Excitement over what Christmas is *really* about

Here is a portion of a note I wrote last year on Christmas Eve. One year later, it still describes how I feel.

An excitement and a cry of gratitude rises up within me at this time of year. God really gave us the ultimate gift on Christmas--his one and only son. And he knew from the beginning that he was sending Jesus to earth only to have him die an excruciating death on the cross. Yet he did it anyway out of his love for us. Isn't that amazing?!

As I was reading the story, I thought, "What must it have been like to be alive in that moment--when Jesus took his first breath? The moment all of creation had been eagerly awaiting and preparing for since the beginning of time? Did it feel different? Was there a change in the atmosphere? Did some of those asleep awaken for no reason at all, and feel that something had changed? Were the animals suddenly alert? Did the rivers seem to dance with excitement?" I wish I could have been there. I was reminded of the song "2000 Decembers Ago" by Joy Williams which is pretty much a cry of these thoughts in musical form.

Jesus wasn't a plan B--he was part of the only plan there was all along--God doesn't have "back-up" plans. He had every detail planned out before he even created the world. As a very detailed-oriented person, I am constantly amazed at how God executes every tiny, seemingly miniscule detail of his plans perfectly. Matthew 1:17 reminded me of that, "Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ." I've read that verse before many times and in all likelihood, have even noticed what it was really saying before, but forgot.

But either way, our God is a God of details and perfect plans. He wasn't surprised when Caesar Augustus ordered a census to occur near the time of Jesus' birth. It didn't startle him when there was no room in the inn. He wasn't worried when Joseph's first reaction to the news was to quietly divorce Mary. It didn't catch him off guard when Herod found out where he was born and ordered all infants under the age of two to be killed. He was ready. And I'm sure that when Jesus took his first breath, God smiled and laughed with joy; his son had arrived on earth, God in flesh, to save all mankind. What a joyous moment! The earth will never the same.

Okay, so you don't think I'm preaching a Christmas sermon (and I know that you are all busy and don't have time to read a long note), I'll conclude. I hope you all have a merry Christmas, and if you haven't really been excited by the true meaning of Christmas yet this season, I would encourage you to take just a moment and read the Matthew and Luke accounts of the story (they're not long) and ask God to speak to you out of his Word. It'll work, I promise. ;)

Merry Christmas!

Santa Cow is comin' to town!

For my final broadcast journalism project this semester, I covered the Santa Cow Kids Night event at my former second home, Chick-fil-A at Kingston Overlook. For the assignment, we couldn't just cover the event, we also had to take either a personality profile, problem-solution, or issue-oriented angle to it. So I chose to interview the Kids Night hostess and try to write a personality profile event package.

I also had to shoot two as-live stand-ups as my intro and outro. My lead-out is kind of dumb, but when I shot it I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to script the package yet. So I had to keep it general and simple. In addition, I also had to shoot man on the street interviews. Let's just say it gets interesting trying to interview kids (It was fun though! They're so cute!) without intimidating them with the microphone and big video camera/tripod ensemble.

But despite the additional requirements, I had a blast reporting and interacting with some of my friends and former co-workers. I always enjoyed working Santa Cow night. Yeah, it was busy and crazy, but we always had more employees scheduled to accommodate the additional customers, so (in theory) we could handle it. It was usually my night, so I always got excited about seeing how much extra business we could do. I'll have to pull out some of my Santa Cow pictures from last year. My crew and I had a little fun. :)

Here's the video if would like to watch it:


Santa Cow comes to town from Liz Overton on Vimeo.

It's Christmas time in the city

I've got to give it to our city's leaders. Over the past several years they have really tried to come up with ways to make the city more festive and have planned some nice holiday events for Knoxville to host. Here's a list of many of the key Christmas events going on around Knoxville throughout the rest of the month. I particularly enjoy the ice skating rink and holiday decorations in Market Square.

Another good local event to check out if you can is the Clarence Brown Theater's production of A Christmas Carol. I went to see it last year and plan to go again this year. They do an awesome, awesome job! Definitely worth going to see (if you're a UT student you get in for $5 with your student ID).

So if you're looking for something to do to celebrate the season over the next few weeks, check out some of these events!

Thanksgiving traditions

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches (only two days away!), my mind inevitably begins to ponder the things I'm thankful for and my family's Thanksgiving traditions.

Thanksgiving in my family is a day to spend being thankful while enjoying a low-key day together as a family. We don't have any extended family in the area, so it's usually just us. My grandmother joins us every other year (this is an off year--she'll be up here for Christmas instead), but that still doesn't constitute a crowded, busy Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving, my mom and I (and now my sister) will be busy in the kitchen, preparing a large Thanksgiving meal. Although in recent years, my mom has started preparing as much as she can the day before, so there isn't quite as much to do on Thanksgiving.

I've made the pumpkin pie for the past several years, but this year, my sister will make it. I'll make something else. I think I'm going to make a peanut butter pie from a recipe I tried a couple of weeks ago. It's simple enough. Mix everything together, pour it into a chocolate graham cracker crust, and refrigerate. With everything else going on around Thanksgiving, simple is great! I'll also probably help make some homemade rolls (Yummy! My mom has the best recipes for homemade bread!), set the table nicely, serve up the food, etc.

Then comes the meal. We always have way more food than we can eat (hey, something to be thankful for--provision), but it's delicious! Staples for the Thanksgiving meal in my family include: turkey (duh! Either oven-baked or deep-fried. I'm kind of partial to the fried kind myself. It's so tender and flavorful! Especially when my dad uses a Cajun rub on it!), cranberry salad, deviled eggs, cranberry sauce, homemade rolls, corn, and pumpkin pie. We also vary it up some years with dressing, cranberry sauce, green beans, and other dessert options (in addition to the pumpkin pie--we always have a pumpkin pie).

This year I think we're going mostly traditional, and I believe my dad is going to fry a Cajun turkey! Yay! That's my favorite. I'll eat a little oven-fried turkey when that's what we decide to serve, but it's not my favorite. However, I love my dad's fried turkey--and I will totally enjoy the turkey at those meals. ;)

When we sit down to eat, we usually go around the table and each person shares a few things they're thankful for, then we pray and bless the meal, taking extra time to express our thanksgiving to God.

Then, it's time to dig in!

Afterwards, when we're all stuffed and just want to lay around, we'll play some games, maybe watch a movie, and just spend some low-key time together as a family. And my mom and I will browse through the ads in the paper and map out our Black Friday shopping strategies. This is actually something we've just started doing recently. I *never* went shopping on Black Friday till just a few years ago. You couldn't pay me to get out in those crowds! But now, I've found that if you know exactly what you're looking for, know what order you need to get to stores in, etc. it's actually not that bad and you can find some really good deals if you know where to look. Granted, I'm never after the big ticket items. That can get a bit crazy. I'll usually go to stores like Kohl's, Old Navy, Lifeway, etc. that are definitely busy, but aren't as overrun as Best Buy or the mall. My mom and I don't usually shop together (we may end up at some of the same places, but in order to get what we want before the stores sell out, we go alone. I did take Andrew with me one year...he was trying to get out of having to clean the garage...).

