Goodwill

There are some definite perks to living right next door to Goodwill. The best of all is that it makes a wonderful free (or cheap) date destination! Jody and I will say to each other on occasion, "Wanna go on a date to Goodwill?" We smile, nod our heads in agreement, and walk behind our house... and we're in Goodwill within two minutes. It's delightful. No car needed. No traffic. It's free! But then, there's the downfall. What if you find something wonderfully delightful there that you just must buy? And we all know that if you happen upon a sweet deal in Goodwill, you cannot wait. You cannot even trust stashing it behind some messy section in another part of the store. The odds are against you. You must get it right then and there.

That's what happened a few weeks ago. Jody and I decided to go on a date to Goodwill. We walked over and browsed, and lo and behold, what was sitting there on the shelf?

A Keurig Platinum B70 K Cup Single-Cup Brewer. 

Do you know what that is? Well, neither did I just a few months ago. But my sister-in-law Lindsey has one, and when Jody and I were in Pampa we got well-acquainted with the beauties of K-cup caffeine boosts. Jody came home from TX, boasting of its amazing-ness, and how he "needed" to get one when we were rich and had ridiculous excess income. Ha!

So, back to Goodwill. There the Keurig was, sitting on the shelf still in its box. And it was $50. You've got to be kidding me! These things are almost $200 brand-spanking new in the store. It would be difficult for me to imagine purchasing it, even if we did have excess income.

In the end, we brought the Keurig home, opened it up and still found the warranty inside.

God is so good. We love our Keurig, and I am once again reminded that God sees even our silly, small desires (like my love for Snickers), and He uses them as opportunities to shower us with His love. As I John 3:1, says, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" I especially love it, because it's not limited to coffee. It heats up water quickly, allowing me to steep my tea quickly. Apparently it also makes hot chocolate and other deliciousness. AND, now with our my K-cup filter, we can brew our own coffee, as well. It's silly how something so unnecessary could be such a blessing; nonetheless, I am thankful as I remember my little flat in Korea. I had next to nothing there. And now, I am determined that such little things as a Keurig will not spoil me or ruin my expectations of life or what I 'deserve' in this life.

It is enough that the Lord loves me, and yet He chooses to bless us with something as unnecessary as a Keurig. I am truly thankful.

P.S. K-cup donations are currently being accepted. :)

New Music

I don't know about you, but I get antsy when I haven't heard new worship music in a while. My heart starts craving for something new. Fresh. That's when I happened upon my sister Anna's boyfriend Nate's blog: nclarke03.wordpress.com.  He posted the following video.

So here's a song by an artist that I personally didn't know about until now, Kristian Stanfill. Thanks, Nate!

 My Reward
I give my life again, every breath I have
For you are my reward
Jesus, take my life, a sacrifice
All I have is yours, all I have is yours


You are my reward, all I'm living for
I surrender all my life to you
All consuming Fire, you are my desire
No one else but you, I surrender all my life to you
All to you, my Jesus


Jesus, here I am with open hands
lifted high to you
could my heart contain all your love for me?
You're all I need to know, You're all I need to know


You are my reward, all I'm living for
I surrender all my life to you
All consuming Fire, you are my desire


No one else but you, I surrender all my life to you
All to you, my Jesus

Oh, nothing compares to knowing you
nothing compares to loving you
I'm giving my life to follow you, my King (3x)


You are my reward, all I'm living for
I surrender all my life to you
All consuming Fire, you are my desire
No one else but you, I surrender all
'Cause You are my reward, all I'm living for
I surrender all my life to you
All consuming Fire, you are my desire
No one else but you, I surrender all my life to you
All to you, my Jesus
All to you, my king
All to you

The end is in sight...

There is one lesson I have learned very thoroughly through this process called seminary: don't set your heart on anything too quickly.

When Jody began his degree at Denver Seminary over two years ago, we were shooting for graduation in December of 2010 (yep, the December that passed four months ago). But then life happened. (Of course it did.) A poor job market. Two moves. A car accident. Financial stress. Greater church involvement. Brad's passing. And so plans had to change. And through it all, God has been good. 

The latest challenge to graduation presented itself a few weeks ago. Jody needed to register for his last semester, and there were only 3 classes left standing between him and that stinkin' piece of paper. But one of those classes was not offered. Ha! Somehow, deep in my gut, I knew something like this was going to happen. Immediately when I got the text from Jody, my stomach sank. Graduation May 2012?? It could not be!

But we are rejoicing today. Jody and I put our heads together and decided the best step to take was to immediately speak with the head of the MA Leadership department, Dr. Lindquist and see what could be done. Praise the Lord, Dr. Lindquist was eager and willing to work with Jody, knowing a bit about the stresses of the past few months. He and another professor, Dr. Carroll, agreed to tack on an extra credit to one of the other classes, require a bit more work of Jody, and his requirements will be satisfied. Two classes. 5 credits. And 8 more months.

We are thrilled. God is truly good and merciful to us. Yay!

Graduation Date: December 12, 2011

Anna: Senior Portraits

I can hardly believe it; my youngest sister Anna is graduating from high school. How time has flown! I still remember Anna-belle falling on the ground (temper-tantrum style) when she couldn't do her 3rd grade homework. Now here she is all grown up and heading off to college in the fall! 

For her senior pictures, my parents hired my sister Sarah's boyfriend Justin Ferry. I am thoroughly impressed with Justin's work, and I am thrilled with how the pictures turned out!

Justin also took a few pictures of Anna with her boyfriend, Nate. Nate and Anna are both heading to Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA in the fall, and they have both expressed a heart for ministry. I am so proud of them for their heart for the Lord and their desire to love (and lead) those around them. Please join me in praying for them: that God would lead and guide them by His Spirit and make His plans and purposes for them clear.

To see more pictures of Anna, of Anna and Nate, (and more of Justin's work), visit Justin's photography website at: http://justinferry.wordpress.com/.