loved.

I still agree with that: when we are in love with a person, it changes the way we live. But when we truly love someone; when we make the choice to really love them, with no strings attached, it changes the way we live on a completely different level. The change becomes more real, more sacrificial, more lasting.

Thus, seven years later, this passage has new meaning, and added significance, to me. I am older now, and I have someone in my life whom I truly and deeply love, with a love that goes far beyond infatuation. Beginning to understand what it is like to live life loving another person, and beginning to understand what it is like to live life knowing that I have the love of that other person in return, has opened my heart to another aspect of this passage of Scripture that I did not have the maturity to recognize years ago.

When we love someone, we open our whole selves to them.

We do prepare for them: I love to look pretty for Andrew. I love to cook for him; I love to clean for him; and I love to do things for him.

Amidst all of our preparation; however, we do not attempt to cover up who we really are. When we are secure in the love of another, we allow them to see our flaws; we discuss our shortcomings with them; we let them in to the dusty, dingy, dark places of our hearts; we allow them to come in and change us; we allow them to help us grow, and to grow along with us.

Yes, we should prepare our hearts and minds for service to Christ (verse 35), but this does not mean that we should be fearful of what Christ will do if our lives are imperfect. Being imperfect is not a reason not to open the door the Christ when He does arrive. Contrarily, it is the reason TO open the door for Him. His entrance through it can bring redemption to a broken life (Ephesians 1:7- "In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace").

Christ wants to see every part of us; Christ does see every part of us. A significant part of being watchful and ready is simply opening our hearts to Christ: being vulnerable, being mold-able, and being shape-able. Christ does not expect us to be perfect; he expects us to love Him. He does not expect spotlessness; if this were possible, His death would not have been necessary. Christ asks that we recognize our shortcomings and our need for His presence and change in our lives. These are the things that make us ready for service to Him.