convicted

Last night in my sorrow and stress I did a lot of complaining about the house situation.  I'm still not over it but I am trying.

I'm slowly working through the Psalms right now.  Last night after I wrote and posted my Weekend Replay, I read Psalm 23.

1 A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4 Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. 6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

This situation is frustrating.  There is no denying that.  But I don't have to just let it ruin my life.  How blessed am I?!  At the same moment that people were losing EVERYTHING in Oklahoma yesterday, I was (and am) more concerned about getting the house that I want and moving in when I want to.  God doesn't promise me that house.  He doesn't promise me to move in 2 weeks before Kyle starts orientation so that we can relax together.  But he does promise me blessings beyond measure.  A heavenly home with him FOREVER.  Why does that truth never blare in my sight as the reality I face in Christ?  Why is his protection and comfort not enough?

Convicted.

weekend replay : easter

It was a good weekend.  And a hard one.  We had some fun with Kyle's family and relaxed some.

Friday was dinner with his sister and her husband, at his favorite Chinese restaurant.

Saturday was hard.  We went to Tennessee to see Kyle's grandfather.  He had a stroke a few months ago.  Kyle went and visited him right after it happened when we got back from an interview trip, but this was my first time seeing him.  I love that man, and was very nervous to see him.  While he is doing much better than the last time Kyle saw him (he can move his left hip a little and is speaking much clearer), he has changed a lot from the last time I saw him at Christmas.  Before the stroke.  The stroke that has shown that his cancer has returned.  The cancer we thought was confined to the kidney they removed.  This is one of the main reasons moving so far away is hard for us.  I'm glad we were able to visit this weekend, it was the first time his grandfather had been in his home since January, and was only for a few hours, but I think he really enjoyed getting to sit in his very old recliner and watch sports with his family.  It also makes me cherish that I was able to capture his 80th birthday celebration with his family and friends back at the end of summer.

Sunday was very long.  The morning started before 6am (I barely slept after 3:30) for the sunrise service out in a small country church.  A few of the Methodist churches in Kyle's home area switch up who hosts each year.  Starts at 6:30, lasts 30min-1hr, lots of old hymns and a short message, followed by a huge breakfast.  Go home, get fixed up, and return for Easter service.  Sunday school starts at 9:30, service from 10:30 to 11:30am.
Rushed home, packed, and headed to my grandmother's an hour away for an awesome lunch with my part of the family.  Drive 3 hours back to Louisville and start the laundry.  Arrive in time for the beginning of the 2nd half of the UofL v Duke game.  When we turned on the tv, they were tied, it was a great game...and I'm glad I missed the terrible leg break of one of the UofL players in the first half.  While Kyle isn't bothered by that stuff (thank goodness since he will see a lot of it), I am forever scarred from witnessing a classmate break his arm in gym during middle school.  Can. not. look.

It was a good weekend.  Delicious food.  Good time with family.  And UofL is headed to the Final Four.  I don't typically care about sports... but this is exciting.

And to top it all off, Game of Thrones returned.  If you have HBO... you should give it a shot.

Its Medical Monday ya'll.  Go link up!

thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

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good friends.  Its been a stressful week, and I am very thankful for good girlfriends that will sit with me (or call me), dig into my heart and comfort me with good biblical truth.

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coincidental scripture.  I love when things will be going a weird way and I will glance at my phone app for verse of the day and it happens to coincide with the situation I am dealing with or be exactly what I need to be reminded of.

verse of the day: 
"God's way is perfect.  All the LORD's promises prove true.  He is a shield for all who look to him for protection."  Psalm 18:30 (NLT)

date night.  It has been a while since we have had a true date night.  And thanks to a valentine's gift from my parents, we had a good excuse to have one.  So last night, we headed over to Hammerheads for a delicious night out.  A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.  Elk burger on a pretzel bun, with brie, added mushrooms, and a HUGE side of smoked mac-n-cheese.  Yeah.  This is one of my favorite spots and is well worth the wait when there is one.

This week I am linking up with:

medical clinic recap

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This weekend I had the privilege of volunteering for the medical clinic at my church Sojourn.  This was the 3rd or 4th time that I have done this, and every time it is just as exciting to see the love that is shared. Our church's main campus is in the middle of some of the more impoverished area of our city.  There are many needs that we can meet, but many we can not.  There is much hurt around us and for one day we try to make it go away.  

In the past, I have always served in the Family Care area, organizing and handing out hygiene products.  This time though, since it was most likely my final time to get to be a part of the clinic, I felt like the Lord was leading me to do something different.  To stretch me in some way.  So I ended up being an advocate.  Advocates are like tour guides.  We learn the layout and direction of flow in the clinic and guide the people we serve through it.  They may not get to see every part of it because of time constraints, but we try to help them in as many ways as they need while they are in our care. So what exactly are we guiding them through?

For one day every quarter, my church turns its old 3 story building (once an elementary school in the heart of Germantown) into a fully functioning care center or medical clinic.  There are SO MANY volunteers to make this whole thing run smoothly.  Of course there are always hiccups along the way, but God provides every time.  This year one of the problems the night before was that someone forgot to rent the curtains for the doctor's area... kinda important... but after some imaginative thinking, some long black sheets pushed into the ceiling tiles worked just fine. 

