2008 Resolutions

I have only two this year.

 1. Be happy

2. Read more (if that’s possible!)

I’m happiest when I’m reading and learning so I figure the two go hand in hand.   With my growing relationship with God I find myself more and more interested in books that can further my study in that area as well.  So – I’ve begun keeping my list of books read, with a small review of them on a separate page of this blog located here.  I have a very wide taste in books – some are pure fluff, but I love them anyway, others are serious and thought-provoking because.. c’mon, I’m 31 here, I should have my thoughts provoked!

But I need some recommendations on books to read to help further my religious study.  What are your recommendations?

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Knowing God

Last month I was playing piano for a women’s Christmas social at Dunwoody Baptist. The speaker spoke of how God works in our lives. How when her home was wrecked by Hurricane Ivan she heard people who had their homes spared talking about how blessed they were. And that got her thinking – about how we are not blessed by what happens in our lives, but rather how we respond to those happenings.

My family is struggling this year, and looking at those struggles I never would have thought in past years that I would be saying that I am blessed.

Through my situation I have come to know Christ in a very intimate way. He totally broke me then picked me up and let me know that everything that I had been trying to do, with juggling my finances, my personal life and trying to help my family, are things that He wants to do for me. I can’t change my families trials – but He can, and all I can do is encourage and pray and let Him handle those burdens – through me or through others. I can only count myself blessed that I have found peace in that knowledge and that my love for Him and for my family has grown in leaps and bounds – more than I ever thought could be.

One of my RMFO.net friends, Kari, posted the following poem on her blog:

This is the irrational season
When love blooms bright and wild.
Had Mary been filled with reason
There’d have been no room for the child.

- Madeleine L’Engle

And the quote at the top of my blog is:

“One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.”

- A. A. Milne

I am a very disorderly and emotional person.. which leads to irrational behavior on my part. Were it not for that irrational behavior, God would not have been able to use me in the way he is right now. As a result of my haphazard life and inability (it seems) to settle down up to this point, I am able to discover God’s grace and love for me.

So I guess through all of this, God has been teaching me that I am, through all my faults, flaws and glimmers, exactly who He wants me to be right now – and that the refining process is something I look forward to very, very much.

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An Update

It has been way too long since I’ve updated here.  I’ve slacked off – mostly due to the fact that life here in Georgia has been so busy and so blessed.

Going to resort to bullet points to try to fit in everything that’s happened since my last update – because believe me, there is a lot!

•  In addition to the piano teaching business, God has provided with an opportunity to supplement my income working for a realtor who I know from my small group.  I am working from home now, setting my own hours and thanks to my experience working for Mike at the law office I jumped right in with little training involved.
• Went home for Thanksgiving and had an amazing holiday and visit with family.   I think Evan has grown at least 3 inches since I moved to Georgia. I made some incredible cranberry dishes with fresh cranberries (my first time with them!)  The best, by far, was the Ginger-Lime cranberry sauce.  This holiday, combined with the events of this year, really brought home to me how thankful I am to have my family, to have good relationships with them and to be able to count on them – both in good times and in bad.
• Christmas is almost here!  Where did time go? With all of the dropping off and picking up from school, making lunches, thinking up of show-and-tell items (an item that starts with E folks.. anyone?), birthday parties, endless loads of laundry and even more endless happy hugs I can hardly believe we’re nearing the end of the year. I’ll be flying home again on the 19th of this month and returning to Georgia on the 27th.. hopefully with my baby (big) brother Alec.
• My old five-year-old, self-built computer is finally dead.  Kaput.  Won’t turn on.  Thankfully I was able to purchase a new Dell machine (it has FOUR GIGS OF RAM PEOPLE) and it runs my games and new work programs and movies like a charm.  I’m loving it.  Praise God for providing me with the income to afford it.
• Church has been incredible.  My small group and my church family have really come together to support me and provide me with a second family when needed.
• One pattern that keeps reoccuring is how well God is taking care of me financially. Every single time an issue comes up and I do not know where I will get the money to deal with it something happens the next day that proves again and again that my life here is in His hands.  And just now I am understanding what a precious thing that is.

So there’s a bit of an update – and I promise not to be so slack in the coming months.  God bless, and have a Merry Christmas!

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