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| Superman and Lois Lane at our friend's Halloween party! |
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| 2012 Pumpkin: a ghost pumpkin...pure white and smells like a honeydew melon. |
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| Trunk or Treat...a baseball theme! GO SOUNDS! |
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Today's Bliss: Halloween Fun!
N and I had a great weekend filled with Halloween festivities! We carved our pumpkin, went to a party, and gave out candy at our church's Trunk or Treat. Mixed in with the fun, we also completed a painting project, visited my parents, and cleaned the hose...a busy but good weekend. We are so very blessed by each other, by our families, and by our friends! Ours is a life of bliss.
Happy Halloween! :-) Hug someone tight and tell you that you'd be scared to live without them.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Today's Bliss: Childlike Faith
N and I have been excited all week...counting down the days...ready for our annual trip to the pumpkin patch! We enjoy Fall so much and love to visit the pumpkin patch, looking at all of the choices and selecting just the right decor for this festive time of year.
This year we visited the pumpkin patch at Forrest Hills UMC in southwest Nashville. We routinely shop at the farmer's market there on Saturday mornings throughout the summer, so it seemed fitting to purchase our pumpkins there this year also. All of the pumpkin patch proceeds benefit youth missions so we were glad to support that effort with our purchases.
And purchases we made! We found some great pumpkins and funny looking fall gourds for our dining room table, too. We are ready for the season!
We may be nearing 30 years of age and we may not have kids, but we love to do fun kid-like activities. It is good for us to share in these little excitements that we both enjoy.
This is how our faith is supposed to be, too. Looking at things with the excitement of a child is what God has called us to do:
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-4 ESV)
God wants us to ask questions, thirst for more information, sit enraptured in His presence, listen to His words, and spread the message of his love. Until we can admit that we don't know it all and don't have the world figured out, we cannot truly accept God's will and love for us. We need to be open-minded and innocent, running to the Father with our needs, concerns, and questions. He is the all-knowing, peace-giving fountain that will fulfill our thirst and heal our hearts from the world's hurts.
Receiving the gifts he has for us and acting like the children we are supposed to be: that's bliss!
This year we visited the pumpkin patch at Forrest Hills UMC in southwest Nashville. We routinely shop at the farmer's market there on Saturday mornings throughout the summer, so it seemed fitting to purchase our pumpkins there this year also. All of the pumpkin patch proceeds benefit youth missions so we were glad to support that effort with our purchases.
And purchases we made! We found some great pumpkins and funny looking fall gourds for our dining room table, too. We are ready for the season!
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| Is this the perfect pumpkin?! |
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| Here's our selection...a Ghost Pumpkin! N loves it! |
This is how our faith is supposed to be, too. Looking at things with the excitement of a child is what God has called us to do:
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-4 ESV)
God wants us to ask questions, thirst for more information, sit enraptured in His presence, listen to His words, and spread the message of his love. Until we can admit that we don't know it all and don't have the world figured out, we cannot truly accept God's will and love for us. We need to be open-minded and innocent, running to the Father with our needs, concerns, and questions. He is the all-knowing, peace-giving fountain that will fulfill our thirst and heal our hearts from the world's hurts.
Receiving the gifts he has for us and acting like the children we are supposed to be: that's bliss!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Today's Bliss: Fall
It has been such a long time since I have written! I didn't mean to take a break from writing, it just happened. 2012 has been full of surprises and it has FLOWN by. I cannot believe that it is already Fall! I love this time of year: holidays on the horizon, my birthday (tomorrow!), cool, crisp air, changing leaves, cuddly evenings with blankets and a book, and time visiting family.
This summer was full of bliss, too. N's family now has a lake house that we can visit and we have taken advantage of the very relaxing, beautiful, nature-filled location as much as possible. There is even a paddle boat that we have been captaining! During the last months we've also had some fun at baseball games, weddings, church activities, Bible studies, football games, a Habitat for Humanity build, long weekend trips, and time with friends and family members. We are blessed and I thank God for all of the wonderful people in our lives and opportunities that we have.
This Fall, I have been trying to reconnect with God. I didn't feel disconnected really, but I knew that I wasn't doing all that I should be doing to listen to God, rest in Him, and obey his Word. Maybe that is why I didn't blog, either: I just didn't have a lot to say. Through Bible study and some peaceful reflecting, I have felt so much more in-tune to God and all that He has been trying to say to me. His plans are better than mine, His work is perfect, and I need to listen to His voice, no matter if it's a shout or a whisper.
