Running redeemed

After a nasty illness keeping me sick for a few months and a crazy schedule keeping me from a favorite hobby, I've finally been able to get back into the running routine.  And God, in His goodness, continues to teach me through this silly little hobby.

As I ran yesterday, I realized that for most of my life I've been a runner.  I've run from fear and shame and consequences and mistakes and conflict and pain.  Yet in yesterday's run, I realized that God has redeemed my running.  I no longer run from these things.  Rather, I run to showcase the strength that God has given me.  I run to defy limits, to do that which I once deemed impossible.  I run as a movement of worship, hymns of praise leaving my mouth with each stride.  I run with the purpose of prayer, speaking to my Papa about the people and places that I pass, asking that His will would be done.

What a mighty God we serve, friends!  I pray that He would bring redemption into your lives as He has mine.  I pray that He will use every aspect of your life to bring glory, honor, and praise to Himself.  May He be glorified this day!

My cup runnth over

This morning I had a rare moment of stillness and silence, a moment where my mind was free to reflect on the past year and hope for the year to come.  And in my reflections, I'm reminded yet again of how incredibly blessed I am.

This year, God has blessed me with an overwhelming amount of His truth.  He has reassured me of my identity in Him, taught me how He sees me, opened my eyes to His plan for the world and for my life, freed me from lies and shame.  I am blessed.

This year, God has surrounded me with incredible roommates; He's allowed me to live with three amazing women who speak truth into my life, encourage me, and fill me with laughter.  I'm so grateful that I live with people who will pray for me and who come to me with their requests.  I'm thankful for the conversations that we're able to have with one another about what God is doing in our lives, thankful for the way we're able to speak truth in love and encourage each other, thankful that we're able to wrestle through questions together.  I'm thankful that I can talk to them about anything, big or small.  I'm thankful for the love that with have for and the grace we have with each other.  I'm thankful for their support.  I love how much they make me laugh!  I love that our house is constantly filled with giggles and giddyness, filled with joy.  I love inside jokes that we have and the nicknames that we've given each other, love our crazy singing and silly voices.  I love the family roles we've given each other and how, as cliche as it sounds, they feel like family to me.  I am blessed.

This year, God has increased my gratitude for my family.  His has brought redemption and restoration to our ever growing family.  He has blessed me with the opportunity to spend quality time with my family, blessed me with the reality that we can be not only family but also friends.  He has blessed me with greater involvement in their lives and they in mine.  He has blessed us with evenings of laughter and time together.  He has blessed us with healing and truth.  I am blessed.

This year, God has blessed me with a godly man in my life.  He has use His as yet another vessel to speak truth, love, and grace in my life.  I'm grateful for a man who daily pushes me closer to God via his prayers, words, and actions.  I'm grateful for a man who seeks God above all else.  And I'm thankful for God's perfect plan in our relationship, for the crazy twists and turn that have brought and continue to bring us together.  I am blessed.

This year, I am thankful for the mentors God has blessed me with.  I feel incredibly blessed to have not one but several individuals who are willing to invest in my life.  I'm grateful for individuals who push me closer to God, give me their time, are patient and gracious with me, and lead me.  I am blessed.

This year, God has blessed me with sweet friendship.  He's opened my eyes to the jewel that it is to have so many people whom I've grown up with and still call friend, the people who, though life has brought us far from each other, remain close to each other in heart; friends who still seek to give me 5 minutes here and there or a shared cup of coffee as our schedules allow, friends whose connection runs deep as we seek God together and share all that He's doing and teaching us, friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin.  I am blessed.

This year, God has given me the opportunity to continue my education.  I feel incredibly blessed simply by the fact that God has given me a mind that works and allows me to learn.  I feel privileged to be able to obtain not only a bachelor's degree but also a master's degree.  Further, I feel amazingly privileged to be able to attend a university where God is center, a place where I get to study the Bible and learn more about God, a place where my professors care not only about my academics but also about my life goals and the plans that God has for me, a place where my professors will pray for me and understand that my life consists of much more than just school, a place where I'm encouraged by my classmates and able to discuss the major subjects of life with my peers, a place where much more than just my professional life is invested in.  I am blessed.

