Convictions...

Tonight was a rough night for me. We went to Community Group and one of the Pastors (Stephen) came to speak to us about where the focus should be within our groups. Rather than focusing on ourselves and our personal fellowship (though that is important), we should be gathering to spur each other on in making disciples in our daily life.

Basically I realized (again) that I am called to share my faith with others. All Christians have that calling. It's a calling that I often ignore or push away. I am so selfish! I worry so much about what people are going to think of me that I fail to share what could save their eternal life.

Stephen made a point that struck me deeply. He said that there are people around us every day who are going to Hell. I knew this already, but just having it said aloud really stung. I know alot of these people. I am around people all the time who don't care about God and don't care if they go to Heaven or Hell (so they say). But I have not made an effort to share the joy that God has given me. And it's more than just joy... it's SALVATION! Because of what Jesus did when He sacrificed His life, I don't have to spend eternity burning! I can have peace because He died for me. My sins are forgiven because He took them to the cross with Him. Why wouldn't I want to share this??

I was also hit by the fact that some people around me might not even KNOW that I'm a Christian!! Sure, I'm a nice person and I do some good things, but God doesn't call us to be "good." If He did, salvation would be based on works, and it's not.

This conviction is one that I have experienced time and time again, and yet I always go back to ignoring it. This time was different. I left Community Group feeling truly broken. I know that I have failed so many times as a Christian, and yet I long to serve God by being obedient!

The time is here. It's time to be bold. "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16).

New Book...

There is something so exciting about buying a new book. I never enjoyed spending $200 on a textbook for school, but when you are buying a book just for pleasure-reading, it is so much fun!!

I have had at least eight people tell me that I "HAVE" to read Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. I fought it for several weeks because I do not really like the idea behind the book... it just did not sound like something I would be interested in reading.

One of my hobbies is reading. I love to get stuck in a book that is so good I simply cannot put it down. I especially love reading fiction. I little romance is good, but not any of those over-the-top romance novels. The best novel I have ever read was Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers. You can read my review of that book here, if you are interested.

A few days ago I had that craving to get stuck in a book again. It has been a while since I have made time to read something just for fun. So I decided to give Twilight a try. All the people who have told me to read it said that I would be unable to put it down. That is exactly what I wanted!

So a few days ago I went to Wal-Mart and anxiously walked to the book section. I always enjoy the experience of buying my book. I found it on the shelf, read the front, read the back, smelled the pages (I love the smell of a new book!), and then carried it proudly to the registers at the front of the store.

There is something so wonderful about the clean, un-bent, fresh pages of a new book. I could hardly wait to get home and turning them! As I dug into the story, I realized how much fun I was having! I just appreciated the fun of doing something non-productive!

So far I am enjoying Twilight, but I think I'm enjoying the fun of reading it even more. It's the little things, isn't it? I'll let you know when I'm finished if it met my expectations... :)

This never gets old....

Why didn't we think of this??!!

"Happy as a Clam!"

I love that expression! Isn't it cute? I use it often, and sometimes substitute "Happy as a Pumpkin." You can't help but smile at the cuteness.

But really, are clams and pumpkins happy? I say YES!

I Like Movies.

There is something so fun about sitting down to watch a good movie. It's like a mental vacation... you can just sit there and not think about anything else.

Here's my question: is it like that for all personality types? Do some people enjoy watching movies just because they are interesting?

I mentioned in the last post that I am a perfectionist and I think alot. These traits can be good and bad. They are good when I get a job done, and it's done well and on time. They are bad when the job is done and I continue to think about what I could have done differently or better.

Sometimes I wish I had complete control over my mind. Have you ever tried to just stop thinking? Try it! It doesn't work. I always had trouble falling asleep at night when I was growing up, and I still do today. My mind just won't rest on it's own! I've learned over the years that since I can't stop thinking, I have to find a way to think about something else... something that puts me at ease. The two things that work best for me are singing hymns in my head or saying scripture verses to myself. These things bring me peace and comfort.

On the weekends, one of our favorite things to do is have "movie fest" at our house. We pick out several movies and just relax on the futon with dinner/snacks/dessert. It is so much fun to just be together and watch our movies. It sounds so silly when you think about it... we're just sitting there watching people act out stories on a screen! Why is that so enjoyable?