As much of a Christmas fanatic as I am (which if you've read some of my recent blog entries you should have figured out by now), I will put the brakes on and focus entirely on Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. I'm a big fan of Thanksgiving, too. ;) And on that day, it isn't about Christmas. Now the day after Thanksgiving, it's back to Christmas full force...even more so than pre-Thanksgiving. But on Thanksgiving, my focus is on Thanksgiving.

And that's really what Thanksgiving is all about to me (I'm not referring to Black Friday shopping here)--spending time with my family, taking the time to really think about all that I have to be thankful for and expressing that to the Lord. Yes, we should be thankful all the time and continually thank the Lord for all He does for us. But there's still something very special about setting aside one day out of the year to really go all out in being thankful. I'm glad that our country--no matter how commercialized the day has become--decided years ago to set aside a day to be thankful and make it a national holiday.

So that's a glimpse of Thanksgiving in my family. How do you and your spend your Thanksgiving? What are your Thanksgiving traditions? What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

It's up!

Our tree is up! :)





We don't have all of our Christmas decorations up yet, but we're starting the process. Hopefully by this weekend we'll have it all out! :)

These aren't the best pictures, but I'll try to post some better ones later when our house is fully decorated. :)

Giving thanks: Psalm 118

I haven't posted in a while because I've been tied up with school projects, but I wanted to take just a second today and post a quick little something.

With Thanksgiving only a little over a week away, many people are busy with holiday preparations, approaching finals and final projects in school, etc. But are we pausing in the midst of the chaos to give thanks? I know I haven't been as much as I should have--but it's never too late to start! :)

The book of Psalms is full of passages expressing thanksgiving to God. Psalm 118 is one example. I would encourage you to take a moment to read it today (it's not long) and give thanks to God for all He has done--and is doing--in your life. I will take some time out to do the same. If you're having trouble finding things to be thankful for, start with the basics: life, salvation, food to eat, a roof over your head, etc. Once you start, other things will come to mind.

Giving thanks should be a regular part of our lives--not just something we do once a year on the fourth Thursday in November.

UT students face problems registering for classes

For my latest broadcast journalism class project, I had to package a problem-solution story. I decided to do a story on class registration and show how it is becoming increasingly difficult to get into many core classes. With the recent budget cuts, this is a problem only expected to grow worse before it improves. I'm really thankful I'm finished in May! By the grace of God I was able to get into the classes I needed without being forced to stay an extra semester! I had a close call my first semester at UT where I was only able to get into a couple of the journalism classes I needed, but God graciously got me into the rest of them on time.

Story summary:

Budget cuts and an increase in the number of undergraduate students have combined to cause classes to fill up early. Many UT students are getting online to register only to find the courses they need are already full.

Suggested anchor lead-in:
The fall semester isn’t finished yet—but most University of Tennessee students are already thinking of spring. TNJN’s Liz Overton has more.


UT students face problems registering for classes from Liz Overton on Vimeo.

Suggested anchor lead-out:
McMillan recommends that students meet with their advisors regularly to learn which classes to take and find out if they’re on track. Students are required to meet with their advisors once a year.

Unspeakable joy

How sad that we should so need to be reminded that as God alone is the fountain of all joy, "God our exceeding joy," the only way to be perfectly happy is to have as much of God, as much of His will and fellowship, as possible! Religion is meant to be in everyday life a thing of unspeakable joy. And why do so many complain that it is not so? Because they do not believe that there is no joy like the joy of abiding in Christ and in His love, and being branches through whom He can pour out His love on a dying world.
- Andrew Murray

The morning after election day

The results of yesterday's election may not have been what I, and many of you, may have wanted. But nevertheless, as citizens of this nation and more importantly, as God's children, we all have an obligation to support our new president-elect, give him the respect he deserves as the future leader of our country, and most important of all, pray for him and our government.

I've included an e-mail below that was sent out this morning by the pastor of my church, Tim Atchley. He addressed this topic very well and gave me permission to post the e-mail on my blog. I hope you will read it and take its message to heart.

Thanks for the reminder, Pastor Tim!

1Timothy 2: 1 ¶ Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

This instruction was given to a generation of believers under the rule of tyrants. Some of them may have even witnessed the persecution of a loved one or themselves at the hands of the ruling authorities and yet here is Paul moved by the Holy spirit telling them to pray for these rulers.

The election may not have gone the way many of us might have hoped in our hearts and there is great speculation out there as to what awaits this great country of ours now. But for me the speculation is over. Leadership has been elected according to the process we as Americans cherish. As believers we will do ourselves and others no good if we complain and curse the new leadership. We must pray for God to guide them just as we would any other leaders. God changed the hearts of pagan leaders in favor of the Jews in Old Testament times. He caused evil leaders to turn and give favor to them for reasons they themselves did not understand. It appears that rather than satisfy the logical presumed needs of believers to have a person they think is closer to being devoted in relationship to Him, God has chosen to call His people to a place of prayer and trust that no matter who holds the highest office in our land God is still in control.

The church is called to intercede perhaps now she will do so even more. I challenge you to daily lift our new leaders up in prayer and ask for wisdom from the Almighty for them, restraint where it matters, and vision not their own but graciously imparted from the Lord Himself. If we are to continue to lead a peaceable life in all godliness and reverence this is a must for all of us. Personally I will make it my aim to eliminate remarks of a negative nature and engage God about my leaders. This is not to say that if they should choose to act immorally they should not be held accountable, I will most definitely speak the truth with regard to sound Scriptural instruction as it pertains to our leaders, but I do not wish to join in leader bashing and dooms day discussions. I think these will dishonor the Lord in that they would reveal a lack of trust in Him.

Our elections did not affect the throne from which He rules the nations, He was not taken by surprise, just as He wasn’t when Israel asked for a king. Our God reigns and is still on His throne. It is He alone who can move the heart of kings. Therefore let’s give ourselves to prayer and intercession for our leaders. God bless!

Election Day 2008

The big day is here! Don't forget to go out and vote (if you haven't early voted already)! :)

Here are some neat tools for following election coverage tonight:
NBC Electoral College Interactive Map
Printable blank map of the U.S. (good for coloring in the results as they come in)
Explanation of the U.S. election system
WBIR's election coverage

I get to cover the election tonight from the Knox County Election Commission. I'll be the eyes and ears down there and call in updates as they come in. I'm excited that not only is this the first presidential election I get to vote in, but it's also the first one I get to be a part of as a journalist! :)

Oswald Chambers: Faith

As I was reading Thursday's entry in Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest, it really made me pause and ponder some things, particularly the second paragraph. It seems like I can always use a good reminder/challenge in the area of faith. So I thought I would pass it along.

