Join the GNC

No, I'm not talking about the vitamin store. I'm talking about the Global Night Commute for Invisible Children. This commute will raise awareness for the children in Northern Uganda. These kids live in constant fear of being abducted by rebel soldiers and forced to fight as part of their army. They walk miles every night to the closest shelter to sleep, so the rebels will not take them. The children that are taken are used as sex slaves and forced to kill. They're brainwashed and sometimes have to kill their own family. This Saturday night (the 29th), they are asking volunteers to sleep outside at Rice University. This is to show the government that we want them to take action. So grab your sleeping bag and come out this Saturday! We're getting a group to meet up and head out together, so if you're interested in joining us, then let me know. And it wraps up at 7 am Sunday morning, so you still have time to make it to class by 9:10 and service afterwards.

My Nephew Has a Girlfriend

I was talking to my brother the other day and found out Boston (my nephew) has a little girlfriend. Mind you, he's only ten months old. He gets a big grin on his face every time he sees baby Hannah at daycare. And, he's already saying her name. I must admit, I'm a little jealous - I wanted "Aunt Kelly" to be one of his first words. First, it was "dada", then "mama", then "nana" and now "Hannah". Where's the love? I think I need to record "Aunt Kelly" over and over on a tape and play it while he sleeps. Maybe by the time I see him in June he'll be saying it. Matt, you need to have him start practicing ;).

Surrender

I want to start out with a confession – surrender is not my strong suit. I’m one of the most stubborn people in the world. Another confession is that I have a hard time waiting. I wrote a post a while back on waiting; I should have read it before I acted rashly a couple of weeks ago. I’ll spare the details, but basically, I got another job to help with finances. Most of you would think that’s no big deal and I was acting responsibly. However, no matter how “logical” something seems, when God tells you to not do something, then you shouldn’t do it. Actually, I didn’t even ask God, I just did it. I was in training last week for this job and every time I went I got a sick feeling. I ignored it and went on thinking, “This isn’t what I want, but it’s something I have to do.” Then, Friday morning I went to Bible study. We were talking about the story of David when he went to the land of the Philistines to hide from Saul (1 Samuel 27). Mind you, God had protected David from Saul in the past, and David was anointed to be the next king. However, David stopped having faith in the promises of God. He panicked and reacted out of fear – much like I did. During this time (a year and a half), David wrote no Psalms; his disobedience and mistrust caused a chasm in his fellowship with the Lord. I was so convicted that I felt sick inside. Saturday morning (my last day of training), I called and told them I was not going to take the job. I felt a huge burden had been lifted off and I felt peace, a peace that I didn’t have the past couple of weeks. And, you know what? God provided another way for me to earn extra money to help with finances. Isn’t God good? Praise the Lord for His forgiveness, patience, mercy and grace on stubborn me!

I read a chapter on surrender in a book I’m currently reading. The author writes, “There is an unspoken fear in most of our hearts that surrendering our desires means waving the white flag of defeat and walking away from every dream we’ve ever had.” However, “Surrender doesn’t mean that we stop making our requests known to God… Surrender simply means that we give God the final choice, believing that He will be good… Sometimes, it’s hard for our little minds to fathom what could be better than our choice. We go through life not knowing what lies ahead for us. But our God is all knowing. He already knows how each detail of our lives will fit together. He knows how to answer our prayers in ways totally beyond our comprehension… Surrender is acknowledging our own limited understanding and trusting the all-knowing God to give us His best. It’s holding on to God’s promises and at the same time giving Him the right to unfold them in His perfect way and perfect time… Surrender makes our hearts open and ready to hear God’s call on our lives.”

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.” Matthew 7:11

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Michelin Tweel

This post is for Troy. He got a screw in his new tire ;(. So I suggest that he buy the new Michelin Tweels next time around. I don't think they're for sell yet, so maybe next time you need new tires they'll be out.

Chronicles of Narnia Query

I’m reading the “Chronicles of Narnia” series that my aunt bought me when I was in third or fourth grade (yeah, that was a long time ago – the pages are yellowed and everything). I noticed the other day in my book club catalogue that the “Chronicles of Narnia” series they had for sell was in a different arrangement.

My series of books are in this order: 1) “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” 2) “Prince Caspian” 3) “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” 4) “The Silver Chair” 5) “The Horse and His Boy” 6) “The Magician’s Nephew” and 7) “The Last Battle”.

The series they had for sell are in this order: 1) “The Magician’s Nephew” 2) “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” 3) “The Horse and His Boy” 4) “Prince Caspian” 5) “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” 6) “The Silver Chair” 7) “The Last Battle”.

