and Justin thinks he's ready for a dog...

The great part about Justin not keeping up with his own blog is that I get to write about the funny things that happen to him. We're house-sitting/pet-sitting for a family with a poodle this week, which has been an experience. So far, the count is....Justin - 0, Cody (the poodle) - 2. It's not looking good. The first defeat was Sunday night when I found Justin on the couch. Yes....he got kicked out of the bed by the dog. The dog is slowly wearing him down. (I promise I didn't tell Cody to do it). His next encounter with the "practice dog before we actually find one" was this morning. Apparently the 3 times we let Cody outside last night were 1 less than he needed. When Justin got to work this morning, his computer bag was surprisingly wet...and smelly. Needless to say...we've been sleeping upstairs away from the dog and the computer bag is history. I really am missing my little house :) ... but I've been spoiled with a dishwasher....catch 22.

In other news...Justin is getting really good at the guitar...and I'm actually getting close to having the title of Director at the PSC. God is so good to us...we really are blessed in Roxboro.

the desires of our heart

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." Psalm 37: 3-5

Our God is such a good God. As it was said in Sunday School today..."who are we to even think that we could ever impress God." The same God who created the universe, put the stars in the sky, and "told the ocean it could only come so far" (as Nicole C. Mullen so eloquently puts it!) cares enough to be intimately involved in our lives. Our God is amazing, and yet, we can still think that we know what is best for someone, or best for ourselves. I love this verse of Scripture. How amazing that this same, awesome God actually wants to give me the desires of my heart!

I can't always say that I have "delighted myself in the Lord" so that he would "give me the desire of my heart," but our God is a gracious God. Growing up, one of my true desires was to marry a music minister - honestly!! God truly granted this desire - one that I didn't go in search of, but God gave me a husband who loves the Lord and loves to lead His people in worship. I believe that God not only wants to answer our desires with good things, but so often he goes above and beyond what we could even begin to desire! What a great God!

Today, Justin and I had the awesome opportunity and privilege to pray with a lady to receive Christ after church. Lately, God has awakened a true desire in us to be used by Him in Roxboro and to be more intentional about leading others to Him. I have been praying for specific women at work and seeking opportunities with them (that have not turned out as I would have planned), so today it was so amazing to see God show up in an unexpected way and allow us to lead this woman to Christ. I am so thankful for the opportunities God gives us, for the fact that He uses weak vessels like us to convey His truth.

I know God wants to use us to bring others closer to Him. I pray that I will delight myself in the Lord and that God would work through my desire to see others come to Him.

a relationship with God

I am so sad that I can so often talk about my relationship with God in such a casual, taking-it-for-granted manner. I know that I will never be able to fully comprehend this awesome privilege I have to come to my Father, my Heavenly Father, unable to hide my flaws and failures because He knows me so intricately. But...I don't want to take it for granted. I spoke with a girl today at the PSC who wants to have a "better relationship with God" but I do not think she is a believer. It was difficult to say to her, "without trusting Christ as your Savior, you don't have a relationship with God" but it had to be said. I know it has her thinking, but it also has me thinking of how grateful I am. I am thankful, so thankful to be a child of God - having the only answer to share with this girl about what is truely missing in her life. There are many girls that come to our center, but there are some that just grip my heart more than others. I pray that I will have a heart for the lost and a boldness to tell them how it really is. I know God is at work and I pray He will use my imperfect attempt to share His truth with her. Praise God for this awesome opportunity today!

rock...paper...scissors

As I write this I am actually (prepare to laugh) watching a rock, paper, scissors championship on tv. Honestly...this is a first for me. I saw the channel when I was looking for something to watch and I just couldn't believe such a thing actually existed. I also just heard the statement..."for these two young men (in the tournament), this is the most important moment in their lives." How sad...God has really been pricking my heart lately about what we actually believe to be important in this life....and this just baffles me. I wish I could say that I make good use of all of the 24 hours I have each day, but I know there are many opportunities I am missing out on. I have one friend in India right now, other friends who just returned from Afghanistan, my sister's about to go to Romania and Justin's parents just got back from Canada....where they almost got arrested! My life is so easy here in Roxboro. I really do look around our town and see so many lost people, but I pray that God will give me such a boldness. Justin and I were talking the other night about how different our lives would be if we were in another country serving the Lord. He has yet to call us overseas, but I pray I will live my life here as if I believe I really am a missionary. Justin said he has heard someone say that we put missionaries on a pedestal, as if they are above us, allowing ourselves to justify our lack of intentionality in sharing the Gospel with everyone we meet. That's so true...most "career missionaries" are in other countries, doing a job, and being faithful to serve the Lord...exactly what we should be doing here. I am thankful to have a job where women are constantly coming to me for help, not knowing that I know the One who can eternally help them. I still act as if I have lots of time to share the Truth with them. I pray that God will give me a renewed boldness and a sense of urgency that I have prayed for so many times in my life. As I watch the new paper, rock, scissors champ totally erupt in excitement over such a ridiculous win, I hope that I will have such fervor and commitment to seeing others around me come to know my Savior and truly fall in love with Him.

no puppy yet

I promise I have good intentions on this blogging thing...I like reading about other people's lives...I just can't conjure up any good stories about mine right now. I had hoped to have news of a new puppy soon...but I found out last night that our biggest lead fell through. While my friends are waiting on babies to be born..yes..I am waiting on a puppy to adopt. The latest lead was a yorkie poo. That's just fun to say...and to hear Justin say. I'm so excited about a little dog. I really got my hopes up about this last one, which is so weird because a month ago I didn't even really want a dog. I've never sat around this much before...so instead of wanting to go back to school I decided I would put my hopes toward getting a dog. Meanwhile...Justin and I are playing endless games of poker - and I'm kicking his butt everytime!