"Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You."

My commute to work every morning takes about 30 minutes...IF someone else hasn't shut down 65 or the Red Mountain Expressway. I recently came to the realization that my half hour commute was a big waste of my time when I spent it eating breakfast I missed because I got up late, perfecting my defensive driving skills, and being annoyed at the Max bus that always seems to get in front of me when I'm running late. Chase listens to Rick and Bubba in the mornings, and I gave that a shot for a while but I get tired of them and the 6 minute commercial breaks (no offense to my R&B Extreme Club friends). I also tried NPR for a while, and arrived to work feeling slightly more knowledgeable and a bit less frazzled. But recently NPR, being the news leader they are, has only been covering the political news (i.e. Obama healthcare plan). Mr. Obama has already interrupted my primetime TV to explain this to me, and I'm a little tired of hearing the constant heated discussion about it.

I recently accidentally discovered a radio station that I've never picked up before and was surprised to hear a Focus on the Family program. I've been listening to it every morning since then, and it has definitely made a difference in my mornings. For the last 3 mornings I've been following a discussion by husband/wife team Dr. Conway and Jada Edwards, leaders of an amazing and rapidly growing singles ministry at OCBF in Dallas, Texas. Check out their story and their new book at http://www.conwayandjadaedwards.com/ .

This morning I heard a reading from Confessions, by St. Augustine of Hippo. You can google this to read it in its entirety, but the beginning passage spoke to my heart and I've continued to think about it all day. It is my prayer that I will surrender to God the idea that things in my life have to be a certain way before I can be content.

Great are you, O Lord, and exceedingly worthy of praise; your power is immense, and your wisdom beyond reckoning. And so we men, who are a due part of your creation, long to praise you – we also carry our mortality about with us, carry the evidence of our sin and with it the proof that you thwart the proud. You arouse us so that praising you may bring us joy, because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you.

3 down....1 to go

"Let them know that it is your hand,
that you, O LORD, have done it."
-Psalm 109:27

Chase recently started his last year of Dental School - his last first day of school ever! I got up early to make him breakfast and tried to take a picture of him with his lunch box, but he wouldn't have any of that, ha. Neither of us could go to sleep the night before, and we stayed up late just talking about what this year will hold. All of the sudden I'm left wondering where the last 3 years went. When we moved to this area for Chase to attend school, our mentality was just to 'survive' these years. Now, this is home, and I can't imagine how hard it will be to leave our friends, and our church family here.

This next year will hold so many changes - where will Chase practice? Where will we live? Will we move away from the close friends it seems like we just got to know? Will I have to find a new job? I absolutely cannot wait to see what God reveals to us about his plan for our lives in the coming years. I know that each day and each decision will require much prayer and patience. I pray that God will clearly reveal his plan to us. In the meantime, I've decided to start this blog, mostly for myself. I want to remember this year, and the coming years, and give glory to God for the things he will accomplish through us.