Yay for happy days!

Two days ago...my secret sister leaves dark chocolate M&Ms on my desk! Mm, always a good thing. Whoever you are, you rock.

Yesterday, my super sweet parents sent me flowers for Administrative Assistant's Day. Cuz I'm an Administrative Assistant. And I have my own holiday. How legit is that, my friends?

Then today, I went with some pals from College Park to go do a some TLC in Indy.

We did some general litter pick-up - Alyssa and I were machines! We, uh, won't talk about what treasures we found...

We did some gardening and landscaping...

Nessa and I were mulching and petunia-planting buddies! Dang, gonna miss that chica come June.

I love that Jesus gives good things with the hard things. There is always something beautiful to be grateful for in every moment. Dark chocolate, thoughtful parents, stellar friends... He sends the rain AND the sunshine and both are needed for life to thrive. Trace that rainbow through the rain.


~bethie

time for a...Pop Quiz!!

When faced with a stressful, unrelenting, overwhelming situation, should you:

a.) run five miles.
b.) listen to a genre of music, at a high volume, that would normally stress you out by itself but somehow, in this moment, seems completely appropriate and suitable.
c.) verbally explode about the issue to your roommate or some other unfortunate soul.
d.) a, b, and c
e.) take it to Jesus.

I, having multiple-choiced my way through the majority of my college degree, should totes be able to handle this one. Process of elimination, I learned, is the way to attack every test in this format, soo, let's break it down. K, so (a)... could be (a) - it's succinct enough and everyone knows that exercise releases the flow of endorphins, which is an anti-stress mechanism...we'll keep that one as a potential. (b) is a no-go, wayy too wordy. (c) maybe, but responding to negative emotions with more negative emotions doesn't ever fix anything. And since both (b) and (c) are included in (d), one would assume that I'd clearly have to pick (e)! But for some reason, today, I opted first for (d)... mm, fail.

However, God, in His mercy, after watchin me try everything else, was like, "...you done now?" And then, He speaks His truth.

~"And no creature is hidden from His sight...let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." {hebrews4:13a&16}

Nothing can hide from His omnipresence. Not even the stuff that hits us when He seems so disconnected from our daily routine. He's all over it...like white on rice. And when I actually remember that, I can move forward with confidence (definition: "the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.") because He TELLS me I can have confidence, and who the heck am I to doubt the God of the Universe?? He gives grace and mercy, and He gives it just when we need it. Awesome.

Not gonna lie, though...the five mile run was pretty satisfying in it's own way, too. :)


~bethie

So, Mondays could potentially be my fave day of the week.

Fo rizzle, ma brizzles.

On Mondays, I get to volunteer at a Life Center. It's...incredible.

Girls come in the door, leaving all their confidence and self-assurance outside. They're about to find out whether their lives will change forever, and we may be the only ones who know.

-they.need.love-

Genuine, true, JESUS love.

Today a girl came in for an ultrasound; we only offer those to abortion-minded clients. You could hear the heartbeat of that little baby throughout the entire office as the sonogram machine broadcasted the presence of a tiny human being.

She chose life.

She chose life! That lil person inside of her, no bigger than a blueberry at the moment, is gonna see daylight. God is SO good.

~"...and in Your book were written the days that were formed for me, every one of them, when as yet there were none of them." {psalm139:16}

My Father has seen, and planned, every day of my life. Not just some days, not just the good days, not just the days that I feel like I was actually worth something, but every day. He has 'em all lined up and He knows what's gonna go down. We jus gotta get outta bed and try to live like Jesus!

...no bigs.



~bethie

Five (legitimate) reasons why today rocked:

1. Slept in 'til 11:06am. Win.

2. I facetimed with this handsome chico...

3. Spent the afternoon drinkin' coffee, listenin' to some tunes, and reading an inspiring book about how much impact a single believer can have in their own little world, wherever that world may be. Don't ever disregard the role you have as an ambassador for Christ in any place, at any time, with anyone. Little things show His light and love just as much as (and sometimes more than...) the 'bigger' things... just live intentionally.

4. Translated an email from a Peruvian buddy! I was there when he met Jesus...and he wants to know Him more still. Mm, life-changing much?? Golly, made me miss Peru lots.

"...estoy interesado conocer al Senor por mi mismo y aprender mas de El..."

               --"...I am interested to know God for myself and to learn more about Him..."--

THAT's what's up! What a loving God we serve who is faithful to continue to draw our hearts. :)

5. Made cheesecake with several Brookman ladies. Girl time!!

"He has done great things for us, and we are glad." {psalm126:3}



~bethie

Do you ever have those days where you get up and deliberately, specifically put the day and it's events in God's hands, have a ridiculously unusual abundance of energy and optimism all day long, and then wonder why the heck you don't just give it to Him more often??

Mm, I do. And it happened today.

Life Groups
-chocolate chip muffins, Dr. Seuss stories, real talk, and too many laughs

Board Meeting Prep
-luncheon planned, attendees confirmed, and rooms booked

Grad Prep
-letters mailed, phone calls made, emails sent, blue program ribbon found (<--this was harder than you'd think...)

**productivity, for the win!**


~"...and she laughs at the time to come." {proverbs31:25b}

The Proverbs 31 woman laughs at the time to come. And I'm sure not because her life was just stress-free either. She's not anxious, she's not worried... she knows the Creator of the Universe is lookin out for her. She can chill out, and just be excited about how He's gonna work everything out for good...becaaause, she probably has no idea how on earth SHE'D work any of it out, but isn't the suspense more exhilarating anyway? Hmm, maybe not as you're living in the uncertainty, but hasn't He shown His gracious mercy and His outstanding goodness enough times that we can trust Him? Even blindly? Golly, life seems so complex - so many pressure-filled projects to finish, so many life-altering decisions to be made, so many different roads to take (or so few...). But God knows where I'm headed. He knows! And so I can let it go. I can give a little laugh, shake my head in awe that He actually wants to be in control of my ridiculous, pretty insignificant life, and let it go... and then watch the adventures and blessings unfold. How can I not be so, so grateful? And isn't that what life is all about? Living in sheer wonder of His great love and proclaiming it to the world? Mhm...

Soo, laugh a little, k?

--song of the day: let the waters rise, mikeschair--

God, You know where i've been

You were there with me then

You were faithful before

You'll be faithful again

there's a raging sea

right in front of me

tryin' to pull me in

bring me to my knees

let the waters rise

if You want them to

i will follow You

i will follow You.

~bethie

Dear world,

Idk why I've decided to share snippets of my life with you. I'm not really naturally prone to these things...

However, I do know that some days... no no no... ALL days... Jesus is exceptionally good to me, and I really just wanna tell everyone about it whether they want to hear it or not.

~"Tell the righteous all shall be well with them..." {isaiah3:10a}

Ahh, what a promise! If you know Him, if you love Him, if you *seek His face*, ALL shall be well with you! Take that promise! Own it!

I know I'm gonna. :) We're unstoppable.

-song of the day: here goes, bebo norman-

here goes nothing

here goes everything

gotta reach for something

or you'll fall for anything

what good is chance not taken?

what good is life not livin'?

and what good is love not given?

take a breath, take a step

what comes next

God only knows

but here goes...

~bethie