Reading

First off I would like to apologize for not having posted anything for a while. The reason for this is my computer has not had working Internet for almost a week now and today they finally took it to get it fixed and gave me a stand in. But I do have a post that I am very excited about sharing, finally! I have been reading a book by Ted Dekker called The Bride Collector and came across a line that stopped me in my tracks and has been on my mind for the last week.
"Have you ever wondered why most people who say they believe in God and heaven don't actually want to leave this life to be with him? Not until life has slapped them around enough for them to beg for it."
I am so guilty of this. We as humans fear death, yet as Christians we should not fear death because like they say in Hook, "To die would be a great adventure." As a Christian we know what awaits after death yet like Quinton says in the quote we "don't actually want to leave this life to be with Him (God)" God tells us in the Bible to be in the world not of it, but so many of us believe we can do both. That we can still have all the best stuff like IPhones and Escalades and still not be in the world. That we can pursue a life of money and still be removed from the world. The story that is lingering in my mind is the Rich man who comes to Christ and wants to know how to get into heaven and when Christ tells him to give everything he has away he leaves instead. Christ then tells his disciples that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24) Even the poorest people in America are still rich. So think about that story. We are the Rich man, we claim to have obeyed God's commands and to be following after him but when he asks us to make a sacrifice of our time, or our money, we act like the rich people we are, and we run away. We have grown attached to what the world has to offer and no longer completely desire to be with the God, who continues to romances us, but instead we have begun to lust after the worldly possessions. This is why we fear death. We are afraid of losing what we have worked so hard to obtain here in the world. Instead we should be building up treasures in heaven, seeking after the will of God. We should be in the world not of it. We need to stop letting our "Rich man" mentality keep us from the visions and plans God has for us. to do this we need to allow God to break the chains of the world that have begun to enslave us. We need to stop trying to live the American dream and start trying to live the heavenly dream. We need to fix our eyes on things about and allow God to lead our footsteps on the path he has laid before us. Maybe then we will not fear death but we will rejoice at the coming time when we will finally leave this place and be joined with our Father in Heaven.

Be the Church

This Sunday was Calvary Baptist Church's "Be the Church Sunday." This is where they set up service project all over Lubbock and instead of having a normal church service you go out and serve the people. I was fortunate enough to be able to participate this year. I went to the Salvation Army here in Lubbock and helped to prepare food. We cooked meat loaf, chicken and rice casserole, jello with fruit in it, and some cupcakes and cakes. They are going to freeze these and then use them in the next week. The lady that was in charge usually has to do it all by herself so she gladly welcomed the help. It was fun getting to serve. Not only are you serving next to your family but you are spread out serving in your town (or in my case a town close to you). I thought it was a cool idea and hope that other Churches might adopt a "Be the Church Sunday."
So I am already missing Thad. It has been four days since I have seen him. It is funny how addicting babies are especially when they are as cute as little Thaddaeus. I called Sara on Saturday to wish her a happy birthday and she and Jeremy still have not caught up on rest yet and I bet it will still be a while before they are able to do so.
Praise of the week. Yesterday was Papa's birthday and I made it through. I know it has been almost two years now since he passed aways but sometimes it is still really hard and yesterday was not one of those times. I really thinking getting out and doing stuff helped to keep my mind off of it. It is hard to lose someone but the joy of knowing where they are helps to easy that pain.
I hope that you were all able to enjoy your weekend and that your Monday has been good so far. Have a wonderful week!!

Thaddaeus

I am an Aunt for the third time. Yesterday at 11:45 Thaddaeus Micah Boucher entered the world. He weighed 8 lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches long. He is so beautiful. I will definitely have to add some pictures for you to all the see. I was lucky enough to be able to take off of school early yesterday to head to San Angelo and although I was not there when they came out to tell everyone Thad had arrived I was there in time to hold him for a good long while. I was also able to take the day off from school today enjoy sometime not only with Thad but with Jeremy, Sara, Mom, Dad, and Sara's parents. It has been a well needed break. Thad is just perfect and we are all glad to finally get to meet him. It brings back memories of when Chloe and Joel were born but with Thad I was the only one of the Aunts and Uncles who was able to come. I know the rest wanted to be here as well and I wish they could have been. What a great time to come together as a family and celebrate the life that God has placed into our lives.
Thad birth brings with it for me a since of longing. It has been hard for me since I graduated from college. I thought I had it all played out, I would be married before I graduated from college and would teacher a couple of years before having my first kid. Yet here I am on my second year of teaching and I hardly even know any single guys. And now seeing Jeremy and Sara and the joy they have with the birth of Thaddaeus makes me ready to get married and start my own family. I would say I know God has someone out there for me but I don't know that, I only hope that. And I am beginning to hope that that someone and I meet real soon because this whole living by myself thing is not fun. I am a people person and am ready to begin my own family. So I just asked that you will pray for my patience. That I will not rush into anything. But that I will be patient and wait upon the Lord and the plans that he has for my life. It is his timing not mine and sometimes that can be frustrating but I know that he knows better than I do.
Well I hope you week has been good for far and continues to be good.
Picture of Thad will be coming shortly!!!!

