The crock pot is our path to financial freedom

Haha, okay so Brian said that just a minute ago sorta as a joke but seriously I am on a kick to cook more efficiently at our house. We are trying to save money in a big way so that we can pay off the debt that we owe and also so that we can pay for an adoption. A couple of years ago we did Financial Peace University w/ Dave Ramsey and we loved it. For some reason we got slack. Well, we are committed to doing this at gazelle speed! So, I am going to purchase a crock pot and we are going to eat IN more than we eat OUT now. I actually like cooking...I'm just not good at planning ahead. So, this crock pot is gonna make me think ahead and leave with me no more excuses like, "Oh...well, everything is already frozen..." or "I mean I guess we could eat that but it might be old..." I mean good grief! So, vegetables, crock pots, less debt and hopefully less weight, here we come!! :)

The Incarnation

This is an excerpt from "The Grand Miracle" by C.S. Lewis.

The story of the Incarnation is the story of a descent and resurrection...one has the picture of a diver, stripping off garment after garment, making himself naked, then flashing for a moment in the air, and then down through the green, and warm, and sunlit water into the pitch black, cold, freezing water, down into the mud and slime, then up again, his lungs bursting, back again to the green and warm and sunlit water, and then at last out into the sunshine, holding in his hand the dripping thing he went down to get. This thing is human nature.

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." -John 10:10

Check out this blog!

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update!

So, I just wanted to tell everyone that I never mentioned that the plague-esque things finally ended. :) We are all healthy and there are no weird pests in our home. God is good and brought us through every bit of it. AND, like He always does...He used something that was intended for our bad for our good!
When our fridge got to a warm 60 degrees we called my dad because it was originally a gift from him and he had the paperwork on it. Thankfully, it did not cost much to get repaired. Anyway, while Brian was talking to my dad, a really nice guy that Brian had met before when he worked for my dad came in to my dad's store. My dad told him that he was talking to Brian and the man said, "oh let me talk to him." So he started asking Brian about how things were going and where he's working. Brian explained that he had been looking for a job for months. The man said, "well, we have an opening at the Thrifty Nickel where I work. I'm sure you could get the job." He told Brian who to talk to and within a week Brian was hired! Brian's friendly smile and ability to talk to ANYONE has helped him a ton with sales! He never knew he would be a good salesman but turns out, he's great at it. The boss said he hasn't seen anyone do such a good job and sell so many ads in a long time. So, thank you so much for your prayers! God is so faithful to take care of us!

Good Teaching

My principal posted this on his blog today and I agree so much with it that I wanted to post it on my blog too. It's from a professor that's credited at the bottom.

I believe with all my heart and soul that caring, not technology or technique or subject mastery, is the most powerful teaching tool at our disposal. If we can put the student at ease, let the student know that we care, we'll have a better relationship. Now, don't confuse sympathy and understanding with slacking off. To the contrary, caring about each individual student makes teaching far less casual and cavalier than lecturing to a class and giving a standardized test that the computer grades. It's a struggle to balance understanding with being reasonably demanding. But if we care, if we stop talking enough to learn how to listen, no matter what we demand, the student is more likely to trust us and do what we're asking. I have seen over and over and over again that to be acutely sensitive to and understanding of students is the hammer and saw of teaching, that caring more about how they feel and think outside the classroom than how they answer a question or what they got on a quiz at times almost has a healing effect. I think part of the public dismay with education is the almost loss of close human contact. Professors are almost totally concerned with asking of the student "what do you know?" So rarely do they care enough to ask "who are you?" The students are more than what they do. They are more than an I.D. number, a name on a seating chart and in a role book, a tuition payment, or an entry on a grade sheet or transcript. There's heart and soul and personality. They come into class with distracting and debilitating economic, social, psychological and spiritual issues.They remind me that if we're deaf to what the students are saying about themselves with word or gesture or even silence, we become blind to why they do what they do. And, when we become blind, we become uninvolved, cold, cynical and callous.
Louis Schmier Dept of History Valdosta St University

A Great Rainy Day

Earlier today I was starting to complain that our day off was full of rain...but as the day has gone by I've been sooo thankful for it. We have stayed in all day and loved it. It has been good for me and Isabel to spend time together. Since I've started working full-time again this school year it has been an adjustment...most days I think it's harder for me than her. hehe. So, our main event of the day was making sugar cookies from scratch. We had picked up these fun cookie cutters a couple weeks back along with a cool icing bottle. All day we worked on these cookies and they turned out really cute. So, now we have a ton of them! If you like sugar cookies, let me know and you can have some!

