A Few Words from Mrs. Beckster

My Favorite Things

2011-10-15T15:47:00.001-05:00

A few of my favorite things these days....

My fall wreath! (Thanks, Nancy, for the idea!) I love it so much that I didn't want to put it on the outside of the front-door-that-we-don't-use. So, it's hanging on the wall.

Battery-operated candles on a timer. We are enjoying these things so much. Every night as the sun goes down, magical candles automatically start flickering all over our house. One night last week, I came home to an empty house about 9pm and was happily greeted by flickering "candles"! Such a great investment - get some.

I had almost sworn-off tortillas. Lets be honest, they sometimes stink like.....feet. Oh, you don't think so? Sorry I ruined that for you. Well, these fellas changed my mind! These delicious Whole-Foods tortillas make this recipe fantastic!

The Labelmaker!! .....also known as the organizer's dream machine. This bad boy has been hard at work recently helping me organize my home. Come over and I'll show you!

Do you have any favorite things that I should know about?

Daily Resurrection

2011-10-05T16:50:00.001-05:00

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many." 2 Cor. 1:8-11

My soul absolutely fed on these words this morning. There are endless ways to describe the Word of God, but today I would choose rich and.....so very real.

Lets think about the author of these verses: Paul. --Apostle.--Church-planter.--Endured hardships unimaginable.--At the top of the hero list. But then verse eight stopped me in my tracks. I read and re-read. Paul despaired???

Paul is referring to some intense suffering he had incurred since last writing to the church in Corinth, likely persecution, illness, or injury. In the next verse, we read that the suffering was so intense that Paul honestly felt like his life was soon to end.

The word used here (in the original Greek) for despair means "to utterly be at a loss." If you're like me, however, then I don't need to explain the meaning. Yes, I know this word well. I know what it means to come to the end of myself, to feel like it is "far beyond [my] ability to endure." But that is my weakness. Paul felt the same?

Apparently so. Paul was very real about his emotions, but equally as real about the Truth. Read this commentary from The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible study notes: (pg. 1872-3)

"God's purpose in our afflictions is often to cause us to cease trusting in our own strength and abilities and trust more fully in him."

Alleluia! What sweet release and relief comes from casting our burdens onto Jesus. To know that I do not have to shoulder the burden any longer on my own is a mind-blowing revelation. My strength flows from His well! Despairing is normal; we live in a fallen world and feel the effects of that "fallenness", the results of sin. But how much more does my heart need to fully realize my weakness and boast in His strength! Let me gladly allow affliction to lead me deeper into Him.

"If God can empower even the dead to return to life, surely he can enable believers in their weaknesses. In this way, the death and resurrection of Christ are daily manifested anew in believers' lives (cf. 1Co 15:31; Gal 2:20), and their future resurrection is foreshadowed as well (Php 3:10; Col 3:10).

And this is where I feasted, folks. So my weaknesses - yes, even my occasional despair - is an opportunity to experience the Gospel afresh each and every day! When I feel weak, I can claim the very work of God through Christ on my behalf to overcome my own weakness, cling to Christ, and live in His strength. Rejoicing in my weaknesses preaches the Gospel to myself each day-- I need Him! And He gives Himself to me! What richness and comfort and contentment is there.

There is more in this chapter on prayer.

"Prayer has real results. Paul was convinced that God has ordained his relationship to the world in such a way that he will respond to prayer. Paul needed this kind of help from others, just as each of us does. The Greek term translated "then" may also be rendered "in order that." The clause depends on God's action in the beginning of verse 10 (deliverance from peril). God would continue to deliver Paul and answer prayer "in order that" many people would thank and praise God. Throughout all of human history God's desire is that many people serve and praise Him (Ge 1:28-29; Rev. 7:9). Paul's ministry served this goal by redeeming many who would praise the grace of God (cf. 4:15).

May He be glorified, praised, and served through the work of His grace in my life.

Happiest Day of my Life!

2011-09-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

September 13, 2008

THIS was a great day! Three years later, we celebrated last week with a visit to Mount Dora -- enjoyed a bed-and-breakfast, explored the town's eateries (what else do you do on vacation?!), and toured the area on segways! (I might need one of my own...very, very fun) We had a really great time together that weekend, but are even more grateful for the three years of marriage behind us and the exciting years of adventure ahead!

I praise God for you, JHY! (posting on his birthday today)

New Look

2011-09-20T15:27:00.001-05:00

I've been working so diligently on this blog, that I decided mine needed a major re-do!

What do you think?

I'm open to any and all feedback - please share! Also, I'm looking for a new name.....suggestions?

More to come!

Luke 13: 10 -13

2011-09-19T12:45:00.000-05:00

"Never underestimate the ability of our Savior to see you. He cares for you and about you and He has not forgotten you."

This quote is from Patsy Clairmont while speaking at a women's conference. She was referencing Luke 13, when Jesus - of his own initiative, not by her asking - healed a crippled woman on the Sabbath.

This was exactly what I needed last night --- I laughed so hard at her humor and delivery, but she also took me to our Savior, whose compassion and love for me is greater than I could ever imagine.

You can hear the entire talk here. (about 25 minutes) I highly recommend it!

Student Stories

2011-09-07T19:05:00.000-05:00

I am so very grateful for a job that I love.

I have a job.
And I love doing what I do.

That's something to celebrate, isn't it?

What's more is that my wonderful job allows me to influence nations, many nations. My students come from the Phillipines, Japan, China, Pakistan, Morocco, UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, France, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Switzerland, Ethiopia, Haiti, Guatemala, Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, Nicaragua, Mexico, and more. I truly do consider it a privilege to help them meet their academic goals, which in turn propels them toward personal or national goals. And this is why I love it.

In my attempt to revive this blog yet again, I think this very spot is a good place to record a sampling of the student stories I want to remember. Here is my first installment. As a sidenote, these are all from entirely different classes/schools.

~
When asked to describe a place from his childhood, a Pakistani man chose amazingly descriptive words to transport me to a beautiful lake -- away from the noisy, dusty city with his family to a lush respite in the mountains, where families picnicked and splashed in the water. Then, to my horror, he told me of the drowning death of his uncle on one such family outing. It's hard to imagine the coexistence of such beauty and such sorrow at once, a concept much more real in that era, in that place, than here.

"I have a story I want to tell you." But, you gave your personal speech yesterday. I want to give everyone in the class a turn and we need to keep moving through the roster today. "But I really want to tell you this story." So, we stepped outside at the end of class. There, at the bottom of the student stairwell, with the hustling and bustling of college students running to class, talking about their new shoes, and enthusiastically yelling 'hello's' across the courtyard, this gal from Turkey described her kidnapping by gypsies when she was five years old. She could tell me about the candy they offered her, the smell of the feedsack over her head, the rocking of the cart she sat in for six fearful hours until her father found her. "My father saved my life. He thought he might lose me forever, but he would not give up." Can you imagine where she might be today if that nightmare had not ended? This is not from a movie. These are the lives of people around us!

One of my favorite assignments in speech class is the "Old Bag Speech." Students bring a bag that has some type of significance and fill it with three items that represent their past, present, and future. One student started, "The item that represents my past....well....I waited a really long time for this. It represents my past because I waited ten years." I'm trying to predict in my head what it might be while she continues to build the suspense. Obviously, I think, this is very important! What could it be? She whipped out a small card and said, "It's my Green Card." Before I had time to process that annoucement - not even close to my guesses - the whole class erupted in whooping and hollaring and applause!! I wasn't sure how to respond, but I followed suit and started clapping. I've got a lot to learn about working with the immigrant community!

I pulled out a question card, turned to the next student, and asked "What is one thing in your past you wish you could change?" Without hesitating, he answered, "I wish my boys were still alive." My eyes popped. Excuse me? I have known you, at this school, for at least eight months where you have been enrolled in no less than four of my classes. What are you talking about? "They both had the same rare disease. One died at birth and one lived for just two years." He spoke of his first son, who lived in the hospital for two years and came home for one week before his sudden death; and he spoke of the joy and fear that came with the next pregnancy, which ended before life outside the womb could even begin. I was dumbfounded that I had known this man for so long without the slightest inking as to the enormity of pain he carried in his heart. Alongside the pain, I was also able to see a tenderness for his wife that I had not seen before. Thinking of this family still breaks my heart. (I might add that my question card does sound a bit loaded, doesn't it? --maybe I should throw it out-- But I'm not really asking for deep, personal revelations. I'm asking for the correct grammar use of "wish statements", which in his defense he nailed!)

Glory by Selah & Nichole Nordeman

2011-09-07T16:04:00.001-05:00

Wow, I am crazy about this song! I looked for a good YouTube video so you could listen to it right here, but the pictures pared with this song tend to be either cheesy or offensive. So, you'll have to find another way to listen to it - but DO IT! I pray you are blessed.

This... This is our soul's deepest longing and what our hope is fixed upon.

One day eyes that are blind will see you clearly

And one day all who deny will finally believe

One day hearts made of stone will break in pieces

And one day chains once unbroken will fall down at your feet

So we wait

for that one day

come quickly!

We want to see your Glory

Every knee falls down before thee

Every tongue offers you praise -- With every hand raised

Singing Glory to you and unto you only

We'll sing Glory to Your name

One day voices that lie will all be silent

One day all that's divided will be whole again

One day death will retreat and wave it's white flag

One day love will defeat the strongest enemy

So we wait We know not the day or the hour or the moments in between

for that one day

come quickly!

We want to see your Glory

Every knee falls down before thee

Every tongue offers you praise -- With every hand raised

Singing Glory to you and unto you only

We'll sing Glory to Your name

But we know the end of the story when we'll see

Glory!

Every knee falls down before thee

Every tongue offers you praise -- With every hand raised

Singing Glory to you and unto you only

We'll sing Glory to Your name

Eucharisteo

2011-03-14T19:36:00.002-05:00

51. Grace of my Heavenly Father - what grace and mercy!
52. grace of my husband
53. which comes from him truly knowing the Grace of the Father
54. and loving the Father
55. and seeking to follow Him, honor Him, serve Him
56. by loving me well
57. a much-anticipated trip this week!
58. full of learning and training and growing
59. my company, which is sending me
60. a last-minute flight for Joe to join me!
61. the means by which to do that
62. a time in our life when it's possible to do that
63. our home group
64. hosting dinners at our home
65. st. patrick and his service to the church, to missiology, and to Ireland
66. celebrations! with green food!
67. my iphone :)

Eucharisteo

2011-02-21T20:54:00.003-05:00

35. A discipline that is working on my heart! --finding beauty everywhere and feeling thankfulness grow
36. A job.
37. That I generally love.
38. my Mom
39. a whole-long-nearly-eleven-hour-day with her on Saturday
40. celebrating my birthday with the one who gave it to me
41. new clothes!
42. mom's generosity
43. neverending things to talk about with her
44. understanding --getting-- each other
45. remembering difficult years and reveling in grace!
46. a tremendously authentic, difficult, and piercing sermon this weekend
47. B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l (this is why I live in FL) weather!
48. Tim Keller in Orlando
49. fellowship with family in Christ -grateful for joy that I feel anticipating it!
50. organization, yes, it makes me so happy

Four Years

2011-02-14T20:39:00.003-05:00

I sat on the couch, all comfy in PJs and enjoying the company of old friends and new, and stared at my phone.

The text read, "Can we meet somewhere and talk?"

I looked up, caught the eyes of my roommate, and, well, I may have let out a little scream. I showed her the phone screen. She screamed.

We both knew what this meant.

I had spent the last week on board a cruise ship, aptly named by fellow cruisers the Love Boat, with around 100 of my fellow ministry partners; one of which, in particular, held nearly all of my attention.

I had spent the last month on the phone with this fella nearly everyday, sharing our lives and getting to know each other.

I had spent the last several months emailing him jokes, comments, and interruptions to his day.

I had spent the last twenty-five years praying for him.

So, when the text rang from my phone, my roommate and I knew: now, my prince had come!

He came over to my house around 10pm, all snuffly and sick, and we walked around the neighborhood putting words to feelings and throwing around questions like "what about Japan?" and "what about my timeline?" and " what could this mean?" The answer to all of that was "I just don't know." We walked in silence.

The only answer I could find was: "I do know I don't want to walk away from you." We held hands and prayed and asked God for direction.

And God blessed! What followed was the most incredible year of adventures and memories and hard discussions and growth. What delight we had in being together! Neither of us could believe the joy God gave in our relationship.

Four years later... what a sweet Valentine I have! He is a treasure. He is grace - the loving gift of God for my good, a daily reminder of God's tender care for me, and a place of safety for my heart. Love grows more, richer and deeper. We're still learning each other - what he/she likes, how he/she gets irritated, and (the hard one) how to bless in the midst of irritation. I'm learning how to really pray for someone and how to trust God with someone.

