FALLing more in love BREAK

picture from school.discoveryeducation.com

Fall Break. 

This was not a privilege I had growing up, but my what a wonderful idea it is! Now back from my week-long hiatus from  everyday life, I feel so much more refreshed.

I kicked off the week by finishing another grad school course (only 3 left, yay!). Then, I enjoyed a lovely luncheon with my mother-in-law. A real life tea party was so much fun! Tea with Thee in Madison is such a quaint little place with the best hot tea, scones, finger sandwiches,  soup, and desserts. 

 

Then, Paul and I took off for a little trip away to have some fun and relax away from the hustle and hustle of life. I don't think we slowed down any, but it was a different kind of busy. 

We began with a more relaxing day at Virginia Beach. Beautiful sunsets on the beach, romantic walks on the boardwalk, and glorious sunrises over the ocean were a great way to kick start our trip. We also enjoyed some fresh seafood at Tautogs - a candelit dinner followed by bread pudding for dessert made for a perfect night.

Then, we took off the next day for Williamsburg, VA. We enjoyed seeing the old town and visiting the Yankee Candle store, the 2nd largest in the nation with a candle section, home section, candy and food section, and a Christmas village. We even got to have a conversation with Santa. :) We followed that up with a little retail therapy for my upcoming birthday and a nice southern dinner at Golden Corral.

(I just wish that the sign from Virginia Beach had followed us to Williamsburg - the language was ridiculous. They needed a bar of soap and a good mouth washing.)

Finally, we spent our last two days riding some more coasters. We went to Kings Dominion  near Richmond, VA the first day and enjoyed some tall rides, steep drops, speed, and twists and turns through mock volcanos. Lots of thrill! However, I was not too crazy about the scare night for Halloween. Creepy clowns, dolls, zombies, and nursery rhyme music playing made for an interesting night as we tried to find alternative routes and pretend to be brave so they would leave me alone. 

We dominated that coaster!

Our intimidation faces look more fun than scary!

We have so many coaster pics that we have to start having fun with it!

 The next day we headed to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg for another fun time. We enjoyed even steeper drops, as one ride actually stops and suspends you at the top of the drop to build anticipation. There was also a German named ride that slingshots you through dark tunnels, through the night woods, and even has a freefall/elevator style drop in the middle of it. 

Then, I had fun in the aviary as the birds hopped on my arms, back, and head. Who needs overpriced nectar when you have a shiny ring? They come right to you! Too bad we missed the photo op when I had several birds on my shoulder, back, and head at once! We also enjoyed seeing a trainer work with a wolf. Neat animals!

Excuse scary lady behind me. It was scary night at the park for Halloween, and I was NOT a fan of that!

 

Then, we began our 10+ hour commute back home, stopping in Lynchburg to check out my online stomping grounds for grad school. Liberty University has a beautiful campus, and I was able to find a couple shirts to add to my college collection.

Aside from having our belongings rummaged through in our room at our hotel in Williamsburg and a few rain showers here and there, I definitely cannot complain. We had a marvelous trip and are so blessed to have had this time together to grow even closer and fall more in love! 

God is so good, and we continue to be amazed by the truth that you cannot out-give God We are truly living and loving our Happily Ever After!

Until next time...

ARISE and EAT!!

ARISE and EAT -- two words that describe my morning routine. While I may not like to arise first thing in the morning, I sure like to eat (and my husband can vouch for that). Knowing that the second part is coming can make it so much easier to do the first, or at least for me that is the case.

So, what does this talk of arising and eating have to do with anything? 

EVERYTHING!

A few weeks ago I heard a sermon titled "Get Up and Eat" by Josh Davis, a man from my hometown church. The source of the sermon came from 1 Kings 19:7 when the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."

You see, throughout Elijah's life God had shown his power and greatness time and time again as Elijah witnessed many miracles: Raven brought Elijah food when he had nothing to eat; God multiplied the oil and flour to make bread for the widow that Elijah had encountered; God worked through Elijah when Elijah laid hands on the widow woman's son and raised him from the dead; and God sent fire from Heaven to light a wet altar.  Yet, after witnessing and taking part in all of these divine miracles, Elijah still became fearful and upset when someone (Jezebel) came against him and wanted him dead.  

So, of all the encouraging words that the angel could have said to Elijah during this hard time, why in the world did the angel simply tell him to get up and eat?

Simple - we've all heard the saying that what we feed grows and what we starve dies, right? Elijah was feeding his worry rather than his body; Elijah was starving his faith in God while feeding himself with the lies of the enemy. It was time for Elijah to get up and eat, to nourish himself both physically and spiritually, if he was going to be able to face his journey ahead.

So, let's fast forward a couple thousand years to us.

I don't know about you, but when someone tells me to get up and eat, they do not have to tell me twice. I love food, and that is no mystery to anyone who has been around me longer than five minutes. Yet, what we feed grows. When we grow physically, we can tell and so can others. The pants don't fit quite right anymore; the scale keeps rising; and other begin to notice the transition over time. 

But what about the rest of us?

