transparency and blessings

Dear readers, can I be really honest and transparent with you?
I'm kind of overwhelmed right now, thinking about my life at the moment. I don't need to give you my detailed schedule, but suffice it to say I am at school/work for an average of 9 1/2 hours ever day Monday-Friday. A lot of that time is in the evenings (for example, Wednesdays I don't get home till 10, and Thursdays my hubby doesn't get home till 9.) Meals have been sporadic, housecleaning even more so, and I constantly miss my husband because we don't see each other nearly enough.

Now, I know a LOT of people have schedules like this or busier, but it's a little more crazy than we've had in previous semesters. And I'm definitely not looking for sympathy; I know I've gotten myself into this! But I like being open with you. As cheery and upbeat as I seem on here and on Facebook etc., I don't always feel that way. Sometimes I'm snippy with my husband. I'm very often not understanding. Some days I'm so tired I feel like I don't do anything well because I can't focus. We've eaten convenience food way more times in the last two and a half weeks than I care to admit. And I definitely don't want you to see what my house looks like right now (although at the moment it's not bad in comparison with last week).

On the other hand...
I have been so blessed in the last three weeks it would take a long time to tell you about it all. And I'm really, really happy with my life.

I've gotten to start a little tiny ministry in our home once a week, by inviting girls from school over for tea, coffee, something homemade and baked, and visiting. I want to incorporate some Bible study into these get-togethers soon, too. This has been on my heart for months and I'm so excited to finally be able to do it. Joshua is incredibly supportive and has made this a high priority for me/us.

I absolutely LOVE my classes (all of them, which isn't always the case), and two of them in particular are going to be incredibly helpful with advancing my blogging and writing careers. I have big dreams for this blog, and I can't even tell you how excited I am at the prospect of some major projects this semester.

In less than three weeks of classes I've already made a new friend and strengthened old friendships. I'm excited to connect with people this year that I haven't connected with much.

Despite not spending tons of time together like we did over the summer, the time Joshua and I have had together has been quality. He brought me lunch today (frozen pizza is sometimes such a blessing), and we had a great talk for more than half an hour about something other than classes, work, and scheduling. I can't tell you how much we needed that or how refreshing it was.

There's so much more that I am so incredibly thankful for. God has been showing himself to me in new ways thanks to a class that requires we do Bible study and spend time praying and meditating. I've been able to worship in chapel at least twice a week. And boy, I love theology classes, and getting to talk faith-stuff with dear friends and classmates.

So as crazy life is... it is so, so good right now. As always, of course. I have a job I love...classes I love...friends I love...and of course a husband I am absolutely crazy for. And God amazes and awes me with how he heaps his love on us till I just overflow.

When life feels rough, I just look at the good things and thank God for them... and then a messy kitchen and sleep deprivation really don't look so big after all.

Linking with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four

Keeping Priorities in Order

A new school year is beginning soon. For us, it's in two weeks; for some of you, it may have already begun! With a change in schedule, priorities can get shifted around. Sometimes that's necessary. But I'm taking a hard look this semester at my priorities and where they stand.

• God should always be number one. Some days (many days, if I'm honest) my Bible goes unopened. Sure, we do Portals of Prayer almost every day, and pray together daily, but my personal Bible study time is definitely lacking. That's something that I am constantly working on, and it's something I can't slack on when school starts. Especially when life gets busier, I'm going to need to be in the Word even more, otherwise life will just fall apart.
• My husband should always be the second most important person in my life! I often find myself caught up in the busyness of the school year, trying to socialize in between classes, work, and homework-- and sometimes my husband gets neglected. This should not be! My husband is my closest family, my very best friend, and my partner for life--nourishing our marriage needs to be way at the top of my priority list.
• Next should be time for family and friends. This doesn't happen during the school year as much as I'd like, partly because my family lives far away and Joshua's is even busier than we are. But we try to see them as often as we practically can.
• After my relationships come my responsibilities. First and foremost is my calling as a homemaker: planning and preparing meals, keeping up with laundry, keeping our home clean and presentable.
• Next I need to focus on my jobs, the ways I financially contribute to our little family. Blogging is one of my jobs, too--it's an important part of what I do and who I am.
• Finally comes school, and with that, homework. Obviously, attending classes on a day-to-day basis is a non-negotiable, and I always turn in homework on time, but it's not the most important aspect of my life, or the one I should be spending the most time and attention on.
• Mixed in here is spending some time focusing on myself, but that cannot be my top priority. Obviously I need to take care of myself physically, and take some time to rest and relax daily (nourishing food, adequate sleep, and physical activity are absolute musts in every day!). But I need to spend the majority of my time focusing on others.