This year, God has blessed me with incredible opportunities professionally.  He gave me the gift of an open summer which allowed me to return to the camp I love and be amazed by His power and might; in returning to a place that feels like home, He allowed me to see the spiritual growth of so many that He's allowed me to watch grow up over the years; God's given me the privilege of watching a handful of young people who I love become amazing leaders.  He's allowed me to be used to speak power and truth into their lives.  In His perfect provision, God allowed me to watch over a Swedish princess for a few months.  He allowed me to show His love to this family, gave me the international experience I hoped for while staying close to home, taught me what it means to passionately pray for those who don't know Him, and to live out my faith.  He taught me the value of the little things, taught me that it's the little things that make the big difference.  He allowed me to get paid to do my passion: minister to children.  He allowed me serve the children of my church, to listen to them, to be amazed and challenged by the strength of their faith.  He even allowed me to teach them!  He allowed me to be someone who they could come to with their questions and praises.  He placed into my hands their physical and spiritual well being for a few hours each week.  Further, He allowed them to teach me about God's love and might, His mercy and favor.  Through them, I learned that God is not inhibited by age but can use anyone, even a child.  And God continued to blessed me professionally!  Recently, He allowed me to pursue a position that combines three of my passions: refugees, mentoring, and youth.  He has placed me in a job that allows me to serve the international community while still close to family and school, to invest in the lives of young people from all places of the world.  He's broken my heart for the atrocities of the world, given me a fire for His justice, taught me that He has empowered me to do things greater than I can even imagine.  He has utilized me to bring healing and hope.  He has given me a hunger to know, to learn, to seek His face and His will.  I am blessed.

This year, God has given me the freedom to worship Him with a community of other Christians.  He has given me a church that grows and challenges me, pushing me closer to Him.  He's given me a handful of women who invest in my life and show me what it means to be a strong, godly woman.  He's given me a small group with which I can share not only Christ but my very life.  He has taught me more than a simply webpage can hold through this group.  He has taught me about community and His intentions for the Church through their example.  He's taught me acceptance and communication and to stand up for myself.  He has taught me about love and grace.  I am blessed.

Mostly, this year God has revealed to me how great the gift of Christ truly is in my life.  He has shown me my own brokenness and sinfulness, my disgrace.  He's shown me His redemption and the power of Jesus Christ.  He has shown me the sacrifice that He has made because of His great love for me.  He has given me new life.  He has shown me the power, might, mercy, love, grace, joy, faithfulness, sovereignty, strength, wisdom, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, patience, and perfection that define His character.  He's taught me to trust Him more than I trust myself, taught me that His way is perfect and that His plan for my life is ever surprising and greater than I can even imagine.  He has taught me of His unconditional love and grace, of His heart for me.  I am so incredibly, amazingly, unbelievably blessed!

This season as I reflect, I realize that my cup runnth over with blessing.  I am blessed more than words can say!  And I thank God for that!  Words simply cannot adequately express my gratitude.

And so this Christmas season, I pray that God would open your eyes to His abundant blessing.  I pray that He will slam in your face His perfect provision and plan.  I pray that you would know how high and deep and wide and long His love is for YOU.  I pray that you would come to know Christ abundantly.  I pray that you would seek Him above all else.  I pray that you would come to know that goodness of our LORD and King.  Have a very merry Christmas everyone!

Grace

Grace.

This has become a catchphrase in the Christian world.  It is the foundation of our beliefs; we are redeemed not because of our own works but because of the grace of God alone (Ephesian 2:4-10).

And in its familiarity, I think grace has lost its meaning.  We've come to take grace for granted.  We expect God to forgive our every sin, expect Him to extend His favor to us, expect Him to accept us regardless of our actions.

We take God's gift for granted.  We forget that God has every right to remove His grace from us.  He has every right to call us guilty, for on our own accord, that's what we are.  He has every right to stop forgiving us, to say enough is enough, to say we've finally crossed the line.

God has every right to pour on us the judgment and wrath that we deserve.  Yet He chooses not to.  He chooses to extend His grace.  He chooses to give us the powerful and life changing gift of grace.

LORD, forgive us for taking Your grace for granted.  Forgive us for taking advantage of Your kindness and goodness.  Forgive us for acting like a spoiled child and demanding You give us good gifts.  Forgive us for not responding to Your gifts with gratitude.  Please open our eyes to the truth of what You've done for us; please help us feel the weight of Your gift.  Please teach us to approach Your grace humbly.  Thank You, LORD. 

