mmm Cookies and .. Christmas!

I baked these cookie 2 days ago. I love these "oreo cookies" becuase

#1) They taste delicious!

#2) They remind me that Christmas is here! After all we only make them this time of the year!

I have to bring my friend to the airport today and in 2 sleeps another friend will have to bring Ben and me to the same airport!

We're going home!

In need of Faith lift!

I have been trucking along through this advent journey and feel discouraged. I have planned so hard not to miss it but I feel like I have.

Time is slipping away on me.

In my daily commute I pray "come Lord Jesus" before I eat my lunch, and supper I pray the same prayer.

Be my guest, truly I mean it, I will stop what I am doing and be with you!

He asks "promise?"

I respond "I will try so so hard"

He says "I love you, just the way you are"

I exhale all my worries, all my failed attempts at being more "intune", all my insecurities, all my sins, all my grief, all my joy, my anxious heart, my sick stomach, I give it all to Jesus.

I wimper "I'm empty..."

He proclaims "Come and I will fill you."

Praise Christ who is coming, who is here and who knows it all, trust in Him this advent season and even if like me you feel your failing, you feel time is slipping know He is with you, and he does not want perfect people only passionate ones. Love Him more deeply now than ever.

Peaceful thinking..

This week has already been completely stress overload but I am enjoying my quiet times with the Lord drawing closer to Him. I enjoy peaking over my bible to see my cute beedy eyed nativity staring back at me in beautiful peace, two candles are lit this week which makes me excited that Christ is coming, He is so near..HE IS HERE!!!

There is a song on youtube I would encourage you to check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OExXItDyWEY

It will encourage you to think about where you priorities are at this Advent Season.

Much love and encouragement.

wait.

This morning in my advent devotion as I lit the candle and read the lesson for the 3rd day in advent I was overjoyed and hungry of what was told to me in Luke chapter 1. I desperately wanted to skip ahead to the birth, speed through the preparations but alas it is Advent and I shall wait. But.... Jesus is coming (He is already here) but there is such an urgency to having Him arrive, isn't there? I am so excited.

I will leave you with a quote I was left to ponder today:

“Just imagine what Mary was actually saying in the words, ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord … let what you have said be done to me’ (Luke 1:38). She was saying, ‘I don’t know what this all means, but I trust that good things will happen.’ She trusted so deeply that her waiting was open to all possibilities. And she did not want to control them. She believed that when she listened carefully she could trust what was going to happen.

“To wait open-endedly is an enormously radical attitude toward life. So is to trust that something will happen to us that is far beyond our own imaginings. So, too, is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life, trusting that God molds us according to God’s love and not according to our fear. The spiritual life is a life in which we wait, actively present to the moment, trusting that new things will happen to us, new things that are far beyond our own imagination, fantasy, or prediction. That, indeed, is a very radical stance toward life in a world preoccupied with control.”

—Henri Nouwen

God bless each of you!

The chill in the air.

I was over on Elli's blog and read all about how she is planning to spend Advent this year.

I plan to not miss it.

In my newsletter article this month at church I stated how I was preparing for Advent, seems comical but I need to prepare. I miss things way to easily. Booom! It's Monday and the weekend just slipped on by, how the junk did that happen?

I hate missing things though.

I plan this year to be quiet, to be still, to allow time for the Lord to speak to me in the midst of all my chaos. I say "my" chaos because I know that deep down I create it. I create time to talk about not having time to be with God resting and while I am busy talking about it I am missing the time I could have been with Him. Does this speak to anyone else?

I am addicted.

To what?

Christian materials.

I told my mom that God and I talked and I am not allowed to read any Christian book only the Bible. Why? No, not because my God is psycho, not because He is mean but because I do not spend near enough time in His Scripture meditating with Him. I am turning advent into almost a lenten experience, where I savour, struggle and cling only to God and His word!

Period.

Happy Late halloween early christmas..IDK!

Hey oh, been busy here, halloween came and went. This weekend we have a youth retreat almost 40 already registered! Praise God. The theme is Vikings.

For this retreat I was responsible for making Facebook profiles of each leader, I also took their photos and added little things to them. I will share a few a long with ben and my halloween pics.

Blessings!

hmmm...

Life makes no sense to me lately.

One thing has made sense however:

"I have a Maker and He knows my name!"

Take that LIFE!

they really did it.

