We're Engaged!!! Now what?!

We have begun the overwhelming, crazy, and fun project of planning our wedding. The date is officially set for July 14, 2012 (9 months from today, but who's counting? 0:)). We've decided on colors and most of the bridal party. We've visited reception sites and I have a good idea of what I want my bridesmaids to wear! I love it. I love that we get to make this day ours and that each decision reflects a little something about who we are as a couple.

This morning I read Proverbs 12. Verse 4 reads, "A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones." I've often prayed that I would be like a crown for my husband one day, that I would not be a quarreling wife, that I would bring my husband good and not harm, etc. But those prayers were always for the future. They seemed to be prayers that would not need answering for a long time. Now it's here! On July 14, I will become a wife and I desperately want to fulfill these qualities, both for God's glory and for Adam. What an incredible responsibility.

As I pray that I would glorify God in my role as a wife, I know that one of the most important things I can do for Adam is to pray for him. The following are 10 ways to pray for your husband. Knowing that I should pray these things for my future husband, I "pinned" it to my "When I Say 'I Do'" board on Pinterest. And now these prayers are extremely pressing and real in my life.

Abba, teach me what it means to be "a wife of noble character." Allow me to be Adam's "crown" and to never be "like decay in his bones."

I SAID YES!!!

Where do I even begin?! Adam proposed and I said yes. We're engaged!!!!! I am so very blessed and so very happy. God is so faithful and He has answered my prayers for a husband. Adam is so much more than I ever could have dreamed and I am in awe that God saw it fit to bring us together. :) I think that Adam is so much better at telling our proposal story than I am, so I asked him to write it out. Here is his version of our engagement night!

"About two weeks before we got engaged, Rebecca said something about how one of her friends was getting married in the summer (like we had talked about), and was having problems finding a place because the places they wanted to get married were already reserved. And so we were talking about reserving a place in advance, even though we hadn't gotten engaged yet, and whether or not that would be weird. I told Rebecca I'd ask my mom (which, in my defense, I never had any intention of doing).

Well, this week, on Monday, she texts me and she's like, "Have you talked to your mom yet?" And I say, "no." And that flusters her. Now it seems like I don't care about getting married, or where we get married, or when we get married. And that's funny, because I'm already making preparations to go to Little Rock that afternoon, to pick up this ring.

As I'm driving to Little Rock, calling the jeweler, calling our parents, etc., Rebecca texts me, because she's confused and frustrated and wants to talk about it. This is unlikely, because I'm half way to Little Rock. And so I'm stalling her, not texting her back, because I don't know how to say, "Yeah, I totally wanna meet, but let's not meet for a couple of hours." Finally we decide to meet Tuesday for lunch and talk. Which, for all intents and purposes, is when I wanted to propose.

But then, change of plans. Rebecca texts me again, her friend has given me my much needed Old Testament Theology notes, that I need to study for a quiz I have 8:30 Tuesday morning. And I realize, rightly, that I'm not going to have this conversation with Rebecca Tuesday at lunch, because I need those notes. And this isn't going to be one of those "I came-I got the notes-I left" meetings, because she's frustrated about this thing.

Sho nuff, we end up having the conversation right there. So we walk around the Gosser parking lot (where Rebecca lives) and talk. This was the most fun I've ever had in a conversation. I think irony is hilarious anyway, but this was on a whole different level entirely. The entire dialogue could be summed up in her saying, "I just don't know if we're on the same page," and my saying. "I understand how you could see it that way." Which is funny, because we actually aren't on the same page, but not in the same way she thought we were not.

We get in the car for a couple of reasons: (1) it's warm; (2) it's sort of our private place. I asked her to date me in a car, we had our first kiss in a car, we have our private conversations in the car. So... we get in the car. And after the conversation settles I tell her, "hey... I lied to you this afternoon." And she says, "*huff* ... how?" And I say, "this afternoon I said I was studying... but I was really buying this...""

At this point he asked me to marry him and, through many tears, I said yes! Needless to say, I forgave him for lying to me just this once ;)

A Prayer of Frustration

I hate those who take something from me that was mine.

I cry when others receive what I deserved.

I wallow in self-pity because I cannot have my way.

I detest myself when I’m not good enough.

I cling to these idols like a small child to a favorite toy.

I know Your love and Your grace…

I know they are beyond sufficient.

And yet I’m still holding on.

How can I call anything mine?

It was Yours far before my very existence.

I don’t deserve each breath that I take.

How can I yearn for more?

My way consistently leads me to an empty dead end.

Why will my soul not trust You?

Why do I think that I could ever be good enough?

You’ve promised to be everything.

 O Father, I lay these idols at Your feet.

I acknowledge that everything I have is a gift from You.

I proclaim that You are my only God.

Mold me into a pleasing vessel.

Fill me with You.

Cleanse me.

Make me pure.

Teach me.

I wrote this on August 17, 2010. It's over a year later and I feel the same things all over again. I know that God is good, He is sufficient, and He is loving... Yet I've been so caught up with waiting for my life to be "my way." I've felt so inadequate. I've felt like a failure because I'm not "perfect" for Adam, for my family, or for myself. So again, I acknowledge that God has promised to be everything. I lay my idols at His feet and proclaim that He is my only God. With the Psalmist, "I cry aloud to the Lord; I life up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble" (Psalm 142:1-2).