Are we growing in knowledge, faith, trust, etc.? Can anybody tell? Are we feeding these things, or are we choking the life out of them? Now, don't get me wrong - I believe that there are certain things that God calls us to starve:

 "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice." - Ephesians 4:31, NIV

 "But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." - Colossians 3:8, NIV

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow." - Matthew 6:34, NIV

" Do not be anxious about anything." - Philippians 4:6, NIV

Yet, if you are anything like me, we often tend to feed some of these traits that God commands us to starve. Then, by the time we get through feeding our bitterness, worry, anxiety, anger, and jealousy, there is no time left in our day to nourish ourselves as God commands.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." - Phillipians 4:8

 But how do we learn, receive, and hear of these things? We have to feed on them.  Below, I've listed a few ways that I have found to really help myself feed the right things and starve the wrong:

1. FEED YOUR SOUL - We have to study God's word to know what's in there, not just what an adult, parent, preacher, or trust friend told us. If you are not studying yourself, you are living on someone else's leftovers. Leftovers don't get you into heaven. You can't borrow someone's spirituality or their relationship with God. It's all you. Most of us aren't simply satisfied watching a friend's marriage; we want our own. So, why do we do that with Christ? You need to know what you believe and why and form your own relationship with the Father.
   
   Lately, I have been reading a book titled Muscle and a Shovel by Michael Shank. You may or may not agree with everything in the book, and that is not my place to say, but I can tell you that this book will challenge you and help you delve much deeper into the Word to study and find out what exactly you believe and why. If you are struggling to find a devotion type book that will help you get excited about studying the Word, this is it. It has truly helped me, and I hope it will you, too.
   
   
2.  FEED YOUR MIND - Try to focus on the positives instead of worrying about the negatives. No matter how bad your day is, someone is having a worse one. I can promise you that. Your team may have lost the game or you lost your job, but someone else may have lost a loved one. You may have received a bad report from the doctor, but someone else may already be living their last days. You may be the one living your last days and not ready to die, but someone else may be doing the same without the assurance of their salvation. Worrying will not add one single moment to our lives or make any situation better - that's proven. The best way to feed our minds is to fix our minds on things above... revert back to step #1. The more we are full of God the less room Satan has to come in.
   
   As some of my students wrote tabloids this past week (those far-fetched news articles that you find at the checkout counter at the grocery story), I was amazed by how many of my other classes actually believed some of the stories they read. Why? If you read or hear a lie long enough, you may even start to believe it. Don't fill your mind with the tabloids of Satan; instead, focus on the GOOD NEWS, the truth, of Christ!

   

   Don't believe Satan's Tabloids....

   
   

   
   

   

   Believe God's Truths! (just as these sweet babies do!)

   
   
3. FEED YOUR BODY - Now, I'm not about to give you a health lecture by any means; however, if all we eat is junk, that is exactly what we are going to feel like. Don't get me wrong, I eat Oreos and milk just about every day, and I sure do love a burger and fries. While I do mean to feed your body with healthy food, I also mean to feed your body with physical activity. Doing so really does help clear the mind, reduce toxins in ones' body, and alleviate stress. I'm not saying to go run a marathon or become the next Crossfit junkie, but let us do remember that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and we should treat them as such.
   
   To show that I really do practice what I preach, I can happily say that I am now up to running 5.5 miles at a time. A year ago, a mile was a joke. It didn't happen overnight or even over a few months, but I have found that I feel so much better after doing so. And to say that you do not have time -- haha, I laugh. If you only knew what my schedule looks like on a daily basis. I do not have time, either, but I make time. Why? Because it's important, and it helps me get in the right state of mind for step #2 so that I can truly delve into step #1. I'm telling you, it works!
   
   



4. FEED YOUR RELATIONSHIPS - You might have been thinking that emotions were coming next, but really relationships have a direct correlation to your emotions. Did you know that studies have shown that those who suffer from chronic depression and have the most health problems are often those who have weak relationships with others? It's true. If you find yourself in that category, try one thing that will help you meet one new person. Maybe you go to an event that you wouldn't normally go to just to see new faces. Maybe you take that awkward step to introduce yourself to someone new in the supermarket, at work, at church, or elsewhere. Maybe you call up an old friend that you haven't spoken to in awhile. Maybe (and I know this may seem like a shocker), but you actually work on your relationship with your spouse. When is the last time you put your spouse before your kids, the way God ordained it? Or, maybe you simply begin by working on your relationship with yourself - being happy in your current place in life and finding joy in just being you. :)
   
   Paul and I had become so busy serving everyone else (which we love) that we had really neglected to feed our relationship with each other. Yes, we were serving together, ate dinner together, talked about our day together, and occupied the same house, but we weren't really feeding our relationship. We were squeezing it in and giving our marriage the leftovers of our day - you know that little time we had left after completing everything else on our "to-do" list. Leftover are good - for awhile. Then, you want the real deal. Paul and I are perfectionist and we had to work hard at putting our stresses, to-do lists, and anxieties aside to make sure that we were giving each other the proper food in our marriage and not just our day's leftovers. It has been so much fun, too. We've enjoyed hiking, taking walks, building and painting decorations, riding coasters, and laughing at funny shows just to name a few. That may sound small, but it means so much when those sweet slices of heaven come in amongst a chaotic day or week.

   

   Paul and I hiking through some trails and caves.

   
   

You may find that you need to do the same with your spouse, family, or friends; or, maybe you realize that you are giving your leftovers, if anything, in your relationship with God. I don't claim to have all the answers or even most of them, but I do know that these four things are truly helping me slowly become the person that I want to be and that I feel God desires me to be.

Are you starving the right things while really feeding the others?
The journey ahead will be long....so ARISE AND EAT!! 

and find your joy, hope, and strength for the journey in knowing that God is bigger and He is surely NOT DEAD!  (Just as one of my sweet cheerleaders sent me that blessed reminder yesterday...)

Until next time...