Sunday, December 7, 2008

Sunday night mind purge

I feel really blessed. Really happy, joyful, content, and blessed. In my life are some of the greatest people in the world.

This has been kind of a slow week:
- Monday was pretty slow. I just did some stuff around the office.

- Tuesday was Youth for Christ at Hanks, and our weekly staff meeting. I LOVE our staff meetings. In case you don't know this, the DSC staff is made up of the greatest people in the world!

- Also on Tuesday, wee watched this amazing video about a woman named Catherine Rohr who gave up her career in New York to move to Houston and start the Prison Entrepreneurship Program, which helps prisoners succeed in life when they finish their prison terms. It was amazing story of how God uses anyone who is open to Him, obedient to Him, and bold for Him. She's changing the Texas prison system from the inside out.

- At staff, we also talked about people whose lives are changing, like a marriage that fell apart because of one of the spouses and how that spouse is now desperate to do anything to rebuild their marriage. That's what this is about, people! We do what we do at Del Sol Church to see people's lives changed when they have an encounter with God through Christ!

- Wednesday was an interesting day. I worked on some Christ-mas Eve invitation cards in the morning and then went to the Northeast to be with Cheryl and Savannah at their family member's funeral. I didn't know their family member but from the stories they told at the funeral, she must have been an amazing woman.

- Wednesday night was First Wednesday, our monthly communion service. We watched a video message from Gary Haugen on true justice and how God is a champion of justice and calls us to be involved in matters of justice. Gary is from the International Justice Mission, an organization that works to end atrocities like human trafficking and slavery in the world today. IJM is my favorite organization, but after the video we saw at staff on Tuesday, Prison Entrepreneurship Program is quickly becoming my third favorite, after IJM and Compassion International.

- Thursday morning I went to my orthodontist in Juarez for a checkup. I'll admit it is a bit disconcerting going to Juarez, but I've decided a long time ago that I'm not ever going to let fear get in my way and so something as simple as going to the orthodontist over there is my way of trusting God and not letting fear master me.

- Next I need to work on my fear of heights, insects, and needles! =)

- Friday was my day off. I slept in, then went for a run and was overcome with a sense of contentedness and joy as I ran. God is good. He is so good to me, and life is just great. I don't deserve to be so blessed.

- Friday was also my last day working at Parents' Night Out at the church. You can read about it here if you'd like.

- Saturday was a pretty great day. A pretty really great day. I slept in again, went for a nice long run, cleaned out my car and my parents cars, then spent the whole evening with some of my DSC peeps. We went to the city's Christ-mas tree lighting ceremony and parade, then we went and roamed through the Camino Real Hotel downtown, and then went to have dinner at Bassett Place's food court.

- I got home last night and couldn't sleep for awhile. I was overcome with gratitude to God for the people in my life, from my family to my friends to my church family to my fellow staff members. I seriously could not sleep - all I could do was pray and tell God how thankful I am for the people He's put in my life.

- I really don't deserve to be so blessed!

- Our church gathering this morning was great, and Walter's message was like a gut check. God's been speaking to me for awhile about increasing my giving, and in a time when the economy is so fragile and churches are not meeting their budgets, I feel I have a responsibility to step out in faith and increase my giving. I save more than I give, and I really don't think that's the way God would have me handle my money. He's blessed me so much and has always provided for me, and I know as I sacrifice and give a higher percentage, He'll keep providing for me.

- After church I went with a bunch of my youth to lunch at Cheddar's, and I was really upset that we had to sit at 2 booths instead of being put together at a table. Even though we were split, I enjoyed being with my youth. We'll have to try it again sometime soon at a place where we can all be together.

- I SERIOUSLY don't deserve to be so blessed!

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