We made sheep, squirrels, snowflakes, and gingerbread ladies with dresses. :) Oh, and we wore pajamas all day and never put any makeup on besides lip gloss. While we were chilling our dough, I played some songs from the Nutcracker on the piano for Isabel so she could practice her ballet moves. She is currently working on her plie without falling over. That is the only thing I remember from my ballet classes, haha. After the ballet, we read "Olivia's Christmas" and "The Very First Thanksgiving." Brian got home shortly after that and we all realized that the Pasta Fagioli that I planned on making for dinner wouldn't be the same without the main 4 ingredients that we somehow were missing from our cabinet so we braved the weather and went to Asian View for Chinese food! So, we had a good day. Isabel even gave us big kisses and hugs! Such a sweet girl.

Favorite new album

Since I named my blog after one of my favorite Sara Groves' songs I figured that I should post about her new album, "Fireflies and Songs." Her music is so refreshing to me because it's honest and just sounds clean. It's not cluttered with over the top sounds and instruments....it's just good. And, her lyrics aren't hokey or cliche and they're always filled with truth. Anyway, I thought you should know that her new album comes out this month on Nov. 17th but I have a really awesome husband that got me the pre-order special offer so I've been listening to it now since my birthday! It's so good. Here's the website with the special offer: http://www.saragroves.com/

Here's the video for one of the songs:

The Plague

I haven't posted anything in a while and I realized today that it's because it's insane at my house! I think that some form of the plagues have come upon my house. It's ridiculous. I'm not entirely even sure what number we would be on at this point but let's see...

1. Stomach virus in Sept. All of us were out for the count.
2. Weird throat/coughing virus in Oct. I lost my voice 3 weeks ago and it still isn't completely better...I still can't sing along with Christy Nockels.
3. Fruit flies....seriously why are they EVERYWHERE? We don't even have any fresh fruit. (these guys have mostly been eliminated by luring them into a bath of apple cider vinegar and dish washing detergent. between 50-70 flies lost their lives)
4. Strange mosquitoes started flying out of the sink drain in our bathroom....we thought the Drain-o got rid of them until we saw one again today.
5. Our cat got fleas. I have had Jasmine for close to 6 years and she has NEVER had fleas. She got them....bad. They were everywhere!! We have sprayed the cat, the house, got a fancy collar for the cat, applied that frontline plus stuff (which is actually what worked), vacuumed everything we own, washed everything we own, and of course, gotten bitten in between.
6. Our freezer stopped freezing things. We first noticed when the ice cream stayed at a weird squishy texture. So, we thought it was too cramped. We cleared it out...still not freezing. Then, we notice a weird smell over taking the house! We look for old food....none around. Then, we realize that it's the freezer and the refrigerator. They were sitting at a nice 60 degrees. What in the world?! So, Brian tried out something and we have realized that the compressor is not working. Thankfully, we just make the warranty so we are gonna call someone tomorrow. Meanwhile, we are throwing my spaghetti sauce, Isabel's luncheable, margherita pizzas, and everything else in there in the trash.

So....I'm a little concerned y'all. It's nuts over here. It sounds like small things but they are quickly trying to overcome us! Please pray for us!

I'll Worship You

Despite the fact that I have no idea what is happening in our life on any given day, despite the fact that Brian still can't find a job, that I can't listen to the news at all, that adoption costs more than I can fathom, that I don't really know how to pay for all of our bills, that I'm not always nice.....I have hope. I have a God who does know how this story is going to work out and who is always the same, always faithful, always good. So, I'll worship Him. I'll give Him all I have.