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him."
Hebrews 11:6
Faith in antagonism to common sense is fanaticism, and common sense in antagonism to faith is rationalism. The life of faith brings the two into a right relation. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense; they stand in the relation of the natural and the spiritual; of impulse and inspiration. Nothing Jesus Christ ever said is common sense, it is revelation sense, and it reaches the shores where common sense fails. Faith must be tried before the reality of faith is actual. "We know that all things work together for good," then no matter what happens, the alchemy of God's providence transfigures the ideal faith into actual reality. Faith always works on the personal line, the whole purpose of God being to see that the ideal faith is made real in His children.

For every detail of the common-sense life, there is a revelation fact of God whereby we can prove in practical experience what we believe God to be. Faith is a tremendously active principle which always puts Jesus Christ first--Lord, Thou hast said so and so (e.g., Matthew 6:33), it looks mad, but I am going to venture on Thy word. To turn head faith into a personal possession is a fight
always, not sometimes. God brings us into circumstances in order to educate our faith, because the nature of faith is to make its object real. Until we know Jesus, God is a mere abstraction, we cannot have faith in Him, but immediately we hear Jesus say--"He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father," we have something that is real, and faith is boundless. Faith is the whole man rightly related to God by the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

It's almost the most wonderful time of the year

I *love* Christmas.

So much so, I'm a firm believer that it is too good of a "season" to be celebrated strictly in late-November and December alone.

Inevitably, mid-October--if not sooner--I start getting excited about Christmas. Yep. Call me a freak, but I really do.

I listen to Christmas music pretty much year around. Well, at least some of it. The more traditional or strictly winter-related carols I tend to save for the actual Christmas season--as well as some of my favorite CDs. But I listen to a lot of non-traditional Christmas music pretty regularly throughout the year.

I walked through the Christmas section in Target on Sunday and could feel my excitement growing. I love the decorations, the lights, the music, the focus on our Savior's birth (or at least superficial focus--it's debateable how much focus people in our nation really have on the birth of Christ) --it's all wonderful! So I could feel the smile on my face growing as I took it all in while I strolled down the aisles.

This is about the time of year that I begin to dream of curling up with a warm blanket and a cup of cocoa and watching "It's a Wonderful Life." Or other classics such as "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "White Christmas." I also look forward to watching newer favorites such as "The Nativity Story" and "The Christmas Shoes."

I'm already excited about Christmas celebrations with friends, putting up the tree, decorating the house, Christmas gift shopping, and the list goes on. And this year, because I have a Dollywood pass, I have at least a couple of trips to the Dollywoood Christmas Celebration to look forward to. I *love* going up there during that time period. It's so beautiful!

Ah, so much Christmas joy to look forward to! It'll be here before we know it!

Me standing in front of our Christmas tree last year

Be watching for more blog entries related to Christmas as the actual season arrives! :)

I voted today!

I voted in my first presidential election ever today! I've waited for this moment for years.(God bless early voting--I'll be too busy to vote on actual Election Day. I have classes all day and I'm working election night.)

I've been taught--and believed--my entire life, that voting is a privilege and it is our civic duty to search out the issues, make a rational decision based on your values and what you believe to be true (who cares what the mainstream media says--think for yourself!), and then VOTE!

I can remember being excited as a Kindergartener in the 1992 election when I was able to cast my vote in a class kids' election. I thought it was so cool to "vote" in class and then tag along with my mom as she voted in the real election. I have followed each election closely ever since.

So voting today was the fulfillment of a long-held desire. And as long as I am able to make it to the polls and think clearly enough to make my own decision, I will vote in every election I can until the day I die.

Too many Americans today sit back and passively expect our system to work as designed--without ever participating! The very foundation of our government is based on active citizen participation. In addition, thousands of lives have been sacrificed over the years so that we could have the freedom to vote (among other freedoms). We would be foolish to cast aside the privileges we've been given and not play an active role in our government. Voting is a simple, yet powerful way to do that.

Sarah the construction worker

As many of you have heard, I interviewed one of my best friends, Sarah, for my personality profile assignment in my broadcast journalism class. We were assigned to do an interview with someone who does/has done something out of the ordinary. Because Sarah works construction and that's not something most girls typically are interested in, I decided to interview her. It was fun.

This is the first time I've conducted an actual interview with a camera, so please forgive any amateurishness. I've shot video for four or five projects now, but I never had to include an interview in any of them. So I'm glad she was my guinea pig. :) At least I know she didn't think I was an unprofessional idiot when I messed up some during the interview/shooting process or took a little bit longer to get things set up. ;)

The interview turned out great. I had so much material to work with it was hard to cut it down to only a minute and a half.

After hours of editing (I've gotta learn some shortcuts in FinalCutPro), here's the result:


Knoxville construction worker defies gender stereotype from Liz Overton on Vimeo.

And for those interested, here's the entire interview. I didn't have time to edit it, so here it is in raw form. I might go back and edit it some later, when I have time.



A big thanks to Sarah! She did a great job and very graciously allowed me to interview her and follow her around with a camera as she worked. You did awesome, Sarah! Thanks!

CCA fall fun

As I mentioned in my previous post on autumn in the Smokies, this past Sunday, I spent the afternoon/evening in Cades Cove with my best friends. It was a blast!

We ate a picnic lunch (well, everyone else had a picnic--I had to join in later because of my work schedule), played games, made s'mores, played with lighter fluid (our poor fire was dying by the time we were ready to roast the marshmallows), and went on a hayride.

I treasured the time to enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the beauty of friendship with the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for.

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival.
- C. S. Lewis

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
- Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Autumn splendor of the Smokies

Each season has a beauty all its own, and the glorious colors of autumn are truly a sight to behold. This Sunday, I went to the Smoky Mountains with my best friends and we enjoyed spending time together with the beauty of autumn in the Smokies serving as a glorious backdrop. The colors haven't peaked yet, but they were beautiful nonetheless. You can just see some of the colors beginning to turn.

In my opinion, you haven't really experienced autumn until you've seen its transformation first hand in the Smokies. Doesn't it just make you want to stand in awe of God's breathtaking creation?

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
- Psalm 97:1

O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you....The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.
- Psalm 89:8, 11

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
- Psalm 90:1-2

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
- Romans 1:20

P.S. I couldn't actually take any close-ups through the Cades Cove loop like I wanted to because I was on a hayride. I had to grab whatever pictures I could as we were driving by!

It's not about us

The Christian life can be explained only in terms of Jesus Christ, and if your life as a Christian can still be explained in terms of you--your personality, your willpower, your gift, your talent, your money, your courage, your scholarship, your dedication, your sacrifice, or your anything--then although you may have the Christian life, you are not yet living it.
- Ian Thomas

UT students prepare to take on the world

This is my first "real" Broadcast News class assignment. We had to cover a local event and write a VO (voice over) for it.


UT students prepare to take on the world from Liz Overton on Vimeo.

All self-respecting political junkies...