It's a lot to balance, and although your roles, relationships and responsibilities may look a little different, I'm sure you have a lot to balance in your life as well.

How are your priorities lining up? Who or what is at the top of your list?

Is it your husband? Your children? Your job? Your writing? Yourself?

If God isn't at the top, followed closely by your spouse, the rest of your priorities won't line up right. The Lord needs to be the main focus of your life, the center around which everything else revolves. It's His Word that will keep you grounded and able to fulfill all your other roles and responsibilities the best you can. Trust me, I need to remind myself of this very often!

If spouse and family aren't way toward the top of your priority list, simply speaking, you're failing in your primary callings. We all have a variety of vocations--roles to which God has called us. If you're married and/or a parent, those vocations are your first and most important! No matter what job you have (even if it's a pastor, a doctor, a lawyer, a police officer), whatever it is, it's not as important as your first calling, which is to your family.

I have to remember this on a very regular basis. It's so easy to get caught up in thinking "but when I'm working I'm doing it for my family!" Or in my case, "When I'm spending all my time cooking and cleaning and taking care of the house, I'm doing it for my husband!" Most times he'd rather I spend time with him, not spend time doing dishes or cleaning the bathroom. Obviously those things need to get done, but they're not nearly as important as investing in my relationship with my husband.

So yep,  I sometimes struggle with keeping my priorities in order. I think we all do to some extent.

I find that it helps when I schedule time for those things that are most important. I do well with a written, detailed schedule, and if I put "Bible study and prayer" for the first half-hour of each day, I'm very likely to do it. If I decide that Tuesday and Friday nights, nothing goes on the calendar because those two nights are set aside for time with my husband, we'll actually spend that time together. If I schedule a couple hours a day for homework, it will happen in those times and not get pushed to evenings when I should be spending time with my husband. Those are some things I'm going to do to keep my priorities in order this school year.

What are you going to do this year to keep your priorities lined up? Looking at yourself, what order are you priorities in right now?

prayers please!

Hello, you dear people who read these words I write!

I have a bit of news... I've been called for jury duty and the trial is expected to last at least two weeks.  So my free time is going to be far less than usual, which means blogging won't happen like I want it to.  I'll try to write a little bit as often as I can, but don't expect any big, exciting posts in the next two weeks-- except that I WILL have a very exciting announcement for you soon!  The reason for that announcement is also the reason that I won't have time to blog much in the next two weeks.  (And NO, I'm not pregnant, before you wonder!)

I would ask that you keep me in your prayers for the next couple weeks, with these two major responsibilities-- in addition to being a wife and homemaker.  My husband is being incredibly supportive and encouraging, and I will be in prayer and in the Word a LOT, but I'll need all the prayers I can get!

Thank you so much for being loyal and wonderful!

One more thing... by the end of the day yesterday, I was amazed to re-read the words I wrote yesterday morning, before the first day of the trial.  God definitely led me to write something that I would need for my own encouragement--how cool is that?!?  Stop by and read yesterday's post if you haven't yet.  Have you ever had that experience of needing to teach yourself something more than teaching it to others?  That was definitely me yesterday!

P is for... {Thankful Thursday}

I feel like I need to start today with a bit of an apology.  I haven't been getting around to visiting as many bloggers as I really want to.  We have less than three weeks till the end of the semester at my college, and that means paper, tests, and projects are all coming due here really soon.  I've barely had time to get posts out every day... but I HAVE posted every day!  And for that, I am thankful.  I'm also thankful for those of you who stick around and visit regularly, for those who comment, and for the two people who just told me in the last couple days that they often read the scribbles I put out here.  That means more than you will ever know.

I'm also thankful that today's letter is P, because that's so much easier than "J" for coming up with words!  Today I am thankful for...

peace, even in the midst of this busy, stressful week...and in the midst of the evil that we have witnessed this week.
prayer, by which I can talk to my God and Father whenever I need and want to.
patriotism, which has been displayed by so many people this week, despite the tragedy in Boston and, now, the one in Waco, Texas.
princess--who I am as a daughter of the King of Kings.  What a gift.
my mom, Paula--the most wonderful mom a girl could ask for.  We're better friends now than we've ever been, she is always there for me, and she's taught me so much: especially what it means to love God and love my husband.  I love you, Mom.
pink and purple--two of my favorite colors.  yellow's the other.  I love how God created this world with color.  It would be so dull if everything was in black-and-white!
people--again, a dull world if no one lived in it.  Life is made interesting by the humanity with whom we interact every day.
pancakes, peas, pineapple, potatoes, pistachios, pumpkin, and whatever food begins with P!  I'm thankful for all that we have to eat.  (Also, I made roasted sweet potatoes last week, and they were amazing.)