Your will is perfect
and Your burden's light
I need to see it better
with Your eyes.

I know I don't understand
but I trust that You've got
a better plan.

chorus:
So I'll worship You
I'll worship You
with all of my heart
with all that I do
I'll worship You
I'll worship You
with all of my heart
It's all that I'll do
i'll worship You

All the days ordained for me
were written in Your book
before one of them came to be

So I will not worry
I will not fret
Even when I can't see
the whole thing yet

chorus

bridge:
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
Your hand will guide me and always hold me fast.
(repeat)

chorus

©2009 Angela Hunt

What in the world?!

So Brian just saw a commercial and I totally didn't believe it. So, I went to the website and lo and behold, it's true. Apparently, folks, you can now get your very own Pasta Bread Bowl from Domino's Pizza. That's right, carbs in a carb bowl. But that's not all!! Now you get a Free Chocolate Lava Crunch Cake if you order a Pasta Bowl! What in the world?? Do you really need all that?? If you don't believe me...see it for yourself! http://www.dominos.com/ Mac and Cheese in a bread bowl...for real.

Summer is full of His glory!

I can't believe that summer will be coming to an end soon. I go back to work in a week. Isabel will start school in just a couple. Fall will come. Fall is actually my favorite season but I received a devotion today from John Eldredge that made me think about how summer is actually full of so much beauty too. I love how the trees are so bright and green. It's super hot out but the sun just makes everything warm and when it hits the water at the pool, it glistens and makes you want to jump in. The flowers seem brighter and fuller. And at night, the sunsets are awesome. And who doesn't love lightning bugs?? I mean they are the only bug that I will voluntarily hold because they're so pretty. And of course, the beach! Just imagining that God's love for us is wider and deeper than the ocean is pretty amazing.

Isaiah 6:3 says

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"

Here's the excerpt from my devotional from the book Captivating:

"Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Stop for a minute and let that sink in. We're so used to evaluating everything (and everyone) by their usefulness, this thought will take a minute or two to dawn on us. Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Which is to say, beauty is in and of itself a great and glorious good, something we need in large and daily doses (for our God has seen fit to arrange for this). Nature at the height of its glory shouts, Beauty is essential! revealing that Beauty is the essence of God. The whole world is full of his glory."

So take a minute to soak in the beauty that He has given us, the beauty that He is.

Farmer's Market

This morning I went to the Farmer's Market here in downtown Winston-Salem. I went with Brian's mom and Isabel. I've been wanting to go because I love Farmer's Markets. They always have fresh stuff and things that you know real people have worked hard on. So, why not support them?? Of course the one downtown is not as large as the one in Greensboro but it did have some good stuff and everything is reasonably priced! We got a bright red pepper for like $1, big scallions (not those skinny wilty ones from the grocery store), freshly baked this morning foccacia bread for $2, corn, a handmade bookmark, a mini poundcake for Brian, a mini coconut pie for my mom, cinnamon coffe cake for a brunch that we're having tomorrow, and some fresh cut flowers! (Just don't leave your flowers in the car too long...mine got a little wilty but I think they're coming back.) So, I think that's pretty awesome and we didn't spend much at all! So you need to go check it out. It's every Tuesday and Thursday 9am-2pm through October. It's right at Cherry and Sixth Street in the downtown Arts District...you can turn left from Trade.

Hermanos y Padrinos

So in case you didn't know...I have a brother. We were separated at birth or something like that. We didn't find out the true story until college when Hollie re-introduced us. haha. I even have a picture over there to prove it. See, I told you we are brother and sister. :)

Well, when Isabel was born we knew that Justin and Hollie would be the best godparents. And they are!! Isabel loves them and they love her! They took her to the zoo, Aunt Hollie listens to her silly stories and plays hide under the blanket with her, and Uncle Justin even bought her Dora dominoes and taught her how to play! They are the best!

