ART EXPO!

Here's some pictures I've drawn for ART class and for fun...(ART is fun too, but it's assigned work...you know what I mean!:)

Love isn't just for couples

Happy Valentine's day everyone, Kinda late, at about 10:30 at night. Oh well it's Valentine's Day all day! I worked today and wore pink, with alot of black. One of my kids told me, "Miss Parker you look lovely." Than he was like, but I'm lovelier. Makes me laugh!

Isn't this picture great. It's so beautiful and artsy. The line and shadow... I won't tell you what magazine I got it out of, it may wreck it for some of you... (the type of magazine starts with an "O" and ends with an "prah")

A friend of mine sent out an e-mail and was talking about having Jesus as her valentine. Her e-mail made me get a little teary eyed. As a single Jesus can be your special someone in a way that married's don't have. Becuase they have that other person, but us single's all we have is Jesus. Of course we have friends, but it's different as a single.

My family had a special Valentine's dinner this evening. Thanks to Mary A. we had chicken burritos, it's her recipe. They came out good:) I took out the two leaves in the table and made it more of circle/oval, and set it up with 4 chairs... one on each side...like in resturants... I put my hat box in the middle of the table and draped it with black velvet like material. On that I put a lantern, an antique one and had it surrounded by mini goblets (they are really little, like2 and a half inches tall, from the $ store) with little red votives in the goblets.
Than on the next level, table level I had little stem ed glass custard cups, 6 around the hat box and a votive in each of those. Than I had our water glasses (these also have stems) and the regular plates and silver ware, and I had my off white cloth napkins and a off white table cloth. It was lovely, and we had all the lights shut off, we had enough light with all the candles and lantern lit... and there were a few other candles on the bar too.

One thing I did that was nifty was put 8 votives in the deep snow on the deck...I pushed them down into the snow a little than as they burned they got deeper into the snow and they got to a point where all you could see was the snow glowing-a circle of golden light. I put the candles in a heart shape:) It was really cute. And i drew around the votive heart-drew a heart and the finger drawn shape picked up the light so that was glowing some too. It was a luminescint picture of beauty...:)

At dinner each of us had some little presents. My dad gave me a stuffed lion and he gave me a card that I treasure. He doesn't do gifts that he picks out and from him, much, if hardly at all. The gifts are often from my mom and my dad. My mom gave me a rose earlier. So I had a special evening with my family. The meal and the gifts. I'm a gift person. :) Especially if it's something I want or they know I'd really like it, if some thoughts gone into it and if it's sentimental... that's the type of gifts I like-ususally:)

Here's a poem that I just liked. I got it off the "site for sore eyes" (there's a link to it in my links section...) I think it's appropriate for us single girls. Don't be embarressed girls and guys this is what we're really looking for, what really matters. (Handsome is definately a plus...specially for me I'm an artist and visual;) This is a really special poem.

Dear God, I prayed, all unafraid,
(as we’re inclined to do)
I do not need a handsome man
But let him be like You
I do not need one big and tall
Nor need he be some genius
Or wealthy, Lord, at all;
But let his head be high, dear God,
And let his eye be clear,His shoulders straight,
Whate’er his state
Whate’er his earthly sphere;
And let his face have character,
A ruggedness of soul,
And let his whole life show,
Dear God,A singleness of goal;
That when he comes(as he will come)
With quiet eyes aglow
I’ll understand that he’s the man
I prayed for long ago.

Ruth Bell, written in 1939 before she met Billy

"AMIGAS AND AMIGOS! INTRODUCING THE BIG SOMBRERO!

Good evening senorita, I love your sombrero! Will you be my amiga! This was at my birthday dinner. Krista and I went out to eat at Jalisco's a mexican resturant in town. It was very nice.

Krista got chicken quisadilla's that were excellent! And I got this grilled chicken platter with mexican sausage on top of the chicken and cheese and the refried beans etc...

I asked the waiter guy if they did anything for birthdays... and he found out it was my birthday. They did.

So like 5 of their employees come out with this huge desert, and they sing to me. You can see it in my picture! It was fried ice cream with all this whipped topping and rainbow jimmies, a candle and a cherry on top. It was really yummy, and BIG... so they have this polaroid camera and one of the mexican guys gets a bite of the whipped topping and puts it on my noise/in my noise and they snap a picture, oh yeah and i was wearing this huge sombrero, the pic is kinda cheesy that they took. The whole birthday thing they did made me blush. It was embarressing, they sang this Birthday song while they were clapping to the beat and the whip topping in the nose guy would whistle these loud shrill whistles at certain times during the birthday song:) It was great. That hat's not comfy at all...it's stiff and my heads too big...or something. Maybe it's suppose to perch on your head. I don't know I don't normally wear a sombrero:)

My platter of food was huge. Oh and I got this cool mexican soda, mango soda, I actually asked for strawberry but he misunderstood me or something. Oh well, it was still good.

I may just go back there sometime and get the chicken quasadilla's:) (wiggle eyebrows in anticipation!)

Come visit and maybe we can go to Jalisco's and we can say it's your birthday...(jk.-but it's fun... yeah and wrong.)

Enjoy the pics. We did. and do and are still doing.

One Happy Family!

This is the fam. Fam say hi to my friends...friends say "hi" to fam. Well at least this is my mom and dad and the rest of us single kids. Left to right, Krista, Adam, Me (I look a little fuzzy headed), Mom and Dad. In the picture it's like a 30 mins. into the new year...2006:)
Wanted to give my loving audience something else...and a picture. Aren't we a lovely family! The 3 on the left are single so take note!;)

The Bigger Picture...what does it really look like?

I just made myself laugh. Remember it's Friday night and I'm also tired...with that said. I was sitting here at the computar, couphing... and it was making my temple hurt. And then I'm like... where does the Holy Spirit live... you know our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit...so I'm laughing at myself... you know temple-temple. It went something like that. Maybe he has a little apartment complex up there in my head. Don't you get frustrated when you're trying to get across what just happened but you forget the exact verbage of went through your head:) anyways

I did my little regular shopping trip to 2nd hand stores today. I "shop" bout once a week at mostly Salvation Army. One of the places I go is actually run by two guys...they are more than friends. It's called Thriftique...they are really nice cool guys...they're just lost. I'm hoping that in some ways I can be a light to them. I actually gave one of them the brochure from our church and invited them to come. Sometime I man bring some of my earrings there for them to sell. I wanna keep the bridge open for them to come to church if they ever get around to it. One of them's said they would sometime. Pray that the Holy Spirit will move them too. They need Jesus' freedom and healing. By the way I bought a pair of jeans for $2 there.:)

Then they referred me to Sally's store. Another 2nd hand shop in the area. They were telling me how to get there and I'm a visual learner so people can be like you go down such and such a street and it's 2 rights from this street...basically I don't get very far:) with those type of directions. I'm like "huh? what?" So I asked what it was near and I used my knowledge of the area and the business card had a little map on it...and got there. This ladies store was packed! Packed with stuff! Tons of clothes all pushed together on racks...just too much stuff. I bought a skirt and a movie for my Dad there. Skirts for me!:) It had so much stuff that it hindered me from actually looking as much as I normally would've...yikes:) Too much!

