Timing is everything

A Kansas boy. Never in a million years did I see myself dating a Kansas boy. As a matter of fact, I never saw myself dating an Air Force boy. God always has an unique way of bringing two people together and for Jordan and me, it was no different.

As many of you already know, Jordan and I met in Colorado Springs when I was out there attending Focus Leadership Institute. Ironically, he was not attending FLI but was at the Air Force Academy that happened to be 5 minutes away from our apartment. Jordan's best friend, Caleb started coming over to my neighbors/friends apartment because his roommates (Dan) girlfriend (Aimee...a dear friend) invited him over. After coming over a couple of times, Caleb went back and told Jordan, " you have to come over to Aimee's apartment...there are 8 beautiful Christian girls there and I have never seen anything like it...and they actually listen to me when I go on and on about space".  Naturally, it didn't take long for Jordan to come over.:)

So that is how we met. Jordan, Caleb, Dan and a couple other AFA guys would come over just about every weekend. We would make dinner, play games and look at nerdy space stuff. We always had such a great time hanging out.

Then, it came time to start asking girls to the AFA Ring Dance. Little did I know that being able to attend Ring Dance was a pretty big deal. I also didn't realize that Jordan had been waiting to ask me for a few weeks. He says I was intimidating which I think is crazy!

Finally, he called me before he left for Spring Break. After an hour long conversation, he asked me.:)  I came back at the end of May for the Ring Dance and along with some of my other friends who went as well. We all had a BLAST! Prior to Ring Dance, I began to pray that God would make it clear in my heart and in Jordan's as to if we should date. For the first time, I was more concerned about hurting the guys heart than anything else. The minute I saw him in the airport, I knew and had a complete peace that Jordan would lead me towards Christ and that I could trust him and allow him to pursue me.

That weekend it was evident that we both wanted more than a friendship. Although we knew long distance would be difficult, we knew it would be worth it. Jordan has far exceeded my expectations. His love for the Lord, faithfulness, hard work ethic and deep country roots are just a few things that I love about him. :)

Through my relationship with Jordan, God has reminded me that His timing is perfect. Jordan and I both know that our meeting was not luck or coincidence but rather the grace of God and His perfect sovereignty. I believe Solomon's words in Ecclesiastes 3:11 have been displayed in our lives in the past few months, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end". 

Here are some pictures of Jordan's first visit to FL in July.:)

In St. Augustine at the Fort

Jordan, my mom and me

 Jordan and me at the Shuttle Launch

Don't point your finger at me....

Attention: This is for all the nanny/baby-sitters/moms out there...


It is raining outside, the kids are getting antsy and time is crawling by. Don't know what to do?   Never fear...your finger puppet friends are here! Who said making finger puppets aren't fun? I decided to pull out some felt, glue, eyes and other crafty materials and get Matthew and Megan to join me in making some finger puppets. 


I wasn't sure if it would be a hit or a bust but thankfully, it was a hit! So, it is time to pull out your creativity,  your kindergarden education and your imagination and begin this fun craft!


Materials:
Felt (all different colors)
eyes
Glue (either the really hefty kind or a hot glue gun...just make sure not to let the kids use the hot glue gun :))
Feathers 
Pipe cleaners


Here is a picture of the finished product...

And here is just one of the 3 of us...

Just being silly:)

You never stop learning...

I 've always wanted to be a mommy one day. I really do love children. However, it wasn't until recently that I have a deep desire to have a family in the future. What a privilege it would be...to raise children for God's glory!

This is why I am thankful for the opportunities I've had to baby-sit/ nanny over the years. Baby-sitting has allowed me to learn how to discipline and love as Christ would. I am far from knowing what it means to be a mom. However, my mom graciously reminded me the other day that you never stop learning as a parent. When you stop learning, you stop being affective and humble before the Lord.