So, we were really excited when we found out that they were going to have a baby too!! Yesterday Baby Samuel was 1 month old! Oh, and we get to be his godparents too! We represent the domestic half...Sammy also has a great set of international godparents. :) Anyway, I just had to post these pictures that we took tonight because he is just so cute!

Just Wanna Say

Isabel's favorite song for the past few weeks. :) We've listened to it over and over and I found the video today and thought I'd share it cuz it's so fun!

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

My grandpa's birthday was on Friday. My family always gets together for birthdays. We go to dinner and then go have cake and open presents. My grandpa's favorite kind of cake is pineapple upside-down cake. I have made it for him in the past and it went fairly well. However, I have had several "incidents" happen in the past when baking. I love to cook but I usually shy away from baking because my cakes have imploded, exploded, and somehow I always have a HUGE mess! This one definitely made a huge mess but Brian said he is willing to do ALL of those dishes again just to eat another pineapple upside-down cake like this one. Isabel helped me mix the dry ingredients (and placed the cherries) and the batter actually made enough for several cakes. So, I decided to make a personal mini cake especially for my Paw Paw. :) He LOVED it! I posted a couple pictures of it below! Isn't it cute?!

Hope!

This past year has been crazy...to say the least. What we imagine is terrible God intends to use for our good. Our family is seeing that. Tonight I heard this song again (Less like Scars) and I started thinking about how true it is...especially for our life right now. We are seeing healing instead of broken-heartedness. Our family has renewed passion and joy that we never could have anticipated. Even at church we are learning about Hope! So, what we thought were terrible circumstances or scars are now being redeemed and restored.

Romans 5:3-5 says: "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Here's the chorus of the song. You can watch the video below.

"And I feel you here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars and more like
Character"

Under grace

At our church we are studying Romans 5-8 all summer! I love it! We are currently in chapter 6. It's full of so much goodness, so much truth that we need to hear! I just felt like posting something that stuck out to me.

For far too long, Christians have been told...."if you could just get over that sin" or "if you could work harder on this" then you'd be a "successful Christian." On our own, we are not going to defeat sin. Pastor Alan said, "God is not looking for people who will try harder, He's looking for people who will yield to Him." What a beautiful thought, it's freeing, isn't it? If you are a follower of Jesus then you are no longer under the law....you are under grace! Because of what Jesus did for us, WE ARE JUSTIFIED. God looks at us "just as if we'd never sinned." Now of course sin exists....we know that. But if we started to see ourselves like He sees us then we wouldn't be overcome by sin.

Romans 6:14 says "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
Colossians 2:13 says "He forgave us all our sins having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

Pastor Alan described Satan as a mugger who has a gun with no bullets in it. He tries to accuse us, but there is nothing to accuse us of! We have to stop putting bullets back in the enemy's gun.

So, let's live where we should be...under grace...and free.

Happy 3rd birthday Isa!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Feed the Forgotten

I read Tom Davis' blog (http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/2009/06/three-little-words.html). He's a great author and speaker and he's passionate about adoption and helping the least. I really wanted to share this because I couldn't read it and not share it. Also because the Lord has been bringing up Uganda to me a lot recently. My students at school actually read a story called "Beatrice's Goat" about a little girl who is given a goat from Heifer Intl. The story is based in Uganda and my students have loved learning about it but have also begun to realize the extreme poverty there...and even those little 3rd graders said, "well what can we do?" So....what CAN we do?

This is how much it costs to provide food to starving children in Uganda...seriously.

$0.14 will provide 1 meal
$2.86 will feed someone for 20 days
$1 will feed a family
$20 will feed a family for 20 days

If you're interested, go here: http://www.hopechest.org/?p=337

We All Are the Brokenhearted

I get a daily devotional from John Eldredge and I really liked today's message. We all carry around fragments of our hearts. Some parts might be okay but other parts still lie in ruin. I think it's so beautiful that the first thing that Jesus preaches is this from Isaiah 61 about binding up our broken hearts. He came to make us whole, to live fully.

