Special Colors

I love blue and beige because they remind me of the beach.  Thus, my bedroom has these colors in it.  Except for the moisture, mountains, grainy ground, and the palm trees, you can imagine my room looks like this:

Beach Blue

I love purple because it is the color of royalty.  I consider myself royal, so it is only fitting that the color catches my eye.

Royal Purple

Yellow reminds me of the sunrise.  And sunrises make me feel more alive.

Golden-Yellow Sunrise

Pink makes me feel more like a lady.  It reminds me of grace and of quiet strength.  And fun.  Because, after all, pink tends to be a girl color and, it just so happens, that girls just want to have fun. ;)

Ladylike Pink

Things That Make My Heart Very Happy

Knowing God

World Missions 

That genuine laugh you get when something is so unexpectedly funny, and your laughter is not judged as appropriate or not - it is just enjoyed

Little surprise kisses

Holding a baby

A cool breeze on a warm day, and looking up to see sun bursting through a cloud or a group of trees

Sunsets and sunrises

Music

Playing with a child who - for some reason - just loves playing with you

Good, old-fashioned, quality time with a best friend

Fun outdoorsy stuff on a perfectly weathered day 

Picnics

Birthday parties

Finishing a good book

Gerber Daisies

Spontaneous phone calls from my very-far-away, very-important, very-busy brother

Travel

:)

(Not necessarily in that order...)

Throw the Punches

I was reading the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11 one night.. What stuck out to me this time was Mary's reaction when she saw Jesus. She didn't bow down to Him and praise Him for all his miraculous works or sing "Holy Holy Holy" to Him with all 4 verses. She didn't even ask Him to do anything.

She complained. In her pain, she complained to Him!

"If only you had been here, my brother would not have died."

I imagine her words were cold and bitter from her grief. I imagine her mourning veil covered little of her emotions as she told the King of Kings how broken she was that He didn't take action.

It reminded me of the fact that while honor and glory is always and will forever be due to God, He can roll with the punches. He can handle the boos. He can withstand the rotten tomatoes thrown in His face. And He will still love us.

Jacob wrestled with God and got a broken hip from it. But he wrestled with God nonetheless. God can wrestle and still love. God can be beaten and still love. God can be stoned and still love. God can be hated and still love. His love for us doesn't depend on our emotions.

If you are ever struggling and feel bad about dishing it out to God, dish it. He knows the condition of your heart and the pain or anger you are dealing with. And He can take it. Throw the punches, but know that He's still God. While things we do or say can hurt Him, it never changes His love for us.

And that's the truest love you can ever know.

Happy Valentine's Day!



(Original post 11/10/08. Slightly modified.)

One of the Most Important Things....

...to God is relationships.

I would argue that yes, God wants us to have relationships with others on every level and to experience the interest, joy, frustration, excitement, allure, confusion, disappointment, hope, pain, and growth through relationships with others. Why? Because this is the one place in life He knows we are completely hopeless without calling on Him to get us through.

From MotivationalTwist.Com

(Repost from an old blog.  Original publish date was 11/1/08.)

I Love Today

"I Love Today" is one of my favorite phrases. 

I usually say it when it's 70-80 degrees outside and sunny with a nice breeze.  I say it when my heart is full and happy.  And I say it when I'm bummed, just because I know that God made each day, and I want to do my best to love regardless of what circumstances I'm in. 

Today I love today because I am taking an exam that I've been studying for over a course of about 2 months. And taking the exam means I don't have to study for it anymore. 

So I love today.  :)

Dove Love

Dove has been so full of good advice lately, and so full of love for me.  I just thought I'd share some of the sweet notes they've been leaving for me.


Good, positive thinking here:

And this one:

Hope you've enjoyed partially sharing in my delight.  (The chocolate itself was delightful too, but I'm not sharing that unless you come to my office to visit me.)

:)

Go be loving to someone today!

A Love Poem

Oh, the wound of a gentleman
From whom affection once was given
And later retrieved
Breaks a soul more than affection
Ne'er received

Still brevity of life interrupts desire
While sense does slumber

Dear Soul Seeker
Awaken romance to wisdom
And the hungry heart to the fruit
Of its lover

And do not depart
Your plate of Delight
From beautiful, lame humanity
While hope still is available
And true Love still
Is possible



Re-post of an old blog.  Original post date was 2/21/09.

