Ignorance=Bliss? I think not.

Here's an excerpt from a news report in Galveston, Texas after the recent Hurricane Ike that caught my attention this morning.

"Jones said he hadn't stepped foot in a church in the 40 years he has lived on this spit of land. And he wasn't ready to call his survival divine intervention. "I drink beer and chase women, gamble, cuss," Jones said. "You can't call that religion. I'm either too good, the devil won't have me, or I'm so bad the Good Lord won't take me. That's a good toss-up.""

Some may call ignorance bliss, but bad theology is deadly.

What a Wonderful God!

I am sitting here in my living room looking back over the past few weeks and thinking about how richly God has blessed us lately.

When Bryan and I bought the house, we had a 6-12 month goal that we would eventually renovate the kitchen to add more counter space, cabinets, a vent hood microwave, and a dishwasher. Our church family decided after seeing our kitchen that they wanted this to be their project, and over the past two weeks, our kitchen has been transformed beyond what we had even hoped for originally. It's about 90% complete, and the total makeover should be finished within the next 2 weeks. As soon as it's finished, I'll take more pics.

Changes Made in Our Kitchen So Far:

1. New Dishwasher
2. More Countertop Space on Both Sides of the Kitchen
3. Beautiful Tiled Countertops with a Backsplash
4. New Sink with New Fixtures
5. Sink Disposal
   
6. New Plumbing and Wiring in Our Kitchen
   
7. New Vent hood Microwave
8. Crown Molding on Our Kitchen Cabinets
9. Two New 3 Drawer Units Underneath New Countertop Space
10. New Fridge (Courtesy of My Parents!)
    

Before:


After:

Thanks to some generous move-in gifts, family, and friends, Bryan, JJ, and his dad were able to move the washer and dryer out of the pantry area and into our master closet. They installed new plumbing and rewired electrically to add the hookups. Bryan and his dad built a shelf around the hookups for my laundry supplies. Bryan and JJ tiled the laundry room area, built a false wall to enclose everything, added folding doors, and even added molding around the doors and on the ceiling to finish the look. Very professional!

Before:

After:

I am so amazed and thankful for the generosity of God and others. I would've lived just about anywhere safe to get out of our old place, but God has blessed us with a home that is more beautiful than I would have ever hoped to have at this point in our lives. What a wonderful God we serve!

Isaiah 25:9-10
Also at that time, people will say,
"Look at what's happened! This is our God!
We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!
This God, the one we waited for!
Let's celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation.
God's hand rests on this mountain!"

Hummingbird Thanksgiving

I love watching hummingbirds feed in our courtyard patio every morning.
Hummingbirds make me appreciate God more... what beautiful little creations!
God is amazing. I'm humbled that I am His.

"On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate."
Psalm 145:5

5 Things I Am Thankful For

I can't believe it is already 2 weeks since I blogged last. So much to update! We closed on our house last Thursday. Thanks to the hard work of family, friends, and church members, we were completely moved out of the apartment by Friday afternoon. Friday and Saturday, Bryan and his dad moved the washer/dryer hookups into our master closet (where I wanted them to free up more kitchen pantry space) and had them running by Saturday afternoon. Very impressive! Saturday, Bryan's mom and grandmother helped me clean out the apartment and get it ready for the walk through this week. Because of Hurricane Gustav and the fact that our neighborhood had flooded before in Katrina, we packed up again after church Sunday and headed to Bryan's parents to ride out the storm. When Gustav weakened early Monday night, Bryan and I headed back to our new house and discovered that everything was fine. We didn't even lose power during the storm... such a blessing! We are finally starting to unpack and get things organized. I absolutely love being in our new house! I am so thankful for this amazing gift that God has given us. He has provided for us during this move in so many ways. Five things that I am thankful for during this whole process of looking for and buying a home...

1) God's peace, providence, and presence- We have had a lot of disappointments during this process of finding a home but God has sustained us, strengthened us, and taught us through these experiences. God provided the perfect home for us in His time to the glory of His good name and grace.

2) Bryan- He is the perfect example of a Godly husband, and I know I can trust the decisions he makes for our family as he walks so faithfully with God. He is a good provider for our family's needs. Can I just say there are not too many men out there who are so willing to pack up for the move then work hard unpacking afterwards too?

3) Family- We could not have possibly undertaken this move since I am more than 6 months pregnant without all of the help have received. We are so thankful for family support and love!

4) Cambridge- Our church has been so supportive and loving towards us during our move. So many people helped us to prepare for the move and then toughed out the hot weather Friday to help us get out of our apartment by our deadline. We are so appreciative!

5) A New Future- Bryan and I are so excited about our future in this new home. We have a wonderful place to bring our newborn baby girl to this December. We have a safe neighborhood where I can feel comfortable being by myself again at home. We have a bigger house to host our out-of-town friends when they come to visit us on the Coast. God has been very, very good to us!

Pregorexia

Recently, I read an article in a secular journal that was titled, "Pregorexia." Apparently, this is becoming a huge problem amongst pregnant women in our culture, since we have so many images of picture-perfect pregnant celebrities. Women who have been diagnosed with "pregorexia" are starving themselves or exercising too hard and are depriving their babies of important nutrients that they need to develop well. Thus, there has been a rising number of babies with birth defects, mental retardation, and other serious health issues. So sad!

I have to admit... I am used to being skinny and being pregnant definitely makes me feel the opposite. However! Pregorexia is out for me... I would rather look pregnant and have a healthy, happy little girl. Ladies, we need to wake up... worshiping beauty cannot satisfy. Only Jesus can. Let's not sacrifice our children on the altars of vanity and pride.

Rain, Rain Go Away

So far, we're moving along with closing quickly. At this point, almost all of the necessary paperwork is sitting on the attorney's desk waiting to be finished. The two last things that need to happen are the termite inspection and for the mortgage loan to finish processing. Today was the day of the termite inspection, and unfortunately, the rain washed away our chances of having that completed today. Maybe tomorrow! Pray that our loan finishes quickly... we're almost at the 4 week marker of processing for it, since we had originally started the paperwork for the other house deal that fell through. Keep prayers coming our way! If the mortgage company gets their side of the paperwork done, we may be able to move in late next week. Crossing my fingers!

Thought for the day

Has anyone else noticed that people mysteriously contract counting amnesia when in the express lane at Walmart?

Somehow, >40 items = 20 items or less