Special Recipe

Fall break is here! It's a time to catch up on studies and spend time doing things that get crowded out during the semester. Although it is called a "break", really it is catch up time for all the work that has piled up and soon approaching its due date! I have determined, though, to have a little fun and let that be my motivation for working hard! One thing I love is cooking, especially for people I love in the ways that they enjoy! Becca and I have been talking about eating a southern meal ever since the beginning of the semester, but our schedules just haven't allowed it to happen. So, last night I promised her that I would make my grandmother's famous fried chicken recipe. Normally, I am not a fried-chicken kind of girl, but this is well worth all the health defeating properties!

This blog entry is dedicated to my grandmother, who I have called "Memaw" from my earliest days of speech. She is a very special lady, whom I look up to for her strength and devotion to the Lord. Her mantra to me is always, "Take one day at a time and trust in the Lord! (Proverbs 3:5-6)" Aside from her Christ-like character, she is an amazing cook! I have idolized her in this way since I was a small girl, standing by her side with the utmost curiosity. When I called her last night to let her know that I was making her special recipe, I could see her face light up through the phone! She is one of the primary reasons that I spend time writing these blog entries. Her joy is made full as she reads and re-reads the stories from my life. Only a grandmother's love! So, I dedicate this one in particular to her! Thanks Memaw for allowing me to learn from you! I hope it will impact generations to come!

I'm also thankful for my roommate Rebecca! God has given us a very special friendship and I find it a joy to love and serve her as she does me everyday! Our home is a refuge from the storms of life and work in the world around us. We find spontaneous laughter to be one of the greatest sources of refreshment to our weary souls! It helps remind us not to take ourselves SO seriously all the time!
Life is so crazy in our coming and going throughout the semester that we don't often get these unhindered moments together! So fun to have a kindred spirit around!

Joyous moment

While I was exercising at White Rock Lake Park this morning, I watched a guy catch a fish on his second cast! Joy exploded in me just watching him light up! What a fabulous way to begin the day! I couldn't help but shout in celebration over his success!
That, along with the beautiful sunrise over the water, was a gracious gift of God after a night of sleeplessness. So thankful for these reminders that He is ever aware of what our heart desires! It all points back to Him!

No Frills

I will simply submit the highlights this week for the sake of time. We are at that point in the semester when everything seems due at once. On top of that, my job situation is everything but dependable at the moment. In spite of the swirling chaos around me though, I feel an overwhelming peace that God is in control. There is always enough grace to sustain me in the present moment. My imagination is what gets me into trouble sometimes!

Anyways, here goes some highlights from my week:



Helmet fun with my two year old class at NW Bible Church! This little boy was insistent that I wear this helmet while we worked on crafts together! I couldn't resist! Looks like we are ready to ride! Vrrrm...Vrrrm!!!




This is where I camped out all weekend working on a research paper for one of my biblical counseling courses. It was grueling, but we made sure to take a few good study breaks! My roommate and I checked out so many library books, a classmate called and ask to borrow some. Apparently, we took most of the books on developmental theories!


Friday night we "breaked" for a pumpkin party with friends! The party was hosted by Laura and Katherine, two of the most hospitable gals I know! They planned for marsh mellow roasting and pumpkin carving too, but we were all too engrossed in conversation and making s'mores! The pumpkins came home un-carved.

Friday Afternoon Fun

Friday afternoon I planned an afternoon of fun for Nicholas and Elizabeth, beginning with a trip to my apartment to meet my roommate Rebecca. It's surprising how the simple things in life can bring such excitement to children!
After visiting with Rebecca, we enjoyed some time outdoors feeding the ducks, the fish, and the turtles in the lagoon near our apartment. Talk about exciting times! For them, this experience was euphoric! Of course it was such a delight for me to watch them interact with nature and ask questions! Getting a glimpse of the world through their eyes is so refreshing!

Last, the great finale of our afternoon was the Family Fall Fest at my school. The lawn was filled with smiling children engaging in games, crafts, face-painting, pumpkin decorating, and much more! Elizabeth and Nicholas were among them, overwhelmed by the excitement of it all! Much to my amazement and delight, neither of them ran away from me, got hurt, threw a temper tantrum or wet their pants! If you are a parent or a nanny, you know what I mean! We did have a couple of close calls when their helium balloons floated away into the sky, but I quickly responded with something like, "Now you can make a wish!". That helped turn their disappointment upside-down! Overall, I think a good time was had by all! The best part, I got paid for it!

