Christmas thoughts

Just some things to think about. When it comes to Christmas, so many things point away from Christ, but I hope that this will help to be a reminder of the real reason for the season.

* A wreath is a circle, which has no beginning and no end, just as Christ's love for us has no beginning and no end. Because of this love, Christ left Heaven to be born and live in this sinful world, eventually to die a terrible death and to raise Himself from the dead, all so that He could save us.

* Christmas trees are unlike other trees. They grow so that they point up to heaven, reminding us that the real reason for Christmas is Christ, not the presents under the tree. They are also green all year long, which can be a reminder of how believers will live forever with Christ in Heaven.

* Christmas colors: Red, white, and green. RED stands for Christ's blood, which was shed for us. Without His birth, he could not die. When we accept it as the only payment for our sins, that blood washes us WHITE as snow. GREEN stands for how we can grow in Christ as we follow the example of His life.

* Lights on the Christmas tree remind us of several things.
1) The Star that the wise men followed to find baby Jesus.
2) Jesus is the Light of the world.
3) We are to be a light to the people around us.

* The gifts that we give to each other should remind us of the precious gifts that the wise men gave to the baby Jesus. Just as they gave their best to Him, we should also give our best to Christ.

If anyone can think of anything else, go ahead and leave a comment!

Christmas program pictures

Just thought I'd post some pictures that Pastor Mikkelson took during the Christmas program! Hope you enjoy them!


"Thanks for inviting me over to help decorate!"



"Could we wait to tell the Christmas story this year?"
"This could be a good opportunity to tell Mike about Jesus."



"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."



"Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head..."



"The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where he lay..."



"The little Lord Jesus, a sleep on the hay."



Our three wise men...wake up, Nate!


Joseph and Mary



"Tell me the story of Jesus..."

cell phone

So, I've had my new cell phone for 2 weeks. (yes, that is a picture of what my phone looks like! Isn't it cute?!) Tuesday was a busy day. After working from 7 am until 3:15 pm, I ran home to change into a skirt to go over to school to practice with Hannah, my accompanist, because we haven't been able to practice together very much. Then, I had my voice platform. Don't worry...this has a point!

So, I remembered turning my cell phone to "silent" so that it wouldn't be making noise as I was doing my platform. After I had finished my platform, I went to the library to return some things before Christmas break and pick up Beckah's keys so I could make copies of them so I could move into the apartment over break. Then, I went to Walmart to get the keys copied, stopped at Culver's to eat something (and talked to Noah briefly while I was there), went back to the library to return the keys, and back to my car to leave. As I was driving back, I remembered that I had turned my phone to silent and was going to turn the ringer back on, but, alas, my phone was no longer in my purse!

I checked all of my pockets (the only other pockets I had were in my coat) and could not find my phone there. So, I decided to check everywhere I had been. I first stopped at Culver's (since I was driving by there, anyways). Noone had seen a cell phone. I drove back to school and stopped by Burkart Hall....it wasn't there. I checked the Welcome Center....they didn't know anything (surprise ;D). I checked the library...noone had turned in a cell phone there. Jen (my other future roommate) was working at the library, so she let me call Walmart...my phone wasn't there. I checked my backpack; it wasn't there. I decided to try to find "the dorm sup on duty," since they could get into the dean's office, where cell phones are normally turned in when found without an owner. Libby was substituting for the dorm sups, who were, to my dismay, in the faculty/staff Christmas party and wouldn't be out for hours, and Libby didn't have a key to get into the dean's office to check. I decided to look in my car. Keep in mind that it was about 8:30 pm by this time. The sun had gone down several hours before, and the parking lots have only a few dim lights. I checked to see if my phone had fallen out of my purse and next to the seat. Since it was very dark, I got my flashlight out and turned it on. Well, I tried, at least. It would turn on for a few seconds after I shaked it for a few seconds, but it would only stay on for a few seconds, and the light was dim, at best. Well, I was getting very tired, and I didn't think that my phone would be in my car, so I gave up.

Fast forward to Wednesday night. James and Nikki both tried to call my cell phone; James on the way to church, and Nikki while we were at church. James got a busy signal...only because he called my OLD cell phone number, which was cancelled a couple of weeks ago. Then, once he tried to call the RIGHT number, he got just my voice mail. Then, Nikki tried, and she said that it sounded like someone answered then hung up. She tried again and just got my voicemail. But, that had me worried...what if someone got my phone and was raking up a huge bill? I decided to suspend my phone service until I found my phone again. So, I called Alltel, but noone was in the office at that time: "Please call back tomorrow." Nice. So, at work on Thursday, I called them and suspended my phone service. I called my dad to let him know. After work, I decided to check my car a little more thoroughly, since there is more light at 3 pm than there is at 8:30 pm. What do you think I found between the center armrest and the passenger seat? You guessed it! My cell phone! It was pretty far down there, so it was a little difficult for me to find, even in daylight, but it was there! I'm guessing that it fell out of my purse when I went to go to Walmart; my purse doesn't close at the top other than a strap that is about 2 inches across that snaps onto the other side. It could have very easily fallen out. I called my dad back to let him know (he is the only one who can re-activate the phone since we're on a family plan under his name). About an hour later, I heard my phone ring! My dad had been able to re-activate my phone!