An adventure, to be sure, and one I'm most grateful for. What could He have for us? We're not sure, but definitely praying and dreaming and holding fast together.

I'm so glad that dashing young fella called and asked to talk!

One Thousand Gifts = Eucharisteo

2011-02-14T20:19:00.003-05:00

Let me just start this post by saying that I am really being blessed by reading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts! It's such a good read packed with descriptive examples and piercing summaries of what's really happening in our hearts. It's scrumptious. Read it.

The premise is that our lives are so busily focused on earthly things that we fail to see the great gifts of Love showered upon us all day everyday by our Heavenly Father. To combat this ungrateful symptom of the imperfect life, the author welcomes us into her daily habit of recording moments of joy on a list that she calls One Thousand Gifts. She is well past one thousand...and I am well on my way! She keeps a journal with her at all times (and often a camera, too) to never miss a moment to record. The physical habit has transformed her spiritual habits to reflect a heart of worship.

The word Eucharisteo is the greek word that led her through Scripture to embrace a life of gratefulness, a life that says thanks at every moment. (Read more in chapter two!) So I will retitle my posts Eucharisteo and you may just see them a little more often.

18. Flowers. Delivered. Shock and awe! Feeling loved.
19. Valentines Day dinner with friends!
20. A reason to decorate the table all pink and red, light candles, welcome friends, and dine together.
21. Dan & Tawnny Kramer
22. Ken & Crystal Mauger
23. Making Valentine cards
24. Sending Valentine cards and boxes with joy, imagining my loved one receiving it!
25. Sleeping in
26. Naps
27. the Bahamas :)
28. Tour guides happy to tell me about their home
29. the 24-hour buffet
30. boats on clear, turquoise seas
31. Quiet moments reading with a cup of tea overlooking calm, dark waters
32. HOME! So grateful for the home I have with my husband.
33. Teaching at VCC - love my students, love my time with them, loving helping them grow
34. sunshine

One Thousand Gifts

2011-02-07T12:19:00.002-05:00

7. Sickness last week that brought a forced slowdown
8. St. Paul's Mission Conference - so very blessed! Thank you, Dr. Oh!
9. Barbie & Sarah who worked so hard and did such a tremendous job with the organization of the conference
10. a whole day with Amy on Saturday, serving together
11. fresh fruit and vegetables at our table after a weekend of busyness/eating out
12. shopping my closet and finding new combos
13. anticipation for blessings ahead
14. Sunday afternoon naps with Husband
15. A husband who serves joyfully
16. A treasured book arrived - my copy of One Thousand Gifts!
17. Newfound hours of pleasure reading - no longer required to give a reading report :)

Investing in your Marriage

2011-01-26T12:57:00.002-05:00

Me again with a hearty recommendation for you to take your spouse to Family Life's Weekend to Remember conference this year and make a very big, very worthy, very important investment in your marriage.

It doesn't matter if ya'll are swinging at a perfect 10 or struggling to find kind words for one another, --if you're like us, you're probably somewhere in the middle of that assessment, and may fluctuate greatly between the two all in one day!-- but the point on this conference is to realign your marriage to God's principles and plan for the gift He's given you in each other.

Take a weekend to get away, just the two of you - it's hard, but very, very fun. Did I mention there's a planned date night on Saturday night?

If you're in Orlando, the dates are March 18-20 and April 1-3, both in Lake Mary. Right now, you can score a BOGO registration offer by entering the keycode BOB at checkout.

Do it! It's so very, very worth it! I promise you won't regret it.

Another idea? Bless a newly married couple with this precious time. Thank you Danny & Suzanne for doing that for us!

Here's to a long, healthy marriage for the sake of His Kingdom! ~~~

One Thousand Gifts

2011-01-24T16:50:00.005-05:00

Well, my friends, it's 2011!

I'm excited and ready to....
--Get my book in the mail and start reading!
--Join the Bloom Book Club with my sister-in-law!
--Start recording my one thousand gifts+!

Happy Monday! ....Here we go:

1. A job. Hard days remind me I need to be thankful for work, as God created.
2. A very great treasure of a husband with endless grace.
3. Fun friends visiting our house this week! Close friends who 'get' you are hard to find.
4. A toddler to play with 24-7. We love you, Elias!
5. My nephew, Jacob. Happy Birthday big boy! Love hearing you say you're two. :)
6. My niece, Katie-girl, who was dedicated to the Lord yesterday by her parents.
7. My SIL, Ashlee, celebrating her birthday this week. You are an answer to many, many prayers, the sister I never had, and one of my best friends!
8. A very heart-full day with my family yesterday celebrating God's gifts to us.
6. The love of the Father - a love I don't know I'll ever fully understand. It amazes me everyday.

It's here!

2010-10-08T09:33:00.003-05:00

"It's here," said my Joe, as he leaned back in his chair, let out a heavy sigh, and closed his eyes to relish in the thought.

What long-awaited and dreamed about event could he be referring to?

Why, the arrival of FALL, of course! We've finally experienced some cooler temperatures this week, and it looks like they're here to stay.

The man has been known to sing the diddy "It' the most wonderful time of the year" ....in October. He loves fall!

Certainly fall in Orlando is a far cry from fall in Baltimore, but the reprieve from the heat is exciting nonetheless.

Hope you are enjoying your fall as much as we are! It's time for some camping.

Welcome Katherine Ann Rich Hansen!

2010-07-16T18:09:00.002-05:00

Welcome, baby girl! The Lord has given you a great family, so eager to get to know you! And your brother and sisters will be so good to you! May you know and serve our King all your days.

I guess we're big now.

2010-07-12T19:47:00.008-05:00

I was reading the July 2010 issue of Christianity Today last night and found a little blurb about some latest Pioneers news. I looked up, glanced across the outdoor tables of the restaurant where I was resting, and thought very matter-of-factly to myself, "I guess we're big now."

I mean, I knew we passed the "large missions agency" mark several years ago. Internationally, Pioneers now supports over 1,900 missionaries around the world in some of the least-reached and least-served places. When compared to just over 500 in 2003, it's obvious that we have grown tremendously at an incomparable rate. The numbers are big.

In 2004, mentioning the name of Pioneers usually required a heavy dose of explaining; most had never heard of it. (Either that, or, truthfully, we were confused with Pioneers girls clubs or Pioneer Bible Translators, or even Frontiers. If I had only thought to count the phone conversations centered around these!) Today, Pioneers is at every major missions conference across the US. While visiting churches, I'm no longer surprised to run into a Pioneers missionary on home assignment. Little explaining is required. The reputation is big.

And now, our little announcement has become major news in the evangelical world. Well, it's clearly not a little announcement. (We merged with AWM.) But Christianity Today thought it worth including. Our news is big.

You see, my five years with Pioneers was during the "breaking out of the shell" period. During my time in the US recruitment office (with 5 particular heros: Alan Chantelau, John Downer, James Kim, Steve Ludwig, and Lauri Nevius), our team witnessed and participated in an explosion of growth that wielded tidal waves of effect on teams and ministries around the world. We didn't really know it then. We just had loads of fun working and praying together, traveling together (playing poker and singing karaoke together). We rode the wave with hearts and hands open to where God was leading us. It was an absolutely exciting time to be a part of what God was doing through Pioneers.

Now we look back - 3.5 out of 5 now serving the Lord in other capacities - with joy at the privilege of being a great team with a great goal. (Like that .5? That's you, Steve, working with Pioneers in England.)

But I wonder if others, like me, still think of Pioneers as the little guy. The little booth (awesome as it looked) next to the "big guns" of mission conferences. The young, smiling rep willing to listen to whatever hair-crazed mission idea the next generation dreamed about, praying with and encouraging him or her that the Holy Spirit's leading is worth following. The org whose name was not always known, but whose globe was.

Very good memories, indeed.

Very worthy work, indeed.

Very great King, whose Kingdom will never end - Indeed!

The purpose remains: Pioneers mobilizes teams to glorify God among unreached peoples by initiating church-planting movements in partnership with local churches.

Since 1979, so many others have joined this vision for the sake of the King and His Kingdom. So many have been willing to go, with Pioneers willing to send.

And so....we're big now.

PS...Love you, heros!

Holy Week

2010-03-29T10:07:00.002-05:00

This is the holiest, most special, most glorious week of our year!

Oh, how much my heart needs to be turned toward these Sacred days, and away from the sin, the worldly worries and troubles, that so easily entangles.

Here are a few of the ways the Yoons hope to celebrate, meditate, and worship this week...

Easter Decor - Joe laughs at my seasonal decor, but it brings delight to me! This year I'm embracing the egg motif because of the symbolism of new life. Other than that, the stores are not offering me much help keeping the true symbolism of the season. I finally found a cute little lamb to put as my table centerpiece - Behold, the Lamb of God! Next to the lamb, and throughout the house, I've added a lot of Scripture to memoralize the events of this week. Also, I'm a fan of the Easter Garland (an easy project for your kiddos!).
Easter Tree - Better late than never...I'm working on an Easter Tree. That, and more great ideas, here.
Passover Seder - some choose to always celebrate this the week of Easter, but the holiday actually falls within Holy Week this year (though not always). We're enjoying an evening of fellowship at our house with a few friends.
Devotionals - I love the simple dinner devotionals here. This is designed for young kids, but we'll adapt it for us in this and other ways, too.
Services - Our church offers several great services that minister to my soul.
Family - Finally, we'll cap off the week with a backporch picnic at my parents' house. I like doing the picnic thing; it feels like spring and it's a restful way to spend the Lord's Day with great company.

Don't let the week pass without letting your soul soak in the rich Grace and Love we receive through Christ our Lord! I have found that if I don't consciously expect and plan for heart-enriching times like these, the days and celebrations pass by without even a memory of the Spirit's gentle touch.

In God's great, great Love and Providence, I have been made a part of His family. I am His. How could this be? I ask myself everyday. The answer is in Christ Himself, the humble sacrifice He offered in my rightly-deserved place. The judgment has been fully satisfied! It is finished!

May my heart and yours be warmed to exuberent joy over such glory this week!

Happy Birthday Sister!

2010-01-26T22:22:00.004-05:00

Happy 30th Ashlee! Love you very much!

May the Lord bless you immensely in this next year, and the next decade!

From what I know, this year is gonna be a great one. ;)

Happy Birthday Jakey Boy!

2010-01-20T20:21:00.002-05:00

Jacob Nels Hansen is a year old today! He has brought so much joy to the whole family and we just love him to pieces! He's such a happy boy. Here he is wearing his gift from his papa. :)

We're headed to Jax this weekend to help throw a party for both Jacob AND my SIL Ashlee who is turning the BIG 3-0!! Yes, I just announced that on my blog.

Love ya'll!

Free admission to Leu Gardens this Sat-Sun

2010-01-16T10:30:00.003-05:00

Leu Gardens Camellia Show this weekend, Jan 16, 17 Sat/Sun -- FREE.

This is one of the main highlights of the year, with three miles of walkways, gardens, and fully mature trees full of different colors and flavors of camellias, and plant sale, food, music.

And what beautiful weather we've been given!

Click here for more info!

Weekend To Remember Conference BOGOF Through 1/18/10!!

2010-01-09T16:12:00.002-05:00

I'm stealing this post from another website, but know that the Yoons HIGHLY RECOMMEND this too! We were so blessed by attending a conference last year and look forward to volunteering at the two Orlando conferences this year.

Seriously....think about it! Well worth every single penny.

I want you to take a look at: Weekend To Remember Conference BOGOF Through 1/18/10!!

Sidenote: I regularly visit this website and love the heart and message of it. Take a look around while you're there!

Goodbye, old friend

2009-12-30T12:32:00.002-05:00

The end of 2009 brings to another end my well-worn friendship with one particular saucepan, namely a Wolfgang Puck 5-quart nonstick saucepan with a glass top.

To the saucepan: You have served me/us faithfully and tirelessly to the end! You represent a myriad of blessings in my life, and I shall never forget you!

(But, alas, your end has come as we suspect you may secretly be poisoning us as your "nonstick-ness" is shaving off into our food.)

Before the rest of you think I'm being absolutely ridiculous, let me explain:

The story begins in the summer of 2005, when I found myself suddenly in need of a new place to live. I spent considerable time in prayer over this decision, talked with many possible roommates, and searched the city for houses for rent. Would you believe that God led me to the house directly next door to the current one I was renting? That was the first blessing, and one of many during this time that comforted me with God's love and provision.

In addition to the all-important decisions of finding a roof to put over my head and a roommate (or two) with which to share it, there was another small matter that echoed throughout my prayers. "Lord, will you really provide all I need? What about the many additional expenditures that come with getting my own place? ....like pots and pans, for example? I don't currently own any....and I'd have to buy them in order to eat...really, can I do this? Is this move the best decision for me?" At 23 years old, these were big issues!...rooted in fear, doubt, lack of courage over promises, etc. And so, I prayed. Over all of it.