...will have their TVs tuned to the vice-presidential debate tonight at 9.

And I, for one, can't wait to watch it.

I've had tonight's debate marked on my calendar since I could find out the date.

I'm sure the ratings numbers of people tuning in tonight will be through the roof. My prediction is that this vice-presidential debate will draw an exponentially larger audience than any of the presidential debates. Especially after all the recent talk surrounding Gov. Sarah Palin's interviews with Charles Gibson and Katie Couric.

*Warning: I don't think I've really mentioned any of my political views, at least openly, on this blog yet. But I'm about to. So be forewarned: the next paragraph contains blatant personal opinion and venting. Ignore or read as you please. Feel free to agree or disagree.*

In light of that, I can't wait to watch Gov. Palin kick Sen. Biden's tail tonight. Just because she doesn't have a scripted, carefully crafted answer to immediately spit back when asked a question doesn't make her unintelligent or ill-qualified! And don't even get me started on "dodging questions!" Have any of those outspoken Palin critics ever watched Sen. Obama give an interview? Puh-leeze! Talk about dodging questions!

*end of venting*

So anyway, I'm looking forward to watching the debate tonight. In all seriousness, it will no doubt be an important mile marker in this year's election race.

Happy Autumn!

Photo courtesy of Ferran., Flickr.com

Fall is in the air! :)

It is finally here--in my mind at least. Despite the fact that the autumnal equinox is always on either September 22 or 23, it never really seems to be fall in my mind until October. Maybe because that's when it usually starts to look or feel a little bit like fall in East Tennessee. Sure, fall actually begins in September. But to me, September has always seemed to be a transitional month. Not really summer, yet not really fall. Maybe I hold that view because I've spent most of my life in school. September is always the month of getting settled into one's new school routine, adjusting to new changes, etc. But by October, things have kind of settled down (usually). Thus, my mind switches over to fall.

So I was delighted yesterday to discover that the first day it really *felt* like fall here in East Tennessee was October 1. How perfect! I mentally shift over to fall in October, and this year the weather actually shifted with me (at least for a few days). So let the fall fun begin!

Fall has many fun, lovable characteristics: crisp temperatures, beautiful fall foliage, apple cider, pumpkin spice frappuccinos, Starbucks caramel apple spice (the stuff is heavenly), corn mazes, bonfires, cozy fires burning in the fireplace, football games, and just the promise and living example of harvest.

To celebrate fall, I made some pumpkin bread Tuesday night that I munched on and shared at church last night and I plan to enjoy a Starbucks pumpkin spice frappuccino later today (Mmmm! Can't wait!). I also intend to stop by Yankee Candle today and pick up some fall-scented votives to put in my autumn candleholders, which I hope to pull out next week. My goal is to clean my room this weekend, and help clean the house in general, so that I can pull out the fall decor next week. :)

As a season, fall has really started growing on me in the past few years. Spring has always been my favorite season for a number of reasons. (Well, favorite actual season. Christmas is by far my absolute favorite season. But that's another--forthcoming--blog post.) Namely, I love to see all the flowers and trees in bloom, warmer temperatures (ironic that one of the things I love about fall is the cooler temperatures!), my birthday, wrapping up another school year (you better believe this coming spring will be huge in this regard as I graduate!!), looking ahead to summer, and honestly, just the new beginnings and new life everywhere.

However, I can honestly say that fall and spring are close to being tied as my favorite seasons. Spring will always hold a special place in my heart, but fall is quickly becoming a treasure as well. Happy autumn! :)

There is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!
--Percy Bysshe Shelley

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf's a flower.
--Albert Camus

Natural sounds tour of UT

In one of my journalism classes this semester, we are training to be "backpack journalists." Backpack journalist is a newer term for "one-man band." And that pretty much sums up what BPJs do. They report the story, shoot the video, and edit the package--the whole deal.

This is my first "practice" assignment. We had to make a 60-second video tour of UT with only natural sound as audio. I worked with my friend and classmate Brittany Hodge on the project. We had fun working on it even though it took a lot longer than we anticipated to shoot all the video (but hey, we have plenty of campus b-roll that we can use for future assignments). We went out as a team to help each other with finding shots, using the camera, etc., but shot our own video and edited our own assignments. And as I discovered when I was shooting another assignment on my own yesterday, it helps to have an extra set of arms to carry equipment across campus. ;)

Thankfully this assignment was ungraded. The purpose was to give us some experience in shooting video and editing with Final Cut Pro before our graded assignments (working on my first one of those right now). And the video isn't perfect. Somehow we managed to change the setting from full-screen to widescreen, thus the last few frames in my video are in widescreen when the rest of it is not (we're supposed to record in full-screen). And I lost some good video shots because our audio either wasn't plugged in properly or wasn't turned up enough.

But anyway, if you're curious to see some of what I'm learning, here's a sample of my work as an amateur videographer.

We the people...

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
- Preamble of the U.S. Constitution

On this day, 221 years ago, our forefathers adopted the Constitution. It was later unanimously ratified by the individual states in the union through separate conventions. The Bill of Rights was added four years later in 1791.

Today is known as Constitution Day in honor of this historic event. To be honest, I didn't even know Constitution Day existed until my sophomore year in college. I found the day particularly interesting this year because I am currently studying the Constitution in my political science class.

It is truly nothing short of remarkable that our Constitution has withstood the test of time and remained the framework of our government since 1787. I believe that even our forefathers would be amazed that it is still alive and well. From the readings I have been studying in class, it is evident that many of them viewed the endeavor to write a constitution as a grand experiment. No one had built a government like ours before, so all they could do was build a framework to the best of their abilities and hope it would work. They no reassurance that it would.

Writing a constitution really wasn't even the original agenda. The delegates met to try to repair the flawed Articles of Confederation established after the Revolutionary War and determined that the Articles were beyond repair. (And yes, they wrote the Constitution with utmost secrecy and entirely behind closed doors--this was pre-Sunshine laws. But I would argue that considering the volatility of the times, they did what they had to do and it worked.)

Some of the greatest minds our country has ever produced, including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams, were all involved with the process. The mixed government (a cross between a republic and a democracy with a part federal-part national unifying foundation) they created is truly nothing short of ingenious. Sure, our government isn't perfect and never has been, but the Constitution has done an excellent job serving as the foundation of America.

So, on this Constitution Day, I would encourage you to pause for a moment and be thankful for all the many blessings this country has to offer, including a constitution that guarantees us many freedoms that many people around the world can only dream of having.

Also, with this being an election year, I would encourage you not to throw away your right to play a role in the government, which our forefathers fought so hard to earn and protect. Go out and vote. And most of all, pray for these elections. Pray that the eyes of the American people will not be blinded to the truth in the midst of all the lies and the mudslinging, and that the people God wants in office would be elected.

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

Today is my sister's 15th birthday.

I wanted to take a moment to wish her a happy birthday and let her know how blessed I am to have her as a sister.

