What are you more excited about: Jesus, or your future husband?

I've recently been reading, and loving, some of the anecdotes and words of wisdom posted by Kelly Needham. I don't know her personally, but stumbled on to her blog from her husband's website. Her husband, Jimmy Needham, is a Christian music artist (who you can check out here). Both Jimmy and Kelly seem to be solid Christian people who are speaking up (or singing) about their faith in Jesus, and how it has impacted their life. :)

Kelly, once single like the lot of us, writes about waiting on God for her future husband, in the post titled "My First Love":

"What are you more excited about: Jesus or your future husband? God was never designed to simply be the means for us to receive things... We were created to be in a passionate, consuming, and loving relationship; this is why our hearts long for it. So when we do not experience this fulfilling relationship in God, we naturally look for it in other things: usually in a relationship here on earth."

She makes a few really great points:
- that we tend to see God only as the vehicle that brings us what we need and want
- that we put relationships ahead of God, especially that special relationship that we all long for
We need to love Jesus first and foremost, or we're just going to put our future husband on a pedestal. We will put that man in the place where Jesus should be, and this is dangerous.
Read the post yourself for more thoughts on this!

What are your thoughts? Do you see this tendency in your own life- to view God merely as the vehicle that brings you what you need? Or are you truly excited about getting to know God, and experiencing his love for you?

Norway bomber thinks he's doing what's best for Europe

I can't believe my ears when I hear some of the things that are going on in the world today. By now most people have heard about the bombing and shooting events that happened on Friday, July 22. At least 93 people, including 86 children, were murdered.

Yesterday I was chatting about the tragedy with two friends, when one mentioned that the motive behind the events was one man's desire to eradicate Muslims from Europe. Another said that she heard that the people responsible were from a fundamental Christian group.

After some research, I realize that the man responsible for the killings is not a Christian. In fact, I doubt that he's even part of a terrorist group (or any group, period). He spent a full year of his life playing 'World of Warcraft'. I'm not condemning people who play World of Warcraft, I just think that this dude is probably a very lonely, very unstable individual. When people spend a lot of time in isolation, they can develop ideas that aren't based on reality.

This man, who is the sole cause of these horrifying acts, says that he is part of the group "Pauperes Commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici", the Knights Templar.

This group doesn't exist anymore.

Wikipedia states that the group was originally endorsed by the Catholic Church. But, it "existed for approximately two centuries in the Middle Ages"!

That point aside, Norway is in mourning. Not only has this rocked their sense of safety and national peace, but the crazy man is not sorry for what he did. He believes that he is fighting a revolution, and is doing what's right for Europe.

There is evil in this world; just look around. God is here, but things will remain in the state they are in until Jesus returns, and God restores things for good.

Cooking isn't fun when it's 45 degrees out.

Some days I really don't feel like cooking. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE cooking. I love making coconut curried chicken and I love baking chocolate chip cookies (gluten/dairy/soy-free of course).

Yesterday, when it felt like 45 degrees outside with the humidity, I just didn't feel like lifting a finger to make dinner. I did a quick grocery run to pick up some pre-made potato salad (Moishe's brand, which is amazing by the way). I ate a peanut butter and jam sandwich and potato salad for dinner. It was great. No oven or microwave necessary.

This morning, with no leftovers to pack for lunch, I opted for a thrown-together tuna-salad sandwich. This sandwich didn't get eaten, however, as the subsidized $5 lunch at work was too tempting. Mmm steamed salmon fillet drizzled with balsamic vinegar and homemade salsa. Rice and veggies. Small coffee. $5!

My work place's male to female ratio must have something to do with these benefits: Fully-stocked gym, pool, basketball court + Incredible (and large) lunch for $5. (I have no trouble believing that 80% of the employees are male. :) )

Free audio book downloads

I'm really enjoying a new(ish) find. It's a site that gives away one free audio book to download. So far I'm finding that the authors are quality Christian writers. I'm currently listening to an audio book called "A Place of Healing" by Joni Eareckson Tada.