What made me realize that parenting is a difficult task? Well, it was through a sweet boy, Matthew that I baby-sit (or as he would like to say "kid-sit") twice a week. Matthew loves baseball and he is good! Needless to say, Matthew loves to be outside and active.

The other day, Matthew was begging for me to pitch to him. Lets face it...I've never been Miss Athlete. As much as I try, God just didn't make me that way. However, I was willing to play a little ball with Matthew. So, we head outside and I began to pitch to him. It started out pretty well. I was actually decent at pitching to him and he was making some great hits. Then, the tables turned.

The ball we were using was a little too light. So, I suggested we get a harder ball. He hesitated but then said okay. He picked up a tennis ball and I began to pitch to him using the tennis ball instead. Next thing you know, he slams the ball and where does it go? Yep, it hits me right in the nose. All I can say is this boy knows how to hit a home run!

Now Matthew had no intention of hurting me so I was trying my best to not make it a big deal. However, the blood started coming and I knew I wouldn't be able to hide how much it hurt. Matthew was so sweet as he rushed in to get me paper towels and make sure I was okay.

I am happy to report that my nose fine and I lived to tell the tale!:) Looking back, it was a comical experience. God has a sense of humor! I am doomed if I have all boys. Nonetheless, thanks to my mom, she reminded me that I will never stop learning and God will give me the strength that I need (or I will toughen up in the process)! Here are a couple pictures of Matthew and Megan. They are great kids and I enjoy kid-sitting them!

Life from Above

After deliberating for a couple of weeks, I decided that I am going to keep the blog going. Originally, I was just going to have it for my time at Focus. However, I do love to write and decided that I would keep it up. I also have to give credit to Jordan, Hannah and my mom for encouraging me to keep writing.:)

I've been doing a devotional by Kay Arthur and David Arthur called Lord, Teach Me to Grow Stronger in 28 days. One of the days was particularly convicting to me. David gave an analogy that was so profound and thought provoking. He began the day with the question, "is your life more like a train of a hot-air balloon?". Then, he proceeded to explain the differences:

"A train? Well, it's a series of connected cars, constructed of hard steel, moving in a linear direction and inescapably bound to a rigid track. And maybe, in a similar fashion, you find yourself headed om a certain direction, not necessarily by choice but perhaps by circumstances of life has dealt you. Perhaps you see yourself as an indivdual who has bent, hardened and shaped by life that you have simply lost the freedom to chose the path ahead. Have you lost your ability to be flexible? To adapt to changing environment? Have your patterns become hardened into habits that are nearly impossible to change ?" 

Phew. If I am being honest, I have to say that I had become a train. I was letting my circumstances shape me. It is something I constantly battle and know that on this side of earth, I will continue to battle until I see Jesus face to face. But here is the good news, the challenge that David gave:

"Or maybe you 're more like one of those huge, marvelous hot-air balloons we occasionally see drifting majestically  over the sky: soft in form, flexible in shape, easily changed in direction and letting the wind take you where it may. You have no control over your path each day; you are simply taken where the wind currents decide you should go. You're light, free and you owe no obligation to the rigid tracks far below you."

I want to be a hot-air balloon. Sensitive to the Holy Spirits leading. I want to respond to His current, His nudges and His moving. I want to live an adventure each day- of not necessarily knowing where I'll go or where I'll end up. I want to be flexible rather than rigid. I want God to shape me and to fully cooperate with that shaping process.

It is only through God's grace that I will live life like a hot-air balloon. But, I hope you will join me in the process. As I wake up each day with the goal to live life from above. :)

"FLI" away

"Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so they may take hold of that which is life indeed." -1 Timothy 6:18-19

I believe Paul's exhortation to Timothy was exactly what took place at FLI. The professors and staff instructed us to do good, to be rich in good words, generous and ready to share. We stored up for ourselves treasures of a good foundation for the future so that now, we may take hold of that which is life indeed.

