Friday, February 13, 2009

I Need a Solid Night's Sleep

I think the reason I have so many crazy dreams is because I'm constantly woken up during my REM sleep. Well, maybe that's not why they're crazy; but maybe it feels like I have more dreams than usual because I'm more likely to remember them, being interrupted & all multiple times each night.

This morning Jason let me sleep in a little (I get 2 days a week) & he came to wake me up around 8:30 so he could get ready for work. I was in the middle of this insane dream that Jason, the kids & I were at the Brickmans' house (why? I have no idea.), but it looks nothing like their house. It was late at night & dark outside; there were a lot of pipes & water & some construction going on (makes sense.... Davey is a contractor). Jason was downstairs on his laptop, working because he had synchrotron time. This was funny to me because he really DOES have synchrotron time this weekend. The kids were there, but sort of fuzzy. Like they were just running around playing or something & no one was really paying them any mind.

Anyway, so I kept getting these kicking sensations in my belly & I was pretty sure I was pregnant. I knew Jason would be really upset so I had Christine sneak out to get me a pregnancy test so I could confirm before I dropped a bomb on my husband.

I woke up before I found out whether or not I was preggers, so I guess we'll never know!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Blogging out of Boredom

I don't really have much to blog about but I'm bored so I'm going to write some random pieces of information. Really I should be doing some chores around the house, but, meh.
  • God has been good to us & has continued to bless us even though this past year has been difficult. He has proven His faithfulness unwavering & I cannot help but give Him praise & adoration. Thank You LORD... it's impossible to thank You enough.
  • My left contact is blurry and it's extremely annoying. Maybe I accidentally got lotion in it when I rubbed my eye?
  • I had to run an errand this morning & while I was driving down MacArthur Blvd I had a clear view of the snow covered mountains beyond the palm tree-lined road. God of creation took my breath away.
  • This thought crosses my mind AT LEAST once a day: I wish everyone was as compelled by Christ as I am.
  • Some people obsess over politics, some people obsess over stocks & the economy. I obsess over God. I blog & talk about the LORD a lot. I don't care if it bothers people either. If you don't like it, you aren't being forced to read it, but I hope you do anyway so that you can get a glimpse of His good works in my life. I live for Him so it's only natural that my conversations center around Him as well. Sometimes (okay, a lot of times) I am a poor reflection of Him but I hope that my faults only shine light on the fact that God loves us anyway & takes us as we are. We don't have to "clean ourselves up" for Him. Everyone's messed up. I'm definitely no exception. In the famous words of DC Talk: "I am the chief of sinners."
  • Sometimes I think some of my Christian friends even think I talk about God too much, but again I don't care. My intention behind my God-obsessed convos is not that of a "holier-than-thou" stance, but to remind myself of who the LORD is & who I am in Him. Also, as mentioned in the previous bullet, so that others can see Him working in my life. I <3 Jesus!
  • I've always struggled with prayer. No matter how in love I am with Jesus it's always been difficult. I'm talking to an unseen God. My mind wanders. I get distracted easily. However, this past week God has been drawing me into prayer & I can't resist. I have been enjoying praying & have been doing it pretty consistently throughout the days this week.
  • I'm really excited about some stuff, but I can't talk about it right now so you'll just have to be curious I guess. If you feel you have to know what I'm talking about, you will have to email me directly or call me. That's the only way I'm telling.
  • As the end of our CA stint draws nigh, I am sad. How am I gonna function without the only church I've ever loved? Maria said once that she's been a Christian since she was 12 but has never loved a church she attended. If it wasn't for RockHarbor, I'd be right there with her. I don't have high hopes of finding another church that I'll feel the same for. I'm also really gonna miss all of our friends out here. Only about another 16 weeks left in Cali.
  • I really want to go to Waco. I haven't been there in a year now & it's about time I scheduled another trip. Maybe David Crowder will actually be home when I'm there next. He's usually on tour so I've never been able to see him at his church. I'd like to see my family again & I miss Jackie :(
I guess that's enough for now. Peace.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

The Foolishness of God

We're doing a series at church right now on I Corinthians & it has been amazing! It has been very encouraging & is feeding both my mind & soul well.

This past weekend, before the sermon we were shown a video taken earlier in the week. A few staff members from our church went to UCI & quietly set up a big wooden cross in the middle of campus. Then they proceeded to interview passerby-ers, asking what their thoughts & reactions were to seeing the cross. Nothing too forceful or intimidating, simply surveying. Not too far away there was another guy with a big sign that, sadly, displayed a message of condemnation. The old "turn-or-burn" tactic. Aaaand he was shouting at people as they walked by. Our camera guy caught some footage of passionate arguments between him & college students. At one point, our camera guy had heard enough & ran over to the other guy & started yelling over him, "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD!" preaching a message of hope & love.

As Christ followers, we should definitely NOT try to apologize for Jesus & the reality of where a life without Him leads; Jesus wasn't apologetic about the Truth. But we should be cautious of how we go about sharing Jesus with others. It's the Good News for a reason. It's supposed to bring hope & peace. Screaming at people, telling them they're headed for hell is not going to make people hopeful or feel peace.

Anyway, if you want to listen to the latest sermon I encourage you to do so! It's long (almost 45 minutes), but Mike Erre will make it well worth your time. I promise! (Man, I'm gonna be so sad to leave RockHarbor.... I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it right now.... & knots in my stomach.)

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." -- I Corinthians 1:18

Monday, February 02, 2009

Just When I Started Thinking I Actually Looked My Age...

I was at the snack bar in Target today & had this conversation with an older lady as we were filling our drinks:

Lady: I thought that maybe you were just babysitting. [Smiles sweetly.]

Me: Oh, no [chuckling]. They're both mine.

Lady: Yes, I can tell by the way you look at them. You are so young.

Me: Well, I'm gonna be 27 in two weeks.

Lady: No you're not. Someone lied.

It's been a while since someone has said something like this to me, so I really appreciated it. I don't think 26 is old by a long shot -- heck, I don't even think my parents are old yet! -- but I always liked that people thought I was a teenager, fresh out of HS or possibly STILL in HS. The last time I was with my dad he indicated that I looked my age, so this exchange made me happy :)