The Journey Home (A parable by me)

Monica sat contentedly in her seat on flight 553. She couldn't wait to arrive at her destination. It had been 10 years since she visited her small hometown of Hindersonville. More than anything she was excited to connect with the cherished people of her past.

The people of Hindersonville found it hard to forget their beloved Monica. They eagerly awaited her arrival and took the tenderest care to make sure her trip would be perfect. Their ambitious plans insured a visit that would result in gleeful reminiscing.

As her flight grew closer to the Hindersonville airport, Monica couldn't help but wonder about the people she so fondly remembered. She giggled at the memory of Timmy and Thomas. These two mischievous boys were twins. She babysat them from the time they were born until she left Hindersonville two weeks before their 5th birthday. They would be 15 now. Monica couldn't wait to see how they had grown. She couldn't wait to hear of all of their adventures.

Then, there was the dear old lady who lived down the street; Mrs. Tompkins was her name. Boy, that was a smile Monica would never forget. Mrs. Tompkins would sit on her poarch and watch as people walked by. Anyone who looked her way or said hi would be greeted with the most sincere, crooked smile that beamed with kindness. Monica remembered the many glasses of lemonade she shared with this kind grandma as she told stories of days long passed. Monica couldn't wait to hear of old Mrs. Tompkins. Was she still alive? Would she still have stories to share?

Monica's cousin, Jena, lived in Hendersonville too. She had heard that Jena had great plans to change the world. Of course, this was no surprise to Monica. Jena had always been an enthusiastic go-getter, stopping at nothing to see her dreams turned into reality. But what were these big plans? What great dreams was Jena striving to achieve?

Oh, and Monica couldn't forget the Murpheys. This young couple moved to Hendersonville just before she left to follow the path laid out before her. She remembered seeing them beaming as they proudly announced at church that they were going to have their first child. Was it a boy or a girl? Did they have more children? Monica wanted to know everything.

Monica's thoughts were quickly brought back as she heard the pilot announce that the plane was landing.

Meanwhile, a happy party - signs ready, hats on head and party blowers in hand eagerly awaited the arrival of their young friend.

Monica stepped off the plane, excited to see all the eager faces. She saw twins, but they weren't boys, they were almost men. Could that be Timmy and Thomas? Oh, and there were the Murphey's, but there were no children. Maybe the kids were in bed. Monica couldn't wait to meet them. Jena was there too. There were so many people. Monica was so excited she thought she might burst. But before she could think, she was enveloped in a whirlwind of people dragging her away and quickly loading her into a personal limo to take her to the nicest hotel in town. The limo ride was nice, but how Monica longed to be with the ones she loved so much.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Monica was immediately escorted to the nicest room in the place. As she opened the door she was shocked. Her mouth dropped open a bit as she absorbed the scene of flowers, pictures and notes beautifully decorating her suite. The notes all told of the excitement of her arrival. As Monica fondly looked through the pictures, her eagerness grew to deeply connect with these people who made up her past.

This opportunity never came.

The plans for this short trip were amazing, so intricately and lovingly set in place, yet everything was rushed. From one event to the next she flew, always loudly proclaimed and fondly spoken of. Despite all this she was barely able to spend five minutes with one person before being shuffled off to the next thing on the itinerary.

The week was soon over. The people of the town were beaming. They had set all the best in motion. They had given Monica the best food, the best lodging, the best clothes, the best luxuries. They had done so much for her.

As she boarded the plane, Monica managed a smile and a sincere thank you for all of the love and care they put into planning this trip. As she got on the plane, a tear began to slowly trickle down her cheek. Loneliness, sorrow, and sadness gripped her. What Monica wanted more than anything was to connect with these people so dear in her heart. She wanted to share in their triumphs and to comfort them in their sorrows. Yet, in their eagerness to "go all out" for her, they forgot all about her.

How often do we treat God like the people of Hendersonville treated Monica? We get so excited about living our lives for God, or so caught up on the plans that He has for us, that we forget all about God. We forget to take that time to share with Him and include Him. We forget to make Him first, above all else. Jesus didn't die so that we might do great things for Him. He died so that He may spend eternity with us. Why not start right now?

I May Have a Job When I Graduate!!

Yep, you heard correctly. I may have a job when I graduate from Southern in December! Where would I be working you ask. Right here, at Southern. That's right, I'll be traveling really far. Lol. Here's the story.

