It’s a good day

Today is Good Friday. Why is it so good anyways? It’s a time of reflection of the life-giving sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, so that we would be redeemed and saved. Holy Week and the days leading up to Easter are a special and sacred time of remembrance and celebration of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. This year, my husband and I decided to participate in the Good Friday Experience at our church, Henderson Hills Baptist Church. The church has offered this multi-sensory experience for a few years now, but this is the first time that I’ve actually participated. It was such an incredible physical journey, using all the senses, to really understand the gravity of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

Galations 2:20 is a perfect verse to remember during this time. Download the free 4x6 printable here or click on the verse above to download and save the image as your iPhone wallpaper. Click here to download the iPhone 4 compatible image.

Here are some of the church's photos of Good Friday from last year:

"...washed by the cleansing of God's word" | Ephesians 5:26 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

"It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end." | John 13:1 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

"Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over." | Matthew 26:14-16 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” | 1 Peter 2:24 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." | Isaiah 53:5 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

"...Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds." | John 19:39 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it." | Luke 23-34 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

What do you do?

As I hear of the amazing career exploits of friends and acquaintances, I can’t help but consider and reflect upon my own career. What has led me to this point in my career? Is this really where I want to be? My soul-searching journey and challenge the next year or so is one of personal discovery and self-reflection, so that I can maximize my full potential and passionately become what God has intended for my life – both personally and professionally. I know that I have been blessed with opportunities, education and talents, but am I really using all of this to make a difference in this breath of time I’ve been given in this world? 

So much of our lives are tied to our careers, since we spend the majority of our day at our jobs. What is the one question you will be asked the most in life, besides what your name is?...“What do you do?” Sometimes I get a little annoyed by the question, because I think to myself..."Um, I do a lot of things." However, my canned response is usually, “well, I’m a graphic designer.” Really though, I’m not just a graphic designer. In fact, I didn’t even go to school for graphic design, but that just happens to be my career at the present moment. Sure, I love designing and appreciate good design, but to encompass my entire identity around “what I do” is so limiting and constrictive. I am not defined by what I do; what I do is just a part of who I am.

Last week, while I was thinking about all of this, I checked my e-mail and saw that a friend of mine had sent me a Bible verse reminding me of who we are in Christ. It’s amazing how God uses the people in our lives to speak to us exactly in the time that we need His word.

That verse was Ephesians 2:10. Download the free 4x6 printable here or click on the verse above to download and save the image as your iPhone wallpaper. 

Giving it up

Yesterday, I had my routine six-month visit to the dentist - nothing out of the ordinary other than a longer than expected wait in the waiting area. Normally when I go, there’s maybe one other person in the waiting area if any, but on this particular day there were three other people. I took notice of one particular conversation between two men waiting on their children, most likely because they were talking a little louder than you’re really supposed to in a waiting room. One man was probably in his mid-to-late 40s, overweight, ironically wearing a jogging suit and sneakers; the other man was younger, probably in his mid-to-late 30s, dressed in colorfully adorned Ed Hardy-esque jeans and a rather large and ostentatious Gucci belt. The conversation that ensued was similar to this…Younger Man: “Hey man, I saw that you were driving that Escalade. Man, I’ve been wanting one of those so bad I can taste it. How do you like it? I’ve been looking at getting one of those or the Mercedes.” Older Man: “Yeah, I just bought it a little while ago, but it’s nice.” Okay, so I don’t really remember exactly the rest of all they talked about, but they continued to talk about Escalades, buying cars, gas prices, etc. for the next 15 minutes. Meanwhile, I was trying to look like I wasn’t eavesdropping, so I starting glancing at the TV – oh geez, SpongeBob Squarepants or something equally as annoying was playing, so then I rifled through some of the magazines on the table in front of me – Good Housekeeping, then People.

This all seems like a pretty normal occurrence, but God sometimes uses the mundane to speak to us or teach us. Something about this particular conversation bothered me though, and I had an unsettled feeling. I think it was the fact that our society (me included) is so engrossed with materialism and just acquiring fancy stuff. Why does he need an Escalade to be happy? Why did I even notice that he was wearing a Gucci belt? Why do I “need” another Coach purse or new car or cute, new spring clothes? Why was every other page in the magazine an ad for something that I “needed”? Why are there even celebrities and why do we care about what they’re wearing?

It’s hard to not be distracted by those nice and shiny things in life. The sermon at church on Sunday was about how something that starts out so nice and innocent can consume us and turn into our idol and obsession, and I think God was using this to show me a little insight into my own strongholds. The fact that this man said that he “wanted it so bad he could taste it,” I think, is what bothered and somewhat disgusted me and made me consider my own fascination with having nice stuff.