So you see they are in completely different arrangements. I’m wondering if anyone knows the original order and why these two would be totally different. I’m thinking there has to be a “Chronicles of Narnia” fan out there that can solve my dilemma. I want to read them in the way they were intended to be read. I did notice on the website that they are beginning production on the "Prince Caspian" movie, but in the list of books they had on the site, "The Horse and His Boy" is chronologically next.

Eat More Chicken

Random fact: There are more chickens than humans in the world.

So, to avoid the world being taken over by chickens, I suggest eating more chicken.

I think Chick-fil-A should put this on their billboards...

The Wondrous Cross

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ, my God;

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down;

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

"The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again." - Luke 24:7

Praise the Lord for His gift of salvation! What a mighty God we serve.

Fainting Goats

I was talking to Jeff and Angela this weekend and for some reason we got on the topic of fainting goats. I had never heard of them before, so I had to look them up on the internet. It's absolutely hilarious! Their legs stiffen up and they fall over when they get scared or excited because of a genetic condition called myotonia congenita. Here's a news clip on it. I hate to laugh at them, but it's too funny not to!

Pine Trees and Crosses

My dad and I were carpooling to work this morning and on the way I had to stop by Walgreens. When I got back to the car, my dad pointed out the crosses on the Pine Tree. He said every year around Easter the little things sticking up (I don't know what they're called) make crosses. So, I had to take a picture to show you all. The crosses aren't fully developed yet, but they're starting to form. So, closer to Easter look at the Pine Trees to see the crosses they make. God is so good, isn't He? I love the way He shows Himself through nature. ;)

"Bring It On" Update

I've had people ask me who won the fight that was supposed to take place yesterday. Well, no one did. Laurie, Karla, and I made up and hugged. Reason being, Kirk never acknowledged our devotion to him, and to be honest, it really hurt ;(. We realized that it just wasn't worth it. The man should do the pursuing, not the woman. You've all heard of the book, "He's Just Not That Into You", well I haven't read it, but I still realized that Kirk just wasn't that into any of us. Sad, but true. Anyway, ladies, I wanted to give you nine ways to tell if a guy isn't into you. Maybe this will save you from the agony that Laurie, Karla, and I went through:

1. He never makes plans in advance. If he really wanted to see you, do you really think he would keep calling you on Friday to make plans for Saturday?

2. He talks too much about an ex-girlfriend. It's okay to reminisce about a past relationship, but if it's all he talks about, could it be he's not over her yet?

3. He won't talk about the future. We're not talking about ultimatums here or putting undue pressure on the guy. But if he refuses to discuss where things are headed, then can you really count on him to be the one?

4. He doesn't plan anything for special occasions. If your birthday is coming up or Valentine’s Day and it's not on his radar screen, do you think your happiness is top of mind for him?

5. He lets you do all the work. It's okay to plan some of the dates, but if you only see each other when you make it happen, then can he really claim to be committed to the relationship?

6. He's not clear about your status with friends and family. Does he tell you that you're his girlfriend but say something different in front of friends and family, like we're just close friends?

7. He's overly guarded about cell phone and email messages. People who hide nothing have nothing to hide. Why would he be so protective about messages if he had nothing to hide?

8. He has no interest in your friends and family. If this relationship has a future, at some point he'll have to establish relationships with the people important in your life. If he's not interested in meeting your friends and family, could it be he doesn't expect to be around too long?

9. He cancels on you all the time. Making plans is great but not if they're constantly cancelled by him. What could possibly come up every weekend that he bags on plans with you to do something else?

Okay, I should have known from reasons 3, 4, and 5. He never talked about the future, didn't even call me on my birthday much less do anything for Valentines, and I clearly had to do all the work. Not to mention that I haven't seen him in almost a month. It's so over!

LOT 8 Party Pics

I got to meet Chole Dao, winner of season 2 Project Runway, Friday at the LOT 8 Viewing Party. She signed my t-shirt - which I'm super excited about! Unbeknownst to me, when I was talking to Chole and getting my shirt signed, a lady from Houston Chronicle took our picture. Afterward, she came up to me and got my name and asked me a few questions. So, I may be in the newspaper! I've been checking everyday, but I haven't seen the article yet. So, I'll have to wait and see. But be sure that I'll blog it if I am! But anyway, we got to see her winning runway collection, and it's absolutely gorgeous! It's even better in person. I took a few pictures, so you all could see, but it doesn't quite give it justice. She had to send back the collection Saturday night (I think), since it was auctioned. I'm glad I got to see it when I did because there's no way I could afford to buy any of it ;).