mele kalikimaka!

so, christmastime. i think of peppermint sticks, pine trees, hot cocoa, dirty santa, scarves, ice skating downtown, besides the obvious. i want to celebrate the season for what it truly means...

one of my favorite christmas songs is "mary, did you know?" mainly because i try to picture a young girl, holding this precious baby, knowing that God favored her and blessed her with a son who would reign over the house of David, his kingdom never ending. 

mary, did you know...

that your baby boy will one day walk on water

that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters

that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man

that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand

that your baby boy has walked where angels trod

that your baby boy is the lord of all creation

that your baby boy will one day rule the nations

that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb

when you kiss your baby boy, you've kissed the face of God

mary had great faith, she sang about her joy in the Lord, giving credit to him, acknowledging his mercy extended to those who fear him. the Lord kept his promise to remain faithful to israel, thus preserving the line of christ. 

it's only because of the lord's promise and those faithful to carry on in obedience that we can be adopted into the line of christ! i look forward to that kingdom never ending...

joy the explorer

my mom, the world traveler. she has officially been to 6 of the world's 7 continents. she has seen more of the world than most. i received this text message from my mom on my parent's most recent travel adventure through cairo: "

we just went on a camel ride and saw the sphynx!"

not fair, mom and dad! take me next time!

watch your thoughts; they become words.
  watch your words; they become actions.
watch your actions; they become habits.
  watch your habits; they become character.
            watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
- frank outlaw

jackpot!

so how likely is it to win the lottery? how likely is it to win a contest of any sorts? this is a question i've been asking myself recently. see, there was an advertisement in the newspaper the other day that they are giving away a new vw jetta on november 27th. so i click on the link, enter my information, and "thanks for entering..." so really, come on, what are the chances of me actually winning this stupid car? i've found myself going back to this site and plugging in my info as often as i think about it. so, despite the actual statistical chance of me winning, somebody wins. this somebody that wins is gonna be thinking, "wow, i didn't think i'd actually win this!" so what if that somebody was me? i guess we'll see...

wedding season

well it seems like it's been wedding season for awhile now. i look back as many of my close friends and my brother have gotten married recently, and it's exciting to see how God draws his people together. when two can serve together better than one can serve alone, God is glorified.

at my brother's wedding, the pastor officiating took the time to explain the vows more in depth and the promises you are making when you repeat the vows on your wedding day. "i, _____, take you ______, to be my wedded husband/wife. to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part. and hereto i pledge you my faithfulness." these vows are not to be taken lightly or in rash judgment.

the symbolism of christ's love to the church is a model for how a husband and wife should live out their relationship. now we are nowhere near perfect, but when our love gets tired, christ gives us strength. when our love grows impatient, christ gives us understanding. when our love is tested, christ refines us with fire to become pure and holy before him. a new picture of christ's love is evident in marriage, and i pray blessings for my newly married friends. may you see your spouse through the love of christ!

brett and claire, cayce and efren, jill and bj, cory and cole, abby and chase, dacia and toby.

do you ever get jealous...

there's so many things here on this earth that i don't understand. in his creative plan, God brought one of his servants home. a young man was killed earlier this week in india. he had flown there with a group of others from here in america to go to this distant land that is full of a harvest needing workers. this team of believers responded in obedience to the command to go and make disciples of all nations.

so why would God bring him home? it's hard to find reasons why a perfectly healthy young man, in the middle of his work for the Lord would leave this earth. in hebrews 11, it talks about the nation of israel that lived and died before the fulfillment of scripture through Christ's coming to the earth. they acted in faith, "saw it from a distance and welcomed the promises of God." they were obedient because they were looking forward to "a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them."

justin's life is a challenge to all of us. when we respond in obedience, God is not ashamed to be called our God. when we respond in obedience, he prepares a heavenly homeland for us. do you ever get jealous of those that are already there? i know that this earth is not my home. i want to respond in obedience, so i can join those who have gone before me. i want to sit in the presence of my king. i get a little jealous sometimes...

rocky

"isn't it weird how just a little puppy can add so much pleasure to someone's life?" my dad and i were just watching rocky play around with his new little chew toy, and he topples off the porch and rolls over his big belly, giving us a good laugh. he barks and tries to get back up, but the step is just a little too high for him to jump up.

