food for thought...

God has me dwelling on this passage. Not sure why, but apparently He wants me to learn something because it keeps coming up everywhere!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God".

And then, later in that passage...

"He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us".

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 10

Wow...

Friends

In the words of Bob the Tomato: "Friends are like presents from God"

How right you are, Bob. I know this because I have some incredible friends. I have the kinds of friends that don't care if my hair looks goofy (but are kind enough to tell me if it does), who don't care where I buy my clothes, don't care if I am having a grumpy kind of day. They love me, plain and simple. What a blessing that is!

I certainly don't want to downplay the friends that I have right here, but sometimes God just goes out of His way to bless us with friends- those that we never would have met if it weren't for God. I want to tell you about one of those friends. Her name is Maranda, and she lives in Alabama. I have never met her in person, don't have any clue what her voice sounds like (although I imagine she has a great southern accent!). We have exchanged some pictures via the internet (dont' you love technology?). Maranda and I met in a crazy way.

Maranda leads a ministry in her church for survivors of sexual abuse. I lead one of those here. She was doing an internet search one day and 'happened' across our church's website talking about our "Shelter From the Storm" ministry here. Maranda emailed the church to ask questions about the study, and it was forwarded to me since I facilitate that group at FBC. I emailed Maranda as soon as I got the forward, and the rest is history! What started as just a quest for information has blossomed into a great friendship! I love how God works.

We have emailed every day back and forth. I feel like I have known her for years. She has a husband and 2 sons, works for a pregnancy help center, and is an amazing Godly woman. We have a lot in common, mostly our faith in Jesus. I have been blessed to be able to pray for Maranda and her family, and I have been blessed to have her pray for me too.

I am praying that one day (soon) there is a chance to meet this new friend. But until then, I will continue to thank God for his blessings, and I will continue to burn up the computer keys writing to my new friend!!

Love you Maranda!!

Exciting News

We completed step #1 of our home study today. We were asked lots of questions, given lots of answers, and handed a stack things to read (all very good information!). Our worker is fantastic. We could not be more pleased at this point.

Friday we will go to Louisville to be fingerprinted and do our immigration paperwork. Then, next Tuesday we will complete the home study. We will also be applying to our placement agency in the next couple of weeks.

It officially seems real. We are really going to have another little one running around the house! God is so gracious to allow us this blessing. I am humbled that He would find me worthy enough for such an honor. We continue to pray for the safety of our daughter, for her birth mother's health and safety, for her caretakers, for all of our finances to be there, and for a smooth adoption process. And we pray for patience too! This is a long process. We are asking God to allow her to be with us by the end of this year, but know that it may not work out that way. We are more than willing to wait for her!! Keep praying with us, and I will be sure to keep you posted.

Apparently I laugh too loud

Last night was our last night of ballroom dance lessons. Basically, it was an overview of all the things we have learned thus far. We reviewed the foxtrot, complete with a promenade (we still stink at this one). We reviewed the rumba with a slow turn and a "rock step" (my personal favorite). And then we reviewed the swing dance (insert loud, snorting laugh here). The instructor taught a few new moves to go with our basic swing step. Really, I feel a little silly doing that dance. And well, I CANNOT swing dance with Jeff without laughing. Honestly, I wasn't making fun of him! He is just funny! His face does this strange goofy grin when he swings (see my previous dance post for more on this), and it completely cracks me up. After class, some of the senior adults commented that we "sure have a lot of fun together". They must not have heard Jeff telling me to be quiet, that I was too loud with my laugh! I can't help it; I just laugh loudly.



I know I have said it before, but this class has been a total blast! We HAVE laughed a lot with each other and with the others in the class. We have gotten to know some people better from our church. And you know... we really aren't that bad.

Baby Steps

Today was a busy day. Jeff and I spent the entire day gathering paperwork/documents for our adoption home study. I joked with Jeff after we got the last paper in hand that it felt like we were pregnant!

Next week, our worker will meet with us in our home, and then we will follow that up with one more visit in her office to complete the home study process. Then, we are on to the next step. We are on something like step #5 out of 1000, I think!! But, it's all about baby steps, right?