Joni seems like an incredibly strong woman. She has lived most of her life in a wheelchair as a quadriplegic, as a result of a swimming accident. Her story is pretty amazing - she has endured excruciating pain, depression, and an intense spiritual battle.

So far I'm feeling challenged. I'd recommend the book to anyone who wants to learn more about healing - physical, emotional, spiritual. She goes through several bible verses to try to help the reader understand why God heals and sometimes why he doesn't.

I'd also recommend Christian Audio. The link to the free audio book is here. You just have to create an account with them, and then you can start downloading quality Christian books for free. :)

Things to be thankful for

Thanks, God, for my little doggie. He's going to be ok. This has been rough on me, but I am so thankful that you've got this whole situation under control.

Thanks, God, that you love your creation. So often I forget that you created the animals, too. You love your people, but you care for your animals, too.

Thanks, Lord, for skilled veterinarians, who figured out that Teddy doesn't have cancer, nor does he have kidney problems or liver disease. It's not a virus that's causing his illness. He has four small bladder stones. Bladder stones are common for his breed. Also, the blood test showed he has low platelets, and therefore his blood doesn't clot properly. They think it's an autoimmune condition, which is treatable.

Thanks, God, for a job. Thanks that things are getting more interesting and more challenging. And thanks for providing me with a stable income so that I can pay for these vet bills.

Our God is good.

Have you ever felt like you wanted to crawl into a hole and hide?

Most of the time when I encounter tough situations in life I want to crawl into a hole and be alone. There a major problem with this: Because I'm single and live on my own (save one roommate), I can go days without really speaking to anyone. Things could go downhill from that point, as I sink into self pity. I realized that this shows a glimpse of my self-centeredness. Did you know that dwelling in self pity is a sin? Because dwelling on it means that I'm only thinking about me and my problems, as if nothing else matters. It also means that I'm not surrendering my worries to God.

I hide because I feel uncomfortable showing a lot of emotion when I'm around others. I think if others saw me in such a vulnerable state that they would think less of me. That's my pride for you.

Although I do process things well on my own, I realize that I need people. I need others to tell me that God's got the situation under control. I need people to show me love, and say things like "It's going to be ok." I need to be reminded that although I'm feeling overwhelmed, this isn't the end of the world. I am not the only one going through hard stuff.

I took Teddy (my 6-year-old white Schnauzer-terrier mix) to the vet this morning. He has some kind of bladder, prostate or kidney problem (possibly a bladder or kidney stone). He's going to have blood tests, urine tests and x-rays.

I need to think and pray, but I realize that I also need to be around others. I'm so thankful for my roommate and my friends and their compassion.

Work and exhaustion

Wow... the past month has just flown by. I just finished the 4th week at my new job in technical writing. So far so good.

However, since I started at my job I have been absolutely exhausted. I have been so exhausted that I nearly fell asleep in a conversation at work, and I have fallen asleep several times on the metro. A few times I've been so tired that my stomach was churning and I felt nauseous. I'm getting used to the schedule (which involves waking up around 5:30am, and not returning home until 6pm), but my body doesn't adjust like it used to. I feel older. I can't go several days in a row with just 6 hours of sleep. My mind ceases to function normally.

With the new job I don't have as much free time, so I have missed out on some of the things I really enjoy: spending copious amounts of time with people, blogging, listening to sermons, baking, cooking, watching movies.

Here’s a brief summary of my month, by the numbers:
Read 30+ chapters of documentation at work.
RSVPed for 3 weddings, all happening in the next month.
Met and memorized the names of 20 new people.
Hosted 2 travelling friends.
Visited my mom for just under 3 days (68 hours).
Had one delicious steak dinner.
Spent a combined 45 hours in daily commute.
Had 9 encouraging or challenging conversations about spirituality and religion.

I'm praying for energy, and that God will give me love and compassion for those around me. Work is hard, but fun, and I'm really enjoying meeting all the new people.