lacking awe

I can't decide if it's more beneficial or 'harmful' to be taught all of the Bible stories from the time you can listen. I've realized how de-sensitized I am to so many of them. I mean, God commanded a man to go use his only son as a burnt sacrifice?? Are you serious!? If I had heard that for the first time as an adult, I'm not quite sure how I would take it but I do know it would take a lot of intentional thinking and processing. That, as opposed to skimming right over it with a "yeah, I've heard this a hundred times already" mentality. Or what about the story of Jonah? A fish swallowed the dude whole! And there was enough room in his belly for him to survive and he wasn't digested or anything but he was spit back up through the throat... that's some pretty crazy stuff! That doesn't even come close to mentioning all of the miracles that Jesus performed while on earth. I feel almost guilty for not having as much a sense of awe as all of these events deserve! Maybe this is just me who feels this way, and I'm not saying that I am not going to teach Bible stories to my kids... the Bible is full of advice to pass these stories and advice to your children, I simply wonder how I can change my current mindset and and 'train' myself to be in awe??

adorn yourself with modesty and self-control

I had a great conversation with a friend last night regarding modesty.  She had the opportunity to be a part of a panel of ladies who sat before the guys on our local university's track team and answer any questions the guys may have.  She said they had SO many questions about girls and relationships but mostly she was impressed with their concerns over modesty.  They asked what their role is when it comes to their female peers dressing immodestly.  There are still guys concerned with this, concerned with keeping their thoughts pure before the Lord... but how many young ladies (and women) have slacked off on keeping up their end of the deal?  I know I have.  There have been points in my life where I've been extremely convicted of my dress and how it affected my guy friends; but I can see, as time has passed, I have made excuses and justified certain things that I shouldn't.  Why would I want to throw on a baggy sweater when I can chose this outfit that is a guaranteed compliment snatcher?  I know... I know... modesty doesn't have to be ugly, but my point is, there are many outfits in style that I am really tempted to buy.  I throw out excuses like, "well, if all the other girls are wearing it, the boys must be used to it and therefore have 'turned off' their lusting switch when they see us it."  That's when the Holy Spirit needs to throw up a big, "WHATEVER" sign in front of my face (and I need to heed it!).  So I need to keep my priorities straight, do I want men (Christians or not) to be lusting over my body that is supposed to be a temple to the Holy Spirit?  Not a chance.  I hope that honoring my Savior as well as honoring my brother in Christ will be way more important to me than any vain compliment I may otherwise receive.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

On a slightly unrelated note, I read this story this morning:

A neighbor was watching (my dad) as he planted dwarf fruit trees in our yard. "How long will it take for them to bear fruit?" he asked. "Oh, five, maybe six years," Dad replied. "Oh, I wouldn't bother planting fruit trees. I wouldn't want to wait that long," the neighbor said.

Dad was quiet for a moment. "You're already waiting. Might as well have some fruit to look forward to." 

I like that story, it's true about a lot of things.

So glad to know I am not alone in thinking this way.

pack extra underwear

true fact - planes get overbooked. This is why your mom always said to pack an extra pair of underwear! Heidi and I flew into Houston, TX this past weekend for our friend, Tex's, wedding. We were able to spend all of Friday with our great friend, Gaby. It was so nice to see her again and spend time together. I miss her so much! Saturday us girls drive 3 hours to Austin where the wedding actually was. We met up with the groom and a few of our other guy friends. I miss those boys SO much. It's rare that you find guys as great as these, I have so much respect for all of them because they have respect for me. You part ways and you leave feeling built up, you know they genuinely care for their friends and are looking out for the interest of others. I've been around too many groups of guys who are just looking to crack a joke, usually at the expense of others. It's not often that I feel protected in someone's presence but with them, I feel protected physically and emotionally. I see how these boys treat their wives and girlfriends so I know it's possible, why would a girl settle for less? The wedding was beautiful. I met the bride for the first time that day and I think she seems amazing which is exactly what Tex deserves, I am so happy for them. I love weddings where the love of God is as central as the love between two people, where He is the knot that they rely on to hold them together. Each of their personally written vows brought tears to my eyes. It was a wonderful weekend that was only slightly marred by us getting bumped off of our flight from ATL to ROA. We stayed calm and polite and were each given a $600 voucher on top of our hotel and food vouchers.

*SPLAT*

for some reason, every time I drive down the road and a bug splats on my windshield, I think of a former youth group leader of mine saying, "he won't have the guts to do that again!" bahaha. i remember thinking it was clever and that must be why it's stuck with me. I hardly even knew that guy - now I wonder if anyone ever randomly thinks of something i've said in the past!!