What about you?  What are you thankful for this week?  Anything that begins with P?


Linking with: black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, lovely little whimsy, There's Just One Mommy

Seeing God in all things

It's been another crazy week, people.

We went back to school after spring break, and it seemed like a whole BUNCH of homework assignments jumped on us all at once.  After being home for a week, going back to the routine of being gone for most of the day, every day, has been tiring.

And other things have added to the weight of this week...
remembering one of Joshua's high school classmates who died in a car accident last week
the news of a friend of my parents' who was in a car accident with her daughters and who suffered massive head injuries (please be praying)
...other things.

Sometimes you wonder how much more frustrations, sorrows, and suffering one world can take.

But then I look for God in everything.
God, who has blessed us so much this week through family, friends and strangers
God, who has given us rest, good health, a home, a car, plenty of food, clothes, etc....
God, who welcomed Joshua's friend home to heaven
God, who protected the little girls in the car accident and is now surrounding their mama with His presence
God, who blesses us in ways we often don't expect
God, who is in control of all things

Many of my friends are getting ready to graduate.  Soon it'll be our turn.  Thinking about the end of college gets me wondering sometimes-- will Joshua be able to find a teaching job right away?  Where will we have to move?  How will we make new friends?  What will it be like, being in a totally unfamiliar place?

But then I remember...
God has great plans for us.
God has our future in his hands.
God loves us more than we can imagine (he sent his SON for us!)-- and has blessed us in the past.

So we can trust that he will continue to bless us in the future.

And for that, I am SO thankful.


Linking today with Loved and Lovely, The Fontenot Four, black tag diaries, There's Just One Mommy

Thankfulness in all things

It's been a few weeks since I wrote a "Thankful Thursday" post.  These last several days have kept me quite busy--but you know, I'm thankful for the busyness too, because it's a result of having fantastic college classes, a home to care for, friends with whom to spend time, responsibilities to fulfill.

I'm thankful for the opportunity I had last week to be on the hair and makeup crew for our school's production of "Arsenic and Old Lace."  The cast and crew were such a fun group of people to work with, and despite being gone every evening for a week, I'm so glad I was a part of it!

I am SO thankful for the amazing professors we have here.  They're always open to talking about anything, class-related or not.  They're fantastic teachers.  They encourage me in my faith.  They help me stretch myself, learn and grow.

I am thankful for the creative ways we've been making food stretch the last couple days--payday is tomorrow!  This girl is excited for grocery shopping! :D

I'm constantly thankful for my sweet husband, who makes me laugh, who helps me around the house without being asked, who encourages me and helps me think straight.  I'm thankful for the time we've spent together just talking and having fun.

I am so thankful for our dear friends who are coming to visit us next week!  We're so excited to spend time with them--it's been since last summer since both of us couples were together.  They are such a blessing.

I'm thankful for the sunshine, and the slightly warmer temperatures this week, and the green things starting to come up from the ground.  Spring is coming soon!

I am eternally grateful for the love of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, who did everything necessary for my salvation from sin.  It is because of him and his great love for me that I am able to live joyfully and freely, not bogged down by sin, because from it Christ has set me free.


What gifts has God given you this week?  How has he blessed you?  Please share in the comments!

Linking with: The Fontenot Four, black tag diaries, There's Just One Mommy

When You Need a Little Help

This week is shaping up to be kind of crazy:
lots of homework due
helping with hair and makeup for a play this weekend
laundry to get done
spending time with my hubby (that's at the top of the priority list!!)

I got kind of overwhelmed yesterday, just at the thought of all I had to do.  Joshua looked at me and asked, "Do you need a hug?  It looks like you need a hug."  He just held me, and it helped so much.  Today he ordered a pizza so I didn't have to cook supper.  He's been wonderfully encouraging, even when I'm so stressed and tired.  I'm thankful that this isn't how life is all the time!

But I know it's not just me.  We all get tired, stressed, and burned out at times.  So what do we do at times like that?