Let me guide you through our clinic.

Volunteers arrived at 10:30am for training.  Doors opened for care from 12-4.  People started lining up in the cold before 10:30am.

at noon they were let into the staging area to await assignment to an advocate

we then guided them to tables where another volunteer would aid them in filling out medical forms

Next they had the option to see a Chiropractor or go strait to the nurse's station where there were about 16 volunteer nurses giving general medical evaluations

We could also let them go to another region of this room to have glucose levels checked for diabetes screening.

Next stop was upstairs.  Visitors could get signed onto the wait list for dental screenings or on the list to see a doctor.  While they waited we grabbed some lunch.  Taco Salad!!!  No one leaves our clinic hungry.

 If they did not want/need to see a doctor or dentist, we then went "shopping".  Our store is run off of donated items so everything is free to our guests.  We have toiletry/hygiene items.

And a good assortment of canned/boxed food and fresh produce.  Not shown: across the hall was our over the counter pharmacy run by pharmacy tech students from the local school.  Guests could get normal things we take for granted: cough syrup, cough drops, tylenol, advil, antihistamine, vitamins...

 And last but not least, The SPA:

volunteers painted nails

the local massage therapy school gave free massages

And licensed cosmetologists gave free haircuts

This massive undertaking is a little bit different every time we put it on, but no matter what, every time, lives are touched.  Relationships are built.  God is glorified. 
And that is what I love about my church.  It is all about meeting people where they are.  Not in their faked perfect lives, but in their dirty, hurt, messed up ones.
Did we make everything better for the people we served?  No.  There is much work to be done in all of our lives.  But we did bring joy to them for a day.  For a day these families and individuals don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.  For a day they get to feel that people do care about them.  And for some, Jesus becomes less of a story and more of a reality.  They are pointed to the Ultimate provider and healer.  And in most cases, the volunteers' lives were touched as much as the ones we served.

Glory be to the Father.

EDIT:  view the Medical Clinic video by Sojourn Community Church below

view more Sojourn YouTube videos at: SojournLouisville

thankful thursday

 

This Thursday I am thankful for:

My husband. He isn't always perfect, and half the time drives me nuts, but I am no better.  He has really been growing as a leader in and out of our home and I am very proud of him.  Add to that his desire to seek the Lord and lead by example, and I just couldn't ask for a better man.


Nights to be creative.  Last night I FINALLY got to use a Groupon I had been sitting on for a while.  I may not have been super excited about the painting that we were able to get a reservation for, but its growing on me and it was a good excuse to get out of the house with some sweet girls.

A great job. We've been having some pretty cool results lately and its fun to be a part of that.  Over a year's worth of work is finally starting to pay off.  I also greatly enjoy being around my coworkers on a daily basis.  We really are quite a little family in my lab.  This job has really been a testament to God's sovereignty in my life. 




This Thankful Thursday I am linking up with:

Love

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Valentine's Day is always such a weird holiday for me.  I'm annoyed with the commercialized crap we have to be berated with for the weeks before.  The guilt the ads place on men and women alike to pick that "perfect store bought gift".  But I also always hope to have that small act of holiday acknowledgment from my husband... not that I want the chocolate, expensive dinner reservations, or flowers (these are almost banned in my house since Zoe always eats them which always ends in me cleaning up the resulting upset stomach. TMI?)... just a small acknowledgment... the card, the hug, the couch cuddle time with a movie... heck.. a Snickers candy bar... I'm pretty simple.  But when these things don't happen (and this has happened), I turn into a monster.  

Why??? 

Because I am imperfect.  Because I am putting my desires and hopes in a holiday and in a husband who is just as imperfect as I am.  Because I believe the lies of this world that say I am only loved if I get something of monetary value.  Are the chocolates and the flowers and the jewelry bad things?  NO.  They are beautiful things.  But THINGS all the same.  My hope should not be in whether or not I receive these THINGS, but in the God who provides me with the ability to love despite my sinful heart.  

I had not meant to write this post, but my verse of the day really struck a cord with me, and reminded me of the truths I learned at a Redeemed Marriage event.

Verse of the Day: "Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people?  You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love."  Micah 7:18 (NLT)

Truth:  God is love.  God gives us the ability to love.  Christ teaches us to forgive infinitely, love unconditionally.  1John 4:7 tells us to love one another, for love comes from God.  Romans 5:5 tells us that God pours out his love into his people's hearts.  We cannot truly love without God.  That is where our (my) hope should be.  In a God who is infinitely more wise about the subject than myself in my marriage and everyday relationships.

All the same, I do enjoy thoughtful gifts from friends or my  husband, for whatever the reason.  Because generosity/gift giving is a gift of the Spirit...and so should not be done out of guilt.  Below is a pic of the bracelet my dear friend Julia gave to all of us girls in our small group last night.  You can read about her handmade Valentine's Day here. 

 Isn't this little bracelet completely adorable?  I'm quite smitten.

Blessings.