how in the world...

did someone find my blog by using the key words "foggy forest horse"...in that order...ummmm....hmmmm....I'm sorry, what?? I laughed at this...very hard:-) And of course, I had to share it with you! Hope you're having a beautiful day with Him!

"Our only business is to LOVE and DELIGHT ourselves in God!"  
            -Brother Lawrence


Thank you Mandy for this wonderful quote!!

today.

Had a wonderfully beautiful rainy day here today. I love the rain...I feel like I come alive with every drop that falls from the ever changing sky. If I could live in a place that rained at some point in every day, I think I'd be really, truly content...well, I am really and truly content now, but there would definitely be a small corner of my soul that would smile with joy it only knows with the coming of rain. True story:-) There are times after long stretches of sun that I ache for the rain to come. I realize this is not normal, but there's just something about the rain...I feel as if the face of my God is that much closer in the rain.

So, feeling Him draw closer because of the rain...:-)....I was thinking about many things today. There was a constant dialogue going between He and I...me asking where, when, how, and He answering with a gentle smile, "I'll let you know, don't worry. Today you are right where you are suppose to be, doing exactly what I've called you to do. And every single thing you do, no matter how small, no matter who it's for, is all for the glory of My Name." Oh...that's right...I mean I know that, I just don't always think about it. There are so many times I get caught up in the grand picture that dances before my eyes. Perhaps it's the precious children I long to rescue, the weak and forgotten I want to give His voice to, the least and broken I want to be His hands for....perhaps it's all this and so much more. Yet, today He has called me to be right where I am, loving on four of the most precious kiddos I know, working for some of my best friends in the whole world, building relationships, cooking to make things easier, giving my time so others can have more of their own to do what He has called them to, looking for pictures, designing, coming to know seven of the most beautiful women who radiate Christ in every way and who I have the pleasure of working with as well, loving my family, loving those He's placed in my life, blogging...:-)....yes, all of this and more. This is what He's called me to today. Today, He has not called me to the mission field. Today, He has not called me to rescue an orphan. Today, He has not called me into the darkest corners of this world to shine His light. Today, He has not asked that I live in a hut in a country that is poor beyond comprehension. Today, He has not given me an orphanage or children to fill it. Today. Though He has not called me to any of this here in this moment today He is clearly showing me that, today, every single thing He has called me to do, no matter how small, is preparing me for all of these things He'll call me to do in the future. And though I may feel they are small and have no meaning today, He is teaching me that I need not have praise for any small thing, but simply learn the lesson they are to teach, so that tomorrow, when my days are filled with all the "big things" I will be wonderfully equipped to handle them...and discover that it was through the "little things" I learned to do today that He taught and made me ready for all that He has called me to tomorrow.

things we (...I) learned on our road trip.

DAY 1:

•  Don’t drink a gallon of coffee before trying to drive 18 hours...really, it makes for a long trip. 

• Aja can squeal at a pitch that should not be humanly possible to reach when she finally sees a Chick-fil-a sign after looking for one for hours.

• Looking over, Aja says, “I have a confession to make.” Preparing for something very serious I turn to her, giving her my full, undivided attention and seriously reply, “Oh, ok. What is it?” Without cracking a smile she says, “ I like Justin Bieber. Like, I really like Justin Bieber.” Watch out world, Aja has Bieber fever!!!

• When stopping at a Kentucky gas station, we learned that the people there are actually our long lost family that we never knew about! Seriously. One nice older gentleman wanted to know where we were coming from, assured me that that was a LONG way (yes, my back side agrees with you, dear Sir), that we needed to take our time and not drive too fast, and made me promise him that we would definitely stop and get a hotel room...twice. You would have loved him, Nanu!

• We love to randomly shout out “Paducah!!” and “Buckboard!!!” while driving...randomly...

• Don’t try to make Aja laugh while eating a cherry...it’s highly possible you could possibly inhale your own cherry pit...yep.

• If you hit a “jail worker” in Illinois, you get fined $10,000...no, we did not put this to the test...however, Aja without any hesitation yells out, “LET’S DO IT!” .....if I was concerned about her before.....

• Missouri boasts some of the most amazing lightning ever! It’s an amazing way to stay awake while driving at 2 in the morning....who needs coffee when one has a lightning show??

DAY 2:

• Upon stopping for candy corn and a book on tape at Cracker Barrel, Aja seriously informs me, “Well, we need to go ahead and get gas, because Kansas is a PSYCHO state and we might run out before we get to another gas station!! ” 

• While pumping gas at said station, hold on tight because there is a high possibility that Kansas could mistake you for Dorothy and blow you to Oz!

• Aja and I both decided that, “Sushi is like fireworks in our mouths!” True story.

in which I eat....

So, here's the thing. I'm southern...like, really southern, which is a beautiful thing...I think;-) I love that I come from the south! You won't find anyone more proud of their state, in fact, now that we're on the topic, I one hundred percent think South Carolina is the most beautiful state, hands down. I am biased:-) There are many other states that have stolen my heart (namely Oregon), but if asked, I will fiercely defend how incredible my home state is (Charleston anyone?) and not accept any other place as coming close.

Yes, the low country of South Carolina is a hauntingly beautiful place, boasting some of the best food in this great land of ours. 'Twas in said low country, that my taste buds experienced something new this evening. You see, I am of the strong opinion that I should try most things, at least once. Not the insane "let me go out and eat the lining of a cow's stomach" kind of anything. But, the normal and sometimes strange "if you're going to go to many different countries you need to get out of your food bubble" kind of anything. And so it was that I found myself sitting in Ms. Flo's restaurant in beautiful Murrel's Inlet, South Carolina this fine summer evening. Not just sitting, but seriously considering something new (thoughts of a plate piled high with baby octopus while living in South Korea flitting through my head) and quite far from my comfort level to try as an appetizer. However, I like a good challenge, especially when it comes to something like this so looking at my Dad, I inquired about said menu item. Saying that he'd quite enjoyed it when he'd eaten it in the past, I bravely agreed to take the plunge and try some.

