The Great I AM

Tonight Houston lays in awe as a magical and AMAZING light display dazzles the city. As I stare and watch this beauty move around me, I am reminded and struck at God's might, power, grace and beauty! What a gift I have received today. Not only did I see an amazing sunrise full of purples, blues, yellows, oranges, reds and pinks, I now get to partake in this amazing wonder. It seems as though every half second to second flashes filled the sky. Sometimes whole clouds would light up, sometimes a bolt would bounce from one cloud to another, seeming as if it was dancing from Baytown to Cypress all in one beautiful and poetic flow. God's beauty and might is everywhere... I'm in awe as I watch creation sing praises to His name!

Sleep in peace and safety and God's comfort tonight Houston. Rest your tired bodies and know that God Is... God is the great I AM!

Mary

As I read through my study on Jesus' mother Mary last week, I was reminded of the wonderful song by Michael English, Mary Did You Know. If you haven't heard it in a while, I highly recommend it. It brings tears to my eyes every time as I try to imagine myself in Mary's 'shoes'.

Mary, did you know how great your Baby Boy would be? No, I don't think she could have fully grasped His Greatness; I don't think we will ever be able to either. Gabriel said to her 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women! Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." ~Luke 1:28-33~

Although Mary was frightened with the angel's first words and although she was uncertain how this 'would come to be', Mary believed. "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." Without fully knowing God's plans and despite any fears she had, Mary trusted in God and knew His words to be true. We don't always know or need to know God's plans, just that He has them! "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope..." ~Jeremiah 29:11~

I say this because I believe Mary is a beautiful example for us of submission and trust. It is normal to be fearful and uncertain, but we must never let that inhibit our trust in the Lord and we must continue to have faith and follow Him; no matter the cost.

A few scriptures that stood out in my mind:
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." ~Luke 1:46~

Magnifies means 'to show respect, to hold in high esteem. Mary's soul respects God and rejoices in Him. This is her key to faith I believe! This is her example and 'advise' to us!

I can only imagine how fearful new mothers are... 'Will I teach my child correctly? Will they be safe? etc, etc, etc...' How fearful Mary must have been raising the Son of God! But I am comforted in reflecting that Mary must have been reminded by God that we can not parent alone. We must parent with God. He is the one who must lead and guide. We must follow. We can only teach our children so much. God teaches them so much more than we ever can. Parenthood is not about control, but rather following God to glorify Him as He teaches and guides our children!

"But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." ~Luke 2:19~

We all have difficult days; days that create doubt and fear. Mary's statement above is an example to us to hold tight to God's Word and teachings and to ponder them daily. He is the one who will get us through!

At the end of the study, we were asked "When has trust in God and submission to His will come easiest for you? Why? When is it hardest? Why?

Trust in God is easiest for me when I am looking at the bigger picture, when there are many unknowns to me and I know God is in control. As my friend put it, it is easiest to trust God when we are in the Word; when we keep our focus on Him and not 'Me'. Trusting God is harder for me when it deals with my deepest passions He has placed in me, or my deepest fears. I trust God, but it's hard to 'give up control' when it's something I want so bad or fear most will happen. Relinquishing this control is the most precious form of faith there is. At the end of the day, no matter what happens, I find peace and joy in knowing that God is still and will forever be God!

The Soloist

Jason and I saw The Soloist on Sunday. It was a really good movie; we both really enjoyed it. As the movie starts, you think it will be a 'feel good movie' about helping a homeless man get on his feet and realize his talents... but as the movie progresses you realize it is so much more. I personally tend to think I am to 'help' others in a variety of different ways, but in all actuality, we are called most often to just 'love' others. This movie is filled with compassion and friendship. Something the world could use a little more of.

I will not go into any more detail as to not spoil it for you. I will say that I was not left with a 'feel good feeling' at the end, but rather something much more deep and meaningful... hope. Not hope for a change in circumstances, but rather a change in love and relationships.

District 9

About a year or so ago, Jason and I went to see the movie Cloverfield. Well actually, I should say Jason saw the movie Cloverfield and I got to spend a lot of time getting to know the ladies' room at the Cypress Cinemark... You see, I had been having extreme nausea and heartburn all week before we went to see the movie, but 'for some reason' that night it was just overboard. The first 5 minutes started out okay and then I missed the next 20 minutes or so of the movie. I tried to see if I could make it the rest of the movie, but found myself only watching about another 5 minutes before having to leave. Poor Jason was being so sweet and wanted to take me home, but I insisted that he enjoy the movie after we had paid for two tickets, popcorn and a soda (which of course I couldn't even think about looking at). So to make a long story short, I think I might have seen about 30-40 minutes of the movie.

I knew that it 'wasn't the movie' that made me sick, as I was feeling so bad all week. But...