Than I hit the Salvation Army. Got my mom a cute white short sleeved button down cotten shirt, um a 2 video movie, an oldie, black and white, with Shirley Temple and another Actress I've seen before...it's about the "Homefront" as the dad's away at World War II. Probably watch at least part or all of it later tonight. We do watch alot of movies. I feel like what I do for fun is watch movies and read. I'm kinda tired of reading some. Even when I sub sometimes I'll read alot. I do draw sometimes, like for the art class. I'd like to do more with people. I live so far from alot of my friends. And too all my BIble School friends especially. Hey it'd be fun to hang out with all ya'll sometime. Hmmm....Come to think of it I do have a good friend that lives like 15 mins. away:)

I don't think we're going to the Father Daughter dance after all. (refer to previous post) Wish we were. WOuld've been nice. *sigh*:) We might do something special in the evening with Krista, Dad and me instead...like dinner and a movie. Another movie... I really do love stories... whether in a movie or book! Like I said before.

Today I taught ART and really enjoyed it. I actually worked on the same project the kids were doing and sat with them and talked with them. It was interesting:) Met one kid who's a satanist...but I don't really know if he's a die hard satanist or just says he is to be in rebellion against his parents... cause they are catholic and being a catholic is boring... anyways. I was even talking about suicide bombings and how I was in Jerusalem, living there the first I was in Isreal and how 2 went off and talked about the one on French Hill. We actually had some intelligent conversation. I like 8th and 9th graders:) There's a girl I had in one of my classes and her last name is the same as mine P______:) She was an emotional creature, laughing alot then the next minute ticked at someone... that period was intersting. THe teacher made a note, this is the only class that can misbehave...:) hmm, after having the class I understand what she meant. They're the kids from I think inclusion, where special ed is with the regular class. This class the kids were more loud and immature... they probably have more emotional and family problems and learning difficulties. One of the boys in there was actually gay too...

I'd say I have a heart for kids 6th grade to highschool-young adult. They are at a stage where they can understand things differntly and you as an older person can love them and influence them differntly than if you were one of their peers. I'd like to do that, but how effective can just subbing here and there with differnt kids everyday be. There are kids I do see every so often...that I remember. It's at least good training and I learn about this generation and their lives just from being around them. It's an education in itself. Which can be sad. But hey these kids are people too. They're just kids, they just want a friend, someone to talk to, someone that cares... and I know I can be that person to an extent for some of them. Even if they get positive acknowledge from me once in awhile if I'm at their school, they can know someone likes them. An adult likes them. That's good huh:) Just to love them. That is the most important thing. "The greatest of these is love." Half the time I'm not interacting with the students the way I was able to when I was the ART teacher. What would a ministry look like that catered to this age groups specific needs and was such that was able to reach this area? Youth groups are good...are really good. But there are soooooo many kids just here in Front Royal. The school today that I was at is only 8th and 9th grade, but there's around 950 kids in that one school! Isn't that crazy! There's such a huge need it's overwhelming. Huge need for Jesus and a life changing relationship with Him and Christian mentors and discipleshipers!:) And if I got training in a certain area, I'd be gone and these specific kids would be 2-4 years older... but that shouldn't stop me from pursuing a goal and becoming better equiped to minister to this age group. Hmmm. Something to think about. I have been ya know.

Life is kinda overwhelming... trying to figure it out. I know all the "right" things to say as a Christian... but It's just gonna havta be a journey of trusting God to lead me. To show me what's next where to go, when to go. I just really have trouble with fear. I don't want to try to do something and it not be God...I've done that before and if you think it's God it can be really painful if it doesn't work out. But I know God has some important things for me to do. He has a calling on my life. I have a destiny to fufill, a purpose to walk in. And if I'm willing even though I may be scared to death, God isn't scared, God will move me in that direction. I just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other. He's knows my weakness. He is gentle. He is my gentle guide...with big plans for me. What I just wrote can be applicable to all ya'll too! If you're followers of Jesus:)

It's friday night so Shabbat Shalom ya'll. God bless and love ya'll too!

Killing Time and Filling Space..........

Thanks Asaphat you inspired me to post today! I'm back at work today. First day back since being sick and tired. Day was ok. I was an English teacher in high school.

Day after day the teachers at lunch...well when it's "English Lunch" vent about certain kids...the roughness of it all. It's kinda negative. Not very uplifting. Anyways I think part of the problem is there are incidences... where a teacher will stand up to a student, discipline, and its serious and the administration won't support the teacher. Sad huh! How are they suppose to run a school if the teachers aren't supported.

Anyways, my last period we watched like 50 mins. from the movie Remember the Titans. I was gettin' into it:) You know they type of gettin' into it where you're not as aware of your surroundings as at other times.:)
Came to the library and tried to find it...they don't own it yet...oh well:)

Did I mention that when I was teaching 2nd grade on monday a girl asked me how to spell, "olina"... She has this wicked cute soft sothern drawl...I asked her a few times, "huh?" "alina"...she needed to know how to spell the rest of Carolina! I love it when kids are cute like that. She was really cute even without that question:)

Well tomorrow I'm an "Art Teacher." Yea ha! I am looking forward to that. I hope we actually get to do something...and not just "busy" work. It's Jr. High-8th and 9th grade. WHich is the long blocks...(periods) one and a half hours long each. I think the teacher knows I'm artistic so hopefully she'll trust her "treasures" (students) to my care and let us play with the paint!(or markers, or pens, pencils, crayons,
chaulk(?))

Nest Thursday I'm going with a number of people from my church to a David Crowder, Third Day Concert. I haven't been to a concert concert ever, really... not like Christian contemporary...actually years ago I went to a Steve Green Concert and once to a George Beverly Shay...(he sings really low...hymn music):) I'm not even huge on David's or THird's music, but I wanta go, the whole experience will be fun. WE're stopping at Chipotle to eat giant burriots. I wanta go:) David plays a hoe down song...so I'll probably where my sweet cow boy boots, cept they hurt sometimes.

It's nice outside today cept cold. We're supposedly getting snow on Saturday. Oh yeah Krista, Dad, Mom and me are all goin' to the eye doc. on Saturday. Yes! I haven't gotten new contacts for years. Maybe got my last pair in Bible School, yeah I think so. It's a special deal where you get contacts, the exam and glasses for like $150... I possible will add some more to get nicer glasses or at least to be able to choose differently than what they have in that "price bracket."

I'm waiting here at the library for 4:30ish to pick up my sister from work. When I first sat down I had two rough lookin' guys on either side of me... a little disconcerting...one was really big...the other has a big tatoo on his hand...he's still next to me, in a camo jacket and hat...it'd be embarressing if he noticed I was writing about him, hurry up and read what I'm saying so he doesn't see okay!;)

Um what else could I write. Do you ever get a sensing that God is moving you in a different direction? But you don't know where. SOmetimes it's hard to believe that He'll show you what's next...that's why He surrounds you with people to remind you that He will.

Okay, kinda random I know. That's my middle name, random... I was known for my randomness when I was younger. And when I was younger, like way younger 2 people told me I talked too much... I don't really have that problem now. SOmetimes I personally feel I don't talk enough. anyways moving on...:)

I've thought about getting a dog. Just thinking about getting a puppy, puppy thoughts are heart warming. But my dad wouldn't want us to get another pet. To have a friend you know:) I do have friends but I don't own them. They arent "mine" the way pets are.

