Prayer and Complacency

How often do we really put deep thought into how we pray and why we pray? Do we just say our nightly prayers because we're "supposed" to? Do we bow our heads at church every Sunday, close our eyes and then let our minds wander to the upcoming week instead of focusing on the prayer being said? Do we forget to say Grace before every meal to thank God for the food we are so lucky to have?





Just so everyone is clear....I'm not writing this to judge or point fingers. As a matter of fact, that above paragraph is a self proclamation of sorts. I've been guilty of every single thing stated above and I want that to change. Sometimes, when we confess our sins out loud, we tend to be more accountable for actually changing them.

So many of us only remember to pray when we need something or we tend to turn to God when something has gone terribly wrong and we feel lost....but, we should remember that every single day that we live here on this beautiful earth, that He put us here for a reason, and we must thank Him for our every breath and cherish it. It's incredibly easy to become complacent and "comfortable" in our day to day lives and think that we are doing "just fine" and...it is when we find ourselves in this self-contented state that we are most vulnerable to letting evil slip past our defenses.




I was reading an email today and it asked these questions:

1. How do I pray? Think about how it might be different if I got on my knees or on my face to pray. Try doing that for the next week and then think about how it affected my prayer life.

2. Who do I go to when things get tough?

3. Do I really think that God listens to all of my prayers? Would my prayer life change if I really, truly believed that God answers prayers?




What are your answers to these questions?? Give it some thought....and you might just change your way of looking at prayer....

Prayer is such a precious gift that was bestowed upon us and it is essential for us, as Christians, to lift up our voices to praise Him, seek Him out in times of need, and know that He is always listening and has unconditional love for all of His children.




All dogs go to Heaven...... :)

Slick Summer

Ahhh....do you remember the mornings when you were in school and the "bad" weather had moved in the night before and you just KNEW that school would be called off the next day?? You always had to get up extra early and turn on the news crossing your fingers and hoping beyond all hope that your school would be closed....(or..you could've had my amazing and wonderful mom, and she would watch the news and then let me know I didn't need to get up...I really had it great...)

And, sometimes (if you were adventurous) you and some friends would venture out onto the ice and "tennis shoe skate" or get some sort of metal sheet pans from the kitchen and slide down steep slopes?? Ahh.....those were the days.....

So....I knew when I heard the sleet hitting my patio door last night that it was going to be B-A-D this morning.

I woke up about 6 and turned on the news...and sure enough.....icy, scary, slippery, nothing-you-can-do-but-stay-home-to-keep-safe roads. So...I walked my little tooshie back to bed and set my alarm for 7:30 so that I could call my boss to let him know...hehe...

So, after getting to sleep in until about 9....I decided to begin getting ready. By the time I was ready at 10, I thought that the sun had probably melted off most of that pesky ice and I would semi-safe driving to work.....Did I mention that I only live 1 mile from my office? Well...that doesn't really matter anyway...but, I thought I would throw that little tidbit in.....SO, I pack up, get in my car and head out of the parking garage.

I safely get down the ramp (thank goodness) and turn onto the road...So far, so good. I make my first full turn left.....going alright....ok...goodness Summer...what's wrong with you....this isn't so bad...hmmph...what's a little ice...sheesh...nothin' to it!

Then......I get to the service road....where I'm supposed to turn right.....Hmm...well, I'm pushing on the gas.....why isn't my car moving.....what's that noise??? Ohhhhh....that's the sound of spinning tires.....silly Summer....(beginning to freak out a little at this point) Then, a Range Rover pulls up behind me and I try the gas again...........nothing. So, I wave the rover to pass me and try my luck at reverse......VICTORY! My car can reverse!!! Yeahhh....ummm....so, now what? Well, I decide to try a different approach to turning on the service road. I go around the icy "patch" that had stumped me last time...and it worked! I turned and was headed towards the first intersection.......Whew....alright Summer....doing great.....feelin' loose.....no problemo....

As I am going through the intersection (seriously only going about 5 mph) I start turning my wheel to turn left..........

WHY IS MY CAR SPINNING?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M GONNA DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alright....maybe it wasn't that dramatic.....but, my heart was racing! I was turned the wrong way on the road, in the middle of the intersection and.....drum roll please.....I was stuck. My car would NOT go anywhere. I tried reverse....nothing....I tried gunning it (stop laughing) nothing......Finally, my tires caught the road.......and I was on my way......................on my way home OF COURSE!!! There was NO WAY that I was going to tempt fate any further.....

I made it back fine, called my office and let them know that Scary Ice Driving Attempt #1 had not been a success.....so, I'd give it a go in a couple of hours...or so.......

