The Attack of the Zig-Zag

Missoni has completely invaded Target. This was a much anticipated launch for many girls across America. On the first day that Missoni hit Target's website, it caused it to crash for several hours. The majority of the stuff online now is sold out. When I ran into Target yesterday afternoon, all the Missoni racks were pretty much picked clean. It. Is. Insane. Who knew Chevron was so popular? I have always like Missoni's stuff, but in moderation. It is a little loud for my tastes. Reminds me a little bit of taking a trip on acid in the 1970s. (Not that I would know) But there were a few things that I did like in the collection.

Not to say that I would buy any of it. Seems like every woman in the country will be sporting this stuff. Not so sure I want to be one of the masses. Although I came really close to buying those pumps. If they had a 7.5 and not an 8, then those puppies probably would have been mine.

Thoughts? Love it? Hate it? 


All images from http://www.target.com/

Wreath-Making 101

Ok, this post has a little to do with college football. I know I'm breaking my promise from yesterday. Remember the Florida wreath from a previous post? I decided to make Stacey one for her door, since she liked this idea. So that's just what I did. Nothing I wouldn't do for Stacey Suzanne :-) Anyways, I went to Hobby Lobby and grabbed some stuff to make the wreath.

I bought a foam wreath, some floral pins, blue ribbon to cover the wreath, geo mesh ribbon, letters, spray paint, and some decorative ribbon. First, I spray painted the letters.

I realized when I got started that this was on one of the pages of newspaper I was using:

Yeah, that handsome little man in the middle is my nephew, Barrett. Oops. I couldn't help it that the only paper I had around was an old County Record.

Next, I covered the form with blue ribbon and then attached the geo mesh ribbon to the form with the floral pins.

Sorry for the crappy pictures. My camera battery was dead, so I just used my camera on my iPhone. Then I added the orange ribbon. And for the record, yes I realize that the blue is not navy like Auburn. But they didn't have navy geo mesh and everywhere I looked online was sold out. So she is getting a Gator colored Auburn wreath. Part her, part me. We complete each other. (and Stacey just gagged reading this, lol)

Finally, Stacey got impatient and hot glued the letters on. Guess I was taking too long to get it done. Haha. This is the semi-finished project.

I ran out of orange ribbon, so I am going back to Hobby Lobby today and hopefully they will have some more so I can make a bow. I also think I am going to get more letters and spell out Auburn and either get a tiger or some footballs kinda like in the photo below. Oh and fix that orange ribbon. It doesn't look even.

I do like the grape vine wreath too. Maybe the next one... And I feel better that whoever made that wreath also used royal blue instead of navy. At least I'm not the only one.

So that is my little project that I recently worked on. Guess our neighbor liked it so much, she wants me to make her six wreaths for her in her son's college colors. Sounds like I will be busy for a bit. Which reminds me, that I need to call her and get that set up. Happy crafting, ya'll!

Rammer, Jammer... no that's not right

Weagle, Weagle, War Damn Eagle!

I have a real post today, but first...

This is really just for some giggles. So if you don't like college football, feel free to ignore this post. I was reading up on all the online commentary from the games this past weekend. The Auburn game was great and I swear they have a deal with the devil. They always scrap by somehow! Take a look at this write up that sums up my sentiments about the AU. Week 2: What Happened To You On Saturday?
The Gators looked ok, but UAB wasn't that big of a match up. The Georgia-South Carolina game was a good one too. The dawgs looked a little better from last week. And I think Mark Richt is an awesome guy and I would hate to see him fired, but I have gotten lots of satisfaction watching the dawgs go down in flames every week. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor? And very fitting, the first team they lost to was decked out in orange and blue and this week they lost to Steve Spurrier. God did say revenge was His.... So if UGA goes 0-12 this season, they can blame it all on my husband because I have been praying for just that ;-) Ok, ok I am kidding (half-way). Anyways, I came across this article and I was laughing out loud. I thought it was pretty funny. It was written by a guy named William Wallace, so reading this article, I was giving it a Scottish accent to boot (that's a Braveheart reference, btw "I am william wallace!"). But here it is in case you care about the Gamecock or the Bulldogs:

Uncensored Play-By-Play Of Georgia vs South Carolina


By William Wallace

William Wallace is a regular Saturday Down South contributor. His uncensored views of college football are offensive to some, yet embraced by many.

