gratitude

It's impressive how the very day after I decided to blog every day I already forgot to write, isn't it? With all the hustle and bustle around here yesterday, it fully slipped my mind. We hosted about 30 people for a Thanksgiving potluck yesterday and I venture to say it was a big success. The smell of turkey and dressing cooking in a college apartment is a rare but highly appreciated one. Unfortunately this morning our house seems to look a bit like a tornado happened here last night... which is made more interesting by the fact that the party actually happened next door. Still, a morning of cleaning for us.

This morning I walked slowly through Psalm 78. The Psalm tells the story of the history of Israel and points out how time and time again the Lord provided for the people and they met Him with dissatisfaction and a bold request for more. As you read through the blatant miracles He showed them and things He provided for them, their lack of appreciation seems appalling. It seems no wonder that the Psalmist refers to them as "A stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him." (v.8) It talks over and over again about the miracles He performed (dividing the sea, guiding them by a cloud, water from the rocks, manna from Heaven...) and how "they forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them." (v.11)And God continues to provide even as they continue to push Him.

And as I read this story, I can't help but think to myself "how ungrateful. How on earth could you not realize all the Lord was doing for you?" I think often we have a picture of these people parading around in the desert for 40 years enjoying watching the Lord work and being marveled at how He was providing for them out of nothing. But that perspective isn't biblical. Let's not forget that they spent that time wandering in a desert. Let's be real, I'd probably be in a bad mood too. But as I think about their lack of gratitude and prepare to pick up the first stone stone to toss at them in hopes that it would knock some sense into them, I'm reminded of what a picture this is in my own day to day life as well.

"In spite of all this [all God had provided despite their demanding and ungrateful hearts], they kept on sinning. In spite of his wonders, they did not believe." (v.32)

I began to ask myself this question this morning: What areas of my life has God provided in, yet I continue to selfishly demand more? I know the answer for me. I'd challenge you to think through it for yourself. We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends last night. Have I truly been thankful for all God has provided? I spent a little time in prayer over the specific area of my life I knew He was drawing attention to this morning, thanking Him for exactly what He has currently provided and not asking for any more. I'm always touched and reminded of a prayer I wrote out in my journal sometime about a year ago. If nothing else ever comes, thank You for what You've given today. May that be the minute by minute cry of my heart.

Now, God shows the Israelites grace and mercy time and time again but He doesn't allow them to continue to walk all over Him. Because let's be real, who dares to think they have feet big enough to walk all over God? Toward the end of the Psalm he talks about some of the ways He lovingly disciplined the people and I found it to be really interesting. What I also felt was interesting was the very end... when God decides it's time for change and He "chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them." (v.70-72)

It's humbling, isn't it? That after all of that God would choose a little shepherd to lead. I've been meaning for a few days now to blog about leadership (maybe I will finally get around to it soon) but I love the picture here of David's willingness meeting with his obedience. I think I would've said "Me? You want me to step into leading something so difficult?" I'm afraid I might've rather stayed with the sheep. I'll write more later about how often God calls us to jump big time... like from a flock of sheep to the nation of Israel. It's often unexpected but it causes a lot of dependence on Him. I see a lot more coming out of that... let that be a teaser for tomorrow's post. Or maybe even later today? Who knows.

But for now, the washing machine is done and I need to go do some work on campus. Think about it today-- What areas of your life has God provided in, yet you continue to selfishly ask for more? Could make for some interesting realizations for you too.

writing

In this current phase of my life I think a lot about what I want to do... what I want to be. And you know what I so often come back to?

I dream of being a writer.

Maybe I picked the wrong major. (I know I didn't...) A lot of days I feel that even if I really have nothing to say, I just want to write. I've talked about a life dream of writing a book one day. I've talked about how I like to write to process things. I've talked about how often I feel the Lord gives me things to share and how I'm blessed to hear if it touches even just one heart.

Now, you might say "Laura, you're not that good of a writer..." and maybe you're right. But that's okay. One thing I know is that much like anything (and much like I'm being constantly reminded lately as Laura Sue and I yet again make attempts at pursuing running) the more you practice it the better you get at it. When I read back over my posts from last December, I'm touched at what a different caliber of writing and sharing I had when I was writing on such a consistent basis. Through that, and through the fact that there are tons of blogs that I read each and every day, I've made a decision. As I continue to intake more and more information (I've become a big fan of reading lately) I've got to have some method of processing it and pushing it out again.

So I'm going to start writing every day again.

How long will that last? To be honest, I'm not really sure. But it's something I've been contemplating for a while and goodness knows if I've ever had the time, it's now. All my posts certainly won't all be deep, they won't all be eloquent, and I surely don't expect anybody to read them all. But hey, it's worth a try, right?

