quickie

This weekend has been a rush so I'll only recap the main points, if I can help it, then tell you some exciting news that came up tonight...then this child has GOT to go to bed - no more late night mochas for me!


Friday I left in a rush to get from Rome to Locust Grove, just south of Atlanta, to meet some beautiful dears of mine - the Butlers and my Hannah! I got there a bit early and managed to spend two hours meandering around Tanger Outlet - not something that happens on a regular basis...I honestly can't remember the last time I was there. It was probably before Old Navy was invented, no kidding. I stood outside my car clutching my few belongings for the weekend and some BK, topped by a black hat, when my carriage arrived - big black Excursion full of funny people. They laughed at my self-proclamation of being a homeless person in the parking lot. We made our way to Carrolton in the rain for Zach's game and arrived just in time for the last quarter - long enough to see him play and wonder about some of the parents there. Oh, and congratulations to Strong Rock for their accreditation - sorry we forgot to clap while we were there...#12 on the girls made us not want to anymore! Post game = DQ for RedBeard's birthday nommage. Nan and I managed to get a discount, the place was all decorated with streamers (for Seth's birthday, not valentine's day of course), we got a huge knife to cut his cake-log, and the people even came JUST to sing happy birthday - how cool was THAT?!
Song of the evening: "Restoration" ... unfortunately, I don't know who it's by.

Saturday....I'm still upset about Saturday morning. Me and that punk, Satan, are seriously not friends. My stomach started hurting Saturday morning. Hannah told me later that she knew it would happen. That made me feel twice as defeated as before, but I feel like the Lord worked in the situation anyway - I was able to get the "Patriarchs" study of Beth Moore's from my mom...which will play a HUGE role in a minute. Mom took me to Mactown to meet with the B's at Zaxby's...and we made our way back to Locust Grove for Zach's next game. - it was grand. Nan planned out all the volunteer work they'll be doing - what an incredible inspiration to watch! WOW! And we cheered Covenant to a victory...with some pretty nasty coffee.

Wait...am I getting my schools mixed up? I don't remember who we played other than SR, I just know there were two games....great!! I think Strong Rock was SATURDAY and Friday night was some other random place. They spelled Senior wrong on their sign so that's probably why I don't remember them.

ANYWAY, we then returned to Tanger and shopped like maniacs for a minute - Banana Republic is so expensive, even on sale. The Bible Outlet no longer exists - sad panda! But Kirklands has this beautiful picture of a tree that I just about fell in the floor over. I just about tripped over my jaw - it's a good thing I managed to control myself...there's so much breakable stuff in that store! The kind where mom would tell me to "put my hands in my pockets and do not touch ANYTHING." After getting picked up by Sensei Keith, we nommed chocolate and made our way to the IMAX where the kids got tickets for Avatar. After realizing that TGI Fridays was too full of ghetto furry boots, we decided on Moe's. I had to order for Nan AND me - she had to run to Sally's for hair dye - but I've never enjoyed Moe's more! The conversation is probably what did it...and the lack of huge bumps afterward - JENNIFER PARR AND JESSIE FAULHABER! =P The end of Moe's was such a sad feeling. I knew I'd have to leave. There were a few prolonged goodbyes, but of course my friends had to get into the movie. Red Beard was NOT going to miss his birthday present, and what a good one..or so I've heard! The drive to Rome was uneventful, but a praise: Ben didn't act dumb about shifting when going up hill!! GLORY TO GOD! He can even heal cars!! Not just people. :)

Today was grand- Jules picked me up for church around 9:30 and we rocked out to some Phil Whickham [well, not HIM, but his music] and received such an incredible message from Josh about SERVING and giving ALL to the Lord! Romans 12:1-2. It definitely hit home for me and confirmed in me so many things!!
The cool stuff starts after that - I came back and did a lot of talking with Hannah, thinking, praying, and planning. And the Lord has just worked so much out - I am 99% positive I will be starting a Bible study for some of the girls here on Wednesday nights!!!!!!!!! See - my getting Patriarchs from mom was just DIVINE! TAKE THAT SATAN! Even when you think ya got me, HE MAKES IT WORK FOR HIS GLORY!!! YOU HAVE NO FOOTHOLD!!

I have been painting and working out details with that tonight, as well as meeting with a few kiddies from Relay about tomorrow night's meeting. My weeks are only getting busier, and here I sit unable to go asleep because I decided to buy a white chocolate mocha at 8:30 at night...and I am just all excited inside about what the Lord has planned. I don't know what it is, but freedom in HIM is so much better than captivity and bondage in my sins! I don't have to know what's coming next - I trust HIM to make it work!

"We know where the Spirit of the Lord is - where the Spirit of the Lord is there is LIBERTY!" hallelujah - can't wait for Awakening (Passion 2010) to come out in March! The songs are written on my heart!

Alright, I will leave you with a two-liner that I wrote after service this morning. It's almost a combination of two songs, but it is so much my heart right now! God bless all of you in this upcoming week. I pray He renovates your lives and turns you to Him! May you taste and see that He is gracious and joy in His infinite glory!!

I will abandon my heart for you
I will run and chase after you
and desire no other escape