1st 15:00 0-0
ESPN is making a statement early by sending former Detroit Lions GM Matt Millen to work the game. Millen was an incompetent nice guy who held on to his job 3 years too long. In other words, he’s Mark Richt.

Chances of Richt being fired tonight: 90%

South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia looks like an out of shape frat boy… actually; he looks like an out of shape 37-year-old mechanic.

10:33 1st
Slow start for both teams. Georgia QB Aaron Murray is constantly under pressure, and Garcia is still trying to shake off the 13 High Lifes he had in his hotel room last night while listening to Molly Hatchet.

9:46 1st
Millen: “Alshon Jeffery might be as good a guy, professional or college, at catching the ball away from his body.” Translation: ”From 2003 to 2007 I drafted Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams and Calvin Johnson with my 1st round pick and if I hadn’t been chased out of town I would be drafting Alshon Jeffery ahead of Andrew Luck.”

8:32 1st
Garcia starts the game completing just 2 of his first 7 passes. Steve Spurrier is shown rearranging his visor and headset as an ESPN producer is fired for not airing the visor/headset toss.

The Spurrier-Garcia relationship will clearly end in a cloud of gun smoke. I’m hoping it’s at the US/Mexico line after a spree of bank heists across the Southwest, but it’s more likely to be a murder/suicide after Spurrier finds Garcia in bed with his wife.

7:48 1st
Georgia’s Freshman RB Isaiah Crowell’s 28-yard run is immediately followed by 80,000 fans murmuring, “Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel.” The run leads to a 32-yard field goal from Blair Walsh.

5:59 1st Georgia 3 South Carolina 0
Chances of Richt being fired tonight: 88%

5:34 1st
Garcia is picked off by Rambo. Bacarri Rambo. Dude, just go ahead and change your name to Bacardi Rambo and become exactly the kind of guy Bacardi Rambo should be. “Last night was nuts. We went to a party at Rick Rubin’s house and Bacardi Rambo pulled a buck knife on Kanye West, then went home with the entire cast of Charlie’s Angels, and when I say the entire cast I mean the both TV shows and the movie.”

Blair Walsh, no relation to Brandon and Brenda, hits a 39-yard FG.

Odds of Richt being fired tonight: 83%

2:23 1st
Georgia’s Brandon Boykin drops what should have been a pick 6. How many big drops has Georgia had over the past 5 years? They love dropping the ball.

Stephen Garcia looks like the Customer of the Month at a Long John Silver’s.

End of the 1st Georgia 6 South Carolina 0
14:58 2nd
Isaiah Crowell goes into the Wildcat to convert a 3rd and 3. “Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel.”

Millen after a 9 yard QB scramble ending in a big hit: “Garcia has no regard for his body.” He said this in the same tone people would say, “Amy Winehouse has no regard for her body.”

11:00 2nd
Spurrier decides to go for fourth-and-1 from the 29-yard line. South Carolina took 2 time outs and Georgia took 1 before the play. This feels like a huge moment in the game. It’s like Spurrier knows Richt is vulnerable and he wants to finish him today.

Nevermind. After all that, Spurrier punts. No wonder Garcia drinks so much.

10:15 2nd
Uber-Freshman Jadeveon Clowney burns through the shaky Georgia O-line and crushes Aaron Murray. Clowney is real strong and real fast. He’ll be the #1 pick in the 2014 Draft.

6:41 2nd
Garcia has all day to throw and hits Jeffery for a 34-yard TD. The old boy is warming up. Garcia reminds me of Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart.

6:41 2nd South Carolina 7 Georgia 6
Chances of Richt being fired tonight: 95%

5:20 2nd
Aaron Murray breaks loose for a 23-yard run. He reminds me of Aaron Rodgers. A few plays later he hits Rantavious Wooten for a 26-yard TD. He’s the real deal and deserves the hype.

2:53 2nd Georgia 13 South Carolina 6
Mark Richt attempts a surprise onside kick that was executed perfectly, with the exception of Bacardi Rambo being one inch offsides. I love the call and really enjoy Mark Richt when he’s on the verge of getting fired. He’s very creative.