Long story short (actually...this is really long....sorry....felt like writing...hehe) I made it to the office by about 1:45 with almost no slipping and sliding and made it home tonight safe and sound! Thank the Lord!!!!!

..........I don't like ice.............

OMGoodness.....I LOVE MY NEW JOB!!!!

I can't believe I forgot to write about this yesterday!!! I absolutely LOVE my new job! Everyone is super duper nice and I just feel at home. I look forward to the future with this company......what an exciting new adventure!

Blessings to everyone out there!

Waterworks.....

Ok...so, I got the bright idea to watch one of my saved Hallmark movies on my DVR (I have some left over from the 300 that I taped over the holidays...hehe...I like me some Lifetime and Hallmark!)

This one happens to be named "The Christmas Shoes"........mhmm...anyone out there already starting to tear up? You starting to get that tight feeling in your throat and already reaching for the kleenex box? Yep.....no idea what I was thinking.....

I do have to say...I made it through almost the ENTIRE movie without one single tear (no, I am not a robot)....but.....then.......it happened.........The boy is at the store......doesn't have the money to buy the shoes for his....."whimper"...."sniff"...dying...."sniff"....mom......

Ladies and gentlemen......Let the waterworks begin........................

We're not even going to get into the ending scene when the Christmas carolers are outside of her house and the lights go out inside the house............darn Hallmark........

New Adventure!!!

Well, tomorrow morning, I start my new adventure with my new job!!! I am excited about the possibilities with this door that God has opened and I'm ready to prove my worth!

Lord, please allow me to shine in my new role and show Your love to everyone with whom I come in contact. Let everyone's eyes be opened to Your grace and glory and let them see Your love through my actions. In Your son's name, I pray.....Amen.

Lonely Shows....

You know.....there are certain shows on tv that are just not really that much fun to watch by yourself.

A few examples:

American Idol (not much fun to point and laugh at people when you're by yourself)
The Bachelor (nobody to talk with about how each girl would be good/bad for him)

Those were really the only ones I could think about.......but, you get my point...???

I dunno.....I guess it's silly to watch those shows in the first place, right? Ugh....what a silly post...

I can't stop smiling!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Well, to say that I'm happy is the understatement of the year!!! I went on an interview last week with a company that I REALLY, REALLY like.......and.......today............my recruiter calls.....................and tells me...........................................................(you're excited now, aren't you?)

THEY WANT ME!!!!!!!!!! I'm just so, so, so excited about this! I have been very thankful to have the job I've been working at these past 3 months, but it just did NOT fit my personality at ALL! I love being around people.....planning, organizing, schmoozing, etc, etc...hehe......and with my current job, I am just staring at two computer screens all day long running numbers and figuring out rates......ick!

I start my NEW job (oooh...I just love saying that) on January 26th and am pumped and ready to go! This new company seems much more congruous with my personality.....it just makes sense!

So, I'm on total Cloud 9 and do NOT want to come down!

Thank you Lord for blessing me with this amazing opportunity. I know that You had Your hand in this and You are steering me towards the path that You have laid out for me. I hope that I take Your lead and follow in Your righteous steps.

Ephesians

Our new bible study class is taking on the book of Ephesians....and I'm excited to dive into this much-used-in-every-single-wedding-but-most-probably-have-no-idea-why book! We have divided our classes into "Singles" and "Married". It should be interesting......

I'll keep you updated.....

Obsessed.....

Wow....wow.....wow.......

If anyone out there has is reading or has read the Twilight Series, then you can relate to my newest obsession......for those of you who have thought about picking up the books or perhaps haven't heard of it yet (what, have you been under a rock?) you just HAVE to read them!!!

OMGoodness! I'm only on the second book now, but this story is AWESOME!!!

I won't ruin anything for anybody....but, you have to read these if you love reading about romance, suspense....thrills, jealousy....twists, turns......and, of course......everyones favorite......vampires!!!!!

It's such a roller coaster......and what a fun ride!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!

New Year Eve hasn't been that much of a big deal the past 3 years or so......I end up either at home....or driving in my car trying to get to my destination.....(it's kind of sad to say 'Happy New Year' to yourself...) So, this year...I decided to actually get out and enjoy the celebration! My friend Tracey and I went to Loft 610 and had the VIP area there....and had a grand ole time!




We are total dorks when we get together......




She is my sister in every way that counts!!!!



It was a great New Years! Everybody was safe and responsible...(and thankfully, NOT drunk and annoying)

And, the next day (New Years Day), I went to my parent's house for my favorite....black-eyed pea dip!!! YUUUUUMMMMM!

Happy New Year and Love you all!!!!!