Living into today

So last week a friend of ours from Discipleship Focus (where we met 5 summers ago) posted a link to his latest blog entry on Facebook. Jon is really funny and usually has great stories to share and so Brian and I always love to hear about whats going on in his life. After reading his post (which happened to have a more serious tone this time) I felt compelled to reply. Read his post here.

My response to his post:
Hey Friend! Read your blog post. I have thoughts. I am not in your position but I get feeling like you are called to do one thing and then your living and doing this other thing and you do not feel fulfilled. I want to do relational outreach ministry. Instead, I work at a seminary office and sit on my butt in front of a screen all day. This is not a bad thing in and of itself. God is using this job so Brian can get tuition help while going to seminary. (So we do not accrue any more debt while we pay off student loans) But I am not doing what I love. What I feel like I am made to do. There is no YL where we live. So I try and start one. Slowest process of my life. And then when I finally jump through some hoops and have an information meeting, no one comes. And maybe I am trying to force it and this is just another season of no relational outreach ministry once again. Then what is it? I have been wrestling with this because I am not content. Then I realize its cause I am not connected to the vine of life. I think, no I know, (just takes me a while to admit it) that if I was connected to the vine as I should be then this funk of not being content and my picture of what life should look like and how my natural gifts and desires should be used and played out should fade away. I am learning to just fall back in love with Jesus. I think that is this season for me. To find my worth and contentment in him (as it always should have been) not in what I am doing or what I think I should be doing. We have to be connected and give all of ourselves to the Lord before we can live into who we were called to be and what we have been called to do. And we need to be sure we do not put or worth and happiness in those things but in the giver of those things. Good thing God is ultra patient and gracious. And good thing we can never fall away from him. Choose this day to have life. And keep choosing each day. For in Christ there is no fear and he will meet every desire of your heart. Blessings to you and your family. Keep wrestling. And keep laughing!

That is my prayer for each of you. Wherever life has you please remember that God is finishing the work he has started in you. And apart from him we can do nothing...

July so far...

SO remember that one time when it rained anytime you tried to do something outside? Well not only did it rain, it poured and stormed for the four days that we had planned to go camping over the fourth of July weekend. We went with some friends of ours who have two kids that we watch every Sunday night. They went up the night before we did.  Although it rained some it was manageable and when we arrived on the 4th during the day it was pretty nice out. Little did we know that at about 9:00pm it would begin to pour so much so fast the whole camp ground area was flooding. Not a dry spot to stand. Add some lightning and we knew we had to get out of there since it was no longer safe. We drove to a Comfort Inn about 35mins away and we packed a room with the 6 of us. Good memories. The next day we went back and let our stuff dry out a bit before packing up. There was more storms and rain headed our way. We had a sleep over with our friends and continued our weekend off with them.

all our camping stuff packed and ready to go

Harmon boy!

Sunday night the sun finally peeked out as the rain stopped!

The month has been full of gardening and trying to keep up with the rain, the sunshine and weeds! My corn are not working out well because they are spread too thin and fall over when it storms. Better luck next year.
We have received our first two zucchini and one squash so far. There are a few more growing along with A LOT of green tomatoes. Impatiently waiting to make sauce and salsa! And the cucumber, watermelon and cantaloupe vines are taking off!

This last week marked the end of our softball league season. No surprise that we didn't win but it was fun to play! Brian had his summer class all week and it was just a blessing to have the weekend off together. Saturday we worked in the garden some, cleaned our house and had 8 people over for dinner followed by a Lexington Legends baseball game where we all got free tickets. We definitely love our community that we have here!

Baby Tyler's first baseball game! I scored him a baseball too!

Sunday we went to church and got to hang out and relax before we went and picked blackberries and blueberries with some other friends of ours! Umm hello, free fruit that you can pick and give half to the place! Yes, Please! We had a few peaches already so I decided to make our favorite Psencik Peach Farm Cobbler recipe which of course turned out yummy!

I have also been busy with making tote bags for some of my friends and family.  I made Ashlyn one for her birthday at the beginning of July, one for Lynda (just because) and one for my friend Leah whose birthday is tomorrow! We also got a free desk that I will use for my sewing station. I can't wait for the fabric that I bought on Amazon to arrive so that I can work on Chris and Kendra's bags! I should be able to make 4 bags out of what I got but I will be taking my tote pattern I learned on and making it a little bit different and fun!

All three are similar but different and unique for the person I made them for :)

Things I am looking forward to:
MD and PA Trip= Heart is happy! I get to see a lot of family that I have not seen in a while. Not to mention my cousin Amanda who is the first of the cousins to be pregnant and we get to celebrate with her at her baby shower. Oh and don't forget we get to eat some crab! :)