Follower

At church this morning (yes, I realize this is the 3rd post that starts like that; apparently it was a big day for this kid at church this morning =)), we read through a passage that is quite familiar to me; we read through Matthew 16, focusing in on the verses that describe Peter's declaration of Christ, being appointed a leader in the Church, and then, a change in events, being rebuked by Jesus.  And though this passage is familiar, God used it to speak new truth into my life (praise God that His Word is Living and active).

Peter wasn't rebuked because he had ill intentions; like a good companion, he wanted to protect his friend.  Peter was rebuked because he had in mind the things of men and not the things of God (Matthew 16:23).  Peter was trying to direct Jesus, trying to tell Him what to do.

Being a Christ follower means just that: to follow Christ.  And following indicates that one walks BEHIND Christ; one seeks Christ to guide and direct oneself.  One asks Christ to take the lead.

As we talked through this idea, I felt convicted.  How often do I pray for my will to be done rather than first seeking God's plan?  My intentions are good: for a person to be healed or provided for, a conflict to be resolved, a relationship to be restored.  Yet God's ways are higher than ours; sometimes He allows suffering for His greater purpose (further, He promises that following Him will include suffering and even death; see Matthew 16:24-27) . Sometimes our common sense solutions fall short of the grandness of His plan.

LORD, forgive me for seeking my own way.  Forgive me for leaning on my own understanding.  Forgive me for trying to lead or walk beside You.  Forgive me not taking my rightful place behind You.  Papa, please teach me to follow You.  Teach me to trust Your plan entirely.  Teach me to surrender all to You.  Where You lead, LORD, in matters great or small, where You lead, I will follow.

Reign

I heard this song for the first time at church this morning, and it got me thinking.

God, what does it mean for You to reign?  Obviously You are God and are sovereign and powerful and in control of all things; You have the power and right to rule over all things.

Yet what does it look like to have a King whose subjects refuse to obey Him?  How does a King reign when His subjects do not do as He commands, when they don't follow His commands?

Because God, that's where I feel like we're at.  You are still on Your throne in Heaven, yet we sit here on Earth ignore Your direction.  We choose our own ways instead of Your way.

LORD, as I sing this song, I pray that its words would be fulfilled.  I pray that You would reign forever more.  More so, I pray that You would empower us let You reign in our lives; empower us to obey You, Papa.  Transform this world into a place where its subjects righteously seek Your word and long to obey You, a place where we joyfully submit to our King. Amen and amen!

Joy

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:4-7

At church this morning, we sang a song about rejoicing in the LORD, and this thought hit me:  because of what God has done for us, we have every reason to rejoice.

I'm not talking about praising God when life is going well.  I'm not talking about thanking God for the multitude of blessings that He pours out into my life every day.  

Rather, the magnitude of what God has done for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross truly hit me.  I couldn't help but stand in awe of what this act alone means.  Even if God would take away every single other thing He has ever given me and left me with Christ alone, that would be more than enough.

Sit with that thought, dear friends.  Ruminate on it for awhile.  Let this idea that we so often take for granted truly transform your mind.  

As I do just that, I can't help but rejoice, can't help but sing, can't help but dance.  Look what my great God has done!  

Despite the trials and tribulations and heartaches and frustrations of this world, my God sent His only Son to die for me that I may have eternal life, that I may be redeemed, that my relationship with Yahweh may be restored.  

No matter what else is going on in my life, that in itself is more than enough to cause me to rejoice.  

Surely he took up our infirmities
    and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
    smitten by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:4-5

Sometimes love

Human

A blessed surprise on my drive home from class.

As I pulled off at my usual exit, my eyes caught view of lanky man huddled at the side of the road, a cardboard sign depicting his story.  As I handed him a giftcard I'd been blessed with, his eyes caught my gaze, he let out a soft but violent cough, one that, after having bronchitis for two months now, I've become quite familiar with.  And for a split second, for just a moment, I was reminded of the humanness of it all, reminded that we are no different from each other, that we are both God's children.  And for a split second I wanted to give the world to my brother.