I have been tutoring at Learning Success Services at Southern for a little over a year now. I love working with the students and seeing them succeed. Most of what I have been tutoring is for the Academic Power Tools class. This is a class to help students who are struggling in school. It teaches them about note-taking skills, test-taking skills, how to get the most out of a textbook and other such things. Well, I was thinking the other day that I would LOVE to teach this class rather than just tutoring for it. Well, I talked to my boss about the prospect of teaching this class when I graduate in December. She was excited about this idea seeing as she wants to teach fewer of the classes. She just got a lot more added to her job responsibilities, and she was hoping she could get more help teaching the APT classes. She was ready to get me signed up as Adjunct staff right then and there. Then, we both decided that it might be better for me to get my degree first and wait until January.

I am supposed to talk to her again in October. I don't know if this is God's will for me. I don't know if my boss will change her mind about having me teach. I don't know if Southern will hire me. But, I do know that the prospect is certainly an open one. I know that I would really enjoy it. So for now I pray, and come October, we'll see what happens. Maybe in January I'll be an Adjunct teacher at Southern Adventist University. Woooo Hoooo!!

Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~John 14:27

Reminders of God's Love...EVERYWHERE

This morning an interesting thought hit me, "What if I put reminders of God and His love everywhere? What if everything around me continually pointed to Him?" This concept seems fun and appealing to me. While I know it could get a little out of hand, I don't know that the idea is all that bad. Let me explain.


Imagine if every time you picked up your water bottle to take a nice refreshing sip of water, you were met with this phrase: "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14). Thoughts of Jesus as you drink!

Or, what if every time you went to wash your hands, you found this inscription on your soap: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin" (Psalm 51:1-2).

What about when you open the bread box, or pull out a loaf of bread and the card attached to the bag read: "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness" (2 Corinthians 9:10).

Above your stove or microwave could hang a sign: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16).



This is so much fun, and I could go on all day. But I can't help but wonder if these reminders of God's love, if this constant direction to Him would change my life at all. What if I thought about God all day in everything I did? Hmmm.....

Matthew 28:19

Photo taken by Emily Ford

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

That Haystack Hidden Needle

Some people would call me a visionary. Some may even go as far to call me a passionate visionary. I have a passion for life. I have a passion for all the wrongs in life being righted. This may sound honorable and noble, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. The problem with all of this is that in order to want to change life, to want to make things better, I have to first become focused on this world. I have to recognize what's wrong. I also have to be aware of all of the barriers that stand in the way of change and restoration.

The truth is I know deep down inside, that if I just focus on those barriers, on all the things that are wrong or difficult, I will never find my way through. So often I allow myself to be torn town by the huge obstacles in my way. So often all I can see is what's wrong. It's like looking for a needle in a hay stack. If all I see is the hay, if all I can focus on is this huge mound, then I will be filled with so much sorrow and an overwhelming sense of impossibility. Yet, if I trust that God is there, that He is with me, and that He truly has made a way, I will have hope and faith that the needle really is there. So suddenly, my eyes will be turned from the massive hay stack to the God. He knows where that needle, where the tiny way through is. Prayerfully, I will search for that needle until He helps me to find it. Then, when I have the tiny, shiny object in my hand, the stack of hay will not seem so overpowering.

If I focus on all of the things that are wrong in my life, in the world, in other people's lives, and fail to see the way that God made, I will allow myself to become lost and trapped. I will roam around in the dark. This is not what God has called us to do.

In Colossians, (3:1-2 to be exact) Paul tells us:

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

So that is what I will strive to do. Rather than focusing on the trials and obstacles this life may hold, rather than allowing myself to be overcome by all that is wrong, I will focus on Christ. I will look to Him. I will allow Him to be my point of focus.

Live Like We Believe

Most Americans over the past few decades (at least middle and upper class citizens for sure) have grown too comfortable with life in general. We hold strong convictions and beliefs; but when it comes right down to it, are these convictions really important to us.

In the days of the pioneers men and women worked hard. They often spent their days working tirelessly on tasks they did not enjoy. The men slaved away to make a home for their family to live in, and then worked and toiled trying to produce food from the sometimes stubborn land. The women spent long hours making clothing, food, and other necessities for their families. Sometimes they had to be extremely creative to provide for the needs of those around them. Why? Why would these people voluntarily subject themselves to rough conditions? Because they believed in something. They had a picture of what their family needed, what would ultimately give them what was best, and they stopped at nothing to reach that goal.