This Saturday is a Father Daughter dance. I hope we go. My dad hasn't decided yet if he's going. It'd be fun. Never been escorted to a dance by my dad:) It's going to be alot of different ages...I think mostly younger girls with their dads. But I have a friend in high school (senior) whose goin' with her dad and sister. I was gonna help with decorating but I have the eye appointment saturday. My dad doesn't feel very confident in his dancing skills, he's okay with waltzing, but I think he means the way you "waltz" at a wedding where it's like you step back and forth, back and forth...not really a "real" waltz:) Anyways, just moving to music's dancing...you know just be joyful!

I'm kinda killing time and filling space.

Here are some of my all time favorite jokes...they are the guys with no arms and no legs jokes. I love 'em. If I get the right type of people around me I'll let 'em rip! I think I learned them at Bible School so this may be old news to alot of you. Enjoy for the sentimental value okay, gimme a break;)

Ok...

What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs in a pile of leaves?........

give up...

come on....

Russell!

Isn't that great! I love it!

Ok, what do you call a guy with no arm and no legs hangin' on the wall.........

...

......hmmm....

ART! I love ART! Poor guy wonder how he got up there.

Ok, what do'ya call a guy with no arms and no legs, being pulled behind a motor boat?

...oh this one's painful...

Skip!

Whad do'ya call a guy with no arms and no legs, in a pool?

...come on this one's easy...

BOB! (hilarious laughter fills the room as everyone stands and gives Marie a standing ovation...Marie rises and gives a short oration, "THank you for listening to these hearfelt sentiments I've treasured for years...which I learned in Bible School oh those tender years where I was very impressed upon with the important things in life...)

Earth to Marie...

anyways...you must indulge in a few minutes of insane revelry at least once a day if you can.

Boy I may be or am a little embarressed by my previous lapse of insanity. But you know take it or leave it, the choice is yours!:)

Do you like shopping just for that little bit of job you get from purchasing something. Even if it's just from the dollar store. I just had a momentary craving to go and buy something at the dollar store. I don't have any dollars on me today. Just tons of dimes, they were rolled... and I opened them and put alot in my wallet to buy my $2 lunches at school:) I like public schools chocalate milk. I get it ever lunch. Yup. That's what I used to get when I was a younling going to school. Oh the days, just kiddin'. But at least I got my chocalate milk back... without the homework.

Oh, I need to get goin' it's 4:35... I need to go pick Chi-Chi up, that's my sister, not her real name but her "pet" name...whatever,

Vasha Strana Prekrasna...(that's Russian... I won't tell you what it means!)

Paka! (russian too, but I will tell you what it means, it means bye, informally, that's what you say to your friends...I think it means bye...hopefully...well that's what I mean anyways. Chill till next time ka?!!!)

Sick and Tired, 24, and Shoes!

Well here I am again. I tend to not post for a long time than I do...yeah, anyways. I've done alot since I last posted a "real" post, you know one of those long posts that tell about everything I've done...well you know what I mean.

Well I had my 24th birthday finally. It was good. I had a few days of celebration. It was on a Thurs. 26th of Jan.-had family presents that morning-before my dad left for work. My parents gave me this really lovely comforter. It's a deep red, it's stripped kinda, I think you could call it a sateen material. There's a sheen to it. I like the thinkness of it. I also got an ivory matelasse coverlet, wich is kinda thin but it's heavy, it's woven thickly, make sense. My brains not working the best today:) Also I got a bed skirt in ivory like the material of the comforter. Haven't gotten around to putting it on my bed yet. I want to iron it first.

Krista gave me this wicked cute little trunk made out of wood and some girly stuff inside.

Friday night my family and alot of my friends and some kids from youth group all converged at the Theather in Winchester, the one not at the mall and watched "The End of the Spear." THe story about Jim Elliot and Nate Saint and the other guys that were killed trying to reach a primative tribe in the jungle of Ecuador... It's a tear jerker. Yes I cried, a couple times. I'd recommend going to see it or at least waiting till it comes out on Video. It's a special story.

After the movie we herded to Cold Stone's-this really nifty ice cream shop. You choose the flavor of Ice cream and then you choose the goodies to go in the ice cream and than they mix it up on a "cold-stone"-marble slab right there in front of you. It kinda looks like big kids with big spoons playing with the ice cream as they mash and mix...and flip it over and mash and mix...etc...
My choice was a "like it" size one of the smaller sizes with half coffee and half banana ice cream with Heath Bar, in a waffle cone(these aren't those wimpy cones you get at the grocery store, these are daddies to those little baby cones). I really like heath bar! It was good... I wouldn't mind some of that today...yum...I enjoyed and was able to eat the whole thing without discomfort, which doesn't always happen. It kinda surprised me:)

I didn't mention that we had to wait in line like 30-40 mins. It was a friday night and the store had actually recently opened. They've gotten tons of business like too much business. It was fun waiting though, cause I was with friends.

After we got the ice cream, we sat around and talked and laughed...we laughed alot. One of my friends is Angela. She's in her thirties... (definately young at heart married) with twins. She was making us laugh and we were making her laugh. We were trying to remember the name of the guy that was from the tribe... it's like Micanani...you know like macaroni...anyways...:)

Than a friend came home with me and spent the night...and the next morning, Saturday, Myleen Sweet came over to have brunch with us. I had a "fruit pizza" as my birthday cake. It was kinda differnt but good. It's like "pizza" made with croisant bread, (from the can) and the "sauce" is this cream cheese frosting like stuff and than the goodies on top were grapes, kiwi, strawberries...definately differnt than cake or pie:)

Than Sunday another friend of mine brought a cake to church with Happy Birthday Marie on it. It was a special sunday, called celebration Sunday, not cause of my birthday but becuase we were celebrating our church, what GOd had done in the church and who He's used to make it happen. Also Angela gave me my b-day present there at church at the pot luck. She gave me this bright red skinny scrarf that's like 8 feet long. I have to wrap it around my neck like 3 times to get it the length I want it:)

Even this Sunday at church I got another b-day present.:) I like presents, in case you were wondering.

Now to totally change the subject... let's talk about my substitued work....

I have been doing alot of Subbing. I worked everyday last week. Which is a blessing but it is tiring. I worked yesterday-MOnday. I was a 2nd grade teacher. It was a rough day. There were 3 boys that made it especially rough. The whole class added to the stress too. But if the boys hadn't been in class it definalty would've been easier. One of the boys, lets call him Joe, just talks and talks. He won't shut up, cept at times... and he's really smart. We were studying George Washington and he mentioned something that George had been, that wasn't even mentioned in what we as a class had read. He also mentioned Ulysses Grant another time... he's probably a walking encyclopedia.
If i ever get that class again hopefully I only have like one of those boys. Maybe the others could be at a family reunion or a doc's appointment!

Another boy, lets call him George, was really annoying too, I actually made him cry. I was a little mean. Felt kinda bad... ah man he just needs self-control. I was mean closer to the end of the day... he was just bad and bad and bad...pushes you...

Man this type of behavior out of 2nd graders. When You think 2nd grade- you think they should maybe be sweet and innocent...yikes not all of them that's for sure.

I did get three hugs and one was a side hug from "Joe." It's easier to love him after the fact of yesterday. Distance of time. I wanted my experience with him to be differnt than what the teachers expected out of him, which was a disruptive kids. He has this chubby baby face... with dark hair and blue eyes... which don't always seem to look at you when you're talking to him...kinda weird.

