Why I am the greatest...

It's because I have the same phone as Chloe O'Brian on 24. Now granted, she does not have the greatest social skills on earth but her loyalty is out of this world. Not to mention she has THE BEST scene in season 5.

Let me remind you...

Chloe is sitting in the little coffee shop bar thing- because she is wanted by the government for helping Jack- and this guy comes to hit on her. She totally fakes him out like she is interested in him and then ZAPS him with her tazer! You go girl! A couple of minutes later as the guy wakes up she zaps him again! Sweet!

Chloe rocks the 24 world...i mean seriously, without Chloe, Jack would be in some pretty hot water...

and that is why I am the greatest...because Chloe and I have the same phone.

Thank you that will be all.

iPod update: 1697/3514

Walking Wisely

This weekend we had our Middle School Spring Retreat: Walking Wisely. We talked about what it means to seek wisdom in decision making and how to make good decisions. Here are some snapshots of the weekend WITH caption because some people just HAVE to know who the people in the pictures are. Enjoy!

Emily, Hannah, Sarah and Suzanna before the retreat kick-off

Kylie joined in on the Knock-Out game!

Hannah, Emily, Kelsey, Andrea, Chris and Drew supportin' the Aggies in the Corner game

The Cheese Stands alone! Ashlie standin' her ground in the Corner Game

Drew, Ranger and Gibbs sharing their "Daily Decisions" list

Emily

Hannah, Candace and Kelsey

Ranger and Gibbs

Greg, our speaker for the weekend

Steve and Denver

Brianna

Drew

Cute little Girlie Girls!

The Meeting Time

Steve with the Talking Hat kicking off our meeting/planning time.

Me with the talking hat

Denver with the talking hat

The girls in a Deer Stand

The girls

Drawing in the Sand....like Jesus did :o)

The group on the Hay Ride

Sarah, Ashlie and Suzannah on the Hay Ride

The Back of our T-Shirts

iPod Update: 1,384/3514

Goodness

I feel good today. I have a fresh feeling over me, like when you are baptized and come out of the water a new person. That's how I feel, baptized.

God shows up when we need him most and when we close our eyes he shines brighter. God blessed me with good conversation yesterday and encouraging company.

I am grateful for the people God has allowed my path to cross while I have been here in Belton and I am beginning to feel the anticipated sadness of having to leave in a few short months.

But not yet. For now I am here. I am all here and God is all good!

Song Update

I will write more tomorrow but an update on my iPod song listening is here. I am on

1,359 of 3514.

There is an explaination there were songs on my iPod that weren't actually there-meaning, the title was there but there was no music SO with those songs deleted there are on 3514 instead of 3529 or whatever it was before.

Happy Listening!

Pictures

Just some pictures from Sing Song:

Surprised but not shocked at all..

So I guess that those who really know might not be surprised to find out that I am a conflict avoider. In my class a couple of weekends ago we took about four test to find out our conflict management styles. I am an Avoider-until I am confronted then I am an Accommodator.

Now I understand this the more I think about it but at first I was a little surprised to be classified in this way. At first I thought it was just because I am not really afraid of conflict but the more I think about it-I was surprised because it seems like I am always in it! Now that either makes the test wrong OR the test is right and I'm just no good at avoiding! Beats me!

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I feel independent today. I found a flaw in my online banking so I called the bank and got it all settled. I also called the glass company and the insurance company and got everything worked out for me to get my windshield replaced on Wednesday. All of this was done before, long before, any conversations with my dad took place.

I would by no means classify myself as independent-recalling a conversation from the weekend in which I offered to pay my dad to take care of getting my tires fixed as long as he didn't ask me any question. But for today I have tasted the free life which I am not so eager to enter anymore!

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iPod update: 522/3,529 for those who care.

A New Adventure

Some of you may already be aware of my current adventure. It began yesterday around 9:30 a.m. and the end is yet to be told. This adventure is like none other I have ever embarked on and has presented itself as a challenge from the powers that be.

I will listen to every song on my iPod in alphabetical order. Maybe this does not seem like much of a challenge to many of you but let me clue you in on the rules of this engagement.

1. Any time spent in my car driving will be accompanied by music from my iPod.
2. The iPod may travel outside the car for further listening but must maintain it's song # status.
3. I must listen to every song until all 3,529 have been heard.
4. At the bottom of every blog post there must be an update concerning the song number I am currently on.

Those are the rules. Simple. 3,529 songs. Not too bad-until you begin to think about how many versions of How Great is Our God that I will listen to in a row.

