Happy New Year!

I'm baaaaaaaack! Missed me? I know, I know...its been TWO WHOLE MONTHS since I last blogged! I bet you thought I was never coming back?


The last two months have been extremely busy for me. They've been full of sewing and crafting (Christmas presents), cooking and baking (cookies, cinnamon rolls, experimenting with new reciptes), spending time with family (Elora came home for Christmas!), and friends (Lydia's back for good!). And every thing I did, I thought of a perfect blog post (with pictures of course) to go with it. But for some reason I just never found the time...I was just too busying enjoying it all.


But don't worry. I'm here to stay. And I'm excited about the future and all the plans I have for it...you'll be hearing about it all over the next year.


I decided not to set any specific resolutions for the year, but to just spend more time doing the stuff I love and, more importantly, the stuff I need. A year from now, I really don't want to be stuck in the same place spiritually as I am now. I want to be able to look back and see how much I've grown, not look around and see what I see now.

To kick off the new year, I celebrated my first anniversary with Daniel. The past year has been one of the best years of my life, maybe THE best! Sure we had our ups an downs, but overrall we've both grown so much.

I think the one thing I've learned the most during our first year is how selfish I am. How much I make things about me, when they really have nothing to do with me at all. And I've been learning to give situations and Daniel over to God. The only thing I can really change is me, so that's what I've been trying to do. I'm sure that's a lesson I'll be learning for a long time.

I've also been trying to me a more practical, organized wife. Daniel is at his best when I am at my best, and my best is when the house is clean, dinner is cooking, and I'm feeeling creative and happy. That's been a huge challenge for me, because I am not and have never been clean or organized. But I'm getting there...just got a LOOOOONG way to go!

What about you? What have you learned over the past year? What are you hoping to learn in the new year?

Chapter Five - Getting Started

YAY! This week's chapter is all about putting into practice everything we have been learning about having a quiet time!



Nancy gives us three general principles to help us establish a personal devotional life, each of which is taught in Scripture and illustrated in the life of Jesus.



The first principle is to have a consistent practice. This is not an obligation, but a huge priveledge! We get to spend time with the God of the entire Universe! He WANTS to spend time with us! Isn't that amazing!



In the Old Testament, the Israelites were instructed to collect Manna, their food, on a daily basis. They could only collect for that day, and for themselves. This physical bread is a picture of the Bread of Life, God's Word, and our need to spend time individually each day with God.



The second principle (which is particularly hard for me), is to spend time with God in the morning. She gives numerous examples of people in the Bible rising early in the morning to pray, including David, Moses, Mary and Jesus. The Israelites also had to rise early to collect the Manna. If we do not take the time to meet with God in the morning, we are telling him that we don't need His help in making it through our day. We have to be willing to pay the price of getting out of bed if we really want to know God.



And the third principle is to find a solitary place to meet with God. Luke 5:16 tells us that Jesus often "withdrew to lonely places and prayed". She says that she has found it helpful to set apart a place in her home to meet with God. We need to get away from all the people and distractions in our lives to focus on Jesus.



She concludes by saying "I know of no way to experience unbroken union and communion with our beloved Lord Jesus apart from a conscious, deliberate choise to spend time alone with Him each morning." This is coming from a woman who knows and loves God.



So my questions for this chapter are:

1. Which of these three principles is the hardest for you to follow?

2. What are the greatest barriers you encounter in maintaining a consistent time alone with the Lord in the morning?

3. What practical steps can you take in overcoming these obstacles?

Chapter Four - The Outer Walk

Two long weeks ago, in Bible study we discussed chapter four of A Place of Quiet Rest.

This chapter presented us with four more reasons why we need to spend time with God. She says "As the Holy Spirit fulfills each of these objectives in our hearts, the result will be seen in the way we live our lives toward God and others."

The first of these reasons is Submission. "As we spend time alone with God, our lives are brought into submission to God and His will." So often we find ourselves in positions we'd rather not be in. This could be anything from singleness, to the place we live, to our jobs/schools, to sickness...it could even be something small like being stuck in traffic or getting annoyed at the people around us. The problem is that God plays a huge role in bringing that situation into our lives. He wants to use that situation to change us. But so often we resist...

As we spend more time with God, He enables us to relinquish control and humbly submit to His plan for our lives.

