Do What You Know How to Do

It's the year 2009. A year of doing what you know how to do. This Christmas was a wonderful time for us to spend time with our families. In the midst of that, I feel like God showed me something that I really need to grab ahold of for this year.
As may be pretty obvious in my blogs from last year, it has been a difficult few months adjusting to the newness of life. This season gave way to frustrations, restlessness, and a negative attitude that needed to be adjusted. My time home showed me that all of this can change if I incorporate one simple idea: return to the things I know how to do.
One of the major frustrations that I faced was that I felt I didn't know how to have a relationship with God in the midst of everything changing. Perhaps it was the busyness, perhaps it was the "shock" from the change, perhaps it was sheer laziness, but I was convinced that the way I knew how to do devotions or have time alone with God just wasn't going to work. While I was at home, I realized, why should it be any different? Hopefully at this point of my life and walk with God, I have figured out some things that work, some habits that are positive and a lifestyle that shows me loving God and loving people, or at least learning how to do it better on a daily basis. After all, I just finished Bible college, and hopefully I walked away with some skills for studying the Bible, and God has shown me in other seasons how to pray and seek Him. Perhaps my thinking about all of this has made things a bit more difficult than it needs to be. Perhaps I don't need to wait to learn how to do a different practice, but to simply look back to the seasons when I seemed to have an easier time seeking God and begin to do what I know how to do.
I pray this is something that happens for my life. Doing what I know how to do, and allowing God to teach me the things I don't know.

Thankfulness:Building a new habit-Try it!

Last night at youth group, I would have to say my husband came up with an amazing idea! (Yep, he's just amazing that way!) He was teaching about thankfulness, and we actually had the kids write a list of things they are thankful for. This is how we did it. Go through the alphabet and think of as many things as you can that start with each letter,m that you are legitimately thankful for. When youth group was over, we gave everyone a challenge. For the next three weeks, expand your list and write down everything you can think of that you are thankful for--large and small. On Christmas Eve, take some time reading through your list and really thanking God for the things He has done and given in your life. After all "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17)

I am excited to try this. Yesterday I had a realization that perhaps I have not been thankful enough for the things I have. It is so easy to be pessimistic and focus on things that are hard, or not the way that I want them to be. Perhaps my outlook on life will change if I can shift my focus to the things I do have. Those things in my life that are good, and that I have not because I deserve them but because God is simply that good. The reality is I have a lot to be thankful for, and I don't want to ever forget that.

December: The Most Wonderful Time of Year

So here we are rapidly approaching the holiday season. Seth and I are really looking forward to this Christmas because we're going home for two weeks!! (It's the longest I've gone without seeing some of my family members). There are so many things we're looking forward to during this Christmas:

Family (The greatest people I know!!!)
Idaho! (Oh the land of home!)
Hopefully snow (Most definitely dreaming of a white Christmas!)
Cold weather (Finally a taste of normal)
And Vacation (YES!!!!!!!!!)

It'll be a great, wonderful time and I am counting down...can't help it really.

We Survived!

Our overnighter turned out great!! It was a lot of fun hanging out with the youth group and the huge game we planned was a hit...it was AWESOME!!!
And yes, I have to admit, it's my first allnighter ever!!! It went a lot better than I thought it would. But it's true, I was tired (and maybe a bit delirious once 6:00am rolled around), and am probably still catching up on sleep. But it was good. Thanks to all those who put in time, and effort and creative energy to make it a success!!! Maybe we'll have another one next year=)

An Overnighter with the Youth Group--Yes I'm Crazy!