Yesterday Jason and went to see District 9. About 5 minutes into the movie I started to feel real sick to my stomach and a headache started to develop. About 10 minutes into the movie I couldn't even think about drinking the soda and eating my Twizzlers Jason had gotten me.

What is the link you ask... silly Hollywood trying to give viewers the 'real documentary feel'. Both movies were shaky if you will. I mean, come on... Hollywood has all this money and we live in an age of amazing technology and they have to make movies like this?! Ugh... I think I need to send a letter to all movie producers... JK!

So with that said, I am surprised that I can not handle movies like that. I mean I can spin and flip while dancing, I love roller costers, airplanes rides are fun, you name it... but these type of movies just really get to me.

Now unlike Cloverfield, I was able to watch District 9 all the way through! Both Jason and I enjoyed the movie. It is definitely a guy movie though... the 'violence' and gore was definitely there. I was impressed the way they did it though; most areas where people or aliens were being shot were very 'video game like' in the fact that they were 'vaporized' and mostly done at a distance. It could have been a lot worse, so I was thankful it wasn't. Nothing was done for 'shock value' in my opinion. One of the worst parts in my opinion was when this guy ate cat food... yup, that just didn't settle well with my queasy stomach and headache... The plot was good though. I actually came out pretty tired at the end because of the non-stop action. I do ask one thing though... parents, please do NOT take your children to see this. They will have nightmares... A family behind us took their what seemed to be 2 year old. I know the child was young, but seriously... they have to 'soak in' some of the movie...

Anywho, I'd recommend seeing the movie, but BEWARE if you are anything like me...

Elizabeth

"...and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless...Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years...But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb...(Elizabeth said) 'Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.'"
~Luke 1:5-7, 13-15, 25~

Patience and Faith
Oh Elizabeth, I can only imagine how she must have felt; being barren in a time when family lineage was so important, being a woman who desires to rear her children in fear of the Lord. I think of ALL those years spent praying for God's blessings, with no sign of children to come. She states that she was shamed among the people. She lived her life right and yet the blessings of children was not given to her. I am sure she often wondered why.

But then a messenger from God says she will bear a child in her old age, and not just any child, 'for he will be great in the sight of the Lord!' Again, the joy that filled her I can only imagine...!!

I think of the great faith Elizabeth had throughout her life. I think about her patience while she waited. I've learned a lot this past year that waiting is not kicking back and passing time until 'it's God's time', but rather embracing every moment that God blesses us with, embracing life and living it to the fullest; glorifying God all along the way. Elizabeth is a wonderful example of patience and faith for us women (and men); to stay ever prayerful, full of hope and full of joy. God's timing is perfect. 'God is not interested in time, but rather timing!'

"And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."
~Luke 1:41-45~

Mentors and Friends
What a gift Elizabeth gave to Mary. Here this young virgin receives a message from God that she will bear His Son, the Messiah. 'Let it be to me according to your word.' I think about the fear that must have engulfed her, fear of the stigma and even death. And yet she embraced God's will and trusted in Him perfectly. What a blessing she received when she went to stay with Elizabeth and she didn't have to explain ANYTHING...! Elizabeth immediately began to say how blessed she was to be in the presence of the mother of her Lord!

Although this was Elizabeth's first time as a mother, she was 'well advanced in years'. Based upon her age and 'righteousness before God', I think of what a wonderful mentor she must have been to Mary; guiding her in faith and trust in the Lord. I also think of what a wonderful encouragement Mary must have been to Elizabeth as she lived out her trust in the Lord as well!

Elizabeth and Mary were blessed with not only sharing in their faith, but also in their companionship. It is so important for us women to have other women we can share life with; encourage one another, share in each other's joys and sorrows, provide wisdom and counsel; one to laugh with and cry with and just be with. I think of the dear women in my life, family and friends, and thank God for each of them. I am thankful for those that I can lean on for guidance, sound advice and wisdom. I am thankful for those I can laugh and be silly with. I am thankful for those I can cry with and be encouraged by. I am thankful for those who strengthen me and take the time to truly know me. While each woman in my life is special to me, I am extremely thankful for the ones who are all the above and more. As my friend Julie and I were talking about yesterday, if you go through your whole life and have only one true and close friend, you are a very blessed soul!

The Lord has blessed me and I am thankful! I love you girls!

Through God's grace and presence, may our hearts too leap for joy!!

The Joy From Being

“Who am I that You would be mindful of me?”

Why do I strive so? Why am I always trying to become a ‘better person’? Sure working on growing spiritually is important; godliness is a wonderful goal, but as my friend James Esteban said, “even the best of intentions do not always point our focus in the right direction.”

I hunger for God; I thirst to know Him more and I long to become one with Him. I feel a sense of urgency in this area. I devour books of all sorts; books that reveal God to me in new ways; ones that draw me closer to Him. This hunger I understand because our God is so incredibly amazing. But the urgency? Why do I strive so?