The second reason for quiet time is Direction. In the Bible, God tells us "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him". (James 1:5). Sometimes life just gets so overwhelming. We're presented with endless options for everything...and it can be so hard to make decisions. But God will give us direction if we ask him. The thing is, we have to get quiet enough, long enough to listen to God.

But how can we hear God? He doesn't exactly speak audibly into our ears...instead, He directs us through His Word, as we read and meditate on it. Nancy Leigh DeMoss says "I often claim the promise of Proverbs 16:3, "Commit they works unto the lord, and they thoughts shall be established". As I am praying regarding a specific decision or issue, I will sometimes symbolically place that concern in my hands, then lift my cupped hands to the Lord and say, "lord, I am committing this matter to You. I am your servant; I want to do what You want me to do. Please establish my thoughts and use Your Word to guide me to a wise decision that will please You".

That is something I am planning on putting into practice in my own life!

The third reason for having quiet time is for Intercession. We need to pray for our friends and families. That should be our first inclination, instead of trying to fix problems on our own and turning to God when we fail.

"O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All beacuse we do not carry
Everything to Go in prayer!
- Joseph M. Scriven

And the final reason she gives us is Transformation. "For as we linger in His presence, we are transformed into His likeness". The more time we spend with people, the more we become lik them. "How important it is, then, that we fix our eyes on the One whose image we wish to bear."

I don't know about you guys, but I want to be like Jesus. I long for his quiet and gentle spirit, and the love he has for others. I think I need to spend some serious time reflecting on him!

So my questions for this chapter...

1. Are there any areas of your life where you are struggling with submission, particularly submission to God?
2. Do you ever consult God before making plans or commitments? If you do, do you wait for an answer?
3. Have you seen any evidence of your transformation in becoming more like God as a result of your quiet time?

MIA

Hey everyone!

I know, I know...I've been missing for a looooong time! I am so sorry. Please forgive me!

You're probably wondering where I've been...

And the answer is, right here living life as usual. I've been extremely busy lately. I think Daniel and I finally have a rhythm to our week and its pretty grueling. Monday nights is Bible study, Tuesdays I've committed to spending time with my sister, Wednesdays we have small group with some people from church, Thursday is date night, and of course the weekends are always busy with different stuff. Somewhere among all that I still have to (more like attempt to) keep my house clean and feed my husband.

I know my schedule is probably tame compared to some of you but for me its pretty crazy. I don't think I could keep it up for life. But for now, we have no kids so we can manage!

In addition to all that, I got a new toy that's really distracting. I'm not sure if i told you guys, but I got a promotion at work! I'm now officially a Senior Auditor! Whoo Hoo! lol...just kidding! It's a decent position, with a whole lot more responsibility, so I will probably have to add working overtime to my schedule soon. Thankfully it came with a small raise, so I bought myself a promotion/birthday gift. An Ipod Touch...It's great! I can do anything on that thing! Except Blog...that would take forever. I'll try not to let it get in the way again.

Also, last week I read an amazing book. A friend of mine lent me Prague Counterpoint by the Thoines. It was a touching story about Austria in World War Two, and a few people who were willing to take a stand for goodness and for God. It's amazing how much you can learn from historical fiction! For instance, did you know Hitler took prayer and Bibles out of schools in the Third Reich (his territory) and replaced them with prayer to Him and a book he wrote while in prison?? And he took over a ridiculous amount of countries, while England and France looked the other way because they didn't want to get involved in a war and were basically just completely complacent? If they had taken a stand for what was right at the very beginning there never would have been a WWII and those hundreds of thousands of people who died would have been left to live and leave legacies behind. It's so sad. A real lesson in doing the right thing right away. If you guys are looking for something good to read, and have exhausted all Francine Rivers books, I would recommend checking out some of their books. They're pretty decent.

So that's where I've been. Again, I apologize...I'll try to be more present!

Oh P.S....updates on my goals...quiet time is going much better for the most part. But everything else is a complete failure. I'm still working on it...but I could use some encouragement!

Proof I'm getting better at cooking...

My kitchen in the middle of cooking dinner...I think its even cleaner than when I started!

and this is the fruit of my labor...

Wake Up!

Soooo I took a big step today. I made the committment to start waking up early! I joined the Maximize Your Mornings challenge over at Inspire to Action.

As I've mentioned many times before, I am NOT a morning person. I hate waking up early, and absolutely love hitting the snooze button "just one more time"...

