Almost There!

This is really happening...IS this really happening? Am I REALLY going? 

Unbelievable...

6 whole years later, and I'm seriously 

ALMOST THERE! 

My hope to join Youth With a Mission for a Discipleship Training School began 6 years ago, and I really can't wrap my mind around the fact that I am going...in roughly 3 months! The fundraising portion is nearly complete and all of the details are just coming together smoothly. I still have a huge laundry list of things to take care of before I leave, but I am starting to see that finish line...that beautiful finish line!!!

Speaking of finish lines, I have been doing a lot of training and trying to prepare myself for the Indy Mini-Marathon. This will be my second time doing the race, and I'm very excited about it! It's been a real journey in itself, just trying to prepare myself mentally, physically, and spiritually...Running is a lot more to me lately than my fitness. It reminds me of the ups, downs, bumps, bruises, celebrations, and victories along the way. 

So far, I have done a few smaller races to help me reach smaller goals in preparation. I have done the Polar Bear Run (5K), Norris Insurance Pancake Run (5K), Shamrock Run/Walk (4 mile), and last weekend the Indy Mini Training Series (15K)...so that's coming along as well. Almost there! 

So as I get closer to these goals, and have been busily working 3 jobs and trying to juggle a lot of different things at once (aren't we all?!), I at times find myself feeling drained and overwhelmed; however, even in those moments, feeling extremely blessed and joyful. I love all of the different things going on in life right now, and I just have to praise God for all of the ways that he's been showing his love to me. One happy girl right here. :)

And...I have a song that I keep singing to myself as I jump from job to job to training, etc...and it makes me smile every time and especially on those longer days. Inspired by my niece, this is a clip from the Princess and the Frog, where the main character has been working really hard and been through a lot of hard times getting to her goal of owning a restaurant. I relate to the chorus which says, "Well I'm almost there. I'm almost there. There have been trials and tribulations. You know I've had my share. But I've climbed a mountain and I've crossed a river and I'm almost there. But there ain't nothing gonna stop me now, cuz I'm almost there! Well, I'm almost there!"

Take a listen... Almost There- Princess and the Frog

I continue to be amazed at the community of friends and family who have helped me to cover so many different things...parents coordinating youth fundraisers, people providing food, washing dishes, drivers for youth, volunteers to help lead the youth, a helpful pastor, supportive committees at amboy and sycamore friends churches,decorating tables, financial support, making pies, people praying for and with me, singing and worshiping God with amazing women and sisters in Christ, encouraging notes, hugs, high fives, laughter, friends and sisters joining in with me on race days, accountability partners, mentors, the youth just being their awesome selves...I think you might get the picture by now. 

I CAN'T JUST LIST IT ALL! 

That's how extremely blessed I feel. How can I thank everyone enough? Even moreso, how can I ever thank GOD enough?! He is so completely worth ALL of our praise... 

Estoy Enamorado. Si es usted?

(I am enamored. Are you?)

Are ya burdened?

My heart is so burdened in prayer lately. For friends, family, others in ministry, the body of Christ as a whole, the lost, the broken, the struggling, the numb, I can't fully explain it. The more I pray the more my heart breaks for things going on in the world. I posted a previous link called Pure Bride, and I just think about how short our lives really are. What are we really doing with our time? On the day of judgment, will God look at us and say, "I never really knew you"? Will we have a deep relationship with Christ, that goes beyond just feeling good about life? Will we be able to say that we...surrendered...all...?
I struggle with this daily. I find myself wondering these things often, and wanting my life to matter for the kingdom. If I looked back right now, would I be able to say that I not only gave my all...but that God has ALL of me?
Here's a beautiful song and prayer: I Surrender All to You


I have been reading through the gospels and doing a lot of reflecting on Jesus' last days on the earth with his disciples and the teachings he shared with them.There is so much to learn from those accounts. So as I continue to work through the gospels and soak it all in, I continue to be challenged...in great ways, and all the more burdened.


Most might think of feeling burdened as a sense of being overwhelmed or stressed by life in general...but what about being burdened in prayer? What does that really mean?
For me, I am just finding my heart more and more broken for things around me....and that is drawing me to deeper places of prayer. I find myself continually praying, and focusing a lot more energy into spending time with the Lord. The scriptures really are transforming and the spirit really does intercede and help us when we feel weak or weary.


It is a blessing to be able to communicate with our Lord through prayer....and I know I can't change everything going on around me...but I do know that God never ignores us...he always answers in some way when we call upon him.


My desire is that we will all be able to draw closer to the Lord in prayer...I really believe that prayer is so foundational to our daily lives and staying fully connected to God from day to day, even moment by moment, and not just week by week or even conference to conference. It opens our eyes to see what God sees and how we can enter into a deeper place of living out the callings he has for each of us. Not just in our individual lives, but in a corporate way. God's plans are way beyond our own, and the only way to tap into the way he is leading is to be rooted in prayer.