There are stories of people in the Bible like Paul and Abraham who stopped at nothing to serve their Lord. Paul went on many journeys, suffered persecution and imprisonment time and again, why? Because he truly believed in the gospel message. Abraham was willing to take his son Isaac to the alter and sacrifice him as God had asked. Why? Because he believed that God is a God that keeps His word. God had promised that Abraham would have enumerable offspring through Isaac, and He believed what God said.

So often we live like we believe until it gets hard. We talk about the importance of health or losing weight...until we have to put into practice some things that are difficult. We talk about the importance of family and friends, and we mean it...until we have to sacrifice things we don't want to, or we have to put forth more effort than we desired. We tout the significance of investing our money and recognizing that it's God's...until that means we can't have the latest thing. We easily admit the importance of making sacrifices for God...unless that means we actually have to work harder or do something we don't like, or step out of our box to fulfill that calling. We easily talk with other Christians about the importance of living our lives for God first, and we truly believe that...until God's plans don't match with ours, or until He asks us to do something hard, or if He asks us to let go of something we don't want to.

My question is this: Why don't we live like we truly believe? We live in an age of ideals and opinions. Everyone has strong opinions and can talk-it-up like you wouldn't believe, but we fail to step out of our zone of comfort, we fail to ask God to help us to do what is difficult, we fail to trust Him implicitly, and we live like we believe as long as it's easy. I don't want to live like that anymore.

"And [Jesus] was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it...'"
~Luke 9:24-25

What do you believe in?

Confused and Loving the Commission

This sign seems very fitting for my life lately. I'm so lost. I have no idea where God wants me to go or what He wants me to do. Over the past week I have gone through so many ideas it's not even funny. Most of them are falling through. So, what does God want of me. It's too the point that I'm not even sure about the next step any more.

I wish I could share with you all of the possible future plans that are unsure, but I cannot. Arlen and I have decided that for right now, we need to pray and leave room for the Holy Spirit to work. We don't want our decision to be based on the ideas and opinions of those around us, but rather on the clear leading of the Holy Spirit. So, on that note. I solicit your prayers.

I do, however have an adventure to share with you! Last night Arlen and I were driving home from taking care of a friend's animals. I felt a sudden urge to go downtown to check out the houses we had been looking at online. It seemed like something fun to do. We don't know much about the safety of the "neighborhoods" so we decided a Saturday night might be a good time to check it all out.

We went home, picked out the four houses we were most interested in and printed out directions. At 8:58 (I think that's the right time), we set out on our grand adventure. We maneuvered our way around the city to come to the first house. As we turned onto the street we were delighted to see children of all ages and ethnicities playing together. There were people socializing. That was a good sight. The houses were not very big and were diverse. Some were in bad shape, and others had obviously quite recently been remodeled. As we approached the house, we looked inside and were very pleased with what we saw through the windows. The yard was big and the house was surrounded with trees (kind of). It was like a little piece of heaven at the end of that street. Our next step was to talk to the people who actually lived there. Would they be friendly? Would the neighborhood be safe?

As we talked with one guy we learned that the street was very friendly indeed. Everyone knew each other and enjoyed spending time together. That was exciting news! We felt very safe on the street, which was good. We loaded back in the car, and prepared to search for the second house on our list.

This house was less than a mile away, but felt like a completely different part of the world. As we turned on the appropriate street, we noticed immediately that strange men were randomly wondering around. I quickly locked all the doors in the car. When we realized we were going the wrong way on the street we turned around, and this guy (he must have been drunk), tried to flag us down. We still hadn't found the house yet, but at that point we decided it didn't matter. We did NOT feel safe in this neighborhood, so we headed to our next destination.

The next house was in a nice area, definitely more middle class. While this neighborhood wasn't as friendly as the first, it did seem safe. People seem to keep to themselves (like typical Americans). The house was nice. It's nice and big, with a separate apartment option on the top. It also had a nice big deep yard. We looked at what little we could see and resumed our journey.

Suddenly, we were redirected on our trek. As we got to a crosswalk, Arlen was letting a guy in a wheelchair cross, but instead of crossing, he came to our car and tried to get a ride. We looked at each other, and thought "why not," so he skillfully and quickly got himself and his wheelchair settled in our back seat and gave us directions on how to get to the Tennessee aquarium (that's where he wanted to go) from where we were. By this point, we were totally turned around and confused. We successfully dropped him off, got our bearings and headed out again.