Internet

I have been trying to write a post since Tuesday but the Internet at school has been all crazy. It has been a crazy week. Sara went to the doctor on Tuesday and they told her she was dilated to a 5 but since she was not having any contractions they sent her home again but has made us all a little jumpy every time the phone rings. I am so excited about having another nephew. One who actually lives in the states or at least for a little while.
Also last Wednesday I had the chance to give one of my students a ride home. He has missed the bus and so I told him I could give him a ride once I finished up tutorials. This student has been going through a lot lately so it was a great chance for me to check on him and see how he was dealing with it all. On Monday he found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him and this is his first girlfriend ever. So it was nice to have the chance to get to talk to him. It is funny how little things like missing the bus can present such big opportunities. God works in funny ways.
Now for the thought of the week. I was reading my Bible and came across some verses that talked about setting our eyes on Jesus and what is to come. This really made me stop and think for a while. Am I setting my eyes on Jesus and the things to come? I decide that I live day by day. That my eyes are not set on things to come. In Hebrews 11 it talks about the people of the Old Testament who had great faith. They were looking to the promises that God had made and although many of them did not see these promises fulfilled in their lives they knew that God would hold true and they followed him still. They faith was strong and they trusted fully in God. Do I have faith like that? Do I know that God is using me now and the effects of that will outlast my life time? Am I willing to allow him to use me even though I can not see the effects? These are some questions I need to think about. What is God calling me to and why have I not set my eye on that vision? It was really funny that this topic should come up because one of the things we talked about at the retreat was vision. I know God has a vision for me, although I do not always know what it is. But I hope that I can learn to focus my eyes on his vision for my life so that my faith can become like Abraham's and Joseph's and the people that it talks about in Hebrews 11.

Josh Hamilton

The weekend of Jeremy and Sara's baby shower in San Angelo, Gran gave me Josh Hamilton's biography, Beyond Belief. At the time I was reading two other books and decided as soon as I got the chance I wanted to read this book. So I quickly finished my other two books and began to read Hamilton's book this weekend. I also finished it this weekend. Let me feel you in if you do not know who Josh Hamilton is: Josh Hamilton was the first round first pick in 1999 and went to the Devil Rays for $3.96 million, he played for the Reds and was traded a year later to the Texas Rangers where he continues to play. He is an outfielder and was thought to be one of the best players the game has ever seen. It is a book that you must read.
Josh Hamilton really struggled with a drug and alcohol addiction but then after hitting the bottom and his "Granny" pushing him he over came it with the help of James 4:7. He has inspire many people with his story and continues to be an example that so many people can look to when they are struggling with any addiction. His father-in-law, at one point in the book when he is struggling with his addiction, tells him that the only way that he is ever going to over come his addiction is with the help of Christ. It was cool because we talked about that same thing this weekend. About Phil. 4:14, and how we tend to limit God and do not always have faith that the impossible is actually possible with God. We allow our sin and desperation take over and forget that God is there waiting for us to ask for his help so that he can begin to provide us with the strength that we need to over come sin. I would strongly suggest that if you get a chance to read Beyond Belief that you take it. Also Josh Hamilton gives his testimony on iamsecond.com. It is a short video version of the book but it let's you see a little of what he went through.
Well I hope that you have a wonderful week.

Road Trip Report

Ruidoso was beautiful. On Saturday while we were walking around the town a huge storm cloud was rolling in from over the mountain and it was a beautiful sight.

So with that said let me start with the beginning. Friday I left school a little early went to my house to pack the few items I had forgot to pack and then headed to the church to meet up with the bus. My Sunday school teachers were driving the bus and two of the guys who came last Sunday were riding the bus as well as two girls I have never met. It was a lot of fun as are most long trips in a vehicle fun of college students. We told stories and definitely had some good laughs. Once we made it to our cabins we met the other people who would be spending the week with us. Me and the girl I shared a room with stayed up until 12:30 just talking and getting to know each other. Then Saturday we had Bible study. We talked about what it meant to be a disciple or to disciple each other. It was a great discussion about what we as a church need to be doing to help train up the next generation and to help strengthen ourselves. Then we had the day to do whatever we wanted until we went to the Flying J Ranch. This is a dinner and a show place which was a lot of fun. We watched a gun fight and then ate on metal plates and drank from metal cups. Then after everyone finished they sang some other country music. Sunday we had our last Bible study and we talked about doing God's will and what stops us from hearing his voice. It really made me stop and think. What causes me to not hear His voice? and then the times that I hear his voice but don't obey, what causes me to do that? One answer that came to me was fear. Fear of letting go of control of my life and handing it completely over to God to do whatever he wants with it. That is scary for me. I like to be in control to know what is coming next and how it is going to happen, but with God I just have to trust Him and have faith that he will lead me and use me. What are somethings that stop you from hearing God's voice or from obeying Him? We then returned home, stopping in Roswell to eat lunch. I did see a few aliens and a McDonald's that was shaped like a space ship. It was a great weekend. Something that I really needed it. It was nice to get away and spend the weekend with fellow Christian and to begin building relationships with them. I want to thank you for your prayers. I know that God spoke to me this weekend. I know that I need to begin working on listening for His voice and being obedient. I need to work on prayer as well. That it would be a continuous thing throughout my day not just a ritual thing before I go to bed each night. So if you could continue to pray for me. That I might grow stronger in my prayer life and that I will be in tune to God's will.

Once again thank you for your prayers. I had a wonderful weekend.

Road Trip

Today I will be heading to Ruidoso, New Mexico with the Sunday School class I have been attending for the last couple of weeks. We are going on a retreat and I am both excited about getting out of Levelland for the weekend and nervous because I only really know a couple of people who are going. I think it is going to be not only a great chance to refesh my spirit but also the thing I have been looking for to help me begin to develop some friendship here with people who are closer to my own age. So I just want to ask that you will pray for me this weekend. That we will have a safe trip, that my ears will be tuned into God's voice as we study his word, and finally that I will be outgoing and make new friends.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!