Back in the swing of things

Wow, it's been a while, huh? No, I did not slip into a turkey coma or anything, but thanks for the cards and letters.

I had a good time at home over the break. I split my time between watching football with my Dad and playing with the dog to sewing on a quilt at my mom's. It was a productive and fun break.

This weekend I am going to Lubbock to see Emily. I think Tygre is for sure going, and I hope a few others will go too. I'm excited to see Em and just go on a road trip! : )

My dad gave me my birthday present early. He gave me money to get an IPod. I am excited about it. I think I will use it for audiobooks and videos more than music, but it will be good to have since my car's radio/cd player still doesn't work.

I am off to work.....have a great day!

Bullet Point Thoughts

1. i'm going to make these lists when i have nothing too important to talk about.
2. debby comes back home today and i'm sooooo excited!
   
3. got some good learning time from jen last night, and josiah gave me some lovin, so my tanks are full!
   
4. today my friend dana is having her second child!
   
5. tomorrow is the first saturday in over a month i get to sleep in on as late as i want.
6. i may or may not shower on saturday.
   
7. i'm going to lock myself in my room and sew all day so i can quilt over thanksgiving.
8. i can't wait for tuesday night to go home for the week!
   
9. i have two pairs of "winter" shoes (i.e. not flip-flops) and 3 long-sleeved shirts.
   
10. i woke up at 5:45 this morning with allergies.
    
11. i'm going to lubbock for my birthday weekend. so if anyone wants to go, let me know.
12. i'm becoming cynical about alias and just don't care anymore. jennifer garner doesn't look too great pregnant.
    
13. today i was behind a car with the bumper sticker, "back off....i'm a postal worker" and i thought how funny it is that "going postal" is now a normal term.
14. matthew mcconaughry is people magazine's "2005 sexiest man alive." he's okay i guess.
    
15. i got my arm stuck in the couch the other night trying to find a missing remote. today my arm is bruised in the bend of my arm.
16. it's 9:30 and i have already copies over 200 pieces of paper, and the phone is riunging off the hook. wow, that $20,000+ degree is hard at work today.
    
17. harry potter.
18. gotta go back to work.
    

Random List

1. i'm trying this list thing. let's see how it goes.
2. i feel like i have no margin of time right now.
3. debby comes home this week!
4. i have a date with "Harry" this weekend.
5. josiah sat in my lap and ate his lunch yesterday. *sigh*
6. lubbock and tuscon have pieces of my heart, yet i have never been to either city.
7. i could eat asian food every day.
8. i spend way too much money in hobby lobby.
9. i am a workaholic.
10. i have always wanted to be a detective but couldn't handle the gross stuff.
11. my parents almost named me ashley.
12. i don't like turkey, even at thanksgiving.
13. i drink a dr. pepper every day (or at least try!)
14. my favorite salsa is tostitos restaurant style (medium heat).
15. i wrote a full book when i was in 8th grade (over 100 pages typed).

Symptoms of the BIRD FLU...

The Center for Disease Control has released a list of symptoms of bird flu. If you experience any of the following, please seek medical treatment immediately:

1. High fever
2. Congestion
3. Nausea
4. Fatigue
5. Aching in the joints
6. An irresistible urge to crap on someone's windshield.

(Sorry, I had to post it because it made me laugh when I got it! Have a great weekend, people!)

Isn't it the truth...

I'm so selfish. It makes me sick.

"Break Fast" anyone?

Ronnie has been talking about this a lot lately as he is covering Biblical family units. I totally agree with everything he says and have always argued with friends about dating non-Christians. But what if he/she is a Christian? This issue seems to get sticker when you start to talk about being "equally yoked" in the level of Christian maturity.

I think that coming from a training ministry such as the OU BSU, the standards of living and Christian service are higher than the typical church-goer. Ask anyone outside of the bubble how hard it is to find a church that teaches discipleship like we know it, or find a group of believers with a vision to intentionally reproduce. It is rare to say the least.

So, what does this look like--meeting and dating people outside of the typical OU BSU realm? Because someone has never been exposed to the ideas of discipleship I have, do I discount him? What expectations are realistic and what are legalistic? How much time do you put into finding out if he/she is on the same page?

No, there is no one in particular I am thinking of, so all of you calm down. :) It is just that as I get older I hear my married/dating friends talk about setting me up with this guy or that. Some lower the standards to "single and Christian" while others say "he's not good enough for you" to every guy around. How do you walk the line between these two extremes?

There is not alterial motive except to hear your thoughts. I don't really know what I think about it, just wanted some other's feedback.

Fit for the Chase

I go through these restless spells, and right now, I am in one.

I know I have this burning passion in me....and know what I want my life to count for and represent. Yet, here I am ready to give up, let sin reign, and just become part if the growing statistics of people who quit. Yet, I know that it is this very pressure God wants to use in my life to bring about godly character, so why do I resist it? Paul's words in Romans 7 probably describe this struggle in me better than anything.

"....The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong.....But I can't help myself......It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. Oh, what a miserable person I am!

Well, said, Paul. Well said. It get's discouraging see yourself continually mess up again and again. As the Caedmon's call lyrics go, I know the road is long from the ground to glory, but a [girl] can hope that she's getting some place!!! But you see, I'm running from the very clothes I'm wearing, and dressed like this I'm fit for the chase.

Insert pity party here, right? But let's turn the page. What else does Paul say?

He says, Holly, "...you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit....So, dear sister; you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family--calling him 'Father, dear Father.' If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?"

Deeeeeep breath. Let's try this one more day.