Near the end of the day I took them to music class. The teacher is awesome. THe class is in another building with this room of chairs all spaced out-facing her piano. The chairs are little kid chairs... one of my kids could've stood having a bigger chair. Each kid had a hard cover music book...when opened covered their laps. The teacher had them sing "The Best Friend Song." They were great! I love it:) They did sound good... you could hear some kid off key, at times they'd belt it out at others it was quieter. It was an idealistic moment... Please music lady sure you can have my kids. This was going to be some of my down time...sigh...

I went and got some chamomile tea... straightened up the desk and then rested my head on my arms on the desk. It was the type of rest where your mind goes on screen saver cause your tired... like you don't think...I had a slight headache at that point...

Throughout the day I kept telling hte class to be quiet. As I got closer to the end of the day my voice was feeling worse. I've had a really bad cold recently. It's not a good experience feeling like your voice isn't that stable, or strong and you want to get the kids quiet... I would clap my hands sometimes to try and get their attention. I got to the point where I wrote in all caps, "PUT YOUR HEADS DOWN!" on the board. One kid was like you guys she's not feeling very well-you need to listen. Nice guy-bless his heart.

At the end of the day one of hte staff in the office asked how my day was "It was rough." I replied. Sigh...
Tomorrow I'm at the same school, also teaching 2nd grade, but a differnt class. I'll pray before I get to class...

I took today off cause of being sick and tired. Last evening I was couphing and couphing.... I actually slept most of last night elevated with pillows on the couch. I didn't hardly cough all night, which wasn't the same story as the night before. It was a blessed sleep:)

...ahhh, I think this cold started last week... If I took my vitamens better I think my immune system would be stronger. But it's not surprising that I'm sick cause of working in the public schools. Around so many people increases the probability that you'll catch something.

YES! On Friday I am the ART teacher at the Jr. High. At the Jr. High they have 4 blocks/periods. Making each perion one and a half hours long...which makes for long classes especially if the class isn't very obedient...which is emotionally draining...but it does mean my "planning" period is like an hour and a half:) Don't get me wrong subbing is not all bad. I'm learning ... and may need to be more bold about being in charge... there are kids that I really enjoy and moments where it's like "Wow, I'm being a teacher.":) The discipline is what drains me...fallen man...Adam and Eve...look what you started:)

Another random bit of info...I haven't been in much of a mood to do my laundry so I had a mini everest of dirty clothes in my room...that was growing daily... finally I'm working on them today. It's going to take 2 loads to topple that mountain. The 2nd load is actually in the machine now. I still have alot of clothes that are clean but am short on items like socks, and nylons...and also my more favorite clothes...

I really like the direct answers to prayer that God gives. The other day I was going to shop at one of my favorite stores in town, The Salvation Army, and before I went in I prayed that God would help me to find something special. I came out with 2 pairs of boots and a really cute pair of strappy heels. I actually got a pair of cow boy boots...they are really nice quality, real leather with alot of designs all over the top part... I wear them alot, they were made in spain. The other pair of boots are "tight"-they are real leather-in black, short boots, with quite a heel. I wear them sometimes when I sub. at the Jr. High cause I don't have to walk as much. They are my power boots:) by the way they were made in Italy. Did I mention price, each pair of boots were $2 bucks each and the shoes were $1, and every pair is in excellent condition... it's cool when God answers prayer like that. Yeah!

Ok... keep droppin' by to check out my blog. You never know when I'm going to post next and you never know what I'm going to post.

There's more I could write about but I'm gonna sign off. Keep with God. Amen:)

Rub-a-dub-dub, two Babies in a Tub!

Here's Hunter and Jaedan in the bath tub. They splashed in the tub the WHOLE time they were in it. If you were too close you'd get wet. At first I was standing up than I sat down and got wet! They were soo adorable! Ahhh! I love em so much. Beautiful Babies.

My Babies!

Here's a pic. of my babies Jaedan and Hunter. Ain't they lovely! I bought 'em these p.j.'s for Christmas. Enjoy!

Romeo is that you.... I hope not!

I just downloaded 112 pics from my digital camera I got for Christmas from mom and dad. Finally got around to it. Here's one of them, it's me and Krista at Christmas:) in Maine.

Does life ever make you *sigh.* Mine does sometimes, like now
... anyways.

I realized I haven't explained the name of my blog "Hand In Hand." It comes from my Bible School graduation testimony where I talked about BIble School being part of the journey I'm walking with God. And I'm on this journey with my Hand in God's hand. He's the only one I'll always be with. It's comforting, you know I'm walking with God hand in hand.:)
The address to my blog is journeygirl4God... and that can be connected to the whole hand in hand thing too. I initially choose it because I've done mission trips before, you know take journeys but now it has more just that for meaning, my life is God's and I want to go where he wants... He leads me... I'm living for God. Journeygirl4god... ya know.

I will be turning 24 this coming up Thursday... I'm just more and more transitioning into adult hood. Part of that for me is birthdays, birthday's in some ways are big deals to me, an age you know... they are milestones in someways, or should we say "yearstones." They mark time... and the physical aging process, also the inner maturity process to an extent. I like it that I'm getting older in some ways... Who knows what life will hold for me. I am wanting to be more independent... to have more responsibility. I'm still living at home but as time goes by I think I'll be stretching my wings more and more.

I'd say alot of people think I look younger than I really am. Maybe it makes up for my "old soul." If they saw me inside my soul they'd see an old person, well maybe... I've been "older" for quite awhile, more serious and take things seriously... sometimes too seriously:) I like having serious talks with people. I definitely have a sense of humor but I also like to connect to people's hearts, to talk about spiritual things, what people have been through. The stuff that shapes them... that shapes each of us.

I'm in one of my serious moods. Life does that. Change does that to me.

Well to get on a lighter note I now have a young man in love with me. That may not be the most positive thing... it's rather humorous actually!

I met him Friday when I was subbing for a P.E. class. He's name is Ryan and he's 18 years old. He's handicapped. He's really cute ...and he's childish. He was talking with one of his other classmates, Darrest and was like, "the teacher can't be your honey, they're too old."

Somehow he got it in his head that he liked me. I don't know how, oh well maybe he was thinking in that line, about honey's and I asked him how old he was. Ryan was like, loudly, "She asked me how old I was!" I told him I was 23 he was like "D----!"an loud exclamation, like "MAN!" A coupla times he was moving toward my direction so I'd walk around to the other side of the other sub. And he'd start movin' in my direction again. ahh!

I'd hear him talkin' than figure out he was talkin' about me. I told him I didn't have a boyfriend and he was like "there's one standing right here." He motions to him self with some attitude...something to that effect, and I'm like leaning in looking beyond him, as if I was lookin' for someone else that may've been stanin' behind him!

His teacher mentioned how Ryan's been in love with like 2 other girls and bought them rings. So I told Ryan that he counldn't be my boyfriend, for one thing he's too young and for another thing it'd be illegal, which thinking about that statement later realized it wounldn't be, but I'm not tellin' that to him.

Later at the end of school I'm walking out to my car, ah man, there he was outside at the front of the school on the steps. Ahhhh, he talked about me again, he's not a quiet talker and he's like talkin' about my car... boy is my car great! or what... snicker...whatever. Oh well, it makes a good story. I wouldn't mind being his friend, but I don't know if he can get it out of his mind that he likes me. Ah man! Makes me laugh. At least he's handicapped, would be worse if he wasn't. It's cuter this way, maybe. (smile:)

Well I hope you enjoyed that from my adventures in the Warren County School system!

