what would you do?

For some reason in a meeting yesterday at the office we got started talking about what we would do if we won the lottery. The big one. In the moment all I could think of is that I would pay off my house and a few other small miscellaneous things (like maybe take the fam on a small trip, etc.) and then I would start some sort of foundation to support missionaries going to serve in locations in the 1040 window.  I must admit it will be VERY hard to actually win the lottery if you NEVER actually play the lottery but hey, anything could happen, right?

After sleeping on the curious question, I think my answer is the same. I would still work but I'd probably take a bit of unpaid vacation so I could go on multiple mission trips per year. I'd probably buy Grace a piece of property just so I don't have to set-up the GraceKids room every Sunday (obviously there would be a greater benefit than just that but, it's all about me, right? haha... :) But overall I'd still want to find a way for the bulk of the money to go towards the gospel going forth in the entire 1040 window... particularly India. 

What would you do if you won the lottery?

question of the day.

Will the Tigers be able to break Kentucky's record for the longest conference winning streak tonight against Tony Barbee's (an ex-Calipari assistant when he used to be here at Memphis) UTEP Minners?  Let's hope so.  Oh the drama that is college hoops...

Pants on the ground.

I'm pretty indifferent about American Idol. I don't watch the show BUT I've watched this video on YouTube about a gazillion times and it truly makes me laugh EVERY time. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

Promises.

You know, at one point in my life several years ago I don't know that I really expected to learn big truth from teaching a children's Sunday School class.  These days I do.  It's totally normal.  It's my month to teach GraceKids at my church for the 7-12 year old class.  I love these kids... Anyway, this year's curriculum has been centered around the promises of God for those of us who are found in Christ and the past couple of weeks I've had the joy of teaching on 3 specific promises namely, God will never leave us, nothing can ever separate us from God, and God will complete us (or conform us to the image of Christ).  As these specific promises have been at the forefront of my mind, I can't tell you how many times I've clung to these promises as of late. I'm so thankful we have a loving Father who is faithful to himself and to upholding his own glory, therefore we know that we can trust his promises when everything around us seems unstable.  AND I'm also thankful that the Father has used a curriculum made for little hearts to speak big truth to me as he so graciously reminds me of his promises.      

new toy

I got a new toy this weekend and boy is it great!  I purchased a Vita-Mix blender and I have to admit that it is pretty much the coolest thing ever!  This is the same kind of blender that top chefs on Food Networks' "Iron Chef America" and restaurants like Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Smoothie King use.  Anyway, I submit to you that it's not just a blender because it really does so much more... You can make ice cream, hot soups (yes, they come out of the "blender" piping hot!), grind gains (and then mix with yeast and water and have it knead your dough for you!), juice fresh fruits, make awesome smoothies in 30 seconds AND make your own nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, etc.).  So much healthier eating because you know exactly what you are putting into your food!

I tried my hand at making some fresh peanut butter this weekend and it was SO yummy!  You simply dump in honey roasted peanuts (or any other kind of nut you like) and blend. Can your blender to that?  It comes out nice and warm and oh so nutty!  Seriously, Jiff has nothing on this!  The great thing about this PB is it has no added hydrogenated oils or tons of extra sugar... just peanuts.  Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my "blending" adventures.  I'm thinking of making chicken tortilla soup in my "blender" tonight.

Mobile blogging?

Mobile blogging? Has anyone ever tried it??

***Update: Tried it on a real post and I'm not a fan.

blast from the past

Last year I posted this quote (find it from previous posts here and here) and as yet another year is upon us I thought it might be beneficial to put it out there again.

If God doesn’t rule your mundane,

then he doesn’t rule you, because

that’s where you live.

-Paul Tripp

Happy New Year!

question of the day:

I love Christmas Carols, especially the really good ones that exalt Christ as God coming to earth on behalf of sinners. What I wonder is, do non-believers who sing songs like Hark the Herald Angels Sing, etc. really not get the Truth of which they sing? How can some sing God-glorifying Christmas carols so flippantly? For example, I wonder if Bob Dylan really understands what he is singing about when he sings The First Noel or O' Come all Ye Faithful? Just curious. Anyway, here's to praying that when people sing or hear a Truth-saturated Christmas carol this year they will come to know the everlasting joy found only in the Christ of which they sing.

Merry Christmas!

May you rejoice in Christ this season...

the Lord is near!

A couple of weeks ago, one of our pastors served my church family well by quoting the entire book of Philippians at our annual members meeting. In the midst of his quoting the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see something I'd never seen before. And over the last couple of weeks, I can't count the number of times the Lord has brought this truth back to the forefront of my mind. So what is this truth? It is simply this: So many times we quote Philippians 4:6, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." It's a great verse that most of us have heard a million times. But I submit to you that if you took a poll asking folks what the verse preceding verse 6 in Philippians chapter 4 says, you would get a bunch of blank stares. We hardly ever quote verses 5 in conjunction with 6 despite the fact that they are separated by a semicolon (in the ESV). Now, I will be the first to admit that I'm not the best grammarian BUT I think I remember from high school English (Mrs. Minnis for all you WMHS grads!) that two thoughts separated by a semicolon implies that they are related in some way. So I think in the context of this verse, what gives verse 6 weight and your ability to not be anxious about things and the fact that our requests can be made known to God is precisely because of the end of verse 5: "The Lord is at hand." Or if you read the NASB, "The Lord is near." I love it! Christ is near to his children! So all together now:

"[5] ...The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:5-7

So, the constant reminder of the Holy Spirit over the past couple of weeks to my soul has been: Because the Lord is near, do NOT be anxious about anything and make all your requests known to God by prayer and supplication abounding with thanksgiving. The result: verse 7! Praise God for the reality that his risen Son sits enthroned at his right hand and is so near his children!

it's definitely been a while...

Suffice to say, I've taken a bit of a hiatus from blogging since my last post. To be perfectly honest I've lacked motivation and inspiration (I don't have cute, entertaining kids to post about :). However, I think my break is over and for the one reader that just might still be out there (if I'm lucky), I'll begin blogging again.

Since it's been a while, here's a brief run down of my life since the last post on June 5:

-Summer rolled by without any major note worthy events.

-At the conclusion of the summer, I got to enjoy a brief trip down to the gulf for a little girl time with my mom at the beach. This turned out to be perfect because the guys in my family aren't the biggest beach fans.

-I did indeed have the privilege to run in the 40th running of the ING New York Marathon. It was quite the experience! Fun city. Fabulous race. The experience is worth its own post, so look for that coming soon.

-I also had the joy of going to India for several days on a mission trip at the beginning of November. THAT definitely is worth its own post or even series of posts!

-I've finished a couple of good books since I last posted so don't be surprised if you see a couple of book review in the coming weeks.

-Lastly, I'm running the St. Jude 1/2 marathon this weekend. I LOVE this race... or at least the 1/2 is a blast. I'm running it with a couple of girls from my office and we decided to raise money for St. Jude so if you are in the giving mood hop on over to this site and make a donation!

By the way... it's great to be back!