Thirsting for a challenge

There are days that go by and I realize I haven't made an attempt to learn something, and I find myself in a depressed mood on those evenings. Today, however, was not one of those days. I have come to the realization, that I really enjoy a good challenge, stretching myself gives me that "hurts so good" kind of feeling. I guess it is equivalent to the high that an athlete feels after challenging themselves physically in say a marathon. I thoroughly enjoyed college, simply because it was a constant challenge for me, and I could study on what I was most interested in, not simply what needed to be learned.

So anyway, service was great this morning at Oasis, Phil talked about the Power of God, and how we can't expect God to just "bang" do something. First we have to be following His direction for our lives, problem is that isn't always clear. So obedience is a good starting place, and gradually He directs our path through circumstances, surprises, people we come into contact with, and every day life, and then somewhere along the line, while walking with God, He'll do the miraculous! But we must be diligent, have faith, and act on it by taking the first steps. God is willing to interject His power into the challenges we face in this life as long as we are willing to demonstrate and practice faith walking in His direction.

Today I spent the day reading. I just couldn't get enough! After cleaning up and making dinner, I turned on the tube, and it just didn't hold my interest... I have a lot of interests, todays topic was business I guess! I spent the afternoon reading this month's issue of Inc., the cover story focused on the actual sale of the magazine to a new owner. It discussed the value of the company, or selling price, of something that was difficult to determine, because there were no audited financials, because it was just a portion of the total business. It felt like I was back in my Finance courses, and I was loving every minute of it! I loved the college atmosphere because I was learning, not just the basics and the history, but also what was going on at the time. There are the days that go by at work, and while I am in a business, I don't take a look at the big picture about what is going on outside in the whole financial scheme of things, and I am losing out.

I also realize that I have a lot of interests, and I just can't seem to pick one to focus on. Sometimes this can be extremely frustrating, there are so many areas in which I would like to improve. I guess my prayer for today, is that God would help me to focus on the areas that He wants me to focus on. Also, the issue of becoming a small group leader, whether or not it is the right time for me, and what kind of group does God desire me to be involved in. I did have an idea, similar to what I am involved in, Relevant Media group is developing a mag called Radiant, for 20 something females, the first issue is due out in February 06. I kind of think that a group along the lines of the "Relevant Culture" for young women would be great, and I think Radiant would be an awesome name, if that is fair to borrow from them. Ginger has also had the idea to work with a series of short films called Nooma, by Rob Bell the Pastor at Mars Hill, a church in Grandville, MI (I would love to go home and visit that church one Sunday) they are 10 to 14 minutes long, and posses a Relevant-esque style, and along with each comes a booklet with scripture references and discussion questions.

If I do lead a group, I want it to be what God wants me to do, I am fully aware that I am not the best speaker or verbal communicator, however, if this is truly what God desires for me to do, He will be there to help me with that! Secondly, I don't want it to just be a social hour disguised as a small group. I want to learn, and grow, and deepen my walk with God, I want to be authentic in my faith! I want others to benefit from the group this way as well, and I want to learn from other women too. I have had the desire for longer than just a few months, probably several years in the making. Whether it has been bad timing, or fear on my part (which, by the way, I don't care anymore, it's just a stupid excuse now), it just hasn't happened. But the opportunity has once again presented itself, and I guess it's time to practice the message I heard this morning, huh! Anyway, it's getting late, and I need to have a talk with God about this small group stuff. Sleep well, I'll keep you updated!

Found this at relevantmagazine.com

What to Do When You're Single
Misty Jones

Enjoy your space and your schedule. You are the ruler of your own domain. You have complete control over your alarm clock, your bed and your bathroom. Let your snooze alarm run for two hours with no fear of being yelled at. Enjoy sleeping without being kicked or having the covers stolen. Stay up late and sleep in—not every day, but enjoy living like a rock star when you can.

