8.26.2011

Fall Books

Here are the books on my fall list:

 3 down, 4 to go....I'm excited to read the entire series! They're so fun!

I'm excited to read this!!! I read The Kite Runner last fall and just haven't gotten around to reading this second one by Khaled Hosseini.

This is our development book for this fall. I've never read it before. I look forward to growing in my conviction of evangelism (the basis of the book) and hope to find some very applicable points.

I read about this book on this blog and pre-ordered it for half off (a one-day special, sorry!)!! I plan on reading this to go along with the "Becoming a Woman of Faith" Bible Study I'm leading this fall. I hope there will be some great ways to connect the 2! 

I'm currently reading this and plan to finish up over the weekend.
I mentioned Counterfeit Gods in a way previous post but I kind of stalled out on that one....I'll pick it up again at some point and try to update you when I do.

Do you like to read? If so, what books do you recommend?!


Summer Books

I read SO many books this summer and loved it!! Honestly, I can't remember them all right now (my list is at home) but here are some of the ones I remember!
I loved this book!! It's basically filled with tidbits of info Kay, Emilie, and Donna wish they had known at an earlier age. It will definitely be one I read again when I'm in the wife/mother phase of life!



I read these 3 of Chronicles of Narnia. I know it's out of order but I'm reading the rest in order!

This was our summer development book. I really enjoyed it!!
I could NOT put this book down! This book looks to the past mission movements (all started by COLLEGE STUDENTS) and applies it to how college ministry is still strategic today. I LOVED this book!!

Of course I also read HP 5,6,&7 this summer.....

Well, there are some of my summer reads! I definitely recommend all of the above books to any of you looking for a great read! If you want more information on one of them, just ask!

8.24.2011

Fall

My brain has already switched over to fall in every aspect - weather, colors, foods, fashion, etc. However, it's still mid-August and it's still 110 degrees outside. This poses a problem. Yesterday, I went to the "other side" of Conway where the good shopping is. (Geography lesson - Conway isn't very big but it takes FOREVER to get to other areas because there are only only a few major roads and lots of cars. So, to go to this area of town, which isn't really that far away, it takes planning because it's not just a simple trek). I had some errands to run but also wanted to browse Old Navy, Target, TJMaxx, etc. But, I couldn't enjoy it! It was so hot. I would sweat from the car to the store and then not want to try anything on because I'm sweating. Man, I love summer but this 110 is a little much. I look forward to wearing scarves, boots, jackets, and sweaters. I look forward to being able to wear my hair down and not having my make-up melt off. I look forward to the changing leaves, cool breezes, and being able to run outside. Until then, I'll stay in the AC :) and you should too!

8.23.2011

Bittersweet

Today, one of my best friends moved overseas for 3 years. While I'm so proud of her obedience to our Father, I'm SO sad she's gone. I was blessed to get to go to the airport to spend some time with her and her family this morning. I really didn't think I would cry much because most of my friends live over there (story of my life), but I did. When I got to my car, I wept. I couldn't hold it in. As I was driving back to Conway, the tears just kept coming. The tears are a mixture of sorrow because she will live so far away and joy/proudness for the life she is living.


I met her her freshman year of college through her ex-boyfriend (yes, our Father uses random situations!!). That semester, I had just gotten back from my first summer project and I was asking our Father to bring a girl into my life to disciple. In November of that year, He placed her on my heart as a girl to pursue for this type of relationship. The Father was working in her heart and mine and He gave me the opportunity to start pouring into her spiritually. I recruited her to be in my d-group at the next summer project and she rejected me. He told me not to give up on her! I recruited her again the next summer and she came!!! After that, she started reaching girls in her sorority, went back as a D-Group Leader, and now she is moving overseas for 3 years. I'm so humbled to have been chosen to be a part of her spiritual life. I'm humbled that He chose me as one of many tools to cast vision for the nations into her life. Friend, thank you for being faithful and obedient to His voice! You're an inspiration to me!

I love you and I will miss you so much!