Identity at the Foot of the Cross

Yahweh

Swift 13.1

So, sometimes I get accused of being stubborn because, well, I can be.  =)  And last week Sunday was no exception.  After being sick for over a month and still fighting bronchitis, I decided to take on my first half marathon with one of my favorite roommates.  Seems like a good plan, right?  ;-)

Speaking of good plans, God's plans are pretty awesome!  I was amazed by His perfect provision during the race.  First, I had some awesome support at the start.  And, like I said, I got to run it with my favorite Smelly.  I was surprisingly well (thanks in part to a face mask that kept me from breathing in cold air) until about mile 7.  Then things started to go downhill (and I'm not talking about the course)

For one, I'd started to get hungry.  Of all the things to forget, I didn't pocket my GU for the race.  No worries; there was a GU station in a mile.  Except somehow Amy and I managed to miss it.

Mile 8 is where we started to hit hills, too. If you're a runner, you understand.  =)  And my lovely lung decided to start hurting. Knowing that I needed to slow down if I was going to finish, I told Smelly to go on ahead of me; she'd trained too hard to be slowed down.  She ran about 10 feet in front of me, stopped, turned around, and told me: "No.  We finish together!"  Music to my ears.  =)  And encouragement to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

By mile 9, I was really hurting. And my stomach was loudly assuring me of my hunger.  Giving up my stubbornness, I asked one of the medics if he had any GU in his bag.  He didn't.  BUT one of the runners running next to me at the time told me she had some chews that I could have if I wanted.

Sidenote: here's something that I love about runners and running  When you run, you aren't run against other people.  You run against yourself, run against your limitations, run against your doubts.  And running is like a cult in which only other runners truly understand your ambition.  And thus you bond in some sort of strange community.  You run not for personal gain but to help those along the way.  Despite our own endeavors, we were constantly cheering each other on, encouraging one another that we could accomplish a feat many don't even attempt.  Yeah, there's just something about runners...

But I digress.  So, mile 9 one of my runner friends gave me some much needed fuel.  More so, she empowered me with some much needed encouragement to keep going.

By mile 10, though, I started to feel discouraged again.  As I slowly made my way up a hill, I heard my name being called.  Confused as to who would know me by name out here, I looked up to see three of my biggest fans.  =)  Yup, my brother, sister, and nephew were there cheering me on.  Exactly the encouragement that I needed.  =)

Mile 11, 12, and 13 passed slowly as I tried to breath.  Amy stayed at my side every step of the way, encouraging me when I started to doubt, giving me the push that I needed.  Even offering a high five as we passed each mile marker.

And soon enough, the end was in sight!  We'd done it!  We'd completed our first half marathon!  

Praise God for His perfect provision!  Praise Him that He cares about the little details, cares even about encouraging us in a silly race.  Praise Him that He stands by us even when we're being ridiculously stubborn. Praise Him for placing us in communities that push us toward Him, pick us up when we fall, and lead us when we loose our way.  Praise Him for giving us endurance to keep going when we don't think we can.  Praise Him for providing exactly what we need!  

And, yeah... even though I know I'm still a princess because my Daddy's the King of kings, after 13.1 miles, I definitely didn't smell like it any more.  ;-)

To God be the glory, now and forever!

Step lightly

Your twenties is often an exciting time of constant transition and change, constant discovery, and often, constant planning.

Often it's in your twenties that major life decisions occur about college and career and marriage and friendships and beliefs.  Often it's a crossroads of decisions that direct the rest of your life.  And while this is often an exciting time, it can also often be a stressful time as pressures to map out your life abound.

Except not.  It doesn't have to be.  It can be stress free.

Once again, God has asked me to surrender my plans, to stop living in tomorrow and simply enjoy what He's given me today, for His gifts are more than enough.

There's a popular verse in Psalm 119 that describes God's Word as being a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path.  This isn't a spotlight as we may think of in our culture but  simply a lantern that offers just enough light to see our next step.  God's challenging me to stop asking what His plans are for me 10 years down the road or for when I finish school or for next semester or next month.  Rather, I'm learning to ask God what He has for me this day, how I can be used by Him and for Him this hour, this moment.  I'm learning to trust Him to guide each step rather than demanding I have a full layout of the journey.  And I rest assured in the things that He has for me.

God is good.  Where You lead me, LORD, I will follow.  Step by step, moment by moment, I will follow.

Happiness or holiness?