Image Credit: FrameAngel via Freedigitalphotos.net

Take care of yourself.
What helps you relax?  What makes you feel good?  For me, it's a hot shower, a mug of tea, and plenty of sleep.  And lots of time with my husband. :)

Do you like to cook to relax?  Spend a couple hours reading a good book uninterrupted?  Get away with some friends with a couple hours?  Whatever it is that helps you refresh your body and spirit, if you're feeling stressed and burned out, make time to do those things that will lift your spirits and help you be physically prepared to do your best in everything.

Ask for help.
No one should expect you to always be able to take care of everything on your own!  Can you delegate some of your tasks at work to a coworker?  Readjust your schedule so you don't have so much on your plate in the immediate future?  Enlist your spouse and/or children for help at home?  You are not alone.

Take it to God in prayer.
This is the BEST thing you can do when you're stressed/exhausted/worried/whatever!  God is always there for you, and he loves you more than you can imagine. That's something I need to remind myself of a LOT.  Prayer is more powerful than I think we know, and the Holy Spirit promises to always be with us.  God gives us peace that surpasses all human understanding--don't ever forget that.

So if you're like me this week--if you're tired, stressed, busy, worn out-- make sure you're taking care of yourself, asking for help, and daily lifting up your life to the Lord.  He loves you so much.  Always remember that!

What is your best advice for de-stressing when life gets crazy?

Saved by Grace. This is what matters.

My friends, it's a blessed but weary morning.  Most days I'm ready to jump out of bed and start my Bible reading, make breakfast, write a post if I haven't already.

Today I'd love to go back to bed, but this house needs my attention, and so do you.  And you and I both need a reminder of the big picture--what life is all about, what the most important thing is.  (And I'll tell you what, it's not the fact that I have a lot of picking up to do around here.)

It's this:

Ephesians:
2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body^[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.^[b] 4 But^[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. [Emphases added] [Source]

This is what matters.  We can't expect perfection from ourselves, because we're not perfect.  We needed saving--which means at one point, we were lost.  Specifically, dead (see v. 1).  But in our baptisms, God made us one with Christ--one in his death, and one in his resurrection, so both Jesus' sacrifice and righteousness count for us, too.  God made us alive with Christ.  He has given us the promise of eternal life with Jesus, and because of his grace has given us faith (again, through our baptism and in the Word) which saves us.

Can I add a note here?  Perhaps you don't believe the truth of these things.  You might have heard about them, but not made them a part of your life.  If you don't know who Jesus is, or if you've heard of him but don't believe in him as your Lord and Savior, please, email me (jaimie dot ramsey at cune dot org) and we'll talk.  This message is for you, too, because Jesus also died for and loves YOU!


Our salvation is not contingent upon anything we do or don't do.  That would make even salvation from sin into a law.  But it's not.

Our salvation is entirely about Jesus, and what HE has done for us.

We are children of God and the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts, enabling us to live obedient lives to God.  Because of Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf, God no longer looks at us and sees sinners.  He looks at us and sees Jesus.  He knows we're sinful, but he also knows Jesus has already paid the price for that sin.  He has already forgiven us for everything we have done or will ever do that is against his will for us.  There is no more price to be paid, no more punishment to be taken.  Oh, we experience the temporal consequences of bad decisions.  Sometimes those consequences are acutely painful.  But they don't affect our eternal state--our soul has been ransomed by Jesus Christ, and nothing in this world can touch it.

Ah...yes.  This is what's important.  God doesn't love me more if my house is clean.  He doesn't look at my homemaking skills or my good grades and say, "Well done, Jaimie, you've just made your salvation more sure."  That would be ridiculous.  God doesn't depend on us for our own salvation.  He just asks that we don't throw away the faith in his Son that he's graciously given us.  And I'm not about to do that.

Today, you and I can rest in the knowledge that God loves us, no matter what our house looks like, no matter how we do in our job or our studies or whatever vocation we're in.  Remember that you are saved by grace through faith, and this is NOT of your own doing.  It's a gift from God.

Linking today with Upward not Inward, Exceptionalistic, Deep Roots at Home, Raising Homemakers

to keep on keepin' on

Today was the first day of school.
Technically, it's my senior year, but I have a year and a half to go and Joshua has two.  So we'll be "super-seniors," which isn't that big a deal...a lot of people follow the five-year plan.  Or four and a half, in my case.