This weekend we have probably the most daring event yet planned for youth group...at least that's what I think. It's our overnighter. We'll see how this goes because in college I think in some ways I may have done the opposite thing from what most college students do. I have developed a particular liking for sleep. I'm not sure how I did this, but I avoided allnighters all throughout college. The worse night I had was about 4 hours. Crazy, I know, but I tried to make sleep a priority. Why? Because lack of sleep makes me grumpy =).
So this weekend I hope that I don't fall into the pattern of grumpiness due to lack of sleep. After all, this is not so much about me and my sleep as it is about the youth group and hopefully providing an opportunity to get to know them better. My old age =) will just have to submit, and hopefully I can sleep all day Saturday!
It will be a good night, I know. As long as I don't have to be dragged out of the building in the morning because I fell asleep. (And I may just be dramatizing this up anyway! =)

Thoughts

I wrote this in response to an email my brothers sent out concerning the year 2008 and today's presidential election. I figured, "hey, why not add it to the blog?" So here it is.
It is true that we saw this year in as a year of new beginnings. And I totally agree with both Danny and Mike. My addition to all of this is that the year 2008 has brought a year of new beginnings, one of personal beginnings like no other for everyone that we are close to. I know that I have entered a new beginning simply by getting married and moving away, it's like every day is full of effects that come along with that new beginning. In fact, everyday is like a new beginning for me because that's how often I am faced with something new, something I have never done before, and the reality that God has called me into something I have never known and would have never guessed. And I know that each of you have gone through new beginnings that are significant this year, and perhaps new beginnings similar to what I am experiencing. And here America is at a cross roads. Perhaps it's because I'm young and have only been involved in two presidential elections, but this is an election like no other. And Danny's right....no matter what the outcome of this election American will face a new season. I will not pretend to know what this season will hold for America. But regardless, God is still God and He is the one ultimately still on the throne. He is not bound by the outcome of this election, and so whatever happens, He is still to be praised. Yes pray today, pray that God will be just what He promises to be, in charge and the one who takes care of His children.
I don't know about you guys, but I have heard people freak out at the idea of the candidate they do not support winning. The thing that feels so disheartening to me is that voters in general, have formed a critical attitude towards both candidates, not to mention the vice president candidates. I feel like in this, SOME Christian voters, perhaps miss the point. Romans 13 says that God places leaders in their positions and we are to submit to them (and that was written during the reign of Nero--who set fire to the city, totally destroyed it, blamed the Christians and tortured them for it). It just seems that at a time of decision, we need to pray for both candidates and ultimately pray that God would guide the country. The person who gets the position is there because God establishes it (Rom. 13:1) and we especially need to submit to the authority placed above us. I know that I have never really been one to jump on the idea of praying for the government, mainly due to not being informed and laziness. This election has shown me that this is a very important thing to do. Especially because whoever gets president has a very difficult task ahead of them.

Dreams and holiday fun...a week of adventures

It has been a strange week for both of us. Nighttime has been the strangest. For the last few nights I have had some very weird dreams. The fact that I remember almost all of them is very significant, since for quite a while I haven't remembered very many of my dreams. And the most notable thing is that they are all kind of quirky. Dreams are a strange thing. I have always thought that. So we'll see how this goes.
It's also been a busy week. Especially yesterday. Our church puts on an annual Harvest Festival, a safe, alternative to Halloween. And it is no small fry either. We transformed our whole parking lot into a carnival with different booths, a very kid-friendly event. It was actually a great experience. Seth and I are still getting used to the people at the church, meeting them and entering the long, slow process of getting to know them. We were some of few people who helped set it up, run it, and tear it down who had never helped with those momentous occasions before. Talk about standing out like a sore thumb.
Overall the experience was a good one. I did notice that it is very difficult for me to be involved in an event like this and have no clue what I'm doing. I found that it is a very humbling thing for me to have to ask someone what to do next. Maybe it's part of my pride, maybe it's an issue of being very driven. Maybe a part of it has to do with wanting people to know that I'm a hard worker and I can get things done when a task is given. It would be much more enjoyable for me to know exactly what needs to be done and be able to set myself to do it. But I guess that's hard to do when you've never done it before. =)
Overall it was a good experience. The church really is a good group of people. As much as I feel like I barely know them and don't yet have much of a place of my own among them, it was good to spend a day with them.