Thought for Sunday June 28th

When I'm on a budget, it's easier for me to splurge on other people than to spend money on myself.

Today was my Dad's birthday, and I can say I went outside of my budget getting his presents. (On top of his big gift, I spent about $14 running around to various seedy gas stations and buying the pink coconut Sno Ball desserts he likes). Hahah. And yet I will spend *weeks* debating the best time to order that used book off of Amazon that I really want. And you know what? I'm happy about that. The money I make isn't mine...it's been given to me from God. And I love using the little bit I have to put a smile on somebody else's face. There are times when I regret how selfish and self-serving I can be, so when I find these times when I realize I am capable of reaching outside of myself, I thank God for giving me wisdom.

A Thought for Every Day

Do you ever have those moments when you realize something kind of profound about life, and really want to share them with someone? Have you ever stumbled upon something cool that you think someone else could get a kick out of? Or, do you stumble upon random facts but there's no one around that would understand where you're coming from? After too many of those revelations, I decided to share them here, and create a blog based around 'A Thought for Every Day'. It's like twitter, only with substance.

This is NOT an orginal day. My friend Rebekah is chronicling her summer by taking a picture that represents each day. So, I'm just reimagining her idea.

Okay...so first thought of the day:

One of my biggest passions in life is to see my friends dreams come true.

I love seeing people I know succeed. I love sharing their excitement about getting an interview, choosing a major, getting picked for the leadership position they've prayed over, or being hired for that first job. To see prayer's be answered is a beautiful thing. Celebrating something rewarding is a GREAT feeling.

Post-College Faith

The other day as I walked out the door past my Bible, I thought to myself ,"Why is it so hard for my faith to grow now that I'm out of school? It was so easy at ______ (insert any Christian college name here." Then, I realized I struggled to ready my Bible then as much as I do now. My faith grew stronger in college because of mandatory chapel three times a week. It had nothing to do with my own personal choices.

Reading the Word has always been something I'll do 'whenever' I get through the busy stages of life. I'll read after this project is over. I'll have more time in the summer. After I get my job and move away. But after you get that first job, there's no more guaranteed next step. Nothing coming around the bend that I have to prepare for before I move on. In all reality I'm in a place where I will stay for a few years. So I had no more excuses.

Last week I started reading a chapter of the Bible before I went to bed. And I know it's cliched, but it's made a difference. I'm reading through Revelation right now, and there are definitely some things to ponder in that chapter. I can already tell reading the Word has effected my everyday life. I think about scripture more during the day, and I definitely pray more when conflict comes up in life.

So here I am, probably trying to grow for the first time in my life. And I feel stronger.

Why do a blog?

My sophomore year of college, I learned that 70% of the bloggers in the world are women. I was really suprised at first...but then it kind of made sense. Women are the ones who like to constantly search or find themselves, or re-invent themselves to find some kind of peace. Well, guys could very well do this too, but I've had more experience with females and the ups and downs of lives.

So why blog? Why, when their are so many other people already doing this? Well, whenever I hear a new song that I just connect with, or read a good book, or have an amazing God moment, I just want to tell as many people as possible. I have amazing friends that will listen to my crazy ideas, but there's something about having it written down...the soul just feels better.

So here I am. I've done this all before, but Im hoping that since I'm not trying to tell a specific story, or take people through a certain period in my life, that this will work. There's no weekly email updates about life, or any big events happening in my future. Im just a college grad on her first real job, thinking that life is pretty permanent for the moment...just wondering about life.

.....I just saw "He's Just Not That Into You". There was a lot of truth to it. There are women who desperately trying to find a man in their lives..and you swear that you know those women...but how often is that actually me? We say and think that we're better than someone, but the only reason that we can define their actions is because we've done it all before ourselves.

So...good movie. Full of the romance that makes the women feel good. But one of those that makes you long for something that you're not supposed to have just yet. Weigh your options before seeing it, friends.

Random things that may make it into a post later:
1. Natasha Bedingfield is a brilliant lyricist and too many people write her off.
....yep. that last thing Will definitely be a blog.

Love.