My parents moved today. It has been a rough week of packing and stress. They are actually gone now. I feel empty.

I did the only logical thing.

Cleaned.

I feel a teensy bit better.

thats all.

dirt under my fingernails...

Today it is so nice out, the sun is warm, the grass smells sweet, the wind is crisp a perfect day to pull up all my flowers and prepare for fall.

I always seem to fall in love with fall. I get really depressed at first and then it hits me. The crisp, lovely, new feeling of another season. I thoroughly enjoy every season actually. I think it is just the change, the excitment of something new.

Lots of people hate winter because it's soo cold, I live in Northern Alberta and winter gets to be minus 40 but I love a hot cup of tea, a good book and being wrapped in a blanket watching snow sparkle outside. Fall is paving the way for winter..then spring then summer then we do it all again.

Today as I cleaned the dirt from underneath my fingernails I realised how much I love the earth, I love the sun, I love the seasons, I love my sense of smell, sense of touch, I love how God can take a tedious chore and turn it into a moment to experience him, be with him and love him more and more...

Update time..

Okay so I am back from holidays, VBS is over, the bee dress I wore was amazing, thanks mommy for making it for me.

Fall is coming, the leaves fall and everything changes..

Changes indeed...

My parents are moving, well more like dad is already gone mom will soon be following...

Mike and Alex will have a baby soon, (thank God for the health and safety with this one), baby is due in January.

Ben and I will likely fly home(Sparwood) for Xmas to be with the whole walsh clan down there(ma, pa, mike, alex, baby to be, kovu the dog and the kittens)

Ben is single again, I told him to join the club, being single isn't all bad.

Our house is truly becomming a home..

God is good, friends filled me up on holidays thanks so much( Nat Nat, Christy, Sarah, Marian, Breanne, Austen, Jeff, Hundeby, Jannaya, Graham, AMY, Cat and my beloved Allison)

My cars service engine light came on, I love warranty and men who think young blondes are so foolish, what a laugh.

I baked today and therefore my house smells delish!

Thanks also God for revelations, rememberance, dance parties with seniors, take out, the movie theatres, my little Joyce, music, bens guitar, water and so so so much more..

Oh and for couscous!

That's a wrap ladies and gentleman!

I'm going Bee Crazy

Our VBS this year takes place on Planet Zoom where bold BEElievers Zip, Zap and Zoom for Jesus!

I am going a little crazy...

I go on holidays on Friday, going to go to many many places, take in Austens wedding then return to GP for Bee crazy times at V(bee)S! Summer is going by so quickly but it has been quite fun and a little refreshing.

Hope you are all basking in Gods' presence this sunny season and BEEcoming more like Jesus each passing day!

Okay i'll buzz off..<--that's my fave from all of the curriculum! hehe

A New Car

I bought a new car, yup sure did.

A 2010 Nissan Sentra, loving it.

A long time..

Wow, just noticed that I have most definitely fallen off of the blogging world! Oh well, not much is new, that's all I can say, I played baseball last night-surprise!

Well summer is in full swing and I am loving it, I love summer with my job because for once I get a semi 9-5 mon-fri sort of a life! It is so refreshing. All year I am gone, every evening is church something so it is really nice to make supper and then lounge around after with Ben and not have to rush out. I am enjoying it very much so.

Last weekend I was in Edmonton with my youth for the National Youth Gathering. This was a very very good/tiring/wonderful time, I am so proud of those kids. It was 5 days and most of the kids slept for the drive home. I praise God that it went so smoothly and that the dynamics in our group did not clash as much as I had anticipated, thanks God for surprising me!

While away our garbage can lid blew off, no fun! So then we were greeted with maggots! Honestly they must be THE most disgusting things anyone ever has to deal with, thank goodness it was the outside garbage can! eww! So I called Ben to help the situation, to make him feel needed, that he is the man! ha. Well they wouldn't die so we googled how to kill maggots.

Do you know there are people who think killing them are cruel? - WHAT! jeesh! Killing cats is a little mean but maggots! puke puke puke!

Anyways we were told we could use this RAID hornet/wasp killer so we went on the hunt. While searching Shoppers for said weapon I noticed the names of RAID one made me laugh so much "Spider Blaster"= Ben loved it. So I then said to Ben "we just need to find some maggot faggot" - I caught him off guard, then realised what I had said and thought it was the only thing I thought of that rhymed! oops!

