Just being honest...

Today didn't start out that great...so...instead of being a bummer ALL day long, I read God's word and started talking to Him about it. Did it help? YEP!


When days like this come along, I love to list the things that I am thankful for. It is a great way to actually see what God has done in my life and helps put a smile back on my face and loving God more, and more, and more. :)


Today, I want to share my list with you:



-phone calls from my sister.


-teenagers who come to visit from 10 hours away.


-a husband who is trying his best at learning how to comfort me when I'm sick :) and doing a really good job.


-a mom who gives the best advice. ever.

-a dad I can call for help when I've hurt my back pulling weeds.


-teenagers...all of them.


-Butler First United Methodist.


-Moody for accepting my husband. :)


-great adult leaders who gives Kevin a cookie cake when he gets into college.

-friends.


-friends in Belfast, Northern Ireland.


-friends who call me.


-food in my fridge.


-spending beautiful days in Pittsburgh with Kevin, driving around, walking and enjoying bookstores while not having to buy anything. ;)


-3 years of marriage next week!!!!!!



-a job.


-sunshine.


-the Bible online.


-a car that works.


-dance.


-duffer.


-our house.


-having happy friends.


-a brother who can ALWAYS make me smile.





-Being able to see TWO old friends while in Fort Wayne last week! good times.

Ok. That is just a few and I added some pictures for fun :). I hope you're all having a great day.

What are you thankful for today?

Lessons from Bud #2

ok, I know it took me awhile, but I did say there would be another post about my friend, Bud. In the first post I told you who Bud was, so if you forget you could scroll down to help refresh your memory :). I talked about how I want him to know Jesus and how people come into our lives and we never know how long they will be there...so make the MOST of EVERY opportunity!

My last blog post I talked about loving people better.

Now, I'm gonna kind tie those two together and tell you how Bud helped me love better. :)

I am going to be completely honest and say that aside from my grandparents, I haven't really spent much time with anyone over 60. I just chose not to. I have a very ADD personality and need to keep moving 99% of the time so I always thought it was "boring" to sit and have "adult" conversations. :/

Well. That's not always a good thing. Honestly, through talking to Bud...that who perspective I had changed.

Here, read this...

1 Timothy 5: 1 Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. 2 Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.

and...that's just part of it. The Bible has specific instructions on how we are supposed to treat our elders. And it all comes down to... LOVING THEM! When we REALLY love them, we will want to spend time with them, learn from them, and take care of them in any way we can!

Last Saturday I saw Bud :). I asked him if he was going to church for Easter and this was his response, "Well, I went yesterday and I don't know about tomorrow yet. But I'll tell you what I am gonna do. I'm gonna hide an egg for myself tonight and look for it in the morning. By then, I'll probably forget where I put it" hehe. That story was just for fun.

Bud helped me learn how to love my elders. I now really enjoy talking to them and spending time with them. I love hearing about things they have learned over the years. I call my grandparents more now than ever and I'm even going to the Science Museum just so I can tour a submarine just like one my Grandpa was on...

I am so thankful for people like Bud that will sit and have conversations with me. I have SO much to learn.

learning to love...

For those of you who don't know me very well, I want you to know that I LOVE people. I really enjoy talking to people, listening to people, hugging people and a lot of other things that involve people :). For those of you who know me well, I'm pretty sure you knew that :).
So, even though I LOVE people, I am still learning new ways TO love them everyday. Here is a verse in 1 John that I read this morning about love...

1 John 3:18-20 18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

Our actions mean so much! I want to be better at SHOWING people I love them! That means, taking MORE time, MORE energy, MORE everything to love...
I am surrounded by people who do an awesome job at loving me, I wanted to share just a couple of ways people have showed me they love me recently:

~my mom and sister drove 5.5 hours to see me (sure, the outlets are on the way...but im pretty sure they came for me :)
~my sister told me to sit in the front seat, even though I know she wanted to ;)
~my friend text me to see how I was feeling on the day that she gave birth!! (AND while she was in labor!!!)
~my husband took my car to get it inspected before he took his own
~my husband is buying draino and bleach for me today :)
~my sister spent time helping me find clothes for work, rather than getting some for herself
~one of the teenagers order food for kevin and I last night because we got tied up at church longer than we thought
~another one of the teenagers went grocery shopping with me AND help me put it away! (sooooo...thankful for that!)

Those are just a couple that came to my mind right now...I am so thankful for those around me who show their love in different ways!
Now, it's time to get better at REALLY loving people...Here are some ways we can start:
~clean our rooms, WITHOUT our parents asking
~holding the door for someone and letting them walk through first
~choosing to do something that your friend likes, instead of what you would have liked to do
~send random texts, emails, facebooks (is that something?), or phone calls...
~mow our neighbors yard...without them asking or paying!
~hug more
~give someone a ride, even if it's out of the way
~give food to someone who doesnt have any

Those are JUST a couple...
How will you SHOW your love this week?

I LOVE YOU!

my strength and comfort...

I am not going to go into details, but this has been one of the hardest weeks of my life...here is how I'm getting through it and why I choose joy.

Maybe you need this as much as I did...I really feel like I needed to share it.

Psalm 18:30 God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield to all who look to him for protection.


Matthew 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”