rocky was "rescued" from under a car by my dad's office. he was just wandering around without his mother's supervision, and at only 6-7 weeks old, we figured he needed a little TLC. he had fleas, worms and this weird parasite that he got a shot for at the vet. but now he's flea-free and ready to cuddle!

i had been wanting a puppy, but just didn't want to shell out the big bucks. you know how when you want something, you start seeing it everywhere? i was thinking about how i wanted a puppy a couple weeks ago as i was sitting on my front porch, and i swear, like 30 people starting walking their dogs right then. haha! it was so funny!

so rocky's a little blue heeler. apparently they are very loyal to their owners. they like to herd things, including people. they're very smart dogs and protective of their owners. they are very active dogs and love to go for long walks on the beach. haha. he's pretty mellow and gets really shy in public places, and when he falls asleep in my lap, he's just the cutest thing ever!

it is weird how just a little puppy can add so much pleasure to my life!

faith

"then i heard the voice of the LORD saying, 'whom shall i send? and who will go for us?' and i said, 'here am i. send me!'"
isaiah 6:8

going green

haha. wow, i don't wanna fall into the popular thing to do these days, which is to go green. but i gotta admit, it's fun to ride my bike! yesterday i decided to ride my bike to work, which is only about 2 miles away. i scouted out my route the day before, taking neighborhood byways as opposed to getting killed on the busy freeways :) one thing to note, when you're in a car, you don't really realize you're going up and down hills, so i was in for a little morning sweat on my way to work the next day! and how's this for perfect timing... the clouds were ominous as i was riding, but my neighbor bill said, "no it won't rain today" and i believed him. i got all the way to work without even a sprinkle and when my friend came in a few minutes later, she was drenched! how's that for good timing! and it was hot and sunny in the afternoon when i left. good for a little afternoon stroll...
and this morning, i realized i didn't have any milk. i'm not gonna drive to the grocery store just to buy milk. so i rode my bike! it was a little harder to navigate with a milk jug on the way back, but i survived!
i might not be saving alot of gas, but every little bit helps... plus i get some exercise, break into a little sweat... it's all good! GO GREEN!

never settle

this morning in the newspaper, i read an article discussing the issue of single women. the author was encouraging aging single women to settle for marriage with an okay guy versus waiting for mr. perfect, because there is no mr. perfect. it really shocked me! i know that some women do think that way, and that "i'm never gonna find mr. right, so i'll just settle for mr. right now." i think this is a scary philosophy. if i were to settle for just an okay guy, and not be challenged daily, goal-driven for the future, or passionate about God and each other, then i would be miserable for the rest of my life, wondering what could have been...

for me, mr. right is not necessarily going to be the best looking guy on the block or the most eloquent speaker, but his passion for the heart of God will be the attracting force.

i want God's best
and i won't settle for anything less

my mission

when i was interviewing for this job, i told carol, my boss, that i want to go overseas and do missions at some point in my life, but right now i know that God has placed me here. he's given me a wonderful job, great colleagues, and a wonderful and stimulating work environment full of people in need. this unit, these patients, these nurses i work with: that's my mission field right now.

i'm thankful for this opportunity. i know that i'm being challenged and helping people everyday. i'm making a difference, even if it is a small difference in someone's life. please pray that i can be a witness of the GREAT PHYSICIAN. the ultimate healer. the miracle worker.

xander

my cousin ashley is having a baby. it's the first baby from my generation so that's really exciting! my mom and i got to go to ashley and stephen's baby shower yesterday! she's got a cute baby bump, and this precious baby is already getting spoiled even before he's out in the world!

his name is xander josiah bird. what a wonderful gift from God! i pray that xander grows in favor with God and becomes a powerful tool used to give Him praise!

what happens in vegas, stays in vegas :)

so my mom, sister and i went to vegas for a little girls week action! it was super fun to chill out after a completing my college education! we shopped, laid out by the pool, went to several shows, spent a day at the spa, and saw the sights!

i think girls week is going to turn into an annual event, so i'm always up for a little pampering with the girls!

here we are eating sushi on the first night.