I am blissful because I look around and see a lot of the things that I've always asked God to give me. I am blissful because, despite my tendency to ignore God, he has patiently waited for my faith to be set on fire once again by a desire to grow, be a better person, and plug-in to His voice every moment.
Last week, I tried to pray as much as I could throughout each day. Some days I did better with this than others...and what a difference I could see between the prayerful days and the less prayerful ones! And what motivation to try even more prayer-centered days this week!
I pray that your days as prayer-filled and centered on what is truly important: being clay in the Potter's hands, willingly following His guidance. This is what I strive for and I hope you do, too.
This summer was full of bliss, too. N's family now has a lake house that we can visit and we have taken advantage of the very relaxing, beautiful, nature-filled location as much as possible. There is even a paddle boat that we have been captaining! During the last months we've also had some fun at baseball games, weddings, church activities, Bible studies, football games, a Habitat for Humanity build, long weekend trips, and time with friends and family members. We are blessed and I thank God for all of the wonderful people in our lives and opportunities that we have.
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| Finding bliss at the lake with N and Scooter! |
This Fall, I have been trying to reconnect with God. I didn't feel disconnected really, but I knew that I wasn't doing all that I should be doing to listen to God, rest in Him, and obey his Word. Maybe that is why I didn't blog, either: I just didn't have a lot to say. Through Bible study and some peaceful reflecting, I have felt so much more in-tune to God and all that He has been trying to say to me. His plans are better than mine, His work is perfect, and I need to listen to His voice, no matter if it's a shout or a whisper.
I am blissful because I look around and see a lot of the things that I've always asked God to give me. I am blissful because, despite my tendency to ignore God, he has patiently waited for my faith to be set on fire once again by a desire to grow, be a better person, and plug-in to His voice every moment.
Last week, I tried to pray as much as I could throughout each day. Some days I did better with this than others...and what a difference I could see between the prayerful days and the less prayerful ones! And what motivation to try even more prayer-centered days this week!
I pray that your days as prayer-filled and centered on what is truly important: being clay in the Potter's hands, willingly following His guidance. This is what I strive for and I hope you do, too.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Today's Bliss: Rest
I cannot believe that it has been two weeks since my last post! I have been working and running around a lot...leaving no time for thinking or writing. After a very full two weeks, I have had this weekend to catch up on some rest, get some time to reconnect with N, and enjoy my home. I am a person who needs peace and uninterrupted quiet to recharge and refuel. This is what has been missing lately! I am grateful for time to just take a breath, catch up on things, and chill out.
Today is Palm Sunday, a day to celebrate Christ - God's ultimate gift to us. I wish I was better at showing that gift to the world...telling people that their stress and frustration can be healed at the feet of Jesus. In fact, I need to remember that myself lately! God gives, gives, gives to us in so many ways. Patience, love, grace, loyalty, forgiveness, understanding, peace, mercy, the list of His gifts could go on and on. I celebrate His giving this Palm Sunday. Celebrate what I have and all that I am; celebrate the opportunities and hope I see around me; celebrate my family and friends; celebrate my blessings.
Resting in His love + spending time with my true love and partner N = Bliss.
Today is Palm Sunday, a day to celebrate Christ - God's ultimate gift to us. I wish I was better at showing that gift to the world...telling people that their stress and frustration can be healed at the feet of Jesus. In fact, I need to remember that myself lately! God gives, gives, gives to us in so many ways. Patience, love, grace, loyalty, forgiveness, understanding, peace, mercy, the list of His gifts could go on and on. I celebrate His giving this Palm Sunday. Celebrate what I have and all that I am; celebrate the opportunities and hope I see around me; celebrate my family and friends; celebrate my blessings.
Resting in His love + spending time with my true love and partner N = Bliss.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Today's Bliss: Relaxation
The past month has been very, very crazy at work and I see no end in sight. It is a stressful time, but I am coping okay...some days more than others, admittedly, but overall I am doing fine. But everyone needs a break! Today I took a day to rest, breathe, and enjoy some relaxation. I am treating myself to a massage, some retail therapy, and a flexible schedule. I am so thankful for this time to chill out!