Chances of Richt being fired tonight: 75%

2:03 2nd
Melvin Ingram goes 68 yards on a fake punt run for a touchdown. That’s right, Melvin Ingram, the 276-pound DE gets the ball on a critical fake punt call and goes 68 yards and he was pulling away from people. Unreal. He doesn’t look like a Melvin.

Spurrier wants Mark Richt’s heart on a platter. Spurrier single-handedly ended the careers of former Georgia Head Coaches Ray Goff and Jim Donnan, and today he wants to be the guy who finishes off Mark Richt.

2:03 2nd South Carolina 14 Georgia 13
Chances of Richt being fired tonight: 95%

Garcia squeezes in one more INT before the half, but he escapes with a 1-point lead. He looks like the kind of guy that has knocked up a stripper.

End of the 1st Half South Carolina 14 Georgia 13
12:44 3rd
It feels like Murray is having a great game but he’s just 4-10 for 69 yards,

6:09 3rd
Screen! Murray lobs a screen pass to Crowell for a TD. “Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel.”

Chances of Richt being fired tonight: 50%. Georgia looks good today. I don’t know if they’ll win, but barring a meltdown, Richt should have a job tomorrow.

6:09 3rd Georgia 20 South Carolina 14
Stephen Garcia looks like 2nd rate Wrestler from the early 80’s.

3:31 3rd
Baby Herschel fumbles around the Georgia 40 and USC corner Stephon Gilmore returns it all the way to his own 5-yard line. The crowd starts murmuring, “Caleb King, Caleb King, Caleb King, Caleb King, Caleb King, Caleb King.”

2:39 3rd
Garcia, who treats his body like he’s a midget on Jackass, scampers 8 yards and takes a big hit after he crosses the goal line. He is fun to watch. Kind of like Favre with the Jets, where his typical game consisted of 3 cross-body TD throws, 3 cross-body INTs and 3 wiener pics to skanks he casually knows.

2:39 3rd South Carolina 21 Georgia 20
Chances of Richt being fired tonight: 65%

1:52 3rd
Aaron Murray has a tendency to try to squeeze the ball in windows that don’t exist, and he just did it again from his own 10-yard line. Antonio Allen picked it off and ran it back 25 yards for a TD.

‘South Carolina puts up 14 points in 47 seconds. Mark Richt is downloading the monster.com app to his iPhone.

Points off of Turnovers: South Carolina 14 Georgia 3
Chances of Richt being fired tonight: 75%

1:52 3rd South Carolina 28 Georgia 20
Murray is showing nice poise after the interception. He starts drive 85 yards from the end zone and quickly went to work hitting 4 separate receivers and get near midfield before the end of the quarter.

End of 3rd South Carolina 28 Georgia 20
Aaron Murray was masterful on this drive going 8 for 8 for 85 yards including a 19-yard TD pass to Michael Bennett. He kept the momentum going with a beautiful 2-pt conversion pass to Tavares King to tie the game. He’s owning the moment.

4th 12:45 South Carolina 28 Georgia 28
Chances of Richt being fired tonight: 45%

4th 11:30
Enough with all this quarterback talk, it’s the 4th quarter and Marcus Lattimore doesn’t get tired. He looks fresh and is picking up yards by the bunches. He grabs 41 yards on 4 carries. He’s over 120 yards and there is plenty of game left.

With that said, Stephen Garcia looks like someone who still has a ‘Nader for President’ sticker on the back of his 1989 Chevy G Van.
Lattimore’s legs and a few Alshon Jeffery catches lead to a Jay Wooten FG.

4th 8:31 South Carolina 31 Georgia 28
4th 6:28
Marcus Lattimore is the best RB on the field, but the margin is closer than I expected. Isaiah Crowell is a stud. Matt Millen put it perfectly, “He is who he was supposed to be.” He stiff arms Antonio Allen and puts it in from 15 yards out, giving Georgia the lead. The crowd is loudly and obnoxiously screaming, “Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel.”

4th 6:28 Georgia 35 South Carolina 31
South Carolina doesn’t look rattled. Garcia hits Ace Sanders on a scrambling 30-yard lob pass that takes the Gamecocks down to the Georgia 38. It’s taken him a while to realize he’s playing football in a big football game today but that throw was big time and it quieted the liquored-up Georgia fans in a hurry.