Is God's Word Enough?

Our church is reading through the book Radical by David Platt. Each week we read one chapter and discuss it at our Sunday night "K-groups." (K-groups are a combination of Sunday school, Acts 2 community, and Baptist eating. The name comes from the greek word Koinonia, which means "community.") We also hear a message on Sunday mornings based off Biblical texts from the chapter.

This week we read chapter 2, entitled "Too Hungry For Words." Platt tells about a group of underground house-church leaders who asked him to teach them the Bible. He began in the Old Testament and taught them from Genesis to Malachi. "That would take a long time," you might exclaim. They spent ten days on this study. For ten days, they began early in the morning and studied for 10-12 hours. For ten days, they huddled in a small room... cramped, unclean, hiding away, hungry for God's word. At the end of the ten days, they were still not satisfied and asked Platt to continue teaching them through the New Testament. He did so for 11 hours. Through this story and the subsequent chapter, we were challenged with the questions, "Am I hungry for God's Word?" and "Would God's word be enough to bring me to church? Even without air-conditioning or music?" As I thought about this during K-group tonight, I began to realize that I am not satisfied even now. When I'm tired or upset about something, I don't want to go to church. When it's "too cold" in the sanctuary, I don't pay attention or I complain. When the music is too loud or not in a comfortable key, I begin judging or wishing worship was easier. How convicting and how terrible.

I asked God's forgiveness tonight. I begged that He make me more grateful for what I have and most of all more hungry for His Word. I want to awaken every morning in anticipation of the goodness He offers me through the Scriptures. What a privilege we have to worship through the reading of God's Word. I encourage you to read Radical. I encourage you to ask yourself the questions I mentioned. But most importantly I encourage you to read God's word, to value and prioritize His message to us. Know and learn with me that it is enough.

2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

Tees to Tanks

I discovered that I CAN be creative! Well... I can follow directions anyways :) My roommate, Angela, and I made tank tops out of t-shirts. They're very simple, fun and cheap. We even hand-sewed the tops! Here's how we did it:

First, we made these three cuts. One on the inside of each sleeve seam and one straight line just below the collar. These extra pieces are just scraps.

Then we pinned the top, front and back, as shown. We hand-sewed these strips, but we plan to have our moms reinforce them on a sewing machine later! Also, the strip needs to be just wide enough for you to insert a "strap" through the holes.

 After sewing these, we cut off the bottom hem of our shirts. This became our strap. We weaved each end through the respective holes and tied it off on the side! When we attempt this project again, we want to use ribbon for our straps. There are endless possibilities for the style of ribbon and it saves the length of our shirts, as well as avoiding your shirt constantly rolling up because it doesn't have a hem. These are pictures of the finished product!

I hope you enjoy! I discovered this idea on Pinterest (which I will probably write about later, because I am obsessed). Here's the link to more specific directions if you're interested ... Tee to Tank Tutorial.

The Trouble with Boys

I just finished this book as part of my "Learning Theories and Assessment Practices" class. I call it L-Tap for short. We've spent several class sessions discussing the topics in this book and I highly recommend it. If you are an educator, a parent, a future educator, or a future parent, it is a must-read. Some would say that Peg Tyre  "opened a can of worms" when she released the book in 2008. Others praise her boldness and are thankful that someone was finally willing to address the real issues.


Did you know that 33% of American women between the ages of 25 and 29 hold a four-year degree while only 26% of American men can say the same? Did you know that boys are more than twice as likely as girls to be diagnosed with ADHD? Did you know that "one in three married, working women outearns their husband - up from one in ten in the 1970s"? These are just a sampling of the issues addressed in this book.

The trouble with boys is not in the boys... Tyre writes that we as educators can help. By learning about boys, learning who they are and how they learn, we can begin to help boys change these statistics. I take these things to heart as an educator and I'm determined to avoid those mistakes in my classroom. If you've read the book, I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you haven't, I encourage you to read and form your own opinion. There are two sides to every story and I acknowledge that. There are exceptions to every rule and not every boy is struggling with today's school system. But maybe I can make a small difference for those who are.

Unexpected Time for Service

This is my first year in college to not participate in Ouachita's marching band. Band was a lot different for me last year and I became burnt out. I dreaded practices every day. Because it is not required for my major and my parents were gracious enough to cover my scholarship, I chose not to join this year. I miss seeing my sweet band friends consistently, but I have enjoyed the extra time I've now found. When I decided to quit, it was purely for selfish reasons. But as you might have guessed, God had other plans. Over the Summer, Adam accepted a position as youth pastor at our church. Not having band has allowed me a lot of freedom to become more involved in this ministry and I am more available to help Adam when he needs me. Also, today was my first meeting with a 7th grader that I will continue to mentor throughout this year. Life is still crazy-busy and I wouldn't have it any other way. But where I selfishly wanted more "me" time, God allowed me more time to serve Him through youth ministry. Galatians 5:13 says "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." God can see the big picture and His kingdom should always come first. Even when I don't "feel" like serving and I'm tempted to give up, God brings this verse to mind and energizes me to put service first and not the desires of my flesh.