Do what you want, when you want, without explanation. Spend the weekend watching an entire series on DVD without leaving the house. Cancel your plans and don’t answer your phone. The rest of the world can wait. Eat popcorn and jelly beans for dinner. Just because you can. Be thankful that you are doing laundry for one and not laundry for three or four. Don’t feel condemned for not making your bed for days on end, and don’t worry about the water puddle on the bathroom floor, because no one will ever know you left it.

Enjoy solitude. Have a good balance of going out with friends and spending nights at home alone. Cook yourself a huge dinner or read a book cover to cover. You may covet those moments in the future.Enjoy life. Get dressed up, even if you think you have no one to impress. If for no one else, do it for yourself. Besides, you never know who is watching you.

Go to a swanky restaurant with friends and plan to drop some major cash. Sure, you don’t have a boyfriend to pay the bill, but go ahead and spend your hard-earned money on a great meal. You’re worth it.

Travel the world. The art galleries of London and the streets of Rome await you. Don’t wait until you get married to visit that one place you’ve always wanted to see. Drive a fun car. One day you’ll have to get a sensible vehicle to tow the whole family, but until then you can totally pull off that speed racer you’ve been test driving.

Be spontaneous. Drive across state lines for dinner, drive back that night and pay for it in the morning. Take advantage of having no strings attached; grab some friends and go do something completely wacky.

Enjoy being available. Flirt while it’s still legal. Because if you’re unattached, it certainly is. Exude the confidence of someone who is worth catching and enjoy every second. Be careful but don’t take it too seriously, and be willing to have a little fun.

If you’re still getting over the breakup, sing those bitter breakup songs at the top of your lungs while you still mean it. Once you find the love of your life, you won’t be able to sing those songs with the same cynical authority you have now.

Keep your eyes open. Shine brightly enough while you’re waiting so that the person who is looking for you will have no trouble finding you.Enjoy waiting. Be totally in love with your future mate, even if you haven’t met them yet. Write them letters when you miss them so badly that you are doubled over on the floor from the ache. Date them, seal them and lock them away in a safe place. They will make a great wedding gift.

Keep a journal. Open a doc on your computer and let it rip. One of these days you will meet that person, and you will wish that you had kept an account. Don’t be discouraged if your journal turns into this huge book of stories about relationships that never worked out. Keep writing, because one of these days your story will end differently.

Enjoy anticipation. Instead of being bitter that your married friends already have the white picket fence and the 2.5 kids, be excited that you still have all of those things to look forward to. Stop moping and start getting excited. Start dreaming instead of always resorting to lighting candles and crying along with Snow Patrol. Take the energy you spend on loneliness and use it to generate focused times of prayer and meditation. Well, OK. Maybe a little crying is good every once in a while.

Enjoy your resources. This will be one of the rare seasons of your life where you can choose either the ”good groceries” or the iTunes cards. If you are willing to eat peanut butter for a week in order to have those shoes, there is no one there to stop you. You are the only one who sees your checkbook, so live wisely but have fun as well. Pay off as much debt as you can. Do it for your future family.

Help others. Find places in your city where you can get in the trenches, with or without a church group. Don’t wait for someone to organize a service outing. When you get married, your primary obligation will be serving your family. Right now you have the time and resources to help others at a higher level of involvement.And most importantly, enjoy God. This is a rare time in your life where you will have quantity and quality time to do so. Disappear with Him for a few days. Enjoy Him for hours at a time, while you don’t have a 2-year-old pulling at your shirt for a grilled cheese sandwich.

WooHoo!

Okay, it's been a interesting week to say the least. It started off awesome and kept getting better!

Saturday I went with a few friends to see Woodale, a great local band that is getting some great notoriety in the Central Florida music scene. They had the opportunity to play with a few other bands from the area at the Hard Rock Live venue at Universal's theme parks in Orlando. So anyway, I headed to Orlando with Woody and Tina, and Ginger, we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe prior to the show, where we waited forever for our server to bring our food, and our checks, we missed the first two bands completely....

