"lonely single people turn into lonely married people"

Cross Point Church is having a wonderful series right now called "5 things that will ruin your marriage" and it has truly been amazing for both married and single people. Pete Wilson, the pastor, says that it is a help guide for married people and a cheat sheet for singles that may one day be married.

First of all, we need to ask ourselves why do we want to be married, or why did I get married?

It is important first of all to know what Marriage is NOT.

It is not a strategy for wholeness. It is not about fulfillment- only Jesus can fulfill us. If someone tells you that you complete them... RUN!

There are a lot of things from this series that have stuck out to me. One thing in particular is when our pastor Pete said this:

"Lonely single people turn into lonely married people."

For all you single people let that sink in for a minute. How often have we caught ourselves thinking that when we get married we won't be lonely anymore, or I have to get married because I'm fearful of being lonely. Marriage is not a cure to loneliness.

So, why get married?

Seeking God....

gives my marriage a purpose.

Read Gen 2:18 and 1:28- a purpose in marriage is companionship and raising children.

God has given us a desire to do something significant together- you are married with a mission.

We should pray together with our spouse or potential spouse.

We are not created just to love each other, but to love others together.

gives my marriage maturity.

Read Colossians 3:23- Do I want God at the center of my marriage, or just in the mix?

For the singles: There is a difference in dating someone that has God in the mix of their life and someone that has God in the center of their life.

gives my marriage grace.

Read Lamentations 3:22-23

Marriage is hard because it unites 2 sinners.

Another thing that Pete did was re-define the concept of the man being the "spiritual leader". This does not mean that the man knows more about the bible or is less of a sinner than his wife, but it means that he is the "spiritual initiator".

You can listen to the whole series online at crosspoint.tv or you can download podcast on iTunes. Just search "cross point tv"

This has truly been an eye-opening series and has given me a totally different outlook on marriage. I pray that you are somehow encouraged by this today.

Crafty Sundays

Yesterday started the first of many “Crafty Sundays” with my sweet friend Megan. She and I both have a LOVE for owls, so we decided to make our own owl pillows. Megan is a sewing master and makes the cutest stuff all the time. I, on the other hand, have never sewn anything in my entire life. Megan had to give me a sewing for dummies lesson and we were off!

It only took us all afternoon, but this is what we accomplished…

Hopefully my sewing abilities will improve with our next project. We had so much fun creating these on our own... that's right... no pattern. We just saw a picture and replicated it.

I'm really loving this new hobby! WHOOOOOOOOOOOO knows what our next project will be! Probably some kind of owl!

HAPPYS and CRAPPYS

So, I have been Deb all day and have been whinning and complaining about how terrible my week is going to be... No worries, you're not going to get through this post without hearing all about it.

Sorry... Let me share with you my "happy/crappys"

So let me start out with what I call the "crappys," or what some people call "lows" or "concerns" etc. My crappys are as follows:

Monday-9 hour clinical orientation day

Tuesday: NCLEX questions due & an A&P Test

Wesnesday: Parent/Child Test & Group Discussion Project due

All of these things are examples of why nursing school sucks, however, I am also experiencing quite a few "happys" this week:

Monnday: Watching the Bachelor with my SWEET friend Megan

Tuesday: Dinner with El, Cait, and Linds

Wesnesday: The dread of school is OVER for the week

Thursday: My precious little brother's 10th birthday

Friday: Non-Commissioned Officers at the Mercy Lounge (more exciting details about this to follow in another post!!!)

AND....

(drum roll....)

Saturday: CHATTANOOGA FOR HANNAH'S WEDDING!!!

So obviously my happys outweigh my crappys... I mean, come on! Saturday alone will make this dreadful week worth while. I will get to be in Chattanooga, see so many people I love, and see my beautiful friend marry the man of her dreams!! Does it get any better?

I cannot even begin to explain how excited/eager I am for the weekend to come. It will be so much fun with the most amazing people ever! Let the week go by fast, and the good times roll...

