Delayed post

Its been far too long since I've written in the blog and I have honestly missed it. God has been doing some great things and really opening the doors of opportunity! I cannot wait to share all of the news, once it becomes more finalized. I can share that I finally got a job! Its bittersweet, but I can already tell that God is using it as learning experience. Keep me in your prayers as the next few weeks are going to hectic and exciting.

Desires of your heart

Today I was doing some serious room cleaning & organizing. I was up to my knees in things to give away, when I found one of my new years goal lists from way back in '07. I don't think I've looked at the list since I wrote it, but I unfolded the crinkled paper and started to read. I was amazed at how many of the things on the list I could cross off! Out of a long list of about 40 goals, I had accomplish or am doing about 30. I found myself in a whole new understanding of how much God cares and wants to give us the desires of our hearts. Ps. 37:40 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. He never ceases to amaze me with his love and grace. He gave me every opportunity and gift to accomplish what my heart desired. There are so many goals (on & off that list) I would have never been able to achieve in my own strength, but He made them possible.

Meiko

If you couldn't tell by my last few blogs. I've had trusting in God on my mind a lot. I don't think I can say this enough, God can do some amazingly sick stuff, if you stop being the obnoxious backseat driver and wait on his time and guidance. For about 3 years now, my heart has wanted a small puppy. If you know my dad, you know that dream was a dream that would never be possible. He refused to even consider letting a dog live in the house. I prayed for a puppy everytime I remembered to. Anywho, about 3 weeks ago I was sitting down talking with my dad when out of the blue he says, "Jolene..If you really want a small dog and it wont cost too much. I'll let you get one" My mom & I just looked at each other in shock. Was this the same man that used to say he would never again allow another dog to live in this house?? Too nervous that he would change his mind if he thought about it, I didn't dare ask what made him change his mind abruptly. I anxiously began the search for the right dog, I knew just what I wanted. After seeing a few dogs that just didn't feel quite right, my friend recommended that I try Kijiji.com. In one of the ads I found him, an absolutely handsome 9 week Lhasa Apso puppy. I immediately sent a message showing strong interest in coming to see him. Next morning I received my reply, "Hello Jolene, thanks for your response. Within the first five min. I did get a request to meet Max. She's schedule to come and see him this afternoon. If she does not show I promise I will email you." My heart sank, I had looked for other Lhasa Apsos, but there were none even close to us and not nearly as cute. I told my mom about the situation and we prayed that if God wanted this dog to join our family that he would make a way and have the lady cancel her visit. Next day came and we still hadn't heard back from her, so we assumed it wasn't meant to be & that the lady had taken him. We were mistaken. The day after, I checked my e-mail and the owner sent us an e-mail stating that because of a family emergency that the lady interested in Mas would not be taking him and that if we were still interested to give her a call. My mom & I were once again, in amazement! We quickly called my dad & told him what happened. Soon after we agreed to go see the puppy the next day. To make the story kind of shorter. We immediately fell in love with him. His previous owners were so nice and really cared for him. Everything just moved along so smoothly, there wasn't a doubt in our minds that we should wait to see what other puppies become available. He was the one for us.

Meiko (we renamed him) is now a constant reminder that God cares soo much about our dreams and lives. He even cares about the things that we would consider the not so important dreams. Meiko is a blessing and a lesson bundled up into one fluffy, adorable package.If God cares enough to put all these peices together so I could have my dream come true, how much more is he watching out for our futures! Haven't we learned that it is when WE get impatient and start doing exactly what we feel like doing that we get in to huge messes that we regret.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." --Psalms 46:10

To risk sounding like an advertisement, recently while bouncing around from band myspace to band myspace I came across this talented new artist, Sarah Reeves. I can't express how much her lyrics have spoken to me. Give her a listen! I'd love to hear your thoughts after.

http://www.myspace.com/sarahreevesmusic

Sweet, sweet sound is one of my favorite songs, but I'll let the lyrics speak for themselves.