But it' just not working for me. I always oversleep and end up rushing to get ready for work. Then I have no time for devotions or breakfast and suffer for it all day. Plus I'm pretty sure that last 15 minutes hurt more than it help, because I end up feeling groggy and unfocused all day.

Under this challenge, we'll be waking up earlier a little bit at a time, until it becomes a habit. The goal is to evenutally have enough time in the morning to have quiet time, exercise and plan your day, in addition to the normal getting ready for work stuff. So it should go hand in hand with my new running plan!

The plan has an ebook with advice and a strategy for making waking up early a life long habit. And everyone will be connected by their forum and twitter (which I do not have). They're just starting with week 1.

This week's goal is to GET OUT OF BED! When the alarm goes off, I have to just roll out of bed and resist the urge to go back to sleep. I can do that right?

Anyone want to join me?

Birthday Blessings!

It's been a whole week since my birthday and I have not told yall what I got yet! This was the first year in many that I got real presents that I did not have to buy myself! And they were GREAT presents.

I got some couple presents this year, from two (new) couples!

(In my best Price is Right voice...)First off we have the lovely Kristi and Wendell! They gave me a gift card to 100% Bible Bookstore. And I already used it lol. I got myself a really solid devotional on personal revival, which I'm sure I will be telling you guys about shortly! It's really good. Thanks Kristi!!!

My friends Tisha and Brian got me a cute little sundress, that is just a tad bit short but perfect for my favorite place in the world and my newest toy! A BRAND NEW CAMERA!!! OOOOOOOOOO! (Note: All pictures for the rest of this post were taken by said camera!) Courtesy of Daddy...This camera is waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, and dust proof, and comes with a very big, orange, funny looking floating strap (that I think might glow in the dark!).

And from Mummy, a very special machine that you will hopefully be hearing about a LOT in the future! I will be using it to make some cool things, including Christmas presents hopefully.

For those of you who have no clue what it is...it's a serger. Used to make just about every piece of clothing you own. I already bought some stretch material to attempt to make a tshirt.

And lastly, Daniel gave me the most thoughtful gift...a beautiful hand made-card, and sailing lessons! They haven't happened yet, and considering there's a tropical storm outside, probably won't happen for a while. But when they do, I'll be ready in my black sundress, with my water camera and an extra tshirt in case I get went!

Thanks for the wonderful presents guys! I love them ALL!

That's my schedule and I'm sticking to it!

Guess what guys! I started running...I've been twice so far. And it was suprisingly not too bad.

I think I always secretly wanted to be a runner. I always envied those super fit people who could run for hours and make it look so easy, while I was trying to make it around the field once without stopping to breathe.

So does running twice make me a runner? I'm sure I have terrible form, don't breathe properly, have no clue what I'm doing, can only run for two minutes at a time...and probably look like this...

But I ran, and I have plans to run again...so that makes me a runner (in my own eyes at least)!

Now I just have to become a better runner. That means being able to run a little bit long than just two minutes. So I made myself a plan.

Week 1 Run one min, walk 90 seconds. Repeat eight times. Do three times a week.
Week 2 Run two mins, walk one min. Repeat seven times. Do three times a week.
Week 3 Run three mins, walk one min. Repeat six times. Do three times a week.
Week 4 Run five mins, walk two mins. Repeat four times. Do three times a week.
Week 5 Run eight mins, walk two mins. Repeat three times. Do three times a week.
Week 6 Run 12 mins, walk one min. Repeat three times. Do three times a week.
Week 7 Run 15 mins, walk one min, run 15 mins. Do three times a week.
Week 8 Run 30 mins continuously.

Following this plan, I should be able to run a full 30 minutes by the end of November. I'm going to try to run four days a week, that way if I miss a day (like last night) I can still get in my three days of running. And hopefully, it will make the transition between weeks a teensy bit easier. Just thinking about running for five minutes scares me to death!

I will run outside as much as possible. But when it rains, like its been doing for about three days straight, I will go to the gym, which I hate.

The good thing is I'll be finishing right before Christmas, which means I can combine rewarding myself with Christmas presents. Hmmm, what should I reward myself with? Something to encourage me to keep running.

What do you guys think? Is my plan doable? And what should I reward myself with?

A Place of Quiet Rest

I think most of you know that we're starting a new book in Bible study, A Place of Quiet Rest.

It's a wonderful book about having a daily devotional time with God. I've been so blessed by the book already. I started reading it through on my own, but I realized there's power in numbers and accountability. If I'm going to change my life and the way I spend time with God I'm going to need help. I can't do it alone. So I'm excited to be reading it together with the girls from Bible study.

