Go Speed Racer Go

So I have a confession...at the tender age of 31 I got my first speeding ticket last week. I was on my way to Baptist, Louisiana just on the other side of Baton Rouge to the funeral home. My good friend.."older brother" Brad's father passed away and I was on my way to funeral home after work. If you know anything about the drive from Pineville to Baton Rouge the majority of it is through small towns on Hwy 190 that are known for being speed traps and yours truly was paying no attention to how fast she was going through Livonia, LA until she saw the blue lights. There is nothing like that feeling...your stomach turns, you don't want to cry because you know you were in the wrong yet the reaction is involuntary, your hands are shaking as you reach for your license and registration...and though the police officers may not be out and out mean they always treat you like a hardened criminal. True, at that moment I have broken the law and in my case I was caught for going 20 over the speed limit so at this point I should just be thankful he is not arresting me for wreckless driving. I guess for my first ticket I did it big...but ugh what a horrible feeling. I tried to throw out the "I'm on my way to a funeral card" but he was less than sympathetic...he did care enough to tell me to be careful as he walked away from my car. Some days you just cant win for losing. I had plenty of time the rest of that trip to think about it and what really irritated me the most is that I wanted to be mad at that officer...I really did and all I could come back to is that I needed to be angry with myself. I messed up. I broke the law. I wasn't mad that I sinned...I was mad because I got caught and now I am going to have to pay a hefty ticket for it. What a sobering thought that was for me that day and something that I have been chewing on for a few days now. It always amazes me how the Lord cant get your attention through the strangest of circumstances. I have to trust that the speed limit is what it is on that road for a reason and when I dont abide by it I am putting myself and others at risk. Just like I need to be more concerned not with getting caught in my sin but that when I sin I am offending a Holy God. It's not about getting caught...even though getting caught sucks...its about honoring boundaries because they have been placed around us for our protection and for the protection of others. That was an exepensive lesson for me to have to wrap my mind around last week.

Pressed But NOT Crushed!

Well we are three weeks into the Fall semester and the only way I can describe what the Lord is doing among the RA staff is "pressed but not crushed." First let me start by saying that I have the best RA staff ever! If you are reading this and you have served on a previous RA staff it doesn't mean that I don't love and appreciate you. The Lord has blessed me beyond anything I could ask or imagine this year with the way he has put this team together and put us on the same page. I have a very ministry minded team that is seeking to be poured out...wrung out...serving residents and loving on them so that Christ will be glorified in us and through us. There is no doubt that at the point we prayer walked the LC campus asking to be challenged that Satan decided to turn up the heat and throw some challenges our way. Twice now we have had to do dorm shuffles and move over 60 boys around. I have to keep reminding myself that we didn't ask for an easy year...we asked to be challenged and though we are pressed we are not crushed...in fact we are being refined and with every bit of pressure I see more of Jesus in my staff...what a precious sight!!

Matti's Photoshoot

My baby is growing up and it has been a while since I have taken pictures of her and posted them on my blog or on facebook. It's hard to believe that I have had her for two and half years now. I can tell she is maturing because she is calming down and just getting set in her ways. We have grown up together and our routines and quirks just work together. Needless to say...I LOVE THIS DOG...and when you see these pictures you'll see why. She is a mess! You can tell that she started posing and that was prompted by me. In fact, I was uploading pictures my computer from RA training week and looked over at her and she was sitting in my chair posing like this so I picked up the camera and started clicking. That's my girl!

A Taste of the Other Side of Camp

The week I came back from my cruise I got the opportunity to chaperone my church youth group to MFuge at Samford University in Birmingham, AL. After working camp for 8 years it was so weird to be on the other side of camp but I loved it. It was nice to not be responsible for anything going on in the program. My only responsibility was to get to know the youth that I was with. Though I have been attending Kingsville Baptist Church for three years I just recently joined the church and didnt know very many of the youth that were going to camp. That is part of the joy of camp...you get to know everyone really well, really quickly. I had a blast with our group and feel connected with KBC more now than I ever have.

I also have to admit that after working 8 years of Centrifuge I fell in love with MFuge. I loved going to our mission site every day. I was in the children's track so I got to play with precious black children doing backyard bible clubs every day. On our last day we went to a nursing home which was a challenge but even that was an absolute blessing. I got to spend the afternoon with an 85 year old lady named Mrs. Faye who challenged me in my faith more than I have ever been challenged.

Some of the highlights of my week of camp: adult bible study was amazing, hanging out with the GOLDEN GIRLS (the other lady chaperones), painting up for MEGA not once but twice, getting to play with Reese every day at site, getting payback on Katie P and Joni after they rolled my room, and getting to know the KBC youth!!

A Sailer's Life For Me

As you can see by the dates of my blogs it has been quite a while since I have updated my blog. I apologize. The lack of blogging has not been a lack of activity so I am going to do my best to try and catch up on some of the events and highlights of the summer.

In July I went on my very first cruise with my dad and Scotty and had an absolute blast! The sailer's life is the life for me...no doubt. I love the sun, the water, the food, the atmosphere....I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and getting to just hang out with my dad and Scotty. I was like a little kid every night when we would come back to our room and find our towel animals...you gotta enjoy the simple things in life!

We went to Cozumel and Progresso on this cruise but have already booked a 7 day cruise for next October going to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. I feel like this cruise was just a teaser and I am so ready to go back.