As we got closer and closer to our destination, we felt more and more the suffocation of the city. We were exhausted, and confined and we wanted out. We quickly drove by the last house, and we were ready to go home!

What an experience. It's amazing how much diversity there is in such a small area. I think the biggest impact our Saturday night exploring had on me was the realization that there is a whole world out there that I am completely unaware of. I have lived my life in a middle class, Adventist community my whole life. There is so much to experience in life. There are so many ways that God can use me! So many ways I want Him to use me. (I just wish I knew His plans.) I'm eager to face life head on and experience more than comfortable suburbia. I feel the incredible inspiration in the great commission, and that is what I leave you with:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
~ Matthew 28:19-20

I Think I'm Graduating With the Wrong Degree

Have I chosen the wrong major? Here I am, only 3 classes away from graduating - sick and tired of school, and I think I've finally figured out what I'm supposed to do with my life...well at least what degree I should graduate with. I should have been an education major!!

Let me explain. I love kids. If any of you have worked with me at camp, you know that God has placed in my life a special kind of connection with children. There is no better feeling in the world than to help kids grow a little closer to God. I also LOVE to make lesson plans. I know this sounds crazy, but I really do. The problem is the kind of lesson plans I like to make. (And this is the reason why I never went into education). I am not a text book person at all. Now, don't get me wrong, I think text books have their time and place, but they are way over rated, and completely overused. I enjoy this kind of all or nothing learning. For example - reading text books - I just don't get it. Now it's possible I could be missing something, but why do we have them? Especially in today's world where you can get books on just about any topic at about any reading level. Why not read about some of the other things you are learning in class, to get kids excited about reading. You can read about animals, history, science, God, social studies; you name the topic, there are bound to be level-appropriate reading materials on that topic.

With just about any subject, you can have hands-on activites that teach far more than being confined to worksheets and textbooks will ever teach. With math - apply the math that is being taught to fun situations - cook, have "stores" set up to learn how to use money, be creative. When you are learning about science, don't just read about it in a text book, experience it. Rather than just reading a chapter about clouds, go outside, look up at the sky, peak your students curiosity by asking them questions. Go, lay on your backs, look up at the sky. What do you see? What shapes are in the clouds? What kind of clouds do you think they are? How many kinds of clouds are there? Do different clouds do different things? Then maybe think of creative ways to find out about clouds and let the kids do the teaching - let them present their findings.

I am also a huge proponent of field trips! Take the kids to experience as much as they can. They will learn much more from these experiences. Have them take pictures and make scrapbooks of the field trip. Get them excited about life, about all the things God has blessed us with in this world. The last thing I support in school is family involvement. If parents aren't involved it's no good. So you bet as a teacher I'd be having parents over to my house for meals, I'd be having all sorts of activities in which the whole family can get involved.

I guess I've been so afraid that this type of teaching would not be accepted. Especially now with all of the "No Child Left Behind" laws. Yet I wonder. What am I to do? What is God's plan for me? How does Joshua's House fit into all of this? Was I supposed to be a teacher? Do I get a degree other than the one I'm graduating with in December? So many questions. These questions spin my life kind of upside down.

Amidst all of this I am drawn to God. He knows my future, my past and present. And He knows how everything will work out. He tells us

"For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." ~Jeremiah 29:11-13

So I rest on that. The question is, am I ready? Am I ready to lay aside all my preconceived notions of what life SHOULD look like? Am I willing to lay down all the plans that I have laid for my life? Am I willing to live radically? To do whatever God requires of me? Am I willing to let go?

Contagious Excitement

This week we had some exciting things going on in our house. Let me explain. Arlen received a call from one of his clients asking him to meet at their office for a thank you surprise they had for him. Not thinking much of it, Arlen headed over to their office. As he talked to the staff member he had been working with the most, she handed him an envelope with his name on it. Arlen opened it and what he found inside made him stand there for a minute dumbfounded. It was a $2000 voucher with the MAC symbol on it. Not wanting to believe that this really was $2000 toward a new mac computer, Arlen waited for some sort of explanation. Sure enough, his initial reaction was correct. The company Arlen had been working for really appreciated his work and wanted to tell him thank you by getting him a new mac computer.