What does this have to do with the precious, treasured Wolfgang Puck 5-quart nonstick saucepan with a glass top? I found this little guy waiting in my new house for me! Before starting to cart my few belongings across the lawn on the night of the move, I was poking my nose around my beautiful, new kitchen and gasped when I opened a cupboard absolutely full of shiny pots and pans in every shape and size!!

I'm sure I cried, actually. I melted onto the tile floor and praised the Lord for so generously and graciously caring for my every need.

This pan is the only one still in my possession. I blessed friends and family with the others in the cupboard that night, but have been unable to part with this one until now.

Who could believe one little pan could bring so much joy? It did bring a lot of joy! A thousand meals have been cooked in that pan over the past four years - for girlfriends catching up, for neighbors stopping by, for missionaries seeking respite, for new friends and old friends, for family and "like-family", for friends who just had babies....the list continues. And of greatest joy, this pan even traveled with me into marriage, with which I have cooked at least 80% of my husband's dinners!

Now...am I being ridiculous? You could never convince me so. It's not the pan, per say, that I love, but all that it represents!

And so I say....goodbye, old friend. You represent a beautiful time of blessing and growth in my life, and I thank God for it.

A casual stroll through Macys the other night happened upon the finding of a new 5 (and a half!) quart saucepan just in our price range. We proudly brought it home and eagerly look forward to the thousands of meals it will serve many more wonderful friends and family around our table. (maybe the extra half quart we gained in this pan is a foreshadowing of future needs! ;)

$5 Magazine Alert!!

2009-12-01T15:26:00.001-05:00

I know I need to update you on the final numbers of November's grocery budget....but this is TOO GOOD to pass up today!

Check out the $5 magazine subscriptions at Amazon! Good through today, December 1st.

I'm getting a few as Christmas gifts!

$30 Challenge: Week 2

2009-11-09T22:19:00.002-05:00

Week 2 Meal Plan:

Sunday - out at Mom & Dad's
Monday - Beef Stroganoff
Tuesday - leftovers (Bec out)
Wednesday - London Broil with broccoli & mashed potatoes
Thursday - Grilled chicken over salad
Friday - Pork tenderloin with grilled veggies and rice
Saturday - Spaghetti

Shopping:
Publix $ 28.86

Overall, I'm still under budget, but with a mere $3 in my cushion fund :), how exactly will T-giving fit into my budget?? Still working a few angles on that challenge.

WA-HOO!! So excited to have actually met my challenge this week...$29 and holding. :) As long as I can stay away from the grocery store for the rest of this week, I'm good. My basket was surprisingly full for such a small bill. I bought a lot of fruits and veggies (Publix had some good vegetables on sale this week), eggs, sour cream, and just two of the B1G1 deals that were good items for my pantry.

One tip that I want to note for my future reference: the "stock-up" list this month included meat, bread, sandwich meat, and pasta. (The bread and pasta only made that list because they were B1G1.) Some other items would be good to include on that list, like a few back-up cans of veggies, dairy products, sauces, baking supplies. I'm going to consider a standard list, and leave out a few of the meat items that I might find later on sale.

Ideas? Opinions?

$30 Challenge: Week 1

2009-11-04T22:39:00.003-05:00

Week 1 Meal Plan:

Sunday - leftovers
Monday - Pot Roast
Tuesday - out for Korean food! Yum! Dad's Bday
Wednesday - Chicken Cacciatore
Thursday - Baked Potato Soup & Salad
Friday - Italian Beef Sandwiches
Saturday - leftovers (after a long day at Kennedy Space Center)

Stock-up:
Sams Club $75
Publix $36
over-budget by $11

Shopping:
Sams $21
Publix $25
over-budget by $16

At this point, the "over-budget" amounts have eaten into my cushion fund, but I'm technically still under my monthy budget. I'll be mentioning this overall update weekly.

NOT a good start! HA! (At least you know I'll be honest.) Hoping this will even out as the month goes along... But here's to show that we're not planning on eating beans and rice every night. I love cooking yummyness.

New Month, New Challenge

2009-11-04T22:06:00.003-05:00

This post is an update to my earlier promise to let you know how our financial class is going. Well...we're not so crazy about it, actually. The principles are excellent, but we're finding that the underlying values of this particular program do not exactly match our own. Nevertheless, we're learning and implementing a lot.

An obvious part of the monthly budget that I have the most control over is the food budget. What's the best way to manage this money? I've been reading blogs, talking with others, and trying a few different grocery-budget-strategies. (oh, and we've added another mouth to feed this month; now i'm cooking for 3.)

If I have any readers that might, in the least, be interested :), I've decided to share this month's experiment with you! We're trying to keep the grocery bill at $250 a month (doesn't include eating out), so here's the lowdown:

Stock-up. As much as I love shopping weekly sales, I really don't think Sams Club meat prices can be beat. So, I started the month there and gave myself $100 to "stock-up." With my leftover money, I grabbed a few of the B1G1 items at Publix this week like bread and pasta.
Weekly. Here comes the challenge: now I'm allowing myself $30 a week for the remaining items I need. Eeek! This money is primarily for buying fresh fruits and veggies. Other items on the list might include what I need for a specific recipe or great sales. :) I love the unexpected sales!
Cushion. If you've done the math, that only leaves me a $30 cushion. It's nice to have a cushion, but a mere $30 won't go far. I'll need to choose wisely and be willing to pass up on a good sale if my meal plan doesn't necessitate it.

This is IMPOSSIBLE without a meal plan! Call me crazy, but I currently have our meals planned for the next 3 weeks! Yep, there's a calendar on our fridge all penciled in. I started by looking at the meat I bought and the items already in my pantry, and then started filling in the boxes.

Don't ask me why I'm doing this now, the month of Thanksgiving, the year of which I'm hosting. Won't that be a budget-breaker?! We'll see!

For any PI readers, you should know the Yoons are gearing up for the Turkey Shoot with intensity. I told Joe we have to win the turkey if we're going to stay under budget. :) (ok, so my strategy is not to practice, but to bring more people to raise our chances! ha)

I'll keep you updated!

PS: This is actually fun for me. Of all the domestic duties, cooking for my family is on the top of my list! And shopping for said cooking is also part of the delight. I could go on and on about that....

Christmas....it's not too early

2009-09-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've already started thinking about Christmas. Christmas is expensive, lets be honest. I'm determined this year to not let it get ridiculously out of hand, financially speaking. SO...I've set a budget for each person, I've started scouring the clearance racks, and I'm probably at least 1/3 done by now! It's been fun.

Here are a few ideas - please share yours!

1.) Both Joe and I thoroughly enjoy gift-giving and have dreams of giving extravagantly. But as we've talked about it, we've had to convince ourselves that it's not about 'the gift' or the amount of money that we spend. The meaning lies behind the gesture of giving, which we would rather focus on. Practically, that means we've lowered the amount we normally spend on family members this year.
2.) I set an individual budget for each man, woman, and child. This has helped me both cap my overall budget and set a shopping limit for each gift.
3.) Within this budget, I still cut corners! For example, if I find something on sale, I count a reasonable amount for the item toward the overall person's $ limit, even if I spent less. Does that make sense? Like, I might choose an item that at full price was out-of-the-question. Whatever I spent on it (30, 50, or 75% off), I choose a reasonable price for it in my head and count that toward their budget. Translation: I end up spending less than my set budget in the end.
4.) I'm considering doing joint gifts for the married folks in the family. This would slightly lower the overall budget and give more money to spend on a bigger gift. Another idea is to combine $ with siblings to get a specific gift someone requests.
5.) Even though we've lowered the amount of money we're spending, it's important to me that I still give something useful and enjoyable. I don't just want to give everyone a new T-shirt because it's cheap...you know what I'm saying?
6.) Starting early gives me more time to scour the sales and spread out the bills. (One person's gift was bought in July...at 80% off with a gift card! super duper score!)
7.) Is this getting boring? Okay, I'll keep going...at least for my sake.
8.) Our financial class says 'make gifts'. I am totally for this, but totally out of ideas this year! Feel free to share if you've got any!
9.) I want to send Christmas cards this year. Don't forget to include the price of stamps into your Christmas budget! Those babies can a-d-d up!
10.) Joe and I will probably do our one-year-old traditions this year (ornament, stockings) and probably not much more. We're toying with the idea of planning a cheap vacay for Jan.-Feb. as a gift to each other instead. Otherwise, we're saving money!!

We hope that early shopping and a decreased focus on how much money we spend will simply serve as tools to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the Advent season! So many distractions slave for our attention during this holy, peaceful time of year. Let us truly worship!

Graduation!

2009-09-24T17:00:00.001-05:00

Praise God! I graduated from the University of Central Florida on August 8, 2009 with my Masters Degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

More good ideas for this Saturday - FREE!

2009-09-24T14:29:00.004-05:00

Saturday, September 26 is Free Museum Day, courtesy of the Smithsonian.

Some of the participating venues in the Orlando area are:

Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens
Bok Tower Gardens
Maitland Art Museum
Florida Air Museum

...and many, many more!

Check out more information here and find a full listing of Florida venues:
http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/about.html

PS...We did Bok Tower Gardens on July 3 and couldn't have loved it more! Highly recommended by the Yoons.

this just in....$5 Science Center on Saturday

2009-09-23T20:51:00.000-05:00

ORLANDO, FL - (September 10, 2009) - The Orlando Science Center, in partnership with the Walmart Foundation, has announced the next “Walmart $5 Day” will be Saturday, September 26 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thanks to Walmart’s generous support, all guests to the Science Center on September 26 will enjoy exhibits, films and live programs for the significantly discounted price of $5. General admission fees are usually $17 for adults and $12 for kids (ages 3-11).

Anniversary Weekend

2009-09-23T18:53:00.004-05:00

If you have read any of my much earlier posts, you might remember that Joe proposed to me at the beach. My mom's family has a house in New Smyrna Beach FL that has been so special to me all of my life. Good choice for a proposal!

We also returned to that beachhouse for our first anniversary celebration. It was a fabulous weekend! Saturday was a little grey, so after a walk on the beach, we went out to lunch and to catch a movie. Then we headed home for our anniversary steak dinner. Yum-O! We packed most of our groceries and really enjoying eating at home. (tip o'the hat to saving money!)

Sunday was gorgeous and we got some wonderful beach time in. But Sunday afternoon was definitely the highlight of our weekend! The next post will be about our little Sunday trip to Jacksonville for a very special event.

We came back to spend one more night and half of Monday back at the house. It was such a relaxing weekend and I can't say enough how much we enjoyed being together and celebrating our marriage!! Love you hubster!! Happy One Year!

Walgreens Register Rewards

2009-09-05T15:06:00.000-05:00

I live about 10 minutes from civilization, except for my Publix and Walgreens, so you'll hear a lot about deals at these particular stores. It's not easy for me to run up to Target for some household need, so I'm at Walgreens a couple times a week. (sadly...I call Walgreens my "target" because if I have an itch to shop or just need some time alone, I can wander around Walgreens for an hour...you know, like normal people do at Target :))

Anyway, I have found the Walgreens Register Rewards to be very useful. Scratch what I'm about to write if you won't use the Walgreens money! For heavens sake, don't lose it! :)

Every week, the Walgreens circular (in your paper or easily read online) advertises several items that, once purchased, will print out a coupon in the form of Walgreens money. I don't think much about a lot of their items, but I always look to see if (1) it's something I use reguarly or (2) it's free! Yes, they have at least 3 -4 items weekly that once purchased, the money is fully refunded to you in the form of a gift card.

Here's an example of what I've gotten free:
-a toothbrush
-feminine products
-Softsoap NutriSerums Body Wash
-large bottle of Jergens handsoap
-and more...

Just a tip to look in the paper and see if you find anything fun to treat yourself to! I go back and use the money on a variety of other things. I know Walgreens can be more expensive than say Target or Walmart, but they also have great weekly coupon sales that I can usually double up with manufacturer coupons.

One final note: you cannot use a register reward coupon to purchase an item that will spit out another register reward. BUT, you can purchase one item, get the register reward, and immediately use it on anything else. You don't need to wait for another day.

Questions? Just leave a comment. I hope I explained that ok.

Free Food!

2009-09-04T09:01:00.001-05:00

Check it out:

www.schwans.com/free

This is a home-delivery service that has been around a long time. I guess they're hurting for business, because I've taken advantage of this offer twice in the last three months. Anyway, you can get one item for $10 or less for free! The delivery is free, if you're home. You have to pay for a small cooler ($5) if you're not going to be home when they deliver it.