4:31 4th
If that play quieted the fans down, Marcus Lattimore’s 36-yard run to the 1-yard line straight shut them up. He pumps it in 2 plays later, but not before Garcia burns the final South Carolina timeout.
Lattimore’s gone over 160 yards on the day. Isaiah Crowell should be taking notes.

3:28 4th South Carolina 38 Georgia 35
Chances Mark Richt is Fired Tonight: 40%

3:15 4th
JADEVEON CLOWNEY!!!!!!

Clowney hit Murray before the QB could even look up field. Murray was so shocked to be getting hit, he dropped the ball and Melvin Ingram, Baller, was right there to pick it up and dance the ball into the end zone. The rest of the SEC will quickly join Georgia in hating Jadeveon Clowney. Damn, he’s good.

Spurrier just took his shirt off and cracked open a Busch Light. Garcia strolls over, smoking a cigarette and high fives the coach. These two are magic together.

3:12 4th South Carolina 45 Georgia 35
2:39 4th
Georgia fans are leaving early, which could be the title of Mark Richt’s autobiography.

2:15 4th
As Lee Corso used to say back when he could speak, “Not so fast my friends.”
While the fans were leaving, Aaaron Murray was leading. He drove the Dawgs down the field quickly and connected with Tavarres King for a 33-yard TD. Great throw, better catch. It’s a 3 point game with 2:15 left.

Murray has thrown for 4 TD’s.

2:15 4th South Carolina 45 Georgia 42
We’re only 2 weeks into the season and the SEC has already seen 1 game change on an onside kick (Auburn vs. Utah State) and Mark Richt needs another one.
“Stud” – Matt Millen’s response after seeing 265 lb DE Melvin Ingram picks the onside kick out of the air. He’s a 265 lb DE and he’s on the HANDS TEAM. I love this guy.

Chances Mark Richt is Fired Tonight: 20%.

He’s coached a good game and his team got beat by a slightly better team tonight. I still think he’ll be fired at some point, just not tonight. If they keep giving up 40 points a game, it might happen very soon.

1:56 4th
Marcus Lattimore never gets tired and he’s going to run out the clock. He’s got 176 yards on the night. Awesome. How good is Lattimore? He’s so good that Stephen Garcia, who looks like the kind of guy who will pull up next to you at a gas station and offer you a deal on a home stereo system, can go 11/25, 1 TD, 2 INT and the Gamecocks can still win a big game on the road.

Final South Carolina 45 Georgia 42
Steve Spurrier’s disappointment as he shakes hands with Mark Richt is obvious. He wanted to be the guy who ended Mark Richt. If I had to guess the guy that will end Richt’s career, I’m leaning towards Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen.

The good news is whoever takes over for Richt will have some talent on the roster to work with.
http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/

I love a sports writer who isn't afraid to put in a good Beverly Hills 90210 reference in there! Ok, enough football for a while but I thought this guy's commentary was just too funny not to share. I have an arts and crafts project to share soon and a few other things rolling around in this crazy brain of mine. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and I just want to say that the coverage on the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 still brings back emotions that are still very raw within my heart and this country. We will never forget that awful day in our country's history. Evil is very much alive in this world and we got to see that evil manifest itself live on television. I am proud of my country and proud of the brave men and women who lost their lives that day and all the brave soldiers that I have died or risked their lives since. We will never forget.

CD Release Party

I want to give a quick heads up to anyone who is reading this from the Albany, GA area. If you are looking for something great to be apart of, you can head over to the CD release party for the TJ Mauldin Band tomorrow, September 9. It starts at 6:30 pm and lasts until 9:30 at the State Theater in Albany. Admission is $10 and that includes a copy of the band's CD that they are releasing "Here and Now." The CD will be available on iTunes on Friday I believe. You can check the band out at http://www.tjmauldinband.com/ or check out YouTube, or TJ's personal website http://www.tjmauldin.com/. This guy rocks. Literally. He has a great heart for Jesus and he and his wife are just good, salt of the Earth people. So head out and support him if you are in the area! Here is what TJ said about his album release on his website (http://www.tjmauldin.com/).

I know if you live in or around the Albany area you may have seen a poster or heard someone speak about the CD Release event. I want to quickly (yea right) unpack the heart behind the night and what we believe God is going to do in, around, and through the event. This is why I want you to get your ticket and join us.