I am an instrument of the living God
My life a melody to His name
More than the songs I sing
Worship is everything
I live to glorify my King

Hear the song of my life
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
I raise this anthem high
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound

Through all the mire and clay
You're washing me with grace
You carry me, oh Lord, through it all
So I will testify even in the fire
I live to praise my Savior

Hear the song of my life
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
I raise this anthem high
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound

Let everything that has breath
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord
And all creation will sing Hallelujah

Hear the song of my life
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
I raise this anthem high
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
A sweet, sweet sound
A sweet, sweet sound

Don't worry about it

A good friend of mine has this ridiculously annoying saying that he uses anytime he doesn't want to answer a question, "Don't worry about it". As irrelevant as that saying is, it got me thinking...Why do we worry so much? Whether its do I have plans for this weekend, what should I wear or even who am I going to marry, there is no doubt that if there is a choice that needs to be made (no matter how far in the future it is), we are worrying about it. This little thought carried me to the book of Matthew.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. --Matthew 6:25-36 NIV


We get so caught up in worrying that we forget that we aren't in control of things, God is. Now I am not saying that this gives us the justification to be lazy, after all the birds still have to get their food and build their nests , but God is always gonna provide for his creations. We all know Geese fly south in the winter, but who told them that they wouldn't be able to survive northern winters? Who gave them the ability to know which direction is south? Who told them which foods were good and which were bad? Yup you guessed it, No one! God created each species of birds with everything they needed to know to survive. Oh! You want to hear the best part? God did the same for you! He packed you with the gifts and talents and learning abilities to understand, learn, & succeed in everything He has for you! And He even throws in a lifetime guarantee that He will always be there to take care of you, if you'd just stop trying to do everything your way and just be who HE called you to be.
Letting go of my agenda, is possibly the hardest thing God could have me to do (well, that and stop eating junk food). I am one of those people that always need to have a 5 year plan, I think about my future all the time. Ever since I was 8 years old I had a plan (no matter how often it changed), until recently; coming into my senior year of High School, I realized the direction I was going in, wasn't what I wanted at all. As much as I enjoyed Graphic Design, I couldn't do it til I retired. I spent weeks stressing out about what course of action I was gonna take, I'd be up for hours trying to figure out something to do! Then Matthew 6:25-36 hit me like a 10 ton elephant, I had been stressing needlessly! I had wasted all this time freaking out about MY future, that I forgot that MY life is HIS story. He will lead me and present opportunities, if I trust in him and dare I say it, don't worry about it. He has given us everything we need to succeed, if only we could learn to trust in him and focus on one day at a time.

Are you satisfied?

"The critical question for our generation & for every generation is this: if you could have heaven with no sickness and with all the friends you ever had on earth and all the food you ever liked and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed and all the natural beauties you ever saw and all the physical pleasures you ever tasted and no human conflict or any natural disasters could you be satisfied in heaven if Christ was not there? "--Jon Piper

Really think about it. If you really looked into your heart, what would your answer be? Honestly, a lot of times my answer would have been, yes and it kills me to know that. I don't want to be satisfied with anything, except God. I want my life to be His story, I don't want to know that if I could have heaven without Christ, that I would take it. I want to love him so much that he comes before everything in my life. I want an honest and real relationship with the one that loved me so much that he lived a perfect and blameless life and then died a death that I deserved.

In Matthew 22 an expert in the law asked Jesus, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
This is the first and greatest commandment.

When you truly love God, you can't help but talk about him. You can't help but obey his commandments. You can't help but spend time with him. You can't help, but love what he loves.


If you could have a heaven with no sickness or death, with no pain or suffering, with all the friends you ever had and all the food you could ever eat, with every fun activity you ever enjoyed and with everyone in complete peace with one another. Would you be satisfied without Christ?

Amazed-Quick thought

God never ceases to amaze me with all the extraodinary things he does in my life. He will never close a door without opening another, you might just need to wander a little bit before you find it.