Hannah, I know that we have very different personalities and don't always see eye-to-eye on everything--especially as it relates to sharing a room ;)--but even though we occasionally have our "moments," please know that I will always love you and always be thankful that you are my sister.

I hope you have a truly awesome day. Enjoy being allowed to wear makeup now! :) Love you!

Please pray for Cambodia

Four of my friends from church are currently on a mission trip in Cambodia. They left on the 9th and will return on the 23rd. I meant to post a blog about this a week ago, but I wasn't able to get it up until today.

Please be praying for the entire team (there are people from other churches on the team as well) as they serve as the hands and feet of Christ in Cambodia. They will be working hard to help move a children's home from one city to another. In addition to assisting in moving the children, they will be doing a good deal of cleaning and making repairs to the old home and the new one. The team will also be doing several prayer walks in the area.

To follow the team's progress, check out To The Ends of the Earth to read a firsthand account from the field.

Here are some specific prayer requests for the trip from members of the team:

Heritage House (the home for children the team went to help move)

• All of these children will be moved to a new city, a new school, a new everything. Please pray for a smooth transition.


• Please pray for favor in leaving the old building. The landlord is trying to cheat Heritage House out of a lot of money.


• The staff need prayer for a continued compassion for the children and each other.


• Please pray for the salvation of the children through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Church

• The area where this church will be does not know of our Savior, please pray that the Holy Spirit will move in that place.


• Lewis (the team leader) and a few others have been training a young man to lead this church, please pray that he allows God to work through him for the salvation of Kampot.


• Please pray that hidden believers will rise up and join in the fellowship and family that is the Church.


• Please pray protection against anything that would hinder the growth of God's kingdom.

Kampot and Cambodia
Please pray...

• That the church will grow strong and fearless


• That the government will grow soft to the Word of God


• That families will seek to grow stronger


• That love would fill the streets, driving out fear


• That the monks and following Buddhists will hear the word of truth and turn to God

Missions Team

• UNITY


• Spirit of love and obedience


• Focus


• Productivity


• Increased faith and strength for spiritual warfare


• Health and safety


• Glorious times of worship and praise


• PROVISION


• New revelations of God and His Kingdom


• WISDOM


• Open ears and eyes to hear and see with clarity whatever God may wish to speak to them


• Hearts totally in tune to what the Father is doing and saying

Thank you for joining me in praying for the team! I can't wait to hear all the accounts of what God has done when they return!

Meeting with God at Panera Bread

Every time we read the Word, pray, worship or converse with God, we meet with Him. However, there are those times every once in a while, where I can walk away from time spent in God's presence and say, "Wow, I really met with God today." Really, it's no different from any other relationship. There are times when I hang out with my friends and it's fun, but not extraordinary. And then there are those times when I spend time with my friends and I walk away thinking, "Wow, I made some memories today that I'll treasure the rest of my life."

Friday was one of those days.

Thursday, while I was thinking ahead to the plans I had for Friday, I felt prompted to skip my workout and go straight to Panera Bread after class. Usually, on Fridays, since I get out of class pretty early in the day, I go to class, go workout at T-RECS, and then head to Panera to study before going to work. I usually only make it to the gym on Wednesdays and Fridays, so I try to protect that time and stick with my commitment to exercise at least a couple of times a week. I've never been much on an exerciser, so since last fall, when I finally started exercising on a regular basis, no matter how busy I am, I at least try to exercise some. I don't want revert back to my no-exercise habits.

But Thursday, I felt like God told me to scratch my exercising plans, head straight over to Panera from class, and use the time I would have spent exercising to extend my quiet time with God. I felt like God told me if I would do that, he would meet me there. It was like God was saying, "Hey! I miss you. Come spend some time with me."

The past week or so have been pretty busy for me, so I haven't spent nearly as much time as I would have liked to in the Word, in prayer, and in God's presence. So I've found myself desiring more time with the Lord over the past couple of days. Thus, it didn't take much convincing to get me to change my plans for today so I would have a little more quiet time with the Lord.

And God did meet me at Panera Bread, just as he said he would.

I started by praying for the team from my church that is currently on a mission trip in Cambodia, and then I started into Friday's My Utmost for His Highest devotional. Nothing different there, that's my normal routine. I typically start my quiet time with Chambers' devotional for the day. And I immediately saw that God was going to have a lot to say to me through Friday's devotional. Here's what it said:

September 12
"Ye know not what ye ask."
Matthew 20:22

There are times in spiritual life when there is confusion, and it is no way out to say that there ought not to be confusion. It is not a question of right and wrong, but a question of God taking you by a way which in the meantime you do not understand, and it is only by going through the confusion that you will get at what God wants.

The Shrouding of His Friendship. Luke 11:5-8. Jesus gave the illustration of the man who looked as if he did not care for his friend, and He said that that is how the Heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think He is an unkind friend, but remember He is not; the time will come when everything will be explained. There is a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller communion. When God looks completely shrouded, will you hang on in confidence in Him?

The Shadow of His Fatherhood. Luke 11:11-13. Jesus says there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father, as if He were callous and indifferent, but remember He is not; I have told you--"Everyone that asketh receiveth." If there is a shadow on the face of the Father just now, hang onto it that He will ultimately give His clear revealing and justify himself in all that He permitted.

The Strangeness of His Faithfulness. Luke 18:1-8. "When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" Will He find the faith which banks on Him in spite of the confusion? Stand off in faith believing that what Jesus said is true, though in the meantime you do not understand what God is doing. He has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you ask.

Wow. That grabbed my immediate and full attention.

And God wasn't finished yet.

I opened up The Power of a Praying Woman, which I sometimes use as a guideline to get me started in my prayer time, and here is some of what the next prayer said:

Lord, I put my future in Your hands and ask that You would give me total peace about it. I don't want to be trying to secure my future with my own plans. I want to be in the center of Your plans, knowing that You have given me everything I need for what is ahead. I pray You would give me strength to endure without giving up."

Then, through time in His Word and some entries from Come Away My Beloved, God reminded me that he hasn't forgotten me and left me to handle some issues alone. I'm still very much on his radar, so to speak. He is very aware of every detail in my life and every promise he has made, and he won't forget about me. As crazy as it may seem sometimes to trust Him, he's far more trustworthy than anything I could ever have faith in here on this earth!

So I would encourage you, if you're like me and slipped a little bit in spending quality time with the Lord each day, get back on track. It really isn't as hard to do as it sometimes seems. Make the sacrifice. Take some time to be alone with the Lord and spend time in His presence. Go meet with Him. He'll meet you there. I promise.

Welcome, Hannah Grace!

Hannah Grace
Born Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 6:33 p.m.
7 lb. 14 oz., 21 ½ in. long
Proud parents: Matt & Kelly
Excited siblings: Lydia and David




Miss Hannah Grace made her long-awaited appearance yesterday! She is absolutely precious! So adorable!