8.18.2011

Year 24

i have a feeling my 24th year is going to be a good one. there are so many things i'm excited for and many things i want to accomplish this year. right after my bday, i came  up with a list of personal goals for my 24th year.
[some of my goals]
-become a morning person = i long to be someone who can wake up early to workout, get ready, and spend tons of time in the word and prayer
-lose 2 pants sizes and stay that size = this coincides with the above goal. i know it's possible....i've been that size before...24 is the year to do it again
-put effort into getting ready everyday = let's face it, some days it's easiest to throw on a hat, white v, and smidge of powder and mascara. i don't want 24 to be like this - i'm going to make an effort to look cute, fixed, and put together everyday for work (which leads into the next goal...)
-find my fashion niche = the recent trends are thrifting and DIY. i've been thrifting once, loved it, and was decent at it. It's a great way to shop more but save money. i'm also on pinterest and love how many DIY jewelry crafts i find. this year, i want to pay attention to trends, thrift, make some DIY jewelry, and become more fashionable. i'm pumped.
-fall more in love with Christ = this summer, i've grown closer to Christ than ever before. i'm at a place with Him that i've never been before and it's glorious. i want this entire year to be no different. on my 25th birthday, i want to be able to look back and say "i'm at a place with Christ that i've never been before"
-become a prayer warrior = this summer my prayer life has grown so much and i've seen God answer prayers in such cool ways. i want this to become a habit in my life that lasts until i meet my maker.
-memorize scripture consistently = for staff development, i'm required to memorize certain verses each semester. even though it's required, i don't do a good job. i want to get better. i long to know Christ's word better and have it hidden in my heart for times of trial and times of sharing with others.

[things happening during year 24 that i'm excited about]
*i'm excited about beginning my 2nd year on staff! my first year was a year of growth and learning and was, at times, a little rough. i know i'll keep learning in my 2nd year and things will change, but i'm excited to have year 1 under my belt.
*i'm looking forward to having a personal ministry outside of work this year. i am leading a Bible Study through my church for women in Conway. i'm also leading a Bible Study for some sorority girls at UCA. i'm excited about the opportunity to be pouring into women around me!
*i absolutely cannot wait to get involved with 501! it's a young professionals ministry at a church in LR and i'm thrilled to be going this year. i know a lot of people involved and i've heard great things about it. Since there aren't many singles in Conway, this will be a great way for me to meet people and make new friends. i'm so excited! it kicks off tonight!! i am counting down the hours until i get off work and head to LR!

blogger friends....keep me accountable for these things. it's out in blogger world now - feel free to ask me how it's going. i'll be honest with you. i long to accomplish these goals and only by God's grace, accountability, and discipline will it happen.

8.15.2011

Highlights of my 23rd year

Saturday I turned 24. That's right...I'm officially in my mid-20's. Let the fun begin.
In honor of a new year, I am going to look back at the previous year and pull out some highlights.
 
-I passed the NCLEX and officially became a (non-practicing) RN.
-I started working full-time for StuMo. This job fits me. It's better than anything I could have imagined or dreamed up for myself.
-I moved out of the nest and into my own apartment!
-I experienced everything about year 1 of the real world - new place, bills, first year of a job - and learned so much!
-I co-led DC4K. I was blessed by those kids and loved loving on them each week.
-I grew so close to my co-worker, Allie, since we only had each other in Conway.
-I put 16,000 miles on my car. The highlight about this fact is I travel a LOT for my job and I love it! I go to Fayetteville, Tulsa, OKC, and KC a ton. I really do love getting to travel throughout the year!
-I got to be a part of my brother's wedding!
-And, I got to welcome a sister (in-law) into the family!
-I've grown a ton in my walk with Christ. I have fallen more in love with Him. I've had to rely on Him for new experiences and situations. I've been humbled by Him in multiple ways. I've faced trials. I've faced joys. I've loved every step of the journey I'm on with my Creator.
-I've grown closer to so many friends and I am consistently reminded of how incredible my friends are and how blessed I am to know them.
 
23 was a tough year but a good year. I look forward to 24!! A post will be coming soon of some goals/things I want to grow in/things I want to see happen in this next year. Thanks for reminiscing with me!
 

8.05.2011

Picture Post

Nursing Friends on Macy's wedding day!


When I visited Kaleo, all the single staff went to Mobile, AL for a Singles Retreat. The girls did guy things on our free day! BBQ, Battleship, Submarine, and Fighter Jets.