A few ideas:

---big bag of 4-cheese tortellini....I got this last time and it was delicious! It serves at least 6!
---desserts....I ordered some chocolate carmel ice cream bars this time
---gourmet coffee...my mom ordered a bag of coffee
---frozen veggies or twice baked potatoes....most of this category is under $10

Enjoy!

FPU

2009-09-03T16:43:00.002-05:00

i'm back. for real. thats all i'm going to say.
--

The Hubster and I recently started a class at our church that we really want to plug: Financial Peace University. I personally think the name is a bit cheesy, but oh well. It's all about how to manage your money through a Biblical lens. We are learning so much! ..and boy, are we quick to apply it! We officially started last Sunday and already we have an envelope system and have moved to all-cash purchases. (the greenbacks literally - sans the debit card!)

Both Joe and I experienced the pressure of credit card debt as singles. Endless swiping of the plastic is a terribly easy temptation and we cringe at the memory of it. So, as soon as we got married, we started looking around for some kind of class to attend together so we could be on the same page in regards to our finances. Here we are and we are really thrilled.

The class is taught (via DVD) by Dave Ramsey, who also has a nationally-syndicated radio show. (For those of you in the Orlando area, it's from 3-6 daily on 540AM) He has a lot of wonderful advice. As you can imagine, his major platform is getting rid of all debt except your mortgage, and he advocates paying cash for everything.

All this to say - (1) I'll keep you updated about what I'm learning and how it goes. Our goal is to save, save, save for a house and for babies. :) and (2) I'll keep you updated on the deals and steals I find around town. I'm addicted to coupons and sales and good deals. Can I share? I read a couple of money-saving blogs daily, but even they sometimes either go overboard (who really needs 20 bottles of salad dressing?!?!) or miss some of the tips I find most useful.

Hope to see you around a little more often! ;)

Wedding Pics!

2009-05-04T15:33:00.004-05:00

many, many more to come...

what a cutie pie!

2009-04-28T22:50:00.003-05:00

I just have to share this photo, which I stole off my SIL's blog, http://www.hansennews.blogspot.com/. Check it out for more pics!

He is CUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!

My nephew, the incredibly handsome and charming Jacob Nels....

my new favorite friend

2009-04-13T20:01:00.005-05:00

wait, another post?! so soon?! I know, I know.

But this is SO worth sharing!

Let me introduce my new favorite friend....drumroll please....

Arm & Hammer pure Baking Soda! That's right, folks, I am hooked!

It all started with a fateful evening several weeks ago. After work, I came home and started multi-tasking on all my housework - spray this, scrub that, throw in some laundry. However, I let the mildew remover stay a little bit too long on the shower tile and by the time Joe got home from work, the whole place stunk. Bad. So bad, that Joe said "we're leaving" and we had an impromptu date night of dinner and the movies. (not a bad trade!) Joe gently asked me to consider another cleaning alternative, so I began some research.

And now, a few weeks later, I've decided to "go green" on all my household cleaning. ENTER: the Baking Soda. Turns out, this thing is a screaming, cleaning machine!!

Here's what I've tried, so far....
--shake into the toilet bowl, spritz with some vinegar, swish with the toilet brush, and flush
--my ceramic stovetop used to cause me so much stress, that it became Joe's job to clean. It was a black crusted nightmare. A little baking soda solved the problem, though, with an arm movement you could barely call a scrub! I could NOT believe it.
--Joe cooked some ribs last weekend and a foil leak caused the pan to also become completely covered in blackness. I read somewhere to pour baking soda in the pan and add hot water, then let it soak for 15 minutes. I bet you can't guess what happened! :) With one wipe, that pan was completely clean! It was like a cleaning commercial! I actually stopped mid-way through to wait for Joe to come in and see the magic. (yes, it was very exciting :)
--did I mention the bathroom sink?

Okay, I won't go on...but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you try it! Forget diamonds, Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is what a real housewife needs!

More to come on my new "green" pail of cleaning products!
(preview: my 2nd favorite thing to use for cleaning now is a lemon)

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

2009-04-11T15:18:00.002-05:00

O Sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee!

-words by Bernard of Clairvaux, 1153

Happy Resurrection Day, dear friends! What hope and joy we have in Jesus!

waaaaaaaay overdue

2009-02-20T16:54:00.002-05:00

yeah.....i know. sorry.

But here's a summary of Yoon Life for the past 5 months. We've been married for five months!! yay! It's hard to believe we're almost at half a year! But we're loving it and grateful for every day together. <3 We've been super blessed by people who have invested in our marriage.....a counselor, Dr. W, who we met with a couple of times pre-engagement; both pastors who married us, Tom and DL, who met with us for pre-marital counseling; the books that have ministered to us; and now a wonderful young marrieds group at our church that we are so excited about! Because of these investments, we believe, we are doing quite well and adjusting to marriage fairly smoothly. We're learning a lot about each other and about being a team, to be sure. But we feel a lot of peace. :) So far, this first year of marriage hasn't been as bad as we were told!

....wait....did you hear me say "our church"?? Yes, praise God, we have prayed for so long to discern His best for us and we feel He's leading us to St. Paul's! We are looking forward with expectancy for all that God will do in and through us as we fellowship at St. Paul's. And we're praising Him for providing such a warm church family to join together. Joe's planning on starting a membership class soon.

Work has been a roller coaster ride for me. I started with a lot of hours in November, lower hours in December, nearly nothing in January, and the craziest schedule possible now in February. I'm not sure how long the Lord will provide work for me at this school, but He has been teaching me about 'living for today' and making the most of everything He's given me, including my time around these fabulous colleagues. Please pray for boldness to proclaim Christ in this part of my life. I'm the only Christ-follower who can reflect His character there, and I pray I will do it joyfully and faithfully.

I do love teaching! My students are a lot of fun! Here was my day today: (you can skip reading if you're really not interested.... :) From 8-9 I have a planning hour, then from 9-12 I teach a Speech & Pronunciation class. I'm passionate about teaching this course, but my students this session are less than enthused, which makes for a long morning. I do have one strange student who surprises me each day with off-the-wall questions like the free mason movement, the origin of rock and roll, the organizational structure of sororities and fraternities, and more. ?? I have no idea why he starts off on these questions, but I often have to remind him what class he's in. (Obviously, I have the advanced level students to be having these discussions.)

Anyway, I drop from levels 9 - 11 in the morning to levels 3 -4 in the afternoon in my reading and writing course. But those guys are awesome! These 7 students average about age 19 and they crack me up everyday. I was feeling a little crazy today (friday), so I decided to give a pop spelling quiz. ha-ha-ha (is that bad that I like giving pop quizzes?) It was for extra credit, actually, and all of them gained at least one point, so they were happy.

Thankfully, Friday is an easy day. This month I've been teaching on Wednesdays until 5, and back Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30pm to 9pm. It's a lot of hours!

Okay, enough about work...

Other news? We got a new motorcycle. And a new nephew, Jacob Nels Hansen. He's a cutie! We're going to see him again this weekend so I'll post pics in a few days. Valentines Day was sweet, time with friends has been great fun, and I'm looking forward to my birthday in five days. :)

Hugs to you all from the Yoons!

Disney's English Days

2008-11-24T19:21:00.005-05:00

Last fall, UCF sent me an email about a summer English teaching program at Walt Disney World. Sounded fun! So I interviewed, had great dialogue with the Director, and waited for a hiring phone call. (EVERYTHING in ESL is enrollment-based, I’m learning…) For months, I stayed in touch with the Director, but was met with unpromising news.

On one unsuspecting Monday in July, my phone rang. “Hi Rebecca, this is Jean ….yada yada yada….can you start Wednesday?” YES! YES! YES!

For the next six weeks, I had a blast teaching English to middle school and high school students visiting Orlando for a two-week English language learning program. They spent two days a week studying English, and the remaining days participated in backstage Disney educational programs. They stayed on Disney property and our language classroom was in Epcot! (Perks for the teachers: backstage passes!)

My students were from Italy, China, Turkey, Brazil, Japan, and the Dominican Republic. I must admit, teaching wealthy kids visiting Disney without their parents was quite challenging… but I learned a lot and had a phenomenal experience.

The graduation ceremony was held on the water with the Epcot ball in the background. After some speeches and a presentation of certificates, we had an ice cream party and watched the fireworks!

My Chinese students singing a song for us.

The Italians singing us their national anthem....they were SO into it!

One of my students, Sarah, from Italy.

Hanging out in Epcot before graduation with my honey! We love going to the parks together and being kids again. :)

With a couple of my teacher colleagues, Elyse & Cassidy. Fun times!

quick quick update

2008-11-10T19:59:00.002-05:00

I know, I know! How many months has it been??! Here's a little of what's to come....

The last 3 months....

--3 amazingly wonderful wedding showers
--FUN FUN wedding planning
--the best day of my life: 9.13.08
--beautiful honeymoon on a cruise in Alaska
--moving in and setting up our new home (and unpacking wedding gifts!)
--trip to Baltimore to celebrate with the Yoon family / second reception
--starting a new job as an English teacher
--taking my dreaded comprehensive exam to graduate from my UCF masters program
--getting close to UCF graduation! (one month to go)
--getting ready to welcome my first (blood) nephew to the Hansen clan in February!

more posts coming from the new Yoon family..... i promise! :)

my stud and his new toy

2008-07-14T21:49:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Uncle Sam, Joe got his wedding gift early!

the i-got-a-new-grill inaugural steak dinner was quite tasty, too!

Barbies

2008-07-01T15:19:00.003-05:00

I have about a thousand projects I'd like to do before moving to Joe's place...you know, cleaning out stuff, reorganizing, giving stuff away, etc. Since my parents are away this week, and I have the whole house to mess up, I decided this was a good time to start.

My first project: cleaning out 2 tubs of pictures and three tubs of childhood things. I haven't gotten to the pictures yet ( I have a feeling it will take a while...), but last night I had the best time looking through some of the toys and such I saved from when I was a kid!

Let me tell you...I LOVED playing with Barbies. In fact, I probably played with Barbies, without telling anyone, until I was about 14 years old! I will defend myself by adamantly claiming that the last few years of said play-time was not really playing with the Barbies themselves, but I would set up these elaborate Barbie homes that would overtake half my room. (I loved decorating even then!) Lets rephrase that: they were elaborate Barbie mansions - dining room, kitchen, outdoor patio, living room, family room, library, multiple bedrooms (not sure if they ever used the restroom or not). But by the time I finished setting up the home, I would be totally over it and on to something else.

Anyway -- last night, I found all my old barbies, 80s wicker Barbie furniture, the plastic accessories (food, TVs, radios, etc), and the most hilarious 80s and early 90s Barbie clothes! I wish I had kept my cars - I had two: a white rabbit and a hot pink Mercedes. :) Don't know what happened to those. ( my cousin had a huuuge Barbie RV that I would play with whenever I would visit my grandmother)

It was so fun to look through everything; I had a huge smile on my face. Good memories.

I was telling Joe about it later and he asked if I was going to pull everything out for my nieces. I said "No - I'm saving them for our kids!" (sorry girls) Can't wait to pass along the fun. :)

What was your favorite play time as a kid?

Save the Date!!

2008-06-11T10:15:00.004-05:00

We're getting married!!!

9.13.08

need a pic?

2008-06-10T13:34:00.002-05:00

wedding planning update!

2008-06-10T12:57:00.002-05:00

I could spend hours perusing wedding websites. I'll stop short of saying I've actually spent hours doing so, but I'll admit, it's close. I love reading about brides' choices in colors, venues, amazing finds!

Are you so inclined?

Either way -- for the next several months, I'm afraid this blog may be all about weddings. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

here we go...

So, lets start this update with the stressful aspect of my planning. Gratefully, it's a short list.
Two points:
1. date
2. reception venue

It took several weeks to line up a date that worked for everyone. We wanted to get married in 2008, but believe it or not, there are already loads of calendar items to consider for the fall. Push the wedding back? No way! How about...bump the wedding up? :) So we did. To September 13th.

yay! a date! Then...the reception site wasn't available. Joe called about 8 other possibilities, and none were open on 9.13. Bump it up again? My mom pleaded with us to not give her a heart attack.

So...we'll keep you updated. The current situation is that we have two possibilities with many considerations. Hopefully, a decision will be made by the end of the week.

Meanwhile... the rest of the planning is creating a world of fun and excitement for me! I love it. And I'm checking things off the list left and right!

--My dress and veil are currently being worked on, and I should have my first fitting next week.
--Found some super comfy shoes. Who knew Naturalizer could make cute white sandals?
--Dillards scored a major point by offering cute cute flower girl dresses for a fraction of bridal shop prices. done!
--Found a new favorite friend: Sean at The Printing Shop. Recommended an art store, where I found the most perfect paper to use for invitations! So thrilled for these!
--think: dark yet brilliant blue dresses, black sashes, black suits, and a white wedding dress. wahoo! makes me giddy with excitement.
--b.maid dresses are on the way
--Mom found an amazing dress! so glad!
--secured a good friend to be our photographer - so grateful he'll be a part of our day!