"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

- Psalm 139:13-16

As the rain comes down from heaven

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

- Isaiah 55:10-11



"Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants."

- Deuteronomy 32:2



"He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills."

- Psalm 147:8



"How beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!"

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Rain in Summer"

I'm glad that God is God...

...and I'm not!


I realize that the simple truth that I'm not God should be an indubitable fact of life, but...sometimes I act like I am.

I try to tell God what he needs to do in my life and when, how he needs to work in different situations, and essentially try to put God into a box and force him to work in my life on my terms.

Heaven help me. Thank the Lord that when I slip into that mindset, God, being the sovereign being that he is, gently or firmly (whatever the situation calls for) reminds me that he's God and I'm not.

It certainly doesn't help that I've always been a bit of a control freak. I like to know what's going on and have a grip on what's going on in my life. And as those who have known me for a decent amount of time can testify, whenever I'm put in situations that are entirely beyond my control, I don't like it at all. So often times, living a life of faith, especially when I have no idea what's around the next bend, is incredibly difficult for me. When it seems like God isn't doing anything, or isn't working fast enough to satisfy me, I have this tendency to try to take over.

I'm also a planner. I'm constantly thinking ahead to the next thing in my life, trying to prepare for it. That's actually rather amusing, because nothing ever really happens like I think it should (God, through his grace and mercy, does things so much better!). You'd think I would learn...

I could try to blame my doubt and lack of total surrender on being a control freak and say, "Well that's just the way you made me God." But that's no excuse. Following God requires total surrender--not partial surrender whenever it's most convenient for me. God calls me to trust him to work in my life. Who am I to doubt that the omnipotent, omniscient God, Creator of all things, knows exactly what I need and when I need it?

I'm also thankful for God's patience. Yesterday, I had another of several conversations with God lately that have consisted of *guilty look* a good bit of whining mixed in with other bits of conversation. And with each cry of my heart, God has gently reminded me to simply trust Him. That's much better than I would have done at this point. I think that by now, if I was God and I was having to deal with someone like me, I would have hit him or her over the head with something hard and yelled, "Would you just shut up and trust me!"

Now that's not to say that I don't need to be put in my place from time to time--and God has done that when I've needed it. Usually a Job-style "where were you when I created the earth?" type of reminder works quite well. ;)

But yesterday I was glad that instead of a firm reminder that God is sovereign and I'm nothing, God chose to speak to me with gentle, comforting reminders to simply trust Him--even when having faith in Him seems totally irrational. He knew that's what I needed.

I needed to hear his whispered reassurances of love and promises of faithfulness as I rested in his embrace.

I'm glad that God is God and that he knows far better than I how to write the story of my life.

Food for thought

I've been re-reading this Oswald Chambers devotional over the past few days and it still hits me hard. Especially the last sentence. I'm going to need to chew on this one for a while.

August 29

Every time you venture out in the life of faith, you will find something in your common-sense circumstances that flatly contradicts your faith. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense; they stand in the relation of the natural and the spiritual. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture heroically on Jesus Christ's statements when the facts of your common-sense life shout--"It's a lie"? On the mount it is easy to say--"Oh, yes, I believe God can do it"; but you have to come down into the demon-possessed valley and meet with facts that laugh ironically at the whole of your mount-of-transfiguration belief. Every time my programme of belief is clear to my own mind, I come across something that contradicts it. Let me say I believe God will supply all my need, and then let me run dry, with no outlook, and see whether I will go through the trial of faith, or whether I will sink back to something lower.

Faith must be tested, because it can be turned into a personal possession only through conflict. What is your faith up against just now? The test will either prove that your faith is right, or it will kill it. "Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me." The final thing is confidence in Jesus. Believe steadfastly on Him and all you come up against will develop your faith. There is continual testing in the life of fatih, and the last great test is death. May God keep us in fighting trim! Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams that He will not stand by us."

- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Quote of the day

"It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desire which He creates."
~ Amy Carmichael

Are we ready for action?

Can you tell that one of the many things God has been speaking to my heart lately is related to action? I blogged about actions speaking louder than words last week, and Monday, while reading through 1 Peter, I just couldn't get past the number of verses in that short little book that deal with being alert and prepared for action.

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."
- 1 Peter 1:13

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action..." This introductory portion of the verse stayed on my mind as I continued reading. Our goal as Christians should be to live active lives focused on Christ and spreading His gospel, but Peter continually cautions us that such a lifestyle requires focus and preparation.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
- 1 Peter 3:15-16

This is probably by far the biggest action we need to be prepared for. We should always be prepared to tell others about Jesus and share what he has done in our lives. Sadly, this is an area where I don't feel like I am adequately prepared. I am certainly trying to become better prepared to explain the gospel to those who don't understand it and answer their questions, but I still feel largely inadequate for the task. The biggest issue here, and I am fully aware of it, is that I don't practice nearly enough. The more I witness, the easier it will be to speak up and to know what to say.

Peter also constantly drives home the concept of remaining focused and self-controlled.

"The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray."
- 1 Peter 4:7

In our crazy busy society, it is depressingly easy to get so wrapped up in the noise and the chaos that we don't allow our minds even a few precious moments to stop and be quiet before the Lord. How are we supposed to hear God's voice and listen to the Spirit's promptings if we won't even take the time to listen? And trust me, I am totally preaching to myself when I say this and ask these questions.

Perhaps now more than ever before, it is vitally important that we learn to focus and stay clear minded so that we can hear God and truly engage in conversation with Him in prayer. If we allow the craziness of this world to fog and pollute our minds, we won't be nearly as effective in our walks with Christ as we need to be. Our minds need to be cleared and focused on the Lord.

Remaining self-controlled is also important. We need to live disciplined lives centered around Christ, not careless lives open to temptation or reckless indulgence. A vital part of our preparation as active Christians needs to consist of regular, disciplined times with the Lord in His presence, His Word, and in prayer.

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
- 1 Peter 5:8

Yet another reason we need to be alert, focused, and self-controlled. Satan wants nothing more than to cause us to stumble and render us ineffective. Unfortunately, I believe we often make his job incredibly easy by staying so distracted that he doesn't even have to go to great lengths to injure our effectiveness.

These verses have caused me to pause a moment and really evaluate my life. Am I really focused on centering all of my life around Christ and being ready for action at any time? Am I staying disciplined and alert so that am not quite as easily led astray? Or am I allowing myself to be distracted, ill-prepared, and unfocused? Just some of the many thoughts that have been rattling around in my mind lately...

Good words to live by

"Dear friends, I warn you as 'temporary residents and foreigners' to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world."
- 1 Peter 2:11-12 NLT

Thought from today's My Utmost for His Highest reading

"Wait on God and He will work, but don't wait in spiritual sulks because you cannot see an inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our own spiritual hysterics to wait on God? To wait is not to sit with folded hands, but to learn to do what we are told."
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

On this day, twenty-one years ago, my dear friend Sarah entered the world (yes, she and Hannah are twins) and it hasn't been the same since!