So, until this time, I didn't realize how important my cell phone is. No, my phone isn't attatched to my ear, like some people and their phones. And no, I don't HAVE to have my phone with me all the time. But, it is a good tool to have, and it can get very expensive if it gets into the wrong hands. This time, I was safe. But I think I'll be getting a new purse!

Tell Me the Story of Jesus

Yesterday was the performance of our Christmas program at Stoughton Baptist Church. As part of my music internship, I directed the program. With everyone's schedules, it was difficult to get in very many practices. We were able to have one practice with most of the people during Sunday School the week previously, and on practice with a few of the people on Saturday, the day before the performance. Then, yesterday morning, we had a practice at 8:00 am with most people there.

I was getting pretty nervous, with people missing lines and things not running very smoothly, but, Praise the Lord!, things went really smoothly yesterday! Only a couple of lines were messed up, but it wasn't too obvious! We had been able to work out most of the kinks yesterday morning when we had our practice, so that was very good! With only a couple of last-minute changes, the whole program went really well!!! A great BIG thanks to everyone who was involved in the program! Praise the Lord for several people who heard the gospel yesterday and raised their hands in recognition that they are not saved! Noone came forward, but the seed was planted!

My mom sent this to me. Though I don't agree with everything, it has some good thoughts.

Saved & Single
~ Author Unknown~

What makes you think that just because I am an
Attractive woman of Godly intelligence
That I'm incomplete without a mate?
Who told you that
Without a man
Something's missing
From my life?
And if so,
What would that be?

Love?
I love myself
And more importantly
I

love the Lord
He told me that when I delight in Him,
He will give me the desires of my heart
Security?
I have everything I need according to His riches in glory.

Intimacy?
Now, how's a man going to get to know me
When he doesn't even know who he is in the Lord
See my Father told me I'm above a ruby's worth
And a gem does not seek
It is sought

I'm single and that's all right with me

See,
it's not that I oppose relationships
It's that I detest co-dependency
As a woman
I know it is not my role
To chase after any man

Esther

2:14 reads
That I am to wait on my king and when he's delighted in me. He will call me by my name.

My Lord does not intend for me to be needy or desperate.
I am to be Cherished, Relished, Valued, and Honored,
It's not my job to convince him
Or Convict him of that,
My mate will already know it
And consistently show it
And he will stay on his knees daily
Not just to adore me
But to praise the Lord for
The virtuous woman he has found
So, when you see me by myself
I'm not

alone
I know what I have coming to me

I'm single and saved, and right now that's all I need to be!

Christmas music

I love Chrismas music! I wish I could listen to it all year long, but it would be difficult, considering I have only a few Christmas cd's, and I would get tired of those very quickly if I listened to them all year. I like being able to find radio stations that are playing Christmas music! I have several stations that I can go between (you know....to try to find the most "checkable" music). I can usually find something to listen to. I like that a lot of the traditional Christmas carols are in different tonalities. Major and minor get so old so quickly!

Some of my favorite Christmas songs/carols/cd's: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel; What Child is This; Sleigh Ride; I Want a Hippopotomus for Christmas; Santa Baby (that one's hillarious!); Walking in a Winter Wonderland (which is actually more of a winter song than it is a Christmas song); the Chipmunk Christmas cd's; John Rutter's Christmas cd's.

A song that I heard the other day went something like this: "All I want for Christmas is you." So, this is all about a person missing their "special someone," but it made me think...who would you put in for "you"? All I want for Christmas is....? Who is the real reason for Christmas? Jesus, of course. Isn't He the first One that we should think of? "All I want for Christmas is...You, Jesus!" It rebuked me to think that He isn't what I think of first. That should be my new goal...to want Jesus and Him only for Christmas. To be completely satisfied and fulfilled in Him and His leading in my life. And I CAN be completely satisfied with Him!

Moving....

It looks like I am going to be moving to Watertown! I think it's time for me to be more "on my own," if you know what I mean: make my own food, have my "own" apartment (well, I'll be with 2 other girls, and they've been in the apartment for a while, already), start getting my own furnerature, and basically being more responsible. I am looking forward to this next step in "growing up." I know...maybe it's taking me longer than it should. I love being "young"! I don't want to leave college and be grown up, but I have to, eventually.

There were rumors about me going around work last week when I was gone. Our maintenance guy loves to talk, and I mentioned that I am moving to Watertown. I guess he talked to the assistant manager and said something about how I'm going to be giving my two-weeks notice for quitting. I got back, and the assistant manager asked me about this. I never said anything about quitting; I don't have any plans to quit. The maintenance guy must have read into things and thought that I was quitting! What is this world coming to?!?!

One thing that I will be thankful for is being a little closer to school. I love being able to fellowship with other Christians my age who are going through similar circumstances as what I am going through. I am TOTALLY going to miss that when I finally finish college and move on. But, God has a plan for me, and He will provide all the comfort that I need to be content in Him!

The difference....

There is a definite difference between "being called" and "surrendering." Being called means that God wants you to do a certain thing (most cases being full-time Christian service, missions, being a pastor, and other such things) with your life. Surrendering means that you are willing to do something, that you will do that IF God wants you to do it, but not necessarily that you believe that God wants you to do that thing. Surrendering is saying that you will do whatever God wants you do to, that you are opening your heart to be "called" to that thing, if God wants to call you.

