Single and Searching for Him

"Rejoice evermore." I Thessalonians 5:16   This verse has brought something that has been simmering for quite a while, to a full on boil.  Monday nights in August at my church have been simply amazing.  Each year, in the month of August, we have Sunday evening service on Monday night.  There are special guests, both musically and to preach.  The preacher we had on Monday is actually the preacher at one of the campuses for my church.  Wow.  He doesn't apologize for simply taking apart scripture, staying there for a while, and going as deep as time permits.  This past Monday he was preaching on "being in your spot", and while that was amazing, what stopped me dead in my tracks was this little verse.  He said that it was an outcome, not a command.  This is what is going to happen as an outcome of our faith.  We are going to rejoice evermore!  One of my absolute favorite albums right now is Matt Redmond's 10,000 Reasons. ...

The last couple of weeks, I have been in the midst of some very strong storms.  Hurricane force winds, rain pelting down from all directions, beaten, battered, crushed, pushed down.  I'm not talking about physical storms (although as I write this, thunder is rolling outside).  I'm talking about the storms of life.  Those things that you look back on and marvel at how God got you through it.  How he protected you, sheltered you, supported you.  However, going through it, being beaten from every direction, it is hard to see that next step.  It's hard to think about how one day, you will be able to praise God for all He has done for you.  But we are not commanded to wait to praise Him.  We are told to praise Him in ALL things.  Don't get me wrong... this is not easy.  All I want to do right this very moment, is curl up in my bed, with the covers over my head, and have another good cry.  Believe me when I tell you, I have had some ...

Lately, I have been thinking about being single.  All of my friends are married and while I never feel excluded, there are times when I see the pictures of the two of them and my heart hurts a little.  I wonder what it is about me that God has chosen me to be single.  Paul talks about it in 1 Corinthians as if it is a noble achievement.  And yes, there are moments, days, weeks that I feel blessed to be single.  I can serve where I am needed and how often I am needed, I can be there for a friend in need, I can help a couple reconnect by watching their children while they go out for a night, I can help someone in a moment's notice.  So, yes, there are many benefits of being single.  But lately, its been a struggle.  It's hard to go to church and see the families and hear sermons about marriage and how to build a stronger relationship with one another.  It's hard to hang with some of my best friends and watch them enjoy the company of their spou...

Part 3 Well, it was here.  At moments it felt as if it was never going to come, and other times it felt as if it was coming way too fast.  June 20,2004... Father's day, no less!  The U-Haul was packed, we ate lunch together as a family, and my best friend and her husband got to my house to help me on this journey. I gave my mom one last hug and with tears streaming down my face, I got into my car, my dad and brother into my parents' car, and my friend and her husband driving the U-Haul.  We were off! Now at this point, I should say 8 hours later, we arrived and were ready to unpack.  However, that was so not even the case.  We thought we would be saving money if we got a diesel engine U-Haul.  Well, whatever money we saved with that, was far surpassed by the energy and effort it took to drive it.  I have to give my friend's husband props.  There were times I didn't think that it would make it another 100 feet, let alone 500 miles... but s...

Part 2 After spending most of the trip talking to my friend, trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened, (yes, I was talking and driving) I arrived home and then things went into overdrive.  What followed was strange, bizarre, sad, terrifying, scary, exciting, and surreal.  Here was something that I had wished for and dreamed of for as long as I can remember (well, except for the 6 months I wanted to be a nurse and then I realized what all that job entailed... ).  This was it.  I was going to teach first grade.   I remember calling all of my family and friends and going through the story so many times I felt as if I could have written it on a poster board and just showed it where ever I went. There were many tears as I packed up my room.  I had been in that room for 20 years.  The last time I had moved, I was 7 and my mom did all of the packing.  There were days when I was so overwhelmed with the decision, that I know I wasn't...

One of the questions I am asked the most is "How did you end up here?"  Well... the short answer: God has a wicked sense of humor!  The long answer takes a little more time... It started one day when I was off work.  You see, I had graduated from college 2 years earlier, and was looking for a teaching job.  What they failed to tell all of us bright eyed young educators was that we weren't going to find jobs because all of the teachers that were expected to retire, would be extending their stay in education making all of the jobs that were supposed to be available, null and void.  So, I would find an opening in a school, drive to the main office, drop off my resume', smile, talk, and try to get a feel for how many other applicants they had for the position.  I remember one, where I had driven over an hour to drop off my resume' and the lady looked at it, put it in the pile and told me, you are applicant 400.  I remember driving home with tears running...

Now, I know y'all are thinking that you have the best father in the world, no one compares, and he's your hero, well, I hate to tell you this, but you are wrong!  You see, I have the best daddy in the world! The story goes that when I was born, and they announced  that I was a girl, my mom said "put her back" because there was no way she was going to be the mom of a girl. However, by that time, my dad had taken one look at me and it was love at first sight.  He held me, and that was the end. My father is an example of what a husband, father, and friend looks like.  He has always shown me the value of hard work.  He also has shown me the value of laughter.  I think one of his favorite holidays when we were kids was April Fool's day.  He would always put a piece of scotch tape around the spray nozzle for the kitchen faucet, so that when you turned the water on, you got sprayed. He did this for several years in a row, and I always seemed to fall for i...