Regardless....

I haven't forgotten I have a blog. I swear. And pleading busy-ness just won't cut it. So suffice it to say I have really missed being here and I'm back now.

We are counting down the days and hours until we can move into our new house. We are supposed to close June 30 (4 days from now!!!!). When we sign the dotted line I'm quite certain there will be a collective sigh of relief in the heavenlies. I'm sure God is sick of hearing about this house situation. Since the day we put our condo on the market it seems as if it's been one obstacle after another. From low-ball appraisals, moved closing dates, a seemingly never ending parade of "not the one" houses, etc. we have been more than sick of this. James has said about a thousand times that this has been the most horrible experience of his adult life. And I concur. (right, Meliss?)

So even today, 4 days out, we are still getting (bad) news and having minor setbacks that make me so mad I won't even go into it here but just know it's really really annoying stuff. James got to the place today (a place we've been several times on this journey) where he said, "Is this a sign? Is this not our house?" To which I immediately said "I DON'T CARE! WE'RE MOVING IN REGARDLESS AND GOD WILL JUST HAVE TO BLESS OUR EFFORTS." And yes, I said it in all caps for sure. I don't know if we can take every tiny situation and think it's a sign or a "wink" from God but we've had both positive and negative ones in this experience so I honestly don't know for sure. But I know that the Lord will bless our faithfulness with our finances and as long as we seek him first, all of the other things will be "added unto us."

While bad news seems like the end of the world, and trust me, we've had a friggin buffet of it lately...it's really not. Because at the end of the day we have each other and our sweet baby girl and the Lord has us engraved on the palm of his hand. He knows right where we are and what we face.

This morning we had to do something very difficult. One of James' closest friends is his high school band director, Jay Bolder, and this morning we had to sing at his wife's funeral. Jay asked James to speak and I was so proud of him. She lost a very hard battle to pancreatic cancer but never lost her faith or the spark that she carried.

Yes, Lord. You know right where we are and whether it's yet another set back or a bad diagnosis or even a loved one called home, we will serve you....Regardless.

Saved By The Bell Reunion Update 3 (6/8/09)

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Down to the wire

Official School Countdown:
5 days!!!


Official House Countdown:
25 days!!!

...but who's counting?

(Insert Happy Dance HERE!)

Needing it!

My sweet, secret best friend, Beth Moore gave us an acrostic to help us choose and memorize our scriptures for the Memory Verse challenge. It is to RENEW our mind.

R- Read it! (over and over and over until the words start to come from memory)

E-Examine it! (look for ways that make it easier to memorize.)

N-Need it! (This is the biggie. If you don't NEED a verse you're less likely to memorize it.)

E-Echo it! (Say it over and over and over)

W-Wield it! (Use it as the weapon that it is against the fiery darts of the enemy!)

So my verse for this time is one that I NEED!!!

I am so sarcastic. It's bad. Sometimes it's funny but other times it is just mean. And honest to goodness most of the time I don't mean to be mean! It usually comes out before I can put a filter or a hand over my mouth. It's usually just in time to insert my FOOT in my mouth or get a sideways look from James or my Mom that plainly says "I CANNOT believe you just said that!!" Sometimes I can't for the life of me figure out why they think what I said was mean and not funny, which is almost 100% of the time how I mean for it to be interpreted. But more than once, okay, a lot of the time, I end up saying something pretty harsh or making someone feel stupid. Which is NOT what I want to do. I really want to build others up. Especially with that whole "golden rule" concept looming over us and coupling with my own insecurites. I've seen that shirt that says "Sarcasm: Just one of the services I offer"...which is funny and definitely true of me. But I don't want it to be. Now, keep in mind, I don't want to change my personality. I just want to be able to filter my words and as my sweet friend/boss Cindy says all the time "season my words with salt." So I found this verse and am committing it to memory and to my heart as a reminder of what the Lord has commanded us to do. I looked it up in several translations and liked The Message best (I LOOOVE the Message bible. Some people have different opinions about it but I do believe even though it's an "interpretation" and not an exact word for word "translation" that it IS the Word of God. That's just my two cents.)

So here it is:
1 Peter 3:9 MSG
"Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless- that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing. "

I'm stopping there but I also love the rest of the passage (to verse 12). It is:
"Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, Here's what you do: Say nothing evil or hurtful; Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you're worth. God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he's asked; But he turns his back on those who do evil things. "

So here we go, Lord. Help me to remember this verse and call it up when I want to throw a "zinger."

But Lord, please, let me be funny sometimes! =)