All the girls before dinner and the Mobile BayBears Minor League Baseball game!
 
Wedding day: Me, Mom, and Mom's mom. We take this 3-gen pic at major events :)

My beautiful new sister-in-law!
This was right before she went to see Cam.


7.26.2011

Friends & God

My friends are such a blessing. In the past week I've gotten to talk on the phone with 4 of my closest friends and I've been so uplifted and encouraged by them! They love the Lord with all they are and they inspire me in my walk. They listen to my struggles and the lessons I'm learning and they encourage me to keep going strong. They cry with me. They laugh with me. We have a history together. We have so many memories we've made together. I'm so grateful for the laughter, the tears, the spiritual convos, the boy convos, the memories, and the life we have together! God is good!

Not very many of my closest friends live in Conway with me. Since they love the Lord with all they are, a lot of friends are obeying His calling to live in different places. I have so many close friends that are serving the Lord in India (that's on the other side of the world, people!!) I have close friends in Oklahoma, Northwest AR, Little Rock, and Fort Worth, Texas. This makes fellowship and intimacy with friends difficult. This year, Allie (a friend and co-worker) and I have clung to God and each other so much more because there just aren't very many people here. God has taught me a lot this year as I live in Conway and grow closer to my friends through skype and the phone. Thank the Lord for technology!! Otherwise, it would be even more difficult to keep in touch.

Today, I'm grateful for the presence and closeness of Christ. He is with me here. He comforts me here. When I'm really missing my friends in India and I can't just call them, Christ comforts me. When I can't just laugh and cry over coffee with my friend in Texas (who also discipled me some in college), God comforts me. Thank you, God, for being a friend and always being close. Thank you, God, for giving me such incredible friends that I sometimes physically hurt because I miss them so much. God, you know me and you know what I need and you've provided. How faithful you are!

7.21.2011

Buffet Style

This post is going to be buffet style....a variety of topics and you can read as little or as much as you like.

-I'm a fan of Starbucks Via. I was hesitant at first. One of the worst things in the world to me is the feeling of coffee grounds (or sand or dirt) in my mouth. I almost vom if I feel it. So, I was hesitant of Via for the icky grounds factor. "Will it dissolve all the way?", "Will there be big grounds?",  "Will it taste good?", "Will I vom?" You know...the normal questions for someone that could vom just thinking about sand in my mouth. sick. Anyway....I tried it this morning (woke up too late to make a real pot of coffee) and I'm a fan!
-If you're keeping track of the types of apples I enjoy (it's not hard...there is only 1), you can add a 2nd to the list! Pink Lady Apples. (of course I'd like them...they're called PINK LADY. It just fits.) Anyway, I now purchase both Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples at the store.
-God and I are going on an interesting journey this summer. He's teaching me a lot about myself. He's teaching me a lot about Himself. I'm being stretched. I'm being strengthened. I'm getting confused. I'm being humbled. I'm learning how dumb I can be. You know....the norm. Man, is it hard but fun.
-2 of my single friends have gone on 1st dates with new guys!! I am SO excited for them! Neither of them have dated in a while so I'm thrilled that guys are pursuing them!! :)
-I finished the HP books. When I read or watch a series, the characters become my family. It was definitely difficult to experience death and hardships along with the characters (I'm telling you...I get attached!) I can now start renting the movies and watch them! (looking into Netflix-any other services you'd recommend?)
-I just finished a small book by Ray Comfort called "God Has a Wonderful Plan for your Life." It was incredible! It is all about evangelism and discipleship. It's point is that we can't get people to convert by telling them God has a wonderful plan for their life. Then they follow Him for a bit, experience trial, and fall away. We have to lay the foundation that they are sinners (10 Commandments) and that Christ forgave them for that and they can experience hope. Once they see their depravity, they desire the hope. It made me want to go share the gospel right now!
-One thing I am pursuing now, after a full year on staff, is a personal ministry. I did DivorceCare4Kids last spring and loved it! I'm going to continue with that. But, I also want a ministry where I am discipling and pouring into young women, whether it be kids, youth, or college students. I'm in the midst of figuring this out. I plan on leading a Bible Study for girls/women in Conway through my church. I'm excited about this opportunity. I'm praying God would reveal to me if this is what He wants me to continue with or if He wants me to reach out into another type of ministry in my church. I'm also praying about opportunities to share the gospel. I just don't know where to do it! Since I work for a ministry, I don't have non-believer co-workers to share with. So, if you enjoy praying for things, ask God to give me wisdom in ministry and gospel sharing! Thanks! :)
-I now have a sister-in-law! Cam and Andi's wedding was unique, sweet, and God-glorifying. I loved being a part of their special day! They got home from San Diego on Saturday. Mom and I picked them up from the airport and they came back to mom's house to open all their presents. It was fun hanging out with them!
-Last night I went on a 40 minute walk that only felt like 15. I called my great friend Michelle and talked and talked and talked and it was great. We are in the same phase of life and it was so refreshing to talk through a lot with her. I'm so grateful for her friendship! I love quality time with deep convos with friends.
-Last Friday night, Macy, Kate, Christy and I went to Wild River Country and back to my mom's house for dessert (leftover wedding cake!). We hadn't all hung out since Macy's wedding so Friday was a great time!
-I've read a lot of books this summer. I LOVE to read. Here they are: HP 5,6,&7; God has a Wonderful Plan for your Life; Youniquely Woman; The IT Factor; Living Water and Indian Bowl; Spiritual Leadership; The Magician's Nephew. I'm currently reading The Lion,the Witch,&the Wardrobe, Counterfeit Gods, and In This Generation. Seriously, I love reading.
-I've made some good recipes lately. I'll try to make a recipe post soon. This week I've had Bar-b-cups (childhood fave), Southwestern Chicken Roll-ups (an improvised version), and tonight is Fish Tacos. Get excited!