WOO HOO!

Exercise.... PLEASE!

OK, so I have decided that I have been lazy for WAY too long. It is time for me to start some sort of exercise. In theory this is great, but a lot easier said than done.

Here is a list of my problems with exercising:

1. I only run if I'm being chased.

2. I don't have time to go to a ZUMBA or a BOOT CAMP class at the Y.

3. I'm really over my Mimi's 5 mile walking tape.

Much needed intervention is needed for my poor, little body... well, my poor, big body I should say.

I'm am open to ideas and LOTS of encouragement!

Love,
Your Lazy Friend

The One With Encouragement

The last few weeks, I have felt an overwhelming feeling of being "burnt out" and tired of my same old routine. Tired of being in Nashville while all of my friends are in Chattanooga and other places, and also tired of Nursing School and having no life other than school, studying, and work.

Every week our VP of Missions at Saint Thomas Hospital sends out a word of encouragement, and this weeks email caught my attention. Just thought I'd share it with you, and hopefully it will be as encouraging to you as it is to me.

Keeping Your Heart Alive

We are all familiar with the concept and phenomenon of “burnout.” It is the place where we find ourselves bereft of even one more single ounce of physical, emotional or spiritual energy. It is what happens to us when we have given, or been robbed of, all the strength we have, and the only identifiable characteristic that remains within us is an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

We reach this point sometimes in our personal relational lives. Neighbors, friends, family members – those who inhabit the significant realms of our relationships – are experienced as needy and draining. We are overtaken by the complexity of their problems, by their inability to cope, and by the seeming absence of our being able to offer practical, effective and relatively immediate solutions.

We sometimes find ourselves in this situation when we are overcome by the tragedies, disappointments, failures, and setbacks experienced in our own lives. Often we are not able to see any way out from under the huge mound of troubles that are thrust upon us from almost every side.

At other times we experience being burned out at work. The tasks and opportunities that once excited and enlivened us have now become dull, tedious, boring. There is no sense of satisfaction, no enjoyment, only daily drudgery followed by more daily drudgery.

There is nothing wrong with having found yourself at one or even many of these dead-ends of life. In some ways these situations are unavoidable hazards for those who are willing to be open and genuinely engage in the lives of others and for those who are so generous as to put their “heart and soul” into their work. And so, the question becomes, “how can we keep our hearts alive in settings and among circumstances where it is so easy to lose heart?”

While not a “cure-all” formula, permit me to offer some observations that may offer relief and antidote:
-We need to be vigilant against the natural tendency of us all to view ourselves as powerless over the external forces of life circumstances. It is true that we have no power over sickness or death, no necessary control of global and national economic forces, no regulation of the behavior of others. But we do have complete control of our own integrity, a relentless persistence in our deep beliefs and convictions. In times of difficulty it is, indeed, easy to be overcome, but, for those who have taken time and effort to identify and cultivate roots in rich and immutable values, external adversity suggests that life may be very well changed, even radically changed, but certainly not at all ended.
-There is also a tendency within us to want to understand and interpret the events of our lives in the most simple of terms. We want things to be clearly right or clearly wrong, happy or sad, noble or base. We look at ourselves that way too, fairly consistently avoiding recognition of those unpleasant and painful sides of anxiety, anger, guilt, and grief. Because we regularly tend to ignore the “shadow” sides of ourselves, they become larger than life and more debilitating when they occasionally cycle into inescapable prominence. We do well to cultivate regular attention to all of our feelings, including the more distressing and negative ones, so that our hearts do not become untowardly dominated by any one or small group.
-We should take time to “polish” the vision planted deep within our hearts. The youthful idealism that promised so much hope and enthusiasm does not have to become dull and extinguished over time. We periodically need to remember those motivations and aspirations that prompted us to seek after love and to set high and lofty goals. The circumstances of our lives have certainly added more complication to their pursuit and attainment, but periodic remembrance, revival and resetting will keep the passions of the heart burning, providing sustenance and support throughout all our life.

