Creativity at it's finest...

So, I'm pretty proud of this, not going to lie... The man was having a bad day at work the other day so I decided to be the creative, supportive, encouraging girlfriend that I am and make him feel loved. I decided that decorating his office would make his day and get me smile or two... :) Of course all good decorations should involve stickynotes...

Ta-da! Hopefully I made his day a little bit better. I'm pretty sure the Starbucks mocha that came along with the decorations probably helped. :)

Lovin' Jesus

He's awesome! Seriously. I'm so thankful and beyond blessed by His love, patience, compassion, blessings, and forgiveness. I'm completely not deserving of any of it, yet He is always willing to bless me and save me from my stupid mistakes. I'm so thankful for the lessons that I learn while I spend time with Him and allow for Him to shape my life and who I am. :)

Small Little Blessings

I love seeing Jesus in random things throughout the day, it makes me smile. The last few months have been so crazy busy that I got to the point where God and my relationship with Him were something that I just didn't have time for anymore. I hate to even admit that, but it's true. I'm beyond thankful for His nudging and calling me back to Him, and the last few weeks have been so refreshing and renewing! One of my favorite things about being close with God is the desire to see Him, learn from Him, and feel His touch throughout the day. I was reading Psalm 65 today and it just made me so thankful for God and His many blessings that I don't deserve, but He gives to me.

Refreshed

I'm a horrible blogger, I know that about myself. So, after a several month break, I'm back! Hopefully I will be able to keep up with this better, but considering what my schedule looks like, I doubt it... One really quick thing I wanted to share because it has stuck with me all week and been on my mind, so in Julie-land that means it's a keeper! :) In Psalm 36 David is writing about God's faithfulness and love and I loved the way he worded it...

"Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justic like the ocean deapths."

I'm such a visual person that I loved how this gave me a frame of reference and a visual picture to begin to understand the depth and size of God's love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice. I would be one of the first people to tell you that God is all of these things and so many more, but this helps me comprehend and grasp who He is so much better! I can tell you this, over the last few weeks I have experienced such a refreshing experience with God that I have seen all of these characteristics evident in my life, and I'm loving it! I'm so thankful that He unconditionally loves us and welcomes us back wholeheartedly when we wander or stumble away... It's beyond my understanding, but I'm so thankful to serve and love such an amazing Savior.

Bountiful Life

Happy Thanksgiving! :) I love this holiday, it's one of my favorites. I love having the time to just relax and reflect on the plentiful blessings that I have in my life. It is so easy to focus on the things that I don't have and what I 'need', but how much more amazing and rewarding would my life be if I instead focused on the amazing blessings that I experience on a daily basis. So, in the spirit of being thankful, here are a few of things that I am beyond blessed to have...

My relationship with God. It hasn't been as easy road, there have been a lot of bumps and detours on the road, but it's been so worth it. He has truly carried me through some difficult times and brought me out on the other side a more compassionate, loving, and faithful woman.

My family. Seriously, they're awesome! They have been such a wonderful support system; I know that they are there for me and love me unconditionally. A girl couldn't ask for a better set of parents who have stood strong for their faith and loved each other and God through the difficult times.

My friends. Truly a blessing. I am so thankful for the amazing men and women that I have been blessed to walk through life with. I've heard it said that people are lucky if they have 1 or 2 close friends, praise God that I have many more than that. If you don't know my friends, you should! :)

The man. Yeah, the rumors are true, he really does exist. I'm thankful for his strength, his sense of humor, his work ethic, his compassion, his protection, his support, his encouragement, his hand to hold, his great communication, and his ability to push me out of my box and make me a better person. :)

My job. Okay, I know that teenagers can be agrivating, but I really do love my job. They are my mission field, and I'm so thankful that God has called me to serve these students at this time in my life.

My health. Yeah, I know, here come the back jokes and how often I crush my spine. Let's be positive, I keep doing it and I haven't been paralyzed yet! So thankful that I'm able to function on a daily basis and I'm not that hindered by physical restraints.

My house. Wow, who would have thought I would be able to own such a gorgeous house at this point in my life. God totally had me at the right spot at the right time. Love my new bathroom, closet, and bedroom!

My education. I know I complain about doing homework and writing papers, but I'll be almost finished with my doctorate by the time I'm 30. That's freaking awesome! Then I wont ever have to worry about taking another class ever again!

Okay, there are so many other things that I am thankful for, but it's time to get ready for some turkey!!! :) Enjoy your time with loved ones!

Missing in Action

Wow! I can't believe how long it has been since I last blogged! It has absolutely flown by... I blame it on crazy schedules and absolute exhaustion! :) Life is good. Life is really good. I'm happy, and I'm content, and I'm absolutely confident that God has a plan for my life...

To be honest, last year sucked! I hated my job, I hated the classes I took, and I hated where my personal life was. This year, I love my job, I just kinda hate the classes I'm taking, and I love where my personal life is. Thank goodness for God's promises and the fact that He doesn't give up on us. Life is truly an experience and something that isn't easy, but should be embraced and enjoyed. This can be a struggle for me to remember since I'm so busy and always have 50 things to do on my to-do list, but it's an important thing to keep at the forefront of my mind. I'm just so thankful for the people that God has brought into my life, I truly am blessed by my family, friends, and "other" people... maybe more on that later! ;) So, on that note, I'm headed out to spend time with some of my favorites and enjoy this thing called life!

God's Promises

Over the last few months I have come face to face with a realization... I love God, I trust Him, I want to serve Him, but I struggle to believe Him sometimes. I know what His word says, I have so many examples in my life of times that He has provided, yet I still question if He is going to do what He says. I know this is illogical, but it is still a struggle that takes place in my life...

I was able to have such an encouraging conversation with a good friend the other day where I was able to see God absolutely shining through her life. It was such an encouragement to be able to see how God is working in her life, and such a reminder to me of how He always provides and supports. That was super amazing, and such a blessing in my life. Then, as we were driving back from Canada yesterday we drove into a terrible rain storm. I prayed that God would clear the rain and give us good weather to travel, and like that - it stopped raining!!! Seriously, right after the words came out of my mouth. Then I looked out the window and saw the most gorgeous rainbow I have ever seen. Talk about a reminder straight from God that He will keep His promises and hears our prayers! I'm so thankful for the little reminders in my daily life that God cares about what happens to me and that He promises to always be there for me.