It was the first beautiful fall day filled with soul-penetrating rays of sunshine and crisp, cool air. The kind that brings back memories in college of hiking through the Blue Ridge Mountains enjoying the beautiful foliage of fall arrayed in hues of red and orange! Following weeks of rain and the compounded stress of school and life, this was a much needed change for me as well as the kids!

A Soul Pondering

The knowledge of our own poverty brings us to the moral frontier where Christ works. -Oswald Chambers

I have been struck by contemplation of my own spiritual poverty this week. The more I grow in grace, the more I come to grips with my deep need for more. In this soul discovery, I've found the basis for much of my sin is unbelief. As this was turning around in my mind, it really started to bother me. So, I took some time to journal and asked myself the question: "If I really believed God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do, then how would my thoughts and actions change?" Needless to say, the list was inexhaustible and I very quickly felt overwhelmed by the contrast of God's magnitude and my fluttering unbelief. In the end, I stopped to worship Him for who He is and recognize that He is in charge of changing me. It is my charge to repent and give myself again to His shaping. My mantra in prayer this week was, "Lord, help my unbelief!" In other words, transform me from the inside out. I want to act in accordance with the truth about God that dwells deep within. The basis for all of this thinking is of course the fact that we innately act out what we believe to be true (Proverbs 12:20). If I worry when God says not to worry (The truth being everything is under His control), then clearly I am faltering in my belief that God is, in fact, in control.

The past few weeks, in conjunction with this, I have also been meditating on Romans 6 all the while asking God to transform my heart. I come back to this passage daily to soak in its pungency. I can hardly grasp this concept of grace in my life! My hope is that as this passage becomes part of me, I will begin to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. On top of all of this inner turmoil, I have experienced tremendous amounts of grace in context of friendships, work and study. My heart sings with gratitude, but it also stings with a sense of unworthiness. Experiential knowledge leaves an indelible impression, yet sometimes a much harder lesson!

Turning Another Page

Thank you Chic-Fila! Last week I heard on the local radio station that Chic-Fila would be giving away free chicken sandwiches on Thursdays in September from 6-7pm. A little skeptical, my roommate and I decided as poor graduate students it was worth a try! We get out of class at 6:30 pm on Thursday, so we booked it to Chic-Fila ASAP! Alas, it was true with no strings attached! We had free dinner at Chic-Fila two weeks in a row!


Classes are going well! I am still really enjoying the privilege of sitting under such amazing professors. A sense of gratitude and awe still overwhelm me at times. The course load attempts to as well, but by the grace of God I maintain the perspective that grades are not of foremost importance. That isn't the best way to glorify God or learn effectively anyway. My highest aim in all that I do here is to work with all of my energies invested for the sake of God's glory and those I will be impacting. It's not easy juggling three-plus jobs with graduate studies while maintaining excellence in all things. However, God is gracious. When I depend on Him and trust Him with the strength for now, and leave the next thing to Him, I am at peace. He will not fail me.

Work is ministry. Since I am a nanny, I have the opportunity shed light on kids and families. God is gracious to give me wisdom to know just how to interact with these kids in such a way that they know they are loved while providing much needed boundaries. There is a delicate balance between discipline and fun. Each child has their own way of testing. Again, I trust God to give me wisdom in how to lovingly guide these kids toward the truth.

Opportunities abound! This is just a taste of how my work schedule can be: Yesterday I babysat three different times. My day begins at 6:45 am with Sasha, the little boy I take to school in the mornings. I help him get ready until 7:30 and drive him to school. Then at 8:30, I was at NWB Church doing childcare for their MOPS program until 12:30. I went home and had lunch, did homework then left again at 3:20 to pick-up Elizabeth (7) and Nicholas (3) from school. I pick them up four days a week and keep them until 6:30-7 pm. Their parents are going out of town today, so I am staying with them overnight for the first time! It should be interesting!
You are probably wondering when I have time for school. I have the same thought sometimes, but somehow it works out. He gives exactly what is needed for the very thing He calls us to do!

Elizabeth and Nicholas

Re-connecting

Yay for connecting with old friends and new ones!

Liz is an old kindred spirit from my college days in Campus Outreach. I haven't seen her since she got married five years ago, but we've kept up with each other through newsletters and Christmas cards. Her and her husband, Jeremy, have spent the past five years in Austin where he is finishing up his PhD in Sociology.
I got a surprise email from her the other day saying she was in Dallas for the week and wanted to get together. I was so excited, I could hardly contain myself! As you might imagine, there was much to catch up on! Not to mention, this was my first time meeting little Annie, the newest addition to their household!

Isn't she a doll?!