About 8 years ago, I felt God calling me to be involved in Christian ministry. I know that's kindof vague, which is kindof why I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with my life (see a few posts ago entitled "What do I want to do with the rest of my life?" and the same, "Part 2."). I have since been planning on trying to do something that would be mainly influencing people's lives positively for Christ: maybe teaching at a Christian school, being a housewife and mother, or whatever God wants me to do.

Summer '01, I surrendered to go to the mission field, if that would be what God wanted me to do. I saw that I wasn't completely willing to do ANYTHING or go ANYWHERE. That did not mean that I knew (or know now) that God would want me in the mission field. It just meant that I am willing to go, if that's what God wants me to do.

Then, about 4 years ago, I started being interested in Wales. I didn't (and still don't) know if that may be what God wants for me in the future. I've taken several trips over to that area of the world, which have been good opportunities for me. The trip that I took this summer was a good trip; I really enjoyed myself, and I was able to see God work in wonderful ways. Yes, I enjoyed the trip. Yes, I think I could enjoy myself if I spent the rest of my life ministering in Wales. But I don't know that God wants me to be in Wales. In fact, I feel that God may be leading me AWAY from Wales. I am still willing to go, but I saw some things while I was there. Most of the things that I would do in Wales would be the same kinds of things that I could possibly be doing here in the United States. Plus, I keep seeing that the United States is becoming more of a mission field. I'm not so sure that I'm supposed to leave a country that has so many needs.

I still don't know what God wants me to do, but I'm more sure now than ever that God doesn't want me in Wales for the rest of my life. Maybe God just wanted me to be willing to leave everything that is familiar so I can pursure His will. God has a way of taking us out of our comfort zone! He likes to do that, but it's good for us...it makes us lean on Him and trust Him more. When we are comfortable, we tend to trust in ourselves and our "rut." It's a good place to be when you don't know what to do and you have to completely trust in God! Wherever you are in the world and in life, whatever job you have, the best situation to be in is one in which you have to completely trust in God!

O give thanks...

I Chronicles 16:8, 34 says, "Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people...O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever."

I know it's Thanksgiving in a couple of days, but I was just thinking...how often do we actually stop and thank God for all that He's done for us? Not enough, I can say that much, at least for myself. How many times do we just stop and think of all the wonderful things that God has done for us? How many times do we thank God for all those wonderful things? How often do we thank God for the everyday things that He provides for us-life, breath, a place to sleep, food to eat, our jobs, the ability to think and reason, His Word to read and study and memorize, His love for us, His sovereignty, etc.? We often get so busy with life that we don't see all the blessings that He sends our way.

Every once in a while, Pastor will ask for testimonies. A couple of people will say that they are thankful for their salvation. Another person or two may say something else that they are thankful for, but what is this compared to all that God has done for us? He keeps the world from exploding or imploding, from getting too close to or too far away from the sun, from losing all the "natural" laws (which are actually completely from God, anyways). He takes care of our needs and loves us with a love beyond comprehension. In His sovereignty, He does what is best for us. Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth." If we stop and think about it, we could have something to praise God for ALL the time. Even if it is a "bad day," God has done so much for us, so much that we don't deserve, that we should always be able to think of something to thank him for.

How thankful are you? What do you have to be thankful for? Please leave a comment saying something that you are thankful for! I would love to hear what you are thankful for!

What do I want to do with the rest of my life? Part 2

I've been thinking a lot about this question. What am I supposed to do after college? No matter how much I think about it and pray for God to show me, I still don't know. I can search, make plans, and try to figure it all out, but what does that accomplish? Nothing, other than wasting my time.

God knows what I am supposed to do; He has a plan for my future. What I need to do is seek Him (Jeremiah 29:13 "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."). When we seek Him with all of our heart, we will draw closer to Him. The closer we draw to Him, the more we become like Him. The more we become like Him, the more we will do what He wants us to do. It is a day-by-day commitment, challenge, and the one thing that we should pursue: a closer walk with God.

YLCF has a poem on their blog: www.ylcf.org/2006/11/waiting. I read this, and it was so helpful to me! Every once in a while, I need to be reminded that I don't need to know what is in my future. God knows all, and He is the One that I need to know. I must wait for Him to show me where to go. I must "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). No matter how much I DON'T know about my future, I need to follow Christ. I may not see the next step I will take, but I can know that I am safe, no matter how "dangerous" a place it may be that God is leading me (Psalm 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me...."). God knows the next step that I need to take. He has already planned it and ensured that I am able to handle it with His help. I just need to trust in the help that He gives me.

What do I want to do with the rest of my life?