I have been carrying a four point mission statement for months about what I desire the night to be so I’ll just list and expound: Glorify God, Magnify Christ, Spotlight the Cross, and Unite a City.
Glorify God-
We realize as a band/ministry that everything we say and do should be and hopefully is for the glory of God( 1 Corinthians 10:31). Every song is about Him, for Him and given by Him so we want to give honor where it is due and it is surely His. He is the Greatest of all time and we will make it the aim of the night to make much of that. We are trusting and desiring that everyone leaves the release event with the desire to honor God in every area of their life.
Magnify Christ-
John 3:30 says, “He must increase and I must decrease”. We firmly believe for God to be glorified then we must make Jesus the ultimate treasure in our life. He must be the goal and prize that we are pursuing with everything that we have. Jesus is the only eternal answer and refuge so He will be magnified above all. He will be lifted above the music, the “show”, the volunteers, the venue, the cd, the… well you get the picture. He’s the point!
Spotlight the Cross-
I totally understand that preaching the cross is foolishness to some and to want to spotlight it may seem odd so I want to be very clear. The cross was a place of brutality, torture, and death. It was the place where Jesus hung and was nailed for the forgiveness of our sin. He willingly gave his life so that you and I could go free. Why spotlight the cross? Because we need to drink deep from the reminder well that, that was our cross, our judgment, our sin that fixed Jesus securely on it and to abandon any conversation of the cross would be to abandon the dynamic gift given to us by a perfect God. Beyond the cross being the tool in which God crushed Jesus in our place it’s beautiful because Jesus is no longer on it! He is alive…MAN! I AM EXCITED!! EXCLAIMING WITH EXCITEMENT EVEN!!!!
Unite a City-
How incredible is it going to be to have Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Pentacostal, Non- Denominational… and on and on in attendance in the same building lifting up Jesus. I see this event as an opportunity to bring the body of Christ together to worship God and then share. This isn’t about a certain church or at a certain church. This is about Jesus and his name being championed through our city. I firmly believe that God can change a campus, a church, a family and a community. My desire for this event is to see the body of Christ come together for the sake of the kingdom and the advancement of the gospel only to leave encouraged and empowered to share their faith, live their faith and see their faith impact Albany, Ga and ultimately the world.
I want you to know I am crazy excited about releasing this album because this was written from, about and to serve scripture. Therefore, this album is slammed packed with the beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ. I know this is going to be a tool God uses to change lives, to bring the lost home, restore broken relationship, deliver those in spiritual, emotional and mental bondage. The only reason this album is going to be powerful is because it is for and about Jesus. Can’t wait for you to hear it!
So, I would love for you to come. Every last one of you… You can get tickets here
http://www.eventbrite.com/org/1368491853
www.facebook.com/tjmauldinband

And I will post up another one of TJ's posts from his website, because it really spoke to my heart this morning and it may speak to a few other people's hearts as well.

The Problem With Self-love

Unless self-love is abandoned the believer shall forever shrink back when called actually to take up the cross for Christ. - Watchman Nee


I always write from a place of, well, weightiness. I am not trying to be some deep thinker or well worded theologian. In fact, if you know me you know that I am neither. I am simply following Christ, loving his church and occasionally glancing in the mirror at myself as his reflector. I write when something strikes my joy. I write when I want to communicate my heart and point people to Jesus. I write when I don’t like what I see, when I stumble and more often then not when some of my own deficiencies are exposed. I write. Tonight I want to write on self-love. I love myself way too much. I love my wants, my opinions, and things way too much and you know what? That communicates to Christ that my love for him is more like, like and to my wife that my love for her is based on my wants alone. I am not writing from a place of self-pity or condemnation. I am writing from a place of great hope because in all of my selfishness I can hear Jesus speaking, convicting, and prodding me to die to myself. So, am simply sharing with you what I am walking through internally. Self seems to be the subtlest idol we as believers bow down to on a daily basis and I believe it does three things to cripple, chain, and sometimes kill our walk with Christ.


