I began with a sigh...and ended completely inspired

Everyday I like to read a couple Psalms and Proverbs along with my main reading. Normally I choose the Proverb of the day. And today was no exception, except today, I'm ashamed to say, I wasn't too thrilled. It's the 31st, and we all know what Proverbs 31 is all about; the Virtuous Woman.

I've heard this chapter preached on, I've memorized it in two different versions. Mother/Daughter Bible Studies are always based on this chapter and I've heard oodles of teachers teach on it. Quotes are hung up all over the place and I've let it become commonplace. I let it lose it's charm. And so as I turned my pages to Provers 31, I gave an inward sigh.

But recently I heard a message taught on Bathsheba (the author of those verses). It really changed my perspective on her, in a positive way (but that's too long to get into right now...), and so I thought I would read this chapter with that in mind. Purpose to find something new. Purpose to not view it as commonplace. Purpose to view it as excellent instruction that God has given to me, as a girl. Purpose to read it as if I'd never read it before.

I was amazed. Inspired. Stunned. Discouraged. Energized. All at the same time.

Things jumped out at me like never before. Yeah, I'm not married. But I'm willing to bet a substantial amount that this woman didn't all of a sudden become the "supermom/wife" right when she got married. Uhh...no. It took preparation.

And it hit me. If I could spend every minute of my life preparing so that I could be like her...I still wouldn't be ready. *smile*

Just take a look at some of her characteristics;

• she gets up while it is still dark..   
• out of her earnings she plants a vineyard    
• her arms are strong for her tasks
• she extends her hands to the needy.
• she is clothed with strength, and dignity
• she speaks with wisdom
• she does not eat the bread of idleness

And the list goes on and on and on.

What kind of things would this girl have been doing while she was not yet married? 

Good question. 

What are you doing...right now...to prepare for the future?

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; 

but a women who fears the LORD is to be praised." 

Prov. 31:30

Week #3

(yes, an odd picture to accompany goals...but here it is...for no real reason)

This week has been a blast and I can't wait to share pictures and stories with you all! And I think we accomplished all my goals for last week! And we actually managed to take lots of pictures...

• Memorize Psalm 37
• Write a poem (which may or may not be posted)
• Blog about amazing visit

"Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,

 Give unto the LORD glory and strength. 

Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; 

Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."

Psalm 26:1-2

Real quick

Yeah, it's Monday again. And with that is supposed to come a new set of goals right? Well...this week is gonna' be full, fun and exciting. So my goals are;

• Pick up Kristina and Katy from the airport
• Have loads of fun
• Plan and host a garden party
• Take lots and lots of pictures

Generally my list is supposed to be somewhat of a challenge, yet still attainable. Not this time....well, maybe on the "take pictures" one...

The new look

And just fyi--I love hanging out with this girl!

While Dan was in OKC for classes Bethany flew in for a quick visit. The time went entirely too fast, but we smashed it full of fun! And among countless other things she managed to snap some pictures of my new hair cut...and ice cream! (insert cute little heart)

[Thanks, Bethany!]

Volleyball

...I love it!

While out in VA we got to play a lot of it. We would eat a quick lunch at our desk and then hurry out to play volleyball for an hour or so over the lunch break.

The games were good, competitive and usually well matched. Sand volleyball was the choice when the weather was favorable, although the inside gym was the popular vote for those not inclined to get too much sun.

For some reason, the girl behind the camera that day really liked this guy...but being his wife she can get away with being biased:)

The whole group of us. Yes, I miss them too!

And a couple times during my stay we got together with these crazy people to play some 2-on-2. The sand court was a little big, so we stepped off smaller lines and tried our best. Finally we just resorted to practicing whatever we felt like. Whether it was spiking, setting, over-hand serve, rolling in the sand, bumping or just getting in a kick of giggles, we always had a blast!

Occasionally we played wallyball...now if you don't know what that is...well it can be crazy. It is played in the racquetball court with a very bouncy rubber volleyball. The walls can be used to your advantage if you so wish. The court is quite small which makes it nice for a smaller group of people, but it gets crowed very easily.

Both ways are fun, but if you ask me, a good competitive game of indoor volleyball is tough to beat!

Happiness...

...is knowing that only a couple days separate you from seeing a dear friend again!

When I first headed out to VA to live with Dan and Bethany (yes, I still have pictures that I need to post, and stories to tell;) I didn't know anyone, but them. My friends back here assured me that I would make new friends...but if I'd have known exactly who I would meet...I wouldn't have been worried at all.

All the people who work for HSLDA are amazing. Kind, sweet, encouraging and very welcoming. And it just so happened that I got to work with a girl just a little bit older then me, Kristina is her name, and we hit it off very well. We shared a lot of common ground and so it didn't take long before we were giggling and laughing together like old friends:)

We only got to work together twice a week, so those days were packed with conversation. It was a blessing to meet a girl with such a sweet heart of commitment to the Lord.

Katy, her older sister, made me feel right at home, and she reminded me a lot of my friends back home too--she started teasing right from the get go. And in her defense I will say this, it wasn't just a one-way battle either *smile* "you dish it, you take it". And believe me, she had to take a lot...

While I was out there Dan and Bethany had to leave for a couple conferences out of state. So I had the whole weekend to myself...a somewhat daunting thought for someone who really doesn't like to be completely alone for the weekend.

Kristina came to my rescue and invited me to spend the weekend with them...the only catch was that I would have to tolerate her brothers (she had 4 of them younger than herself). What they didn't know was it was a little more the other way around...

