Verses

Well, Leanne had asked for some of the verses I had mentioned in a previous post, so I figured I'd just put them on here!

Isaiah 40:29-31 ~ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Proverbs 31:25 ~ She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

Colossians 3:22-24 ~ Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

I find this last verse in particular extremely helpful! Most often, I have heard this quoted from verse 23 on, which leaves out the fact that this is directed toward SLAVES! If our Lord calls slaves to work like this, how much more should I, who am gainfully employed, work for the Lord!

Hope these are encouraging to others as well! Do you have any favorite encouraging verses?

"Playing mommy"

This past week, I had the joy of playing mommy to our nephew Ethan while his mommy was away having his little brother.

It was so much fun! Definitely whet my appetite (as if it really needed much of that) for having our own one day. All in God's timing. I'm trying hard to enjoy the season that we are in now, looking at the positives, and recognizing the blessings of being "DINKS" for now. (Double Income No Kids)

Here are a few pictures of the little guys.

The new little man! James Alexander Cole

Who doesn't want to pick up a sweetie like this?!

How sweet is he? We had lots of fun last week!

Grace

Last night I was definitely given an extra measure of grace - and I am so thankful!

Little bit of background...this past week, I had the pleasure of "playing mommy" for my nephew Ethan while his mommy had his little brother (pictures to follow soon!). However, with a nice stretch off from work, it is often difficult to come back, especially when my first day back is a weekend.
Last night was no different. Being a saturday, I wanted nothing more than to cuddle up with my hubby to a movie in the evening, or go out with some friends, just about anything would have been better than coming to work on a saturday night. So...when I got here and was informed that I would be moving to a different unit (the peds floor) for the evening, it was one bit more frustrating. I still felt okay about it - and they gave me a baby assignment, which was definitely appreciated! However, I was greatly disoriented, I felt disorganized, and the staff on the floor was less than helpful, to say the least.
For many other reasons, I was overwhelmed, frustrated, and just generally unhappy about this assignment for the night. Initially I did what seems to come naturally first to me, I called Danny on my first break. He was there to provide encouragement, as always, and prayed for me before I got off the phone. Later on - I was able to get in touch with him again, and he gave some verses to think on. At this point, I really was not sure how I would get through the shift, as I was way out of my comfort zone, and for some reason, extremely bothered bythe whole thing.
Somewhere around 4:30, I realized that my shift was beginning to come to a close, and that I had experienced definite peace and comfort through the night, and that my Jesus had indeed given strength when I was weak, and His grace and mercy to walk me through the night.

Just thought I'd share this with you - hope it encourages you - He is always there to meet us and give grace when we ask - and things are much more easily done in His strength than in mine.

Pleading for grace

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and it's a concept I'd really like to apply to my life more this year.

Background - On Christmas day, I was driving back to Frederick from work (I worked from 3-11). I was fairly upset, frustrated, and wishing that somehow it could've worked out for me to not have to work on that day.

So...I heard a song that somewhere in it had the line "I'm pleading for grace". I remember nothing else, and I didn't really think anything of it at the time. A little later in the drive, I started thinking about it more. How often, in hard situations do I plead for God's grace? More often than not, I simply ask the Lord to change my situation, remove me from it, or make things go differently. When I thought about it, I realized that what I should be/want to be doing is pleading, not just casually asking, but pleading for grace to get through it! If that is where God has me, I don't want to get out of it - I want to get through it!

This year, I want to spend more time thanking God for difficulties and pleading for His grace to get me through. I'm not likely to do it on my own - so if you hear me doing the opposite - would you remind me of this?

Random facts

Okay, so I have a lot of things to post about - but until I do...here's a random fun questionairre about me - and I tag whoever reads it :)

1. What is your occupation? Registered Nurse
2. What color are your socks right now? Off white
3. What are you listening to right now? A Friends episode on my tv
4) The last thing you ate? Ghirardelli Dark chocolate square with mint filling - yummy!
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yup!
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My mom
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes!
9. How old are you today? 23
10. Favorite drink? hot - Peppermint mocha/cold- iced sweet tea
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? To watch - probably olympic gymnastics
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes - don't ever try dark dye over blonde highlights - bad results!
13. Pets? Horse named Jazz
14. Favorite food? BBQ ribs, baked potatoes, chicken fingers, hmm...chocolate of course
15. Last movie you watched? The Great Debaters
16. What do you do to vent anger? Usually talk, or cry
17. Favorite Day of the year? Either christmas or 4th of July
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? Baby dolls
19. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Oh, hard! Probably spring, but now that I'm out of school - maybe fall isn't so bad!
20. Hugs or kisses? Can't I have both?
21. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry
22. Do you want your friends to post on their blog? Yes!
23. Who is most likely to respond? I don't know!
24. Who is least likely to respond? Umm...my mom - she doesn't have a blog
25. Current living arrangements? A beautiful rowhome in Fells Point with my hubby!
26. When was the last time you cried? The last time I REALLY cried was driving to work on christmas day
27. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that might read this? One of my family members
29. The friend you have had the shortest that might read this? Somebody I haven't met yet
30. Favorite smell? Coffee, although my other weird one is the smell of a barn in the winter
31. What inspires you? Family and friends, other stories
32. What are you afraid of? Losing a loved one
33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheesy!
34. Favorite car? I like my cabrio - but I want an Accord
35. Favorite cat breed? Yeah...I really don't like cats.
36. Number of keys on your key ring? 5
37. How many years at your current job? Almost 6 months!
38.. Favorite day of the week? If I'm not working - Saturday!
39. How many states have you lived in? 4 (South Dakota, Ohio, Alaska and here!)
40. How many countries have you been to? 4(US, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and Bermuda)
41. Today's date and time: 1/2/08 - 11:52 am

I promise - I will have more interesting posts soon!