First, self-love keeps us in a place where “we” matter most and when we live in that place we will not forsake it all or even most of it for the sake of the gospel. I am reminded of 1st Corinthians 16:9 that says, “a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” The greatest adversary you and I will ever face as Christians in America are our selves. The fear for our life, persecution, and famine are not the things that keep us from serving Christ from a place of self-less ambition. It’s our self and us thinking that we are owed grace. The bottom line is that we love our things and ourselves and when that love is threatened we retreat into a place of casual Christianity. As if there was such a thing.


Second, self-love keeps us in a place where we can’t love others fully. A sure sign that you are in love with yourself is when you enter relationships thinking, “what am I going to get out of this”, when the attitude should be, “how can I serve, support and surrender to this person for the glory of God”. I am the worlds worst and especially with my wife. I like to do what I want to do too often and that doesn’t glorify God, give security to my wife nor sanctify me as a man who is following Christ. The bottom line is that we love ourselves and our things and when they are number one we neglect Jesus and those he has called us to love.


The last problem with self-love is that it keeps us from taking the gospel where it needs to go. When we are in love with self we will neglect the call on our lives to go, even if it is just across the street or with a colleague at work. Listen, when we fall in love with Jesus and divorce our stinking flesh and it’s desires we will find that Jesus was no respecter of person and that he loved everybody, including us. When we look into the undeserved and powerful love of Jesus our response should be to love everyone with selfless ambition. The bottom line is that if we are in love with ourselves then we haven’t or haven’t often enough looked at the wretchedness of our sin and rebellion towards God and his tender mercy towards us. He loved us when we were and sometimes still are unlovely. Oh, and he said we are suppose to “be like him”.


Love you
tj

Ok, now that I have put you on TJ overload, I will just remind you to check him out on your own. It's always a good thing to support a brother or sister in Christ and lift them up. So if you can't make it or don't live in the area, send up a prayer that TJ's ministry through his music can reach the lost and just glorify Christ.

 

Procrastination at it's finest

Today I have A LOT of stuff to do, but right now I am really putting it off. I had to take a quick break and rest my mind for a minute before getting back to it. Right now I can barely see my desk anymore.

After this short break I will get all this stuff knocked out. And since I included this picture, I figured I would show you a couple of special things in my office. First, this:

This is my going away present from the museum. It is a paper weight. The picture inside is one that I did, so it has sentimental value that they chose to use that picture (It is a rendering of the Lapham-Patterson House in Thomasville that the Historical Society manages). And what girl's office isn't complete with out this?

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. The 2011 SEC Football Helmet Schedule. I love this thing. I print it out every year. I do need to find a pretty frame to put it in though. It just being taped on the wall is pretty tacky. I think I have just the frame at home and it will even match the blue wall in my office. Other than those two things, I haven't done anything to decorate and/or personalize my office. I plan on doing that soon. Maybe you can "Find Nemo" in my top picture above, but I hate to break it to Nemo, he needs to go. So I am on the lookout for some pictures to hang on the wall. Theoretically, it would be nice to hang my diploma on my wall, but it was never framed {hint, mother} but that's ok. Oh- did I mention that I graduated from college SEVEN years ago? I think at this point I should give up on that ever happening. Ok. I have rambled on enough and I realize that this is a really random post, but that is where my head is today. Terribly scatter brained and fried. Back to the grind. Hopefully tomorrow I will have a little more time to think of something more interesting. Happy Wednesday, ya'll!

A Lesson in Forgiveness

Howdy folks! Hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend. Ours was pretty much a rainy holiday, but that's ok. It was a good excuse to stay in and watch movies. :-) I'm thankful to be working at a job that now allows for holidays. At the museum, we were always opened on holidays = you have to work! So it was a nice change of pace to actually enjoy being off. However, I am more than paying for it today. A holiday at the first of the month is never a good idea, especially in the accounting world. So I am super busy closing out books for the month. So I am typing this post very quickly in between wolfing down my pitiful Lean Cuisine I brought for lunch. But I wanted to be sure to post this while it was on my mind and getting distracted by other things. {EDITORS NOTE: It took me 3 hours to write this post! Told you I was busy today...}

The video at the end of this post really spoke to my heart last night. This certain gentleman was brought to my attention by my Sunday School teacher. Apparently all the girls in my Sunday School class have taken it upon themselves to make me the new class project--as in to find me a man. It's super embarrassing and not really something I am interested in doing at the moment, but they are sweet to want to do this for me and you just never know ;) I'm telling you, its like a scene from Fiddler on the Roof. Will Yentil please stand up? Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match. Find me a find. Catch me a catch.....I'm hardcore into musicals, FYI.  Back to my story, this was a guy that my teacher, Robyn really wanted me to meet. He is the pastor at a local, newly-formed church that has really taken off, especially with the younger crowd. Robyn sent me a link to this video for me to watch regardless of if I ever wanted to meet this guy or not. His testimony is just that good. If you watch it, be prepared for a few tears and to be in awe of the power of Jesus and of forgiveness that comes about through Christ.
 