As I mentioned before in past blog posts, my favorite times are times in which ‘I just am’; times of ‘just being’. One side of me is content, the other side longs to grow… grow as a person and grow closer to God. Perhaps I feel deep down that the ‘timing’ of my growth is in ‘my control’. This I know is not true however. God ‘grows us’ and molds us in His own perfect timing. There is no need for me to strive so. To long yes, but not to strive. Be open to growth, but don’t waste today on longing for tomorrow.

“It is time to embrace my humanness, to love my incompleteness.” ~Joyce Rupp~

It’s okay to be imperfect; to embrace my humanness and incompleteness. It’s okay to not know everything and be perfect or even good at everything.

I’m in awe of the people in life who find such joy in EVERYTHING. We have all seen these people and yet so few of us are them. They are the ones who take delight in other’s talents, who delight in learning something new, who embrace that they do not know everything and even much when you think about it. These people embrace life and all that it holds; excited to discover the world God created for us. I want to find joy in the simple things instead of thinking I know ‘all about’ them, or ‘enough’ about them.

My friend Pam recently told me about a story of a man she encountered in a previous job. He worked in the plant and had such amazing talents; could make anything, fix anything… true gifts from God. He befriended her and saw her ‘stitching’ one day during lunch. He was AMAZED! Amazed… stitching… here he had all these amazing talents and he longed to learn more about stitching; the treads, the techniques, the colors, etc. He took joy in hearing Pam speak all about EVERYTHING. Why do I not do this? When I see stitching… I think; I know about it. Tried it a few times when I was little. Why is this good enough for me? Why do I not delight in the ‘beauty’ all around me? This man ended up using his talents to further help Pam in her beautiful hobby.

Pure joy. This is what I wish for. No more striving, no more longing for ‘perfection’ in myself. Just being… just enjoying and embracing life. Becoming fascinated with EVERYTHING I DO NOT KNOW…. I do not know much… I DO NOT KNOW MUCH…. Wow, that is hard for me to say. I grew up being the ‘smart one’. I’ve let that ‘definition’ given to me inhibit me from embracing life the way God intended. In some small way, you might say that I might worry what other will think if I show excitement over ‘such trivial matters’. Or what if I learn about some 'gift' and choose to not to persue trying it or 'worse, can not do it. No more. What should I care if someone thinks me ‘ignorant’ because I desire to learn more about cooking, sewing, welding, farming, mechanics, physics, chemistry, teaching, writing, singing, athletics, fashion, etc, etc, etc…. What should I care if I can not do it all?! I want to embrace the gifts of others instead of ‘working on mine’ all the time. I want to embrace the gifts of others and not feel like I have to make them my own. My gifts are not going anywhere and are not any less important. God gave me my gifts for a purpose. He gave others theirs for a purpose too.

I want to stop the striving for ‘perfection’ and enjoy the ‘just being’ of coming to wholeness… Joyce Rupp points out that scholars have found that the Scripture verse, “ ‘be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,’ has been translated inaccurately. The actual text reads: ‘be whole as God is whole.’ Wholeness implies a process, a gradual coming together into an oneness in which all the parts are integrated, but not necessarily perfect… The journey of life is the path to wholeness.”

Let my hunger shine through by embracing other’s gifts and talents… by using mine for others… Let not my hunger be used to strive for ‘perfection’ any longer…

“Call to Me, and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Concert Weekend

Phillips, Craig and Dean

Friday night Jason and I headed out to Sugar Land to watch Phillips, Craig and Dean in concert. They were celebrating 18 years together! While they played a lot of their older songs I was not as familiar with, we had a great evening. It's always refreshing going to concerts where the main purpose is to worship our amazing Creator! Check out some of their popular songs if you haven't heard them yet.




Christy Nockels was PCD's opening act. She is so incredibly talented! I am in awe of people who can fluctuate their voice so much in one song. Personally I am not a big fan of many female vocalist outside of Christian music; it's just so hard to actually 'believe/feel' that they are 'passionate' about what they are singing about... But to hear a talented female singer send beautiful worship to our Savior... now that is moving!

Roger Creager

Saturday night Jason and I went to dinner with our neighbors Seth and Nicole. It was great catching up with them! After dinner we headed over to Lake Conroe for a Roger Creager concert. It must have been 3-4 years since we last saw Roger Creager in concert in College Station. It was a lot of fun; although I must say the crowd was very different from the crowds he pulls in CS! People watching was very entertaining all night. I think Nicole and I had just as much fun watching others as the actual concert! Creager sure does have a lot of songs with a great beat... something Jason and I just love!!

Visit from Lucy!!

Our cousin Kathy stopped by our house on her way through town, and.... she brought Lucy! Lucy was one of Pickles' and Noodles' puppies. We had such a wonderful time!

