Complicated Simplicity

>Chicago Rescued!<

Oprah (yes, that Oprah herself) rescued Chicago and talked about Invisible CHildren on her show. Go check out the site at www.invisiblechildren.com to help. Watch http://mogulus.com/invisiblechildren to see a live feed from Invisible Children (Cameron and Marcus are roadtripping and almost to Chicago from California). So awesome! And watch the musical the Chicago people wrote and performed outisde of Harpo studios here: IC sing to Oprah

>I *heart* the LRA<

If you don't know what the LRA is, you should totally get educated. 90% of them are abducted children and today Inivisible Children (one of my very favorite groups/charities-they have an awesome documentary that you should see if you haven't already) had The Rescue.

Today many people across the US and across the world gathered in cities. They left a photo of themselves with their families at their starting point-they circled themselved and put and x through their face to signify they were abducted. They left them on the ground at the starting point and walked to their "camp". They will stay at the camp until they are "rescued" by the press and someone of affluence (a celebrity or major business owner, etc) If they have been rescued they will go home in the morning at dawn. If they haven't, they are going to try to stay in their camp as long as they possibly can.

I really *really* wanted to go. Paul agreed to go with me and then I realized that it's the last week we have early service and I should probably play the piano for it. So, alas, I was unable to attend the Rescue. However, my heart is there with all of those amazing people right now. With the children in the LRA. Please pray that we can change this situation and stop the Joseph Kony from abducting children into the LRA.

>Please<

On the right hand side (you may have to scroll down a little) there is a picture of baby Stellan. You can click on it to read his momma's blog. He is currently in the hospital and is not doing so well. So if you could just pray for this amazing miracle baby who wasn't supposed to live and did and seemed healthy and now is not. You can read all about it on her blog.

>Promise, Possibility and Perspective<

promise

This year just seems to promise something good. Good things. Amazing things. Wonderful things. I cannot say exactly what, but it just feels like something good is going to happen. I doubt if it will be what any of us expects, and it may come disguised as something not so great, but something good is going to happen this year. It is so full of that promise I can feel it in the air-like a vibration or a hum or that clear acidy electric feel before lightning strikes.

possibility

I have so many ideas and so much drive to execute them. This is the year that, instead of just dreaming of who and what I want to be, I go out and do it. I become who I want to be. I strive for my goals and acheive some of them. I do those things that I always say I want to do. Paul and I have been visiting the fitness center. Robbie has been working out as well (in Colorado), and we are working together to keep it up. To get into shape. This is the year that I am going out there and fully opening myself up to what God has for me. I can't (and won't) share everything at this point in time as some things are just being born and some are still in the workings. I will say that you will be shocked to hear my biggest endeavor. Completely and utterly shocked (and probably excited). It's going to be incredible!

perspective

I think a lot of my optimism has to do with my perspective on life. I have heard a lot of complaining lately. About the economy. About the president. About the state of the world. About the stocks. About their savings. About losing their job (not Paul, just in general). About this and that and the other thing. I hate listening to it, and if I can help it I avoid it altogether. Not that I never complain. Oh no! I am a complainer of the highest degree when I choose to be. However, I have been trying to complain less. To see the benefits of all of those horrible things. Is it difficult? Sure. Our income is tighter than it ever has been. However, God has shown Himself faithful time and again. We have had money to pay all of our bills each month without having to ask anyone to help us out. I share that, not to boast, but to encourage. God is aware of the state of our world. He has it under control, even when it seems like He doesn't. I just encourage you to watch your perspective in everything. Is it difficult when the kids are all screaming, the house is a mess, dinner burns and the bills are piling up? Of course. It isn't always easy. Five years of trying to have a baby with no result has confirmed that. Sometimes I just have to cry it out and be sad for awhile. There's nothing wrong with that. It's what you do after that. Do you wallow? Do you stay in that mood for days on end? Or do you let it go? Admit that you are sad and are going to be sad, but that you can be joyful even in the grief. Do you choose to live-really live-in the midst of the chaos. To make the best of what you have. You choose your attitude each and every day. It's okay to have a bad day. It's okay to be sad and angry and full of grief. However, it's not good to choose to be that way every day. Choose a positive perspective. I assure you that you will soon see this year as full of possibility and promise.

>Check This<

Courtney is donating a can to a food drive for every comment left on her blog until 10 am tomorrow morning. Such a cool idea and worthy of our comments. All you have to do is leave a little comment-simple, huh? And, she's picking one commenter to win an iTunes gift card, so check it out and leave your comment. You can find the post here: Cans for Comments

>Roberta<

 

This one needs some prayer this week (sorry for the not-so-hot photo-it's the most recent one). A lot of stuff going on which means a lot of stress for her. So, if you could spare a prayer for my younger sister Robbie, I would greatly appreciate it. 

