21 June 2009

IF

I recieved this poem as a gift from my grandmother when I graduated highschool. Similar to the women of the Bible poem I posted previously, it has always challenged me in the way that I approach life and the obstacles which I face in the course of it. So, I thought I would share. :)


IF...
by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

To My Daddy




I am, in so many ways, my father's child. From my love of mathematics to my passion for reading, my eyesight to the curve of my little toes, I resemble him in so many ways in both my personality and my physical appearance. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of laying in my bed at night while my father told me bedtime stories as only he could (My friends will testify that he told bedtime stories like no-one else. They were all jealous!) or reading to my from favorite series such as The Chronicles of Narnia, Old Yeller, or Little House on the Prairie. He did, truly, instill in me a passion for Literature for which I will be eternally grateful.

As I sit here pondering things to tell you about my daddy, I truly can't come up with what the most important things to let you know are, his sense of humor? the way in which he can bring the Proverbs to life like no one else? The devotion he displays towards his family? The fact that I know he would do anything to protect me while still desiring me to learn and grow on my own as a young adult? The way in which he protects our country as a colonel in the air force, preparing to deploy to Iraq for six months? The love he displays for my mother in so many ways? The way he mentors the young men under him at work? The desire he has to reach out to young men, disciple them, and help them to grow? None of these things really seem to capture him, although they are all important aspects of his character. So, I suppose I will just have to say that my father is a man whom I truly admire and love, and I am so very happy and blessed that the Lord chose to place me in his family.

I love you, Daddy, and am so grateful to be your daughter! Happy Father's Day!:)

09 June 2009

Conversations Overheard: Lemons and Lemonade

This past week I helped with vacation Bible school at my church. I was an assistant in the first grade class (we had roughly twenty-eight first graders) and really enjoyed my time with the kids. Frequently, when you're around children that age you'll hear a conversation or two that makes you giggle, and this week was no different. The one that stands out to me the most was between about three or four little girls during snack time as they were sipping their lemonade:

Girl 1: "Do you want to know something about lemonade?"
Other girls: "What?"
Girl 1: "You can make it without powder!"
Other girls (wide-eyed): "No!"
Girl 1 (speaking with the air of someone who has discovered a great secret) :"Yes! You use lemons."
Other girls (obviously shocked): "Wow,! really?"
Girl 1 (nodding wisely): "Mhmm, and it takes a whole bunch of lemons to make. You have to squeeze them and squeeze them and squeeze them!"
Other girls (in awe): "Wow!"

At this point I had to walk away to tend to something else, but the memory still puts a smile on my face. :)

02 June 2009

Women of the Bible

Sorry. I know that once again it's been awhile since I posted, by life, even in the summer, can be a rather time-consuming thing! :) That said, I am formulating a couple of posts in my head and will hopefully have them up sometime soon. In the meantime, I wanted to share with you all a poem which was given to me by a dear friend several years ago and which has been a great challenge and encouragement to me through the years. Lately, especially, I have been praying a lot about the kind of woman which the Lord would have me become, and He has been bringing this poem to my mind frequently. Therefore, I have elected to share it with you all and hope it will be as much a blessing to you as it has been to me!
Like Deborah,
I will serve the Lord in power and speak His Word without fear.
Like Esther,
I will intercede for God's people before His throne.
Like Abigail,
I will humble myself to wash the feet of the servants of the Lord.
Like Sarah,
I will respect my husband and his ministry to the Lord
Like Hannah,
I will dedicate my children to the Lord.
Like Priscilla,
I will explain the way of God more perfectly to those who are seeking.
Like the Shunamite widow,
I will trust God in the day of adversity.
Like Lydia,
I will be a worshiper of God and open my home to his ministers.
Like Tabitha,
I will always do good and help the poor.
Like Joanna,
I will use my wealth to support the ministry of Jesus.
Like Mary, the mother of Jesus,
I will hear the word of God to me and answer, "Be it unto me as you have said."
Like Mary, the sister of Martha,
I will know the voice of Jesus and hear His words.
Like Mary, the mother of Mark,
I will make my home a haven for the followers of Jesus.
Like Mary, the Magdalene,
I will keep at the feet of Jesus and love Him unto death.
~ Anonymous