Still much more to go...
--reception site final choice
--food
--flowers
--cake

How's that for a whirlwind? I'll keep you updated!

the proposal!

2008-05-20T09:29:00.004-05:00

Thursday, May 15

I awoke to a text message from Joe, followed by a phone call. He was unusually alert for that time in the morning, sounded really excited to get to work, and was even on his way into the office a half-hour early! I wanted to go back to sleep, after having stayed up until 3ish finishing a paper, but his excitement really awakened me. "You're going on vacation today!" he said. He seemed more thrilled than I! We talked about my schedule for the day, which included swinging by RTS on the way out of town to finish a take-home exam. "How long will that take?" he asked. "I don't know, no more than 2 hours."

So I was out of bed in minutes, tidying up my work inbox for the week and packing my bags. I was expecting to have 2 days to myself at the beach, so I packed like a champ with books, stamping supplies, magazines, etc. (never got used, not a last one of them :) I talked to Joe maybe 2 more times before finally settling down with my take-home exam at RTS. He was persistent in asking "how long will your exam take? When do you think you'll be heading to New Smyrna?" It never got to the point of annoying, but I definitely noticed he asked me so many times! I finished the exam 3 hours later (yikes), did a little jig, and was on the road to my final destination!! I have grown up loving my mom's family's beachhouse in New Smyrna Beach; I've always said that when I cross the bridge to beachside living, my soul knows it's time to rest and I breathe a big sigh of relief. And NSB did not disappoint this day either!

I drove up to the house, texted Joe that I had arrived, grabbed a few things, and went inside. The main living space is on the second floor, so that's where I headed first. Wow! -opened the curtains and the beach looked glorious! The phone rang and it was Joe. "I'm here!" I said excitedly. He said he was so glad I made it and asked how the weather was. I walked out onto the deck overlooking the beach and started telling him how it felt, "it's a little overcast, but feels great! I definitely want to take a walk first before I do anything else!" He responded, "a walk on the beach sounds so nice, I wish I could walk with you." Not thinking much of it, I said, "yes, honey, that does sound wonderful."

"Well....come downstairs!!!" WHAT?! His head popped up from the stairs leading down to the beach.... my eyes bugged out... is that my joe?!?! I could not even begin to grasp the fact that he was standing down there, right in front of me! I kept saying silly things like 'is that really you' and 'what are you doing here' and 'don't you have small group tonight', while he was still coaching me to come downstairs.

(the view from where I was standing on the deck, looking down to the stairs where Joe emerged)

Let me tell you, I RAN downstairs.

He greeted me with a kiss and I knew. This was it!

So we sat down on the stairs leading down to the beach, and while the wind was blowing in our hair and the waves were crashing about 20 feet away, Joe gifted me with a beautiful speech about our relationship and why he loves me. And then he asked me to MARRY him!! I couldn't believe it. I'd been waiting for this moment maybe all of my life, and it turned out to be more perfect than I could ever have imagined.

After several yeses and squeals and kisses, he promptly apologized for all the lying and deception he had authored over the last several months. HA. Poor guy hated living a secret life. But I really had no idea! He confessed to several "remember this? well, I was really doing this." (I thought he had been watching an unusually high volume of TV lately!)

It was absolutely blissful! He presented me with a stunning ring! And we talked for a long time and then he prayed for us. I might have opened one eye once or twice during the prayer to peek at the diamond on my hand (!). Yes, it's really there!

Joe came back on Friday and we had an amazing day just the two of us. Once my parents arrived on Friday night, we talked wedding for 3 1/2 hours straight before we all collapsed in bed. My brother and his family arrived on Saturday and we all had a wonderful weekend celebrating God's goodness to us!

We feel exceedingly blessed and are grateful for your excitement with us!!

--pause--

2008-05-12T15:36:00.002-05:00

I'm on a little break this week...I'm dying to blog about going green, but I don't even have the time to think on anything but exams!

Papers, exams, and vacation coming...

Be back soon!

time out: a quote from my reading

2008-05-08T10:54:00.001-05:00

Time out: I know I owe you a post on "going green", which I'm quite eager to write about, but in the essense of time, today's post is an excerpt from my reading.

This is from the book The Sermon on the Mount / The Character of a Disciple by Daniel Doriani. pg 166-7

"To love God with the mind means, third, to speak about money in ways that reiterate his truth. For example, we should not start to make our financial decisions with "Can we afford it?" Instead, we should ask, "Does this glorify God? Does it make me a better servant?" Parents must especially take care not to answer their children's petitions for toys and games simply by declaring, "We can't afford it." Those four words end the conversation very effectively at some ages and keep parents from seeming insensitive. But the subliminal message is, "The adults don't make the decisions in this family, money does." When we make decisions, we should let God and his law have the final word, not money."

This struck a chord within me... How much my mind needs to be re-wired when it comes to money! I've been pondering recently the degree to which I'm affected by marketing, advertising, and our generally extraodinarily materialistic society. It's scary. Growing up in my community/culture has programmed me to think, act, and make decisions according to a particular financial worldview. Eww, it's not pretty. It's not Christlike. It's not a Kingdom-minded perspective.

This is one of my "character-goals" for the summer: to take a hard look at my spending THOUGHT-life. I'm not a big spender these days; I am, in fact, a very poor student. But this is a good time to examine the deeper issue of my attitude towards all-things-money. What do I covet? What kind of lifestyle do my spending habits perpetuate? What triggers in me a desire to spend money? What do I really need and what I do try to slide into that category unnecessarily? When my sister-in-law Ashlee was here a couple of weeks ago, she was a good accountability in conversation to stop myself and say, "I don't need a new pair of black sandals, just because my flat, casual pair that I wear with everything is falling apart." Ladies, you know what I'm talking about. :) My flip flops or dressy sandals will do just fine, won't they?

This is just one example of the many ways I see my ungodly thoughts influencing ungodly spending. I'm not against a new pair of sandals (a girl LOVES her shoes!!). I'm against anything but God driving my decision making, all the way down to how I spend money. (almost wrote my money...but i'm not sure that's true either! ugh, i've got a lot of growing to do)

May His Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven - starting in me!

Black Bean Burritos

2008-05-07T09:17:00.001-05:00

During the month of April, I took part in a pilot mentoring program through my church called Recipes for Life. In short, a group of older and younger women met on Tuesday nights to share a meal, study the Scriptures, and share our lives. I got to know some new friends and learned tons of new recipes!

I'm in this strange stage of life (short-lived, I pray:) between not really being single and not being married yet. For you ladies out there: I'm sure you'll understand. Although I've always loved anything at home, I find myself more excited than ever to cook, clean, decorate, garden and generally take care of a home. And I also am being drawn to older married women who can teach me the art of being a good wife. So -- this mentoring program was for me!

Here's one of my favorite new recipes that I've made maybe 3 times in the last two weeks. :) It's so easy, cheap, fast, and a real winner! Thank you Lou Jones for sharing.

Black Bean Burritos

2 green onions
1 clove garlic, minced
I T. vegetable oil
1 can black beans, drained
1 jar salsa
1 t. chili powder
1 1/2 C. mild cheddar cheese, shredded
4 tortillas (soft taco size)

In a large skillet, cook green onions and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Add beans, 1/4 C. salsa, and chili powder and heat through. Remove from heat and stir in 1 C. cheese. Spread black bean mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a lightly greased baking dish. Spoon additional salsa over top of tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes OR cover with plastic and microwave for 3-5 minutes. You may wish to top with sour cream or cilantro to serve. YUM!

This recipe makes 4 burritos, but it doubles or even triples very easily!

PS...the Jones family particularly likes this meal because it's meatless. But Joe prefers it with chicken. :) I used just one boneless chicken breast and it was sufficient.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, Oh God!

2008-05-05T14:05:00.001-05:00

"Divine omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation. God is always thinking upon us, never turns aside His mind from us, has us always before His eyes; and this is precisely as we would have it, for it would be dreadful to exist for a moment beyond the observation of our heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring to us countless benefits: hence, it is a choice delight to remember them...

Dear reader, is this precious to you? then hold to it...The Lord lives and thinks upon us, this is a truth far too precious for us to be lightly robbed of it..."

-excerpt from Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, April 30.
Title is from Psalm 139:17

some thoughts...and posts to come

2008-05-05T08:57:00.003-05:00

So...it's been a while. After a long absence in posting, isn't it hard to know what to say? I figured I might sum up a few things I've been thinking about lately....

1. Great words from Spurgeon about how wonderfully thoughtful God is toward us! Future post on this.

2. I love cooking; it's so fun. Due to my current schedule, I've taken up cooking all weekend to supply meals for the week. And I am digging it right now. :) Post on recipes forthcoming.

3. My current schedule, as previously discussed, is about to change... I cannot believe this semester is nearly over! (2 wks to go) It's been a dream come true to be a full-time student again, take part in other activities my work schedule prohibited, and to take a break from being a working woman. :) The Lord has been so incredibly good to fulfill this dream...I still can't believe I'm living it! Thank you, Lord!!

It's been a fantastic semester on campus, and now I move into a time of personal study as I finish up my degrees. I'll primarily be taking virtual classes now through December.

4. To completely change the subject...I've been thinking a lot about how exactly I can "go green"? Maybe I'll save this discussion for another post, because I feel like I have a lot to say. Hmmm...sorry for the teaser, but I'm going to wait. And I want your input!

5. Joe is the best! I'm crazy about him!

That's all. Have a nice day. :) Thank you for reading.

Congrats Chris and Hae

2008-04-15T16:17:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday, Joe and I celebrated the marriage of Dr. and Mrs. Chris Lee! Chris and Haley are both members of Joe's small group, so it was a special treat to celebrate all together, and most of the small group was actually a part of the ceremony. God's blessings on your marriage!!

We had so much fun at the reception - thank goodness they put our table in the corner! Here's most of the small group....Martin, Joe, Haley, Chris, Danny, and Eric.

20 years

2008-04-11T08:46:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, April 10, marked 20 years of walking with Jesus!

It is pure joy to remember the early days, even though I was only 6. I remember making the decision that I wanted to be fully Christ's - body, soul, and mind. Knowing that I could no longer rest on the faith of my parents, yet thankful for their teaching, by His grace and in faith I pledged to be a covenant keeper.

Wow...20 years!

I have to admit that I felt a moment of sadness yesterday, wishing I had "more to show" for 20 years of growth in my spiritual walk. I guess I imagined I would feel different. But the Lord in his mercy reached down in to my soul and reminded me right then that we've had an amazing 20 years! Despite great sin, sadness, tilling of the soul of my heart, and the pain of the heat peeling back the dross, there have been glorious times of worship and service to my King, moments of grace when I cannot deny His perfect leading in my life, awe-inspiring times of learning new truth, and a constant assurance of His presence with me day by day. The memories are a flood of joy!

During class last Monday, my professor was lecturing on the consequences of sin. As believers, we've been set free from the eternal consequences of sin, yet we're still living among them, and quite honestly, we often confuse ourselves and live as if they really apply to us as well. I was particularly impacted by the lecture/discussion on the believer's fight with indwelling sin. Swain said he remembers believing as a child that growing more and more like Jesus meant gaining more and more victory in perfectionism. He always imagined that sanctification had an end on earth; you know, like those little old ladies in church every Sunday no longer fight with their sinful nature. Sound familiar? Without a doubt, I believed that too! Clearly, I still wrestle with these thoughts. Where I expected to be at this point in my walk is far from the instense struggles I'm feeling today.

But....there is good news. As a consequence of the Spirit’s indwelling presence, we have been engaged in an internal battle with our sinful nature. What, when, where is triumph? Most poignant to me was this point: we measure triumph by engagement in the fight, not by evidence of total conquest.

Whew~ There is freedom in truth! I know that 1) total conquest will only come in the next life, and 2) faith is not passive; faith is actively engaged in sanctification. But it's a beautifully ironic truth that the battle raging so real inside of me does not mean that God is not keeping His promise to sanctify me, grow me, develop me into a true Christ-image. Even though I'm tempted to feel like it, I'm not losing the fight against my sinful nature. Rather, it is this very battle that evidences His work in my life, His keeping of those promises. I am triumphant through faith: fully involved in the battle against my sinful nature and fully calling upon Jesus as the only true eternal Victor.

So encouraging in the deepest part of me!

