One Beggar

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How do you reach out to someone who doesn't want to be reached? How do you love someone who doesn't want to be loved? Its such a frustrating thing and it tugs at my heart. One cannot be a Christ follower and not have compassion for the people in this world that Jesus has compassion for. My church, New Spring, is doing a series about evangelism. "Evangelism," he explained, "Is simply one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread". I love that! Its so easy to understand! One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. But wouldn't it be frustrating for the beggar who has bread, or knows where to find bread, or wants to share his bread, but his friend beggar rejects it. Your friend, who is literally starving to death in front of your eyes, won't accept the bread! Why? EERRRH!! Frustration!

I was talking to my sister about this very issue last night. She had just spoken to a "beggar" who constantly rejects the "bread". I know she loves this person and therefore is very concerned for him spiritually. But he constantly refuses. And I know it breaks my sisters heart. "I feel so bruised after talking with him" she tells me on the phone. He doesn't realize how it hurts her to see him starving to death in front of her eyes.

For the Christians reading this I want to encourage you to reach out... even when it is hard. We are called to reach out to the world, just as Jesus reached out to us. And for all the non- Christians out there. When someone talks to you about Jesus. Know that the reason we do it is because we love you... maybe even try to listen...maybe try not to bruise us too much...

High School Days

So its back to school time again. Oh, and believe it or not, I sometimes miss it. Well, not really that much, but there were some fun times. I had a blast in school! Always playing a sport, clubs, roaming the halls. Its fun sometimes to think back to some of those good 'ole days of high school, watching my brother play high school football, seeing friends in classes, pulling the all nighters. "High school is never over" as the Jane Austin Book Club movie says and in many ways that statement is right. School is never really over. We take those memories everywhere with us!

I went to a private Christan school from 7th -12th grade. And a few times they threatened uniforms on us. I say threatened because, well, back in those days it was a threat. Now, looking back, what a blessing it would have been! I LOVE having a uniform for work! LOVE LOVE IT! Its just so easy at 0530 to shrug into anything white and run. But school uniforms hold such great style, great looks. Whats happened to the uniform days? Are they still out there? Did anyone ever have to wear a uniform to school? Neither of the private schools in my town had them. Why? Doesn't everyone look better in a uniform? Do they really suppress one's individuality? I say bring back the cute school uniforms!

even these nerds look sexy!

Aren't some of these uniforms fabulous! I'd wear them!

Guess What?

In My Tennis Shoes is One years old today!

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And I will celebrate and have a slice of cake!

And laugh out loud about cake while I eat it! Funny!

"Hope its chocolate for meeeee"

Law of the Land

With all this talk of buying land, borrowing money... building our barn... moving... it can get a little overwhelming. Some days I just want to take a leaping jump and dive head first into the wonderful idea of it all. And other days... well, i don't. I get a little nervous. I think to myself, "Am I really this grown up? Can I really make these kind of decisions on my own? What if?"

And then I look beside me and I can breath again. I feel so blessed to have my Love beside me to help me when it gets overwhelming. To know that God has placed him in my life to be the leader, to love me unconditionally, to walk beside me, to comfort me... *sigh* I just feel so very blessed. There is this fabulous song by Levi Lowrey, a guy who travels with the Zac Brown Band called Wherever We Break Down. I heard them live a couple months ago and I'm in love with this song... I can really relate and its just a nice reminder,

"I don't need a roof above my head. And I'll sleep, I'll sleep in the
dirt if you'll hold my hand. Wherever we break down and make our stand, love
will be the law of the land..."

Check it out..

just can't help it...

So the summertime is over for all the teachers this week in my area and kids go back next week. So I guess summertime is over. The problem with that statement is its not really over... its 104 degrees out there! It is blazing! Summer is still in full swing in my book! It makes me want to just camp out near the water... any water!! One cool chic who knows how to stay cool? My cousin's baby girl. I just can't help it... she is the CUTEST ever. She just turned one last month and she is just fabulous. That's all there is to it... and I don't even like kids that much! I mean take a look at those bathing suit statements! That hat! Precious! I could learn a thing or two from her!

Well, Well, Well...

Dear Internet (i totally stole that from life of a doctor's wife),

Things have really been happening! I mean things have REALLY been happening! Its so weird too because as you see I've been all reminiscing about my barn and about the country and how I'm ready to move home and blah blah... Well! About a week ago I got a call from my dad that the land next to my daddy's land is now for sale... 40 acres of it! How crazy is that! Ohmygoodness. I just don't know what to say. I'm super excited about it but now that it may really happen I'm nervous! I mean this is big bucks we're talking about! Big bucks we'll have to borrow and pay back! Can we afford it? We just weren't expecting this to happen till a couple years and have been paying off big chunks of old debt (mainly on this house). And now WHAM! Its possibly maybe going to happen.

Ohhh... but I am excited! Saturday we took a trip home and looked at it and the plat(?) thingy...



ok, this is the gravel driveway at my parents house... their land stops where all those trees are to the far right and that's whats for sale, the land that runs parallel to the horse's field! that could me ours!

And I liked what I saw... I can almost see my homestead in the upper corner. Some of those little trees/brush will have to be cleared some of course... but I can still almost see it!

Have any of ya'll out there ever bought land? Any recommendations that I should know about?

Dairy Rd

cow

For those that don't know, now that I'm married and moved in with my fabulous husband (who really is just fabulous) I drive an hour to work (work 12 hrs) and then drive an hour back home. Well, its not bad really because its only 3 days a week, but sometimes it can get a little mundane. However, my aunt recently introduced me to another route that has really cheered me up and made me smile while driving. Its basically the same but I get to cut though on this charming drive for about 5 minutes called Dairy Road. This road holds the fragrance of home.

Dairy Rd is this small back road that holds this great working dairy farm. And tons of dairy cows in fields on both sides of the road enclosed by these great old fences. Yesterday evening when I passed through I noticed 3 dusty four wheelers parked in front of one large barn. I almost wanted to stop by and ask if I could take a tour. I wondered if they were milking. Would the cows been too distracted to milk if I'd taken a peek? It really is quite charming and it makes me want to move out to my small field with my small barn even more.

My mom grew up on a small working dairy farm. She used to tell us how she'd have to get up before school on cold mornings, slip into her black rubber work boots and feed the baby calves milk bottles. I too grew up on that same land. And while the cows are no longer milked, when I see the milking barn I can remember watching my uncle milking the cows just like his father before him. It seems such honest, wholesome work. And only the hardest workers are able to survive. I do hope one day to be able to point to the dairy across the field from my own home and explain to my little girl that the cows were once milked there and her grandma used to work hard in that same old barn when she was a little girl.

Yes, Dairy Road holds the fragrance of home and makes the drive a little better each day.