On a wholly unrelated note, I read this blog today from one of the bloggers who is currently in Ecuador with Compassion International. I got started on this by thinking "I want to blog with an organization like that..." and got fully sucked into this blog. The funny thing is that I read for quite a while before realizing that this blog was written by my recent favorite author, Ann Voskamp. I'm an idiot? But I love the way she writes, the way she listens to the Lord, and the way she serves. The Farmer she refers to is her husband and I love the way they love and serve together. It makes my heart smile when I read about her watching him love the Lord's people and recognize God's provision in their lives. Isn't that kinda how it's supposed to be? I can't wait to continue to see their Ecuador story unfold. Put that blog at the top of my daily stalking list.

That's all for now, dear friends. I'm now going to go finish making cornbread for our Thanksgiving potluck tomorrow with about 40 of our closest friends. I'm making my grandma's homemade dressing. I've made with her and made it with my mom, but never on my own before. I have mild confidence that I can do it... I hope.

november

A quick catch up on just a few of the random things happening around here as of late:

I recently got to spend a some time with my favorite brother and this little guy in the great city of Nashville. I can't wait to see them both again at Thanksgiving. This year I'm just really excited about being with the entire family. My cousin just got back from being in boot camp (eek!) and I'm thrilled at the thought of having the whole family back in one place again. Plus, how could I not be excited about our annual day-after-thanksgiving girls shopping trip?! It's not so much about the shopping as it is the fact that my grandma and I have already begun making jokes about working out so we can knock people down to get the best deals. At some point we'll draw out a map, practice our distraction techniques, and challenge each other to work on our game faces. Never serious, always amusing.

Last weekend I got to spend some time in the mountains with one of the sweetest families I know. It was Teague's Tootin in the Timbers weekend and you might be surprised to know that outside of these two instagrams, I didn't take a single picture. Maybe I just figured I'd leave that to Wesley and Emma... Anyway, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. It was wonderful just to relax, to look out at God's beautiful creation, and to laugh together with friends. The Teagues are more fun than I could ever explain. Can't wait to see them all again soon. :)

This one is from an old chapel and cemetery we found while hiking (slash driving up the worlds most narrow mountain round). We also went apple picking, watched football, played lots of games... Can I go back? Please?

Okay, in an effort to have as much fun as humanly possible before I officially leave for Mississippi, we as roommates sat down and created the "Things to do before 2012" list. It's now full of ridiculous things, old traditions, and a couple things that are there just for the sake of ten years from now being able to say "One time, when I was in college...". I've only said it a million times already but I have the world's greatest roommates. When I got home last weekend, Anna and I sat down and shared an entire list of things we'd wanted to tell each other while we were apart. I'm gonna miss that more than anything.

I'll just never understand why people can't tell us apart...

Last Friday night was the bcm homecoming dance and these, my sweet friends, were my dates. [cause my real date lives way too far away ;)] Anyway, we had an absolute blast at the dance and went downtown for milkshakes afterwards. It was definitely a much needed night of fun and fellowship. Bcm dances are by far the most fun-- who doesn't want to dance with 100 of your best friends?

That's my quick update for this lazy Monday morning. I promise to post soon about what the Lord is teaching me and all such things but for today, I need to go get ready for a lunch date with an old friend. She's having a baby. Where is time going? Slow down, life.

And to close, a video of the best part of the football game last Saturday in Athens. Enjoy :)

Jay

I've been anxious to write for the past couple of days but haven't yet simply because I really had nothing pertinent to write about... I've just missed writing. I'm looking forward to December coming soon so I can start on Reverb 11 and get back in the habit of writing daily. But tonight's late-night inspiration to post probably won't be my greatest work. (it is 1:20 am as I start this...) In fact, you might laugh at me or you might just not care much at all. And that's okay with me.

See, last weekend we lost a very special member of our family.

We knew it was coming, we've known for years, but on the car ride home from the mountains my mom broke the news to me that our sweet 13 year old dachshund, Aj, had finally gone. Like most hard situations in life, I didn't really know how to process. I know my grip on Daniel's hand tightened as I heard the words and I tried really hard avoid my usual inappropriate reaction to sad news-- the laugh/cry combination. I cried, don't get me wrong, but it was one of those cries where you hold it back and you end up with a headache at the tears welled somewhere behind your eyes. He's just a dog, right? Not really... He was a huge part of our family.

Coming home was different. Quieter. And our other dog, Claire, has gone into a sad state of depression. She's never lived without him. But here, almost a week later, I'm just now really processing. Laura and I watched Marley and Me tonight (seems like a terrible idea, yeah?) and as I cried with the characters in the movie, I couldn't help but think about some of the sweet stories of Aj that made me laugh over the past 13 years. The main character is a writer who keeps a column of stories about the family dog. The rest of this blog is dedicated to telling a few of those stories and chronicling the grumpy, chubby puppy that he always will be.