And so, I celebrate 20 years of this glorious road. I am a daughter of the Most High King. I am a co-heir with Jesus of the riches of this King. I am pursued, loved, adopted. I sit at the King's table every single day! He might be busy, but the King still delights in sitting by the waters in the coolness of the end of the day, and just...talking. The King is pleased to hear my praises and worship of Him like a fine aroma. He overwhelmingly and abundantly provides for me; He has given me all things. Yes. This is the place I've called home for 20 years.

When I'm tempted to live outside the beauty of that castle, with thoughts, feelings, and actions that are of the world outside... When the enemy within tells me that it can't really be that good, so stop living like it... I feel so encouarged to take up that fight with rejoicing. No more sadness that I'm still fighting. Lord, give me 20 more years of battle, and more! YOU have already gained the victory - I'm yours!

Happy Birthday to me! :)

Stamping

2008-04-10T18:54:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I spent all afternoon watching movies and making cards! I stamped for 5 hours and had over a dozen cards to show for it. It was so much fun!! Call me if you want to join me next time. :) Here are a few samples of my favorite cards.

spring break

2008-04-09T11:04:00.004-05:00

A very welcome spring break was had by all RTSers a couple of weeks ago. Oh, how I love spring break! Don't you think the working world should have a spring break too?

Well, it was a great week off from my regular schedule, even though I worked a great deal at PI and around the house. But on Friday, Noriko and I spent a girly day including lunch, a movie, and coffee! Loved it.

yum! We lunched at Harmoni on Edgewater Drive...quite possibly my favorite restaurant in Orlando!

Adventure in Africa!

2008-04-02T10:04:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited for my big bro, Nels! He's headed to Africa today on a project with Overland Missions!!

About a month ago, Nels and his family attended a commissioning service for Overland Mission's first long-term folks. This organization mostly focuses on short-term ministry projects among the most remote villages in Africa. But it was exciting to be sending out LT-ers.

At this service, Nels learned that Overland Missions has been building a logistical base camp as a terminal for their bush expeditions of evangelism and pastoral support. Nels casually mentioned that he would be happy to serve them through help creating some design concepts and presentation artwork. By the end of the night, they decided Nels really needed to visit the site in order to best represent the style of architecture as well as the environment and landscaping.

Today, Nels is boarding a plane to join a small team meeting at the logistical center to evaluate and plan for the upcoming construction. So quick...so amazing...so exciting!

This opportunity came to Nels and his family during the same weekend as some other difficult family news, which made Africa such a blessing for them. It was something to look forward to, a beacon of hope that God gives His best to His children and is sovereignly working out His plan.

Pray for Nels! And pray for Ashlee as this is the longest they've been apart in 6 years of marriage. I'm so thrilled for them to be a part of this adventure!!

Home with Jesus

2008-04-01T10:52:00.004-05:00

I loved Jim Britton. He was one of my heros. With all of the PI family, I mourn his loss in our midst but rejoice that he is with Jesus face to face!

Jim exclaimed the joy of the Lord with every kind word, every backrub, every genuine "how are you?", and every email he sent overseas. He was loved the world-over because of the way he passed along the love of Christ.

Truly, truly.......well done, good and faithful servant!

tried, true, and oh so sweet

2008-03-18T10:03:00.006-05:00

I'm sure I've posted this sometime before, but the following is really, truly my favorite song ever. Each time I listen to it, I hear something new that touches my soul.

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting

Jesus I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart!
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, as Thy beauty fills my soul
For by Thy transforming power, Thou hast made me whole

O how great thy lovingkindness: vaster, broader than the sea!
O how marvelous thy goodness lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in thee, Beloved, Know what wealth of grace is thine,
Know thy certainty of promise and have made it mine.

Simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus, I behold thee as thou art,
And thy love, so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings; meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings: Thine is love indeed.

Ever lift thy face upon me as I work and wait for thee;
Resting 'neath thy smile, Lord Jesus, earth's dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father's glory, Sunshine of my Father's face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting, fill me with thy grace.

I first came to love this song in Japan, a time of explosive growth in my walk with Christ. But I feel like I'm still on the quest to truly rest in the joy of what He is! Can you actively...rest? Well, that's me. My prayer is that we will all be continually finding out the greatness of His tender, loving heart!

