Get Over Yourself

I don't usually care too much about Halloween, but today has been fun as I roamed the base and saw lots of people dressed up at their jobs. While I was at the hospital this morning, several employees were making the rounds in their costumes- just to pass smiles around. It was fun. I wonder what it is about dressing up that people think is fun?

Last week Kyle and I enjoyed a few days of pure relaxation in Croatia. It was a missionary retreat where they pay for everything except for your travel expenses. We slept the first day and then enjoyed foot massages and some time in the pool. One of the perks of this retreat is that they bring in Dr's, chiropractors, financial advisers, counselors, etc. Kyle and I enjoyed our time with the counselor where he encouraged us and assured us that there were SO many good things about our relationship. Pretty awesome words to hear from a counselor!

We knew we would hit the ground running when we made it home. What we weren't expecting was the quick arrival of winter! We both did our "I'm so happy it's snowing" dance and proceeded to dive into the regular errands that await you after vacation. On a side note, I saw my first real-life shooting star and it was AWESOME!

God is teaching me/us some pretty cool things as we are doing our Precept study on the book of Ephesians. My "epiphany" this week was in Ephesians 4:2 where it says, "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,". Paul is talking about living in a manner worthy of the calling of Christ. We did word studies on each of the attributes in verse 2 and here is my literal interpretation of what it means: "Walk with an awareness of the weight of your calling. In ALL ways, have a sense of one's own littleness, being uninterested in self, slow to avenge wrongs, and bear with one another in love." In other words, Get over yourself! Isn't that cool? and a little convicting?

I hope you are taking time today to soak up the smiles and reasons to smile. May today be a reminder to look around and get over yourself. :)

Beautiful

Do you ever take time to think about how far you've come or the changes and growth you've made (or need to make) in your life? I've always been a pretty introspective gal, but birthdays tend to bring it those thoughts to the forefront of my mind. Now that Kyle and I have an anniversary a week before my birthday, I have LOTS of things to think about! As I was driving around today, I heard the song Beautiful by Mercy Me and it took me back to a sweet memory.

I guess it's been almost two or three years ago now, but I was going through a very difficult time and one of the main issues that had surfaced during that time was the way I viewed myself. I won't go into all the gruesome details, but I spent some time working on understanding where those thoughts came from, what God says about me and then working on the things about myself that I wanted to change. One of my "homework" assignments was to go clothes shopping. Shopping used to be (and still sometimes is) one of my least favorite things to do! I tend to look in the mirror and evaluate all the things I don't like instead of the clothing hanging on my frame. I don't know, but I tend to think this is pretty common for most women. Anyway, I spent three hours in a store with someone who helped me select clothes that fit me well, complimented my frame and basically praised me over and over and over. I had never finished a shopping excursion feeling energized before that! On top of all that, it started to snow a picture perfect snow, and it felt like it was just a special gift- just for me. As I walked out of the store feeling uplifted and just thanking God for the beautiful snow and the healing that had started from this experience, I started the car and suddenly began to cry as I heard the words that seemed straight from God's mouth to me, "You're beautiful. You're beautiful. You are made for so much more than all of this. You're beautiful. You are treasured. You are sacred. You are His. You're beautiful."

Even now those words hold special meaning to me, and I will always hold that memory close. I am thankful for the healing God has brought to my life in this area. There are still times where I struggle with who I am, how I look, or why God made me the way He made me, but there are many other times where I sense God's healing touch on this broken part of my life. Part of that healing has come from my dear, sweet husband Kyle. He has blessed me in so many ways, but he reminds me of his love for me and calls me beautiful each and every day. He is a precious extension of God's love for me and I am so grateful for God's continued healing in my life.

TIME is tickin' away!

Last night we said “Goodbye” to our dear Hospitality House Directors, Lou & Cathy Rozmiarek. We still have a little “goodbye-ing” left to do with them, but today I find myself reflecting on the events of last night…

We had over 60 people come to thank Lou & Cathy for the impact they had made on their lives (many who weren’t able to come) and I couldn’t help but think of the overdone Ray Boltz song, “Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed.” It’s impossible to go to a goodbye dinner without reflecting on the impact one life can have on another.

The military is blessed in many ways, and although I have not met a person yet who likes saying “Goodbye”, we are blessed in being able to do so. Having to say “Goodbye” so often, lends itself to a deeper understanding of the brevity of time. When you are changing locations at least every couple of years, you learn the difficult lesson of how to make the most of your time with people. 

Anyone who has been in a serious car accident, had a life threatening experience or precarious health can relate to the sense of how short life is.  After making it through that experience, there is a desire to breathe deeply, enjoy the world and the people around us, and even to make things right with God, ourselves and those we love. For believers, this is just another spiritual reminder that this world is not our home and we are aliens here. Our hearts were not meant to stay here.

So, even though my heart is deeply saddened to be saying “goodbye” to such dear friends and colleagues, I guess I write this as a reminder to myself and others- Don’t wait! Live life to the fullest and make the most of your time, because the days are evil. –Ephesians 5:16

Plain and Simple- Awesome!

I've been working with Design & Media for over a year now. I've learned a lot of new skills and I still have a lot to learn, but I REALLY enjoy my job- most of the time. ;) Right now I'm working on various pieces for the Adopt An Airman program that I've orchestrated for the last two years. It's a lot of work, but SO rewarding! This year I decided I want to spruce up the layouts and I'm really having fun with a vintage Americana type theme.

One of the things that I have learned in this job is that there will be a lot of drafts! I am still amazed at how many hours I can labor over spacing, fonts, headers and footers, and intricate details that just pull it all together. My job consists of hours in front of a computer, but it is an avenue to communicate to people around the world the mighty things that God is doing in the lives of our military and our missionaries! That's a pretty cool job! Plus, I get the added bonus of learning on a daily basis AND getting to funnel my creativity into something to further God's Kingdom. It's plain and simple- awesome!

Thank you to those of you who are furthering God's Kingdom by your prayer and financial support of Cadence International, and those of you who make it possible for me to be here supporting our missionaries around the world! YOU are plain and simple- awesome!