Arlen has been elated. This week he has told everyone he knows about this amazing gift he has received. Each time he tells the story, his face lights up more than it did the previous time he told it. As I was watching him share his story one time it hit me. This is totally how it is with God. God does amazing things for us. Often they simply go unnoticed, and even when we are aware of them, we keep them to ourselves. However, if we would share the wonderful things God is doing in our lives, our excitement would only grow! Just as Arlen gets more excited every time he shares about his new mac, we will get more excited about God's working in our lives every time we share what He's doing with others - and they will get excited too! (I've also noticed that excitement seems to be contagious.)

A Petition for Prayer

I am requesting your prayers. You see, for a while now (I'm not really sure how long, but I know at least a year), I have been having issues with sleep. It's not insomnia, no, I can fall asleep pretty quick. The trouble is staying asleep. I wake up several times throughout the night. Most of the time I easily fall back asleep; but as you can imagine, waking up at least 6 times a night doesn't prove for a very restful sleep. This is a problem. I often wake up in the morning still feeling exhausted, sometimes even more tired than I was when I went to bed. This problem is affecting my life, and I don't like it. Because of this, my emotional stability is not that good, and that affects my life in so many ways. Worst of all, it affects my ability to serve God fully and completely. I'm so exhausted I just don't have much to give Him.

Realizing this I have made a decision. I will no longer stand for this. I am soliciting everyone that I know to pray for me...hard. I know God wants me to be an effective worker for Him. I also know that He has promised His children rest (Matthew 11:28). He tells us again and again to be persistent in our prayers. He also tells us to have confidence in the prayers that we send heavenward (1John 5:14). So that's what I'm going to do. And that's what I ask You to do with me. Together we can pray until God gives me rest. I know this is important to God because it effects my relationship with Him. I know He will answer our prayers.

Thank You all for laying this issue before the throne of grace with me!

God bless!

Laura Byrd

"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." ~Matthew 19:26

Is Anyone Listening?

So, this has been killing me for a while. I've been wondering...who is really reading my blog? Is anyone reading my blog? Are my words simply slipping into oblivion? If that's the case, I'm kind of sad, but I will not stop writing. I could never stop writing. There is something powerful about putting my thoughts into words, about taking time to really reflect on God's work in my life, about recognizing His workings. So no, I won't stop writing, I just wanted to know...who's listening.

Stronger Faith

So normally I try to blog about Joshua's House stuff on my Joshua's House blog, and what's going on in my life on this blog. Well, those two paths are now crossing. Astonishing, I know. The reality is that my other blog is more of a professional blog, and well, Joshua's House is just so much a part of my life right now that I can't possibly reduce it to a continually formal level. Okay, sorry for that ramblesome introduction, now I will stop and actually write what I was planning on writing.

I've been spending a lot of time over the last few days kind of throwing myself into Joshua's House. I've been loving it. And God has used it in amazing ways to stretch and strengthen my faith. Yesterday evening I went to a birthday party. While I was there it seemed I spent the whole time answering questions and sharing with some of the people present about this wonderful ministry that is taking shape. It was so much fun! It made me think a lot too. You know, it's kind of hard starting a ministry, especially one with the scope of Joshua's House. There are so many choices to make, so many things I'm unsure, so much work that needs to be done. At time it becomes overwhelming. It is at those times that I want to start taking over. I immediately jump into fund raising mode desperately trying to find a way to come up with funds to pay for people to design a website, write songs, stock photography, stories, and the list continues. But all of these things show a lack of faith. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that fund raising is bad at all. Let me explain what I mean just a little more.

Last night, David Gates shared some thoughts with us for sundown worship at the party. He was talking some about his ministry, Gospel Ministries International. This is an amazing ministry run entirely by volunteers - nobody gets paid for their work. David was talking about how his family decided to take a year off. They would be totally ready and open to God's guidance and would not accept a salary for any of the work that they did. They knew that God would provide for their needs. And sure enough, He has. He shared story after story of contacts that God brought to David that he needed to push things forward. He shared stories about how they got helicopters, airplanes and all sorts of things that they needed with no money. He reminded me that God owns it all. He owns the whole world. He doesn't need any money. If I need help, or volunteers or anything, I just need to turn to God. Joshua's House is God's ministry. It's not mine. I just have to be willing to do what He asks of me, and He will provide the finances, volunteers and all the resources that are needed. I just have to trust Him.