we got to go see cher! she was incredible for a 60+ lady, all hyper and jumping around on stage! she was a riot! we got to go see the beatles "love" by cirque du soleil. i had to pick my jaw up off the floor a few times. we had great seats for cirque, and julie and i got alot of attention from the performers. at the end of the show 2 guys gave julie and i some pretty flowers as they were ending the show :) it was special!

i am blessed

i know alot of people that don't have the best relationships with their family. and it breaks my heart. family is one of God's sacred institutions. our families on earth are but a dim representation of what the family of God looks like.

i am blessed. my family means the world to me. they back me, they cheer me, they support me, they make me laugh, they make me cry, they know that i will do the same for them. i always look forward to spending time with the family just chilling around the kitchen and sharing laughs and stories. i think that's a picture of what heaven's gonna look like.

if your family is cause for more heartache than happiness, don't let that discourage your view of what our heavenly family is like. everything on this earth pales in comparison to eternal things. don't let your dad that lets you down taint your view of our abba father. he will never let you down. he will never quit loving you. he will never walk out.

our abba father is constant. he is unwavering. he is faithful. where we lack, he fills in. where we quit, he finishes to completion. he is our source of strength and our rock to stand on.

and one day, the family of God will be complete and there will be a party in the sky. come on brothers and sisters. join me...

big girl now

i am a college graduate! wow, it's crazy that after 19 years of schooling, i'm finally done! well, finished with formal schooling that is.... now comes my real education - on the job experience! i'm so excited/nervous to work in the hospital as a registered nurse. i'm working at integris baptist as an icu nurse!

catching up

you know how you have these friends that are just hands-down, some of the most incredible people you will ever meet? i'm so blessed to have friends like jill and joy. we've been friends since freshman year at osu, and although we don't get to hang out as often as i would like, these girls are some of my best friends! they have blessed me and had such an impact on my life. it was so good to chill for an afternoon at the oklahoma arts festival with these two precious friends. girls, you are amazing!

imagine

what would the world be like if people put as much emphasis on preparation for eternal life as they do on preparation for life on earth?

perspectives

God’s got a global plan. he’s been fashioning this plan throughout the generations and now it’s up to us. what is this plan? what is God’s ultimate desire? God desires the praises of his people from every tribe, tongue, and nation as we see in revelation 7:9. he doesn’t just want all americans in heaven. he doesn’t just want a few chinese and peruvians thrown in there. heaven is not going to be english-speaking. i can tell you that for sure – it’s gonna be a multilingual, multicultural choir going millions strong for the glory of our father. he desires the praises from all people, and this has been his plan all along. the Bible is not just a book with random stories, unconnected, that tell about this great man, Jesus. this theme of all the nations turning back to him is weaved in and throughout the whole Bible. we know what the end result is. we know God’s going to get his praise. it’s up to us to be a part of that plan. i know it’s gonna be one exciting journey.

if you wanna know more about this global agenda God has for bringing back all peoples to himself, check out perspectives. this 15-week course, designed like a college class, takes off the blinders so you can see the Bible like never before. this course outlines the biblical basis for mission, showing and connecting various parts of the Bible, changing forever the way you will look at it. you will see this plan of God’s redeeming the nations throughout all of the old and new testament. it’s not just when Jesus came to the earth. this plan has long been in existence. this course shows the historical context of missions and how this plan has filtered through the ages since the new testament church to where we are now. God has a plan, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it – so let’s jump on board! this course details the cultural aspect of missions. believers in cambodia are not going to worship God in the same way as americans or ethiopians. God desires the unique and individual praises from his people. when we share about Christ with our international friends, we must be culturally appropriate. we can’t fit them in our american mold. this course emphasizes the strategic basis for missions. now that we know what God’s purpose is, how can we be a part of it? how can we be strategic in giving God this glory he deserves and bringing about revelation 7:9. this is just a little glimpse of what this class is about.

this class has changed my life. it’s changed the way i read the Bible. it’s changed the outlook for my life. it’s changed my everyday thinking. i have a broader perspective and a more exciting desire to help God bring about this plan. i want to be a part of that chorus in heaven, singing praises to my king.