When Isaiah promised that the Messiah will come to heal the brokenhearted, he was not speaking poetically. The Bible does use metaphor, as when Jesus says, “I am the gate” (John 10:9). Of course, he is not an actual gate like the kind you slammed yesterday; he has no hinges on his body, no knob you turn. He is using metaphor. But when Isaiah talks about the brokenhearted, God is not using metaphor. The Hebrew is leb shabar (leb for “heart,” shabar for “broken”). Isaiah uses the word shabar to describe a bush whose “twigs are dry, they are broken off ” (27:11); to describe the idols of Babylon lying “shattered on the ground” (21:9), as a statue shatters into a thousand pieces when you knock it off the table; or to describe a broken bone (38:13). God is speaking literally here. He says, “Your heart is now in many pieces. I want to heal it.”
The heart can be broken—literally. Just like a branch or a statue or a bone. Can you name any precious thing that can’t? When it comes to “habits” we cannot quit or patterns we cannot stop, anger that flies out of nowhere, fears we cannot overcome, or weaknesses we hate to admit—much of what troubles us comes out of the broken places in our hearts crying out for relief. Jesus speaks as though we are all the brokenhearted. We would do well to trust his perspective on this.
-Waking the Dead p.131-134

You Are For Me

I LOVE this song. Kari Jobe has an amazing voice. Y'all need to get her CD...her heart for worship is evident in all her songs.




You Are For Me by Kari Jobe

So faithful
So constant
So loving and so true
So wonderful in all You do
You fill me
You see me
You know my every move
You love for me to sing to You.

I know that you are for me
I know that you are for me
I know that you will never
forsake me in my weakness and
I know that you have come now
even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who You are.

So patient
So gracious
So merciful and true
So powerful in all you do
You fill me
You see me
You know my every move
You love for me to sing to you.

Lord, I know that you are for me
I know that you are for me
I know that you will never
forsake me in my weakness and
I know that you have come now
even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who You are.

La Lechuza

Here is a cute video of Isa singing one of her favorite songs, "La Lechuza." Oh, una lechuza is an owl. :) Sorry the video is sideways! I didn't realize it until it was too late.

Snickers Feast

So I think this series of commercials is hysterical. I watch them every once in a while when I feel like laughing hard. Don't forget to mute the music player at the bottom of my blog before you click play on the video.

Isabel's Antics

The older that Isabel gets, the sillier she gets. Lately she has said and done some of the funniest things. I was thinking I need to write them down so I thought I'd write some on here and share them! :)

• Isabel has a fascination with mini-vans. Ever since we rented one to go to the beach last summer w/ my family she has decided that she wants one. We told her that maybe one day she could get one but they cost a lot of money. The other day she brings it up again and I said, "well, actually we already have 2 cars." So, she says, "mommy, i have an idea. we can switch and give our cars to some other people and then we can buy a mini-van!" Brilliant Idea! :)


• Isabel also is a big fan of basements. Now, we don't have a basement but my grandparents do and so do our friends, the Smittys. Both basements are fun and full of toys. So, now she says, "Mommy, i think we should find another house....one with a basement. do they cost a lot of money?"


• Isabel refuses to acknowledge any other word for stomach. If we or anyone else calls it "belly" or "tummy" she reminds us, "actually....it's called a stomach."


• Isabel is very particular with song selection....i wonder where she got that from?? hah. Sometimes we listen to our mp3 player, sometimes cds, and sometimes the radio. If we are listening to the radio and just scanning she will say, "wait! that is my favorite song!" and then we have to listen to it. Lately these have been the songs that she wanted to stop on: "Family Tradition" by Hank Williams Jr., "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band, "Back in Black" by ACDC, "What a Fool Believes" by Michael McDonald, and some weird song by Pink about hitting somebody! And no....we don't always let her listen to the songs she wants to hear. Her constant favs are: Anything from a Dora CD, Raffi, Andrew Peterson, Meredith Andrews, and Dierks Bentley.


