Jaymz

Wow. For Real?

Nice…

Doodles vs. Blueprints

(These thoughts are a direct response to some questions that I asked myself after I recently read something.)

Proverbs 29:18- There has to be a plan. (paraphrased)

The way I see it, before something comes into being, it is planned. It has to be or else I end up with a big, dangerous mess. It needs to have definite purpose. Oh sure, things look great in the beginning, but the more I add on to the project and the farther I take it, the more chaotic it gets… a firm foundation is a necessity in any plan.

I need a Step 1. A starting place for plans and dreams to come into being.

Then I need to refine these dreams. Allow God to give them shape. They need to look more like specific blueprints than a page of doodles and scratches before I can work with them.

Planning goes beyond just the structure of a dream coming to fruition. It defines and declares something’s purpose. It’s gotta go in the direction that it was planned to go. If I don’t plan towards a direction, how do I know where I will end up? And can I know that it is even of God anymore?

I know, give God control right? But even He does things with careful planning.

1 Corinthians 14:33-For God is not a God of disorder, but a God of peace.

1 Corinthians 14:40- Everything should be done in a fitting, decent, and orderly way.

Isaiah 45:18-For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he createth not in vain… I am the LORD; and there is none else. *(the word “vain” here literally means: wasteful, empty, and unprepared)*

*So things that are chaotic, confusing, and have no structure… are in danger of missing God. When we don’t allow our plans to mature and be refined, and we try to act on them when they are still just an emotional dream of sorts… we set them up for possible failure. But when we take the time to give them some structure, and do some careful planning before we actually try to execute… we give God the ability to create the end product that He originally had us dream about.)*

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yeah…. It would be better if it was about a turkey…

My Daddy’s Back!

Yup. He's back. Yay!

My dad has been in Illinois for a few days and we just picked him up from the airport. Woop Woop!

I missed him a lot. Like, a lot a lot. I guess I'm the definition of a "daddy's girl". Last night I actually spent an hour on the phone with him talking about some stuff that has on my heart and rolling around in my mind. It was on the phone, but it still means a lot to a teenage girl when her dad has time for her.

I love my Dad. One of my first words was Daddy… haha, well more like "da-da" I guess. And when I say his name now, whether full of love and endearment or more like an expletive, I always know that it comes with love.

Love you, Dad! Glad you're back!

Why do we do what we do?

People do some dumb stuff sometimes….

I do some dumb stuff sometimes…..

But why do we do what we do?

I think that the world is searching for something… something to fill a void that we are all born with. That void has a very, very specific shape. Not many things are going to have that "perfect fit" when it comes to that void. In fact, there is only one thing that really belongs there.

Some people will spend their whole life searching for that One thing, but never truly find it. Oh sure, some things look like they will fit, but the closer you put it to that hole, the more you see that it's not going to fit at all. And the more you try to cram the wrong thing into the hole, the bigger it's gonna get.

*The world is searching for something that has already been given, trying to earn something that is free, and thinking that things are harder than they really are…*

It's nice to know there's hope.

John 14:6- Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

College, Anyone?

Do you ever feel like this? That's kind of how I felt after getting home from college weekend the other day.

I stayed at ORU for 3 days and 2 nights, trying to get the feel of what it would be like to spend four whole years there…… Wow. I attended some neat classes and met some cool people. I got to hang with some of my friends and just get a feel for campus life.

ORU is a great school. It's full of great teachers and students who love God and love to worship him. (But we still have other schools to look at and pray about as well.)

Sometimes I guess I forget to put my confidence in the future that God has chosen for me. I worry a little bit too much about the end result, when God just wants to show me the next step. Sometimes it feels like a lot of my friends already know where they wanna go, what they wanna do….. they just seem to already have it all figured out!

I'm glad I've still got plenty of time to figure out things like: where I will to go to college, how it's gonna get paid for, what my major will be, and life after I graduate…

I'm not completely sure what comes next… I hope someone tells me soon. I'd kinda like to know. Oh well. I'm confident in my Savior and I know that he DOES have something for me. But for whatever reason, he has decided to keep it a surprise. Hm. Gee, thanks JC! J

Jeremiah 29:11……. Sometimes I just need to be reminded.

Be Back Soon!

I know. Anxiety attack right? Well, calm down….. and try not to miss me too much. (I'm totally kidding) I know that you may not trust me to really return, especially after my disappearing act a little while ago. But I WILL be back on Sunday….

I off to College Weekend at ORU! Woot Woot! I get to play college student for a few days and be back to tell you all about it on Sunday.

Until then, I will leave you with something to ponder:

What travels all around the world, but always stays in the corner?

Go ahead try to guess. And don't Google it. That's cheating. I'll be back with the answer on Sunday! Bye!

-jaymz*

Oh Bomb(a)

Half the people in our nice nation feel like a bomb has been dropped.

Half the people in our nice nation think that the bomb has been deactivated.

Today, Obama is officially is our president. Tomorrow, Obama is officially our president. For the next four years, Obama is officially our president.

I don't know a whole lot about politics. And I don't know a whole lot about Obama. So I can't say anything negative about the guy or where he is taking our country. But I DO know that as an American, it is my civil duty to honor and respect him as a leader. And I DO know that as a Christian, it is my duty to pray for him. So that's what I'm gonna do! But just for fun, whether you are one of the ones who feels like someone dropped a bomb on the nation, or one of the ones who feels like the bomb threat is now over, here are some ways to identify a REAL bomb that night come in the mail……!:

How to Detect a Letter Bomb- :

1. If the carrier provider delivers an unexpected bulky letter or parcel, inspect it for lumbs, bulges, or protrusions, without applying pressure.

   Check for unevenly balanced parcels.

2. Handwritten addresses or labels from companies are unusual.

   Check to see if the company exists an if they sent a package or letter.

3. Be suspicious of packages wrapped in string—modern packaging materials have eliminated the need for twine or string.
4. Watch out for excess postage on small packages or letters—this indicates that the object was not weighed by the post office.

   It is no longer legal to mail stamped parcels weighing more than sixteen ounces at mailboxes in the United States—they must be taken to a post office.

5. Watch out for leaks, stains (especially oily stains), protruding wires, or excessive tape.
6. Watch out for articles with no return address or a nonsensical return address.

 

(okay…. So that was really dumb. But, in my defense, I didn't write it! It's from one of those Worst Case Scenario books…)

(*oh, and I just think that it is fun that his name is o[bomb]a… I don't mean anything by that.*)

If perfect+perfect=imperfect, then imperfect+imperfect=?

Have you ever tried to combine a bunch of favorite foods to make a mega food? When I was little, I invented the "best" meal ever. I put all of my favorites (oatmeal, gummy bears, and Dr. Pepper) into a bowl, and tried to serve it to my grandpa. –there is a reason you don't see the recipe for THAT in your homemaker magazine…

It seems like adding together a lot of good things, would make an even better thing. But in actuality, in this instance, I ended up with something gross.

Humans are imperfect. Period. We get that. But this morning at church, I started thinking during worship. There is nothing that feels better than being in the presence of God with fellow believers. It's, like, the perfect feeling! How can so many messed-up, hurt, and imperfect people come together and take part together in something so perfect? Hm.

When God watches the genuine praise of his people, do you know what I think He sees? Take a guess.

I think He sees perfection.

*Man can combine "perfect" things and end up with imperfection. But only God can combine imperfect things, and create perfection.*

Matthew 21:16- "…From the lips of children and infants comes perfect praise…"

I Ate It!!!

Mom cooked it……

I ate it…

And it was really gross.

Oh Well. I have most definitely eaten Acorn Squash.