Oh well, we finally got out of there. We made it just in time to catch Between the Trees, they were awesome, edgy, emotional, and of course sonically pleasing, aside from their terrific stage presence. I need to figure out where I can pick up their tunes, in the mean time I believe they can be found on MySpace. Next up was Woodale!!!! They sound a lot like the pop side of Jimmy Eat World, Tom, their bass player and his wife attend Oasis, so we hung out with rest of the Oasis crew that was around. The songs are catchy, pop love tunes. You can check them out at www.woodalemusic.com. Finally, I must comment, that Hard Rock Live is probably one of my favorite venues, the sound was excellent, it was spacious, awesome scenery inside, I hope to have the chance to see other bands at there in the future!

Sunday was good, I was helping out in UpStreet Kid's, the elementary school ministry, I led worship and the 3-5th grade group. We've seen a lot of growth since school started, and we are needing a lot of extra hands! Normally, I lead the 1st and 2nd graders, but since the 1st graders are new, Vanderly is going to show them the ropes before I get my crack at them!

Monday, work was good, although, to be honest, I was sort of contemplating another opportunity and thought about sending in my resume, I just had a lot of questions I had to sort through. That night I had small group, which went well. We have been a group for about 2 years now, and well Monday the current leader broke the news that they are ready to transition out and see what the next stage for the group will be. I was asked about possibly becoming one of the next group leaders, and or co-leading it with Ginger. I honestly haven't thought about it a whole lot since Monday, things have been really crazy, but I will get ot that this weekend!Going back the whole job thing, it would have been at a Real Estate Brokers office, paid less than my current job however would have higher earnings a year into the job and paid for a realtor's license. The deal sounded sweet on the outside, but their were somethings that could have come back and would bite hard. Monday night after my group, I called my Mom and just needed to talk to her about it, while it was appealing, in the back of my mind I knew it wasn't right. I of course being the rather emotional person I am, cried on the phone for my lack of peace about the situation. Mom prayed with me about the situation. Don't get me wrong, the job I have is awesome for a recent grad such as myself, good benefits and great pay for the area. Problem you ask? I work for a trucking company?!?!?! It's not really that bad, but I do have a hard time being passionate about trucks, diesel fuel, lazy truckers, and lumper fees. I know that is really stuck up of me to think this way. It just seems like ever since I got involved in the purchase of my home, and finally closed on it, I just can't get enough about the real estate! It's interesting, exciting, and an extremely hot market in Florida right now! So this other job sure seemed to fit into that...right?

Well, after the phone call, a few tears, a prayer, a little Nyquil for my headache and slight sore throat so I could sleep, sleep on it I did. The next morning, I woke up and got ready for work. I sent in my resume the night before to a friend to look over it, and got rave reviews, but I still couldn't send it in for the job. I just didn't feel a peace about it, and God was just saying no. So, I gave up on it and submitted to God. That was Tuesday....

Wednesday, work was good, the boss was in, and he wanted to meet to go over the weekly reports. So I got things ready, and then worked on other stuff I had to get done, till late in the afternoon. Finally I got called in to the meeting, I thought I was prepared for it as usual, even though I still feel the nerves. Well I go in their, prepared to report on the prior weeks operational results. In their is the boss, his wife, and Liz the supervisor. He starts out talking about their newest business venture, Exxact Properties, while it was kept a secret for a while, they opened up about it now that things are in the works. They told me that they want me to be the main accountant over this business! They noted that, the other audits and reports I have been working on have been going smoothly and making good progress, and hopes that will continue as I take on new responsibilities with the new company. They also said that since I would be taking on more responsibility, their would be a heavier load, but the positive side of that means extra pay!!!! So, let me just say that GOD IS SOOOO AWESOME, SO FAITHFUL! So basically, I will be working in Real Estate, with more pay than I am currently earning! And I keep all my benefits and everything I have worked for since graduation. Exxactly what I desired :)

So anyway, I'm learning some good lessons. God is always faithful, He has a great sense of humor too! He may not always handle things they way I'd planned (thank goodness too)! I'm learning to just be open to His plan, I tend to try to control things that I have none over. I stress myself out in the process. If I would just open my hands and let go of what isn't mine to begin with, He'll fill them with more than I could ever imagine!