Lately this question has come up in discussion: does God want us to be happy or holy?

For awhile, I jumped on the latter stance, arguing that ultimately life is not about us but about God and that we should seek His glory above our own desires.  And while I believe that there is some truth in that statement, lately God has been challenging my thinking.

The answer to the above question is simply "yes".  It isn't an either/or but a both.  God calls us to be holy because ultimately holiness is for our good.  God isn't trying to squelch our fun and make our lives miserable.  Rather, He can see the whole horizon while we only see a millimeter in front of our faces.  Those things that we THINK will make us happy now in the end only result in heartache, disappointment, and pain; I know of far too many painful stories that attest to this truth.

God doesn't give us boundaries because He's some harsh dictator; He gives us boundaries because He loves us and wants what's best for us.  He wants us to seek first His kingdom and righteousness because that is what will lead to ultimate fulfillment.  He asks us to exchange immediate happiness for unending joy!  

God is good, friends.  He is faithful.  His ways are perfect.  His ways are so much greater than ours.  Trust Him today. 

Freedom

My prayer has been for God to lead and guide me for His name sake, that He would direct me in His plans.  And God has been faithful in answering this prayer, giving me direction and leadership.

Lately God has been revealing another piece of His guidance to me: God is not a tyrant or puppet master.  When we seek His will, He still gives us the freedom to choose if we will follow it.  Lately I've seen Him set up the perfect scenarios for me to do as He commands while still allowing me the freedom to choose my own way. He loves me enough to allow me to choose my own way; He leads out of love, not force.

An idea that I've heard before, but now see in a new light: how wonderful that the all powerful God and Creator of all things still gives us freedom and choice to follow Him!

Where You lead, LORD, I will follow

Scars

Joshua

Want an epic, action-packed story to read?  Check out the book of Joshua!

As I read through a few chapters of it today, I couldn't help but get caught up in the adventure of it, the epic battles, the greater defeats, the glory of God through it all.  And while reading, I could help but notice that:

-God kept reminding Joshua and the Israelite army to be strong and courageous, not afraid or discouraged, for He was with them.
-Israel and its God had quite the reputation among the surrounding nations
-Every victory was accredited to God and brought Him glory
-No enemy could stand up to God

Says something about being under the presence and provision of God, hey.

Where You lead, LORD, I will follow

The Clancy Clan

Yeah, it's gonna be a good year.  =)

Perhaps I spend too much time with children

Those who know me at all know that there's a sweet spot for kids in my heart.  God's given me a heart for these little ones, and my time reflects that heart as I care for babies 5 days a week, am enveloped by children on Sundays as I help with our kids ministry at church, and pretty much find any excuse to interact with the random kiddos that I encounter.

With all this time with children, I've come to admire their spirit.  Kids are just so full of life!  Especially in the two babes that I care for weekly, I see a great curiosity as everything is new to them, as they explore the world around them.  I love the enthusiasm of children!  I treasure the excitement of the 2 year old as we ventured off to the "jungle" on another adventure, the simply joy of the 7 year old responding to the museum as if it were Disney land, the grand adventure of the 5year old catching new bugs, the imagination of the eight year old scheming things not of this world, the innocent pride of the nine year old when she accomplishes a new task, the thrill of the 3 year old as she discovers the sweetness of life, the excited glee of the 9 month old as she takes her first steps, the contagious laugh of the 8 month old as he revels in tickles, the lively worship of the 8 year old as he dances his praises to Jesus, the passion of the 4 year old as he prays to God, the secure faith of the 6 year who declares confidently the character of God.

Yes, perhaps I spend too much time with children.  Yet through these interactions, God has challenged me.  God reminds me of the simple things in life, of the joy of the discovery of His creation and His character.  He reminds me of the goodness of simplicity and the pain of complicating His world and His promise.  He reminds me of the purity and joy of childlike faith.  He leaves me with a longing to be like this child, to love boundlessly and live fully, to find joy and excitement in every day life, to be not only content but enthusiastic about this day that the LORD has given me.

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.  Matthew 18:2-6 ESV

See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.  Matthew 18:10 ESV

To live is Christ and to die is gain

While packing and preparing for our move this past weekend, I sorted through my things, deciding what would make the move with me, what would be given away, and what would be discarded.  In this process, I sorted through a bunch of papers from my undergrad career.  In this bunch, I came across a paper that I'd written right after I returned from South Africa; the topic of the paper was death.