Foods I Love

1. I have a thing about routines.  Unless God convicts me otherwise, they work well for me.  One of my routines is coffee in the mornings.  Sometimes, I will get a nice little treat to go with my coffee.  Here is my favorite:

Starbucks Pumpkin Loaf

2.  Some food items you can put with almost anything and they make a yummy thing better.  Spinach does this for me.  Put it with an omelet, on a wrap, on a sandwich, in a dressing.... Pair it with a meat, other vegetables or fruits, or even saute it in some butter.  Spinach just does it for me.  My most favorite version of this staple is in a salad, though.  I prefer a spinach salad with some sort of berry on it and feta cheese.  Things like mild onions, seeds, bacon, and spices can really dress up a salad like this.  Top it off with a grilled chicken breast, though, and I'm in salad-heaven.  :)

Cranberry-Spinach Salad

3. Do you smell it?  You're driving down your street and your mouth just starts watering.  Well, that's what happens to me, anyways, when I drive home to the smell of someone grilling.  And what better to grill than some juicy beef kabobs and veggies?  I"m not a vegetarian, so no offense intended to my vegan friends.  This is just what I like!  Yum!

Grilled Beef Kabobs

4.  I'd like to note that while I truly only partake of them about twice a year, Ramen Noodles are a nostalgic item for most in my generation.  A blog post about foods would not be complete without their mention.

Ramen Noodles

5.  If you want to fatten me up real good, get me a dozen of these next time I'm stressed out.  Seriously, I'm slightly addicted to chocolate chip cookies, and the ones from Panera Bread are my most favorite of all!  Moist, chewy, and not TOO MANY chips!  :)

Panera Bread's Chocolate Chipper Cookie

6. It doesn't get much better for me than this.  My mouth waters every time I pass fresh raspberries at the grocery store.  It's something I'll splurge on more than most everything else.

Fresh Raspberries

7.  It's just hard to go wrong with a good soup. :)

Soups!

Spilling the Beans on Accounting

I think every Accountant needs to have a minor in Psychology.

I work in a very stressful environment. Perhaps it is just me. Most people THRIVE off of this stress in my office. I tend to get sick over it. It seems to have gotten worse as the economy has gotten worse. I speak with people almost every day that have had a terrible tragedy and somehow they are struggling to get out of the circumstances following it. My role in this scheme is to get them financially organized so they can move forward with banks, budgeting, or other financing to get their feet back under them.

And I am a Christian.

My heart beats to show people the love of Christ. I don't know how to be a Christian and not take my job personally, wherever I'm working. God has officially appointed me to this place for this time where every single tragic person I come into contact with needs a beacon of hope. What can I give to them? I am a broken human being just as they are. I don't have the financial means to bail everyone out in a hard time. I don't have a home to offer to almost-homeless people. I don't have a job to give them.

But I have Jesus. And He makes all the difference. He really does! I can give them my ear to listen to them. I'm really good at listening. I can give them hard work, to save them money on the cost of their services. I can give them conversation peppered with hope. I can give them a simple hug when that's all they really came into the office for...

I may never know until eternity in heaven what impact I have here. But I will strive through every moment of it, however difficult it becomes, however many times I fail, to be a helper to those in need around me. Right now it means organizing them financially, having the grace and mercy to listen to their tragic stories, and having the heart to weep and pray for them when I think of them in my alone time with God.

Hopefully one day they will find peace in the midst of their circumstances, to lean on a Solid Rock, and to know that He quite possibly orchestrated all of their heartache just to bring them to this unspeakable peace. That sounds like such a harsh God, doesn't it? But my hope is that they will see, as I have seen in my heartache, that God works in non-logical ways to bring us joy. Which sometimes involves breaking us into pieces.

Or giving us a very stressful working environment. :o)

Spilling the Beans

(This is a re-post from a blog I used to have.  Original post date was 7/25/09. The post is still as relevant today as is was then.)