Seriously, we are getting very excited as we really dig into this process. God has some great things in store for our family this year, and I cannot wait to see those things come to fruition. God is blessing our socks off here!

We were swinging!

Well, it's week #3 of the ballroom dance lessons. This week, it was swing. Now, don't take this wrong, but Jeff totally cracked me up while we were practicing this step. Does anyone recall Carlton from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"? Well, that's what Jeff reminded me of doing the swing dance. For those who need it, here is a little reminder...

I heard this quote in church yesterday:
"God's people can sit at the Father's table and still starve" (A.W. Tozer)

I have pondered that ever since I heard those words. I was struck with the truth therein. I have been guilty of sitting at the Father's table, which is full of nourishment and overflowing with all I need, yet starving spiritually because I chose not to eat. I was a "spiritual dieter" so-to-speak. Yet God wants me to have to good stuff.. the richness of His glory, the fatted calf of His mercy, and the fullness of His grace. There's no such thing as "light portions" at God's table.

Oh God, thank you for your faithfulness to feed me, to quench every thirst, to give me every need so freely. Forgive me for not always taking what you offer, for thinking that I know best what I need. Teach me to be silent before you God, to simply sit and be fed by You. Teach me to savor You God. Teach me to "taste and see that you are good".

Hungry, anyone?

Girls Night Out

Last night was "girls night out" at the opera... the Phantom of the Opera, to be exact. For my birthday last month, my mother-in-law gave me tickets to see Phantom with her and my sister-in-law (and several other ladies). I was excited before going; now I can barely contain myself. I had a BLAST!!

The costumes, orchestra, singing, atmosphere... it was all perfect! I felt a little like Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" since I actually got teary-eyed during one of the songs. I must be getting soft in my middle age!!

If you ever get the chance to go, take it. It's well worth your time. I will definitely see this again!

Dance Fever Continued

Jeff & I learned the rumba tonight. Wow... that was a lot of fun! I am having a blast with Jeff. He's got the moves, baby...

Books

I said in an earlier post that I was going to read more in 2007. So far, so good. I have now read 3 books. The first was a novel, can't recall the name of it right off hand (obviously it wasn't a favorite of mine). But I enjoyed how easy it was to read, if that makes any sense at all to you. The second was actually a re-read of a book I read last year but had wanted to dig into a little deeper. It was called "Sex God" by Rob Bell, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be challenged in his or her spiritual walk. It's really great stuff. Rob Bell is a gifted speaker and pastor of Mars Hill Church. I have been blessed to hear him speak a few times! If you ever get the chance to hear him, go!



The 3rd is a book I have anxiously awaited. I ordered this book months ago, but it was on back-order. It came in on January 3rd, and I read it that day. I could not put it down! I have now read it through twice and am on my third time! No joke... it's that good. What is it, you ask? It is "Stumbling Toward Faith" by Renee Altson. The author has written a beautiful memoir of her own abuse and the lingering effects of it on her ability not only to trust people, but also God. For anyone who has ever questioned God, I recommend this book. For anyone who has ever felt abandoned by God, read the book. If you have been through hurt, read the book. Seriously, it has changed how I view pain. God has been teaching me for the past year or so just how He can use my painful experiences to make something good. We have to let God work in us despite our questions. I am getting the whole scripture that says "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief". Renee Altson's book resonated with me, not only because she is also a survivor, but because she is real about her difficulty with faith.


Just so you know... I have started my 4th book already. More details when I am finished!

Dancing with the Stars??

Tonight Jeff & I began 4 weeks of ballroom dance lessons. Mark your calendars because we are headed for "Dancing with the Stars" next season! We know the fox trot and the box step (with a turn!). And, to top it off, we didn't even step on each other's feet... much.

We rang in the new year with our friends Mike and Sherri last night! Bryan had a buddy over to spend the night too. What a great time! I have to say the highlight of the night was watching Mike act like a kindergarten student during the Cranium game. HILARIOUS!! Let's do it again soon, guys!