Speaking of Sensitivity Issues...

I realized this week that I had received "Merry Christmas" greetings from people of Jewish and Hindu backgrounds. I find it fairly ironic that I (a person who actually celebrates the holiday) feel like I'm walking on eggshells sometimes when I extend the greeting. Interesting world we're living in today.

2010... Lots to Celebrate!

I was talking with a friend this evening... sharing our "highlights" of the year. It helped remind me of how truly blessed I am. Here are some of the highlights:

Girlfriends... Kayla, Jessica, Bobbi, Faith, Laura
Great new roomie - Becky
God's provisions - new job, financial provision during the transition
New washer & dryer
Peace when I could be worried
TENNIS!! - lessons early in the year and then lessons with James & Bobbi & occasional special guests!
"New" boy friends - Jeff, Jay, James, Siva
Blind dates (or blind date, at least)... there ARE people I don't know in Tulsa!!
My house - refinanced, cutting nine years off my loan! :)

Then there are the things I've been thankful for for years now:

My wonderful family - loving parents, sibs, sibs-in-law, four lovely nieces
Age-old friends - Matt, John, Jessica... so many more
God, my Father, who blesses me with so much more than I could ever ask for or imagine

Cool thing is... I'm just scratching the surface. So many more dear friends and things to be thankful for. All-in-all, it's been a good year. Looking forward to see what 2011 holds!

Lunar Eclipse

I should be in bed. Instead, I'm half waiting for the lunar eclipse. It should begin shortly, though I'm not sure why I'm waiting up for it. It's not supposed to finish until 4:01am. I figure maybe I can catch certain pieces of it... the first "bite," the total eclipse, the orange color of the moon. I guess we'll see if I feel like crawling out of bed for each of those phases.

On a separate and wholly-unrelated note, I think I moved to Tulsa twelve years ago today. It's funny when I think about it. I thought this would be a short stop on my way to somewhere more exciting. Instead, I rather like Tulsa, though there are days I suppose I would enjoy shaking its dust from my feet and moving on. Which reminds me, I should post a 2010 recap before long. Hopefully it won't be as depressing as last years.  ;)

But, for now, I have an eclipse to observe... and a bed to attend.

“I Thought of You the Other Day”

“I Thought of You the Other Day”

by Krista

 I used to think you spoke those words

To mask the fact that you thought of me all the time.

But now I realize you spoke the truth,

That it was only a reflection of what I was doing –

Thinking of you at every moment –

Waiting for the calls that infrequently came,

Wondering what you were doing or thinking,

Hoping someday you would admit your true feelings.

But, I was the fool,

Reading something into those vacant lines,

Writing my own story where none existed.

Randomness

I don't have anything enlightening to share but was just missing my blog tonight. So, I'll make a couple of random comments.

I have a decorative hook that I bought sometime here awhile back from Hobby Lobby. It has kind of a weathered-looking picture on it, that I could have sworn was Paris. However, as I'm looking at it tonight, it's very clearly London/England. There's really no question about it... Big Ben, a map of the island and a sort of seal that says "Kensington Palace - London." Only problem with it is that it's a sort of blue-green color. I really like it, but it doesn't look all that great on my grey-blue walls. Instead, it sits about my house and gets moved from place-to-place to keep it out of the way.

I have a claim form related to a class action lawsuit on my desk. I believe it's due 11/15. Not sure if I'll make it. The best I can tell, I was in a class of individuals who may be due some money because I submitted a claim on my homeowners insurance policy and received a payment during a specified time frame.

I enjoy most songs I've heard by Will Smith. They're quite fun to sing along to.

Most importantly, I ran 3 miles today. I hadn't run a full three since running the Race for the Cure 5K about six weeks ago. It really annoys me how easy it is to backslide in running. Grrrrrr... and now winter is upon us, which will make it more difficult to maintain.

Sorry for the randomness. I'm going to bed now. G'night!

Schnabel

I have a friend, Schnabel the Woodpecker. "Schnabel" is the German word for "beak." I've had him about five or six year now. I found him in Germany, and I can say, hands down, he's my favorite of all my souvenirs. The sticker on the bottom documents the price - 5,90 euros. He lives on the pole you see, and (with a little help) he pecks his way down... his fiery, feathery red hair tossing wildly. His beak doesn't peck quite as close to the pole as in years past, mainly due to some rough play at the hands of my young nieces. But, he still puts on a good show. I can't help but laugh and smile when I watch him, and I about drove my friends crazy when I first got him. I thought you might like to see him...