Spanish Anyone?

Today I was a "Spanish Teacher." The teacher I subbed for is older and has been teaching for a long time. Possible he has teacher burn out. He didn't leave me any instructions. So the first 3 periods we sat in class...um...they talked etc... one of the periods we watched Fear Factor and The Price is Right. I read when the TV wasn't on mostly. Finished a book. Sub teaching can be interesting... and sometimes rather boring. I hope some day I get to sub for an ART teacher! Please! Well I didn't really actually teach any spanish, cause I don't know hardly any.

For the last 2 classes we watched parts of Jurassic Park II, in English with Spanish Sub Titles. The assignment was for them to write down all the spanish words they recognized... and pass it in. This was alot more interesting than just sitting there and reading.

Do you think everyone did the assignment? yeah your're right...not everyone did it. One of the girl's even gave me the line that she did it with her friend, could she write her name on the paper too...okay? I was sittin' next to her and her friend... I didn't notice her with a paper on her desk doin' the work. I don't think so! I didn't let her. Kids! What's wrong with them these days. It's really sad. I don't even think half of the parents know what's goin' on in their lives. It is sad... and if they do some of the parents don't even care.*sigh*

I ate lunch in the Teacher's Lounge. Sitting in there is an education in itself about what kids do. Another way to learn some of the lingo kids go by too... I won't tell you what the teachers talked about, it'd make your ears burn.

How do we reach this generation? It seems like such a monumental task. For starters we could ask God to put a burden on our hearts for them. We can pray, we can befriend them... and tell them that we're praying.

The world of today's Youth is crazy bad. crazy, crazy, crazy... I bet ya'll workin' in public schools know that like Chad and Andrea...Let's infiltrate them! Like a virus and let them catch what we have... Christianity is contagious ya know:)

Hmmm, I finally watched the movie the Matrix. The first one. It is really interesting. I'd never sat through the whole thing and watched it before. It definately has spiritual parellels...which is really cool.

I also watched The Island. Another science fiction movie. I enjoyed it, but quite possible wouldn't watch it again. It's disconcerting. But cool. There is some stuff in it that's not too good...just a warning.

Oh yeah, I started my Art I class last week. It went well. I actually sat as a model for a modified contour drawing. THey have to basically draw me with one continous line, and they can't look at their papers much. It's to get your brain and your pencil connected more...you artists out there that have done this before know the technique. Kinda like hand eye cordination.
Contour drawing is kinda cool. Try it sometime. Find your object your're gonna draw, like your foot. Look at your foot, figure out where you want to start drawing on your foot. ok, start. Follow the contours and lines of the foot, draw what you see, but mostly keep your eyes on your foot. If you need to go back to a part you already drew just draw along the line that's already there... the drawing won't be perfect and probably won't be proportional...but it's a good excercise for the brain.

I have 4 drawings I have to do for this class on Wednesday. I did two of them already and besides that drew like 5 other drawings I'll let the teacher check out. The one's I did was the hand in an intersting pose holding an object, my hand is holding a minute glass(like an hour glass). I named it Time is in my hands. THe other one I did was the drawing of the chair. I ended up only drawing the top part of the chair, the back of the chair.
The teacher's first name is Chance. He says he's not a very good drawer, but he knows how to teach it. He's a sculpter.

Because of my sub job I had to open a checking account... so I have my first checks and my first debit card. Haven't used either of them much, but hey at least I'm "growing up," more.

My 24th birthday is in 9 days. It's the 26. 24 is kinda weird. In some ways I'd say I'm more mature than other 24 year olds, but I'm not as independant cause I live at home, still single,don't own my own car... not havin' a car bothers me some. I do like myself here. I believe I've blossomed more than when I was in High School. Which was like 6 years ago. Wow! Really... hmm...yeah.

But I have a job and I could start saving for a car... I may try to figure out another way to make money. This job doesn't pay alot and at this point I haven't gotten work everyday. I'm praying that I will this week. I may try to tap into my jewelery business somemore. THere's a 2nd handstore/vintage store here in town I may partner with to sell my earrings.

Hey, there's a movie coming out Jan. 20th called The End of the Spear. It's the story of when Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and the other guys, misssionaries went to the Auca Indians down south. And they were all massacred... and how it effected the tribe after other missionaries went and shared... I don't know how much they really spell out the gospel or if they deal with it in a general way. Teen mania mentioned it on their news letter that the movie was coming out.

If you watch movies at theaters go out and support it, if you don't rent it later. We need to support movies that have to do with that sort of thing, Christian, Missionaries...etc.

I'm gonna go be lazy and look at mags here at the library. Chow! Maybe first though I'll check out some of ya'll's blogs:)

Miss Marie are you the New Teacher?

This will be a quickie. I've been busy lately...cept not really Saturday, anyways.... I have started working. I am now officially a substitute teacher in the Warren County School District. That means I could teach from Kindergarten all the way to 12th grade in 5 or 6 different schools. So far I've subbed(is that spelled right, it looks really weird:) 2 days, last THurs. was my first day. Both days were at the High School. Sometime subbing can be kinda boring, but I do have a book to read.

So that is an answer to prayer:) Yeah! Thanks everyone whose been praying for me for the whole job thing and other possible events in my life:)

Also I am planning on signing up for a college class. It will be Drawing I. There will be 17 classes total. Each class is 3 hours long, Wednesday from 7-10. The classes start this Wed. I haven't signed up yet but it's ok to sign up last minute. So I'll let ya'll know how that goes.

God is good. His heart is good, no matter what the circumstances are. His faithfullness in holding us up and He is always with us. It doesn't haveta feel that way for it to be reality, no matter what we do or feel He will stay with us and never leave us. He loves us just as much as when we're "bad" as when we are good.
That's my little "sermonette."

So how many of you read my last blog. I know it was quite long, but I really liked the chapter I typed out, it took a LONG time to type. I like the holistic view of being connected to God and others and how both type of relationship edifies, developes and increases the other relationship.
My relationship with you can help me get closer to God... and my relationship with GOd can spur me on to deeper intimacy with you. Make sense?

It's 4 mins. to midnight. I need ta get ta bed. I might be getting called in the morning to sub:)

Signing off!:)

Dig For Diamonds

I just finished a good book called "Foolish No More" by Ted Haggard. I'd recommend it. It's a christian book by a pastor of a huge church. It's an easy read and has some good applicable Christian living info. The last chapter I just read and I really liked it. It's both encouraging and inspiring. It makes sense and I want it more in my life.

I'm gonna actually type out most of it here. It may take you about 15 mins. to read but it's good stuff so hang in there. If you don't want to read the whole thing start at "Powerful Relationships".

DIG FOR DIAMONDS-by Ted Haggard

As we have learned throughout this book, all of us were born with an old sin nature. There is a garbage dump at the core of human existence, and it's inside each one of us.

If you are not born again, and you want to find peace, power, and purpose by digging down into yourself through excessive introspection adn self-help techniques, good luck! When you get to the core, you are going to find corruption, hatred, lust, jealousy, selfishness, and more. It smells down there.

Now because a human being is fearfully adn wonderfully made in the image of God (see Psalm 139:14), you will see some very nice things too-mostly near the surface. Many parents do a good job of training their children, and a a good education helps, and through various life experiences all of us have learned a lot of appropriate behavior. But none of that provides the power to really change the core of our being.