Good Weekend

Time for an update. I had a great weekend that started off on Thursday with a mini interview which will lead to my becoming a licensed Mortgage Broker, I just need to find where I can complete the schooling and take the licensing test, and hopefully find some folks either looking to refinance their house, or in need of a mortgage. After the interview, I noticed my front drivers side tire was flat so I carefully as possible drove home, and I spent a little time prepping the house for Pizza Night the next evening. I'll discuss the tire later.

After that I went to see Luxembourg (an awesome band) play at Lillian's. I was impressed, I had heard the lead singer play at SEC (I guess thats SEU now)alone at a few of the Oracle events and I just had to check them out! I really enjoyed their set, they have a sort Coldplay-like sound with a little edge, and each song is unique, not one sounds the same. If your looking to hear something new, go to www.myspace.com/luxembourgmusic, you can hear "Home" one of my favorites. Also playing at Lillian's that evening was Sunday Driver and The West Fifties. Sunday Driver pushed the sound too loud to the point of not being able understand the lyrics and causing pain. I am sure had they controlled the sound a bit more, It's possible that I could be a fan, however this is not the case. Finally, the West Fifties played, they had a better control over their sound, however by that point I was out way past my bedtime and everything kind of sounded the same. I did like the bass players mini mohawk though!

Friday, it took me while to get going, after staying out much later than I am use to, I made it to work, had a good day and accomplished a good bit. Took a trip to the plate office and picked up a trailer tag and headed to the terminal and filled up my tire with air on the way back to the main office. However, I was very antsy as I looked forward to the Pizza Night I was hosting later that day. Finally 5 PM came around, and I left for home, started the dough, took care of any last minute house details, and before you know it, 7 PM had rolled around. Tina and Woody arrived first, Tina helped to prep the peppers for the pizza while I took care of the onions. A few minutes later, Amy and Robbie arrived and the fun began. I made the first pizza pie, and everybody else followed each prepping a crust! Several pizza's later, we were stuff, and had a wonderful evening discussing married life (I didn't have much to say but I took notes for the future), music, and folks from work! After cleaning up a bit and saying good night to Amy and Robbie, I headed to Tina and Woody's to watch Monk!

Saturday I didn't really have planned out prior to startinng the weekend, the idea was refreshing, as the last few weekends have been planned out and extremely busy. I cleaned out the car that morning, as I was taking Tina and Woody to the airport that afternoon. It was a nice drive to Tampa and back. In the back of my mind however, I was a little nervous about the tire. When I got back to Lakeland, I talked to my Dad on the phone a bit, and decided I better get the tire fixed. So I went to a place close to home and ask to have them patch the tire, an hour later I was told that it was irrepairable because the leak was in the sidewall and offered to put a new tire on for $94 bucks. I decided to call my Dad, first of all because that didn't really sound like such a deal, he told me to check out Sam's as I really did need new tires on the car anyway, I had driven on them a year longer than I should have, so I headed to Sam's club, found a set that more than exceeded my father's specifications for his little girl, only the best for me (I know I am spoiled)! They were able to put them on, so I explored Sam's Club for the next hour or so. After that was done I had to prepare for Jr.Church the next day and practiced some songs for worship.

Sunday things went well, we had the new 1st graders in Upstreet so it was sort of exciting! I spent the afternoon organizing my music book and making the left over dough into pizza for lunch. I went to the Illuminate service that evening since I didn't attend service that morning. Today was good, I got a lot done, I came home looking forward to hosting small group at my house, however things kind of fell through since not many people were able to attend, so I decided to postpone it till next Monday. Instead, I decided to practice Deeper by Delirious? like I was suppose to earlier for tomorrow night, to play it for Youth on Wednesday. I think I have it down, I played along with the CD on my bass over 10 times, and then my hand started to cramp as I am playing it on the part of the neck closer to the body. I have it memorized now. I think it sounds good, we'll see if Karl agrees with me at practice tomorrow night!