In The Meantime

At church on Sunday we were blessed with the opportunity to hear from a pastor from Seattle. This man, Pastor Judah Smith, made me a little skeptical at first. As he walked onto the stage, I will be honest, I just did not seem interested in what he had to say. I am extremely connected to our Pastor and I was ready to get back to hearing from him. Well as it would be I was wrong. This man blew me out of my seat. His message was incredible. I know I have said this about prior messages, but if there is any message to actually take the time to watch...it is this one!!

The big question of the message was this, "What do you do when you are not where you used to be and not where you are supposed to be so you are just hanging out in the meantime?" Pastor Judah had me hooked from that question. That was my question. Now, I do not really know where it is that I used to be or where it is that I am suppose to be, but I have a pretty good feeling I am in the meantime. One example of this in my life is I am engaged, but not married. Therefore, I am just hanging out in the meantime. What do I do in the meantime? How do I get the fulfillment I need in the meantime? Jesus. That's it. I need Jesus.

The thing is I feel exactly how Pastor Judah explained it. I have done all that I know how to do...God are we there yet? I have gotten my education, I have gotten valuable experiences, I have good mentors, am I there yet? I have spent less on useless things and more on paying off bills, am I there yet? Then he said something else though; "from here to here could be years!" There are days when the past will look sunny and the future looks bleak. What do I do when I am not where I used to be and not where I am supposed to be? Stay in the boat. That is what he said. When you don't know the answers and it looks kinda scary up ahead stay in the boat. Then it was this sentence that changed it all; "It is not my job to know the answers, it is my job to stay the course and trust God."

I would be crazy to think there is not purpose in the meantime. The highlights are part of the big show, but the meantime allows for the highlights. His comparison was sports. As a spectator you only see the highlights of athletes. You don't see them when they are practicing, eating, or resting to prepare for those highlights. Without that meantime though, their highlights would be nothing. This just really stuck with me. I want to live by God, for God, and with God. Once I get to where I am supposed to be, I want to do it with all that I have for Jesus. I want to change lives for Jesus. I want to stay in the boat so I can reap in due season. In the meantime...I should probably get to know Jesus so I am ready when the highlight comes.

"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago"-Ephesians 2:10

Top 5 Sweetest Beginnings

This week I have decided to state the top 5 Sweetest Beginnings of 2010 in honor of the title of my blog!

1. A New Job-This has been truly awakening. I have been able to challenge myself in ways I am not used to. I have figured out what I like and what I do not like. I have met new people. I believe I was kept in Stillwater and put in this position for a very specific purpose.

2. Preparing For Marriage- Of course this has been very exciting and you can see last Friday's blog to understand what I am looking forward to most!

3. Serving in Lifekids with Zeb- This has been an awesome experience so far. We have gotten to challenge one another spiritually, pray together, and lead together. I could not be happier about this decision.

4. My Bible Study- This 8 week bible study has helped me work through some things in my life and grow closer to Christ. Through growing closer to Christ I have found forgiveness and freedom. I have also found a new friend whom I love dearly! Thanks Tiffany! :)

5. My Lifegroup- I have not been as loyal to my lifegroup as I would like to, but it has still been pretty sweet. I am so happy I decided to join a lifegroup. These women have become part of my life and boy am I glad they are. They are some of the most supportive and sweetest women I know.

Stay tuned for next week's top 5...any suggestions?

Inspired=God-breathed

Inspiration is fun. I find inspiration in so many different ways in my life. I read blogs of others to inspire me to keep writing my own. I seek advice from married women both young and old to be inspired to be a good wife one day. I research advising tools to keep inspired in my work. I look for people in need to be inspired to help others less fortunate than myself. I am constantly in search of ways to stay inspired.