Wuthering Heights

I tried coming to my blog this morning, and it had been temporarily shut down due to suspicious activity. I'm wondering if the "suspicious activity" was just the fact that I've actually been blogging.  ;)

I'm re-reading this classic book by Emily Bronte... for good or ill.  ;)  I really enjoyed this description:

"I used to draw a comparison between him [Edgar Linton] and Hindley Earnshaw, and perplex myself to explain satisfactorily why their conduct was so opposite in similar circumstances. They had both been fond husbands, and were both attached to their children; and I could not see how they shouldn't both have taken the same road, for good or evil. But, I thought in my mind, Hindley, with apparently the stronger head, has shown himself sadly the worse and the weaker man. When his ship struck, the captain abandoned his post; and the crew, instead of trying to save her, rushed into riot and confusion, leaving no hope for their luckless vessel. Linton, on the contrary, displayed the true courage of a loyal and faithful soul: he trusted God; and God comforted him. One hoped, and the other despaired: they chose their own lots, and were righteously doomed to endure them."

The Historian in Me (Birthdays II)

I know, I know... I should be in bed. I was reviewing my blog, though (lots of history here), and I thought I should update you on my birthday celebrations of the last five years:

2006 - Worlds of Fun in KC
2007 - Red Rock (my fav), then back to Matt's for cake and ice cream with add'l friends.
2008 - P.F. Chang's with friends after dealing with a lunatic all through the previous night
2009 - Joint party with Jubilee (roomie) & JPH, cooked out with 50 of our closest friends
2010 - In the Raw with the small group guys, semi-surprise coffee after, Garlic Rose & Catan with friends.

Germs

I've often said over the years that "I don't believe in germs." I say this because I have a(n untested) theory that my immune system is strong due to daily interaction with the world around me. I suppose I'm also too lazy to properly protect myself from all the things I'm told to protect myself. I also believe that children who are "too protected" from the elements don't build up any tolerance to otherwise minor irritants.

Jump to a couple weeks ago when I met my first micro-biologist. I told him he would probably refute my disbelief in germs. Although his first instinct was to correct me... (He spends every day looking at bacteria through a microscope.)... he actually ended up confirming it. He said that the word "germ" is thrown around by people who are more likely talking about bacteria, fungi, etc., but there's really no such thing as a "germ." 

See... I didn't need a degree in micro-biology to know that!  ;)

For the Love of a Good Book

So I was chatting online with my brother the other day. We somehow wandered into talking about the Old Testament in the Bible. I was sharing some of my recent reflections on Job when he asked a question that 1) flattered me, 2) challenged me and 3) honestly... surprised me:

"I remember back when you were in HS at night, you'd usually be sitting in on your bed reading your bible. I assume you have phases where you're really good about doing that, and others where it's really easy to just go to bed. What keeps you doing it?"

Wow... that may be the highest compliment of my life. It was very humbling, though, because I feel like it paints an unfair picture of me. He's right... there are probably more times when I'm not good about spending time in God's Word. And, even the times I'm digging in to God's Word, I realize I'm often not spending time with Him personally through prayer.

In response to his question, my first thought was to mention the helpfulness of accountability. (It can be helpful!) This saddened me, though, because it seems like such a legalistic approach to reading the Bible. But, as I was typing that I realized how much I really do LOVE God's Word. It's something I'm truly passionate about it, and I can see how it's changed me over the years. There are specific lessons I remember learning based on simply reading the Word. A few examples:

Job - you just read about that below.
Ezekiel - GOD'S will for my life often won't match MY will for my life.
Matthew 6 - When I worry, my actions say "God, I don't trust you." I don't want my life to say that!
Ecclesiastes - Bad/sad times will come. That's just the way life is.
Acts 2 - The Church is a beautiful thing WHEN it's functioning with Christ as its head.
(I could go on.)

