Reflections and Responses

I know a lot of people that scared they gone die couple of em thinking they'll be livin in the sky while Im here livin man I gotta ask why, what am here fo I gotta figure out waste my life no I gotta make it count if Christ is real then what am I gone do about everything in Luke 12:15 down to 21 you really gotta go and check it out Paul said if Christ aint resurrect then we wasted our lives well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive everyday I'm living tryna show the world why Christ is more than everything you'll ever try better than pretty women and sinning and living to get a minute of any women and men that you admire it aint no lie We created for Him outta the dust he made us for Him Elects us and he saves us for Him Jesus comes and he raises for Him Magnify the Father why bother with something lesser he made us so we could bless Him and to the world we confess him resurrects him so I know I got life matter fact better than I know I got Christ...

Thank You, Lord, for a great day today with family, and... for a husband who loves me but loves You more for parents who sacrificed much to instill wisdom & provide opportunities for friends to do life with who challenge me to know You more intimately for always providing all that I need, plus much that I want - a job that enables me to be a part of something so much bigger than myself a home, car, and so many modern conveniences to enjoy for the plans You have for the future - for me & my family, but also for Your Church for those I will come to know this year for those who will come to know You this year most importantly - for Your Holy Spirit who guides & abides inside of me for Your Word & Your promises, and for grace I do not and will never be able to earn.

It finally hit me today that this will be the first Thanksgiving that my sister will not be in Georgia with our family. In her life of travel, she has missed a couple of Christmas celebrations but always been able to come home for Thanksgiving, amazingly. It's not sad on one hand, because the reason she isn't coming home is because she's just begun a new job and also has friends and loved ones in her own community with whom she wants to celebrate. Having a job and an awesome group of people around her is fantastic and what we have all prayed for her in this stage of post-grad life. Those are two great reasons to stay there for the holiday. However, it is strange to think that she won't be with us. I'm very grateful that she will be coming to Georgia for 10 days in December and hope to be able to spend time with her before Passion 2012. Being only 2.5 years apart, we were really close growing up. We both were involved in the same activities in high school and had mut...

Confession: I'm not good at relaxing. I don't really know how... My dad claims that he passed this trait to me, but I claim personal responsibility for nurturing it beyond what I inherited honestly. I used to make plans every Monday - Thursday night, which meant that I was too busy to have time at home by myself. This schedule led to exhaustion and emotional overload - a hamster on a wheel effect. I was always going somewhere or doing something with somebody, but not always feeling like I was GETTING anywhere. Making plans every night also resulted in complete incompetence in the relaxation department. The little free time I gave myself (Saturday mornings and a bit of time on Sundays), I filled with necessary tasks such as cleaning my house, laundry, and grocery shopping. When I found myself with a rare moment alone, I busied myself by cleaning or organizing something. Now, I try to leave at least one night open for either down time at my house or a spontaneous date with a fri...

You have exactly 2 months left in 2011. Two months. 61 days. That's roughly 1,460 hours or 87,600 minutes. My question is... What are you going to do with this time? How are you going to spend the remaining hours of 2011? It's a fairly substantial chunk of days. In fact, it's plenty of time to pick up a new habit to add to your daily routine (exercising, Bible study, or journaling, anyone?), begin a new skill (cooking, language tutoring, yoga classes?), or wean yourself off of an unhealthy habit (midnight snack, gossiping at the office, not sleeping enough?) or out of a parasitic relationship. Two months is enough time to invest in a new acquaintance or two, plan a vacation, or accomplish all kinds of spiritual, physical, or professional goals. The point I'm trying to make is that we all take a moment to prayerfully shift our focus and set new goals at the beginning of each year...but why can't we refocus and aim to make changes before a year ends? Two months is a...