Growing up with lots of brothers on either side of me had conditioned me well for these little nippers. They didn't waste time on formalities or the whole "be super nice to your guest" kind of thing...which was really a breath of fresh air:) I was really missing my little brothers and they stepped up to the plate and filled in quite well. And yes, I  miss them. They made me laugh. :)

The whole family was wonderful and Mrs. and Katy are amazing seamstresses, we could have talked sewing for hours--no joke!

And the exciting news? Kristina and Katy are coming to visit me!!! Yes! They are coming to Nebraska next week. I'm excited. Super excited. 

Happiness...

...sometimes comes in the form of an orange box.

Ok, now that we have that random and deeply profound thought out of our way...we can proceed on to typical Monday things. Actually, I'm going to go back to that thought! You should just see the shoes that came in the box. Cute. Very cute. Just take my word for it:)

But moving on... It's Monday today! (yes, another profound thought) And with Monday comes the start of my new exciting plan. So without further comment, here are my goals;

• Practice music for 1 hour everyday (split between piano, violin and guitar)
• Run 3 times 
• Read with the little boys every night

Oh, and if you ever have trouble with the fitness aspect of things...like working out or running...just get an awesome little brother who constantly awes you with his determination. Then arm yourself with a little competition, but DON'T try to beat him...this only ends in frustration (and inferiority as you realize that your brother can out run, lift, bench, and out squat you. But then you'll comfort yourself with the fact that this is good. He's a guy and it's good for him to be better then you. It makes him more of a man...gives him respect, etc. So then you realize that being the good sister you really actually let him beat you.) But, do your very best, and try to keep up! Be there. Right next to him. When he gives 100%, you give 110%. Push him to more reps. It's fun, it keeps you going, and then in turn they'll push you, get you to do more then you normally would. Trust me, brothers make the best spotters:) 

What are your goals? *smile*

Oh, and here's a verse to think about.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 

that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—

we know that we have what we asked of him." 

1 John 5:14-15

Goals

So I've struck upon an idea! And I'm excited about it right now... and hopefully will still be excited about it on Monday:)

I am easily inspired! I love to be challenged and then set off with energy to accomplish the task...but then time goes by and then discipline is supposed to kick in. And even if you don't feel like it you keep on doing it...yeah, well that's where I get into trouble. I love to start things. But finish things? You've got to be kidding. I mean, that's what siblings are for right? *smile*  

Discipline is a valuable, essential, quality for life. And it's important, and worth developing...no matter how long it takes.

So what I'm trying to say is this; discipline is an area that God has brought to light, and one that I need to hit right now. So each week I'm going to set goals for myself. And I'm going to post them on here so that way I've got lots of people to check up and see how my "new idea" is progressing and keep me on track.

So stay tuned...

Stephen

Happy 11th Birthday, Stephen!

11 random facts/things

• loves sports of any kind
• has an infectious smile
• is always game for anything...
• is the baby of the family
• broke his collarbone 
• looks exactly like his older brother, Dan
• loves to 'scare' people
• is like a fish in water
• loves to pray
• has a beloved pet gerbil
• the perfect baby brother

Love you, Stephen!

 “...be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 1 Kings 2:2-3

Crazy idea!

"It's summer! It's hot! Life is too short to let it be boring! And hair always grows back...right?" These were my thoughts as I walked through the mall with my friend, Grace, contemplating a haircut. Actually these were the comments that my friend kept making as she tried to convince me. 

Hey, I'm all for being exciting! It is summer, the time to do some crazy fun things. It is hot, and a short cut would feel nice after having long hair for pretty much my whole life. I'm all for telling people to have a bite for life, do something spontaneous, have some good healthy fun...but chop my hair off? Ha. I'd thought about it for a couple weeks...but wasn't quite ready to hear Grace, as we walked past the beauty salon, say "why don't we do it today?" And as I began to launch into excuse mode she then pelted me with what I always say when someone isn't being brave enough. I tried to tell her that convincing someone to take the challenge, live in the moment (like getting someone to water ski, or go faster on the tube, or ride behind me on the jet ski...yeah, so you can tell that it's summer and water activities rank hi on my "fun" list right now) was WAY different then getting my hair cut.

Excitement is one thing. You can carry it too far...maybe? I mean hair? What if I looked AWFUL...I'd be scary ugly for the rest of my life. Well...ok, so hair does grow...but what about the 8 months that it takes to grow back? What if I get a hair problem and it never grow back?!? 

BUT she kept talking, and I kept listening...

And this is where I ended up.

In the chair. Pretty much freaking out that in 15 min. 10 inches of my hair would be...GONE!

 Let me add that my hair generally doesn't frizz this much or look so puffy, but the hair lady brushed it like I was a dog...I  suddenly felt a pang of sorrow for dogs...but don't worry, it was short-lived.

I've always wondered what I would look like with short hair...I don't wonder anymore. It is now reality. It stares me in the face every morning. 

BUT contrary to the vibe you might be getting so far let me clear one thing up; I am glad I did it.

It's fun to try a new look. It's fun to have short hair in the middle of this hot summer. And it's fun to do something spontaneous with your friend. And I'm glad she made me eat my own words and practice what I preach. Because as is true with many things in life...it isn't about talking the talk, but rather, walking the walk.

And it caused me to ask myself the question; "does my lives line up with what I believe?" "Is my life full of a bunch of flowery speeches and that's it? If someone were just to observe my life what would they see?"

I talk about a big God. I talk about how wonderful He is, how incredible and amazing. But if someone were to look at my life would they be able to see that these things are true without me saying a single word? 

Good question.

What about you?

"My little children, 

let us not love in word or in tongue, 

but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18