Here is a neat example of what prayer is doing in a community in Haiti. (The base in this video is also affiliated through YWAM, the organization that I'm going through for my upcoming Discipleship Training School. There is even a chance that our base in the Dominican Republic will be working alongside them for our outreach phase.)
Prayer Room- YWAM Haiti- Community Transformation through Prayer


Henri Nouwen has a really neat way of discussing prayer and how it can draw us deeper...Check it out. 
"To pray, I think, does not mean to think about God in contrast to thinking about other things, or to spend time with God instead of spending time with other people. Rather, it means to think and live in the presence of God. As soon as we begin to divide our thoughts about God and thoughts about people and events, we remove God from our daily life and put him into a pious little niche where we can think pious thoughts and experience pious feelings. ... Although it is important and even indispensable for the spiritual life to set apart time for God and God alone, prayer can only become unceasing prayer when all our thoughts -- beautiful or ugly, high or low, proud or shameful, sorrowful or joyful -- can be thought in the presence of God. ... Thus, converting our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer moves us from a self-centred monologue to a God-centred dialogue." 


May we pray without ceasing! 
Enamorado, 
Abby

Time...

With each day, I get closer to the time where I will begin my journey with YWAM. Technically speaking, I am about 5 months out from my trip; however, once June hits, I will be at church camp for several weeks, a pastoral retreat, and a mission trip with the youth group in July. I will leave about 3-5 days after all of that wraps up. So I really have about 3 months to cover a lot of details before I leave the country. I'm starting to feel the crunch! Times are busy, and I don't see anything slowing down in the near future.


Some things that God is teaching me lately are the following...

• Take one day at a time. 
• "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34
• Make time for yourself to stay connected with God. . 
• "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." -Luke 5:16
• Quiet time is much sought after lately, and I have a hunger to know more from the Bible, to be in the Lord's presence, and also to be in prayer for so many things going on all around me. As I am growing  closer to the Lord through worship and reading of scripture, my heart has been even more burdened to be constantly in prayer. One of the things that I long for during my prayer time is explained well through this song: Pure Bride- By: Leeland
• Don't get discouraged. 
• "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." -Hebrews 12:1-3
• A prayer partner of mine was praying for me on the phone the other day, and a portion of this verse popped into my head. She looked up the rest of it, since I was in my truck. The words spoke right to my heart in that moment and I was completely shocked especially since I couldn't remember what the entire verse said. But it was just what I needed to hear at that time. It's amazing how when we cry out to God for his help, that he never fails to show up. I had a long day, and felt drained, but then God provided a portion of his word to encourage me. My weariness almost instantly turned to joy. What a wonderful God...always faithful.
• Here's a song that always helps if I feel discouraged: You are For Me: Kari Jobe
• Don't let the efforts of the enemy detour or distract you from your purpose. 
• Let your eyes look straight ahead;
     fix your gaze directly before you.
  ²⁶ Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
     and be steadfast in all your ways.
  ²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left;
     keep your foot from evil. -Proverbs 4:25-27
• Just as God has been increasing in so many ways in my life, I feel like the distractions have increased just as much. I'm convinced that the enemy hates when we are on fire for Christ. He'd rather keep us lukewarm, stuck, in a standstill...I am determined to stay focused on Christ and to not let distractions hinder me from growing closer to God and continuing to serve him.
• And ask for help if needed. 
• Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. -Galatians 6:2
• I think sometimes it's easy for me to think that I can handle things on my own, but I am finding that the more connected I am with those around me, the lighter the burdens may seem. It's a beautiful thing to see the body of Christ coming to life as we help each other out. And it not only benefits me, but the body of Christ as a whole will become healthier. It's a win win situation!
• Shelter- By: Jars of Clay is a song that explains why community is so important as we follow Christ. Check it out!

That's all for today...

Estoy Enamorado, 

Abby

The Chair

Several of you have recently heard me talking about a chair that I have been refinishing, so I decided that I've made a fair enough amount of progress to finally post some pictures!

The Story: This fall, I was going for a walk around town and found this huge chair by a dumpster. It caught my eye because it reminds me of some of the furniture up at church camp. I went back awhile later with a friend of the family to check it out again for structure issues or any damage that I didn't see before. Looked like a solid chair to me! So we loaded it into the truck and took it to a friend's woodshop.

Here's the first look:

Notice the scratched up arms and missing bottom section.

And here's a sideview to see the details:

Lighter tone in natural sunlight

 As you can see, it's an older, very solid chair...and I think it's perfect. :) It is a pine wood chair, and whoever originally made the chair took a lot of time choosing which piece of lumber would go where. You can tell because the most beautiful grain is placed in spots where they will be most seen. The chair is also a rocking chair!
So I've completed the process of stripping the stain. Here's a pic:


Arms were sanded...starting to see what it really looks like under there!

 Next, the sanding process...It's been interesting! Here are a few of the tools I've used for sanding and detail work:


This one has sanding strips all around it. It takes off like a race car, so it's a good shoulder workout!