This is a question that I've been asking myself. I've put a lot of thought into it. I don't have any definite answers or leadings. Some things would depend on other things, but here are some of my thoughts concerning the issue:

1. I would love to be a "stay-at-home mom," of course if God provides a husband and children.

2. I love music: maybe I could write and arrange music and get some published, play in church, maybe teach lessons.

3. I love to sew, so it would be fun to incorporate that into my life.

4. I love people, so anything that would involve people would be great!

5. I want to be involved in church ministries.

So, what does this all mean? I have no idea. It doesn't mean that I'm planning to do all of these things, or even ANY of these things. These are only the things that I want. I have no idea what God wants, which is the main thing that I need to be concerned about. Right now, I'm open to whatever God wants me to do, wherever He wants me to do it. It's a little disconcerting to be in this position: I'm not in control! But it puts me in a place where I have to trust God completely-to do what He knows is best for my life-rather than me making a plan for my life and completely messing it up.

Was I ever in control, in the first place?

Celebration in Heaven....again!

Once again, there has been a celebration in Heaven because of what God is doing at Stoughton Baptist Church! Josh came to our bonfire a couple of weeks ago with Warren and Andre, who used to come to Stoughton but are now going to church with their mom. Josh seemed to enjoy himself! Then, he came to Teen Time last night! It was exciting! Tyler taught a lesson based on the story of Noah and the flood, saying how sometimes what God asks us to do doesn't make any sense, but we have to trust God and obey Him, no matter how illogical His commands seem. It didn't really have much of a salvation message. Titus had all of us make a list of people that we know aren't saved, and he said he's going to make a list to pass out to all of us so we can start praying for people to get saved. That's about as much as salvation was talked about. But, in the invitation, Tyler asked if anyone was not "100% sure" that they are going to heaven. I didn't peak, so I don't know if he raised his hand, or not, but I found out later that he had talked to someone and accepted Christ! Praise the Lord!

Winter has arrived

Last night was a big snow storm...well, more than just snow. It started out as rain in the afternoon, turned to sleet mid-afternoon, then turned to snow by early evening. Here at the hotel, we had a couple of people cancel reservations because of the weather, but we had quite a few more that came in because of the weather.

In my opinion, what is the point of winter if we can't have snow? What is the point of the cold if we can't have the beauty of the snow to go along with it? I mean, I love dirt, and everything, but it's just not as pretty as the snow! And the snow we have now is the perfect snow for snowball fights....nice and wet and sticky!

Snow normally brings forth a connotation of being clean, pure. "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." (Psalm 51:7) "...though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..." (Isaiah 1:18) Maybe that's why I like snow so much...it reminds me that God loves me and has forgiven me of ALL of my sins, and He sees me as pure, just like the snow, because of Christ dying to pay the penalty for our sins! It reminds me of how I don't deserve God's love, yet He still loves me unconditionally! Before we accept Christ, we are cold, barren, and ugly, like winter without snow. When we accept Christ, we become white as snow, beautiful and pure in God's eyes, because all He sees is Jesus and His blood! How Christ's blood and my sin mix to make something pure and white and beautiful, I don't know. I DO know that there are a lot of things about God and His will that I don't understand, but I don't need to understand because He is in complete control: He is sovereign. And add His love into the equasion, and it's a perfect combination: He loves us, and He will do what is best for us because He is in control of what happens in our lives!

Guess who I just met!!!

Ok, maybe it wasn't anyone famous, but that's ok. It's interesting to see what different kinds of people stay here in the hotel. I was sitting here, doing...well, not very much. A man walked in to the hotel and asked if we had a directory of all the Microtels. I pointed them out to him, and as he walked over to pick one up, he mentioned that he is going to be a missionary, and that he is raising his suppport. I asked him if he was with a mission board...he said, "Yes, I'm with Baptist International Missions, Inc." Wow! I mentioned that I was there for Camp BIMI this summer! He asked me how that was. He asked me what church I go to, so I mentioned that I go to Stoughton, and that I go to Maranatha. He said that he's on deputation to be a missionary to the military in Germany! How cool is that! Well, he hadn't planned on giving out any prayer cards, so he didn't have any with him, but he said that he would have his wife come in and give me one. It was a blessing to see the Kisslings, and I now have their prayer card. It's always good to see other Christians here in the hotel, especially since there aren't very many Christians here. It's a little bit of a bright spot in my day!

Sammi's Birthday and the Bonfire

This weekend was a fun weekend. Sammi Garland had her birthday party (about a month late, but that's ok cuz it was still fun!), and we had the annual bonfire at church.

For Sammi's birthday party, we watched movies and played Guesstures. We watched about 8 movies: a few that I had seen before and a few that I hadn't seen before. I can't remember the names of most of the movies, but it was fun!

Friday, between a couple of the movies, we played Guesstures! It was fun, too! My team didn't win, though. Oh well. We slept in a little on Saturday morning, watched more movies, and relaxed a little.


Then Saturday night was the bonfire at church. There were 19 of us altogether: 8 college students, 11 teenagers! It was good to see a few that we haven't seen in a while! And it was good to see God working in people's lives during the preaching.



Along with eating hot dogs and s'mores, we played "capture the glowsticks," which is a variation on capture the flag, only we hid glowsticks around the property. It was fun!

What more can I say...

God is good!

God is doing so much in our church! Rashad was saved on Wednesday night. And, as if that wasn't enough, God showed Himself even more powerful yesterday at church! Christian, Rodney, and Javana were all saved yesterday! Christian is about 6, Rodney is about 9, and Javana is about 10. What a wonderful thought, that these kids have the rest of their lives to be able to live for God!