It is so easy to focus on the crazy world around us: the pressure to succeed, the endless desire for more, more, more stuff. On days like today, it is so healing for me to take a moment to look inside my life, look up to God, and really think about what is truly important. At the end of it all, I think that God will care much more about my attitude while facing a long to-do list rather than if my list was completed.
It is very hard to keep a cool head under pressure. I have always had some trouble with that. I hope that I can get better at coping and overcoming challenges...maybe that is why I always seem to have one in my life. Practice makes perfect.
It is so easy to focus on the crazy world around us: the pressure to succeed, the endless desire for more, more, more stuff. On days like today, it is so healing for me to take a moment to look inside my life, look up to God, and really think about what is truly important. At the end of it all, I think that God will care much more about my attitude while facing a long to-do list rather than if my list was completed.
It is very hard to keep a cool head under pressure. I have always had some trouble with that. I hope that I can get better at coping and overcoming challenges...maybe that is why I always seem to have one in my life. Practice makes perfect.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Today's Bliss: Forgiveness
My blog today is a confession. Remember back on Ash Wednesday when I was so excited to start my Lent calendar? Yeah, well, I am not following it at all! As you can imagine, I have a long list of excuses for not sticking to my calendar plan, but none of them truly excuse me. I am definitely not proud of my effort.
Forgiveness is a huge, wonderful part of my relationship with God, my relationship with my family and coworkers, my relationship with friends. I am so, so far from perfection, as we all are, that I am in need of forgiveness every day! I am slowly learning that being hard on myself and beating myself up for not doing something (or for doing something I shouldn't) is a waste of time. Things happen...all we can do is ask for forgiveness, forgive ourselves, and try to do better the next time. After all, we are all human and we all have to be forgiven sometimes, right?
I praise God for His blessing of forgiveness. Praise to Jesus for dying for me so that I can live a redeemed life, whether I deserve it or not. That is a deep blessing that I will probably never really grasp. Knowing about Divine mysteries like this is why I count my life as blissful.
And, who knows...maybe I'll stick to my Lent calendar tomorrow? :-/
Forgiveness is a huge, wonderful part of my relationship with God, my relationship with my family and coworkers, my relationship with friends. I am so, so far from perfection, as we all are, that I am in need of forgiveness every day! I am slowly learning that being hard on myself and beating myself up for not doing something (or for doing something I shouldn't) is a waste of time. Things happen...all we can do is ask for forgiveness, forgive ourselves, and try to do better the next time. After all, we are all human and we all have to be forgiven sometimes, right?
I praise God for His blessing of forgiveness. Praise to Jesus for dying for me so that I can live a redeemed life, whether I deserve it or not. That is a deep blessing that I will probably never really grasp. Knowing about Divine mysteries like this is why I count my life as blissful.
And, who knows...maybe I'll stick to my Lent calendar tomorrow? :-/
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Today's Bliss: Wandering
N and I did not have anything on our calendar today so we wandered around. We took a walk, went to see a dog show, went shopping, ate a nice lunch, saw friends, shopped some more, ate gelato, bought groceries...we really enjoyed our sunshiny, laid-back day!
I know you look at the above list and say: "dog show?" It was actually a really neat part of our day today. We saw hundreds of dogs; just about every breed was represented. We toured grooming areas and watched several breeds as they were circling their judge in a ring. There were even kids and teenagers doing some of the showing. Very impressive! (And free!) If you have not been to a dog show before and you love the little K9s, you should definitely check one out sometime.
Experiencing something new with someone you love is always fun. Being with them to share joy and a sense of adventure is a great bonding time. I am so grateful for N and his spirit of adventure - he is always ready to try something new.
I hope you have the chance to break out of your routine and wander around your city. You will probably discover something great that you didn't know was even there. That is bliss!
I know you look at the above list and say: "dog show?" It was actually a really neat part of our day today. We saw hundreds of dogs; just about every breed was represented. We toured grooming areas and watched several breeds as they were circling their judge in a ring. There were even kids and teenagers doing some of the showing. Very impressive! (And free!) If you have not been to a dog show before and you love the little K9s, you should definitely check one out sometime.
Experiencing something new with someone you love is always fun. Being with them to share joy and a sense of adventure is a great bonding time. I am so grateful for N and his spirit of adventure - he is always ready to try something new.
I hope you have the chance to break out of your routine and wander around your city. You will probably discover something great that you didn't know was even there. That is bliss!
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