A Story | Big Picture Faith from Adam Kring on Vimeo.

How awesome is that story? Talk about beauty out of ashes! Praise the Lord. It just got me really thinking about stuff and how forgiveness is forgiveness is forgiveness. Its the same, regardless of what offense you are forgiving for. Big or small. Sure, it seems to be harder to forgive someone who intentionally does something that they know is wrong and that they know will hurt you as opposed to forgiving someone who, like Matthew, did something that was a complete accident. But at the end of the day its forgiveness. We forgive because HE forgave us first. Really makes you want to take account and look at your life to see if there is someone you need to forgive (or ask for someone's forgiveness) and to make peace with. To let Erik be an shining example of Christ and what it truly means to love one another. To be thankful for the valleys and the mountain tops in life because they are all ordained by God for a greater picture.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ~Colossians 3:12-14

Seasons

Have you ever gone to church and think that the Pastor's message was just for you? This past Sunday, I promise you that God was speaking directly to me through Bro. Dan's message. This past week I had really been thinking about seasons of life. I know that I haven't really talked much about my and Joseph's divorce on here, because frankly, it's depressing and not something that I really like to talk about. But it is a fact of my life right now and something that I am trying to work through, so I might as well talk about it. Back to my topic.... I was thinking about seasons of life this past week or so. I have been reminding myself over and over that this period is just a season in my life. A season full of sadness and grieving over my husband, our marriage, and all the comes with that. I keep reminding myself that I will only be in this season for a while. One day, my season will change. I have no idea how long God needs to keep me in this season, it is really in His hands. I know there is something He needs to show me and for me to learn during this season. The funny thing is that while I have been thinking about all of this stuff this week, Sunday morning's sermon was on what else? Ecclesiastes 3. "Yes, Lord...You have my attention, I am listening!"

1 There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.


9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

Granted, there have been many times that I have felt like Solomon and decided that everything in life is meaningless. He was right, everything in life is meaningless apart from God. I love verse 11 where it states that He has made everything beautiful in its time. I keep reminding myself of that fact. God will make everything beautiful in His time, even if we can't see the beauty in the midst of the storm. No one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. All I can see at the moment is a little piece of the puzzle. God can see the whole picture and how that piece of the puzzle fits into the bigger scheme of His plans for my life and what that picture will ultimately turn out to be. I have learned a lot from the experience. I have experienced God's love, grace, and mercy more fully unlike any other time in my life. I have also experienced how I can be when I allow myself to take my focus off God and let my fleshly, sinful side rule my thoughts and actions. I have decided that I prefer myself taking the lead from the good Lord instead. Apart from God its easy to become full of bitterness and resentment. To throw yourself a pity party and to question God and ask why would He allow something like this to happen. But when you live in the truth and believe that God does love you and He does care, it helps keep things in perspective. Who am I to question anything? Romans 8:28 states: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. God can work any circumstance for His glory, for the good- if we allow Him to do so. I believe that God has protected me and kept me from an even more painful experience down the road. It may not seem like the best scenario to me right now, but in the end I know that God is faithful.

There is a time for everything under the sun. One day my mourning will turn into dancing. One day this season will be over and I will find myself in a season even better than any other season I have ever experienced. I can say that with confidence, because I know that unlike man, God never breaks a promise. So I am very thankful that the Lord spoke to me and reinforced what I was already thinking. He is an awesome God, is all I can say. Right now you may find yourself in a good season. If so, give thanks for God's blessing. Or you may find yourself in a bad season. If so, give thanks to God anyway. There is ALWAYS something to be thankful to God for. There is always hope through Christ. Remember, God makes all things beautiful in His own time.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. ~Romans 15:4