Christian was saved in Sunday School, then Rodney and Javana were saved after the afternoon service. We had a missionary from Hungary (He's a Hungarian man who is a missionary in Hungary) who preached yesterday. He preached a sermon focused more on witnessing to others, so it wasn't what we would call a "salvation message" encouraging others to be saved. But it turned out that way! Praise the Lord! Pastor came to me after the service was done, and he said that Javana wasn't sure that she had been saved! I took her down to the nursery and spent about 20 minutes (?) talking to her and showing her the "Roman's Road" and answering her many questions, like "How do we know God can hear us?" and "Do I have to pray out loud?" She has been coming to church for a while...since last spring, I think. She has heard a lot of Bible stories between Sundays and Wednesday nights, so she had the foundation. What a blessing for "one begger to tell another begger where to find food!" God is definitely doing some wonderful things at Stoughton Baptist Church!

Wednesday nights

I'm helping with Teen Time, our youth program for teens, at Stoughton Baptist Church on Wednesdays. Titus has been teaching the teens how to witness to others. So, last night, Titus asked for a volunteer. We've been praying that Rashad would get saved, and he volunteered. So, he went up to the front with Titus, who then showed the other teens how to witness to their friends by presenting the gospel to Rashad, which accomplished two things at once: showing the saved teens how they can witness to others and also presenting the gospel to Rashad! Well, they came to the end, the "decision," and Titus asked Rashad if he wanted to be saved, all part of the roll-play. Rashad asked, "For real?" Titus answered that he could be saved, for real, if he wanted to! And Rashad answered that he did! He prayed and asked God to save him, right there in front of all the other teens! Praise the Lord!!! God worked out the little details! Titus needed a volunteer to present the gospel to for the lesson, Rashad volunteered, and Titus was able to present the gospel to Rashad, who was ready to be saved! God is so good! Let the angels in heaven rejoice over one more sinner who has come to repentence! And let us pray that he will grow in the knowledge and love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

I did a search

Here are the results:

I Corinthians 14:33 "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace..."

Philippians 4:7 "The peace of God...shall keep your hearts."

Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts."

Psalm 71:1 "In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be put to confusion."

I must admit that I've allowed confusion to rule my heart, not the peace of God. God's peace will not necessarily make the confusion go away, but it will at least be able to give you the joy of the Lord, if you "let the peace of God rule in your heart." I've been wasting my time lately by not allowing God's peace to prevail in my life, and I've done some stupid things because of it.

What is peace? I've been asking myself that recently. I was looking through some old sermon notes last night, and I found a quote from one of the preachers saying that peace is a knowledge coming from God that lets you know that something is right. Ouch. I knew that, but I didn't want to think about it. Maybe I wanted something so much that I convinced myself that I had peace about it. Maybe the peace I had is for the future, that it will happen someday, but now is not the right time. I cannot see the future. I can hope, and pray. But God will do what is best; I just have to trust Him for today and have peace in what He has given me for today.

off-campus

So, I've been living off-campus for a while, now, and I love it! I've been living with the Garlands since January. I love them very much (please don't misunderstand me), but I kindof just want a place of my own. I mean, I'm 24 years old. I'm financially able to pay for an apartment (or, at least, I will be by the time I get around to moving). I want to be able to do my own grocery shopping, live a little closer to campus so I can go visit more often, and just have a place of my own. So, I have a few options, and I'm thinking about them and praying about them. Decisions, decisions. I hate making decisions...

Summer '07

Ok, so I got the email: I didn't make a summer ensemble. Of course, I'm a little disappointed, but I had wanted to do a camp more, anyways. So, now comes the great decision: at which of the many camps should I spend my summer? Where does God want me this summer? They all kindof start sounding alike after a while. A couple of them stick out a little more than others. CoBeAc is only a few hours from my house, so my parents could visit me, or I could visit my parents. Others have opportunities for me to use and broaden some of the various interests that I have. But, are they where God wants me? I don't know. God will show me. I want to get the applications filled out and sent in, then we'll see what I get back. I want to have time to pray over them. Of course, there are always things that would make me want to go some places over others (like Camp Eden, up in the mountains of Colorado, doesn't normally get above 75 degrees; Camp CoBeAc was where I went when I was growing up, and I've heard that it's improved since then; etc.). I hate being decisive!!!

It's a mystery

Actually, men are the mysteries, and they don't even smell as good as we do! ;)

Thoughts

I'm sorry for the meloncholy posts lately. That's just kindof how my life has been lately. I'm getting over it (VERY slowly, but surely), so I hope this doesn't last for too much longer.

So, the second round of summer ensemble tryouts is this Tuesday. It's mixed groups this time, but it's still split into the 4:00 and 9:00 tryouts. I'll be going to the 9:00 one since I work until 3 and probably won't be able to make it in time for the 4:00 tryouts. Plus, I would have nothing to do all evening if I went at 4:00. And I would have to find something for supper, which would mean I would have to pay extra money for that. And I wouldn't be able to spend the evening with the Garlands, and I hardly ever get to see them, anyways! No thanks! I'll just go at 9:00!