We didn't get to bed nearly early enough last night, so that might contribute to my tiredness.  I'm exhausted.  It'll probably take a few days to get used to the school schedule again.  I don't have a massively busy schedule, but it's plenty.  Figuring in classes, work, homework, meal-making, cleaning, dishes, and time with friends and most importantly with Joshua...it's a little overwhelming.  But I know we'll get into a system, and I'll get used to it.  I always do. :)

So far I've only been to three of my eight classes.  Two of them are choir and handbells, which both are very familiar.  I have two new professors this semester, and I met both of them today.  I think this will be a good semester.  I'm looking forward to all my classes.  They will all be useful and interesting. :)

I want to keep blogging, and linking up, but I have a feeling that, at least for a while, blogging might have to take the back burner.  I know writing is really, really important, but did you see that list of everything I have to do every day?

Give me a couple weeks.  At the most, a month.  I'll keep writing as much as I can...but it might be a little less than usual in the next few weeks.  Bear with me.  Stick with me if you want to.  Keep your eyes open... I'll keep posting.  I'll be here.  I just might be a little scarce for a while. :)

Because this is important to me.  Writing.  Blogging.  Keeping up with this community.  I know I have an obligation to my readers, to keep on keepin' on.  I have even more of an obligation to myself.  This is important.

But I talk a lot about priorities...keeping first things first.  Blogging is an important thing, but it's not a first thing.  Not right now.  So it will happen--I hope fairly regularly--but I need to keep other things first: God.  My husband.  My friends.  School.  Work.

Thanks for sticking with me. :)

Never Alone

It's been so long since I've written.  At least five days. :)

I had an insanely busy weekend...homework, housework, spending time with my hubby and family and friends.  And since yesterday afternoon I haven't been feeling well.  I've been drinking a lot of tea, trying to combat the gunk-filled, itchy, scratchy throat and a cough.  And taking painkillers for the headache and aches.

But I miss writing, and I need to write.  Not that I care so much about the pageviews.  I know I'll share this and people will read.  You always do, and thank you.  But I need to write.  To get in the written, or typed, word what's in my mind.

I had a long talk with my friend Stephanie today.  And before that I had a talk with a favorite professor.  And before that class with another great prof.  All three things had something in common: they reminded me that I'm not alone.  That I'm not in this crazy thing called life by myself.

Let me explain.  In my first class today ("Exile to Christ," a history course covering that period in history), we were talking about the things that Christians in the early church, and even Jews in the time before Christ lived, went through.  Things like wondering when the Messiah would come, and for the Christians, wondering when He would come back.  Things like trying to live according to God's laws.  Things like fighting against the ways of the world, because the ways of the world are so different from our ways.  What we as Christians experience today, this minute, is no different than what Christians have been experiencing for hundreds of years.

After my second class, I stayed behind to talk to my professor for a little bit.  I forget how the conversation started, but we talked about struggles we've had, and that we've witnessed in others.  How he struggled with depression without knowing that he even had it.  How I had to fight a life-affecting phobia in high school.  How a beloved friend of mine struggled with her self-image.  And my professor and I talked about how we had loved ones who helped us through those hard times.  For him, it was a psychologist friend who realized that my professor had depression.  For me, it was Joshua who helped me fight the phobia till it's now almost gone.  And more than anything, it was our faith in Christ that got us through.

Then my friend Stephanie and I were working together at the library.  And we started talking about our faith, struggles we've had, things we've learned, ways God has taught us and brought us closer to him in the last few years.  And we realized how much we have in common, and she and I were able to encourage each other and just listen.  She's a good listener. :)

Tonight our dear friends Ruth and Joe came over with yummy snacks and a great movie, to keep sick little me company while Joshua was at work.  It was exactly what I needed.

In so many ways, God has revealed himself to me.  So many people have been Christ to me throughout my life.  They have been his hands, his arms, his smile, his voice.  God has chosen to love me through other people.  Through them I know that God takes care of me.  That he is always near me.  That he is watching over me, and that he has my life, my self, my soul in his hands.  That he has been working in everything in my life for my good and his glory.

"Never will I leave you," Jesus told his disciples.  "Never will I forsake you."
He hasn't.  He won't.

catch-up and God-talk

I haven't had much time to write, and haven't been able to think of much to write about.

Finals week begins Monday.  I only have one test, but six papers to write this week.  None are terribly long, but it's a little overwhelming.  I did finish a short story this evening, with Joshua's help to get the male perspective accurate.  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

This week has been fairly typical otherwise.  Last week of classes.  I feel perpetually sleep-deprived.  That's partly my own fault, though.  Last night there was a formal dance and we went with Ruth and Joe, and then went to IHOP for a midnight pancake run.  I've never been to IHOP at all and certainly not at such an hour!  But it was fun, and delicious.  We didn't get home till 2:30, however, so this morning was slow and lazy.  But it was nice. :)

Today I also got laundry and grocery shopping done.  It's nice to have clean clothes and a full fridge!

