=D

My next undertaking...

I want to find the best (and best priced) restaurants in Orange County for every ethnicity available. It's so useful when you're craving a specific food and your friend tells you 'there's a great ___ place just off of  ____ Avenue and it's only 5 bucks!'. I want to be a friend like that haha. So, I need to find the best Korean, Italian, Vietnamese, Persian, French, Indian, Indonesian, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, American, Armenian, Greek....you get the point....food out there for the best prices. If you have a favorite place, let me know! Hopefully soon I'll be able to pass on to you some of the best places (for the best prices) to eat in Orange county =)

Biblical Counseling

So...

I'm most likely going to be taking a Distance Ed Biblical Counseling class during the next few months. It should be very interesting as I was a Psychology minor in college and I'll have the ability to compare the 'secular' counseling strategies with the 'Biblical' counseling techniques. They offer a sample of the syllabus so you know what you're getting yourself into... i.e. 3 hours of audio lecture, a short reading and a 1 page paper each week... but it was great to see the topics we'd be covering and the professor's expectations.

One major assignment is a self-counseling project. I would need to use the teachings from the class as a catalyst for change in a specific struggle in my life. Then, write a 5 page paper on the successes, failures and realizations that occured and how I was able to apply my Bible studies, devotions and learnings from class to that specific struggle. Basically, I need to choose a struggle that I'm really motivated to change or else it's going to be a crappy paper haha

What would you choose? Any recent convictions that you kinda wish you had forced accountability for? I'm thinking I want to pick something that I know will be able to help other people, which usually comes down to conflict resolution stuff, but a good paper would probably have a specific sin, name it and claim it, and an active pursuit to brings it to light. There's just so much sin to choose from! Maybe I'll just close my eyes, open my Bible and point and just pick whatever sin is closest to my finger haha.

Currently Reading Dragon's Milk (Dragon Chronicles) By Susan Fletcher see related

Remember the story of Jacob, Rachael and Leah? Jacob worked 7 years to be able to marry Rachael only to be tricked (ironic seeing as he had always been the trickster) by Laban into marrying the oldest daughter Leah. Jacob then worked 7 more years to marry the one he loved, Rachael. I tend to have a flurry of confusing emotions when I read this story...who do I feel more sorry for, Rachael or Leah? ...or Jacob? What would I do if I was Leah, knowing that I'm unloved and undesirable to my husband...knowing that he's working so hard to be with someone else...who happened to be my sister. Or what if I was Rachael, seeing the man who had worked 7 years for me being given to my Leah. Waiting 7 more years while watching my sister enjoy the marriage that should be mine. Would I question God and pity myself? What's the moral of this story?

I realize that I tend to miss important application points when I begin to read a story with my emotions so engaged, and I just read a devotion from Charles Spurgeon that gave a completely different twist that I hadn't thought about before. What do you think?

Morning and Evening Devotions by Charles Spurgeon

Nov. 14

"And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn." —Genesis 29:26

We do not excuse Laban for his dishonesty, but we scruple not to learn from the custom which he quoted as his excuse. There are some things which must be taken in order, and if we would win the second we must secure the first. The second may be the more lovely in our eyes, but the rule of the heavenly country must stand, and the elder must be married first. For instance, many men desire the beautiful and well-favoured Rachel of joy and peace in believing, but they must first be wedded to the tender-eyed Leah of repentance. Every one falls in love with happiness, and many would cheerfully serve twice seven years to enjoy it, but according to the rule of the Lord's kingdom, the Leah of real holiness must be beloved of our soul before the Rachel of true happiness can be attained. Heaven stands not first but second, and only by persevering to the end can we win a portion in it. The cross must be carried before the crown can be worn. We must follow our Lord in His humiliation, or we shall never rest with Him in glory.

My soul, what sayest thou, art thou so vain as to hope to break through the heavenly rule? Dost thou hope for reward without labour, or honour without toil? Dismiss the idle expectation, and be content to take the ill-favoured things for the sake of the sweet love of Jesus, which will recompense thee for all. In such a spirit, labouring and suffering, thou wilt find bitters grow sweet, and hard things easy. Like Jacob, thy years of service will seem unto thee but a few days for the love thou hast to Jesus; and when the dear hour of the wedding feast shall come, all thy toils shall be as though they had never been—an hour with Jesus will make up for ages of pain and labour.

Jesus, to win Thyself so fair,
Thy cross I will with gladness bear:
Since so the rules of heaven ordain,
The first I'll wed the next to gain.

Currently Listening Clean By Shane & Shane see related

Michigan Vacation August '07

Little John Lake in Allegan, Michigan

Little sis Joanna and Dad canoeing on the lake. Can you find Libby (little white dog)?

Family gathering

The view of the lake from my Grandma's house

Pontoon boat...paddle boat...choose your own adventure!

Downtown Allegan

Fireworks anyone?

Don't mind if I do...

Libby...starts out white....and then...

Gets dirtier

and dirtier...

and even dirtier....

until....

she's so dirty...

it's time to....

Jump on Joanna while she's taking a nap!! ....Good dog.