Ok, so I've had a rough week, and I needed a little "pick-me-up." This one helped me a little, at least for a little bit. You'd have to follow the comic strip to really realize what's going on. Pig has been reading a book on levitation, and he learned how to levitate in the second chapter. I thought we were done hearing about the levitation, but....So, zebra is trying to sell his house because the crocodiles that live next door are always trying to eat him. He has consulted a real estate agent to put his house on the market. Now, on to the comic strip:



So, we are also having Spirit Week here at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. Here are some pictures of me, Nikki, and Ashley on Monday, which was superhero day.





In case you can't tell, we're the powerpuff girls!

life's curveballs

Sometimes God allows "curveballs" in our lives; you know, when you think you know what's going on with your life, then everything completely changes? Yeah. For me right now, I don't know what God has planned for my life. A year ago, I probably would have said that I was planning to go to Wales, at least "for now." But now, God seems to be leading me a different direction. "Which direction?" you may ask. Yeah, that's the question of the day. I don't really know. There are so many different directions that I could go. That's always been my problem: I want to do everything. Well, almost everything. I never wanted to be a surgeon or a nurse or anything like that. Too much blood and guts and needles. I never wanted to be a sumo wrestler, either; I'm not big enough, plus, who in their right mind would want to wear nasty stuff that? I never wanted to be a pastor: the Bible says that only men are to be pastors. But there are so many different things that I might be able to do. How am I supposed to know what to do? Even the professionals don't know what I would want to do. My mom told me the other day that, when I took the ACT's and I did the test where they tell you what kind of job you might be good at or be interested in, my test came back saying something like: "your results are inconclusive. Your answers are so varried that we cannot give you an answer." How's that for help. And there are so many different things that I would like to do: maybe teach, maybe work full-time in a church, maybe just be at home and be a mom (assuming I get married and have children), maybe have a "secular" job and be involved in the ministries of the church, maybe write and arrange music (that would be really fun!). Maybe a combination of some or all of the things above. I'm willing to do whatever it is that God wants me to do, but I don't know what that is. And I know that God will show me what it is that He wants me to do, when I need to know. I just hate this "in-between" time.

Irony

If you will notice, the top of my blog (I guess it's my blog name) is "'His way is perfect'-Psalm 18:30." Ironic how I needed that verse last night and was not expecting it. It was a rough night, and I really needed some encouragement. And I appreciate the encouragement that I get from my friends, but nothing is as encouraging as words from God. So, I was reading in II Samuel 22. Who would have guess that it had exactly what I needed?!? In the middle of all these stories about David conquering cities and other nations, David and his family problems, and all these things about David, the Bible includes a prayer song (psalm) that is also known as Psalm 18. It is almost word-for-word what Psalm 18 says. But I was reading along, just about ready to cry in the first place, then I came across my favorite verse, only in a different chapter and book than what I normally see it in. "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried; He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him." It was exactly what I needed. I pretty much started balling. That verse has helped me get through many other times when I don't know why God is allowing things in my life, and I don't understand what He is doing. That's kindof how I feel right now, but the verse reminded me that "His way is perfect." I have to keep remembering that I don't need to understand God's ways; in fact, I most likely CAN'T understand His ways. But it's ok, because God didn't make us so that we can understand His ways. He just wants us to trust Him for EVERYTHING. No matter how hard it may seem, it's always "perfect."

And something I need to keep reminding myself right now, one of my favorite quotes: "Keep breathing; it's good for your health!" Hope you all keep that in mind, too!

tryouts

So, I made the first cuts for tryouts. The next tryout is next week, so I'll keep you all posted!

I've been hearing a lot about relationships recently. So many people are confused by this guy or that girl, whether they're dating, "just friends," or not even sure what the other person is thinking. Why do we have to make these things so complicated? Yes, starting to date is a big step in our Christian college culture. We take it very seriously because we've been taught that you're supposed to "date someone who would be a good mate," as the saying goes. People are scared to say what they really think because they do not want to lose the friendship that they have, but they still want to know if there is a possibility of more than "just friends." Then, sometimes people assume the worst. I suppose it's hard NOT to assume the worst when you really don't know what the other person is thinking. That's why communication is so important. "Communication is the key to having a healthy relationship." That means ANY kind of relationship. Now, obviously, there are some things that the other peson just doesn't need to know. But, there are things that the person DOES need to know, or wants to know. COMMUNICATION!!!!! That's my soapbox.

tryouts

So, today starts the beginning of my search: the search for what I am supposed to do this summer. Ok, I've already started the search...I was checking out Amazing Grace Baptist Camp. But this is the official beginning of my quest. Tonight, at 9:00 pm, summer ensemble tryouts begin. Yes, I've tried out 4 other times and have never made a team, but I figure that I might as well try out again, just to keep it as an option, if that's what God wants. I made it to the last round of tryouts the last time I tried out, so that's always a good sign! We'll see how it goes! I just hope that I don't have to keep trying out if I don't make it because it will cost me extra since I'm not on-campus. "As for God, His way is perfect."