Dustin and I have VERY different personalities (opposites attract!). I just asked him why he likes watching movies, and he said "because it's fun." Hahaha!! For me it's a way to stop thinking so much, and for Dustin it's just fun.

So tell me... do you like watching movies? If so, why?

The only problem is that there aren't many good, decent movies anymore. But that's definitely another post!

Well, it's Saturday night! Dustin is home from work! It's time to kick-off a wonderful long weekend with a delicious dinner and... yep, a movie.

Try not; DO!

The only thing I like about Star Wars is that quote from Yoda-
"Try not; Do.
Do or do not.
There is no Try."

Yoda was absolutely right!

I love listening to Dr. Laura Schlessinger on the radio. When she gives people advice and tells them what they should do about a situation, she gets very upset if they say "ok, I'll try..." NO! If you "try" it won't happen. Rather, they should say "ok, I WILL." Make a decision and do it!

I agree with Dr. Laura on that!

All that to say, I'm going to start blogging again! I almost named this blog "Let's Try This Again", but then I thought about how much I hate the word "try" (Thanks Yoda and Dr. Laura!!). I used to blog, and I really loved it! I had alot of people reading my blog regularly (probably more to see pictures than to read what I had to say!). It was like therapy for me!!

I am an English Major, so writing is a passion of mine. I'll write more on that later...

Why did I stop blogging, you ask? Mainly because I started the process of Directorship qualifications with Mary Kay (and I finished it, by the way!!). I was working at the bank AND working my MK business, and I barely had time to cook dinner, much less blog. So I got out of my routine, and I really kinda forgot about the fun of blogging!

Last night I got inspired. I was sitting in the kitchen piddling around on the computer while Dustin sat next to me and played games on his new i-Phone, and I looked through all the pages I have bookmarked. Among them were a ton of blogs!!

One of those many blogs was that of Bonnie Horton. This girl is hilarious! We went to college together, and she was also an English major. We have alot in common... and after reading her blog all the way back to January, I realized that we have more in common than I even realized! We both love our husbands desperately, we both love sleep desperately, we both love expressing ourselves (with humor) through writing/blogging, we are both perfectionists who can't figure out how to "do your best" without doing it perfectly, we both love Rush Limbaugh, we both have husband who enjoy playing silly games like Xbox, and there was more!!

As I read Bonnie's blog, I was laughing out loud at some of the hilarious things she said, and mainly at the funny ways she describes things and situations. I read many posts out loud to Dustin, and he was laughing too. It was fun.

After I finished reading, I realized I had caught the bug. It was the "I HAVE TO BLOG!" bug. So I got ready for bed while thinking about all the things I would love to tell the world (or just the two people who will actually read my blog... same thing).

And as I thought, I realized something else... and Bonnie may also have this in common with me... I express myself so much more completely with words on paper/on screen. I am a little introverted (not nearly as much so as I used to be though!), and my personality is not one that openly jabbers to every person I meet. I would probably be described as quiet. But the truth is that inside my mind is constantly rolling at about 200 mph. I get this quality from my Dad... he is quieter than most, but he also has more wisdom than most (I hope I got that quality too, but I don't think that one can be passed down).

Very often when I'm in a group setting I am thinking of all the things that I want to say, but I want to say them all "right". Sometimes I feel like I'm writing in my mind... like I'm writing down in my brain what would be best to say, but by the time I "proof-read" it, it's too late and the conversation is over. Some would say I think too much. I would say that this is a better alternative to some women I know who blabber out every thought that comes to mind without any thought about what they are saying or how they are saying it!

However, as you can imagine, I can get a little frustrated with my personality because there are so many things I WANT to say that never get said. Hence, my blog. Now do you understand why this is therapy for me?

So, I hope you enjoy my blog as much as I enjoyed Bonnie's!

Here are some things you should know about my blog:
1. I am opinionated.
2. This is not a Mary Kay blog... since it is my job, you will hear about it a little, but that's not my purpose.
3. Actually that's it... haha!

Okay, well I think I've had enough therapy for now. I'LL BE BACK (said "Terminator-Style")!