this class changed my life so much that i wanted my friends and family to take it. this fall, perspectives is coming! i’m going to be coordinating the class for this fall, and i want you to come! you will not be disappointed. here’s the class information:

OKC perspectives will be held at metropolitan baptist church (britton and rockwell)
mondays from 6:30-9:30pm starting august 18 – december 1

any questions? please ask me! if you’ve never heard of this class, it’s revolutionary and it will change your life. if you’ve heard of this class but never taken it, now is the time. if you’ve taken it and it’s changed your life, start praying about 2 or 3 friends you can personally encourage to invite to this class.

check this out: perspectives

sister:best friend

julie ann, you are the peanut butter to my jelly, the mac to my cheese, my twin sister 3 years apart, my partner in crime. you laugh at my jokes, i laugh at yours. it's a win-win situation. i'm thankful for you. you make life fun!

fruit pizza... sign me up!

would anyone like some deliciousness? i made these 2 BEAUTIFUL fruit pizzas yesterday for my unit at the hospital! it was my last day of clinicals on my unit, 901 at integris baptist, before i start working there! i'm so excited! they ate them up really fast! i just thought they looked beautiful.



sugar cookie crust
8oz cream cheese mixed with 8oz cool whip (i used the fat free for both)
then decorate with all the beautiful fruits of your choice! :)



these are my besties! it's so fun to ride to clinicals together! we have great times! dancing to chris brown in the car, forgetting our stethoscopes and minds, sprinting out of the hospital early :) love you girls!

i wanna set the world on fire

 

tifts and galents

i think God gives us gifts and talents. i'm in nursing school and some people faint at the sight of blood. i can't deal with 20 screaming first graders, so i'm thankful some are gifted with teaching. i have to use a calculator to solve simple math problems and i'm not good at balancing my checkbook, so i'm glad i don't work work with numbers. my outfits don't always match and i seem to be behind in the fashion world so i'm glad i'm not an apparel designer. i'm not so eloquent with words and i get nervous and red when i speak in groups, so i'm glad others have the gift of public speaking. God gives all of us talents and things we're good at so that we can give them back to him. note that God wants us to give them back to him. let us never take credit for what God has gifted us with.

passion

i realized that i'm not completely passionate about very many things. i had a revolutionary thought the other day. (i'll explain in a minute...)

i've just recently picked up the sport of track. i've been running, training nearly every day, i even bought some track spikes. i've competed in a track meet (and didn't do so hot). my ultimate goal is not to make it to the olympics. sure i want to do well and to run fast, but my original intent in doing this was just to stay in shape and be fit and healthy. my coach (who's awesome by the way) pushes me to do well and gives me tips on how to increase my speed, but at the end of the day, i'm not passionate about track.

 i'm about to graduate from nursing school. i mean, like in 13 days, i'm about to graduate. i chose the nursing profession because i love caring and connecting with people. i wanna be that nurse that can make the difference in someone's hospital stay. i want to exceed people's expectations and go out of the way to make my patients feel comfortable and informed. i love learning about the body (maybe not enough to study as much as i should) and seeing how the puzzle fits together when it comes to health problems and diseases. i wanna use these skills to go overseas and minister to people in other countries who don't have the means to stay healthy. i want to help with physical needs around the world, but more than that, i wanna use my nursing skills to share with people about the Great Physician. i wanna share how my God is a healer and a sustainer of life. but at the end of the day, i'm not passionate about nursing.



i love to read. i wish i had more time to read. i love to read biographies. i love to read novels. i love to read inspirational stories. i love to read magazine articles. but i have a problem. i get really excited about a book and read a couple chapters, then i see another book that i get super excited about and i start it, leaving the other half-read on my desk. i love to read, but at the end of the day, i'm not passionate about reading.



so i had this revolutionary thought the other day. what if i was 100% completely passionate about one thing. how would that one thing change my life? how would my day to day life play out? what would my thoughts about this one thing consist of? who would i hang out with? what would i talk about? would this one thing take over my whole life? 