Now, it is our turn to instruct others to do the same. It is time for us to "carry the torch" and "pass the baton". The ways each of us pass the baton will look different. Some of us, will be going overseas (yay Berkeley!), others will be heading back to school and many are waiting for God to reveal the next step. However, we all have the duty to speak in Truth and love and instruct others to as well.

Our graduation was such a sweet time. I'm so thankful my mom and Maddison were able to come. It was so fun to show my mom where I had lived, interned and took classes for the past 4 months. Of course, we got a lot of site seeing in as well! It was a blast.

Yes, it may be the end of FLI but it is merely the beginning of the challenge set before me. I am excited to see where the Lord leads next. Thank you for all of yours prayers and support the past few months! I'll leave you with a few pictures from graduation and mom's visit!

I will miss this beautiful view from my window!

 Our class gift..."The most winsomely attractive class ever"

 My awesome life group who I will miss!!

 And these would be my crazy FLI friends:)

 This sums up our relationship pretty well...:)

 Everyone at FLI knows the significance of this picture...

From the words of Jeremy, "FLI has been great but I'm at my 'Whit's End'!". :) It is great to be home sweet home and I'm so excited to be able to go back and visit CO at the end of May!

Bitter- Sweet

I can't believe we are at the end of the semester. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was flying into the Springs, scared out of my mind. The Lord has done a work this semester! It is hard to fully articulate all that I have learned in the past 4 months. However, I tried to capture a little bit in a slideshow.

Following up with my last post, God has taught me the huge importance of seeing the bigger picture. He has caused me to look around and see those He has placed there to encourage, edify and sharpen me. He has begun to show me the importance of taking a step back to take in the bigger picture and to gain His perspective instead of my own finite perspective.

I'll sum it up in one of my favorite quotes, " We are half-hearted creatures, feeling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to u, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased". 


I hope y'all enjoy the slideshow!

The Big Picture

As I hung onto the rock for my dear life, I began to let the thought consume me that I can't make it to the top. The only thing visible was the rock directly in front of me. No footholes, no place to go...I was stuck; hopeless and defeated. My friends below kept encouraging me by saying, "keep going, don't give up" but it didn't sink in. Why would they say that when it is obvious that I am stuck... at least from my perspective. 


Little did I know that I was only a few steps away from the top. But why did I neglect to see I was so close to the top? After sitting (or hanging) in the same place for over 10 minutes, I began to grow weary and tired. It was that point that I began to ask for help. Thankfully, my friends below graciously helped me (despite my stubbornness) to take the last few steps to the top. By the grace of God, I actually did it!


As I repelled back down and set my feet on solid ground, I looked up at the rock I had just climbed. Then, my friend pointed out where I was stuck and how close it was to the top. It was so much closer that I thought, I just couldn't see past what was right in front of me! I couldn't see the big picture.


In Proverbs 16:9 it says, "The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps". He sees the bigger picture. In the midst of struggle, it is hard to see past what is right in front of us. We get so fixated on the circumstance that we neglect to see what God is doing in the process.


The good news is that we are not alone! We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1). God made us for community. To encourage, sharpen and to share in grace and truth the bigger picture. It is then that the fog lifts, the chains are loosened and we are able to see who we are in light of who God is. We begin to see the struggle we are currently faced with as a small "dot" on our timeline of life. We are free to keep climbing and persevere. 


My dear friend, Maddison shared this verse with me tonight and it was so pertinent to the lesson God has been teaching me about seeing the bigger picture, " O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You. I will give thanks to Your name; For you have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness". That is what our God does...He sees the big picture and works wonders with perfect faithfulness! 


Here are a few more pictures from my first rock climbing experience...

Waiting our turn to climb!

The hardest part was getting started...

I believe this is when I said, "I can't do this!!"

All the guys waiting for their turn...

Meet Brody... This is our little FLI mascot (kinda). He is Kaley's little helper and it was so precious to watch him watch her as she climbed. He was a concerned dog!