And another one:

I named this the Dreaded Dremel...Scared me at first, because it can rip up the wood very quickly if you're not careful!

Here is the area where the Dremel was put to use:


Front Detail work. Top section "Dremel'd". Bottom section still has stain and such in it.

I decided to smooth out the edges a bit more on the front panel. Here's the finished project:


After using the Dreaded Dremel, I used the rotating sander, then hand sanded to finish out the edges.

 This is Bella...she keeps me company!

To help out, our good friend Paul helped cut a board to fit for the seat. Here's that plus almost everything sanded. (I still have nooks and crannies to sand, but this is the chair down to it's natural look.)

What do you think? I'm now trying to decide whether to put a clear coat on it, or to add any kind of stain. I love the grain so I might try to maintain the way it currently looks. Still a few more nooks and crannies to sand, then begins making of chair cushions and so on....

More to come on this...

Those who Trust

It seems as though God has been reminding me of a few things lately. There has been a wave of people that I've been talking with about the issue of trust and I think so many of our day to day questions and struggles come down to that simple question: "Do you trust me?"

I've written three facebook notes about this topic already, (Here are the links if you'd like to read those as well: Do you trust me? -Part One-, Do you trust me? -Part 2-, Do you trust me? -Part 3-) but I must say that God has shed some new light on the topic once again. Whether it's finances, relationships, plans for life, and so on...I keep getting the sense that God is asking us to take a few steps back, take a look at what is currently going on in your life and see where we need to trust. 

Where do you find yourself doubting or questioning God?
Where do you find yourself taking matters into your own hands?
Where do you find your security? Where do you want to find your security?
What is God asking you to trust him with in your life? 

Trust comes down to this...I believe that trust is a hinge to our faith, the very thing that helps us turn corners and come closer or further from God. If we have faith, that will also require something from us...TRUST.

This picture kind of reminds me of what trust might look like...

You see, trust will always take a risk. It'd be safe to say that almost every person alive has been in a situation where someone or something could not be trusted. The fact of the matter is, we can't ever fully protect ourselves from being hurt in those moments where we trust someone or something.

Check out this link:
Balance Beam- Francis Chan

The scriptures remind us over and over and over again that we were created by a God that is worthy of our trust, can be trusted, wants us...to trust Him. Just like the balance beam, maybe there is something that we are clinging to instead of Christ. 

So if we really step back, do we trust him? Can we trust him with everything?
Remember that God is with you right now, wherever you are as you read this...

Maybe he is asking, "(Insert your name here), do you trust me? I know that you already trust me with ______________, but I want you to completely trust me. That means even trusting me with the one thing that you want to hold on to and take care of without my help. So will you trust me with _____________? Do you trust me completely?" 

So my question for you is this:
What is keeping you from fully trusting God today?


"Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."
-Psalm 9:10-

My prayer is that as you take the risk to trust in Him, that God would continue to surprise you with his faithfulness and love. He is so good.
Those Who Trust- Enter the Worship Circle

Estoy enamorado...
Abby

Let's make this easier...

For those of you who have tried to sign up for updates, my apologies for the confusion!
The process has now become much much easier for you! A friend helped me find the link to properly install an email sign up. (Thank you!!!)


If you look to the right upper column, you will now see a box that says, "Subscribe via email" right above it. All you have to do is enter your email address in the box and click "Subscribe." You will also receive an email to that account where you will verify your subscription.


I hope this simplifies things for you! Once you sign up, each blog that I post will go directly to your email account. Thanks for following my blog!


-Abby-

Seeking Him

Lately, I have been dwelling on this thought...this thought that no matter how much of God we know at this very moment, there is always so much more that he wants to show us. I can honestly admit that I have felt guilt in the past for not spending more time with the Lord...but now, I find myself just wanting to be in his presence, just because I can get a better glimpse at who he is.

Whether it's getting into the Word, spending time in worship, or taking some quiet time for prayer, there is something deeply transforming that I am coming to know.

He keeps surprising me. He keeps reminding me how loved and treasured I am. He keeps pursuing me. I can't really explain it...but if you imagine being giddy about a crush, or interested in getting to know someone more, that's what it feels like. Those times where maybe your heart skips a beat at the thought of that person...the thought of spending more time with them, or even laughing or smiling uncontrollably at the joy that person brings to your heart. That's what it's like. It's pretty amazing!



She told us that her flowers were for Jesus.
(Dominican Republic 2005-06)



No, I'm not going to say that I am "dating Jesus"...but wow, let me tell you. His love is Extravagant...there's soooo much of it to know and experience and learn...As amazed as I feel, he continues to surprise me. What a humbling thought to know that no matter how much closer we come to God, we will be tipping the iceberg of who God is every single time. I love that all the adjectives combined will never be enough or too extreme of a description of him. He will always surpass our human capabilities to describe him.   

Check out this video link:

The More I Seek You- By: Kari Jobe

My prayer today is that God will surprise you with his love, and that you will want to want more of Jesus.

Estoy enamorado de su amor...

-Abby-