i want to be 100% completely passionate about jesus. his heart beats for the world to know him . i want my heart to beat for the world to know him. i want my first thought when i wake up in the morning to be about jesus. i want my last thought to be about jesus before i drift off to sleep. i want to talk about jesus with my friends. i want it to be natural to share about jesus with my friends. i want to be jesus to the world. i want to be his hands and feet. jesus was a servant. i want to be a servant. jesus was humble. i want to be humble. jesus was radical. i want to be radical. jesus was compassionate. i want to be compassionate. jesus was love. i want to be love. 

i want to be passionate about jesus. and i want it to be obvious. 

rex

my puppy rex died about a week and a half ago. he was over 14 years old, and lived a good long life. he was quite possibly the best dog in the whole world. he found us and slept in our garage one night about 14 years ago, and being the little girl i was, i set a bowl of dog food because i didn't want him to starve, and he kept coming back. his owners never searched for him, "can we keep him, puh-lease?" so we kept him.

we took long bike rides and he would chase after me and he would chase cars too :) he had the biggest water bowl of any dog - he drank out of our swimming pool (i think i would bet that's why he lived so long... chlorine... it lengthens a dogs life :)...) he was so sweet to us. he would nuzzle his head under our hand so that we would scratch him.

he outlived any of our other dogs. he taught amy and mocha how to play out in the street, but forgot to teach them how to avoid cars. he got a little jealous when toby came to live with us because toby was a little demanding dog with more energy. but rex was sweet, stable, lovable rex.

he was a wimp when it came to bad weather. if there was even a drop of rain, he would start wimpering until someone let him come inside to go to the garage. because he was an outside dog, he didn't come in much. when he did, we would get really excited and run around the house like a squirrel being electrocuted. he was so excited he would even pee a little bit :)

rex was our little garbage disposal. "mom, i don't want the rest of this chicken." "give it to rex." one time we gave rex waffles. he scarfed them up like he hadn't eaten in years. so anytime i didn't finish my waffle, i tossed it out to rex. my dad was putting in a sprinkler system in our backyard and dug up some tunnels for the pipes. he dug right into a little waffle graveyard. apparently rex didn't really like those waffles.

a few years ago, rex kept getting out of the backyard and we couldn't figure out if there was a hole in the fence or if he was just pushing hard on the gate. so i watched him from the back window. he casually walked over to the back corner of the fence and took his time. he stopped and looked around for a little bit to see if anyone was looking. he looked at the back door to see if any of the heido's were watching him. then he made his move. he dug a little hole under the fence and he slid through the cracks... i just died laughing because he was like a little human, watching his back, trying to get away with something!

i'll miss that little puppy! he was the sweetest thing i ever did see!

new experiment

hey what's up friends? so this whole blog thing is new to me, and i don't really know what's going on, but i thought i'd create a journal/smorgasboard for the thoughts and ideas in my head. i hope to show a little bit about who i am, encourage those i come in contact with, and be a true friend to those in need.

i don't just wanna be a girl who loves God and knows a little bit about the Bible... i want to be a woman after God's own heart. i want to be a vessel used for God's purposes. who cares what i want. it's not about me.

God is big!

i've been challenged to pray for different countries of this world God has put us in. through this book operation world, i've learned so much about how other countries function, and it's given me a bigger heart for the world :) on this particular day, i was praying for columbia, and this was one of the answers to prayer that was listed to pray for. it read:

"God is reaching the lowest and most desperate. Bellavista Prison is a maximum security prison in Medellin that was often called "hell on earth" where the murder rate often topped one per day. Through prayer and the bold witness of some anointed believers the prison has seen a remarkable turning of the most hardened criminals to Christ. Large numbers of the inmates are now believers, and round the clock prayer chains often function. The spirit of murder has all but disappeared, and the brutal conditions improved. Now, a Bible Institute has formed in the prison, training inmates for ministry once they are released."

after i read that and picked my jaw up off the desk, my second thought was, "wow, don't we serve an amazing God?!" when most people would have given up and said these men would never know Jesus, through the power of prayer and the direction of the Holy Spirit, this prison has turned into a seminary! ha! that's amazing!
can we all just stop and smile and praise Jesus for a second! that's awesome!
i hope you are encouraged today that what you're doing is worth it. you might not be seeing results x10 right now, but God is moving when we are obedient to share the gospel! take time out today just to praise God for ways that make no earthly sense! :)