Over the past few days, I have felt really challenged by all that God is asking me to do. I still do not understand it all completely. I am not positive where He is leading, or even what the next step is, but I pray that I may always seek Him first, rather than trying to clumsily make it through on my own puney knowledge. God has promised that He will show me the way!

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
~ Isaiah 30:21

Vacation at Little River Farms pt. 2 Peacocks and Pony Rides

We're still having a great time here at Little River Farms. As you can see in the picture, I especially like that my traditional garb (overalls) is quite appropriate for such a vacation.

Now it's time to share a little more about our trip. One of the places we spend the most time is down at the big bird cages. Ronan particularly likes to sit and watch the turkeys, ducks, chickens and homing pigeons. Although all of these birds are fun, he most enjoys watching the peacocks. There are two Indian Blue and One Java green males. (The females aren't quite as fun to watch.) We like to watch as the males slowly spread their beautiful feathers and stamp and dance around trying so hard to get the attention of their female cagemates. Often they are like little sonars following the females around the cage begging for attention. This display can be slightly depressing to watch as the males put forth so much effort to attract the females, but often, the females ignore the very existence of the males.

On Sabbath we had an exciting adventure! First we took off on a hay ride. Ronan wasn't too sure about a hay ride on Friday, but by Saturday, he was ready to go. This is MarMai, DarDai and Ronan on a god ole' trailer hay ride.

After we got off the trailer, Janetta was quick to note that the pony was out and ready to give some pony rides. As Netta is a horse lover, it didn't take long for her to become interested in the idea of getting her kids up on Baby (that's the pony's name). Ronan quickly protested, proclaiming that he was afraid of the horse, so his little sister, Aurora, was the first to sit on Baby.



Ronan still wasn't sure about the pony, even after seeing how much his sister loved sitting on the stout animal. Janetta confidently picked him up and plopped him on the horse before Ronan really knew what was going on. A little unsure, he gave a smile, and after the pony started to move, a huge grin lit up his face.


As the pony ride came to an end, Ronan decided he didn't want to get off. He wanted to ride the pony all the way "home" to the inn. That's just what he got to do! Like a joyful little cowboy, Ronan got front door service with the fun pony, Baby.



You know, I wonder how much God tries to give us good things, and we either completely ignore Him, or are too afraid to accept His wonderful blessings. I've been thinking about that a lot this weekend as I have watched Ronan and the Peahens. No matter how hard the Peacocks try to get the attention of the lady peahens, they simply ignore the males in their cage. How often does God try to get my attention and I cruelly turn the other way, or even pretend I don't notice Him.

And, just like Ronan, how often am I so afraid to try new things and accept the challenges that God lays before when a magnificent reward awaits my obedience. Ronan's rewards for overcoming his fears were a pony ride and a hay ride. How much more wonderful things is God ready to give me if I will simply acknowledge His presence and follow His leading, even when it is a bit scary?

Vacation at Little River Farms pt. 1 Little Emma

On Thursday, May 31 only about an hour behind schedule, the Byrd van set out from Lonny and Netta's house. We were headed out on a great adventure. As we began to travel on the windy roads, our trip began with a wise word of advice from Ronan, my three year old nephew. "MarMai," he said to my mother-in-law who was driving, "don't forget to stay on the road." Thus began our exciting journey. A little less than an hour later we drove up to a wonderland of peacocks, goats, donkeys, chickens, a pond, a river, a playground and so much more.

As all six of us piled out of the van, we were happily pleased to see the accommodations for the week far exceeded our expectations. After unpacking, no one had to ask where we were headed next. We were going down to see the animals.

The first animal to greet us was almost literally right outside our front door. It was a shy llama.



It didn't take long for us to discover that there were actually three llamas. All of them are quite curious and come up to the fence every time we pass by. However they are not too sure about us touching them. They are a bit shy.

As we trekked down the dusty trail we soon spotted the goat pin to our left. I was thrilled to discover this fun little critters. I would love to have a goat farm, and I think now that Arlen has seen the fun animals, he may agree.



This is me with Emma. Emma is the sweetest goat of them all, and I quickly fell in love with her. As we stepped inside the goat pin she looked up at us and quickly came running over. That's just how Emma is. Every time we visit her, she comes trotting right over as soon as she sees us. This little goat loves attention, especially if it includes a good neck scratching. Not only is Emma a sweetie, she is quite curious. When Arlen was taking pictures, she saw the flash on the camera, and immediately she was there, trying to figure out what that flashy thing was. She even climbed Arlen in a effort to figure out her discovery.



