10 Things I Love About My New Home

There are certainly more than 10 things, but 10 is a good number. These are not in any order.

1. I can drink the tap water
2. NO BUGS
3. MLB Extra Innings
4. $100 less than my old rent
5. cool landlords
6. 7 minutes from grocery/bank/mall
7. It's spacious.
8. I can throw ANYTHING in the trash (instead of taking it to the dump)
9. I have a bathtub!
10. I have a HUGE closet!

You are God

You are Holy.
You are unchanging.
You are Almighty.
You are the Creator.
You are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are the giver of life.

You covered Adam and Eve, even in their disobedience.
You provided a way of escape from the flood.
You saw Abram's faithfulness.
You gave Lot a way of escape.
You gave Sarah a son.
You showed yourself through Joseph's trials and success.

You sent us Your Son for our salvation.
You healed the sick.
You cast out demons.
You raised the dead.
You died on the cross to give us eternal life.
You have forgiven us.

You have chosen to love us.

You are God.

All praise be to You, and You alone.

Lord, help me to remember who You are.

Michigan Isn't All Bad

There are a handful of reasons I enjoy visiting Michigan.

1. My nieces

2. Tigers Baseball















3. My best friend

















4. Jets and Faygo!

Facebook: Bringing Families Together

MOM: You know Sunday is Father's Day.

ME: Yeah, I'm bringing Dad some vodka and vicodin.

~~~~~~~~~

MOM: He hasn't smoked since April 1!

ME: Awesome! Can he fit between the stove and the counter?

MOM: No, but his Jabba the Hut impression gets better and better every day!

Undeserving

It's on my mind. It's on my mind. It won't go away. So here I sit, contemplating, thinking, wondering, pondering. I have no answers.

I live in the perfect situation, and it's all going away. I pay a rent that is affordable for me---and is outlandishly cheap in this area. I have internet and DVR, pool access, and incredibly wonderful landlords. The fact that I have to leave is so heartbreaking because I don't believe that anything could be better.

In my heart, I want to stay here so badly. So I talk to God, and I ask if I can. I tell Him that I know I don't have the right to demand, but I also question my right to ask. Can I ask Him for what I want? Am I being selfish for this desire? And then, if I DO think it's ok to ask, at what point do I CLAIM it, or do I have that right?

The idea of prayer and petitions and faith is all so confusing to me. I don't want to believe something will happen just because I ask God---not because I don't think He's capable, but because He is not obligated to give me everything I want. He's not my genie. He's God. But then, where does faith have a role in all this? How do I ask for something in faith if I really don't think He has to give it to me? Does that make me lacking in faith?

I don't understand how it all works. And I don't know how to pray. So, I just said this all to God, but still, I feel like I'm focusing on me here, rather than on Him. Oh, the guilt factor! When will it go away?!

Scrambled Thoughts and Bacon with Toast

• I'm leading our singles Sunday school Bible study this Sunday. The topic is "Why are Christians so Intolerant?" Should be an interesting experience for me.
• My best friend's baby brother joined the Army. He leaves for boot camp in 5 months. Wild.
• I want to travel, but I might be homeless come July, so I feel the need to figure all that out before I start wandering the country.
• I finally watched Pearl Harbor, and I really enjoyed it.
• Josh and Gretchen Neisler will forever be two of my favorite people in the whole world.
• I had Cookie Crisp for lunch today.
• If I hadn't been so efficient in canceling my bank account in Maryland, I wouldn't be struggling to figure out my new banking situation. Darn my non-procrastination!
• I went to the wax museum in D.C. with my friend, Kassel, and we had so much fun laughing at our own silliness.

Giving it Over to God

Dear Lord, I'm such a control freak! I want to know everything that's going on, and I want to be sure it's all going to work out just perfectly. I know life doesn't work that way, so why do I continue to desire that? Where does that come from, and why can't I let it go?

Today, I was offered a great opportunity for grad school. There is a great possibility for me to attain my master's degree in education in 11 months for less than 50% of the cost. What a huge blessing and opportunity! I most definitely want to do it, but I'm already nervous and freaking out about how I'd pay for it, even as inexpensive as it might be.

I have to figure out where I'm living by the beginning of July. For those who don't know, I decided not to move to Indiana since I have a job here, but my apartment has already been promised to someone else. I love this apartment, and don't want to leave. :( I have a few options, but none of them are ideal like my current situation. I want to KNOW. I want to control the future, or at least know for certain that it will be ok. Thing is, I know something will work out, but since it's not anything tangible right now, I lack the faith that God will do something great.

My landlord said they are considering turning their greatroom into an efficiency apartment for me! Right now it's just a thought, so I don't want to get my hopes up, but man, isn't that God proving Himself already to me? I told God today that I know He can do mighty things, and that I wanted to SEE it, and I was believing as I said it. Then when my landlord told me this, did I see it as a word from God? No, I thought, "Yeah, it's just an idea. They probably won't be able to really do it." Where is my faith?

Lord, help me to give my fears over to You! You are in control. You are Almighty. Your ways are above my ways.