One of my favorite pictures of Aj last Christmas. I love that old gray chin.

I don't remember much about the day we got Aj. Despite his frequently grumpy exterior, he's our Valentine's Day pup. What I do remember from going to get him, though, is that he wasn't the one I wanted. But he was Robert's dog, not mine, and it's absolutely fair to say that Aj picked out Robert, not the other way around. That puppy crawled up in his lap and looked at him with this "I'm coming with you, okay?" face that really left him no option.

We would play together a whole lot when he was a puppy. I remember getting in trouble for dropping a hula hoop on him once. He loved tennis balls more than almost anything (though he never mastered bringing them back) and I used to tie his leash to the skateboard and have him pull me across the garage. We'd race home from the bus stop and he could run faster than me. (which is sad, I know.) He loved popcorn and I taught him to catch it in his mouth, convinced we'd join some sort of circus one day and show off our tricks. He knew the word popcorn almost as well as he knew the word cheese and we used to laugh at the way his floppy ears got wet when he drank water.

In third grade I did a writing project about Aj and each week I would write and illustrate the next book in the series. The only ones I can remember off hand were Aj Goes to School and my personal favorite, Aj Get's Glasses. They were quite the hit in Mrs. Jones' third grade class. My mom still has every last one of those books.

Aj almost always had birthday parties complete with hats and unfrosted cupcakes. One time the neighbors came.

I don't remember a whole lot about him being little but we moved across the state in between third and fourth grade. I do remember that in the process of moving, we packed up Robert's red bunk beds and found petrified dog poop underneath. Surprise? When we got to the new house it seemed so big and so empty. I was nervous and unsure of things but I remember Mom putting Aj on the floor and him taking off running laps around the house with more excitement than I'd ever seen.

When I was little, if I'd whine he would whine right along with me. And nobody ever tickled me without getting bit if I called for his help in the fight. Sorry, Dad... 

For thirteen years, literally every single time Robert or I would go up the stairs he would take off running and barking at full speed. We made him chase us as kids and he never grew out of it.

He barked at everything and at nothing. Mailmen, butterflies, wind... nothing was too swift to get by our guard dog.

The first time Aj met Daniel was one I don't think any of us will ever forget. Last Christmas we were all sitting in the living room late at night. Aj, who until then had payed him no attention, got out of his bed, walked across the room, and looked Daniel square in the eye. He turned around, walked halfway back to his bed, paused, and passed gas louder than I've ever heard any small dog before or since then. Always a warm welcome in the Register household.

Aj's legal registered name was Aj Red Rocket Register. Yep.

One Christmas he got a sweater from Santa... unfortunately he was way too chubby for it and it made his little legs poke out to the side so far that he couldn't stand and had to resort to laying on the ground flopping around like a seal until someone took pity on him and took the thing off. We always said he looked like a football with legs but at least he made a good garbage disposal.

Aj's favorite past time was to grab the end of the roll of toilet paper and take off running across the entire house. The reason we keep the bathroom doors closed is very similar to the reason we keep the pantry door closed... Aj proved himself at an early age to be half puppy and half goat.

I loved that puppy a whole lot. He'd wait for me every single day at the bus stop in middle school and snuggle up with us on the couch every night. He wasn't always the friendliest, his barking drove me crazy, and he certainly got overshadowed by his assertive little sister, but he was great. He cried me through some tough times, stuck with me when our favorite boy went off to college, and got old just at the same time as Buster did in Toy Story. He was a mess, but he was a huge part of our family and everyone was sad to see him go.

So this one's for you, Aj Red Rocket.

Good night, friends.

what?

What is God teaching you?

I had a friend in high school who would ask me this question on a regular but spontaneous basis. And you know something? Sometimes I hated it. There were so many days when in the midst of a conversation about smoothies and haircuts she would look at me and say "yeah. What's God teaching you right now?" and so many of those times I was caught off guard and didn't have an answer. Sometimes it was because it takes me a minute to put it into words, sometimes because I had to put all the pieces together, and yet sometimes because I wasn't seeking the Lord in the way I needed to be. It's a question I ask myself often now. It's a question I sometimes miss being asked so blatantly.

The other night I was in my room (or my lair... that's generally what I refer to it as when I have so much work to do that I have no choice but to shut myself in...) reading and writing when someone knocked on my door. It was my sweet friend Kendall and she was just bursting with excitement to tell me about what the Lord had been speaking to her the past few days. And you know what? As we stood there and talked about Scripture and the small callings that God is placing on both of our hearts, I couldn't have been more excited. Her passion for it was contagious and I think we both walked away mutually encouraged. That's what the body of Christ is about-- encouraging one another, keeping one another in check, lifting one another up.


