one of my brothers - the one with 5 kids - is coming for a visit tomorrow. YAY!!! i'm excited to see them and just hang out. they'll only be here until sat afternoon & then have to finish the drive back home to MI but it will be a blast no matter how much time we have. :-)
their visit has "motivated" me to get unpacked (yes, ALL the boxes are gone!) and to actually hang pictures and really MOVE IN. i've live here since september and just haven't ever quite finished. the REALLY crazy thing is that this is the most "moved in" i've been anywhere since sept 2001 when i moved from sandy springs and bought my townhome. there are 8 million reasons why that's the case .... and i won't even start that list here .... but i will say that i'm LOVING my place and excited to finish off a couple last things.
our gaggle started basic training last night. nope, we are not in the military! it's a class based on the beautitudes (ya know - "blessed are the poor for they will inherit the earth ... " and all that). it's a HARD class for me to sit through - it's 2 hours of mostly sitting & listening AND the guy who teaches is great but sometimes i feel like he's speaking in a different language than i do.
it' s my 2nd time in the class (no, i did NOT flunk out the 1st time!) and i'd forgotten how challenging it is for me. TRUTH: a huge part of why the class is challenging for me is that it CHALLENGES me. it makes me think about my heart, my head and my soul and the connection between them all. YES, i do believe there IS a connection.
it's not easy for me to examine those places .... really truly examine ... because it means acknowleding my imperfections. actually, i know i have imperfections (no comment required here!) so the real TOUGH part isn't in seeing them but in DOING SOMETHING to work on them.
letting the door to my "ugly side" swing open so that light can shine on it - OUCH!! and then asking Christ to help me make something beautiful - something like him - out of that darkness. THAT is the part that's really really tough. that's the part that challenges me and in many ways, simply brings me to my knees both figuratively & literally.
the part that AMAZES me in all of that is how Christ uses that process to draw me soooooo very close to Him. it's like He's nudging me along, whispering encouragement to me and then hugging me BIG as i inch closer and closer to Him.
incredible awesome amazing and wonderful GOD!!
oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ...
john hallam - the BEST brother in law EVER!!
and gary delaney - one of the nicest, funniest & coolest guys i know!
LIVE BIG today!