So in Bens words "If you want to kill maggots just use some Mr. Clean, Pledge, Maggot Faggot (Raid wasp killer). vinegar and some rum(thanks evan?)- the rum just got poured in there because evan had some and hates it!

They did seem to die. Or possibly their all drunk?

I felt bad for the garbage truck driver today! Oh well!

Happy Monday!

Baseball = OUCH!

We had a double header last night. We lost. We always lose. It is okay though because I like to tell myself it is all just for fun so it doesn't matter. Sometimes though I just wish we could win, that we didn't have to be in the negatives when I check our standings..oh well. I mean usually I can pump it up with the knowledge that it is something to do on Sundays to be active. Lately though I just keep getting hurt...

A few weeks ago I got hit in the back- ouch.

Then the leg!- nice bruise- ouch.

Then last night I got a double whammy.

One to the face - OUCH!

And one to the wrist! - Ouch ouch ouch!

I was informed that a gentleman from the opposite team had been flirting with me, I totally missed it. Apparently I asked if he was out?- He responded "Well actually my name is Ian but you can call me out if you want to" - yah totally wasn't playing his game. Then I cheered for him which I think caught him off guard then he hit me in the wrist with the ball! What the heck! I understand accidents happen but seriously..pushing a girl down in second grade because you liked her wasn't even cool then..now I'm 23 and when Mr. Flirty pants hits me with the ball, I just want revenge.

I am not sure where any of this is going- Probably just that baseball is the only really exciting thing that has happenned since Nat Nat left.

She is coming...

And I am pumped! And loving my life!!! I might even dust my house just for her, believe it! I said dust! That's love!!

Double Play...

Baseball season is back and I am not ready. In my mind maybe but physically not so much. In good time though. My first game of the season I was forced to run full throttle to home being chased by another one of my wild fast running teammates- exhausting! Last Sunday I made a double play which was a nice way to end the game may I add and everyone cheered, Amber was in on our double play so we call ourselves "The Dream Team" - oh ya!

In baseball and in life I am learning that I may not always feel ready but I am equipped and with God I will be fine. I need to remember that I always do make it to home plate even when I don't think my legs are moving and that I can hit the ball. Just like in baseball this applies to life, when I think that one person will be just too hard to visit they surprise me by being so welcomming and excited that I called on them.

So the moral is this - What do I really know anyways? - Not a lot, just that through Christ I can do anything so I better get used to it!

Happy Tuesday.

One Year Anniversary!

I have been here a year today! One whole year and I cannot believe it! I sat in my ladies bible study this afternoon and praised God for my time here thus far. About a week ago I found myself feeling quite weird and realized that it is because I am not leaving this time, so far anyway..I am actually staying..

PS- It snowed today!

Blooming..

All I want is a flower bed..a garden..some good dirt and cool rain. I have been in that state of mind where all I want is life, blooms and greenery...I want that outside feeling I get when I have been in the yard all day raking, mowing..weeding. I don't even know if I know what that feeling really means..I don't think I have fully experienced it yet. I guess it is more that I want to experience that look I see on Moms face every year as she waters her pots, plays with her water hoses, and weeds her garden. That look of complete contentment. I want that.

23 on the 22nd..

A whole year has gone past. This is crazy!

Last year it snowed on this day..the day is not over yet.

Looking forward to all sorts of surprises!

Mom's BIG 5-0!

Mom turned 50 yesterday!

Ben and I placed 50 pink flamingos on her front lawn and a big sign that read "Lordy, Lordy Brenda's 50!" - because it didn't rhyme and she would love it!

We had a surprise party at our house for her with tons of people, food and laughter! I think she had a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday Mom!

And sorry about the lack of cameras it is a shame none of it was captured but it is all in our minds, you looked fabulous!

Love ya!

Inspired by puppets

Today we had a visitor in our office, a little girl.

She did a puppet show for me with two characters, Gizmo the robot and "porkypine" the porcupine. I got to meet each of them.

When I met "porkypine" she said to me "Feel my pokes they are really soft" - She was right they were really soft. Then I thought about how we as individuals judge before we do anything.

It is a porcupine so of course it'll be pokey..but it wasn't...Or there is a long haired kid he must worship satan..or here's a punk he must steal cars..here's and overweight person they must be lazy..we don't really know anything so who are we to judge!!!