"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." -Colossians 3:16

I can't get over how beautiful and true that verse is.

Our conversation that night was so beautiful as we both unpacked our struggles, our dreams, and the things that Christ is beginning to speak to us that may seemingly make no sense for today but will undoubtedly lead to big things down the road. It's a beautiful thing when you find those kind of friends. We as people are meant to grow in Christ independent of one another, but to be walking right beside one another encouraging and correcting. It's the concept of discipleship. It's so critical to find people in life who will walk beside you to continually point you right back towards the cross with honesty and with love.

So my questions for you today are this: Who are you walking beside and what is God teaching you today?

I'll leave this one with the song that has been stuck in my head for at least a week now. I actually literally dreamed about worshiping to this song last night. Is that weird? Maybe. But I love the message here. I especially love the line- "More than worth these longings of my heart left unfufilled for a time". He is so more than worth everything and so deserving of all our devotion. So enjoy this video! (or at least the audio, because it seems this song must best be paired with pictures of flowers? evidently)

1000 words

I confess that lately I've become a huge fan of taking pictures on my iphone, despite the fact that they're not always top quality. So I thought I'd give an update on the past week of my life via the most recent iphone pics. 

 

I had a great time with this guy this past weekend. Oddly enough, this is the only picture we took the entire time... swedish meatballs at Ikea for my mom. She has some sort of life-long dream to get some. Anyway, we had a blast just hanging out-- going for walks, watching football, making soup... and going to ikea. He loved it. Okay, maybe not so much but that's okay :)

From there, I headed to Nashville for the kidmin conference and got to spend the week with this awesome group of people. They were such a blessing-- we had a fantastic time together as we laughed, served, and talked a lot of leadership. The conference was a success. I definitely had a lot of great takeaways and got to connect with some solid people as well as seeing some faces I hadn't seen since the summer. It's always so good to hear what the Lord has done in people's lives since they were at camp and it was beautiful to hear 600 children's ministers worship together and be refreshed and restored. Mmm.

And of course, the Duggars were there. Yep, all 21 of them. We had such a great time playing with them.

 

Speed scrabble... I know it says lose, but I definitely won... twice. I was trying to be fairly incognito with this picture. 

I love this picture of Meredith teaching her how to play with the camera.

And here's the other side of that picture. So cute.

This is the infamous Baby Josie. She's gotten so big. As we tried to take her picture she kept reaching for my phone and saying "Baby Duggar!". She definitely knows she's a celeb...

This kiddo is a mess. He worked the merch table with me and continually tried to steal my money. Despite what you may think, my face doesn't always look like this. We taught the kids how to do the scramble and they LOVED it. Look for many ruined pictures from the Duggar family soon. Of course he decided to let me scramble alone in this one... meanie.

I did it. I opened the Barbosa's box. Anybody who came to camp this year will know why this is huge... I now know what's inside. But I won't tell :)

And my journey continues from here. This is definitely a favorite photo from right outside my brother's house here in Nashville. I'm headed out tomorrow and have a few things left to do before the real world catches back up to me. My week off has been great and I know that after talking camp and ministry all week, it's going to be a real challenge to do so much school work again. Today I've been on a picnic with a puppy, ate ice cream with old friends, and enjoyed the world's most perfect weather. Please don't be over yet... I don't want to go back. 

Alas, for now I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my time in Nashville. Love this place. Til later, friends!

afternoon

Just a quick update for the afternoon...

It's finally fall here in Athens and we've been loving every minute of it. Between playing games with roommates, Saturday football games, and friends coming in and out of town, I'm trying to squeeze a little school work in along with it all. Senioritis is a real problem. I can't believe it's already October...

A few Fridays ago I got to go to The Fabulous Fox in Atlanta to see Wicked with some sweet friends. Aren't they beautiful? I hope I get to be this pretty when I'm a mom. It was such a fun evening out-- we walked two blocks the wrong direction in high heels, ended up at a Steak N Shake at 1 am, and laughed more than anything. Loved it.

Daniel is coming today. Like any minute now. I am currently the way I always am when waiting for something like this... antsy. Like super antsy. Like keep-getting-up-and-walking-across-the-room-to-look-out-the-window antsy. Call me crazy, I'm just ready to see him. :)

I'm spending all of next week at the Lifeway Kids Ministry Conference in Nashville! I'm super excited to see some wonderful people and to get to work behind the scenes all week. Annnnd the Dugger's are going to be there. That's right, all 19 of the 19 Kids and Counting. Or is it 20 now? I don't even know.

Post conference I'm going to spend a few days with my sweet brother in NashVegas. So excited to see that boy and his puppy too! I'd expect pictures to come soon.

Gonna be such a good weekend... I'm off to look out the window again.