If you've read all of this, you must be busting at the seams with upates. Thanks for being a part of my life! :)

6.27.2011

Blown Away

I have been overwhelmed by God's greatness over the past few weeks! Every prayer that I have been praying for the past few months, God has answered in bigger and better ways than I could have EVER imagined! For work, I am consistently applying for international visas for our staff. Over the years, this has been a stressful game we play with the consulate, never knowing if they will give us the visas we want. This year, we came up with some new business platforms and God has been using them in huge ways. So far, we've applied for 33 visas and ALL 33 VISAS HAVE BEEN APPROVED!!!!! This is unheard of! We have fewer than 10 left to apply for and we're praying they all go through as smoothly as the first 33. God is blessing our efforts and we know He wants us to be doing His work internationally! Whenever I think about this, my mind can hardly grasp how incredibly these prayers have been answered. This also answers another prayer I've been praying - that God would show me more clearly my purpose for staying in Conway for a few years and my role in our overseas efforts. My Conway position allowing me to apply for these visas for our staff=my role in our overseas efforts and the reason God has me in Conway. Wow, is God great!!!!

Last week, I got to visit our Kaleo project in Destin! It was a wonderful time of seeing how the Destin project flows and of hanging out with friends at the beach. I was incredibly refreshed by my time down there! I got some great one-on-one time with close friends and got to have great convos and catch-up times with girls I haven't seen in way too long. Also, the beach is my ALL TIME favorite place on the planet, so that was a plus! I love laying in the sand, feeling the suns rays, and hearing the oceans waves. I loved my time down there and definitely didn't want to leave! Then, my expected 5 hours of travel time home turned into 12 hours, due to every possible delay you could imagine. It was good to be back in Conway once I finally got home!

This past weekend, my fam went to the lake. I spent 2 solid days laying out and got some great sun! :) The Marina had a rental boat available on Sunday so we got to go out for 4-5 hours. It was great! Second to the beach, I LOVE being on a boat on the lake! (my loves stem from laying in the sun - can you tell?!) We drove around, jumped into the 50* water by carpenter dam (felt like jumping into a glass of ICE water), and tubed.We are going to the lake again this weekend for the 4th - I'm looking forward to 3 more days in the sun!

Lastly, Cameron's wedding is LESS THAN 2 WEEKS away! Can you believe it?! It seems like not that long ago that he proposed. Where has the time gone? I am so excited for him and Andi! I'm honored to be a part of their big day. I am pumped to be adding someone so wonderful to our family!

Have a great week blogger friends!