"porkypine" was not pokey..so there!

Living up to my name...

Sarah means princess...and what every princess needs is a little glitter, agreed? Agreed!

This Saturday mom and I went to a store here called the "Powder Room" it is a slightly upscale expensive and luxurious bath/makeup shop. We just like to browse every now and then so it is fun to go to stores like this one. Today was my lucky day little did I know..

In the back there was a "stella & dot" party going on which is a very sweet jewelery buisness that just has gorgeous stuff..They let me know that if I bought any piece of jewelery they would enter my name into a draw for the chance to become the party host and then reap the benefits of the sales that happenned at their event.

Well i bought a cheap $38.00 pair of earrrings.

At 9:30 PM I got a phone call..

I won!

Whatever, this crap does not happen to me but it did..so today I spent $250 free dollars on jewelery and then got any 4 items I wanted for 50% off..all for me..felt so spoiled, still feel it..I had to share the glory with my mommy..Check their stuff out..gorgeous.

A hunger..

There is a hunger out there for God, a hunger for truth, a hunger for help, a hunger for love, a hunger for honesty, a hunger for life, a hunger for friends, a hunger for acceptance, a hunger for peace and a basic hunger for nothing more than food.

In my line of work Monday mornings make me sick. This is me at my desk blogging about my job. Monday is the day of phone calls or rather of messages, no one has been in the office since Friday and it breaks my heart. You have those calling to talk to the pastor and you can only assume a couple of things #1) the subject on the line is about to complain about the length of sevice yesterday or #2) It may actually be important<--this does not usually happen as much as (#1)! There are those messages though that break me in two, the ones of that single mother sobbing while kids scream in the background, the ID restricted calls from the womans shelter, the poor college student with no family and no friends, a friend calling to say yet another old lady slipped and broke her hip. They are sad. This is life, the real hunger..some call for food..some for us to just listen..some for a light in their present darkness...and some for a visit to their quiet hospital room...the hunger is there..the hunger for Jesus.

So as I sit here on this another Monday I find myself cornered..where to first? That ladies house with a Safeway giftcard..the hospital with some flowers, the shelter to give a hug...

I think I will go to my quiet place of rest, ask God to fill me, to guide me and to show me where in today He would like me to be His hands and feet..the options for service are everywhere...where first..?

It's all fun and games until...

Someone loses a toe!

That someone being me, and well not really a complete toe but chunks of it! Yuck!

On Friday night my youth and I were playing games in the dark, because I like to be stealthy I took my shoes and socks off and rolled my pants up so no one would hear my rustling as I snuck around. In full sprint trying to get away from the person pursuing me(Ben) I ran full throttle into our church stairs. That stopped me alright..my right foot tingled and then I thought "RUN"- So I got up and proceeded to run through the church, finally I realised that my foot was quite warm and felt wet..I turned on a light to discover "bloood!!! everywhere!"

The next while is much of a blur as my youth held my hands, while I screamed..ben doing first aid and some youth mopping up my "bloody mess"- I thought..it cannot be so bad but I was informed it was..Emergency room here we come.

Emergency rooms are a joke may I add.. I think if I walked in with only half of my head connected they would kindly say "take a number please"- I would persist I needed assistance and they would respond "It's protocol take a number.." - I don't want to dis the hospital for I was treated quite kindly but it is just interesting to watch people react to their pain/discomfort.

After an hour they moved me..just into a "new" waiting room I think just to trick all of us to thinking were getting somewhere..an hour and a half later...a room..and hour after that..an x ray..thirty mins after that..PAINFUL needle in foot..me screaming/la la la laing to not freak out little ones still waiting..then the stitches..and the removal of my toe nail which was really non existent...so that was my Friday.

I now have gauze on my foot, a mad limp and pain, lots of it..plus the reality that my toe is like hamburger, stitches on both sides and no nail with not a lot of hope of it growing back...but to think of a positive and to quote my daddy "It's sure a long way from your heart!"

He's right....and I have never had stitches so that was a new experience....

God is good...

Toes are optional...

Being taken care of by my very youth - priceless! & AMEN!

My priorities...

Hello world..it has been awhile..well that is how it seems to me. It is like life is just too busy for me to be blogging but then I miss it too much.

Life is moving forward.

