Oh. My. Goodness…
Reading over these old blog posts may just be the funniest thing I’ve done in a long time.
I’ve come a long way.
I have a lot to share! Stay tuned!
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Friday Favorites
Below are some things that got me through this heck of a week.
Goodness, my job may just kill me. So. Tired.
Happy Friday! It’s the freakin’ weekend bout to have me some fun (by laying in my bed tonight watching movies…)!
1. This little hilarious piece might perfectly describe my life: What It’s Like to be a 20-Something as told by “Mean Girls,” “Bridesmaids,” and “Girls.”
One of my faves:
And with your girlfriends it’s a lot of,
But for you it’s more like,
2. Trust Fall Fail. Hilarious. Thanks to my roommate for this one!
I laugh every time.
3. I don’t watch Honey Boo Boo, but I can totally relate to her. Hormones, lack of sleep, lack of working out and being bizzzayyy this week = terrible decisions in regards to food. My dinner last night consisted of about 3 pieces of chicken and 5 chocolate chip cookies. Balanced to the tee! Quite frankly, Honey Boo, I agree:
4. There is one reason this next picture made it to the list: See Justin Beiber.
4. My life at work:
modesty, lust – whose fault is it?
I simply want you to read this article.
Don’t judge, don’t be quick to fire an opinion.
Read it, ponder it, think of your part in the equation and what you can do to help your brothers and sisters.
This is a battle we should fight together, not against one another.
Friday Favorites: things i am loving, lately.
1. Go On is a pretty funny show, from the 2 episodes I’ve seen..
“I know what this is about, and I love Margaret too, but there is no way she is only 60.” Its just simple humor, and I can relate as a therapist.
2. One of the new features the iphone 5 needs to have is a 30 second timer. It drives me nuts that I can’t do 30 seconds of an exercise using my phone as the timer. I lost my gym boss so my phone is all I have.
3. I actually made something that I pinned on Pinterest. These Southwestern Egg Rolls by the Happy Homemaker were delish!! Try them. Do it.
4. I need to go camping because I need a reason to make some of these recipes from Six Sisters’ Stuff:
5. I often have baby fever. Too often. I just want to be a mom… But then, I go to work and while I love the little buddies I work with, they make me thankful to come home to a baby-less house. My roommate also recently made a comment about renting a baby, or something to that effect. She’s a hoot. And full of truths.
6. When you don’t have cable (or any channels for that matter) and are a murder-mystery addict like myself, you may spend hours watching 48 hours on your computer. I just simply cannot get enough.
7. Today, move forward. I am so thankful for the break in the day that is night. It gives a chance for rebirth every 24 hours. Thank you, God.
8. Bahhh! Mumford & Sons has a new album, and so does this girl. It. is. so. good! Listen to it!
9. James Franco is in a band?
10. The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the farthest-ever view into the universe, a photo that reveals thousands of galaxies billions of light-years away. What an amazing God we serve. Look at this creation, and then think about how much he loves us. It’s unfathomable!
11. I would love for all the NFL ref-haters to get out there and ref a game and then we will see how much crap they have to say. Seriously, just stop.
12. I love my job, most days. I can get by living in Dayton, most days. But Wednesday morning I had to be at work early for a client who never showed up. You know what made it 100% redeemable in my tired mind? This view from my room, soon to be filled with 10 little preschoolers working on using their words, initiative, self-control, feelings, and all things behavior-related:
marathon training: information
Friday Favorites
My computer is back in working-order. Therefore, before I embark on a 12 mile treadmill run (barf), I figured I’d share some of my favorite thaannggs on this fantastic friday!
1. Hot Cheetos and Takis – kids love snacks, and the boy at about 2:45 cracks me up. ’bout time we get some wholesome rap about food! I wish I could say I listened to this once and then moved on. I’m still listening to it as I type…
2. I’m done with grad school!
…not any more… real life, here I am!
3. I love the show “Whose Line is it Anyway” with Drew Carey. When I saw this on Pinterest, I had a good laugh:
4. Speaking of dogs and churches (churches?):
5. My diet has consisted of Chick-fil-a and cookies this week. It’s quite disgusting but also incredibly delicious. Yep, I support Chick-fil-a. I’ll eat anywhere that has delicious food! Oh, also I worked there for 8 years… I just spent too much time looking for a picture of me in my uniform, which I know there are too many of, and didn’t find one. Bummer, I really wanted to show the world the horror.
So with that, I’m going to go and run those 12 miles on the dang tread. The Chicago Marathon is a little over a month away and the last time I ran was about 2 weeks ago for 7 miles.
Oops.
Hope this Chick-fil-a stays down!
Happy weekend!
Broken
Where in the world have I been?
My computer is currently dead without a working power cord, so this message comes, once again, via my phone.
Life is insane with one more class for grad school left, a new(ish) job and closing up the work at an old job. It is crazy and fantastic.
But the brokenness of humanity weighs in me heavily…I am so acutely aware of my own brokenness but I don’t know how to do any mending. I pray, I study, I meditate on scripture but I feel so lost.
Recently I listened to a sermon on forgiveness and was hit hard by the idea that we all sin out of brokenness so instead of hating those who hurt us (which I was doing at the time) we need to pray powerfully for them (which made me angry at the time). All I could pray at the time was for God to do big things in their life. I wasn’t really ready to pray for blessings to be showered upon them, but I knew prayer was the only way I’d get over the hurt and truly forgive.