Point is... I'm never more passionate than when I'm sharing with others what I'm learning about God through His Word and how it impacts my life. I never stopped to think about that before, so... thanks, Bro, for your question. I hope our conversation impacted you, too.  :) 

I KNEW it!

Original Job post.

Job, again?

I'm reviewing some of my blog posts, and I find it difficult to believe I've never blogged about the story of Job. I've been fascinated with it for some time... especially the last four or five chapters.

There's so much to say, but unfortunately I don't have much time to write tonight. I will, however, point out a couple of things I noticed in this reading that never sunk in before.

1) Job 40:8 (one of my favorite verses in Job) - God finally responds to Job's pleas by asking, "Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?" OUCH!! But, he goes on (v. 9-14 ) to tell Job (in the words of Bob Burch), "if you've got 'justice' all figured out, then why don't YOU dispense it." It reminds me a bit of the time my Dad turned the tables on me and my sister. He was ready to spank us both and added that famous phrase which parents love, "this will hurt me more than it hurts you." My response was probably something like, "yea, right." My Dad responded, in his wisdom, by handing me the belt and asking me to spank him. That was quite sobering and taught me a very valuable lesson. Like Job, it's easy for me to challenge someone when I'm not in his position and don't carry his responsibility.

2) In all of God's response (Job 38-41), He never tells Job WHY he suffered. It's nice to know the "whys" in life, but many times we never get the answer. I wonder if the lesson is that, even without the "why," we're supposed to trust that God is good and just, that He loves us and that He's in control.

3) Finally, upon reading through Job this time, I noticed a date I had written in the margin of my Bible. I had highlighted these two verses: (27) "The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me." (31) "My harp is tuned to mourning, and my flute to the sound of wailing." To be honest, it took me quite awhile to determine what I was suffering through at that time. It was another reminder, though. Like Job, when we're in the middle of the struggle, it seems like the world is ending and we'd be better off dead (or never having been born)! But, those are usually only seasons in our life. Years later we nearly even forget them. Once they're in the past, we gain more perspective and see the low points balanced with the joys in life.  Just like the Proverb (30:5) says, "weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."

Birthday

I spoke with a couple guys about my blog tonight, which motivated me to make a brief update. (It's nearly 1am, so I won't write long.) My birthday was this past week. When my friends asked what I wanted to do, I simply asked to go out to a nice dinner and play games after. That didn't specifically happen ON my birthday; however, my birthday was on a Wednesday this year, which is our small group night. Instead of our weekly trip to Village Inn for Bible study and free pie, a few of us went to dinner. It was me and four guys (go figure). We had sushi, which I haven't had in quite some time. I especially enjoyed the spicy tako (octopus) salad. Yum!

After dinner we went over to Starbucks. I know, I know... I think I've gotten a bad rap as a Starbucks girl. I actually enjoy supporting more local coffee shops; HOWEVER... the best outdoor seating at a Tulsa coffee shop, imho, is the Starbucks at 61st & Yale. And, it was absolutely perfect for a come-and-go birthday party. Apparently someone threw out a Facebook invitation. (I spoiled the surprise slightly by inviting people personally through a Facebook status earlier in the day.) But, it was great. Something like 30+ people came out to enjoy coffee, cake and ice cream with me! They also had a giant card that everyone signed for me. I had Gathering-friends, tennis friends, former and current roommates and on.

Toward the end of the night, I was cleaning up and offered some left over cupcakes/cake to a couple of gentlemen who had been sitting near us. They asked me what the group was. I thought for a second and said "well... it's my birthday, and all of these people are my friends." They commented on what a neat group it seemed to be. For whatever reason that small comment made me realize how incredibly blessed I am to have so many people who care for me and would take time out of their busy lives to come celebrate me for an evening.

Other highlights of the bday celebrations were: the family August birthday celebrations in KC, birthday breakfast with Jessica. (The guy at OSBC gave me a free cookie!) And then a couple days after my birthday I had dinner with a few friends at the Garlic Rose, which was chased with two rousing games of Catan. (I lost both!)

It's been a year of transition, and I've been trying to decide where I fit. But... it's been nice in the midst of that to be reminded that I'm loved by so many people. God has definitely been good to me.

In the Cave

Told a friend tonight that part of me wanted to crawl in a hole and the other part of me really needed a hug. Then this psalm popped up on my radar. It's like God can read my thoughts or something. (duh!)

