Interesting Quotes

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain. (in an e-mail from a friend...reminds me of the mystery of how joy and sadness can coexist)

I'm as thirsty as a dehydrated goldfish. (a quote from a video at devos of a really funny guy retelling the story of Gideon)

One Word Testimony

Have you ever thought about what your testimony (story of how God's moved in your life) would be if it was shortened to one word? For example, "God is my ________." I think it's actually kind of hard to decide on one word, but my July words would be:

God is my STRENGTH. (I've been exhausted a lot lately, not sleeping well.)
God is my PROTECTOR. (I don't have to protect myself from other people or from feeling pain or have to live in fear.)
God is my HOPE. (I've been been sad a lot lately.)
God is my RESCUER. (I got a flat tire on my bike.)
God is my REFUGE/HIDING PLACE. (I've been lonely a lot lately, had to say good-bye to a lot of people lately.)

Just a Shadow

About once a week in July, God blessed me with a particularly joyful, grateful, in awe of Him day. When I was journaling about all the ways He'd blessed me at the end of one of those days, I noticed a verse that had stuck out to me earlier that morning, "the law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming" (Hebrews 10:1). Along the same lines, it made me smile to think that this incredibly joyful, meaningful, my-heart-is-so-happy day was just a shadow of how good, full, and satisfying heaven is going to be.

A few joyful July moments:
*seeing Derek and Ashley, friends from Summer 2008 COAT
*finding out Melissa is engaged, friend from Summer 2008 COAT
*playing horse shoes with Rabecca at Fourth of July....making up tons of silly horse shoe throwing positions and movement combinations
*trampling salt with Helen (Matthew 5:13...apparently her salt had lost its saltiness, so we decided to throw a bit on the ground and dance on it)
*flying away like superheros with Jen S. as we left the office building on an errand...woosh!
*making a pirate eye patch for Matt B. to wear while he was mopping (Mopping is always more fun when singing and talking in a pirate accent, ah matey!)
*jumping for joy with Sarah B. at community lunch because it was such a good day and getting others to literally jump with us
*making a birthday sign for Marty and another for IT guy appreciation day---the beginnings of using computer/design skills to encourage others/be humorous/creative
*remembering Laura gave me bubble wrap for my birthday after we saw some people dancing on it in the movie Mr. Magorium's Emporium (a kids' movie) and breaking it out to celebrate the night before she moved. Did you know that the twist is the most effective dance move at getting those bubbles to pop? Overall, the most effective method we found, however, was riding our bikes over it! Later we learned that the ease of bubble popping is directly related to the size of the bubble. The bigger the bubble, the deeper and louder and more easily attained is the popping sound. Now you know :0)