The thing about Emma is that although she is a sweet heart, she is very jealous. She wants all the attention, and doesn't want to share with anyone around. These are a couple of goats that very much wanted our attention, but were afraid of Emma. (She has a tendency to head butt any of the other goats who get too close to the people giving her attention.) All of the goats are well behaved, but when Emma is around, they are much more cautious to approach humans for attention.



I'm looking at the time, and I'm realizing that I'm going to have to end this blog here pretty soon. I'll continue part two tomorrow. But, rather than ending abruptly, I'd have to say that as usual, God has taught me a lesson through little Emma. She is very sweet, however her jealousy often gets in the way of her enjoying the attention she craves. When people come to the petting zoo Emma typically gets put in the barn, away from all the excitement. Her selfish battles tend to scare the kids and her behavior to the other goats is completely unacceptable. The thing is, if Emma allowed the other goats to come over and get some attention as well, she would end up with a lot more loving pats, scratches, rubs (and even a few more treats).

I can't help but realize how much I take after this little goat. I often am so afraid of loosing the gifts that God has given me that I become protective of them. I don't want to share my time, my stuff, my husband, I want these things all to myself to be used how I think they should be used. I wonder how many times God has to give me a "time out" because of my selfishness. God has created us to share all the blessings that He has given us. Only by doing this will our blessings continue to grow and our joy increase. I pray that God will help me learn to share...ALL of the blessings He has given me!

The Crazies...

Yup, I've got those. I don't want to do anything but I have so much to do! (Does this sound familiar?) Well, if you're wondering why this sudden burst of craziness hit, I will tell you. (If you're not wondering, you can stop reading now, and I promise I won't hold it against you.)

Here's the deal. This summer I already had the following items on my list:

1) Work (wherever I can, as much as I can - right now Thatcher and Thatcher South)
2) Keep up with the house (this includes deep cleaning, gardening, and lots of fun from-scratch cooking)
3) Joshua's House (I'm starting a non-profit, it takes a lot of time, okay)

As you can see, my summer was already going to be pretty busy. But now, there's more. My husband and I have been spending a lot of time praying about finances and what God has in store for us, what His will is. While we have no clue what the next little while holds in general, it is clear that my husband's company just doesn't have enough workers. So guess what - I'm going to be doing a lot of organizing and the like for Aspen Web Design.

I know it's crazy. I'm not quite sure how 3rd summer secession will work. Aspen, on top of my other two jobs, not counting anything for Joshua's House, will put me at at least 55 hours of work a week!! AHHHH. But God will help me.

That's what I'm learning today. He has a plan and as long as I turn to Him and allow Him to be my guide I can know that it will all be okay. The hard part for me is the letting go part. I like to sit down and make schedules and figure everything out and KNOW how I'm going to fit every little detail in. However, I know I must resist the urge.

Pretty much, this is what God is trying to say to me:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heat and do not lean on your own understanding. IN all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fer the Lord and turn away form evil." ~Proverbs 3:5-7

So, I'm a little overwhelmed, but I know that God WILL help me. I just have to be willing to let Him choose my priorities. :D

My Quest for Health

Okay, so here is the deal. A while back my doctor told me I have to lose weight (for those of you wondering, I'm not overweight). The reasons are long, boaring and complicated, and I won't get into them now. Anyway, I don't just want to loose weight, I want to be healthy - really healthy. I want to learn how to take care of my body, and how to teach people to take care of theirs. Here are some problems I've been running in to:

1) Most diet programs focus on just weight loss and tend to leave out the total health issue.

2) It's almost impossible to find a diet program for a vegan who does not buy pre-packaged foods.

3) Contradictions. It seems that for everything that's said there are 10 completely different things stated on the same topic. (ex. Carbs are bad, Carbs are good)

4) There is no simple way to understand proper nutrition. How much is a serving? What does 1200 calories look like? And what in the world do you categorize foods as? Some places say beans are carbs, other say they are protein!!

5) What constitutes a good exercise program? How must strength training, cardo? When I'm on cardion workouts does my goal need to be to keep my heart rate up, or to push myself as hard as I can? What exercise routine is really healthy?

6) What are exercising options? People say it needs to be fun, but I just haven't hit on that yet.

7) What is a balanced diet? I mean what vitamins and minerals need to be included, how many of them, where can I get them?

8) What constitutes a good multivitamin? What supplements should I be taking?