May these words encourage you in communion with Christ today. Happy Holy Week - lets celebrate what made this communion possible - praise Him!

~~~

(dear SB...what sweet fellowship we had over these words in Japan, which I often remember with teary eyes!)

weekend at the lakehouse

2008-02-29T15:38:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Presidents Washington and Lincoln...we're celebrating at the Lakehouse! Thanks to a long weekend and the generosity of new friends, my family had a grand time in the North Florida woods on the shores of Lake George earlier this month. Oh my goodness, it was so much fun! Everyone was there, and we went fishing and four-wheeling, walked trails, played pool, watched movies, swam, explored the local area, and ate like champs! It was really fun to be together in the great outdoors!

So...funny story...the dirt bike just really didn't want to start, despite the valiant efforts of both Nels and Joe. But Joe wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. If you heard anyone say "where's joe?" ...you could pretty much bet he was in the garage working on the dirt bike. I was inside talking to Ashlee when I heard a noise, looked out the window, and saw Joe sitting up tall and proud on that bike, and flying by! :) I had a real good laugh.

Here's to an AMAZING year!!

2008-02-28T16:29:00.005-05:00

This is a picture taken almost at the beginning of our relationship...giddy with excitement to be together and both about 20 pounds lighter! :)

A wonderfully surprising and beautiful year later... enjoying life and love!

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-14T13:15:00.004-05:00

May you know today how deeply loved you are by the Father!

the King of Kings

your Creator

the One who holds all things in His hand

your Provider

your Lover

the One who longs to be your very best friend

the Holy One who reigns forever!

---HE has chosen YOU---

Relish in His love today!

And that Love has sent family and friends to demonstrate His kindness in so many different ways - I celebrate you all today!

hiking in florida

2008-02-11T15:39:00.000-05:00

Joe recently found an extensive set of walking trails near his house, so we went to check them out a few Saturdays ago. We spent 3.5 hours in the park and only enjoyed the shortest trail! It was beautiful - fully shaded, in the backwoods of nature, sounded by lakes. Joe was determined to find an alligator, and I really wanted to meet a wild boar. Instead, we only found a few friendly deer. We're excited to go back and explore more!

Enjoying the lakes

We highly recommend Moss Park and the Split Oak Forest Trails! It was a great place to walk, talk, and enjoy being together.

for my global friends

2008-02-07T15:15:00.000-05:00

My
country-hopping,
geography-mastering,
culture-loving,
multi-lingual
friends who have (or currently) live around the world will appreciate this picture...

Look what I found posted in all the bathroom stalls at the place where I teach English!

Generally, laughing out loud is not a typical, or even welcomed, noise to make in the bathroom...but i couldn't help myself...i think it was the mental picture that really made the laughter start...

Oh, how i love internationals!

a random splattering of pictures

2008-02-06T08:47:00.000-05:00

because there haven't been any new pictures recently...here they are...

Isn't our God amazing?!

This picture was taken last December, as Joe and I were coming out of the grocery store. We were talking about work that day, what we were going to make for dinner, and all of life's perplexities. Suddenly, the Lord caught our attention with this magnificent display of His handiwork! We literally stood in the parking lot for about 5 minutes just gazing up at the sky, while the world continued to bustle around us.

Japanese food on New Years Eve - a family tradition

Joe and I attended a wedding of friends in early January. We emerged with several beautiful pics with Chloe Kim!

Such a good looking picture

Blue Man Group!

Blue Man Group just opened at Universal a few months ago..and I've been wanting to go since I first started seeing the billboards for this show! Former work colleagues of Joe's visited Orlando several weeks ago and invited us to join them for dinner at Hard Rock and then Blue Man Group. It was such a special treat from the Lord! I have to be honest...it's a bizarre show. It's unlike anything you've ever seen. It's hard to describe..except for FUN!

Oh yes...I had to get a pic with this very, very strange creature covered in blue

(don't his eyes hurt by the end of the night??)

chuckle of the day

2008-02-04T14:15:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to post this for a few days.... But I was listening to Steve Brown on the radio last week and he was responding to listeners' emails.

One said:
"Can you explain to me what modernity and postmodernity mean?"

Steve Brown started, "...well, no one knows for sure..."

I laughed out loud. The truth is, for all the books I've read and all the discussions I've had and all the seminar's I've attended on post-modernism...this is my same conclusion!

:)

a List

2008-01-31T09:15:00.000-05:00

I'm a list maker. I l-o-v-e making lists. And I'm excited about life right now.

So here's my latest list: what I'm excited about in 2008.
(in no particular order, except for no.1)

1. Joe Yoon
2. starting full-time at RTS
3. helping dreams come true: connecting people with places overseas
4. my new Bible Study at church
5. seeing the sunshine! (a.k.a. not being in an office all day)
6. coffee breaks with friends
7. eating healthy and feeling good
8. cooking for joe
9. joe's new grill! which makes very very yummy pork tenderloin
10. working out at UCF's gym
11. teaching english and building relationships
12. stamping and cardmaking
13. my birthday
14. not making much $$ and watching God provide :)
15. the blessing of a new computer for student life
16. watching my nieces grow up
17. welcoming a new niece or nephew in august! (on both sides...joe and me)
18. God's goodness. And faithfulness. And mercy over me.

Do as You have said

2008-01-22T22:25:00.000-05:00

God's promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; He intended that they should be used. God's gold is not miser's money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see His promises put in circulation; He loves to see His children bring them up to Him, and say, "Lord, do as you have said!" We glorify God when we plead His promises. Do you think that God will be any the poorer for giving you the riches He has promised? Do you dream that He will be any the less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you imagine He will be any the less pure for washing you from your sins?

He has said, "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Faith lays hold upon the promise of pardon, and it does not dealy, saying "This is a precious promise, I wonder if it be true?" but it goes straight to the throne with it, and pleads, "Lord, here is the promise, 'Do as You have said.'" Our Lord replies, "Be it unto you even as you will." When a Christian grasps a promise, if he does not take it to God, he dishonors Him; but when he hastens to the throne of grace, and cries, "Lord, I have nothing to recommend me but this, 'You have said it;'" then his desire shall be granted.

Our heavenly Banker delights to cash His own notes. Never let the promise rust. Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your importunately reminding Him of His promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is His delight to bestow favors. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God's nature to keep His promises; therefore go at once to the throne with "Do as You have said."

Morning and Evening by Spurgeon :: January 15, morning.

Christmas Sweetness

2007-12-25T22:12:00.000-05:00

What an amazing day this has been! Merry Christmas friends!

It's nearing the end of Christmas day and since I have a new computer :), I can update my blog!

It's been a wonderfully amazing day and I am filled to the top with gratefulness and love for the Author of my life! After stockings, gifts, and a delectable breakfast with my family this morning, Joe and I went to his church to worship the One who's birthday we celebrate. I really enjoyed the service (in both English and Korean!) and found it to be a precious way to center my heart on the Lord. During the congregational Christmas carol singing, I could not keep the tears away; I stood in awe and gratefulness for God's rich blessings in my life, most particularly the miraculous, humble birth of the King of Kings!

Yes, my heart is very full today.

It was a super special treat to spend this Christmas with Joe. He was a champ traveling to three different family celebrations, and spending time at my parents' home on Christmas morning. Have I told you how much I dig this guy? I am blessed "immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine"!

I'm hoping New Years will be a little more quiet and relaxed. Not only have the last several weeks been pretty crazy, but we now turn our attention to Joe's move this week into a new townhome. We are praising the Lord for his provision and also looking to Him for our rest.

Finally, I'll leave you with a sweet story about my nieces. We drove to Jacksonville last Saturday to celebrate Christmas with them. Ella (6) opened a small Mickey Mouse snow globe from her Nana that she absolutely adored. In fact, she wouldn't let the snow globe out of her hands, not even to open another present. The juggling of both the snow globe and the other gift was too much, though, and the snow globe dropped on the wood floor into a million pieces. A now tear-filled Ella left the rest of us so sad for her and also wondering how in the world we were going to clean up this messy spill in the midst of paper and ribbon and boxes and gifts. In the meantime, Emily (4) had found her snow globe (two girls...everything comes in pairs) and was just opening it up. She saw Ella's tears and didn't miss a beat. To every adult's astonishment, we heard a sweet small voice call out over the crying, "Ella, you can have mine!" This story makes me tear-up as I retell it! Emily was so quick to share in a way that would bless her sister Ella. May I also find that same joy in blessing others! What a sweet story I'll never forget.

Well, that's all I have tonight. My heart just felt so full that I wanted to give our God the praise! Join me in thanking Him again for His incredible love in our lives - Come, let us adore Him!

What's happening?

2007-12-18T12:57:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! I'm not even sure if I have any readers anymore, but here's an update of what's been going on around here the last few weeks.

I went to Jacksonville to celebrate my niece's Ella's 6th birthday! (6 going on 16) She's such a sweet girl whose personality is strikingly similar to her aunt's! :) Here she is (with Emily) wearing her new apron from Aunt Becky - her PINK spatulas are tucked in the pockets, if you can see them. She got right to work making cookies that night! She loves helping Mom in the kitchen.
Ella is a die-hard Florida Gators fan like you've never seen in a 6 year old. So I made her a bulletin board for her room. She can be a sports fan...but notice the girlyness here. :)

Skeet shooting! It's hard to see here, but this is Joe taking out a bird for dinner.

I know my form looks terrible here, but that gun was soo~ heavy! And look at my face..i'm scared to even pull the trigger! :) But I did hit my target several times...so, have no fear! If we need to shoot some dinner, I'm your woman.

Last Thursday night, we went to the RTS Christmas concert - which is becoming a tradition for Joe and me! Last year, this was one of the first things we did together - a small group from work planned on going to the concert. My roommates, particularly Ashley (below), were both excited to meet this guy they had been hearing about.

After last year's concert, Ashley, Joe and I went to grab something to eat at Houlihans. As we sat in the booth and I heard Ashley laugh and laugh at Joe, I knew he had passed the "roommate test." Sure enough, we said goodbye in the parking lot and walked to the car together and she exclaimed, "Becky! I want you to love him forever and ever!" "Shhh!!" I freaked out. "Ashley, he'll hear you! ...And I think that's your martini speaking."

Well.
She called it.
So we went back to Houlihans after this year's RTS concert to celebrate together. :)

Zoe Kim turned 3! She's so precious; we were glad to celebrate with her! (Joe's boss at Pioneers and my boss at Pioneers are married. This is their middle daughter - #2 of 3).

Yay for sweaters! This picture was taken yesterday, December 17th. It was the coldest weather we've had yet this season and the first real day we've been able to wear sweaters! Joe was particularly excited as he's really missing snowy Maryland right now.

That's about it, folks. Joe is staying here in Orlando for Christmas, so we're excited to spending our first holiday season together! And we'll be celebrating our Lord's birth with my family as well. What a blessing this year has been! Thank you Lord!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T10:09:00.000-05:00

5 things I'm thankful for this year: (in no particular order)

1. Joe -- falling in love with Joe has been the greatest, most amazing thing this year! I'm so thankful for the Lord's blessing in that relationship. I'm thankful for how Joe teaches me about my Lord and leads me into His presence each day. I'm so, so grateful for Joseph Yoon.

2. My parents -- my parents have graciously reopened their home to me this year and piled blessing upon blessing as I moved back in. This is an amazing time to be home with them and has allowed me to pay for life and study for my Masters degrees at the same time.

3. Friends, old & new -- I'm so grateful that God has not only ordained for us to live in community, but He has blessed me with great friends to walk through life with. With all the craziness of this year's transitions, I'm especially grateful for those who have invested in me.

4. Cruise! -- the cruise to the Bahamas in February was an awesome gift from Pioneers. It was relaxing, adventurous, and a special blessing of a vacation when I really needed it!

5. The Presence of the Lord -- This has been a huge growth year as the Lord draws me further out of my own sense of strength and deeper into a heart that fully trusts Him. I am so incredibly thankful to know a more real sense of His presence during this time, knowing that He walks with me through every challenge, every fear, every insecurity, and every joy. It's not just in the big picture that I can see His hand with me, but through every little detail in the midst of the struggles of life in a fallen world.

I was encouraged this week in a devotional to not just think about what you're thankful for - and isn't that such a wonderful thing to do? - but to also write it down. A thanksgiving journal is a precious way to review year after year how our Faithful God takes care of us and blesses us as His covenant children. So, I pass that along to you as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

Pumpkin Time!

2007-10-30T21:31:00.000-05:00

Joe's Birthday Fun!

2007-10-30T16:59:00.000-05:00

One of Joe's birthday gifts was a day at Universal's Islands of Adventure! This guy LOVES roller coasters, and I knew he'd be so excited, so I had a hard time keeping it a secret. Because of other stuff going on, we planned to take a day off work for this shindig, which was even better! :)

Let the adventure begin!

Behind this magnificent display is the Dueling Dragons roller coaster - two coasters, Fire and Ice, which are completely different but intertwine to give you quite a thrill. And this is where the story goes sour. :( Let me precede by saying I seriously prayed all the way to the park that God would keep my stomach calm and allow me to bless Joe by riding all these coasters with Him.

So the first one? Fire. Check. Felt great. No line. Lets go on Ice.
Second one? Noooooot so great. Scared the people around me. I'll spare you the details.

It took me two hours to get over that. I was really bummed out for Joe and had to send him on some other coasters by himself. :( Oh well. It's the thought that counts, right?

So we headed out early and enjoyed a meal at Hard Rock.

September Birthdays

2007-10-02T13:31:00.000-05:00

September was is a month full of birthdays in my family.

Emily Hansen turned 4 on the 12th
Joe Yoon turned (guess) on the 21st
and Mama Hansen turned (never telling) on the 29th

So we had 3 weekends back-to-back of celebrations!

We went to the beach for the weekend of the 14th to celebrate Emily's birthday. It was so refreshing to get away from suburbia and relax - reading, napping, playing in the ocean, and catching up on life with my siblings. Joe and I had a great time! Here's a pic of my brother Rich, my sister-in-law Ashlee, and my Joey hanging out on the deck.

Emily was absolutely adorable! She was all too happy to make it HER day. She's quite the morning person, so I had a tap on my shoulder at 7am on Saturday, the day of the party. It was time to get up! She was anxious to get this party started! She's so funny. But when it came to 20 people gathered around her singing "happy birthday to you", she got embarrassed! I snapped the above picture and thought it was just too cute! I'm thankful for this precious girl.

I volunteered to make the cake of her choice, which was chocolate with chocolate frosting. It was my first time making a chocolate cake from scratch. It was a treat for me!

more pics to come

uh....sorry....again...

2007-10-02T13:03:00.001-05:00

Apologies....again. I hate checking peoples' blogs and finding, alas, the there are still no updates.

Sorry.

Go Knights!

2007-09-18T16:06:00.000-05:00

The Knights played a fantastic game last Saturday against 6th ranked University of Texas in our BRAND NEW on-campus stadium! WOW, what an opener!

I'm so proud of my alma mater. It was definitely the best game on TV - close in score with a possible major upset by UCF - and fun to watch.

GO KNIGHTS!

Disney Fun!

2007-08-24T16:46:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a friend of a friend, we were given free Disney tickets a couple of weekends ago. We had so much fun! It was exhausting in 100 degree heat, and we were a bit optimistic thinking we could make it to three different parks in one day. But we're so grateful for the tickets and had a lot of fun together galavanting around Walt Disney World. We did make it to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom.

Freedom from Fear

2007-08-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

Disgruntled and disgusted, The Prince of Darkness slinks up to the chalet of bummed-out disciples who have made their home in Jesus and nails a legal document to the door:

EVICTION NOTICE!

You are hereby banished from
the House of Fear forever.
With malice aforethought, you have
flagrantly withheld the monthly rent
of guilt, anxiety, fear, shame
and self-condemnation.

You have adamantly refused to
worry about your salvation.
Already I overheard one dismal tenant say,
"There goes the neighborhood!"
Your freedom from fear is not only
dangerous but contagious.
Real estate values have plummeted;
gullible investors are hard to find.
Why? Your callous and carefree
rejection of slavery!
A pox on you and
all deluded lovers of liberty!

The Prince

from "The Ragamuffin Gospel"

Love 'em, Love 'em

2007-08-02T08:35:00.000-05:00

Went to Jax last weekend to celebrate my older brother, Nels', birthday. Happy Birthday Buddie! I scored a few recent pics with both brothers, too. Love these guys!!!

Examing myself: on boasting and bragging

2007-07-18T13:02:00.000-05:00