Psalm 142

A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer. ^[a]

 ¹ I cry aloud to the LORD;
       I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.  ² I pour out my complaint before him;
       before him I tell my trouble.
 ³ When my spirit grows faint within me,
       it is you who know my way.
       In the path where I walk
       men have hidden a snare for me.
 ⁴ Look to my right and see;
       no one is concerned for me.
       I have no refuge;
       no one cares for my life.
 ⁵ I cry to you, O LORD;
       I say, "You are my refuge,
       my portion in the land of the living."
 ⁶ Listen to my cry,
       for I am in desperate need;
       rescue me from those who pursue me,
       for they are too strong for me.
 ⁷ Set me free from my prison,
       that I may praise your name.
       Then the righteous will gather about me
       because of your goodness to me.

Things that bother me - #2

I don't know if this bothers me as much as it amuses me. There's a radio commercial I've heard several times for Wholesale Computers here in Tulsa. The character in these commercials is called "The Bargain Hunter," and he's basically a rip-off of Steve Erwin, The (late) Crocodile Hunter. But, he talks with the same thick Australian accent.

The commercial begins with a phone call between someone needing computer support and an Indian-sounding tech support guy. The interaction is that the guy calling in is frustrated because he can't understand the tech guy, because his English is not great. In steps (talks) the Bargain Hunter who tries to empathize with everyone who's ever had a similar experience of not being able to understand on-line tech support (who are often outsourced). But, whoever prepared the commercial seemed to miss the fact that The Bargain Hunter speaks with a VERY thick accent and could be equally difficult to understand.

Just seem ironic to me. Or poorly conceived, anyway.

Psalm 116:8-9

"For you, O LORD, have delivered 

my soul from death, 

my eyes from tears, 

my feet from stumbling, 

that I may walk before the LORD 

in the land of the living."

Sometimes we understand the benefits of salvation only in an eternal (after-death) sense, but I like that these verses go beyond that... to indicate the benefits of knowing and relying on God in THIS life. He delivers my eyes from tears. I no longer have to stumble through life. I can now be in the presence of God Almighty here on Earth - today, right now, forever... because I walk in righteousness as a result of God's mercy and Christ's sacrifice! How d'ya like THEM apples?! 

Things that bother me - #1

There are strange things that often plague my mind. I thought I'd share one (or two) right now.

The Office Bathroom

The bathroom is actually very clean... no strange odors. There are two posters on the inside door of each bathroom stall. The first is a poster issued (presumably) by the CDC. At one place on this "Germ Stoppers" poster it says, "Be a germ stopper... at work and home." The word "work" doesn't match the font on the rest of the page. In fact, it looks like someone hand wrote that one word. It's not that I mind, but it really bothers me not knowing why that word was changed. What did it say before? School? Did someone in our firm white it out and write over it? Was it issued by the CDC like that?

The next poster asks women not to flush "femine" products. I mean, we're a professional services firm. We couldn't figure out "feminine"? I'm not sure what bothers me more... the misspelling... or how long it took me to realize it was misspelled.  ;)

What drives you crazy?   

The Smallest Coffee Cup in the World

Okay, so I don't know for sure that this is the smallest coffee cup in the world, but it's definitely the smallest coffee cup in MY world. My parents bought it for me on some trip they were on. I think they were just surprised to find something with name (spelled correctly) on it. Oh, and I used to have a miniature collection. Either way, this little cup makes me smile. I decided to do a sort of photo shoot with it. So, without further ado...

The Tie

I went home this weekend to celebrate with my family the 20th anniversary of the church I attended during high school (and that my parents still attend). I had been looking forward to it, but I ended up enjoying it even more than I anticipated.

The church hosted a dinner and a time for sharing testimonies on Saturday. Then Sunday morning, they had a special breakfast and service. I got to sing on one of the praise teams (the "old" praise team) with my sister and a friend of ours from those days. It was so much fun harmonizing and praising God together. I enjoyed hearing what people shared about their years at the church and how it had touched their lives. I particularly appreciated an email someone read from a former member who couldn't be there. Former pastors were on-hand, including the one who was there for my high school years. Although he was the lead pastor, he invested a lot of time and energy in the youth of the church. It was a blessing catching up with him and his wife.