Having nice stuff doesn’t make you a happier or better person, but I realized in that moment why we tend to enjoy acquiring and showing off our nice stuff. We get attention and praise from it. “Oh, you’re always dressed so cute; you have such a beautiful house; [that thing you have] is so wonderful…blah, blah, blah.” It’s hard not to feel like your ability to choose and have nice stuff is a reflection of your identity and who you are. I never really thought that I had any issues with materialism. I would rationalize that I really don’t go shopping that much, don’t typically spend that much money on the stuff I buy and almost always only buy things that are on sale or clearance, so I must be okay or at least be better off than most people. However, I think everyone has at some point or to some degree dealt with bouts of materialism.

I don’t usually give up something for Lent, but during this Easter season, I’m giving up shopping. Gasp, I know! Well, not all shopping or we’d starve to death, but just frivolous spending on things that I don’t really need. So, no new Easter outfit or pretty spring frocks…boo. 

New verse...1 John 2:16. Download the free 4x6 printable here or click on the image to download and save the image as your iPhone wallpaper. 

Weekend with the girls

In this crazy and hectic life, there are times when all we need is just a refreshing break spent in fellowship with other believers to revel in the majesty of our Savior. This weekend, my church Henderson Hills Baptist Church held a women's retreat called Gathering of Girlfriends, where hundreds of women came together to worship and draw closer to God. It was also a sweet time spent getting to know some girls better, and I'm also pretty sure I almost overdosed on chocolate and sweets.

My Sunday school group at the Gathering of Girlfriends

Although my church has been doing these retreats for years, this was actually my first year to attend. My husband happened to be out of town for a work conference this same weekend, so I felt an even stronger conviction to go this year. As I rushed out of work Friday evening into bumper-to-bumper traffic on the interstate, I sat in my car frustrated and frazzled but also anticipated what God wanted me to learn this weekend. Surely, He has me going to this thing for a reason. 

Earlier this week, I had already picked out and designed my new memory verse for the upcoming week and saved it to my iPhone. This verse happened to be what He kept bringing back to me throughout the retreat. It speaks of where and who our true hope and peace lie. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit," Romans 15:13.  

There is so much packed into this one verse if you carefully dissect it, but the word He kept whispering to me was "hope". Hope is a word that is used so frequently in everyday life..."I hope it doesn't rain," "I hope I can go to bed early," "I hope [insert sports team name] wins," etc. Whenever we use the word hope, we use it with the expectation of uncertainty of the future. This verse says that God is the "God of hope"...He is our hope, He is our future, He is certain of what will happen in the future; all we have to do is trust. 

Download the free 4x6 printable to remind you of this promise or save it as your iPhone wallpaper by clicking on the image of the verse and saving it to your phone. 

Also, here's one of my new favorite praise songs that we sang at the retreat.  

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You’re my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You’re my Portion
I believe You’re more than enough for me
Jesus You’re all I need

My Healer, You’re my Healer

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

The buck stops here

With tax season around the corner, it's that time again to start thinking about personal finances. Being able to handle finances is such an important part of life and can have the power to either control you or give you freedom. It’s something in which everyone needs to take personal responsibility, and better sooner rather than later. Thankfully, I am generally pretty cheap thrifty, and I’ve been blessed and fortunate enough to not have to carry any debt, other than our newly acquired mortgage (which we plan to pay off in seven years). Saving money has always come naturally to me, so much so that it sometimes feels like I’m just hoarding it away. My biggest issue is the investment part of finances. Of course, I pump some money into my 401(k) at work and have a Roth IRA, but I don’t really have any other investments and don’t pay attention to where my investments are going. I choose a basic risk model and let our financial advisor do the rest. My goal is to become more involved with investing in the stock market. Also, by May, I should have enough saved up to buy a new (or new to me) car with cash.

After scouring the internet for good personal finance websites, I found quite a few that were interesting and useful. Here are just a few to get started:

Another good site for helping with saving is called SmartyPig. This is a free online savings account and tool that helps you reach your savings goals faster and easier. The design and graphics of the site are cute and clean, as well as being user-friendly and easy to navigate. For those who want to make savings a social experience, you can share your goals with your family and friends on different social media platforms, like Facebook, and solicit donations. A big added bonus…a highly-competitive interest rate comparable to current money market rates, and all you need is a low $25 opening deposit. Also important to note: all accounts are FDIC insured, so your money is backed by the government even if the bank were to fail. I haven't signed up yet, but we plan to open up a SmartyPig account to save up for our 5-year Hawaii anniversary.

While money and finances are important in life, it's more important to not let it consume our lives. The Bible addresses money more than 250 times, so God has something to say on the matter. The next verse on the memory verse list, of course, relates to money and possessions.

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” - Hebrews 13:5

Download and save the verse as your iPhone wallpaper by clicking on the image to the right. Also, download a free 4x6 printable here.

