Adventures in this temporary life!

I'm tired, and work is in about 1hr45min. or so...and while my rice is steaming on the oven, thought I'd jot down a few thoughts since I promised I'd write more :)

This weekend is gonna be busy-ish. My Friday night consists of working and maybe cleaning up the house a bit with my hubby, Saturday I go to my old church and clean, (brings us some extra income!) and then Saturday evening I have my first ever photo shoot/hire out with my new camera!! Its from 7-11pm or so, and since we have to get up early for church the next morning I'll be tiiiired. Sundays we don't usually get a break to relax either. This Sunday is the 4th Sunday of the month, and the REAL college group always goes over to a retirement center to do a mini-service for the elderly/shut ins over there. Its such a blessing to have so many regulars every time we come, and to hear them say they really appreciate us coming out to do that for them. Ben and I aren't sure yet on what we're doing Sunday night yet either, we have an invitation to hang out with my best girl friend that night, so we'll see.
Its a good thing I don't work Monday....haha! I'll have lots of photo editing to do, and papers to finish for school!

I'm soo excited to start more photography projects! If you know someone who needs a photographer for anything refer 'em here! I'd love to do it all!!!! I wasn't able to advertise myself much for the longest time because, well, duuurrr!-- I didn't have a camera of my OWN yet. I'm working on my logo/bus. card/other advertising projects that probably will get put off till papers for school are done :P

Here's a few of my fav. photo's from our trip to Galveston Beach for Sp. Break :)

I want to start posting some more photos, I figure a blog is pretty boring without em'....and since I want to be a pro-photographer well, I suppose I should :)

Until next time--
LKJ

God works in crazy ways...

You know when you get those chances to try and share the gospel with a lost person you'll probably never see again?
That happened to Ben and I last night, except, it was crazy after the whole thing, to ponder how God worked in it....I don't believe in just "coincidence" ..God has planned every second of our lives for a reason.

[Insert funny thing that just happened-- my cockatiel just climbed down my arm and onto the keyboard and is right next to my fingers demanding my attention...she likes to be scratched behind her ears....lol! Okay...on to what I was saying....]

Let me start with this (planned out) meeting of the girl walking down the street in front of our apartment building.
Ben and I had just gotten home from my cousin's senior recital, and it was about 10pm. We were both kind of tired and had some stuff to unload out of the car. As we were pulling into our parking space, I noticed a girl walking down the street in flip flops, a long blue dress, and a coat she was pulling close to try to keep warm. She was a very petite girl, and was clutching a whole box of cigarettes. I had never seen her before, and by the way she was dressed, I thought she had just run down a few apartments to visit someone in the other complex and was just walking back.

However, as we got out of our car, she turned back and started walking towards us, and she looked at me and said "Hey..."

I wasn't sure if she was talking to me at first, but she was, so I asked what was up?
She began explaining she needed to get home, but didnt have a car, and her phone was dead so she couldn't call anyone to come and get her. She told us she had been wandering around in the cold for about a mile looking for someone to take her.
I wasn't sure what Ben was thinking, and I really wanted to help, but I didn't want to make the call and usurp his authority.
We kinda looked at each other for a minute though, and then accepted, but she lived way across town, so Ben had to pull out a map to find the route.
She sat kinda of hunched over in the back of our car, probably half frozen and who knows what else.

As we pulled away, I knew exactly the reason God had us in that situation, and that she was another opportunity to share the love of God with her, and to ask her what her eternal future held.
Ben struck up that conversation a few minutes into the drive after some vague conversation, and to my surprise, she didn't shoot down the topic or refuse to answer any of our questions-- but I always think it so sad all the excuses that people make up these days.
She kept saying she would never die, and that she didn't have to worry about heaven or hell.

We obviously explained the opposite the entire car ride to her duplex, and I'm hoping she was receptive enough last night to remember everything we told her.