For me, inspiration is the key to my success. I do not want motivation to keep me going. I believe motivation is more or less an obligating term. Motivation makes me feel obligated to do whatever it is I may be doing. Inspiration is different. Inspiration involves emotion and the heart. It involves transparency and stories. I love reading and listening to stories of others because that is what inspires me to keep going. Inspiration is the desire to keep going because someone or something else convinced me it was worth it. Motivation just does not quite get that same glory.

I thought about this concept because I was telling Zeb last night that I needed some motivation to get back to the gym. I have been slacking on working out and it is that time of the year when sweets and good comfort food are everywhere! Apparently a wedding and honeymoon are not motivating enough to get me going. I was doing some research earlier today on workouts and other health related things and that is when it hit me. As I was reading testimonials of others I felt inspired by their story. None of them were saying I am just so happy to be skinny now or look better in that outfit, they were all talking about how good it felt to just be healthy. That was the inspiration I needed. I don't want be obligated to feel motivated in order to fit into a wedding dress I already bought. I want to be inspired to live a healthier lifestyle that includes regular workouts and eating right.

I am thinking God was playing a special role in that reading I was doing this morning. He was teaching me a lesson that I need to apply to my life. Inspiration is special. It comes in many different forms and means something different for every person. Universally though, it involves a love for something that is strong enough to make you do something about it. God is love and therefore I believe he would rather you be inspired to be and do rather than motivated to be and do.

"All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness"-2 Timothy 3:16

What inspires you?

Pumpkin Spice Latte or Merlot?

Yesterday I was listening to Rise and Shine Oklahoma as I normally do while getting ready for work. I heard the word Starbucks and my radar was on. They were talking about possible changes to the Starbucks menu, beer and wine. What? Weird. Good. Bad. I don't know.

Word on the street is they are doing a test run in Atlanta right now. If things go well then it is in. They said that majority of the business at Starbucks happens before 2:30 pm. In an effort to help sales later in the day they have turned to more of a cafe environment rather than coffee shop. I guess their $2.00 drink special after 2:30pm if a coffee was purchased in the morning was not working. Basically, they are looking to offer a selection of wine and beer to late afternoon and evening customers. I am not sure how I feel about this. Starbucks is my favorite coffee shop. They are unique for their coffee. Now with wine in the mix I am confused. Pumpkin Spice Latte or Merlot?

What are your thoughts?

Contest Results

Less than 12 hours ago the wedding photography giveaway contest ended as I am sure all of you know. We, unfortunately, lost by 16 votes. This contest was fun, stressful, nerve wrecking, and intense! The last 48 hours I spent were basically living and breathing this contest. I talked, dreamed, and prayed about it more than I think anything else I have ever done. It was incredible to see the way friends and family pulled through for us. I truly felt blessed at the end of the night.

In those final minutes before midnight it was a whirlwind. I was hurrying people over to the computers, others were shouting the score, my phone was blowing up with text messages, and people were standing around in anticipation of the midnight hour. Then 12:00 hit. I read "contest over" on Andrea Murphy's status and before she had even got to post the winners my heart sank. I heard someone say we were down by 16. I buried my face in my hands right there in the lobby. I was crushed. All of that hard work and campaigning had come down to that moment. We had put in 15 hours over Sunday and Monday just stopping people and asking for a minute of there time for that moment. I tried with everything in me to fight the tears, but when you put all that you have into something and it just slips from your hands I guess it is hard not to cry.

Thank you so much to all the people that helped in a tremendous way! We never could have made it that far without everyone's help. Zeb and I really did have a lot of fun in the process. It was an odd bonding time for us. It makes me excited for the things that we will get to fight for together in the future. I saw a side of Zeb in this contest that I had not seen yet and that just makes it all the more worth it. We grew closer in the process. I think it taught us a little lesson for the future about fighting the good fight together and the benefit it can have in your relationship. And to me these kinds of things that bring family, friends, and strangers together for one cause is what I think life is all about. It is the little things in life that matter most! I can't wait to bring everyone together in person (rather than on facebook) just 7 months and 1 day from today for a very special day in both mine and Zeb's life.