If you're off the island, or can't make it out on Monday nights, I encourage you to grab a copy of the book and read along with us! Let your life be transformed so that you "bear the sweet, rich fruit of meeting with God on a consistent basis".

Tonight, we read the foreword and a small section titled "From my Heart". And as we read, I realized how important it is to make the effort to have quiet time each morning. When I think of women I look up to from the past, or even in the present, I'm amazed at their quiet hearts for God. Women like Sarah Edwards and Suzanna Wesley, who raised up children who would change the world for God. Women like Elizabeth Elliot, who had the power to foregive the people who murdered her husband and live among them to share the gospel. These are women I want to be like. I want people to look at me and think "Wow, she has a beautiful Spirit".

And I can't have that spirit without spending time with God. That's the only way he'll be able to change me and shape my heart so that it matches his. I need to have quiet time every single day of my life! Otherwise, I'm nothing like these women...I'm nasty and selfish. I have no joy, and being loving is the furthest thing from my mind.

But the struggle to have quiet time is not an easy one. Nancy Leigh DeMoss talks about this. She points out that "one of the reasons it is such a battle is that the enemy of my soul knows if he can defeat me here, he will ultimately be able to defeat me in every other area of my spiritual life." It's so true...

So I need to be prepared to fight! Right now I'm exhausted...but I need to fight! No sleep for me! I need Jesus more than I need sleep!

I also need Jesus more than I need to Blog...so on that note, time for some quiet time!

Running on Empty

Daniel and I have been taking church membership classes for the last couple months. Our church is very serious about membership. They want to make sure you're committed and know what you're getting yourself into before you become a member.

One thing that keeps coming up during classes is the topic of serving. You're expected to serve the church in some way...period. No excuses.

And naturally, with that being said, we've randomly been asked to serve in like three new areas. It's funny how that happens.

We (and by we, I mean Daniel) were asked to consider teaching the teens in Sunday School. And to help run a program with an orphanage on the island. And to join a small group. That's on top of Monday night Bible study, church membership classes (which should be ending soon), church and random mentoring/evangelism/fellowship.

The thing is, I don't connect well with teens. I never have. I've tried, and failed miserably! Even though I know I was just like them as a teen, their unwillingness to learn from other people's mistakes and take life seriously just annoys me. Daniel, on the other hand, is wonderful with them. And since I want to be passionate about the things he is passionate about, I kind of feel like I should put my personal feelings aside so that we can work together. Especially in our first year of marriage.

I've recently been praying about the direction my life should take. Should I commit myself to working with Daniel with teens? Should I give up the Bible study, or really push to make it stronger? How can I manage any of these things and still keep up the running of my home?

So far, the only answer I'm hearing is that I need to "be still and know that He is God". The truth is, my relationship with God isn't the greatest right now. I hardly have any devotional life, and no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to overcome this period in my life. So now doesn't seem to be the time to dedicate myself to a million things. Instead, it seems to be a time to fill myself up with God's word and prayer. I need refreshment before I can pour myself out to others. Even if that means I can't serve others along side my husband.

What do you think? Is it ok for me to take a break from ministry in order to work things out with the Lord?

Wives are to submit to their husbands

The topic of submission has been popping up alot lately.

For some reason, I feel like Daniel has been telling me what to do a lot lately. I don't think its true, or at least not anymore than normal. I think I've just been taking it a lot harder. For instance, this morning Daniel asked me to put all our laundry away and to bring some cups of water downstairs. Mind you, this is after he basically cleaned our whole apartment the day before.

My reaction? "Stop treating me like a child!"...pretty selfish huh? I felt quite stupid when I thought about it. Especially after he asked me if I really wanted to be a submissive wife.

And tonight, for date night, we went Salsa dancing. Neither of us is a particularly good dancer. We can do the basic steps but our spins are quite ackward. And even though Daniel led, he never really stepped up to the challenge and took control.

I wanted him to spin me quickly, and make me feel dizzy. I wanted him to change things up alot, and do all the steps the woman just taught us. I wanted him to swing me around like all the professionals were doing with the women around me. I wanted....are you noticing a pattern? Everything is about me and what I want. Yes, I wanted Daniel to take the lead, but I wanted him to lead me the way I wanted to go. I wasn't willing to submit to his ideas and desires. And that's not real submission at all.