Running, running as fast as I can

I am not a runner, jogger, fast walker...whatever you want to call it. I enjoy running about as much as getting a tooth pulled. As a matter of fact, I'm convinced that no one really enjoys it when they first start running. I mean really, who likes side cramps, sore muscles, creaky knees and chest pain? My philosophy has always been to only run if I'm being chased. 

So why, of all things, would I even want to run in a marathon? I think there is something to be said of people who can endure months of training and hours of pain. Marathon runners have self-discipline and drive. They see an end goal and can endure agony and pain to achieve that goal. It's more about determination than physical prowess. Ideally, my goal is to complete a half-marathon either this spring or next spring. 

To go along with the topic of this blog post, the next memory verse, of course, is about running...1 Corinthians 9:24. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

Download the FREE 4 x 6 printable or iPhone wallpaper.  

Also, some tools that I found to help train for marathons...yes, one is an iPhone app. 1) During the month of January, RunKeeper is having a special promotion where you can download the RunKeeper Pro app for free! It's normally $9.99, so this is a great deal - but there are only a few days left to get this for free. I haven't started using it yet, but it has tracking, routing and social capabilities. 2) As I was reading the February issue of Fitness magazine, I came across a section of marathon training plans that provide a weekly guide of how you can work up to your goal. These can all be found for free online and you can even sign up for e-mail newsletters.

Numero dos

Ready for memory verse number two? Since I started off easy, this next one is a verse that I'm not as familiar with, but love when I read it. It reminds me of God's supreme sovereignty, power and control, even when we have no power or control in our lives. 

¹¹ Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power
   and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
   for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, LORD, is the kingdom;
   you are exalted as head over all.
¹² Wealth and honor come from you;
   you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
   to exalt and give strength to all. 

{1 Chronicles 29:11-12}

Download a FREE 4x6 printable or iPhone wallpaper. 

Also, I'm brushing up on my Spanish...because I'm headed south of the border via boat within the next few weeks! Yes, I did it. I finally booked a cruise last week. I'm not sure if it was the subzero windchill temperatures that pushed me to do it or the fact that it's been more than a year and a half since I've stuck my toes into warm sand. Needless to say, I'm ready to hit the beach! I may even get to check a few things off my list while I'm there!

In Mexico, on my honeymoon in 2008.

One down, 29 more to go

Scripture memorization has officially begun! I'll start off easy, so the first one is a verse I am familiar with but want to master word for word, reference and all. It is relevant almost everyday of my life and is a constant reminder that I need to focus on daily. Drumroll please...Philippians 4:6-7. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Along with the iPhone app I recently downloaded, I've created a couple other ways to provide reminders throughout my day. One is a printable 4x6 image that can be printed and placed anywhere. I have mine on my desk at home, but it's just missing a pretty frame to prop it up. Another idea would be to place it in one of those cheap, acrylic frames with the magnet on the back and stick it to a refrigerator (or any other magnetic surface). Click here to download the free 4x6 printable.

My other creation is an iPhone wallpaper image that can be downloaded and used on the lock screen. Everytime I go to check the weather or see the latest message in my inbox, I'll have a reminder of the verse I'm memorizing. To set it, just download and save the image to the camera roll and select "Use as Wallpaper". Click here to download the free iPhone wallpaper.

{ MEMORIZING SCRIPTURE }

In the past, I have memorized a few scripture verses here and there, but have never committed to it as a discipline for spiritual growth. My goal in the coming year and a half is to memorize at least 30 verses of scripture. To aid in this endeavor, I wanted to find a useful and convenient tool. And of course I thought to myself..."there's an app for that." So I took to the Apple iTunes store to see what it had to offer in the free category. For some reason, I can't bring myself to pay for those shiny little tiles on my phone if there are free ones.

The one I found and downloaded is called Bible Memory Verses by Woody Hays. This particular one allows you to choose from four different versions of the Bible, including ESV, KJV, NASB and NIV. I am somewhat partial to the NIV version, since that's what I grew up using. However, my church has adopted ESV as its standard. Other neat features that I have yet to test are the word removal tool, flashcard tool, and audio record and playback. This app will also keep a log of all the verses you have memorized. Next task on the list...choose the 30 verses I want to memorize. 

{ ONLINE JOURNALING }

Today is actually day 2 of my One Year Bible reading and journaling. I will not be sharing everything that I journal on this blog, but I have instead opted for a private online journal that I found yesterday. The site I've started using is called PENZU.


The main features that I thought were appealing were that it is free, private, user-friendly, fast and easy to set up, and...the fact that it's online. No more pen and paper for me. My embarrassingly poor penmanship and the ability to edit really pushed me to want to try my first online journal. So far it's been an easy transition and one that I wish I would have made earlier.