Currently: 42/3529

It's Good

Trevor C. FINALLY wrote a new blog post. Go read it. It's worth your time.

Blogger what???

So I am completely aware the I am Blog A.D.D. I love to blog but I go through spurts where it happens everyday then won't happen for a while. While I would like to offer up some grand excuse for the reason there has not been a post worth reading in far too long, I will refrain (mostly due to the fact that I have no good excuse and simply trying to make one up is far too much work and would take away from my time to talk to you about the latest blog inspiration). That said-moving on.

American Idol

I like watching American Idol. While I am not the AI fanatic- like I am with Jack Bauer and 24- I enjoy a good singing competition.

AND while we are all thinking about Jack Bauer let me just say that 24 is still the greatest show. I had a discussion with a friend about Keifer Southerland and Jack Bauer. Upon seeing a commercial for the premier I exclaimed "Jack Bauer!" He said "His name is Keifer Southerland." This simple comment from the unknowing, less than fanatic, 24 viewer began a conversation that ended in the simple statement "When Jack Bauer was born, Keifer Southerland died." While I cannot take credit for this very true statement, nor can I give credit where credit is due because I don't know where it's due, I can say with confidence that I used the statement at just the right time, ending the conversation and provoking a thought for those who might be thinking about becoming a T.V. star who kills people and breaks the law and is pretty much the coolest person ever. But I digress...

This post is a bout American Idol. It premiered this week. I didn't watch it. I did however discuss the voting on AI from last year; this prompted from making the statement that my mom paid for all of the people in her family to text their votes in for Taylor Hicks last year. Jordan and I were talking about how crazy it is that more people voted for the American Idol last year than voted for the president. That's Nuts! and LAZY LAZY LAZY.

I'm completely convinced that the only reason a vast majority of Americans who are eligible to vote, don't is because they don't want to get up and do it. Seriously though, if Americans could text in their presidential selection, I would put money on it that the voting numbers would quadruple-at least.

I don't know maybe I'm wrong. I think we should test it though. I mean we have already screwed up every system of voting so we are completely aware that none of them will work perfectly so why not just go with one that will bring the most votes?

OR...we could just quit being lazy and go vote. I'd rather text though. :o)

Worship

"'Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the desert and
speak tenderly to her.
There I will give her back her vineyards
and will make the Valley of Achor (trouble) a door of hope.
There she will sing as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

'In that day,' declares the Lord, 'you will call me "my husband"
You will no longer call me "my Baal."
I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;
no longer will their names be invoked."

~Hosea 2.14-17

Today Toby's sermon was on the topic of worship, focusing on confession and the true state of our hearts in worship. Toby wasn't preaching though, it was God. It was as if God was standing there using Toby to deliver a message that so many of us need to hear. I can only imagine what it would be like to be chosen by God to deliver a message to his people like that. I suppose today for the first time I saw a little bit of the struggle the prophets must have endured in the messages they carried to the people of Israel on behalf oh the Lord.

Throughout all the prophets we read of Israel's struggle to remain faithful to the God that delivered her. Each prophet cries out to the people to turn back to God and in each story Israel dances between God and the Baals. Over and over we see her turn her back on God.

It is easy as an outsider to say, "Can't Israel see how God has delivered her? Can't she understand what God has done for her?" Yet when we examine our own lives how often do we ask ourselves this same thing? "Mandy, can't you see how God has delivered you? Mandy, don't you understand what God has done in your life? Look around you Mandy, God is here! God is everywhere! How can you call on the Baals?"

When I struggle, the first place it shows up is in my worship to God. As I sing praises to God it is my personal conviction to sing with my whole heart and to listen to the words coming out of my mouth and the mouths of so many around me. Often times I am touched to tears by the statement I make, we make, as the body of Christ in the words we sing. But when I cannot sing the songs of praise, I have learned it is because I am not living to glorify God. Something in my life is not pointing to God; Satan is attacking and has gotten to my heart; I am not praising God I am worrying about me.

God has called me out of this. God has bigger plans for worship. God has bigger plans for me.

"I will allure her. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her."

I love this. When I cannot, God can. God can, and God will. God is going to allure me, you, us back to true worship. Worship for him. Worship in different key's, worship with off-beat claps, worship with instruments, worship without instruments, worship in pews, in a circle, indoors, outdoors...true, broken, pure worship.

God,

Break our hearts and convict us of our Baals. Show us again what you have done for us and how you have delivered us and may we respond in true, broken, pure worship to you.

Amen.