We left her with a promise to pray for her, though she told us she didn't want a bible upon our offer.
I don't know why, but my heart always goes out to people I meet like this.
I always wonder how someone's life like Renay's would change if only they accepted Jesus and lived with a different purpose.

We did pray for her, and I prayed some for her on my own at home too.

Ben and I talked about the whole situation on the way home and have wondered whether God sent us that girl for the benefit of her, or for ours. We were sobered in remembrance of our most important task on this earth, and reminded of what it was that God saved us from!

After we left too, we realized what had happened in order for us to be at the apartment the exact time that girl showed up.

That night we had been at my cousin's senior recital, and for some reason, we milled around and were the last ones with her and her family.
We ended up taking her back to her apartment on campus, and I decided to run in and get some stuff I had left there.
After we left her apartment, I had a bit of a queasy stomach, so I asked Ben if we could stop and grab some 7up or something from the gas station. We did stop, and it wasn't until we were done there that we pulled into our apartment complex.

Think of all the things God allowed to happen so we could meet that girl and share the gospel with her!!
God works in such amazing, mysterious ways, and I am continually astounded at how He works in our lives. Though we may not understand His purposes, we can still praise Him for how He works in our hearts and lives to make us and sanctify us to be more like His Son!!
Praise God!
Eph. 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen!

[My dress named "precious"]

There's this thing thats been hanging in the back of my closet for the past 4 and a half months. It taunts me everytime I see it all wrapped in its special bag-- but I usually ignore it. Don't have the time or reason for it.
But, today I couldn't ignore it any longer, especially on a day off....not something with so much memory in it.

So.

I'm sitting in my wedding dress.  :)

And a thought ran across my head-- for all you married people-- why does life get crazy or different than it was the second your wedding attire is hung in the storage room?
I mean, if you saw your loved one every day, in that beautiful tux or gown, wouldn't you treat each other completely different? Wouldn't you love like you loved each other the day you said "I do?"
And to expand that thought towards Christ--
Why don't we don't worship the same way at home like we when we're in church?
Why don't we act like we do when we're around friends vs. when we're in our homes?

I think we should think of ourselves as brides all the time. Brides of Christ. We should be always dressed in our beautiful garb waiting for His return to call us to be with Him forever! I don't want to be caught in my dirty worn out clothes, with no thought or anxious desire for Him! What if Ben came home and I told him I didn't want to be his bride anymore?? Crazy thought eh?

Wow. Didn't know putting on a silly dress would conjure up all these emotions and questions in my head.....I should stop now before I go on a tangent or something.

Anyhow...

It is raining outside...probably the first and longest gorgeous rain this spring, and I looove it. Nothing more soothing to my ears. I just wish it didn't make me so sleepy!

On another random note---

I love it when God brings you what you need when you need it!! He's so loving and cares for us, more than we can fathom!
I was struggling with something in my mind last week, and didn't know how to handle it or what I should do about it, or how to even think about it properly.
But randomly I stumbled on a passage one morning that opened my eyes so I could see! I could understand what it was I needed deal with!!
He knows the desires of our hearts, and if He desires, He will give them to us! I was so excited the more I reflected on this. I don't think anything is just "happenstance" ...God knows what we need, when we need it, so I give Him thanks!
Oh, and you should go read Esther! I read it in one sitting....just an amazing book of God's sovereignty and provision for his people through a young and willing heart.

Okay, I'm done for now, I gotta keep up with this writing thing though, I think its good for me to think more often. :)

LKJ


ps-- My first DSLR camera is on its WAYYY!!!!! Should be here on wed. the 10th, SOOOO excited!! I'll try to post pics! :D :D :D

It's been one of those days...

It's a GORGEOUS day outside, definitely a beautiful break with even the sun making his appearance today. I can't wait for old man winter to leave for good!

I wish I felt as good on the inside though.

I got a 79 on my West Civ. history test :( I was hoping for MUCH better, despite the difficulty of the test. Overall I still have a high B in the class, hopefully that will become an A in the near future.

