Salty enough?

This past Sunday we had a guest speaker at church.  He is a resort ministry missionary.  He is in Big Sky, Montana, and he skis, snowboards and ministers to people on vacation and working/living at the resorts.  Sounds fun, huh?  

One of the main points I got from his sermon was to remind us that we are to be salt in the world.  I never really ate much salt until I moved to Georgia.  It seems here that salt is used with everything!  So, I have learned a little about not having enough salt or having too much salt in my cooking.  One thing that I really thought about after church is that if there isn't enough salt in something it can be bland - and it doesn't change the taste of the dish.  Jesus telling us to be salt is like telling us to change the flavor of the world.  If we taste more like the world than we taste like the salt of Jesus, we can't flavor the world. It is a thought that convicts and challenges me.  Am I being salty enough?  Hmm.  That may be my new motto.  What do you think?

Music Monday

Music Monday is back from it's long summer's break.  I first heard of Andrew Peterson when his song Dancing in the Minefields came out.  It is a sweet song about being married and loving each other through the years.  So I was extra interested when I heard this song.  It is called Rest Easy and it speaks to me so strongly.  The lyrics say, 

You don't have to work so hard,

You can rest easy.

You don't have to prove yourself, 

You're already mine.  

The verses are powerful too.  I hope it speaks to you the way it does to me.  Reminding us that we can't do any more or any less to make God love us and accept us.  We're already His!  Doesn't that just make you want to cry with thanksgiving?

Andrew had a contest for a video for this song and this was the winning video.  You may need a kleenex nearby.  I did.

Comparison

I'm back from a long hiatus.  Lots going on here.  Spring Fling, Pre-K graduation, End of School, Camps, and now my husband is running for our local Board of Education.  The first thing to get neglected is my blog.  Hoping to become a more regular blogger in the fall when both kids will be in school.  Can't think of that now - I'll start crying.  ;)

But, lately I have been reading and thinking a lot about comparison and friendship, and I wish I could remember where I read this last week, so if you know, please comment.  Someone said something to this effect.  When we compare ourselves to others we are comparing our insides to their outsides.  Basically, the thoughts and inner musings of what we would like to change about ourselves to the best parts of others that they let people see.  So it's a really losing situation.  It has made me think a lot about that.  One of the other things I have been trying to remind myself is the quote "Comparison is the thief of joy."  Boy is that true.  You can make yourself crazy reading blogs and looking on pinterest.  While I love to do both of those things, I am constantly reminding myself to be thankful.  Thankfulness can quench comparison and self doubt/self defeating attitudes.  Being thankful in everything.

Print by girlheartscamera

Today I was reading a favorite blog, gypsy mama, by Lisa Jo, and she has a beautiful printable called  The Tired Mother's Creed.  It is wonderful.  Go check it out and print it out like I did.  She is such an encourager, and this was just what I needed.

Let's remember to encourage each other, be thankful in everything, and compare ourselves only to Jesus, who is perfecting us in Him every day.

Color Run Atlanta!

Weeks ago I was visiting Stacy Julian's blog and she was saying how fun she thought this race called the Color Run would be to do.  I have been running - ish for a while now so I thought I would check it out.  I found out that the Color Run was coming to Atlanta and I got an idea.  I sent an email to my running girlfriends and asked if they would like to do the run and make a girls' weekend out of it.  They all thought that was a great idea, and a plan was formed.  

This past Friday 3 of my sweet friends, Kimberly, Mary Kathryn and Heather, and I went to Atlanta.  We had a fabulous night out on Friday, eating, window shopping, and laughing together.  We got to stay at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, which was a very difficult thing for the 2 UGA graduates in our group to do.  This of course delighted me to no end. ;)

Saturday morning was warm and overcast, perfect for our race.  We walked to Piedmont Park and couldn't believe our eyes.  There was a sea of white shirts as far as we could see.  That was part of the race - you start out in a white shirt and they cover you with color throughout the race so you are a rainbow piece of art by the time you are finished.  The race organizers said it was the biggest race they had had so far.  There were approximately 10,000 people there.  The race did not disappoint.  We had so much fun getting blasted with color.  By the end of the race and celebration, there was really not a part of our bodies that wasn't covered in color.  We loved it.  

Having sweet friends to laugh and have fun with is definitely one of God's best blessings in life.  

Music Monday

This week's Music Monday song is one of my very favorite hymns.  I love hearing it at any time, but it is especially poignant and meaningful this Easter week.  Sometimes I think we focus so much on the Resurrection that we forget the agony and anguish Jesus went through in the crucifixion.  This version is done by the Choir of King's College in Great Britain.  I hope the words and tune remind us all this week of what our Lord went through to save us all from sin.

On the nightstand

You all know I am a huge reader.  I usually read at least one book a week.  I don't always love the books I read.  I used to feel that I had to finish a book.  Now, if I don't like it, I put it away and get another one going.  I did that just two days ago.  

I also lead a book club at my church.  Last month we had the privilege to read Tamera Alexander's book, A Lasting Impression.  Believe me when I tell you I couldn't put it down. I love historical fiction, and this book is set at the end of the Civil War when Reconstruction was happening.  It takes place at the Belmont Mansion in Nashville, Tennessee.  The Belmont Mansion is a real place that is still standing today.  I won't tell you too much about the book, but please run out and get it and read it.  

The extra special part of our book club this past month though, was getting to video chat with Tamera Alexander!  We all talked after the chat about how we think that an author might be hoity toity and super intellectual, but how Tamera was so sweet and easy to talk to.  It was like talking to our neighbor.  She is, of course, super smart, but she was extremely gracious and told us all about her research, extra info about the Belmont Mansion and one of the main characters in the book, who lived at the Mansion.  If you ever need or want to read really good historical fiction, please check out Mrs. Alexander's books.  You won't be disappointed.  I am eagerly awaiting her new book coming out in November.

I also love to read to my children.  My parents read to me a great deal while I was growing up.  It was such a fun, special time for us.  So naturally I love to read with my kids.  Right now I am reading The Mysterious Benedict Society with Aubrey each night. It is a long book - about 475 pages, but full of mystery so we are enjoying it together.  Neither of us want to stop reading when we need to!  

If you ever need book recommendations, please let me know.  I love to talk books!

Music Monday

Today's song is one my kids like.  Being someone who loves words and wordplay, I have thought this song was very clever ever since I first heard it quite a while ago.  It's fun.