Sunday after church, my sister and I met up with a couple of friends (one from the church and one from our high school days) for lunch. We shared pictures, reminisced on yonder years and just had fun catching up.

The old hymn, "Blest Be the Tie that Binds" has been stuck in my mind since then. I'm always impressed by the bond shared between those who are in Christ. It doesn't matter the time or distance that stands between, we're still one in Him... and always will be! What a sweet, sweet comfort.

Blest Be the Tie that Binds

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.

From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.

Deliverance

Just noticed there's a random wikipedia link on my post below... it links the psalm I quoted to the movie "Deliverance." Um... slight difference.  :)

Speaking of the movie Deliverance, I've always kind of wanted to see it. Every time I go canoeing, or every time the song "Dueling Banjos" plays, someone references the movie. I hate not fully understanding cultural references. However, I've been assured that I would be better off NOT seeing it. I suppose know enough of the story line to probably agree. (Though I've probably seen worse.)

Haha! This seemed fitting...

(... not to mention pretty funny!)

One of THOSE nights...

This has definitely been a season of change. Part of me is enjoying the floating along in life... not many commitments beyond work. I'm taking tennis lessons. Or, rather, I just finished my first tennis lessons. There's a marked improvement in my forehand and backhand. I have learned some of the basics of serving but am not too skilled at serving the ball properly AND not faulting. I practiced a bit tonight.

It's been kind of a lonely season. I've been praying for a friend this year. You know... a best friend. Someone to really share life with. Someone who knows me (as well as another human can know me, anyway). I feel like a lot of my friends have sorta moved on in life. I don't blame them. I most likely would have moved on too, had the opportunity presented itself. But, even as I write this, I realize that certain opportunities have come and gone, and I've elected not to seize them for whatever reason(s).

I was thinking the other day about the nature of hope... what it is, what it's not. It seems to me that hope is what allows us to keep going when we would otherwise be tempted to give up. But, there is also "false hope." It seems to give us the same ability to persevere, but it ultimately (and utterly) disappoints. And is it even really worth persevering in something if the hope you hold in it is only an illusion?

As I was debating this, I thought about Hebrews 11:1, which says "Now FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

We can put our hope in a lot of things, but hope misplaced will ultimately prove to be a false hope. There's only ONE object worthy of our hope, and only ONE object in which we should place our faith.

From Psalm 33...

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.

21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.

NY Goals - an Update

It's 4am, and I can't think of anything better to do than blog!! ;) Actually, sleep sounds good. Problem is I was just laying there not sleeping so thought I would get on the computer.

Now that we're nine or ten weeks into the year, I thought I'd update you on my progress toward the 2010 goals...

Weight - not much progress. In fact, I got on the scales the other day and decided to march myself back to WW. I think the online eTools are very helpful. (I probably should have continue to pay for and use those after making LT member a couple of years ago.) Regardless, I hit a mtg with a friend yesterday and followed her to a Zumba class after. Then last night I went dancing. So... I'm already feeling a bit achy. But... it's a good soreness, to be sure. And, I *may* still be able to hit my original target... by May 1.

Fingernails - excellent! They're looking relatively nicely. I've tried to keep a nail file and lotion closer this year. I think that's helped. But, mainly, it's the pure will power not to bite or pick at them.

Job - got one! I took a Controller position at a local public accounting firm (though they've had me out on an audit the past few weeks).

Budget - made one! Signed up for mvelopes through Crown Financial. It's been a good way of putting together a financial plan. In fact, I already made an additional $1500 principal pmt toward my car loan. I only have about $3k outstanding.

Respect - nothing much to note... other than I've already had some opportunities to bite my lip and cheerfully dig in to projects I wouldn't have otherwise chosen. I feel like I've done a good job of voicing an opinion but not being disagreeable or disrespectful.

Is that everything? Hope so!

Why I'm His (and He is Mine)

So, God is really amazing. I hope you already know that. In case you don't, I'd like to share what I know.

First a quick note... I'm making some headway on my 2010 goals. My fingernails have grown out considerably. (I had to trim them last night!!) And, I got a job! I'm working as the Controller in a public accounting firm.