The story I wrote is based on the experiences Joshua and I had over Thanksgiving break: broken-down car, both of us upset, tow truck ride, all that.  My English professor had an incredible insight when she read the story.  I wrote about how the young couple in the story (basically us) had to put the car in neutral, and let the tow truck driver take control of the car to get it on the truck and driven to the repair shop.  The couple had to let go of the wheel entirely and trust their car to someone else.  They had to let him take the wheel and just go along with the ride.

I'm surprised I didn't see the spiritual application of this story myself, but I'm sure glad my teacher did.  We have to let God take control.  We have to get in the passenger seat, let go of our lives, and let him take us where we need to go, where we'll be safe.  Considering that the story is based on real life...it was very emotional for me.  It's like God was talking to me, but it took nearly two weeks for me to hear the message, and then I had to be told by someone else what it was.

I hear you, Lord.  Let you take over.  Trust you.  Don't worry.  Don't fret.  Sit back and enjoy the ride.  Life is so much easier when I don't have to focus on the particulars of the trip--when I don't see what's ahead in the road.  Because you, God, can see, and you'll get me through everything safely.

Whew!

The weekend went by too fast.  This is the last full week of classes.  I have six papers and a test till to accomplish in the next week.  I am perpetually short on sleep.  So that's all I could think of for a title: "Whew!"

Ruth and I went to the annual "Christmas at Concordia" concert on Saturday.  This was the first year in three that I wasn't in a musical ensemble, and it was weird but nice at the same time.  The concerts get better every year.  It was amazing: such incredible music, such a wonderful way to praise our Savior and celebrate his birth!

Also on Saturday it SNOWED.  Finally!  (Two years ago our first snow was October 10, way too early!)  With the snow came much colder temperatures.  It's officially winter in Nebraska.

I baked bread on Sunday...we witnessed a wonderful baptism in church Sunday morning...spent time with friends Friday night...congratulated ourselves on getting our ten-page papers done for history class...worked Sunday night.  And now it's Monday.  Only Monday?  Today has felt at least three days long!

I'm ready for the semester to be over.  I'm very ready for a break, and looking forward to new classes in the new year.  I also want to get my house clean and keep it that way for more than 24 hours straight!

The end is in sight, folks.  Blessings on your week--of school, work, and whatever else comes your way.  God be with you!

Stressing and Blessing

This weekend was a rollercoaster-ride of emotions.

Thursday morning our car started acting up.
Thursday night my in-laws came to help get it (temporarily) figured out.
Success with the car (temporarily).
Also Thursday night, my father-in-law had a minor stroke.

Friday morning my mother-in-law took Dad to the hospital.
Friday evening we had a great time with friends (Joe and Ruth).
Friday night Joshua's younger brothers stayed with us.

Saturday morning I spent thrift-shopping and making cookies with another amazing friend, Sara.
Saturday afternoon I worked at the library.
Brothers stayed with us again Saturday night.

Sunday morning we went to a Methodist church (for a class Joshua's taking).
Sunday afternoon we visited Joshua's parents at the hospital.
Dad is doing a lot better--walking with a walker, talking almost normally, moving more.
Sunday evening we went to see Puss in Boots (funny movie :) ).
Sunday night we did homework and played cards with Ruth and Joe.

And now it's Monday, and I'm drowsy from sleep deprivation all weekend, and stressed because the house didn't get clean like I planned for it to.

It was a busy weekend--stressful things and fun things to counteract the stressful, but no time to do much housework or homework.

In it all we were blessed.
In it all God taught me so much (selflessness, the value and importance of family, more lessons on priorities, how amazing our friends are, the incredible blessing my husband always is, etc, etc).

Life is so fragile.
The future is so elusive.
Our plans are so futile.

God holds all things together.
God knows the future.
God's plans will come to fruition.

Sometimes it's just hard to trust, to remember that.
Worrying seems so easy.  But it doesn't do any good.

Trusting is so hard.  But it's the only thing I can do, sometimes.
Prayer is so easy, and it does so much good!
I've been doing a lot of that this weekend.

I'm ooking forward to Thanksgiving break--a time to rest, to catch up on housecleaning, to relax with my husband, to see family, to remember all we have to be grateful for.