But if you are born again, the story is totally different. When you became fully aware of your need to change, you acknowledged your need for God, for the forgiveness of sins, and for the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. You made a great decision and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.

So if you could dig to the core of someone regenerated by God, rather than finding a corroded old sin nature, you would find a beautiful diamond-a precious stone that represents all the gifts, traits , blessings, and fruit of God. Everything made available to those who are His children.

After we are reborn and filled with the Spirit, God begins the process of revealing the diamond He has placed at our core. Through our responsiveness to God's Word, which reveals the gospel, along with our obedience to His Spirit, He transforms us into who He wants us to be. Because we live in a fallen wolrld and because of our own fallenness, we endure all kinds of suffering and anxiety as we learn to throw ourselves into the arms of CHrist. This is not like whizzing through a spiritual drive-through lane. It's definately a process.

The Bible calls this process a "walk," a long walk that will last for the rest of our lives. When you begin the walk, it appears that there's only a slight glimmer of a diamond inside you, and the rest is still junk. But as you study the Scriptures, grow in the Spirit, and participate in His body, the church, more and more of hte diamond is revealed. you experience healing and deliverance and many other wonderful things. You overcome more and more as the kingdom of God increasingly dominates your life.

That's why we seek the Lord in prayer, fasting, and worship. All of these good actions chip away at the rough outer crust of hte old sin nature to reveal the core diamond and its many beautiful facets.

Daily experiences-even failures- help the process along. Remember that last speeding ticket? how did you respond to the situation? You may not see it this way, but when a police officer stops you adn says, "You were going twenty miles over the speed limit. License and registration." God is trying to expose your diamond just a little bit more and get rid of some more of the old sin-nature stuff that's still there.

Or if you are in your prayer closet, pacing back and forth as you seek the Lord adn not sensing the presence of God, when you hang in there and keep at it, you are doing you part in digging out the diamond. You are saying, " I want the righteousness of God. I want the kingdom of God to dominate me."

Or if you fail at something and are so disappointed with what you've said or done, you have a chance to respond-to be humble, to seek God's forgiveness, to uncover a little bit more of the diamond.

You will meet christians who think we can unveil the diamond by obedience to the law adn by following rules and regulations. Sorry, but that just isn't going to happen. it's the Holy Spirit living within us who imparts righteousness and empowers the Word of God in our lives. Christianity is all about a vital and dynamic relationship with God, who has sent His Holy Spirit to guide us into that relationship.

All of the things we choose to do or not do are an expression of our intimate, covenant relationship with God. We tithe not to win the favor of God but to demonstrate our relationship with Him. We come to church not to earn the right to a relationship with God-that was appropriated on the cross-but to get to know Him more. We do important things in our Christian walk in order to dig out our diamonds, because we desparatly long to grow in the Lord, to have a healthy, dynamic relationship with Him.

God Enjoys Relationship

The trinity gives us a great example of how God likes to do relationships.

I love getting a glimpse of the interaction between the Father, Son, and holy Spirit. We see this when John baptized Jesus at the Jordan river. Heaven opened, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, adn the voice of God the Father burst through the clouds, proclaiming admiration adn delight for His son.

Literally out of the blue, the Father broke into time adn space and said, "That's my boy! I'm so pleased with Him! (see Luke 3:22).....

So this is the picture we see: God is in love with His son, the Son lives to glorify His Father, adn the Holy SPirit is flowing between them. They're talking with one another, loving one another, blessing one another, doing miracles with one another-it's a remarkably delightful relationship.

And we need to pay attention to what this means for us.

God created us in His own image and likeness, so like any kid, we have many of the same character qualities as our Dad. That means when it comes to relationships, we have a deep desire to connect with others. We love laughing with, eating with, playing with, and just plain hanging out with good friends. It doesn't matter where you go, human beings all over the world-...devise ways of connecting with other people. It's just what humans do.

But there's a problem with all of this desire to connect: Our intimate, ideal relationship with God has been severed by our sinful independance, and this same old sin nature works to destroy our relationships with other people. Too many relationships are stained with difficult things like rejection, inappropriate affection, dysfunctional patterns of relating in families, high divorce rates, broken lives-on and on it goes. The very thing people want most-rich, loving personal relationships-seems out of their grasp.

Powerful Relationships

....How can we have wonderful, powerful, loving relationships with God and others in the body of Christ?

The relational dynamic with God is mysterious, personal, intimate, lively and vibrant. Some days it's effervescent; other days it's serious. There are times in our relationship with God when we want to worship Him radically, to explode with adoration for Him. Other times we're drawn to lie on our faces and be still in His presence. SOme days He wants us to get out of the prayer room and go do something. Other days He wants us to stop being busybodies and sit down and chill out. Don't ask me why He wants what He wants. The Christian life involves a mysterious, relational dynamic with a loving God, and lots of people have trouble navigating its ambiguities. But we are like Him, and He is like us-more than we might think.

So if we want to understand God and live as He intends, we must understand personal relationships. If we think relationships are systematic and orderly, we can forget it. There are too many variables. God's heart is a mystery. So is ours.

Near the end of his letter, Paul had some insights on how this understanding of relationships helps us function better in the church:

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fufill the law of Christ. If anyone thingks he is something when he is nothing, he decieves himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. (Galatians 6:1-5)

The number-one meaure of our character is how we learn to manage ourselves-our thought lives, our physical being, our affections, and the issues we have with acceptance and rejection.

The second greatest test or indicator of our character is our response to someone else's sin. We tend to understand and accept our own struggles, but we don't always have that much grace for the difficulties of others. I think that's why the apostle Paul brought up this topic right after he talked about the works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit. After helping us understand ourselves, Paul immediately moved on to discuss our relationships with others.

He said that we have a duty to help our fallen brothers and sisters get back on their feet again (see verse 1). When we are exhorted in the Spirit to correct a person who has fallen, we are supposed to repair him or her. In Greek, the word Paul used is the same one that describes a surgeon doing his work. In other words, helping someone recover from sin is like setting a broken arm or taking out a tumor; it involves time, precision and care. So when someone gets into trouble, we shouldn't panic. God understands and has provided a way to bring healing and restoration. The issue is, how will we respond? Will we calmly make repairs like a surgeon? Or will we blast like a linebacker through people and their needs?

The issue of handling someone's sin and correcting that person is tricky. It's a matter of curing, not punishing. When people get entangled in their old sin nature, our old sin nature wants to lay down the law and punish them. But if they are born again, then we have to trust that the diamond is there. The issue is getting the muck cleaned away from the diamond.

And what about our own muck? We are dealing with sin constantly. The execution of our old sin natures cannot be fully accomplished just by ourselves. Sometimes we need an entire firing squad with plenty of ammunition.

We've already discussed how important it is to go in the prayer closet by ourselves and crucify the old sin nature, put on Christ, and live a godly, wholesome, overcoming, victorious life. We must do that. Like Pual, we need to die daily. But how can others help us? What kinds of relationships will best help to expose and polish our diamond within?

All of us have what I call passive relationships. These are not energetic, connected, powerful relationships that make you smile or weep. They are just there. The mood of such relationships is reminiscent of worshiping some idol-which I'm not recommending-as opposed to worshiping the living God. The whole deal is lifeless adn lame.

