♫Times♫

July? Oops! And it's now October....

Where to begin.... My life has been a bit crazy, most nights I get home from work, drink a cup of coffee, and crash. So what's new...???
So last weekend I went with Tammy and Katie to the VMI vs. Navy game. SO much fun! And since my whole family were out of town, on Sunday night I went with Tammy and Shaina to VMI to drop Caleb off. It was so good to see him that weekend! He's been greatly missed!

Since July, my family has "adopted" our friend Tj. He goes to Richmond U., which is less than 15 minutes from our house... so he often comes over for movie nights a few times a week. With a few late night runs to Taco Bell...

And most of you know that we moved into our new house... LOVE IT! It's so big, we can't yell down the hall to find someone. We actually have to call each other on our cell phones. And since we moved, Snuggs has been very vocal. He often sits at the top of the stairs calling for me... and once he hears where I'm at, he comes running. We've also been able to have people over! Finally! For Labor Day, we had around 50 people over for a BBQ. And we still had room! God is so good :)

Also, I began working at the church office full time in August, and I'm loving it! It makes my job a little easier now, in that I don't have to try to remember where I left off on Tuesday, when I come back in Thursday. When 5:00 rolls around on Tuesday, I know on Wednesday morning I'll be able to pick up where I left off. Due to being alone most of the time at work, I've started to have a daily goal. Kinda making a game out of it. For example, last week's goals were the following:
Tuesday - Have less than 10 emails in inbox before 5.
Wednesday - Have ALL Tuesday and Wednesday's todo's checked off by 5.
Thursday - Have less than 5 emails in inbox before 5.
Friday - check off EVERYTHING by 5.
This past week I got everything done... but the week before I "failed" one of my daily goals. And since it's like a game, I don't let it get to me. I just move that goal to the following day.

Also at work... Pandora is my friend :) I put on my Jeremy Camp radio station, and let it play. This has really helped me to be reminded of God's grace in my life throughout my day. Lately life has been a little down... and this has really kept my eyes on what life is all about. It's not about having a job, going to school, being in a relationship, etc... it's ALL about Him. Yes, life does have all those things, but we don't need to live for them; We need to live for Him who created us.

If you know me well, you know that I tend to get stuck on one song that I can really relate to in the season I'm going through. Right now, that song is "Times" by Tenth Avenue North. Though, the last verse has really been encouraging. They wrote it as if God is saying it to you. It says;

I hear You say,
"My love is over. It's underneath.
It's inside. It's in between.
The times you doubt Me, when you can't feel.
The times that you question, 'Is this for real? '
The times you're broken.
The times that you mend.
The times that you hate Me, and the times that you bend.
Well, My love is over, it's underneath.
It's inside, it's in between.
These times you're healing, and when your heart breaks.
The times that you feel like you're falling from grace.
The times you're hurting.
The times that you heal.
The times you go hungry, and are tempted to steal.
The times of confusion, in chaos and pain.
I'm there in your sorrow, under the weight of your shame.
I'm there through your heartache.
I'm there in the storm.
My love I will keep you, by My pow'r alone.
I don't care where you fall, where you have been.
I'll never forsake you, My love never ends.
It never ends."

How true this is! He is there through our pain, through the storms we face, and He will never forsake us! This last week was really hard, and I really was tempted to slip into dispare. But I fought for joy! Well I should say, HE gave me the strength to fight for joy! I wrote this song in my journal a few weeks ago, and this past week I kept going back to it. Reminding myself that He is always here... He is never going to leave me... no matter what I'm going through.

Another thing that has really been cool to see, is that everything I've been reading... in my Bible, Morning and Evening, and even songs that have been on Pandora, there has been a theme; Wait for the Lord. Don't you love it when He does that? :) It's times like these that I know He is here with me. He's on my side. Even when I don't like the path He has set me on... He did it for a reason. And I'll be able to look back in a year or two, and see His faithful hand in it all. I love this verse in Psalm right now... which is my current memory verse; "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14) Wait for the Lord!!!