Yesterday I found a whole bunch of old CLBI papers that I had wrote and was reminded of my time there. I found myself chuckling, wondering how sleep deprived I was when I wrote a particular one and then laughing at my Jesus of Nazareth paper- Natashia you would know the one..

I found my paper from Godly Relationships with Aimee and LCO and especially my paper titled "The Necessities" (referring to what I need in a man)

I quickly skipped past who I should be and quick to who he should be, I began reading..some were very valid "must love the Lord, must love me..you know..the basics..some were more comical "must be open to changing <--what was I thinking! haha!

Then I wandered back to my list...

#1 got me.

Must love the Lord and be commited to Him daily.

Ooops.

What about weekly? Monthly? Does that count? Sure it does but that is not where I want to be. I want to be daily. So here it is. My priorities.! I was over on Courtneys blog and agree I am more prone to being a Martha rather than a Mary. Lord, take this from me, settle me down, calm me to rest in you, Amen!.

I guess if I am still working on my first priority of what I should be for my husband then perhaps he is still working through his own list...I need to prioritize who owns my heart; the world or the Lord...

Lord this heart is all yours!

Pouter.......

Debbie Downer,

Negative Nancy,

Just to name a few coined terms that I hear every now and then from my baby brother directed towards me. Oh man, conviction or what!

I need to bask in the knowledge that God is good, my circumstance is good, life is what it was meant to look like and that I am loved.

I do not want to be the "party pooper" who does really?- I find more and more though I am, I can tend to be that person, the one to think negative before a positive thought comes into my mind. Lord I am taking back my mind to be for You, I am taking back my thoughts to think on You and I am taking back my heart to beat for You.

Amen.

Passion...

God does not need PERFECT women He needs PASSIONATE women!

What does this phrase mean to you?

For me..

Passion according to Dictionary.com means "any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, an outburst of strong emotion or feeling, a strong or extravagant fondness" and much much more.. So as I sit pondering just passion what it would mean to truly live passionately...having a powerful feeling of love that caused me to burst into action I think I miss it..everytime i miss it! I feel like I have completely missed the point behind being "passionate"- maybe I linked it with being "compassionate?" - I really don't know.

I do know that I work a lot more at being liked, attractive, acurate, PERFECT in my daily life than I do humbling myself, asking God for guidance, taking time to be still and being PASSIONATE in the one who died on the cross for me! In John 15:16a it says "You did NOT choose me but I chose YOU"- I have been basking in that thought..He chose me...Like when all of us awkwards are lined up against the gym wall waiting to be picked..He picks us...and He is calling us to live passionately, to fight for Him, to share about Him, to love Him, to love His creation, to honor His teachings, to represent Him well but most definitely NOT to think we have to be perfect for Him.

Seems like such a Sunday School thought but don't we find ourselves putting on our little "show" just to see how many heads will turn and say "Wow look at her, she is so great..she is perfect!"

I should be sleeping...

I should be sleeping but instead I am working. I always get in a productive mood right before bedtime. I feel like lately I have not been sleeping well and that I keep going to bed later and later but I guess that is just what happens when your body is not tired.

This week I am dwelling on this thought "That I am anointed" - God has anointed me and I am His. I need to remember "whose" I am to discover "who" I am. God is really teaching me that He is my father and I can truly rest in Him with all my worries and fears. I have storms stirring left right and center, satan is on the prowl...I wake up trembling, I drift off into thoughts that are not from God and I say words that should never be uttered out of my mouth..he is on the prowl..I however stand in the power of my Lord and can fight back! That I am trying to do with the help of God daily..Daily taking up my cross and following Him. I have been trying to focus every thought on Him from the wasted time at the sink brushing my teeth to my simple commute to work..I sing praises to Him...I shout "YOU REIGN" at the top of my lungs and I pondered His word in my heart..

May you remember this and dwell on it.

"It is not about who YOU are..go tell the world who "He" is!"

Thoughts from Walshy this early morning.

Happy New Year!

Ben and I moved into our place today officially! Of course there are a few things that we have left to pick up from mom and dads but other than that we are set. It feels so werid but amazing to have our own flat. I have unpacked most of my stuff which feels so good because I really feel like I am at home. I mean there is not any food in the fridge and things but that is just minor..who needs food when ma and pa live up the road? haha! Kidding.

Well here is me signing out for the night..not much more to say.

Night.