The beginning of the end...

Tonight commence the moving-in festivities at my new place (meaning I'm going to take a carload over at some point this evening). My family is pulling into town sometime late tonight with a trailer full of outdoor furniture and we'll be moving Millie's and my furniture over the next day or two.

I have to give a shout out to my MVPs in the pre-move-in prep work: the Artist Formerly Known as My Roommate, Christa, and the newest member of the "Now I'm A Housepainter" Hall of Fame, Chris C. They've been MUCH help in getting my living room, dining room, stairwell, bathroom and main hallway painted and ready (that sounds like a lot, but the place is tiny, trust me). The supporting players were also invaluable: Kristin V., Milli, Bobby G., Brooks R., Will K. and Joel A. I'm so grateful for all of the work that you put in. We'll celebrate together once there's a seat to sit in and a dish from which to dine. I promise.

And I promise to post some pictures soon so those of you near and far can see my little piece of planet Earth. If I can ever remember to get batteries for my stinkin' camera...!

In other news...here are some questions for my readers (all three of you...) that pertain to the awesome Bible study on personal revival that I'm going through at the moment. I'm interested to hear your thoughts:

How would you define "grace"?
What's the difference between "grace" and "mercy"?
How does grace function in your life?

Theeeeey're back...

You Communicate With Your Body

This isn't as bad as it sounds, it just means that you're a "touchy-feely" person. You need a lot of affection in your life. And for you, this means both giving and receiving little touches. Warm hearted, you bond with people easily. In fact, you often feel a little sad when you're not in the company of others. A little moody, you tend to be controlled by your emotions. But a bit hug always comforts you!

How Do You Communicate?

The Movie Of Your Life Is An Indie Flick

You do things your own way - and it's made for colorful times. Your life hasn't turned out how anyone expected, thank goodness! Your best movie matches: Clerks, Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Not a small thing...

Just so all my peeps are kept up-to-date:

I close on the house this Thursday! Can I just say that I'm freaking out a little tiny bit? Mostly because I've packed a grand total of, oh, four boxes to date...

And the fact that I'll be fully financially responsible for any and every mishap that may occur from here on out. But, that's what we pay the insurance company the big bucks for, right?!

God has blessed me with a friend crazy enough to live with me, er...I mean, housemate, and I look forward to getting to know her better and living life together. I'm firmly convinced that God uses roommates in the life of a single person to mold and shape them in the sanctification process. It's not always pretty, but it's always for a purpose. Last fall sometime, in our weekly home group, the other ladies and I were meeting in my living room while the guys convened in the dining room. We were sharing concerns and prayer requests and it came as something of a surprising revelation to hear that the VERY things they struggle with in their homelife with their husbands (empty toilet paper rolls, control issues, different habits/priorities/ways of doing things, lack of respect, pride) are the EXACT things I complain about with regard to my roommates! Learning to live with, respect, love and serve my roommates and how to deal with my pride and control issues now only better prepares me for all of life---including marriage. So, anyway, I'm thankful that Milli is stepping up to bat in that area. Wish her luck. Better yet, pray for the woman. :)

Growing up in Brazil, families in the church had the practice of holding a "thanksgiving service" in their home whenever there was an event of any consequence---buying a new home, someone graduating from school, recovery from illness...anytime they received what they considered a significant gift from God. It was a time to celebrate God's goodness.

I've been thinking about that custom a lot lately and wishing I didn't think people would consider me weird for suggesting doing something of the sort to christen my new abode. It is undeniable that this little piece of the planet was gifted to me by my Father. And I want it to be celebrated as such. I want my friends to pray with me that this home will always be a haven and safe place where people will know God's goodness and grace, enjoy warm hospitality, eat good food and have countless fun times.

Like a weaned child...

Our pastor's sermon this past Sunday was on Matthew 6:25-34. The passage on worry. So we're having an online discussion about the sermons on our church's website and this was my $0.02:

Interestingly enough, I'm also listening to recorded podcasts of a study on Psalm 131 this week:

Psalm 131
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.

She has focused on verses one and two so far and I have been so convicted! So often, I am quick to judge God, questioning his ways or wondering if he really knows what he's doing in my life or in the world. Which flies in the face of a declaration that I trust in Him, and exhalts me to the place of knowing what's right, fair, timely, etc....

But the MOST convicting part has been her exposition of verse two---about quieting my heart and behaving like a weaned child. Which directly relates to that passage in Matthew that we heard on Sunday about anxiety. Our (my) anxious hearts are rarely quiet. There's always something to stress about: my financial needs, my circumstances, the circumstances of others, mismanaged situations of which I am aware, war, world hunger, unjustice, upcoming events, my abilities or lack thereof, the safety of people I care about, whether or not my kids will turn out okay, etc..

But because of God's faithfulness (has he ever proven otherwise?) and goodness, because of who He says He is, I quiet my heart with his truth. And my behavior should be that of a weaned child---not crying and fussing to show that I'm hungry or in pain or am wallowing in my own filth yet again, but rather resting confidently (and---dare I say it?---naively) in the fact that there is someone taking care of me.

I totally share the difficulty of making this knowledge sink into my heart and be manifest in my daily reality. It does resonate with my soul, though. And changing my worry habits will take discipline---the discipline of remembering God's faithfulness, of meditating on the truth of who he is, of nipping certain thought patterns in the bud...

For the sweet tooth...

Yum.

You Are Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

A classic and an original, no wonder everyone snakes your style!

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

You Are Mud Pie

You're the perfect combo of flavor and depth Those who like you give into their impulses

What Kind of Pie Are You?

¡Olé!

You Are Mexican Food

Spicy yet dependable. You pull punches, but people still love you.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Don't know what THIS is about, but I'll go with it...

Butterfinger

They call you sticky fingers for a reason!

What Kind of Candy Are You?

Now this is just gross...but true?

You Are Duck

Exotic and unusual, you are a bit of a rare bird - literally. You're known for being soft and succulent, though at times you can be a bit greasy.

What Kind of Meat Are You?

You guessed it...

ANOTHER QUIZ!

You Are a Bright Star Soul

Like a shining star, you have no trouble being the center of attention In fact, you often feel a bit hurt when all eyes aren't on you You need to be number one in everything, no matter how trivial And it's this ego that both hurts your confidence and helps you acheive You're dramatic and a powerhouse of pure energy You posess a divine quality or uniqueness that's hard to define A natural performer, it's likely you'll become famous in some circles. Just learn not to take everyone's reaction to you so personally! Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul and Prophet Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

I couldn't resist...

I know, I know...these are getting old (not really)... It just TOTALLY fascinates me how they can so accurately peg us in a mere FIVE questions! Amazing...

I mean, I'm a firstborn in reality, but I definitely think this is descriptive of me. Except for maybe my leaving an impression through works of art...

You Are Likely a Second Born

At your darkest moments, you feel inadequate. At work and school. you do best when you're evaluating. When you love someone, you offer them constructive criticism. In friendship, you tend to give a lot of feedback - positive and negative. Your ideal careers are: accounting, banking, art, carpentry, decorating, teaching, and writing novels. You will leave your mark on the world with art and creative projects.

The Birth Order Predictor