A new day....a new start

I love to write! For years I discovered a love for journaling life - I loved being able to go back years later and re-reading the journey that life took me on, the happy moments and the struggles that made me stronger. After moving to Oregon I traded paper to email, and started sending out a daily devotional to about 60 women that God brought into my life. Those daily interactions became my journal, yet unlike my written journals I could go back to - my life was exposed to others. All that I was feeling was open for others to experience with me. It was challenging and encouraging. After years of this form of documenting my life - God allowed me to move on. But what next - where was I supposed to bare my soul (sort of). My facebook status updating was always fun, especially reading others - but didn't lend itself for much depth. And yet, I would always think of the blog I started years ago, which somehow got lost in the shuffle of life (and constant forgetting of my password). So today i'm back - and ready to start this new journey of journaling. I want to see what God has in store for me, what he desires me to share with with world (literally). Today is a new day. So to catch you up from my last blog:

I left CA after the new year





I moved to Oregon:



Fell in love



Made new friends









Connected with old friends





Got hitched



And now my new life as a wife, director, home owner begins!!! Its been an amazing journey thus far, and I cannot wait to see what comes next!

Merry Christmas....

Merry Christmas
(In September)

You must think I’ve lost my mind, but I wanted you to start thinking about Christmas a little bit earlier this year.
For the past 3yrs I have been involved with an amazing project called Operation Christmas Child, which sends gifts to children suffering form the effect of poverty, war and other unimaginable situations; things that no child should ever have to encounter. What makes this program so special is that a child’s life is forever changed by a simple shoebox. Many have never received a single gift in their young lives, and yet through a shoebox filled with treasures they realize they are loved and important.
In working with this project I have heard countless stories of children whose lives were forever changed by OCC. Last year I heard a testimony of a girl (who is now an adult and married with her own kids) who received a shoebox and its contents were EXACTLY the things she desperately needed. You can Lejla’s testimony on OCC’s website right now (www.samaritanspurse.org). Believe me, her story is common, which only confirms within me the fact that these boxes are destine to reach specific children – God has them already pick out.
My challenge to you is simple – fill a shoebox and change a child’s life. Now is the best time to pick up school supplies, which is by far the best thing to pack. Many families are too poor to buy supplies, and strangely enough its most poor countries where education is not free. So by packing school supplies, you are blessing the entire family.
The holiday months are usually a crazy time for all of us, so I figure let’s start filling boxes now – that way when December rolls around, you’ve already finished your box (or boxes ☺).
My first year, I set out to fill 5 boxes (representing one for each family member) and last year I got so addicted I filled close to 20. This year it is my personal goal to fill 30 boxes (as I’m turning the big 3-0 this year). Granted I started shopping in January, but its so easy not to ☺
Once you decide if you want to make a box for a boy or girl and their age group, you’ll be addicted too! For ideas on what to pack, take a look at the attached brochure. (I always stop by the dollar bins at Target and pick a few things up, not to mention the Dollar Tree is AMAZING!!!).

Let’s bless some kids this holiday season – and be reminded of the true meaning!

Being light ain't that easy

When I first started at the "bowling lounge" I was excited to be a light in a dark
world - God was so faithful to provide chances to share my faith with
my co-workers. I've noticed that in the last few months I have become
more "comfortable" in my surroundings and many times have fallen into
the trap of "inter office gossip" - it happens. I've also become
more discontent with being there - little things start bugging me, and
my attitude towards it has been anything but light. It is so easy to
fall into the trap of dimming our lights - because lets be honest,
being a light in the midst of darkness it tough - its a daily
challenge, and sometimes its a lot of work. I realize on a daily
basis that God has put me there for a reason. No one in their right
mind would want to be almost 30 and handing out bowling shoes. This
is my mission field, and I have to remind myself of that. Would I
rather be back working at OCC, of course - its comfortable and
rewarding. But many times the mission field isn't so easy - the
rewards aren't immediate and our faith is challenged on a daily basis
- and I realized I have to remind myself of this fact or else I will
be bogged down with the negative things. So hopefully today I can
walk in with a positive attitude and allow the Lord to be my strength
when I want to strangle the servers or my bosses (heehee - admit it,
we've all had those feelings!)

Have a great rest of your day!!!
xoxox
B

Don't be afraid of the darkness in the earth today. REMEMBER THIS:
Light shines best in darkness.
Thursday 8/7/2008

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral
excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize
and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.

IT IS THE NATURE of light to shine, and the darker the night the
brighter the light. There is darkness in the world, and moral darkness
is the blackest of all. Perhaps where you live today has become a very
dark place, a fearful place. Perhaps the light has been so obscured
you are tempted to think there is no light at all, only darkness.

