Trusting God

I had the most interesting conversation with a patient this week that has really made me think. I have come back to what he said several times since then.

Let me describe this man to you...He was sitting in the room with his Harley-Davidson motorcycle jacket draped over the chair, complete with several motorcycle patches and pins. I have seen this patient several times before and have always had a good relationship. We hadn't talked about anything really personal...most people don't view their doctor's office as a place to reveal too much information about their spiritual life.

This 50-55 year old man was scheduled for a routine cholesterol check...something that is generally straightforward and easy...at least my part is!! :) When I walked in the room, he was finishing up the part of the book he was reading and putting it away. I usually ask people what they are reading (I am always up for a new good author) and he was no exception.

I can't remember the exact title of the book but it had something to do with God's unaswered prayers. When I commented on the title, he pulled another book out of his bag. It had something to do with spiritually transmitted diseases....catchy, huh?

I don't think that I have ever told this patient that I am a Christian...like I said, most people don't see our office as that 'type of place.' We talked about the two books he was reading for a little while and then quickly moved on to more "weighty" matters. (just put all that book stuff in there in case you knew the correct titles, or had read them, and to let you know how we got all the way to this topic from a cholesterol check)

I was amazed at his level of commitment to what he believes God is asking him to do. He has worked for the same company for 21 years but has not ever truly enjoyed it. He said that he has always been interested in finding the place to be for his own ministry. He has been involved in a Christian motorcycle group and sings at his church, but wants to do more...His wife is a stay-at-home mom but his kids are older now and married. He stated that he was leaving our office to go quit his job and give himself the time and focus to hear what God is asking him to do.

He told me that he and his wife have been praying about this for several weeks.

They do not have a savings account that will support them...they are trusting God...

His wife does not have a job that will carry the financial load...they are trusting God...

She is having surgery next week and will be unable to "help out" until she has had several weeks to heal...they are trusting God...

He doesn't even know what he is going to do for a ministry, much less an income...they are trusting God...

So much more was said during this conversation, by us both, and I continue to think about that as well, but, more than anything I was impressed by his complete devotion to his service.

How many times in the Bible does God tell us to give our all and he will provide?

I am not suggesting that we all quit our jobs, just to prove that we believe God is there to catch us, but I hope that I would do the same thing if God asked...what an amazing testimony of faith. If nothing else, his actions have definitely impacted me. What do you think?

You know you are in trouble when....

I went to spin class this morning...part of my usual MWF routine. I guess it is natural for some days to be harder than others, and the time it takes me to start getting really tired is usually in the middle of the hour long class (somewhere within a 5-10 minute range). Let me tell you about today....

Ten minutes into the class - Technically, we are still in the warm-up phase. I am already starting to breathe a little hard. I look around and notice that everyone else is doing the same. We all are looking a little surprised that we are already getting tired.

Fifteen minutes into class - I am really breathing heavy...it has only been five more minutes since before. Because you can control how hard you make the class by changing the tension on the bike, I lower it significantly, hoping that will help.

About that time, the lady next to me catches my attention and tells me to look at the instructor...he can barely catch his breath!!

I have never noticed one of the instructors having a hard time in class. They are in control of what we do, so I guess they always seem to take little breaks here and there and can recover fairly quickly.

I just think it is a bad sign when, fifteen minutes into the class, the instructor is adjusting his bike as well...guess how the rest of the class went...I think it may take me all day to recover!! :)

300

Dan and I took the opportunity this afternoon to go see "300." What a great movie!! The movie does have a lot of violence and quite a bit of nudity but the story was great. We felt like it was the Spartan version of the Alamo. Overall, we really enjoyed it - I only cried for about 30 seconds (I call that a successful movie :). I think it was even better because we got to go to the matinee and it cost a total of $6 (for the both of us). You can't be that!! We did save money on the popcorn and drinks we shared...it is amazing what you can fit in a large purse!!!