See our Basset Blog, http://frenchesbassets.blogspot.com/, to see an update on our our visit with Lucy! The pictures are so cute!

Flowers, Garden and Laughter

Flowers

My sweet sweet husband surprised me this week with beautiful flowers! Thank you sweetie; you're the best!

Garden

So I have to be honest... I had no idea that cucumbers were vines! My garden is getting so big! My tomatoes are so big, my cucumbers keep trying to wrap themselves around everything, my mint is flourishing and smells so good, my zucchini and squash is getting so big and producing a lot of fruit, my cantaloupe and watermelon is growing well too. I've learned a lot this spring about my garden. It's growing real well. I'll write more about this later.

Laughter!!!

These are great unedited photos of Noodles running around the backyard! If this doesn't make your day, I don't know what will...

Jason's Lacrosse Tournament

This past Saturday and Sunday Jason played in the 'Hotter than Hell' lacrosse tournament at A&M. This summer he has been playing for a men's team in Houston. This weekend about 8 teams competed against each other; some men's leagues and some college teams. It was so wonderful watching him play again on the field after all these years. Jason played HS lacrosse, as well as two years at A&M. A lot of our first couple of years together surrounded lacrosse, so this was so wonderful to share together again.

I have to say, after several years of being off the field and only doing summer lacrosse every now and then, Jason still has it! He was a star out there on the field this weekend. I was so proud of him! Not only did he do a great job; he looked great too! Here's some pictures of my handsome hubby! (He's number 32 now; not 33 like years past.)

(Jason's wearing the black shorts)

He's wearing white shorts now, third person from the left; just picking up the ball.

Now he's running with the ball (on left).

Now he's getting hit in the chest as the ball is knocked out of his stick. (He's okay though.) What a man...

I love you sweetie! You are such an amazing man in every way!

Family Time in July!

On July 23rd, my mom, sister and brother drove down from El Paso to spend some time with us here in Houston. They left this past Monday; it was so hard to see them go. We has such a wonderful visit; it was perfect and just what we all needed! I wanted to share some pictures from our visit; although these don't do it justice and only cover some of the things we did.
Aw... it's us three kids. My brother Josh is going to start his freshman year in HS and my sister Selina starts her junior year... oh how time has flown by. I remember when they were little... it is great relating to them as young adults now though. We have so much fun; I just can't wait until we all live closer!

On Friday and Saturday night Jason and Josh went out to the deer lease to hunt some boars. They had a great time even though they didn't get anything. This was Josh's first time on a deer lease and to shoot Jason's big riffle. He is a great shot! He has natural talent! Above he's trying on Jason's 'leaf suit' he uses while hunting in the deer stand. Can you see him...? I didn't think so... it's camouflage! JK

While the guys went hunting, us girls went shopping. We went to the Galleria the first evening as well as a great Thai place for dinner. We each got a manicure and pedicure and went to the outlet mall by my house on Saturday. It was great having guy time and girl time! I think we all enjoyed it.

(Selina and me sporting off our new A&M gear and our 'Pink' freebies from Victoria Secret.)

(Mom and me showing off our matching purses.)

On Sunday night we all enjoyed some time together, just the five of us! We went to Dave and Busters and had a blast. I'm not a big 'game person' so to speak, but it was a lot of fun! Here we are 'very proud' of our Dave and Busters game cards!

(Who says girls can't shoot? Selina and I kicked some butt!)

No game night is complete until you play a game or two of 'Whack a Mole'!

On Monday we went to College Station so my sister could speak with an advisor from A&M. This was a good time for her to start looking into what she needs to do to apply for colleges in a year. Two more years and my sister will be all grown up! Four my years and my brother will be too! A&M... here they come! Gig'em. (Although A&M will be a wonderful place for them, we really want them to go where God leads them. He knows best! He is the one that led me to A&M and I am so thankful! Little did I know that I would meet the best man in the world here at A&M! I love you sweetie, xoxoxoxo...!)

GIG'EM!! Whoop!

On Friday night we went bowling; it was a lot of fun. I was very impressed with some of the shots everyone took. Me on the other hand... not my best bowling night... (Do you call it a bowling shot? I don't think so... Perhaps a Roll...a Play... a Hand...I'll figure it out some day.)

We are so serious...ly in love!!!

So excited.... we went to Shoguns after bowling. It is always entertaining when they cook your meal right in front of you. I'm so impressed with their talent.

(Yum... chicken broth, or Onion Soup as they called it!)

Okay, I was really proud of myself I have to admit! I was able to use chopsticks for the first time; I mean, really use them! After how many years...?!

Our meal was wonderful; we stuffed ourselves!

And now... they are back in El Paso. I sure do miss them. Texas is just too big... I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family though. I love you all so much and I am so proud of each of you! Thank you for taking the time to come down here and visit us!