Sometimes I call these relationships "cordial relationships," the kind of relationships that amount to surface conversation:

"Hi, how are you?"

"Find, thanks. And how's everything with you?"

"Oh, it's great, thanks."

"Good to see you."

"Nice to see you. I like your hair."

"Thanks. Well, gotta go. You take care! Let's get together sometime."

"Sure. Bye!"

And both or you know the chance of your getting together is as likely as George Bush asking you to spend the weekend hanging out as Camp David.

Such encounters are a little awkward becuase the relationship is passive, and you don't really know what to do with it. Maybe something might come of it, but for now you wouldn't want to go on vacation with this person, and you might avoid a lunch date, too.

This passive relationship issue is everywhere. Some people have nothing but passive relationships. Worse, many married couples find themselves stuck in a passive state. They are cordial and nice, but they never really empower each other. That means that lots of kids grow up in homes where they never see or experience true connection.

DOn't get me wrong. Life is full of cordial surface relationships, and that's normal. We shouldn't be rude and ignore people, and we shouldn't force everyone to be our best friends.

But there's a different kind of relationship that I think is God's plan for diamond polishing. I call it "power relationship," or a dynamic connection. God designed us to connect with HIm by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it's the power of that connectivity that changes our lives. He gives us power through His relationship with us, and we change.

The same type of thing happens between people. When people learn to powerfully connect with other people in family, in close friendships, and in a body of believers, they establish life-giving, possitive relationships that empower them in their spirits to be everything God wants them to be.

So to stomp the living daylights out of the old sin nature, you need both a vibrant personal relationship with God and vibrant connectivity with others in the body of believers. This is what a life giving church is! It's an ecclesia-a gathering together of the brethren. It's how we strenghten one another to live life and fulfill our purposes.

Men have the desire to have men friends, and woman have the desire to have women friends. Groups of people love gettting together and engaging one another. There is supernatural strength in loyal, faithful friends, and that strength helps human beings become everything God created them to be.

I am mentioning this because you may be a person who loves God with all of your heart, and yet you live a disconnected life. One way to measure this is to ask yourself, "Are there nights when I wake up scared and lonely and don't have anybody to share those feelings with?" The times when you have sobbed the most deeply, have you sobbed alone? The times when you have become insecure and wondered about your own adequacy, was there no one to talk with because you feared that if someone really got to know you, he or she would reject you?

If that decribes your life, I want you to know it's not GOd's plan for you. He wants you connected to Him in a loving, vibrant relationship, and He wants you connected to others.

....In powerful, dynamic relationships, people will invest in one another's lives so significantly that the greatest fear won't win, the besetting sin won't conquer.

I've observed that it's possible to spend years in a church and never really connect. Sure, it's important to get together in a large group to worship, learn and share sacrements. But if we stop with that, we miss the point: Fellowship with God and connectivity with one another exist so that we can empower one another for the perfect plan God has for us.

So just what did Paul mean when he said we should "gently" restore those caught in sin (Gal. 6:1)? He meant that when you find somebody in trouble, if you are dealing with your old sin nature in prayer, are being filled with the Holy Spirit, are growing in faith, and have vital connections to God and other believers, you can reach into the life of someone who needs help and pull that person up so that his strengths-not his afflicting weaknesses-define his life.

Paul also said that we need to do this with great humility, avoiding conceit. It's another take on Jesus's idea of always taking the log out of one's own eye before taking the splinter out of someone else's eye. If we are not careful, we will see people struggling and think, Man, I am living a pretty good life. I am doing all right. Look at all these other poor struggleers-they're really messing up!

Paul says, "Don't do that. Don't compare yourselves iwth others. It's not relevant, and it doesn't accomplish anything positive. It will just make you conceited, which means you, too, will soon be messingl up."

Instead we should test our own actions (see Gal. 6:4) by comparing ourselves to where God wants us to be. This will keep us healthy and strong.

How do we gauge whether we are connecting with others? We know we're doing it when...
-we have a good group of friends around us.
-we know how to pray for one another
-we know how to protect and edify one another
-we know how to grow old together
-we know how to encourage and coach one another
-we know how to keep distance when distance is right, and how to be close when close is right.
-we have learned the skills of good living

In the midst of that kind of life, when someone gets in trouble, rather than saying, "Oh, what is she doing? She must not have it together," we are able to say, "I want to help. I can give her some strength. I can connect with her in this. I can share her suffering. I can cry with her if she needs somebody to cry with. I can love her when she needs somebody to love her. I can be faithful to her when she needs somebody to be faithful to her. I can connect with her and help her overcome these difficulties."

When you connect with people and infuse them with strength, life, joy, and peace, you are finding the diamond inside of them. You are choosing to chip away at the outer crust to find the diamond instead of the crud, highlighting the good instead of focusing on the dirty sin parts.

That's what God wants the body of Christ to be like, and that can't happen if we live according to the law. That's what Paul is arguing here. he wants us to be so connected with one another that life flows powerfully between us. This is a choice you and I make. If someone falls into a sin, let us, in humilty, connect with him and build him up by highlighting the righteousness of Christ in him.

A friend in Deed

This whole isssue of connecting with other people is so important, I want to tell you about an unusual incident in my life that illustrates the value of a friend and how all this can work.

I was in my office a few years ago, sufferin with a really bad cold. I felt awful. It was one of those sniffling, sneezing, terrible sore throat, whining, crying, weeping kind of days. I ached all over. I was a mess.

Okay, so you're thinking, You poor baby, Ted. You were whining and crying about a simple cold.

I was. I admit it. I may seem like a spiritual giant on Sundays, all dressed up, with the fire of GOd shooting from my lips, but a rotten head cold turns me into a sniveling wimp. And when I get sick, I am very moody. It's just pathetic! ....

So there I was...sitting at my desk, longing for the 2nd coming, when my friend Patton Dodd walked in. Patton has helped me with my writing over the years, and he was stopping by to go over a project. When he saw me, he asked, "Oh my, what's wrong with you?"

I looked at him with bleary eyes and said, "I can't go home. I've got work to do, but o-o-o-h-h-h-h!" I fell speechless, consumed by my pain.

Instead laughing or running away, Patton said, "You look terrible."

I nodded my head adn wiped my nose with a tissue.

"Why don't you just sit on the couch for a little bit," he suggested. I sighed and shuffled over to the couch in my office, where I slumped into a heap.

You shold know that Patton is a young man, but he really has relational maturity. He's a deep-water guy with a quiet spirit.

Anyway, there I was sitting on the couch and moaning, and Patton was nearby in a chiar wanting to discuss some work with me. But he could tell I was spaced out-totalling enmeshed in despair. So insted of excusing himself or trying to get something out of me, Patton came over and sat down on the other end of the couch. He didn't say anything. he just sat next to me. We both just sat there for a long while, not saying anything.

Lost in head-cold misery, I kept feeling bad for myself-aching, whining, wheezing, coughing, sneezing. Patton didn't say a word. He just sat there with me.

We sat there quietly, and the longer this went on, the better I felt. Oh, I still had a lousy cold, but I appreciated so much someone just being there. If he had started to chat, I probably would've gone home. If he had tried to pep me up with some superspiritual truism such as "God will use this in your life, " I would have hated it....

But he didn't do or say anything. He just sat there, and in that way, he let me know he was there for me. I appreciated it.