Thankful Thursday

Today is my busiest day of the week: class, chapel, babysitting, lunch, class, class, homework, work, work, homework.  Bed.  Right now I'm in the last homework stage.  And yes, I'm doing a blog post instead of homework at the moment.  Priorities, you know. :)

Anyway, there is much to be thankful for on this busiest of days!!

~Beautiful fall weather
~A furnace that heats our home, blankets and a hand-crocheted afghan on the bed, and a husband to snuggle against
~Writing like mad in class this morning
~Funny and awkward and sweet poetry
~Running after two little girls
~Seeing people I know and like and talking with them
~Warm, cozy, fuzzy sweaters
~Coworkers I like, who make me smile
~Chicken salad crossaints with swiss cheese (!!!)
~Relaxing hour of work at the library
~Homework with my hubby
~The promise of going to see CELTIC THUNDER tomorrow!!!!!!!

linking up to the lovely Julia at black tag diaries. :)

Stressed but Blessed

That's what I said to a friend on facebook today.  I'm stressed but blessed.

You don't need to hear my current list of stressers.  It's a mile long and I don't really want to remind myself.  I will boldly ask for prayers for my sick husband, however!!

I've had two different friends today give me comfort, encouragement and a reality check.  Not to mention hugs and the reassurance that it's okay to cry.  Thanks, guys: you know who you are.  They reminded me that it's all about perspective: things could be a lot worse, and I have SOOOOO much to be thankful for.  They were reminders themselves of how blessed I am.  God has put the most amazing friends into Joshua's and my lives, and lately I've been running into them exactly when I needed to hear what they had to say.  God, you're awesome.

Anyway, so the things I have to be thankful for, to put my life back into perspective:

Joshua could be much more sick. Or he could have had to skip work today instead of just class. He's able to take time to rest, which he really needs. And since he's home sick, we won't be doing much this weekend. I can't wait.

The weather lately has been gorgeous. I love walking to and from school every day, and the sunshine lifts my spirits.

Financially, God continues to provide: perhaps not in the ways I want him to, but in the ways he knows are best.

We eat so well. Even on a budget. :)

I LOVE my job at the library. It's hardly work at all. Usually it's a time to take a breath, relax, and chat with the amazing people I work with.

God is gracious, forgiving, and loving every day, no matter what.

Joshua and I got our papers DONE last night that were due this morning, and we both felt good about the end results.

I have an amazing husband and I have the honor and privilege of loving him and caring for him. I can't wait to go home to him this evening. :)

Whew. I feel so much better now. Seriously, whenever you're having a rough day and/or feeling sorry for yourself and/or feeling like everything that could go wrong is going wrong...count your blessings. God is so amazing.

Joy and peace to you this day, in His Name!!

Thankful that Marriage is for LIFE!

As funny as this might sound, I'm really glad I'm only getting married once--for lots of reasons!!  For one thing, I want to spend the rest of my life with my man.  There's no one I'd rather live, love, struggle, rejoice, praise, serve and grow old with.  Also, getting married is a lot of work.  It takes a lot of time, a lot of planning, lots of other people helping, and a lot of money.  I've been having the weirdest dreams of my life related to the wedding.  It is, after all, the biggest decision of my life, the biggest change I'll probably ever go through, the most life-changing event I'll ever experience.

However, I'm thankful for every aspect of this whole experience.  I'm learning more about myself, my future husband, and what all marriage entails.  I'm SO thankful that we have our whole lives to get this marriage-thing down.  It's going to take a lot of work, a lot of patience, a lot of love and forgiveness.  Thank God for his grace, and for the strength we'll need to honor him in our marriage.  I'm so thankful for the man God has given me to "do life" with.  I wouldn't want to go through life without either one of them--God or my man! :)

I'm coming to realize how much so many people love and care about me, about us.  So many of our family and friends are coming, so many are helping in myriad ways.  Our parents have expressed their love to us so clearly.  We are so blessed; God is so good.  And as one of my favorite bloggers, Nikki, reminded me in a recent post, God is not just good in the good times.  We will struggle, but God will be just as good then as he is now, in the happy times.  And we can have joy in those hard times too, because joy is not of ourselves but comes from Him and Him alone.

I have more thoughts, but those of you who are married understand that five days before my wedding, my to-do list is still overwhelming!  I'll get it done...but I need to get it done.  :)

I promised pictures.  They will come...eventually!

He Provides: Matthew 6:25-34

It was brought to my attention yesterday that I worry a lot.

I do.