• One day a couple weeks ago, she came home from school, went straight to the refrigerator and got out a lunchable. She asked for help opening it, ate it, and then went to her room and said, "i'm going to bed now. don't come with me." and she WENT AND FELL ASLEEP!


• Today she was trying to gather medical supplies to care for Cookie Monster and she was describing how she wanted something to put pretend medicine in so I let her use the little cup that comes on top of the Children's Motrin. Her response was, "Oh, that's perfect!"

I'm sure she'll say something silly tomorrow too! :) We love her and her sense of humor!

All I have need of, His hand will provide

I learned to play this song about 6 months ago and didn't know how much it would speak to my heart the more I played it. I started playing it because I thought it was pretty but God has been using it to remind me of His real faithfulness to me and His ability to provide in the midst of chaos.

He's Always Been Faithful to Me
by Sara Groves

Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God's hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways

All I have need of His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me

I can't remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can't remember one single regret
In serving God only and trusting His hand

All I have need of His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me

This is my anthem, This is my song
The theme of the stories I've heard for so long
God has been faithful He will be again
His loving compassion It knows no end

All I have need of His hand will provide
He's always been faithful
He's always been faithful
He's always been faithful to me.

Where have all the Slush Puppies gone?

When I was a kid I lived right off Country Club Road. Up the street from my house was a gas station...I don't recommend going to anymore but back then it was so great because they had the BIG SLUSH PUPPIE MACHINE. My mom would take me up there and I could mix and match flavored syrups to pour onto my perfectly slushed ice. They had blue raspberry, cherry, grape, orange, lime, and maybe some others. Now since then I have tried other slushies. Sheetz has the Cheerwine and 7-up ones, Sams used to have Coke flavored ones, Putt-Putt always had some blue one that I'm not sure what it was, and Sonic has a great variety (I really like their Blue Coconut). I mean those are all okay but they seriously don't stand up to the slush puppie (and yes it's really spelled like that).

So, why am I writing this anyway? Well, the slush puppie machines are disappearing y'all. It's sad. Slowly but surely, each store I know that carries them is closing up shop. The gas station up the street here in Advance had one but then it got knocked over by the expanding road and bridge construction. There used to be one at the gas station on Farmington Road....they removed the machine and now apparently you can get your supply of various tobacco products instead. And yes, the one I first started going to is gone too. I'm pretty sure there is a smelly gas station on Hanes Mall Blvd. that still carries them though and I can also drive out to the 601 Exit but seriously...that's a little far even for a slush puppie.

So I told Brian that when we retire we're gonna buy one and put it in our house. I looked and the big one with 6 flavors is like $3,500. Maybe it'll go down in price by then. :) Brian said that if we get a slush puppie machine then he wants a rotating pretzel machine too (the kind you see at baseball games). Oh, and one of those hot dog rollers from gas stations. So, when we retire, if you feel like eating concession stand food then come on over! With any luck, our neighbors will have a dip'n dots cart.

Be Strong and Courageous

I really think that God leads us to certain books to read at certain times in our lives. Most of the time we don't know why until we're half-way through or have completely finished the book.

Well, I recently finished reading a book called "Just Courage: God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian" and I really recommend that you read this book. It is so good and so eye-opening.

"We have all had moments and glimpses of our own courage.
We've all been brave when we needed to be.
The question is, how can we live more like that? In fact, how can we live like that so consistently that it becomes who we actually are?"

As I read that book I really prayed that I would be more courageous and willing to trust God outside of my comfort zone. Now, I know that some of you are saying, "Angela why on earth did you pray that??? You know He's gonna answer!" Haha, well, I was hopeful that He would but I wasn't really sure how. Let me just say that these past couple weeks, maybe even the past month, God has really been showing off. I mean He is seriously stretching my ability to trust and making me be much more courageous and willing to go on faith. I can't even tell you all the details but here are a few things that I certainly didn't anticipate.

• Brian resigned from his position as youth pastor, a job that he loved.