The job is totally God. I had every reason to be worried... the economy is terrible, lots of people are out of work, most companies are letting people go (not hiring!), and on and on. Also, I've been somewhat out of the typical accounting realm for six years now. But, God's peace was with me. I knew I was being obedient to Him by resigning my last position. The week I planned to resign, a recruiter (a former co-worker) called me randomly. He lined up an interview for me between Christmas and New Years. I had an offer in hand by Jan 11 and started a week later!

I could feel like a fish out of water right now. But, instead, I'm realizing how perfectly God has prepared me for this new position. I've learned a surprising amount about leadership, confidence and my own ingenuity from my job at The Gathering. I realize I'm only a couple of weeks in, but I feel fairly at home... like I'm definitely the right (unique) person for the job!

In addition to blessing me with a job and His peace, God has provided for me financially. I anticipated I may have to flex my dollars/savings here for a few weeks, since I've been working part-time at two places the past couple of weeks. But, I got paid on Friday and noted that my combined paychecks matched (nearly exactly) what I was previously making! Blessing! That could have still left me tight... because I've been used to some cushion from having a roommate. God knows what He's doing, though! Two jobs back, I had participated in an employee stock purchase program. Well... the company was just purchased, so all of my outstanding shares were paid out... over market value, mind you! And I just received the check in the mail today!! On top of that, my next paycheck will include my new salaried amount, five days of hourly pay (paid in arrears) and an hourly paycheck from The Gathering. And that will all come five days before I'm supposed to go skiing. (I had already planned the ski trip before I resigned, so was not sure how that might work financially.)

Point is: God knows exactly WHAT we need... and exactly WHEN we need it. He is Good! He is SO Good! And He is faithful. He does exactly what He says He will do.

Lights Out!

So, I was surprised last night while driving home how many people still have their Christmas lights on. I guess it's kind of nice. I mean, it's so much work to get them up. People might as well leave them up awhile. But, maybe it's just another instance of what I like to call "the Christmas Sprawl." Retailers now put out Christmas merchandise around Halloween, so I suppose it's reasonable that individuals would try to draw it out on the back end as well.

Merry (Belated) Christmas, I guess!

Thoughts on the Coming Year

As promised, a few goals I have for myself heading into this new year...

1) Down to x lbs. by May 1st.
- Join a gym as soon as I have a source of income identified. :)
- Count my WW points.

2) Take better care of my fingernails.
- Keep nail clippers, file and lotion on hand (may require a larger purse)
- Refrain from biting and picking at my nails.

3) Show greater respect to my employer and friends.
- Beware of my facial expressions
- Exercise wisdom and caution before challenging a decision

4) Get a job!!!! :)

5) Make a new budget based on my new income.
- By February, if possible.
- Finish paying off my car
- Rebuild my savings account

So without further ado... Twenty-Ten, it's on!! :)

2009, As Amended

Before I launch into the goals for 2010, I want to go back and address 2009. I may have been hormotional when I wrote the last update. Upon further reflection, I realized how blessed I've been in 2009...

RELATIONSHIPS - I dated a couple of guys this year. (That's always something to celebrate!!)

TRAVEL - I got to go to India and tell others about Christ.

PEACE - As tumultous as this year has felt, I've had a tremendous amount of peace. Even now as I've resigned one job with no other job lined up, I'm at peace when I would otherwise have expected to be panicked.

FINANCIAL - God provided a rommate and some assistance with living expenses. In addition, it's the first year in several years where I haven't had any major expenses!!

FAMILY - I was able to spend some extended time with my family over the holidays (nearly half of the last six weeks)!

CHURCH - My church blessed me greatly by allowing me to take a six-week break from my responsibilities!!!

SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING - God has taught me some new things... 1) from the book of Job I learned I should be extremely cautious when questioning him, 2) He is GOOD... even when I can't see it, 3) He is faithful to take care of me and will never leave me alone (John 16:23), 4) Respect is an act of obedience (Eph 5 and the book "Love & Respect" by Eggerichs) and 5) it's not fair to withdraw from my friends like I have this year. My response to them should be consistent and reliable.

I don't know what 2010 will hold, but 2009 was nothing to snivel at. As you can easily see, I have a lot to be thankful for. :)