The purpose of God is that you shine and illuminate the world in
which you live. There is no light and no life but that of Jesus Christ
( John 1:4).What He is in Himself is what He gives to you. Never be
content until your life is fully illumined by Christ. By the beauty of
holiness reflected in your life the darkness will be driven back. If
you live your Christianity, the light in your life will flood the
darkness with the true glory of God.

Why I love Portland

I've decided to take a moment and reflect on the many reasons why I have completely fallen in love with Portland. I have now been a resident of Oregon for 8 months (wow!!!). For 8 whole months, I have tried to take in and adjust to all the differences from my life in CA to life as a Oregonian. Of course having someone pump gas for me, three dollar movie theatres that searve beer and tator tots and NO SALES TAX have made the transition an easy one- there are some specific things that have made leaving the constant sunshine of Cali not as difficult... By far, one of the biggest is the true beauty which surrounds me on a daily basis.

I'm blessed to have a job where I can take a precious lil pumpkin on walks (when weather permits) through a neighborhood that is completely in bloom.




And of course there is my aunt and uncles own back yard that is overflowing with beautiful flowers....


There is such a appreciation for the summer months - braving the cold (granted 65 degrees is freezing to me) so for the first time in my life, i've been able to experience what's known as "seasons" to anyone outside of California. Moving up here in January, I came right at the chilly time, which resulted in my first experiences with snow (and golf ball sized hail!!!)








I must say, I have really enjoyed experiencing the transformation that Portland makes each and every month - and am thankful and blessed to call this home!

Did my journal get lost on the way to Oregon?

I used to be great at writing in my journal.  No matter what was going on in my life - at the end of the day I would write down every little detail.  I think I got this from my mom, who every single night will write down the happenings of her day - down to the time she woke up and the food she ate (Not only would she write all of this - but her printing was so small she could fit two lines in one). Everyday she would write........everyday I would write.

.....Then I moved to Portland......

..... and I stopped writing.......

I moved in January and the few times I have tried to write down this life changing experience, I can't do it. I pack up my car and drive to another state by myself with no job or true security, and I can't write?  

One reason for this drought (I think perhaps) is my daily devotionals that I send out each and every morning.  For about 60 lovely ladies, they get stuck hearing my journal....via e-mail. They get to hear about my stresses with work, or my fear of the unknown.  They have become my pen and paper - they are my notebook - which at times is a little scary, because when I write in my notebook, i'm the only one to read it.  Now I have dozens of women in different states on this journey with me, which has been a huge accountability and yet frightening all at the same time.

I keep a couple of my friends blogs on my toolbar - so anytime I look at a website, there they are.  These are amazing friends who are living incredible lives led by God - and I love to look at what is going on in their world.  They are an encouragement in my walk of faith - more than they probably know, which challenges me to put myself out there - hopefully that God would use my crazy life to encourage others.  Though my life is less than exciting at times, as a single Christian girl seeking God's will, life takes twists and turns that very rarely I can prepare myself for, and sometimes it comforts me to know that others have been there before.  I hope that by sharing my life with others, they can feel the comfort that I have felt - to know that it will all be alright, and we are not alone.

Christians - By Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner

Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Ready for another book to read????

So....I finished this book in probably 3 days total: couldn't put it down. It caught my attention on the book shelf right away, especially its correlation between suburbia (where I now work in the heart of) and comfortable Christianity. The author writes with a terrific blend of humor and intellect, perfect for my taste! I seriously found myself laughing out loud at many of his comments. He doesn't sugar coat suburban life and what that looks like in regards to our faith. This is a must read for anyone looking at taking their faith out of its pretty little package. He also has a blog : http://bucknakedfaith.blogspot.com/

I could spend all night quoting this book, but one thing really struck me as I decided to re-read and highlight it. Well i've only gotten through a few pages of mark ups, but I wanted to share this. These are his words...not mine! He is speaking about the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

"Most people thing the fruit was of the apple variety. But the handwritten note I scribbled in the margin of my Bible a long time ago says 'The fruit was DoToBe.' We have been partaking of this fruit ever since.

* You have to please others to be loved

* You have to dress like this to be accepted

* You have to talk like this to be cool

* You have to sleep with me to be cherished

* You have to act like this to have status

* You have to have good evaluations to have a voice in the company

* You have to do this to be that....

"But God invited us to eat from the Tree of Life, the BeToDo tree. God wants us to be his, because then we will naturally find ourselves doing what is right, what is good, what is honorable.

* Just be loved by God, and you will find yourself loving others

* Just be God's child, and you'll find you no longer strive for acceptance but walk in it

* Just be your God-given talents, and you will experience so much less struggle and self-criticism

* Just be, and you will begin to do all you were created for."

......By golly I think he's on to something!

My challenge for you this evening is just to remember how much our Lord loves us and desires His best for our lives.