• We began attending a new church and stopped attending the one that we've been members of since we got married. The one that has many people that we love.


• I began working full-time. Teaching in an area that I've never ever taught or thought of teaching....but I really do enjoy it.


• Only to find out that three weeks later, that position was not approved and I will not receive the full pay or benefits that I was told I would receive. I can remain in the position for less pay and no benefits because of a hiring freeze.


• To find out that we have one week left before our insurance runs up....


• Also, several other crazy things that just make the whole thing seem nuts!

So, needless to say, God is calling us to be courageous in ways that we never ever would have expected. He is revealing all kinds of things, opening doors, closing doors. The coolest thing in this is that in the end He is going to get all of the glory. There is absolutely no way that we on our own could figure these situations out....trust me, we've tried! :) So, I would ask that you would pray for us, pray for a miracle for our insurance, pray for a steady job for either or both of us, honestly we really covet your prayers for our family! We are really so excited to see what God is planning and where He's taking us and so thankful that He is teaching us to be strong and courageous.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Would you rather listen to......

So, Brian and I play this game where we think of two songs that the other person really can't stand and make them choose which one they would rather listen to. We thought it'd be funny to write some up and see which songs y'all would choose! Get ready! Also, if you really actually like one of the songs, don't feel guilty, you're not the only one. If you don't know a song, just look it up on Youtube.

1. The YMCA by the Village People vs. WAR (what is it good for) by Edwin Starr
2. Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners vs. Africa by Toto
3. Open Arms by Journey vs. Dust in the Wind by Kansas
4. Same Auld Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg vs. Christmas Shoes by Newsong
5. Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin vs. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
6. Into the Night by Benny Mardones vs. She's like the Wind by Patrick Swayze
7. Beer for my Horses by Toby Keith & Willie Nelson vs. A Different World by Bucky Covington
8. California Dreamin' by The Mamas and the Papas vs. Age of Aquarius by The Mamas and the Papas
9. Take it on the Run by REO Speedwagon vs. I Want to Know what Love is by Foreigner
10. I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith vs. Kiss from a Rose by Seal
11. Benny and the Jets by Elton John vs. Crocodile Rock by Elton John
12. Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler vs. Love Lift Us Up Where We Belong by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes
13. Cherish by Kool and the Gang vs. Mandy by Barry Manilow
14. Oh What a Night by The Four Seasons vs. Come Sail Away by Styxx
15. We Built This City by Starship vs. The Heart of Rock and Roll by Huey Lewis & the News
16. Informer by Snow vs. Cops (the theme song) by Inner Circle
17. Wipe Out by The Surfaris vs. Tequila by The Champs
18. Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley vs. Blame it on the Rain by Milli Vanilli
19. Longer by Dan Fogelberg vs. Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin
20. If I Could Turn Back Time by Cher vs. When a Man Loves a Woman by Michael Bolton

One of my new favorite songs

One of my very favorite singer/songwriters is Jill Phillips. I love that her songs are so honest and fresh. I highly recommend you to buy any of her CDs but she recently released a new album called "The Good Things." You can't buy her stuff in the store but you can get it on itunes and at her website: http://jillphillips.com/.

Here is a song that I just love and has really spoken to me in this time of my life. It's the title track of the album: "The Good Things." You can actually listen to it on her myspace page (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=17906100)

Every once in a while the world stops spinning enough
That I can take a step back and get the picture
I see the twists and the turns, I see the patterns they form
I see how perfect they are and I remember

All the good things
All the good things
All the good things you’ve done for me

Though the feeling is real I know it’s fleeting to feel
One day I’ll forget you are here and start to wonder
In that season of doubt, You’ll still be showering me
With blessings I can’t see, that can’t be numbered

All the good things
All the good things
All the good things You’ve done for me

Forgive me for my shortsighted look at this world
Where you keep proving that you know what you’re doing

If I could see like you do with your perspective view
The fires I’m walking through would look much different
I’d see those difficult days for who they made me become
And I would count them among

All the good things
All the good things
All the good things You’ve done for me