Finally, after a while he said, "Okay, Pastor Ted, it's time for you to go home." That was it!

So I went home.

That kind of connectivity brought me comfort when I needed it. Patton didn't leave me alone in my misery. Instead, by quietly sitting next to me on the couch, he was saying, "I'm here for you; lean on my strength."

I've also felt the strength of friends when I have been on the verge of making a mistake, when I start thinking a little too highly of myself, or when my thinking is skewed. And when I'm on the right track, they're also there to help me fufill the vision and purpose God has given me. I can't imagine my life apart from being connected to the body of Christ.

Those who live without connectivity, well, they never fully run the race, jump as high as they could, go as far as they could, or experienve the full power of God as they should.

That's why I want to encourage you to connect with other believers and develope good, close friends. They help us in the process of chipping away at our sinful nature to uncover that diamond within us.

The apostle Paul understood this. Even though he had been a father to the Galatian believers by bringing the gospel to them, he experienved the strength of their love for him during the trial of his illness. Now he was tetruing that love by passionately defending the true gospel he had preached to them, which alone had the power to set them free adn bring them into right relationship with God. he wanted to protect them from the trap of believeing that obedienve to the law would earn them justification in God's sight.

This gospel-that Christ gave himself for our sins so that we can recieve our total justification through faith in Him-is the power that breaks us out of our bondage to sin and sets us free to become sons and daughters of God, in right relationship with Him and with each other.

It's the power that enables us to be foolish no more!
_____________________

Congratulations you finished reading the chapter! I'd encourage you to just take out of it what the Holy Spirit highlights to you. I am thankful for my friends that I have had that dynamic connectivity with... It's very vital.

These thoughts are also an excellent reminder at the begining of the year to really stay connected to the body of Christ and the head -Christ himself. So be encouraged, we do not run this race alone, we are a band of brothers, pressing on toward the goal, together...and we will get there TOGETHER.

That was Jesus's prayer for us- to be united, to be one...that's how our world will change when they see the love we have for one another.

-Marie:)

Five Minute Post

Hey all. Here for a quickie! Melody Shorey(used to be Craig) did have her baby. The "birthing pains" were the start of the real thing. She had Matthew Lauren Shorey around 12:30 that night. So I was the first to know anything was happening! Yeehaa! So awesome. My childhood friend that I knew since I was like 3 is a mommy of a newborn baby boy. Yeah! I'll be seeing them at Christmas.
Our family is going to Maine and NH for Christmas. We'll be seeing Matt, Lexi and baby, Dana, April and baby! I love babies.
Our Christmas play was a success. We did very well had a few problems but it was really good. It's over and now I'll kinda blothpicky cause if it...the let down you get when something is over.
But I have alot to look forward to. Christmas... and my 24th birthday, ahhhh 24! Weird!....in Jan. and a new year...by the way Adam turned 20 yesterday! Crazy...we all just keep gettin' older and older:)
Hey would I be considered an old maid;) Anyways. I love you all, Merry Christmas and and have a Happy New year....see ya next year!

WOW! I've Been BUSY!

Hey all. Merry Christmas. We've been having trouble with our computar. I can't connect to the internet sometimes....very frustrating! Maybe all the time now. I think our computar has a cold!

I have been very busy with the play. Finally today is a down day. Krista and I are planning on going Christmas shopping. I want to get my hair cut after being here at the Library. My hair isn't all one length.... and it flips out:) Bad hair.

Okay...on Saturday we had our last 13 hour rehearsal, 2 hours were dinner and lunch break. On Sunday after Church I went and painted set again....than we had an evening rehearsal from 5-9, than Monday I worked on set during the day than had to come to Front Royal to pick Krista up than we headed up to Berryville for another 4-9 rehearsal (which we were late for). Than yesterday we had another rehearsal, 4-9 (late again... Krista didn't get off work until like 4...)

Melody called me during the day, (by the way she's pregnant with her first child! Amazing! My childhood friend!) yesterday to tell me her body is starting the birthing process...which could happen relativelly quickly or take awhile, you never know(I can say this cause I know everything about this type of thing....jk!).... she didn't have contractions yet, but different syptoms that tell you stuff is happening. I was the first one she told about her "pains.":) Her mom walked in near the end of our talk and she was like ,"Melody get off the phone with Marie and call your husband than call Marie back.":) She hadn't even called her hubby yet.

So when Melody first called. I just started in talking about the play.... "blah, blah, blah...blaaaah!" and finally near the end of our talk she was like, "well the reason I called was to let you know......" about her pains "it's not that important or anything..." NOT THAT IMPORTANT! MAN! I shoulda asked her first thing why she called. She called me to help take her mind off of what was going on:) She thanked me for talking with her:) She is sooo laid back!

I didn't even give her a chance at first for her to talk about what was going on...ooops:( After I got off the phone with her I was hooting and hollaring...well makin' alot of noise, I was excited about this, this, this EVENT that's happenin', hollarin' "Oh baby, it's your birthday!" and for real it's the baby's birthday season. I was wound up. Plus I had half an energy drink yesterday!

I haven't talked to Melody today...I wanna see what's up! Yeah! I'm happy for her and excited! This is sooo awesome. Melody is such a special friend to me. She has blossomed since she's been married. She really has. I connect with her differnetly, in a better way than I did before she was married. She was telling me her story of how she and Eric got together yesterday too. Basically she was running from him, like a hound chasing a rabbit, she was the rabbit!
She was scared something might happen... something sure did happen!:) And God brought them together, he didn't have to use Melody to flirt or chase Eric. Eric saw her, saw that he wanted to get to know her. He kept pursing her... She did not encourage him at all...of course as time went on in their relationship she did help out:) first time he called she could tell he was nervous so she was nicer to him than she might've been. They also talked for 3 hours!

Gives us hope ladies. If we are to marry someone... just be yourself...God can move and will move even if we don't do much to help the situation:)

I'm thankful to God for giving Melody this man Eric. It's a blessing to me to see her blessed this way. She wasn't even pursuing marriage or courtship and bam out of the blue God was like ok here is someone I want you to be with for the rest of your life. She can see how God was preparing Eric for her, even years ago when she looks back at his life! Also the grace she has lived out in relationship with Eric is an example to me. Out of all the marriages I see theirs is one of the top examples for me... their's gives me hope. And she is one of the youngest people I know that's married. Part of it is she lives so far away so I don't hear about all the nitty gritty...but still their's is a good marriage. That's what I see.:) Just differentt things are "symptoms" of a good marriage that I pick up on when I talk with Meloday. That's what I want someday, a good marriage:) It takes 3...

So Friday is our dress rehearsal. Briana, the director is wanting to go through the play 2 times. First time will be a technical rehearsal...to move all the set and all the props...the 2nd time will be to go through the whole play.

Than Saturday at 7 is the first showing. Please pray for the play and everyone involved. We've had a few of our cast get sick recently. There are a number of non-christians involved. Pray that they find Jesus...that He'll use this play in their lives in powerful ways.

Also pray alot of people will come out to the play. Just pray for everything involved!

Than Sunday is our last "showing" at 3. After we have a cast party. Phew! It will actually be some of a let down:) to have it over:( It's been alot of fun:)

Peace out! In this wonderful time of the year, When we celebrate our special friend's, brother's and Bridegroom's birth-our Jesus! He is the reason for the season! Merry Christmas!