Okay, I could go on, but I think You get my point. I've looked in books and books, and it seems that there are so many contradictions, and people make such broad generalizations that I can't seem to find anything that's actually helpful! RAHH! Oh, and all these things are so expensive! I do not have a lot of money to spend on memberships or special foods. I just want to have a natural healthy lifestyle. I know that one of the things that most books talk about is having a low level of stress. Does this industry realize the stress that all of their incongruences and overabundance of only partially useful information causes?

So, this is my current struggle. I don't really know what to do, or where to go, or how to begin this health journey. I do know one thing. I don't drink near enough water. I know that water effects our skin, our appetite, and our overall health in so many ways. For that reason, my first step on this quest for health is going to be to drink 80 ounces of water a day (that's four times of filling up my water bottle). But I can't go from drinking hardly any water to drinking 80 oz just like that, so my beginning goal: Drink at least 40oz of water a day. If I can keep that going, next week I'll increase it to the full 80 oz.

Let's see how all this goes!

The Mad Dash to...Forgiveness

Last night I was worked until close to 1am. I was crazy tired when I got home. As I cuddled up to my husband, he told me he would let me sleep in in the morning. By that I thought he meant somewhere in the neighborhood of 7am (seeing that's late for a morning that I have to work). To my surprise, I woke up at 8:21! I jumped out of my bed and scrambled to the bathroom to get ready. "Arlen," I shouted, "I was supposed to be at work 20 minutes ago!" All of a sudden it was a mad dash to get me ready for work. As Arlen patiently gathered the items I called out, "I need my work shirt, and khakis, and an undershirt, and some socks...Ahhhh! I can't find my ID card," together, we got me out the door, and I arrived at work at 8:31!

Needless to say, when I arrived at work, I was very sleepy and a bit bemuddled, but as I sat and spent time talking to Jesus, I realized something. It is so clear that He has been working in my life. My typical response to being so late to work would be first to snap at Arlen for not getting me up earlier, then to beat up on myself for all of the ways that I could have possibly slipped up to make such a thing happen. I would have droned on and on about how irresponsible I am and would have let it ruin my day. Yet, Jesus calmed me.

Yes, being late to work would mean that I would miss that pay for the day. Being late might mean that I would get in trouble at work. Being late meant that I didn't get a shower before coming to work and that breakfast would be late. I would have some consequences. However, that's not where it ended. I was already late when I woke up, I could not change that, so I decided I would do my best to get to work as fast as I could - and I did. Arlen had not made a mistake, there was simply a misunderstanding, so why blame Him? When it all comes down to it, this is what I really discovered. I cannot continually beat myself up for every mistake I make. I must take responsibility for my slip ups, and accept whatever consequences go along with them, but then I must learn from them and move on.

Then, suddenly I was hit with a better understanding of God's love and forgiveness. When we sin, there are consequences, there is no way around that. However, rather than beating ourselves up and gloating, we can learn from those mistakes, allow them to help us grow, and move on. Christ has covered our sins and has fully forgiven us. He wants us to live like His forgive children.

I can't help but wonder if this is what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 11:28-30 when He said,

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

This is me at work - Thrown together, but forgiven!

Being Rich

Even though I am poor when it comes to money and other worldly measures, I am really quite rich. I am rich in love, and in happiness. God has poured His blessings out on me and my husband. Not to mention that but our Father has all the resources in the whole world, AND, he has given us eternal life. Rich...yeah, I'm rich. :)

Only Slightly Bored

I haven't posted today, so I thought I would. I really have absolutly nothing in mind as far as what I'm writing, so we'll see what happens. I'm working as a D.A. in the dorm today. It's really a good job and it pays really well, but there are rather dull moments in which there is nothing to do...at all. I am currently faced with one of those moments. Arlen will be here soon to pick me up for a lunch break, and that will be nice. But, in the mean time I am going to fill up this space with a bunch of randomness.

There have been a few things today that I have not been particularly eager to do. However, there is nothing that bad, and I have absolutly no room to complain. I am trying to remember 1 Peter 4:10-11, and am praying that God will give me a cheerful working spirit.

"As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen."

So that's pretty much it. There is not a whole lot else going on. Thanks for reading this ramble if you've made it all the way to the end. If you haven't however (and I guess at this point I'm talking to myself), that's okay - I totally understand.

Well I hope you have a wonderful day! Remember to stay connected to the Source!!