Bus Drivers

Ok, one more hotel story. These guys with a bus tour are staying in the hotel for a few days. One's about 35, the other's about 45. They seem very friendly...a little too friendly. One guy was DEFINITELY "hitting" on me. Yesterday morning, he said something like: "Today you look like sunshine." I had worked the night before, too. He quickly added, "...and last night, you looked like the moonlight." Woah. Let me tell you, it's kindof scary. I'm often glad that I have a counter and a door between me and the customers.

summer '07

So, at this point, I'm thinking I'm going to try to travel for Maranatha this summer, or work at a camp. My first hurdle: summer ensemble tryouts. I guess, if I make an ensemble, I'll just stick with that. But, considering I've tried out 4 times already and haven't made a team, I don't have much hope for making an ensemble (at least, I'm not planning on making one). So, I have a "plan B," which is really more of a "plan A," but the summer ensemble tryouts happen first. I really want to work at a camp this summer. Does anyone have any suggestions for camps? Some that I know of now: Amazing Grace Baptist Camp, Bill Rice Ranch, Northland, the Wilds, Chetek, Ironwood, CoBeAc. Any other suggestions?

Oh, I almost forgot

I have a new favorite quote. It goes something like this:

"Every day I get to spend with you is one more than I deserve."

Just something to think about...let it sink in. What do we really deserve? I can say one thing...we don't deserve everything we get. We should love and appreciate every good thing that comes our way because we don't deserve it.

More on comic strips

Ok, so this whole thing with Garfield. Yes, it seems kindof wrong for Jon Arbuckle, the Nerd of Nerds, to have a girlfriend. But, if you follow the comic strip, they actually go really well together. She's definitely a bit of a nerd, herself. It's funny to watch things progress...wow...listen to me, it's almost like they're real people and I'm watching their "love blossom." But really, as much of a nerd as he is, Jon Arbuckle is a nice man with some idiosyncracies (don't we ALL have them?!). Here's another comic strip that I enjoy:



As for Get Fuzzy, I think it's just a modernised version of Garfield. A bit more...weird and crazy, but definitely a knock-off of Garfield: a nerdy single guy with a crazy cat and dog. It's funny, too!

I'm glad we have comic strips...they always help me feel better! I love a good laugh every once in a while!

My favorite comic strip

Pearls Before Swine....so funny, and ironic sometimes. Here's a recent one that is a similar one to the last strip that I posted. These crocodiles are so funny...kindof sad how it depicts a blood-thirsty carnivore as the religious one...It's interesting how Mr. Pastis twists common prayers and Bible verses to fit the lifestyles of the crocodiles.



Oh, and has anyone been watching Garfield? Jon now has a girlfriend! Whoever would have guessed!?!

Ok, I'm tired of the hotel stories. I'm not sure if anyone else is enjoying them, but I don't think I'm going to do that any more. Just so you're not disappointed, that was the warning.

What can I say?!? God is so good! I don't know what He's doing in my life, exactly, but I can definitely see Him working and showing Himself powerful! But that is one thing that I would like to ask you all to pray about: What God wants for me. I have peace about the direction I'm going, so far. What direction it is, exaclty, I'm not sure, but God is definitely leading me somewhere! Pray for wisdom in the decisions I make. I definitely need that. Especially for this summer. I'm not sure where God wants me. Right now, I'm thinking probably either a camp or traveling with a Maranatha group. I still have a few months before I would know anything for sure, I guess. Tryouts for Maranatha groups start in a couple of week, and that will probably go on for about a month. I made it to the last round of tryouts last time I tried out, so that's encouraging!

So, we're finally getting into the good stuff in choral arranging. We've finished writing the 4-part harmony, which was a lot of fun. Dr. Ledge says I have a "knack" for it! That's encouraging! It's the piano parts that I'm scared about. I never liked trying to do piano parts for my arrangements. We just started that, and the first one was due today. It seemed to go alright. Hopefully I'll be able to improve as time goes on!

Thought for the day: "I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven..." Nehemiah 1:4. Pastor Loggans preached on this today in chapel. Something he brought out: when was the last time you really cried for someone just for them, for completely unselfish reasons, just because you see their pain and you feel it as they do? Wow. He didn't say it exactly like that, but that's how I saw it. Completely unselfish...what a rebuke. I mean, I cry sometimes. Not very often, but usually there is at least a speck of selfishness in there somewhere. But to be in pain completely because someone else is in pain....what a thought.

Nickels

Ok, I've learned to dispise nickels since I've been here at the hotel. Why in the world would anyone want two whole dollars worth of nickels in a roll of nickels? I don't like counting all of them. We never use them, so they stay in there forever. I don't like opening a new roll because it's so much to count, but there's hardly any money there. I guess it's not as big of a deal as it may seem, but it's annoying. For instance, the manager got $10 worth of nickels in April, and we just finished using up the last roll (of course, they got another $8 worth since then). As for the other coins, we normally have to get 3-5 rolls of each kind each week. Oh well!

The infamous room 102

So there's this guy (we'll call him "Bob") who's staying in room 102. He's been here for about 2 weeks. He's about the most annoying customer I've ever had. Bob is very dependent, and he loves to talk, especially when I have other things to be doing. He will come to the front desk and just talk to me about....well, sometimes nothing, sometimes too much. Too much, for instance, when he told me that he had been on the toilet the day before (TMI). He has probably spent a couple hours up here talking to me each shift since he started staying here.