The waitress, having assured me that I was going to love what was about to be placed before me, scurried off to wrestle said animal so that we might have the most fresh and delectable version....ok, well not really, but she did hurry off at quite a little clip, seeming very eager to have it back out to us. And back she did come (in record time I might add....or was it that I was just wishing for a bit more time to prepare myself for said food?) placing before me something that looked nothing like the animal it had come from. Slowly, I raised the battered, seasoned, and deep fried (I know this is shocking to all my friends who know what a health nut I am) object to my mouth and....crunch...."Now," I thought to myself, "what do you honestly think about this?" myself answered back, "Delicious!" Though, looking back, I'm not sure that the batter and seasoning were not a bit of a ploy to cover up a bit of the flavor...maybe someone who has had the unfried version would be able to enlighten me a bit more?

Now, can you imagine what said item could have been? Oh, look....there's a picture of one below! Gator anyone?

goodbye. I can't say I'll miss you.

I've done it. I've taken the plunge, stepped out of my comfort zone, left behind the norm (well, that's nothing new), walked away from the time eater, and have officially taken back a small slice of my privacy! What did I do, you may ask? For some time now, I've had a conviction...a heavy conviction and one that I was content to justify not obeying. How could I do that?! I know, but I did, I justified away the voice of He who loves me more than life itself for far too long. No more!

You see, He has been ever gently pleading for more time with me, pressing into my soul how much He longs for that extra time, be it five minutes or three hours. Now, if the Lord was pressing something on you, wouldn't you immediately do whatever it took to obey with all your heart?! Not me, I'm ashamed to say. And He specifically revealed something in my life that, if I just let go of, would free up said time. Not that I was spending hours upon hours upon the said culprit, but a time eater it was nevertheless. You know, the kind of sneaky time eater where you say to yourself, "Oh, I'll only spend five minutes on it" and look up what seems like a few minutes later to realize an hour has gone by. Yeah. That kind. So finally, I decided that this thing was definitely not worth the time it was stealing away, time I would never be able to redeem or get back. I'm just sorry it took me so long to figure out. And do you know what's happened in the last two days since I removed this from my life? It was like a huge weight was lifted off, like for the first time in five years I could walk and talk and just be, without thinking about what a whole connected community would think. How crazy is it to wonder such things anyway??

Maybe you've figured out what I got rid of by now, but if not, let me utter what it was and be prepared to get a bit defensive (for I did for far too long) but, just hear me out:-) Ok, here it is....are you ready?

Yes, it's gone:-) From my life at least. Now, let me be very clear on something before you want to come hunt me down and shoot me for attacking something that's such a big part of this modern society that we live in. I am not saying in the least that Facebook in and of itself is a bad thing. Many times, I know it can be used for an amazing witness through quotes posted and conversations had. It's an easy way to stay connected with those that you might never be connected with otherwise. However.....and this is a BIG HOWEVER, in my life, it was being used to eat my time far more than it was being used to "witness" to those I was connected with. Since having Facebook, I've been much more connected, almost too connected with those that I otherwise would probably not even allow in my life, but suddenly I was expected to open the door to . Language and conversation that I would never even want to know about, let alone read about in every detail, was suddenly the first thing that popped up on my wall, and never in my life has something been so efficient in forming preconceived ideas of what someone is like, long before I ever meet them. 

Maybe all of this seems foreign to you, maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about in the least and you're thinking right now, "Man, this girl really needed to get rid of FB if it was that distracting in her life." But, you see, here's the thing, I never thought about half this stuff until the last couple days when it was no longer available for me to just hop on and "check real quick" before doing whatever else I needed to do. I wasn't spending hours upon hours mindlessly playing games or reading status after status, but more often than not the "real quick" wasn't as quick as I should have made it. Oh sure, there have been times in the past when I've taken "a break" from Facebook and left for up to a month. Yet, there was always the assurance that I would get it back. And it's a little disturbing, now that I think about it, that I need to take a break from something in the first place! What?!?! Often I have learned if there is something so important in my life that the thought of living without it sends a little shoot of panic through me, which I can justify away, it is definitely an idol that needs to be removed. Anything justified is never good. 

So, here I sit officially Facebook free....free to know that all those times I want to check it "real quick" I can open my Bible instead and read something "real quick" before doing whatever else I need to do. Free to write more blog posts "real quick" or actually read some books I've been meaning to "real quick." I heard an amazing quote some time ago that really convicted me and should have spurred me into doing what I knew was right then. 

"One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time." — John Piper

Ouch. How about dropping to my knees "real quick" and having my time not "eaten" but spent in raising the sword ever higher in my life and charging head long into the battle. Tell me these time eaters are not a ploy of the enemy to waste the time of the saints "real quick" and I'll have to say, you're being willingly deceived. For nothing we do is ever nothing....especially the mindless time eaters. 

"For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."   
-Ephesians 6:12

What makes one of the best nights?

• Chicken bog for dinner (a low country dish that's amazingly delicious....and my favorite...well, next to shrimp and grits)
• Home made chocolate pudding.
• Emma....ah, Mr. Knightly....
• Hot apple-maple cheese cake. Oh. My. Goodness.
• Laughing with two of the best girls in the world!
• Falling asleep on the couch under a snuggly blanket:-) 

Yep, that's a wonderful evening indeed!