>No Secret<

Okay, so it's no secret that tomorrow is election day. And I hope that all of you will get out there and vote, because we have an awesome privilege to take part in democracy. However, I encourage you to vote your heart. Don't vote because of the party. Don't vote because of race. Vote the person that you think will do the best job possible. I am not endorsing a particular candidate. I am not endorsing a particular party. I don't really subscribe to a particular party, I guess you'd call me an Independant. :-)

I just want to urge you to look at all of the issues (not just abortion, which seems to always take the lead) and make sure that you are at peace with the decision you are making. No party, no person, nothing can tell you how to vote or what the best decision for you is. So, please vote your heart. And remember, it's not the government's job to create and maintain moral stability in this country/world-it's the church's. The only way to change the world is to raise children that will change the culture. It's not the school's job to teach our children that creation is the truth or the government's job to help people decide if abortion is okay or not. It's ours.

I'm more conservative in my views, but I think it's important to remain objective and look at everything.

So do us all a favor-vote. Enjoy the democracy that we get to enjoy.

*PSA over*

*stepping off of my soapbox*

   

>Happy Birthday: Church of the Nazarene<

The Church of the Nazarene is turning 100 years old tomorrow. We are celebrating with some birthday cake and punch after church. It's just always so exciting to see how God can use one person to change the world. To see how He can use a denomination and churches all over the world to ilicit change. The church is not perfect, no denomination can make that claim. It is far from where it should be. However, I think that it is important to know where we come from and where we are going. So I challenge you to learn a little bit about where your beliefs come from-your parents, your grandparents, and where your church or denomination started. It is an awesome legacy of faith that although imperfect, can inspire us to live our lives with more gratitude and devotion to God for all He has done and is doing.

So, Happy Birthday Church of the Nazarene! The world has been blessed by your existence.

>Takin' It In<

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in life. So involved. So excited. So overwhelmed.

I forget that life is happening at this very moment around me. It has indeed already started and I can go with the flow and enjoy it, fight it with all of my might to no avail, or withdraw and forget to live it. Robbie wrote a song called "Waiting for Life" (have I mentioned how incredibly talented my sister is?). One particular lyric goes, "We're dreaming of somedays that have come and gone and now are far away. While you're waiting for someone to live your life that's already begun."

It is so true for me sometimes. I am waiting for a certain event to happen or for the perfect circumstances to arrive and causes me to cease living.

Paul and I were talking about "the dream" last night. What it looks like for us and how you plan for it. And yet, I think we are already living our dream. We can't wait around for the perfect financial circumstances or the perfect conditions to start living. We were also talking about God's purpose for us as a couple.

It's so easy for us to focus on the negative of our relationship and forget about the positives. The things we do well together. A book I'm reading asked the question, "Why did Jesus bring you together? What is His plan for your relationship?" We talked about this. God used Paul to help me come out of my shell a little bit. He also used him to help me to grow. God used me to help Paul become more of a leader and less of the follower he was.

And we realized, we do ministry well together. Big surprise, huh? Paul's going to be a pastor, afterall. But, I had never really thought about it. About how perfectly God has talented us and placed us together. And I think we're at a point where we're able to start fully living again. To let go of our worries and insecurities and stop merely surviving. We are ready to live.

It's just so funny how we forget it all too often. We get caught up in the daily grind or in our worry or whatever.

I don't know. Today I just want to be fully in each and every moment. Knowing that the worry and sorrow and grief will be gone one day, and the intense joy and pleasure is but a glimpse of what is to come.

Awesome.

>Joy?<

Today is one of those days. I know that you all have had them. Everything seems to be crashing down around you, making a mess impossible to clean up. The worry increases, the problems become overwhelming and unbearable. You have been trying to hold everything together, and yet it seems like you have simply wasted your time because nothing ever works. And all you want to do is just curl up in a ball and cry for hours on end, because of the hopeless situation. And you think that maybe you should sell the house and all of your possessions and live homeless and simple and only to help others. And the hope drains away and you feel like you are going to be crushed under the weight. And because of this, all of the other problems of the world seem to crop up in your mind, pushing for attention and moping.

So what do you do? How do you handle a situation that seems like it's impossible? At the risk of sounding cliche, you take it to the One for whom nothing is impossible. Seriously. Have you ever just stopped and dropped everything at the feet of Jesus? I mean *everything*. Leaving it so completely that you feel physically lighter. It is a hard thing to do. Because we are human and full of pride, we want to fix things on our own. We try to fix things on our own and hold everything together, when we didn't need to. And then, as a last resort, we seek Him out and give Him our problems, when it's the first thing we should've done.

Once we leave it to Him, we can regain that joy. That feeling that everything is really going to be okay because the worst that can happen is really not that bad in the scheme of things. It's not bad at all, because Jesus is in control and loves us and cares for us-no matter the situation or where we are or what happens. And knowing that makes all the difference, if you'll let it.

Choose joy-it really feels amazing.