Periodic exhaustion is to be expected in those who enthusiastically engage life and work. Incorporating regular rituals of reflection and rejuvenation provide the necessary periods of rest that build resilience and balance. Life is given to us as a gift. It may feel tattered every once in a while, but it is still a gift. Cherish it; care for it; keep your heart alive.

Jerry Kearney, Vice President of Missions, Saint Thomas Hospital

In Christ,

taylor

The One With The Long Over Due Update!

Ok, so I realize how long it has been since my last post... and that I need to update you blogsters on my life, so here we go!

My last post ended with a lot of uncertainty. Well... this summer I had another fabulous summer at camp, followed by my official move back to Nashville. I got accepted to nursing school at Aquinas College in Nashville, and I started in August. EXCITING EXCITING EXCITING!

The last 3 months have been very challenging between changing schools, moving back home, and starting nursing school. I have had some wondeful ups, as well as my fair share of downs, however, God is at work! I finally feel like I'm beginning to adjust to this new chapter in my life, which lifts a huge burden off my shoulders. I don't feel like... "ugh, I'm back in Nashville" anymore, but more like, "YES!! God is doing GREAT things in Nashville!"

So, I know that this is a super short, lame post, but I promise I will post again soon... lots of clinical paperwork to do tonight!

taylor

The One With All The Goodbyes...

The last few weeks have been full of memories, "lasts", and goodbyes. The UTC Chapter of my life is quickly coming to an end, which is exciting, but mostly sad.

I had my last bible study with the girls that I have been with for three years. They have meant more to me than I could ever describe. These are the women in my life that truly know me... the real me. They have been here for me through everything, and I am forever thankful for all of them. They have been a huge part of my life, and they have taught me what it means to have a real, unbelievable relationship with our wonderful Jesus Christ. They have held me accountable through many stages of my life, which has taught me so much about the importance of my relationships with Godly women.

My bible study leader, Andrea Lamb, has made a huge impact on my life. We met a while before she and her husband, Ben, joined staff with Campus Crusade. She and I started meeting together once a week just to talk and share about our lives, which began a beautiful relationship. She and I came to find out just how much we really have in common. Not only are our personalities oh so very similar, but we are both extremely OPEN with bodily functions (haha), which added to our bond! She is one of the most real, beautiful women I have ever met, and she will be incredibly missed, but I know we will continue to stay close.

At our last bible study, Andrea gave all of the senior girls (plus me) a plant. She the proceeded to read us the Parable of the Sower from Luke 8:5-15 that says,

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

" though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand."

"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

This is a picture of my plant. Jamie Williams and I went to Walmart, bought pots and soil, and planted out little plants! They are beautiful! Let's just hope that it's planted in good soil!

I have also had some of my last Chi Omega events... including Scoops for Wishes, our Sisterhood Retreat, and my last family dinner of the semester!

Kristin and Cara came to Cold Stone to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation!

This was my tent.... Jessica, Sara, Kasey, and Me! I love PC '09 Girls!

My Beautiful Family (minus Kat)

During these last weeks, I have also closed a chapter with my First Pres small group girls! Although I will see most of them this summer at camp, I will still miss them so much when I'm back in Nashville next semester.

I had the wonderfully unique experience of GPS May Day 2010.... enough said!

This is a picture of the girls I intern with and the girls in our small groups!

Me, Emma, Kristin, Jessie, Cara

As I close this chapter of my life, I am very sad, but so excited! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for... even if it's not what I have planned. I found out this week that I was placed on the waiting list for Nursing school, which means that I won't find out if I'm accepted until May 25th. Yes, at first I cried and was very upset, but I God has brought me to a place where I am at peace with whatever happens. As my wonderful aunt Kristen reminded me, I do not want to be where God doesn't want me to be. If Nursing School at Aquinas Fall 2010 is not where the Lord wants me, he has something greater planned for me. I'm just waiting on the Lord!