And on another note, an instructor has accused me of something that I don't believe I committed at school, I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. It would result with an academic warning on my part if I just comply and sign papers, but it really bothers my conscience to just do that because I believe I'm being wrongly accused.
My instructor isn't answering some of my questions, and it's equally upsetting because she waited so long to accuse me of such a thing anyway.

I'm not sure why the Lord is letting this happen, because it is definately making me frustrated....I have no CLUE what do do. And in turn, I find this difficult to communicate to my husband or anyone else with, because I don't think anyone really understands how I feel about this!
*sigh*

Anyway, I should go clean up my kitchen.

Until next time...

Life with a young newly married woman

I really wish I could better at this blogging thing, there are so many awesome people out there with really awesome blogs, and are really good at writing ...(Shannon, you're amazing, and I don't know HOW you do it...)

Suppose I can't keep complaining about it, I have to start somewhere right?

I've been married for a little over four months now, and I still am figuring out MANY things about my husband, me, and how I'm supposed to ditch my "independent-self" and support and take care of my husband and our little apartment, and school, work, and church responsibilities. 

Quite frankly, the first month or two after being married, I fought exhaustion a lot because I wasn't used to having someone else to take care of, to do things for, and to cook for...(When I was single, I ate salads for dinner...my husband is a meat lover...haha!)  I will say though, that this has definately  been one amazing adventure for both of us. I think we learn something new each day, and God is continually humbling us both to admit our sins, failures, and troubles to each other, as well as just communicating with each other. The night we shared our testimonies with our church, we went home and had more a long, deeper talk than we've had before, and it was all because of the Lord, and I am SOO grateful for that. 

I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful, godly women in my life who have taught me a lot, and shared a lot with me, to encourage me to be a good wife, but a godly woman more importantly. 

Recently though, however, I've realized I see myself as "too good of a person", you know what I mean? 

I need to realize more each day how much I need Christ in my life to continually sanctify and renew me. I will never reach a point of perfection here on this earth. I hope and pray I can find new things to improve on each day. (Having a husband helps sooo much!!! I need to hurry up and get the book "When Sinners Say I Do", I think it will be a great read for us...) 

Anyway, because God has blessed me with a husband in this point in my life, I'm so eager to be a good wife for him, not only because of my love for him, but my love for my Savior as well!!

This week is going to be a tough one for my sweetie. He's teaching the college group this Tues. night because the normal teacher is gone for the Shepherds conference, and he's been quite busy and has had little time to study for it, not to mention he has classes all day today...

The rest of the week, during the times he's not at school, he'll be running the bikeshop as his dad is gone to the shepherds conference as well. I hope to stop in often (like usual) to say hi and to check on his sanity... lol. 

Thank the Lord, I only got scheduled three days at work this week, so I'll be around more often for whatever he needs.  

I do have a lot to get done this week, last week was crazy busy, and I'm sure this one will be filled too. 

Oh, random question, I'm STILL working on wedding thank-you's ...is it too late? I heard once that brides get a year to write all their thankyou's out. I'm about done writing them out, the problem now is finding those addresses!!!! *Ugh *  What is really embarrassing is when someone actually has the nerve to ask if I have them done yet....I'm trying, really I am!!! I don't have kids yet, but work/school/beingthere4husband/cleaning/cooking/laundry/church is keeping me occupied! 

*deep breath*

Well, they'll get done. They will, I promise. I'll be working on them today hopefully. I have to get groceries too, so my poor hubby has something to eat while I'm working the dinner/night shift at Byblos. 

By the way, everyone needs to come eat at Byblos if you like REAL authentic lebanese/Mediterranean food. Its on 13th street, in between mclean and west :) 

That is, as long as you live here in wichita...haha!

Well, here's to more blogging in my life. I'm not sure how this one went, but hopefully I didn't bore many of you that actually did bother to read it through!

Much love from the Jung apartment!