Reflections and Responses

I just wanted to apologize and say that I realize that my last several posts have been a bit, ahem, wordy. I have ALWAYS had the problem of writing too much. I was the person in my college classes who laughed when I was told that my essays had to be at least a certain length. I was the one asking for extra paper instead. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for the length and say that I really appreciate those of you who are bearing with me and reading my entire posts (even if it is just my husband and my family!). Thank you.

God has been using the concept of light to teach me lately. Allow me to elaborate. John was out of town for several days last week, and I returned home to our apartment after dark each night because I had made dates with friends after work. Being alone in the darkness of my own apartment suddenly made normal things I encounter every day seem scary to me. I laid in bed the first night he was gone and became convinced that someone else was in our apartment; in reality, I was just hearing pipes make noise as the dishwasher ran its cycle. I hear those noises every time the dishwasher is turned on, but something about hearing them alone in the darkness made me paranoid. The next night, my neighbor’s family of cats squealed and ran across the parking lot when I got home, which really spooked me when I got out of my car. Thankfully, I had left lights on inside of our apartment, and my fears subsided as soon as I opened the door and could see everything clearly. In both of these situations, be...

"What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh precious is that flow That makes me white as snow No other fount I know Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus This is all my hope and peace Nothing but the blood of Jesus This is all my righteousness Nothing but the blood of Jesus Glory, Glory, this I sing Nothing but the blood of Jesus All my praise for this bring Nothing but the blood of Jesus." I needed that this morning. Nothing I can do will make up for my sin. I can't work harder or do some ritual or say certain words to cleanse myself. That's the beautiful thing, though. Jesus handled it for us. I pray that we will all remember that "it is finished" - Jesus took care of our sin for us. There is nothing for us to do except thank God for his forgiveness and for his son ...

I read an article about couple dating recently, and it intrigued me. Couple dating (spending time with another couple/double dating with the same couple regularly) is something John and I find really fun. We are blessed to know some wonderful couples, many of whom we wish we were able to “date” more frequently (#1 below is our biggest inhibitor with those couples!). The article prompted me to think about the factors that either deter couples from being compatible or make them a great match. A few factors came to mind: 1. Location/schedule/logistics : John and I have several pairs of great couple friends from college or the past who are great matches for us but now live far away. Similarly, when John worked in the evenings, it was hard for us to maintain good relationships with some of our couple friends because our free time occurred at different hours. 2. Financial status and spending habits : If one couple prefers not to spend much money on entertainment and the other lives to spend,...

This morning while I was driving to work, God brought an analogy to my mind from a past experience that I’d like to share. One leg of the journey during my trip to Ghana in the summer of 2008 required taking a small plane from Accra, the capital city in southern Ghana, to a small airport in the north, where my family and those we were travelling with stayed for several days. We also had to take a similar plane back to the international airport in Accra at the conclusion of the trip. I am not adventurous – anyone who knows me at all would tell you that adventurous to me means bringing something different to eat for lunch! That’s pretty much as adventurous as I prefer to be. However, I felt led to go on the trip and was really looking forward to what I knew awaited us on the other side of that plane ride, despite my hesitations about the journey. In fact, riding in the approximately 40-passenger plane for about an hour (one way) was my biggest concern about the entire stay in Ghana. Whe...

We got snow in Georgia this week! It was such a surprise and really, really beautiful. Neat to see God's beauty through snow, something we don't see much in Georgia! I think my co-workers from the north are getting a big kick out of the rest of us and how we're reacting to it. I am a nerd and made my husband pictures of it. It's beautiful! "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31

Here's a few silly things that have made me smile this week (in no particular order). 1. The new Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog . It's wonderful! I highly recommend it. 2. Clean sheets on my bed. I love fresh sheets. 3. New playlists on my iPod that I made during Christmas break for my commute. 4. Great dinners made by my husband (and it's only Tuesday!) 5. Learning new things ALREADY through the One Year Bible plan I began on Jan. 1. 6. An encouraging and fresh message on repentance given by my friend Justin on Sunday night. 7. Love from family and friends. I've been quiet on here so far this week - sorry about that. Just wanted to share some silly, happy thoughts with you!