Being on the opposite end of that situation (the hurtee, if you will) I gained a new perspective. We all are broken looking for healing. Sometimes even we don’t realize the depths of the intentions behind our actions, but I am beginning to notice there is much more than meets the eye. Even with the best intentions we can hurt or negatively effect others because, simply, we are all broken.
I don’t know how to express what I want to say. But as the hurtee I saw where my actions came from and realized those who had hurt me were likely in the same boat. My actions were not out of malicious or deceit but from my own pain and brokenness. It gave me sympathy for those who had hurt me. And, in an unfortunate way, gave me the grace to forgive…
You were created in the image of God!
It seems like its been years since I’ve written anything! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, but after this week it’s smoooooth sailing, baby!
I moved 2 weeks ago and find myself sitting by the pool as I type this. School has become crazy and my part-time job/internship has moved to full time (with my other part-time job still going strong!). This next week will be the most busy for me in my grad school career, as I make some hard presentations, write some difficult papers and take my comprehensive final (oh, you know – the one I need to graduate). Assuming I pass (I’m supposed to be studying right now) I’ll then have to take my licensing exam!
Aye aye aye!!
But really, none of that is why I stopped studying and began writing this. I was laying here thinking about who knows what and somehow I began listening. God wanted to tell me something irrelevant to why group counseling is important or what theorist created what theory.
He asked me what I thought about Him. No, not verbally, but he was speaking in my heart and mind. What He enlightened me to was that whatever I believe about Him, therefore I am. Likewise, whatever I believe about myself, therefore I believe about Him.
As a human, I am created in His image.
So if I believe God is all knowing, I too can be given the wisdom I need.
If I believe God is powerful, I can find power through Him in my weakness.
He is perfect, therefore I should celebrate the good in myself!
He is slow to anger, so should I be!
But, if I believe I am unworthy, I therefore I believe that about God.
If I believe I am not able to do a task, I believing neither is my God.
So think about what you believe about God and begin applying those truths to yourself. And then think about the way you put yourself down and realize that you are believing those same things about your God.
Now search for Truth and believe it!!
Your words are powerful.
I am a behavioral therapist for kids birth through about seven years old. One of the things you will hear almost every therapist I work with saying on a daily basis is, “use your words!”
We teach kids to express themselves through their words, because words are powerful.
There is also this poster hanging on one of the therapist’s doors:
Recently, I was half-listening to the radio the other week and overheard a brief snippet of the conversation going on. Whatever they were talking about, all I picked up was that they believed there was power in speaking Scripture, i.e. words, out loud.
This isn’t something new to me. In multiple daily devotionals I read, it is encouraged that one speak the name of Jesus out loud when things are in turmoil. His name brings peace and healing but also is a defense against the enemy.
“Words can launch us… God made it so that ordinary people like you and me can launch each other. Instead, I wonder if we can launch people… because we are ordinary. I believe it’s true that the right people can say words that can change everything. And guess what? We’re the ones who can say them.” (Bob Goff, Love Does)
“One of the greatest gifts – and responsibilities – that God has given humanity is the power of our words. This is part of our creation in His image. God accomplishes His will and purpose through His words. In Genesis 1, we read that when the creator said, ‘Let there be…,’ He transformed the darkness and gave shape and order to a world without form. Every dimension of our natural environment came into being through His words. Likewise, mankind, who is created in God’s image, was designed to exercise dominion on the earth by using words as an instrument of authority. Recall the first task that God gave Adam was to name all the animals. Referring to the force o words, the Bible says that ‘death and life are in the power of the tongue’ (Proverbs 18:21).” (David G. Evans, Healed Without Scars)
Your words can speak volumes.
Your words can inspire.
Your words can deflate.
Choose them wisely.
People of the Second Chance have a good series of articles going about labels. Here is a good example of one of many, and the way labels given to individuals (using our words to make assumptions) can change a life – for the good or the bad.
Friday Favorites: Good Reads
The internet has brought me some good reading lately. Please enjoy these favorites for your Friday!
1. In this article posted on CNN, Craig Gross of XXXChurch.com talks about Christianity and Homosexuality and gives his view on the way Christians judge homosexuals. He makes good points, mainly – if homosexuals can’t feel loved in our churches, where do they go when they want to know Jesus? They are sinners the same as those who are fat, Gross contends, and we welcome fat people into our churches every day. It’s time to take a look at what we, as Christians, are saying by our outright disgust towards homosexuals (this is, of course, a general statement).
2. Do you get annoyed at those stickers on all of your produce at the grocery store? Me too. But this article by Frank Lipton gives some very useful information on the reason behind the numbers on the pesky things!
3. Speaking of food, while perusing Relevant Magazine’s website I stumbled across an article about genetic modification of our foods and how many hormones we are taking into our systems from an early age.
4. Athlete Umaru Conteh from Sierra Leonne was forced to work in a diamond mine. This guy is “the world’s best athlete,” and why was he forced back into the mind, wasting his athletic ability? All for a small diamond for a twice-divorced man’s newest engagement ring. Ew.
5. I dug through my bookmarks at some blogs I hadn’t visited in awhile, just to find a good read. I came across Blissbombed by Stephanie St. Claire. In one article she talked about dealing with disappointment but linked to another article, titled, Hell-No, Hell-Yes. Read it, ladies. Men – read it and just switch the “hes” to “shes”
makinghealthahabit 