As I read through its words, I concluded that I could not have been the author; the words seemed foreign to me, seemed to be written by one with much greater faith than I could ever possess.  The pages were filled with thoughts of dying young, of following Christ even when it requires my very life, of obedience to the death.  The paragraphs shone with thoughts of longing for death for death brings me closer to my Jesus.  Sentences rejecting the idea of life support, of medical interventions that would keep me from my Savior.

I was challenged by my own words.  Fresh from the mission field, I had a hunger for and faith in God that was unquenchable.  A hunger and faith that I long for now.  I long for that focus again, long to be rid of the daily distractions that keep my eyes from my God.  And convicted, too, for that focus, faith, and hunger are not bound to missionaries or those overseas; God calls all of His children to commune with Him.

Papa, forgive me for my distractions.  Forgive me for losing sight of what's truly important.  Forgive me for placing the temporary over the eternal.  Forgive me for not trusting Your plans over my own.  Forgive me for leaning on my own understanding.  Be my everything, LORD.  Baptize my mind.  Consume my heart.  Be my sole (and soul) desire.  You are God alone.  You are mighty to save.  LORD, lead and guide me for Your name sake.  May Your will be done and may You be glorified in my life.

I eagerly expectand hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.  Philippians 1:20-26

Ode to 215

This past weekend we moved out of our apartment. As my roommate and I went about packing and cleaning into the wee hours of the night, nostalgia hit; as we lay on the floor of our now empty apartment for our final night there, the memories of all that's transpired over the past year flooded me.  As I drifted into exhaustion, my mind reflected on:

-My first day of seminary
-Singing Veggie Tales with my favorite Smell Smell
-Embracing the affectionate nickname of Smelly
-Running my first (and second and third) 5K
-Running my first half (and then some)
-Cheering on my brother in his first Ironman
-My nephew's birth
-Learning and embracing God's definition of beauty and identity
-Seeing God's perfect plan succeed again and again
-Learning to assert myself
-Leaving past bad habits for good
-Outrunning the Grinch
-Countless coffee dates with good conversation and great friends
- Shortie adventures
-The nanny effect
-My 1 year review at church
-Becoming a member of my church
-Getting involved in two incredible small groups
-Learning more about what godly relationships look like
-Saying goodbye to my grandma
-Camp sweet camp!
-Wrestling with what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ
-Watching once little ones that I love now become godly leaders
-Tank time!
-Flying with my mom for the first time
-Visit from my favorite Tennesseans
-Making a fireplace
-Getting to lead the kiddos at church
- Realizing I've been to Africa as many times as I've been to Chicago
-Witnessing restoration
-Striving for justice
-Prayer runs through the neighborhood
-Learning the power of prayer
-Lots of baking
-Ride for Refuge
-Birthday surprises
-Hair chopping
-Tree climbing
-Beach fun
-Laughing so hard we couldn't breath
-My first car accident
-Encouragement
-Incredible growth
-Humility
-New friends
-No fear
-Learning what faith really means
-Becoming confident in Christ
-Surrender
-Hope
- The wisdom of children
-Laughing with friends until we couldn't breath
-God kicking butt in spiritual warfare
-A cry for our daughters
-Strength
-Transformation
-Meeting a little Swedish princess
-Mattress races

God's blessed me in countless ways this past year.  Can't wait to see what He has in store next!

Where You lead, LORD, I will follow



  

Tikkun olam

No Crayon Left behind

A few Sundays ago, my sister and I ran in "the happiest 5k on the planet!": the Color Run!  Pretty sure it lived up to the hype!  We made have invented a new church denomination, camp theme, and extreme sport of tae bo color running, plus the traditional running here and there and getting covered in color.  Seems like a pretty productive morning.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

All ready to go!

The Lineup

Mango Tango and Screaming Green are ready to go.

We be fiercely colorfied!

Yellow.  This is where I learned it's a bad idea to yell with glee as people throw powdered paint at you. Just sayin...

No Crayon Left Behind!

Sisterly tree hug

Drug!

Color cloud time!

Sisterly love

Color fight!

No fun was had here

Advert for our new extreme sport

Even Ezra got in on the color fun