Have you ever known someone who treats people a certain way or whose speech is peppered with comments that seem to deliberately elevate themselves? It's a "puffing up" of oneself; an attempt, I suppose, to combat their own insecurities. But for others, it's hard to find a response to such an interchange.

I was pondering this yesterday and found myself examining my own life. I don't want to be charactized by such an attitude. To start, I must plant all my securites in Christ alone. But I also want my life to be expressed in service to others, in inspiring others, in empowering others to be all they were created to be in Christ. Oh, how I pray to that end!

Don't misunderstand, that certainly goes against the grain of my original self. Don't we all aspire to be great? Don't we all want to be loved, to be known, to be praised, to do something worthwhile, to make a mark on history? Certainly I recognize others' struggles on the ladder of greatness because I myself am also fighting importance. I want to be needed. I want an important job that no one else can do. I want others to think I'm doing an amazing thing.

God has been blessing me lately through a book by Carole Mayhall called "Words that Hurt, Words that Heal." The second chapter highlighted the sins of boasting and bragging. Now, it shouldn't be a surprise how convicted I was about my selfish heart by the end of that short chapter, especially after starting with thoughts about how I don't really struggle with those sins much. Instead, I was deeply struck by some of the following thoughts:

"The difference between sharing information and boasting is who gets the glory." p.31

--Are some of my comments and conversations that I deem normal or just sharing of information (especially in prayer requests, challenges the author) really just an unneccessary elevation of myself? Am I masking my boasting?

"When we boast and brag about ourself, our accomplishments, our importance, or our status, we are not only committing a sin of commission, but two of omission. Bragging draws attention to the "I" of pr-I-de, which is a sin of commission. But we are also failing to give God the glory and failing to edify, or build up, other believers." p.33

--Wow, that actually hit me hard. I knew that boasting and bragging was stealing God's glory, but I never realized how sinful it is also to not edify my family in those words. Remember that the world will know we are His by our love for each other.

(There's more! I heartily recommend this book!)

Oh Lord, please keep me from lifting myself up in place of You. You alone are worthy to be honored and praised! I am forever indebted unto you for choosing me and just making me somebody. I am nothing without you. But true greatness comes from aligning myself with You - your heart - and pointing this world toward You alone. Cultivate in my life a servant's attitude, I pray. And grant me great joy in serving You through serving others. Amen.

I've got visitors!

2007-07-03T09:06:00.000-05:00

A true-tale sign of growing up! Ella Marie lost her first tooth recently. When she first showed me, I about freaked out! (apparently my younger brother had the same reaction...we were shocked) She's getting so big!!

One of the girls' favorite things to do with Nana is go the dollar store. :) When I got home from work yesterday, Emily started literally running around the house screaming "where are my sunglasses? where are my sunglasses? I gotta show you my sunglasses." ...they were on top of her head...where they stayed all night.

Emi is a regular entertainer. She cracks me up. Last night, her parents called..and somehow when she gets on the phone, she suddenly inherits a thick southern accent. All we heard was "he-ay daddy-o. aunt backy has cur-raezy ha-yar. gotta go, buy-ay!" I'm not really sure what's going on her head sometimes, but she sure makes me laugh.

A family favorite: eating popsicles in the garage watching the rain come down. For my brothers and I, this was our raining day ritual as kids. And now...a new generation! (notice the glasses on Emily's head..yep..still on.) I think Ella is trying to say "cheese" and still keep licking that darn good popsicle!

Just Because...

2007-07-02T12:30:00.000-05:00

...i'm kind of a fan of this guy.

here is me with my best friend at one of my races. he's a good cheerleader. :) and he's a keeper!

My Little Dancers

2007-06-19T09:07:00.000-05:00

Joe and I headed to Jacksonville last Saturday to cheer on my nieces Ella and Emily in their first dance recital! OH MY GOODNESS - they just melted my heart!

a little blurry, but cute anyway!

Doing the macarena as the Grand Finale! :)

watching big sis

Yay for my girls!! Great job, beautiful ones!

more pics

2007-06-08T14:29:00.000-05:00

I just had a fight with blogger...and I lost. So here are more Baltimore pics that my post below would not accept.

Us at the Museum of Natural History in DC.

Us at the house Joe grew up in. :) (maybe only a girl would like this picture)

And..yay!..us all dressed up for a night at the symphony!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-06-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

Joe and I headed "home" for Memorial Day weekend to Baltimore, where he's from. It was really nice to get to know him through his family and the place he grew up. We had a great time!

This is Joe's sister and her family - Suzanne and Danny, Jackson (3) and Elizabeth (almost 2). I really enjoyed meeting Danny & Suzanne and getting to know them. And the kids...come on now...SO CUTE. We took them to the park to swing and play, and found there a carousel and a mini-train to ride!

Jackson with his rice and kimchee (I think I heard that's what he lives off of). On Sunday night before we left, we had an a-mazing dinner of steak and MD crab cakes out on the deck!

So cute! And Elizabeth too! :)

The National Cathedral in DC was so incredible! We both enjoyed it so much and agreed it was our favorite touristy thing of the weekend!

Friends

2007-05-08T15:28:00.000-05:00

It's time to give a shout-out to some good friends! I've been so blessed by my time in Japan....especially the really fun people that have become a part of my life. Yo! I love ya'll!!

This is dear Sara Beth...love you, friend. We spent a couple of awesome summers in Japan and God really knit our hearts close. I'm so happy for her new motherhood!

Well, hellooooooo beautiful bride! This is Alyssa on her wedding day, together with sister Jodye and mom Paula. One summer, I discipled Alyssa and just had fun hanging out with her in Chiba, Japan. Paula was my Mom-away-from-Mom in Japan. Their family joked that I always mysteriously showed up JUST in time for dinner...

Love Jodye! So glad she moved to Orlando! I'm thankful she made me feel like a part of the family in Japan. But I love that we're in the same small group now, that she's always up for a party, and that we get to hang out more in O-town. Girl, you're a rock star!

awww...the bride and groom, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Fisher...along with Martha, Hopey, and I. Martha! Ma-chan is Sara Beth's sister and a dear, dear friend to us all. My favorite thing about Martha is all her many adventures. :) And Hope, Hopey, Hopey-chan. I love you girl and always will!

This is Andy Hebert, Jodye & Alyssa's 15 year old brother. Apparently, I was picked out for him. Andy, dude, I just couldn't wait any longer. Sorry you're in competition with Joe now. But I still think you're swell!

Happy Easter!

2007-04-27T15:58:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm aware that I'm several weeks late.

Brother Rich, me, and our nieces Ella & Emily

I love my bro!

Almost the whole fam...parents, girls, & brother Nels

Cute little family...Nels & Ashlee, Ella & Emily

2007-03-30T13:24:00.000-05:00

I mean, where do I begin? I have lots of fun things to share.

Let me introduce you to Lil' Money. Joe and I adopted this duck while on a morning stroll at the Farmers Market. Who would not want to participate in The Great Duck Derby? Who would not want to take this fine speciman home?

(please don't ask me to explain why he's all pimped out with a gold tooth and rappers necklace...)

This little guy recently debuted in his first race, The Great Duck Derby 2006. Along with about 500 other rubber duckies, Lil' Money raced his little heart. Several summers ago, Orlando was hit by 3 hurricanes in about 6 weeks. Mead Gardens was particularly damaged by these storms, and this event was an effort to raise money to restore the Gardens. It was a fun event and well worth the community support!

This is the pre-race pep talk. The stern talking-to. The "you better win and make me proud" schpeil.

But really, Lil' Money, I'm rootin for you the whole way.

Lil' Money did not win. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. (we're trying to be supportive)

wait, i'm here!

2007-03-30T13:18:00.000-05:00

Helloooooooo! why yes, i am still here. i still like you. and i still like to blog.

I may have lost some of my faithful readers in my absense, but rest assured, my blogging conscious has spoken (by way of email from you-know-who-you-are), and I hope to keep this site updated a little more.

I still read your blog. Daily. I really love catching up on the little things in life through staying connected online. So I'm recommitting myself.

Ready. Set. Go.

Yeah for Phoebe Kim!

2007-03-06T11:54:00.000-05:00

Phoebe Yoonjung Kim was born on March 1 to my boss, James, and his wife Lauren. We've been anxiously awaiting her arrival for several weeks!

I've worked for James for over 3 years and have really gotten close to the whole family. Lauren works at the PI office, as well. They already have two fun girls (Chloe, 4, and Zoe, 2) who call me Becky eemo (aunt becky in korean). Love them!

So here's a post to celebrating Phoebe!

Welcome, little girl! You're so blessed - a covenant child - one who has already been prayed for and is set apart as belonging to God. May you never remember a day you didn't know the love of Jesus, and may you be a mighty warrior for the Kingdom of God! We are praying you will be a covenant keeper, dear one, and pursue the heart of God all your days. You are loved!!

updates coming, i promise!

2007-02-22T12:24:00.000-05:00

I've got lots of pics & stories from the cruise, from my last 5k, from taking a new friend to get her nose pierced -- so much!

...but, I've been a little distracted. :)

Meet: Joe Yoon.

the sun, the sand, the sea

2007-02-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

...the beauty of a cruise.

I spent last week aboard Royal Carribbean's Sovereign of the Seas. And...well...I could get used to the cruisin' life. The trip was A LOT of fun with friends from work and was a nice way to vacate, although I really didn't get much rest.

Favorite part of the week? Definitely this:

Yep, that's me in the Bahamas. I quickly got over my initial hesitations and really had a blast exploring the island. More pics to come!

Why Do I Run?

2007-01-31T17:02:00.000-05:00

Why do I run
It ain’t no mystery
I wanna have a good medical history

Dr. told me runnin’ is great
Helps them blood cells circulate

Great for the lungs
Great for the ticker
Nothin’ can getcha in better shape quicker

Feels so healthy
Feels so sweet
Pumpin’ my arms
And flappin’ my feet

Keeps me youthful
Keeps me loose
Tightens my tummy
And shrinks my caboose

Beats being sluggish
Beats being lazy
Why do I run
Maybe I’m crazy.

--author unknown

Who can slay the mighty Zeus?

2007-01-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a sad day at the Beracah house.

Our beloved fish, Zeus, has died. He was sick. And to be honest, I'm not quite sure how he died. But in his last days he turned completely red, except for a white, bloated face and big black eyes. Oh, it was dreadful!

We gave him a proper funeral (complete with a reading of the poem below) and have now entered a indeterminable time of mourning.

Ode to Zeus DeChildensen

Zeus, we knew that you were sick
When Kevin said you had "the ick"
It happened only yesterday
And we tried to make it go away

You were once Beracah's token male
But now to the heavenly fishly seas you'll sail
Your blueish-green iridescence we'll certainly miss
About your striking beauty we'll ever reminisce

Belly up is how we thought we'd find you
Instead your face was buried in the depths of blue

You always welcomed us home at the end of the day
And listened to everything we had to say
As sensitive a man we'll never find
Zeus DeChildensen, you were one of a kind!

(original post can be found here: http://thebeckster.blogspot.com/2006/09/my-new-roommate.html)

I'm a Rock Star!

2007-01-29T12:50:00.000-05:00

So pumped about this. LOVED IT.

You're looking at runner no. 1336 who finished her first- ever-5k in 38 minutes 52 seconds WITHOUT EVEN STOPPING!!! I'm more excited about not having to stop and walk than my time...which was an average of 12 and a half minutes per mile.

Wow. Seriously, I exceeding my goals by.. a lot. I'm really pumped and can't wait for my next one on Feb. 17th. Wanna run with me?!?!

Okay, some other people wanted details. So I rolled in from my weekend rendevous in Jacksonville at 11pm on Saturday night, got everything ready for the next morning, had a bowl of cereal (last minute carbs), and was in bed at 11:30. Starting at 2am, I awoke every hour until the alarm went off because I was afraid of oversleeping. Argh. I was a little nervous when I awoke at 6:30, I'm not gonna lie. So I kept telling myself,"I'm just going for a run, no big deal." But when I got close to the site at Mead Gardens, the parking was horrendous. I parked about 1/2 a mile away, so I ran from my car to the Gardens just to warm up.

Next thing you know, I hear a gun shot and we're off! Apparently, I was too close to the front, because I was getting pushed and passed by for the first several minutes. It was a funny scene - 1300 women in a literal stampede. And it's motivating with all those women running around you..I wanted to go faster and not let them pass me by! But I just settled into my own pace.

Surprisingly, when I hit mile marker 1, I was feeling pretty good. So I kept on pumping. We were running through some gorgeous neighborhoods with the trees overhanging the streets (classic, beautiful Winter Park. I love where I live). As we were rounding one corner, I heard some music getting louder as I gained ground. ?? Turned the corner and found a house with all the windows and doors open blasting some kind of high energy music, with the owner of the house standing in the driveway cheering and waving us by. It is about 7:45 in the morning at this point; the neighbors were loving him, I am sure. I smiled a few minutes later as we passed another house with a young 10-year-oldish looking boy out in the front yard with his dad and Ipod speakers blasting the theme song to Chariots of Fire. :)

At the halfway mark, they were passing out cups of water. Watching the people in front of me, I followed suit and slowed down to grab the water, drink a few sips, and chuck the cup as I kept on running.

At mile marker 2, I decided no one could stop me now. I was gonna finish this thing without stopping. By halfway through mile 3, I was fighting myself to keep going. I was banking on hitting that "runners high" at some point, but it never came. Once I saw my mom and uncle cheering me on, and then my coach, Scott, though, I was smokin'. At mile marker 3, I picked up speed, passed a few slow pokes, and finished on a strong note. :) I'm telling you, it was exhilarating!

well...here we go....

2007-01-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

It's official. I just signed up. I've paid. I'm getting a T-shirt. And I'm running a 5-k this weekend.

Eeek! Will I make it? My training schedule has been...lets say...a bit random.

But, by golly, I'm going for it.

(I know you don't believe me.)

reflection

2007-01-22T17:30:00.000-05:00

Whenever I have my earphones on at work, my co-workers know that I’ve effectually “closed my door.” I don’t want to be bothered.

Well, I’ve got those earphones on right now. My soul (not to mention my body) feels weary today….no particular reason…just weary and aching for something more.

It’s an interesting feeling, really. Somewhat perplexing, I must admit. How does it work? Where does this gnawing originate? I usually refer to these feelings in reference to my soul, because I can’t pinpoint the soul either. Where is it? Why does it feel this way? Gnawing is just one of the regular symptoms of having a soul that has been awakened. What about the aching? the hardness? the softness? the pruning? the stretching? the bliss? the thrill? the chase? the simple, satisfying stillness? So varied, my soul is! I’m telling you…perplexing. I’m perplexing.

Yes, my friend, this awakened soul of mine is also an amazing, sacrificial gift.

Remember the LORD’s promises to the people of Israel: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

It was a rich promise to Israel – one they fought for and wept over and craved with everything in them – but it’s a reality for me. Without question. The Father promised, then sacrificed His Son. Jesus left riches to humble himself in more ways than I can count, and endured the pain of death. And now the Spirit seals my soul as belonging to Him…and gnaws, aches, hardens, softens, prunes, stretches, multiplies joy, pursues, and satisfies my soul to a depth of intimacy that is perplexing!! (I’m still not over that.)

Seriously…one of the first things Lauri said to me this morning (beyond telling me how big of a fish she caught yesterday) was in the form of a shriek of wonder that we have the Spirit living in us. It’s a wonderfully perplexing thing, when you really get to thinking about it.

So, my soul outlook today: weary and aching for something more. But Praise Jesus for an awakened soul. Because of Him, I have something bigger and better to long for, namely, His glory and His Kingdom in all its fullness. I haven’t been lost. I haven’t been forgotten. My soul matters to the King of Kings. He’s calling me deeper and deeper into Himself.

From my headphones today, you would have heard this song on repeat…

Searching for truth, longing for peace
Nothing satisfies – the ache will not cease
Come fill me up, as only You can
All of my times, Lord, you hold in the palm of your hand

Worship the King, all heaven and earth!
Gratefully sing of his power and love
You are the Lord, the Ancient of Days
We will bow down and live for your praise

You are the first, You are the last
You’re our hope to come as ages pass
You are the one – faithful and true
All that I need, Lord, is found only in you

Worship the King, all heaven and earth!
Gratefully sing of his power and love
You are the Lord, the Ancient of Days
We will rejoice…rejoice!

Worship the King, all heaven and earth!
Gratefully sing of his power and love
You are the Lord, the Ancient of Days
We will rejoice and live for your praise

We will rejoice and live for your praise….may that be the theme song of my soul, no matter what the outlook.

Pics from Urbana

2007-01-11T17:12:00.000-05:00

I'm so behind on posting...sorry...more coming soon!

Our awesome booth! Check out the globe..it was revolving.

Our team (most of them)

Working hard or hardly working?

Now...where should I go??

urbana 07

2006-12-27T13:15:00.000-05:00

I'm here!

I'm so excited.

31 PIONEERS friends from around the world are joining me at this 5 day conference in St. Louis, MO, to represent PI and hopefully encourage and love students to the mission field. We want to hear their stories, answer questions, pray with them. It'll be fun.

I'm most excited about hanging out with my team, though. These people are awesome. Heros of the faith. Lovers of God and lovers of those who don't yet know him. Passionate for the Kingdom. It's energizing to be with them - that's what it is!

Pray for me -all of us, really- to represent well Christ's heart for the nations. May the events, conversations, and worship this week ripple from this place to all the farthest corners and crevices of the earth! Soli deo gloria!