So, that's not the story I was going to tell. That was just background. Last weekend, there was a blind man (we'll call him "Fred") who was staying in the hotel. Very nice gentleman, but he needed some help with things. Well, "Fred" was up here talking to me about some things when "Bob" walked by and saw me talking to "Fred." Well, being the dependent talker that he is, he got this look on his face that seemed to say something like, "How dare you talk to the front desk associate! That's my job! I'm so jealous!" It was really pretty funny!

While "Fred" may be gone, "Bob" is still here. He says he is looking for an appartment or some place to stay. If anyone knows of a place here in Madison, please let me know....all of us here at Microtel would appreciate it very much!

bubba

Who would have ever guessed that I would see a professional stuntsman here at the hotel?! Ok, no, he didn't do any stunts for us, but he stayed here. After I had checked him out of the hotel, I looked out the window and saw his name, "Bubba Blackwell," plastered on the side of a big trailer being pulled by a pickup truck. "That must be your trailer," I said to him. "It sure is!" he smiled back. I was curious what this red, white, and blue trailer was all about. So, I checked out his name on the internet and found his website...yes, it's the same guy! You should check it out sometime: www.bubbablackwell.com. Yes, my lovely hotel, Microtel Inn & Suites, has been graced with the presence of Bubba, whoever he may be.

Whoever would have thought to name a cute little baby "Bubba"...

hippy dude

Ok, back to the hotel stories! There was this guy who was probably in his mid-20's that was staying in the hotel for like a week, and he had waist-long, curly hair, wore outfits that completely looked like they were from a thrift store (like the people on What Not to Wear, when they wear all kinds of things that look completely ridiculous), and was just kindof scary. Anyways, I have to be friendly to the customers. This guy came up and started talking to me. He was asking me what nearby restaurants I suggest. I gave him a couple of suggestions. Then he proceded to go on with this conversation: Him: "You probably have a lot of guys hitting on you here at this job."

Me: "No, not really. We mostly have businessmen during the week, and guys who come on the weekend normally are with their girlfriends or wives."

Him: "Really?!? I would have thought that more guys would hit on you. Well, I need to go take a nap."

A couple of hours later, he had a confession: "I guess I was asking if guys ever hit on you because I was kindof hitting on you." Scary. How can people do stuff like that? What are they thinking? Why would you want to flirt with someone you don't even know? Yes, this world is messed up.

So, today, I have my second voice lesson. Crazy, really, because I really don't want to spend the time or the gas to drive all the way back home after my lesson tonight, so I get to stay in the dorm. I'm kindof scared. It's been about 2 1/2 years since I lived in the dorms. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to handle it. Oh well! We'll see. Maybe noone will be sick, and I'll be able to stay in the health center with Nikki...hmmm....

Oh, and one more thing: I love Pearls Before Swine. Here's one of my favorites:

coffee

I'm just going to stray from my hotel stories for one post because I got this comic today. Pearls before Swine...very funny, most of the time! I saw this one, and I was thinking about decaf coffee. Really, what's the point of decaf? Coffee is disgusting. If you don't drink it for the caffeine, what's the point? Yuck!!! As for the comic, that's about the ratio of coffee and creamer that I would use if I were to drink coffee, and the only reason I would drink it would be to stay awake when I'm here at the hotel. I've only done it a couple of times when I was pretty much not able to stay awake. Normally, I drink hot tea, though. Actually, James, Jason and I had a little discussion about tea: James and I like it, and Jason does not. Oh well! He's missing out on a good thing! At least he agrees with the coffee thing: he hates it! He loves Mountain Dew, though, which is understandable considering his crazy schedule: Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays he works security from 1 am to 6 am. Poor guy, I kindof feel sorry for him, but he requested those times, so I don't feel THAT bad!

working at the hotel

I must admit that I run into some very interesting people and circumstances here in the hotel. I think maybe I should start publishing some of these stories, just for fun and laughs. I'll have to dig back into my memory to see how many I remember, but...I'll try it, and you all can leave some feedback and let me know how it is.

So, I didn't have anything to do with this, but one of our night audit people (they work from 11 pm-7 am) let a homeless guy sleep in the lobby. Don't get me wrong, I know the homeless guy needs a place to sleep. But seriously...we can't let just anyone sleep in our lobby. Seriously...they have shelters for homeless people, and that's where this guy belongs. Some people would be very offended to see a homeless guy sleeping on the couch in the lobby. That may convince some people to never come back.

Next story coming in a few days.

Church

Ok, all I have to say is that it's going to be a fun year at Stoughton Baptist Church! Just the fact that Jason and I are dating is going to be fun. But, there are going to be some additions to the group that will make it completely crazy...which isn't necessarily a bad thing....really! On top of the crazy, sarcastic group that we had last year (other than a couple who are no longer with us because they no longer go to Maranatha), we're adding AT LEAST James, who is going to fit in very well, other than the fact that he appologizes too much. We'll work on that! As for other additions, well, I don't know of anyone for sure, though we've had several other people visit. God is good, and He'll give us just the right people that He needs for us to serve Him the best that we can.

My new blog

Ok, I know I've been doing Xanga for a while, but I wanted to start something that the Maranatha students could view, since most of my friends are at Maranatha. So, I hope I get a few more people who check up on this one!

Lemme think...I can't say that much new is happening. I'll post again soon.