The little stuff

It's the little things that really brighten life. I keep a list of simple things that cheer me and remind me of God's ever-present love. Here's a condensed version:

• Adobe InDesign.
• Music alarms on my iPod.
• Scripture Typer.
• An organized to do list.
• Encouraging blogposts (especially missions or practical and applicable spiritual truths).
• Old songbooks (ever heard of Literature Evangelists Sing?).
• Sleeping in.
• Special nuggets from studying God's Word.
• Expecting packages in the mail.
• Listening to owls hooting in the woods.
• Productive Sundays.
• Being the last house on a country road (in other words, the middle of nowhere).
• Starting memorization on a new chapter in Acts.
• Friends who know just how to cheer me up.
• Summer.
• A pile of books to read.
• The mail-order library (where the above books come from.)
• Full moon brightness.
• My cozy little bedroom.
• Hot dogs over the fire.
• Having plenty of time to simply READ (rare, indeed).
• Homemade laundry soap.
• Christmas peacefulness.
• Missionary friends to pray for.
• Church Christmas programs (especially cute kiddos who steal the show).
• Busy work days.
• Sitting next to a wiggly 4-year-old (and then he flings arms round you and proclaims, "I love you!").
• Design assistants.
• Reading back through my journal and seeing how God has led.
• A warm kitty girl sleeping by my feet all night.
• Diminishing my list of memorization review left to do.

Mission in the moment

The big picture is important, but individual moments are what counts:

The Mission in the Moment (Jeffrey Dean) from gotandem on Vimeo.

Thinking back on yesterday

Funny how a month and day can seem completely normal and mundane to one person, and yet hold year-to-year meaning for another...

It's amazing just how much can occur in the time frame of just one revolution around the sun. And yet, if today is in the context of just yesterday, or the day before, I don't see much change. I have to flip the pages of my journal all the way back to February 24 of last year and see just what has been recorded since then.

The question is posed again: Am I any different than I was last year? My journal reminds me that the answer is yes. Absolutely yes. Lessons learned, challenges embarked on, new burdens placed on my heart, all morph to change the very core of this body and mind that is me.

God has changed me. It's not the end of the journey by any means, but I am encouraged to see His working so clearly.

This year's goal: surrender. To know Him more, so fully that nothing can separate. To be able to read my journal a year from now and see once again that God has molded me to be an even closer resemblance to His beautiful character of love.

Day Four: E Blessings

Some of this year's blessings that begin with the letter E...

Eyeglasses.

Without them, it'd be hard for me to see. And I finally got a new pair this year (plus some contacts, which I actually wear more often, but those don't start with E)! It's so wonderful to be able to see stars, faraway signs, and . . .

Extraordinary mountaintop views.

Views like these make climbing steep hills worth it! Not to mention spending the time up there with good friends. This particular trip, we spent 2-3 hours up there, just talking. :-) Fun times!

Experience.

Yes, this year has produced much of this, as is usually the case. :-) A new garden, car troubles, another year of figuring out taxes, and many more things have given me experience in these areas. I'm glad I'll know how to work with (and deal with) more things in the future. :-)

Extroverts.

No, I'm not one myself. But I have many friends and family around me who are! So I can be thankful, indeed, for those who bring bounciness to my life. :-)

Every moment that makes me think.

Like the time I (finally) re-found the little cemetery out on the prairie where my grandma is buried. The quiet breeze over the tall grass... the small dust-covered stone with roses, engraved on it... made me think about special memories with her. Black nights with twinkling stars overhead... made me remember how tiny I am; how vast God is.

Excitement.

Do workbees ending in a huge bonfire count as exciting? I think so. :-D And excitement about upcoming trips and events, victories achieved... ah. Blessing indeed. :-)

GreaThings

I haven't been here since July.

Since then, friends have moved away, magazines have gone to press twice, I've gone on camping and hiking trips, new YD staff have arrived, and the church evangelism training class has ended.

And yet, a little over three months' absence is only a quarter of 2012. Time has dashed by and I don't often get a chance to stop and think about what it has produced.

And so, it's only fitting that I begin blogging again with a time of reflection over the past year. A friend of a friend is leading a blessing-a-day challenge, called GreaThings - two weeks of specifics to ponder and remember.

What has God done for you? Will you join us?

Safeway musings

It feels odd not to be at work this morning, but here I sit. I'm at a little round table in the coffee shop/bakery section of Safeway, enjoying the array of colors and smells, and watching customers walk by. My car is at the doctor, getting fixed, and I get to wait for awhile. I've already wandered up Main Street, and after I write this I may head back to some of the stores that are probably open now.

With this extra time, I find myself with a release to take the morning a little slower than I probably would have otherwise. I've got time to enjoy the little things...

Time to notice how small Colville really is.

Time to notice the great design inspiration a grocery market offers.

Time to observe people at work.

Time to organize my internet bookmarks.

Time to listen to the words of songs.

Time to enjoy color.

Time to, well, write a blog....

And I've even got time to think.

It's a luxury these days to find more than just a snippet of quality time where I can sit outside or on the couch and do nothing but think. It's great to be busy, but I've realized the need for time to simply think about the immense and marvelous topics of life, and of the amazing character and salvation of Christ. If I don't take time to train my mind in this direction, my thoughts wander off to other things... and I'd much rather learn to discipline it the right way.

So yeah. I've enjoyed the last hour and a half of time.

I'm now off to explore the town more...