Sarah, I treasure our friendship. You have been a blessing to me since the moment we met and a true Godsend, especially in this season. I think I would have gone crazy by now if it wasn't for your prayers, listening ear, and words of truth and love. And, as I noted in Hannah's post, I truly am forever grateful to you two for introducing me to Harvest and helping me become part of the group.

Thanks for encouraging me to branch out and be a little crazy sometimes. There are definitely times in my life where I need friends to tell me to let go of whatever is going on in my life, let loose and have a little fun. And thanks for being there to have fun with! I love you dearly and I hope you have an incredibly blessed day that is far better than you could have imagined.

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

On this day, twenty-one years ago, my dear friend Hannah entered the world, changing it for the better.

Hannah, I am so glad God brought us together. I treasure our friendship. I'm forever grateful to you and Sarah for introducing me to the CCA and thereby introducing me to Harvest Church. You have been such a blessing to me. Your calm, mature manner mixed with your bold, strong stand for the Lord and your family have been a blessing in my life and an inspiration to me. Thank you for always being there when I need prayer, a listening ear, or words of truth and encouragement. I love you dearly and I look forward to our friendship growing even closer as the years go by! I hope you have an absolutely awesome birthday!

Shakin' up Judge Judy

Okay, so while it isn't funny that southern California was rocked by an earthquake yesterday, the effect it had on this taping of Judge Judy is rather humorous.

Actions speak louder than words

As I was reading 1 John 3 last night, verse 18 reminded me once again of the importance of making sure that what we do backs up what we say.

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

There are a myriad of Scripture verses and quotes that I could support this with, but there really is something to the old saying, "Actions speak louder than words."

What good are our words if our actions don't reflect the same ideas? They are absolutely empty and worthless.

Throughout the Bible, and repeatedly in the books John wrote, we are told that if we truly believe in God, if we really mean what we say when we claim to be followers of Christ, we'll love one another. Which means loving everyone with the love of Christ. I try, but wow, I fall so short. God, help me to love as you love.

And I think it's interesting that John points out the need for us to love in truth. False affection doesn't work. Nobody likes to be loved insincerely. People usually aren't fooled for long (if at all) when someone puts on a loving facade.

Sometimes loving with the truth hurts; the old "tough love" situation. And honestly, I think there needs to be a lot more tough-love truth dished out today than there is. Especially as believers, if we see our friends, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ, in trouble or slipping away, we have an obligation to be bold enough to say something, even at the risk of the person's anger or the loss of the relationship. If we just stand by and watch, then we are only contributing to their fall. Scary thought. To any of my friends reading this, please don't ever hesitate to speak the truth to me in love! If I'm off track somewhere I want to know.

James brings up an interesting concept as well when he discusses faith in chapter 2.

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
- James 2:14-26

Faith without action is nothing. Actions really do reflect what's truly in the heart and the mind.

Wow. If I'm really trying to live a life of faith, my actions should back up what I claim to have faith in. If I believe that God is who he says he is, then every part of my life, which includes my words and my actions, should reflect that. Our actions prove our true feelings, no matter what we may say.

I could keep going with this topic, but I'll stop for right now. This post is long enough. ;) There are so many different directions this discussion could go in that I might come back to it at a later date.

Happy Birthday, Katherine!

On this day, twenty-one years ago, my dear friend Katherine entered the world and blessed it with her presence.

Katherine, I consider myself privileged to call you one of my best friends. Your sweet, loving spirit and heart for God shine through in everything that you do and you are truly a blessing to everyone who knows you. I am so glad God allowed our paths to cross. I treasure our friendship and look forward to growing even closer in the years to come! I love you and I hope you have a truly blessed, God-kissed day.

Happy 21st Birthday!

Katherine and me in December 2007

During my quiet time today....

Here are some key thoughts from my quiet time with the Lord today.

The cry of my heart...

"Lord, I bow before you this day and declare that you are Lord over every area of my life. I surrender myself and my life to You and invite You to rule in every part of my mind, soul, body, and spirit. I love You with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind. I commit to trusting You with my whole being. I declare You to be Lord over every area of my life today and every day.

Enable me to deny myself in order to take up my cross daily and follow you (Luke 9:23). I want to be Your disciple just as You have said in Your Word (Luke 14:27). Help me to do what it takes. I want to lose my life in You so I can save it (Luke 9:24). Teach me what that means. Speak to me so that I may understand.

Help me to say yes to You immediately when You give me direction for my life. My desire is to please You and hold nothing back. I surrender my relationships, my finances, my work, my recreation, my decisions, my time, my body, my mind, my soul, my desires, and my dreams. I put them all in Your hands so they can be used for Your glory. I declare this day that 'I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me' (Galatians 2:20). Rule me in every area of my life, Lord, and lead me into all that You have for me."

- Stormie Omartian, The Power of a Praying Woman

Lately, at the suggestion of a respected guest speaker at our church, I have been spending a good bit of time in John 14-16. My desire is to abide in Christ every moment of every day, so I've paid particular attentions to verses such as John 15:4-11:

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Today, the Lord led me to 1 John, and I caught some parallels in 1 John 2 and John 15. Namely, it reinforces the idea of abiding in Christ and the importance of God's Word and obeying his commands as a vital part of abiding.

"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."
1 John 2:3-6

"See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father."
1 John 2:24

"As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him."
1 John 2:27

Abiding in Christ is obviously closely intertwined with obeying God and being avid students of his Word.

Lord, may I hunger and thirst to spend time in your Word and obey what it says. May your Word become such a part of my life that it is hidden away deep inside my heart, a vital part of who I am. May each moment I spend in your Word provide new revelation and insight and only serve to draw me closer to You. And may I obey your Word and your commands immediately and eagerly out of my love for you, not reluctantly or out of compulsion. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

A thought for today

Nothing is more needful at this present hour than prayer that draws its power from full operation under the direction and unction of the Holy Spirit.
-Frances Roberts, Come Away My Beloved

25 things that make me smile

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:11

Joy. Not only is joy a fruit of the Spirit that should be evident in our lives, the joy of the Lord is our strength. And often, in my own life, I find that one of the more effective tools of the enemy against me has been an attempt to steal my joy.

Several weeks ago, after a few weeks of riding an emotional rollercoaster ride and going up in down in my moods, I finally grasped the concept that sometimes living in the joy of the Lord is a conscious decision. I have to chose to be filled with joy, even on the days when I don't feel like it. Even if it means I wake up and say to myself, "I will have a good day today if it kills me! I will choose to be happy and delight in the Lord."

One great tool for bringing joy into one's day is remembering all of the many great things God has done and is doing for us. "For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands." Psalm 92:4

So one days when I wake up feeling unjoyful, I have learned to ask God to fill me with his joy and I try to take a moment to remember some of the many things God has done for me--which brings me to reason for the "25 things that make me smile" title.