Right now, I'm worrying about studying for finals, the grades I'll get for said finals, money, where my fiance' and I are going to live in less than six months when we (finally) get married, getting everything done before I go home, etc.  I'm going to miss my honey for a week till he comes to my house.  And there are so many other things that I'm thinking and fretting and wondering about.

Jesus says in Matthew 6, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  (6:31-34)  Earlier in the passage, Jesus summed it all up: "Do not worry about your life."  He made the point that worrying really does nothing to help us: it's pointless and it doesn't do any good.  Instead, we can trust that God knows what we need and will provide it.

Psalm 111 talks about how God provides our most basic needs: "He provides food for those who fear him" (verse 5), and "He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever--holy and awesome is his name" (verse 9)!  God has provided redemption: what else do we really need?  Paul also speaks of this in Romans chapter 5, verse 17: "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."

On the last page of Philippians in my Bible, I wrote, some time ago, "Earthly things just don't matter when I have Christ."  I'm going to rephrase that a bit: "When I have Christ I don't have to worry about anything."

I am a saved, forgiven, loved child of God.  That's what matters.

Today, I'm going to focus on God, instead of myself, and in focusing on what really matters, stop worrying about the things that don't.

On Forgiveness and -Not- Blogging

I'm frustrated with myself.  I mean, really.  It has been a week since I blogged last!  Which means I haven't done much in the way of Scripture reading lately either.

Once again, it's the old excuse of being too busy.  I really have been extremely busy; there are more things going on than I care to list.  On the other hand, I know that part of my neglect is simple laziness, which is one of my worst faults.

However, I learned something this morning when my beloved fiance was leading a Bible study at his dad's church.  My man talked about how God in Christ has paid for, covered, erased, and generally gotten rid of all our sins.  When we, by faith, believe that Jesus has taken our sin on himself and given us his righteousness, God looks at us and sees none of our sin, but only Christ's righteousness.  No matter how much or how often we sin, when we repent of that sin, God forgives us.  He loves us, no matter what!  He has even claimed us as his own children.  To be called a child of God is something I have been familiar with my whole life, but every now and then it really hits me.

The Creator of the universe calls me his child!!  His own daughter!  His heir, and one who will get to spend eternity with him in heaven!!

This doesn't mean I can just keep sinning, knowing I'll be forgiven.  Quite to the contrary: when we really realize what God has done for us, out of faith, love and gratitude we will respond by serving and obeying him to the best of our abilities.  We can't do that perfectly, no, but that's where God's forgiveness comes in again. It's a blessed, loving circle.

With the knowledge that I am God's child, one he has chosen, I can really apply Romans 8:28 to my life again.  Yes, this keeps coming up, but right now my honey isn't well at all, in fact he's not able to go to the last performance of our college's annual Christmas concert.  And my heart aches for him.  How I wish I was the one with the sinus infection instead of him!  But I keep reminding myself, God works all things for good  for those he has called according to his purpose.  In this too, God will work good.

Today, I am going to remember that I am a loved, forgiven, and saved child of God: one he has called for his purposes.

Made by Him: Psalm 119:73-80

Today I'm sitting in the computer lab in the library, with just a few minutes before I have a handbells rehearsal.  It's a busy day, but I wanted to take a few minutes to read today's passage and reflect on it.

The very first verse of this passage caught my eye right away!  Here's the whole passage:

⁷³ Your hands made me and formed me;
   give me understanding to learn your commands.⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
   for I have put my hope in your word.
⁷⁵ I know, LORD, that your laws are righteous,
   and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
⁷⁶ May your unfailing love be my comfort,
   according to your promise to your servant. ⁷⁷ Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
   for your law is my delight.
⁷⁸ May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;
   but I will meditate on your precepts.
⁷⁹ May those who fear you turn to me,
   those who understand your statutes.
⁸⁰ May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,
   that I may not be put to shame.

I was made and formed by God's hands!!  That is so exciting!  Just imagine, God who is all good (see yesterday's post) made ME.  And he made YOU, and everyone else in the world!  Because he made us, he gives us all things, including understanding to learn his commands.

There are two verses in this passage that begin "May those who fear you" (see Proverbs 1:7).  Those who fear God are those who love and trust in him above all things, who know that he's God and they aren't.  The psalmist is asking to be an example to other believers.  I pray that I can be as well.

Verse 76 is my favorite: God's unfailing love is my comfort, because he has promised it to me!  At a time like right now when I'm so busy, it's so encouragaging to know that I'm loved unfailingly by the God who made and formed me.

That's what I'm going to remember today.