Spring Cleaning

This morning I woke up ready to go...all I could think about was how I wanted to clean out our closet. We have a fairly small closet and have to exchange winter/summer clothes every season. Since it has warmed up so much recently, it was time to make the switch.

Once I started on the closet, I just couldn't seem to stop! Every time I walked to a different part of our apartment, I saw something else I wanted to straighten up or clean. Our apartment stays pretty clean most of the time, but now it is spotless.

It is such a good feeling to be able to sit down at the end of the day and look around to "admire" your work....we'll have to see how long it stays this way!! :)

New Look

One of the blogs I read (Rachel) recently got a new look and I decided I might need to try something else...

What do you think?

Family Fun

We have had a very fun, family filled week or so.

Friday, Mar 9, Dan and I drove to Lubbock to meet with my immediate family for dinner before most of us left the next day to drive to Colorado. We were able to spend 5 days (if you count driving days) with my sister, her husband, and my brother before coming home on Wednesday.

(Thur, Mar 15 was just us)

Friday, Mar 16, my parents, my sister and husband, and my dad's parents all came to visit for the weekend. They had all really wanted to see our house and thought the weekend of Spring Break would be a great time. We had a blast just showing off all of our house stuff...we are really getting excited about it!!





Sunday, Daniel's grandparents drove in from California on their way to Colorado (they split their time half/half) and will be spending this week with my in-laws. We got to enjoy dinner with all of Dan's family on Monday night.

And, last night, we got to go visit with some friends who have a 5 week old baby boy...it was so fun to see a new family!! We are so used to seeing them as a couple so it was a new experience to think of them as mom/dad.

I love being able to spend time with family and friends. It is so refreshing and renewing to be able to spend time with the ones you love....

Home Safe and Sound

Dan and I made it home last night from Wolf Creek. We had a blast!! We went with my sister, her husband, my brother, a cousin, and 6 other people that my sister goes to church with. It was alot of fun to get to meet new people. Neither Daniel nor I had skiied at Wolf Creek before so it was fun to get to go someplace new. We actually spent most of our time on one run that had some jumps on it...lots of fun crashes to watch. My sister has most of the good pictures but here are a few of the fun crashes I got pictures of!! (Everyone walked away safe and sound)

Closest to God

Daniel and I are leaving on Friday to go skiing with my sister and her husband, my brother, and about ten other people. We were talking last night about how much we were looking forward to going back to the mountains and seeing God in nature. Later that evening, I was working on my Bible study and one of the questions was about times we have spent in nature and have seen God. We were then asked to describe one of those times. This generated some more conversation between me and Dan.

Where do you feel closest to God? In the mountains? At the beach? In the middle of the ocean? Or sitting in your own home? I think my hubby and I both would say we feel the closest to God in the mountains.....

I think it is so easy to be overwhelmed by God's beauty and power when we were in a location out of the norm. We seem to notice everything. For me, at least, it is very easy to get used to seeing the things around you everyday and do not always appreciate them for what they really are. I wonder how many times I am walking from my car to work and don't notice the birds in the air or the trees behind our office. I wonder how much I miss here that I look for when I have traveled elsewhere.

What do you think?

The Departed

Daniel and I watched "The Departed" last night and now I know why it was awarded Best Picture, Martin Scorsese was best director and it was the winner for movie editing. It was an excellent movie. It is pretty violent and the language is rough, but the story behind it is great. The ending definitely surprised me!! (Of course, I am always the last one to figure out the endings of movies). More than anything, I think I was impressed by such an all-star cast. I knew that Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon were in the movie, but seeing Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and Mark Wahlberg surprised me. And did you know Brad Pitt produced it? Kept me entertained for the entire movie, which says a lot because I usually fall asleep in longer movies! :)

Moving right along....

They have started framing!! Actually, it looks like they have done a lot of framing. At this rate, they may actually be done on time....well, maybe...