The other night I decided to sit down and make a list of things that make me smile/happy and bring joy to my life. And really, I think it's something I should do more often. How can you continue to feel down when you're staring at a long list of things that bring you joy? I started out with the goal of listing 25 things but soon ended up with 50. I thought I would share some of these things with you. Although I made a list of 50+ things, I decided to spare you all the trouble of reading all that and shorten my list to 25 for the blog. So...here are 25 things that make me smile, in no particular order.

• the presence of the Lord


• my family


• my friends (the best ever!)


• my Harvest family


• a beautiful sunset


• mint chocolate


• a clear, sunny 60-70 degree day with just a slight breeze


• coffee


• seeing something I wrote published


• a friend's smile


• the feeling of accomplishment that comes from a productive day


• reading a good book


• finding a really good deal when shopping


• the wonderful aroma that greets you when you walk into a Starbucks


• learning something new and fascinating


• Christmas music


• baking and sharing my baked goods with others :)


• the sound of a loved one's voice


• encouraging words


• seeing the night crew (the people I work with most closely) excel at work


• conversations with God


• the color purple


• talking with friends about what God has been doing in our lives


• seeing redbud trees in full bloom


• fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Habakkuk 3:17-19

Changes at WBIR

Big changes are in the works at WBIR. Read more about the new plans here. The new ideas sound like a bold move, but I think WBIR is certainly capable of pulling it off. It should be interesting to see how the new programming works out.

Not to worry

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."
John 14:1

"If you love me, you will obey what I command."
John 14:15

Over and over throughout Scripture, we are commanded not to worry. We are told to simply trust God, not worry about what tomorrow may bring, and not be afraid.

This is one of the many things God has been speaking to my heart over the past few months. Basically, if I'm truly living a life sold out to God, I shouldn't be worrying about anything. Period. God promises he will take care of us, so I should take him at his Word and not sweat it. I have to trust, even when I can't see.

When I worry, not only am I calling God a liar (because he promises to meet our needs), but I'm disobeying his command to not worry. And, if I'm worrying about something, it's a pretty good indicator I am trying to have some degree of control over the situation, instead of leaving my life surrendered in God's hands. Worrying is also kind of pointless: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27). So true, yet so easy to forget in the moment.

Basically, when I worry, I'm just messing up left and right.

This isn't an easy lesson to learn and I know I'll never completely grasp it, no matter how hard I try. But nevertheless, I am going to try my best to live my entire life in this way. I do love the Lord, so I want to obey his Word. Which means no worrying. No matter how tempting it may be.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6

Tree collapses in South Knoxville

During yesterday's crazy storms, a huge tree collapsed near a home in South Knoxville. You have to watch this video on the incident. The sound bites are absolutely priceless. I dare you to watch it without laughing...

Farewell, Jason

Jason Dane Hovater

August 10, 1983 - July 13, 2008

Last Sunday our country lost one of its best.

Army Weapons Specialist Jason Hovater was killed in action in Afghanistan early Sunday morning, July 13, 2008. His body was laid to rest today with full military honors in the Tennessee Military Cemetery in Knoxville.

Some of the soldiers with him said he died trying to save his friends. Apparently he was in a safe location, saw three of his friends in a dangerous spot, grabbed his gear and went to help them, sacrificing his life in the process. Jason is truly a hero.

This hits close to home for me. This isn't simply another East Tennessee soldier killed in action (and each soldier lost is a great loss). Jason was a soldier with a passionate love for the Lord and a personal acquaintance of mine. I went to church with Jason at New Covenant Fellowship for about three years. While we weren't close friends, I still knew him and have been truly saddened and touched by his passing. I still can't fully wrap my mind around the fact that he's gone.

And I can attest that everything I've heard about Jason in the various reports and tributes following his death is true. Jason loved the Lord, he loved Jenna, he loved his family, he loved music and worshipping the Lord, he loved his country, he loved to laugh and make others laugh, he flat out loved life. And he was full of life. I think that's one of the things that seems so hard about his death. One can't help but ask, "Why?" He was so full of life and had so much going for him. The only answer to that is simply to trust that God has his reasons. He is worshipping in the very presence of the Lord at this very moment. I firmly believe that.

As a news intern at WBIR, I was able to help behind-the-scenes in the initial story we did on Jason's death. While it was sad and sometimes difficult to work on a story on Jason's death, it was also a privilege to be able to help show people who Jason was and help them see that Jason wasn't just another Army number. It was our hope that our story would show people the real Jason. It was and is my prayer that God will be glorified through Jason's life and death.

Here are some links to learn more about Jason and his story:
"East Tennessee soldier's body returns home"
"Friends and family say goodbye to soldier killed in Afghanistan"
"Hundreds gather to lay to final rest fallen Lake City soldier"
"East Tennessee soldier killed in Afghanistan laid to rest"

I also want to encourage people to watch this interview with Jason's wife, Jenna. I thought Jenna did an absolutely outstanding job with the interview. I am so proud of her. I can't even begin to imagine the pain she is going through right now, but she's standing strong and clinging to God to help get her through. My prayers are definitely with her and Jason's entire family.

Farewell, Jason. You are a hero. Although it seems to us that your life was cut short way too soon, you made a difference here and you will be greatly missed. I will see you again someday.

For the love of rain

I'd never been a big fan of rain...until recently. I've always preferred the sunshine. Last year's drought has given me an entirely new appreciation for rain. As the earth became incredibly dry last summer, I found myself welcoming any forecast of rain and enjoying it when it came. When we were nearly 14 inches below normal rainfall last year, I would have welcomed a particularly rainy year for 2008 in order to help repair some of the damage from the drought. This year's below average rainfall has only increased my joy at seeing rain. I guess there is some truth to the old adage, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

I now love to watch the rain fall. Even if it means that I have to walk around campus in it or rearrange outdoor plans. So what if I have to get a little wet or be a little flexible? At least the earth is getting some of the nourishment it needs.

So while I still love sunshiney days, I don't mind if there's a rainy one mixed in every once in a while. ;) It takes the sunny days and the rainy ones to achieve the balance needed for things to grow.

And really that could apply to life itself. It takes the seasons of joy and "sunshine"--the good times--and the times of gray skies, rain and storms--often the not-so-good times--to help shape us into the people God desires us to be. And just as we should learn to appreciate both sunshine and rain here on the earth, we should learn to welcome the good and the hard times in our walks with Christ and not let anything steal our joy. We should praise Him at all times and in all circumstances.

In a writing mood

So why am I suddenly publishing three new blog posts in one day after weeks of silence? I'm in a writing mood. I can't even put my finger on what I want to write--I'm just itching to put my fingers to the keyboard or pen to paper. I like blogging, so hopefully I'll get back in the habit of frequent blogging and really put my page to use. My mind is quickly coming up with new ideas for blog posts, so hopefully I'll actually have the time to turn those ideas into posts when inspiration hits. Any suggestions on what I should write?