It's easy to be submissive when things are going smoothly, and we both want the same things. But what happens when opinions differ? That's when submission is the most important for the unity of the relationship. I haven't yet learned to overcome my selfishness at those times.

But I'm working on it...until then, thank you Daniel for being gracious with me!

Late Nights, Late Mornings

So I wrote this post on monday and its been in my drafts since then...I was supposed to add pictures and I never did. Oh well!

This weekend was pretty interesting. Friday morning I woke up feeling sick, so I slept all day. I think Daniel thought I was faking it...he kept asking me to do stuff for him, like making him lunch and washing the dishes. Meanwhile, I'm lying on the couch dying.

Eventually though, I did feel well enough to get up and do some housework. So I spent Friday night watching Lord of the Rings and cleaning during the commercials!




Saturday night was much better! I went with a friend to watch Miss Teen USA at Atlantis. It was pretty exciting to be there and see all the girls, and of course, Nassau's version of Donald Trump, Sol Kerzner. It was nice to get out of my shorts and flip flops, and dress up and feel pretty for a change.

I was really suprised by the shallowness of it all though. I mean, obviously beauty pageants are shallow, but at least they usually pretend to be somewhat about brains by asking (slightly?) challenging questions. But the girls got questions about Lindsay Lohan and Facebook. Yes, I know, Facebook is taking over the world. But still...are these things really important?

After it was all over, my friend met some other friends at a martini bar and I went home. And tried not to cry. You see I don't belong in places like that. They have nothing to offer me, except trashy music and drunkenness. That's not what I want for myself. But even though I have no desire to go to clubs anymore or to be caught up in the partying lifestyle, it still hurts to not fit in. And I felt like I was losing one of my best friends.

After a few failed attempts on his part, Daniel was able to cheer me up. And I decided not to let a life long friendship fall apart because of something so silly. We'll just have to find new things in common, and hang out in new places!

And finally, yesterday after church we picked my mom up from the airport and hung out with her for the afternoon. I made muffins with grated carrots and apple, coconut, raisins, applesauce, and chopped walnuts. Suprisingly yummy! I'm slowly learning healthy ways to cook and eat that don't taste like cardboard.

And then we spent the night jump starting my mom's car since the battery went dead while she was away. You learn something new every day! :)

In conclusion, I did not get to bed early any night this weekend, and I therefore did not get up early to have devotions. Is this one big giant excuse? Yup. Am I accepting it? For now...

I failed...

This morning I woke up bright and early at......8:00. Not 7:45 like planned. Now I know if I want to do this thing I can't accept excuses.

But if I was giving excuses I would say that I got pretty much no sleep last night. I couldn't get comfortable or make my mind shut off. So naturally, I was exhausted this morning. Also, I said I would get up 15 minutes earlier, and considering I actually got out of bed at 8:15 the day before, that technically was 15 minutes earlier!

But still....NO excuses. I failed. But I am determined to have grace with myself (something new I'm learning) and try again tomorrow.

The start of a new blog

So I'm finally doing it. After months of reading other people's blogs and secretly longing for my own, I got up the courage to start.

I got married seven months ago and I have no idea how to be a wife or homemaker. I am currently extremely messy, a terrible cook, and pretty bad at managing my time. However, little by little I am growing and learning. And so I will use this blog to document my journey into womanhood. This includes my cooking and crafting experiments, my attempts to keep our apartment (relatively) clean and organized, and anything else that might help me (and maybe even you) to grow.

How will this blog be different from all the other blogs out there? What will make it special? I guess we'll have to wait to find out.

Speaking of waiting to find out. For the past few months I have been trying to wake up early. One of my favorite things in the whole world is sleeping. Very few things in this world can compare to the feeling of lying in my bed, snuggled in a blanket, snoozing for "just five more mintues". And so I sleep, and I sleep, and I sleep...This usually means waking up at 8:15 and rushing to get ready and get out the door. No breakfast, no bible study, no prayer. And the results are not pretty. Poor Daniel!

Every night I tell myself, "Tomorrow will be the day!", and then wait to find out if it really is. It never is. But this afternoon I came across an article called Establishing a Morning Routine and I realized I can't just wait around until I feel like getting out of bed. That's never going to happen. I have to plan for it, and tackle it little by little.

So tomorrow the goal is to wake up 15 minutes earlier than I already do for some much needed quiet time.

So 7:45, here I come!