8.28

We were meant to be.

{And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. ~Romans 8:28}

Happy 5th Anniversary to the most wonderful husband I could ever pray for!! I love you!!

french fries on I-65

The other morning, as I was making my daily 20-something-mile trek from Prattville to Montgomery for work, I found myself behind an older Mercedes with a personalized tag. Because the congested traffic was travelling at a whopping 30 mph on the interstate, it was easy for me to notice this tag. It said FRYITUP. Hmmm. So apparently this driver is very proud of his job cooking French fries at McDonald's? It bothers me to not understand personalized tags, so I tried to get {safely} closer to read the sticker on the back windshield. As I drove behind this car, I noticed frequent bursts of black smoke coming out of the tailpipe. You know that smell that usually accompanies those black smoke clouds? The burning motor oil smell? Well, this car didn't have that smell. It was a familiar smell, but I couldn't pinpoint it. Then I saw the sticker. "Fueled by Recycled Cooking Oil". THAT'S the smell. This car's exhaust smelled like french fry grease. Seriously. And then...I craved Mickey D's fries for the rest of the day.

help!

Soon I am going to be starting an adoption fundraiser. I'll be selling a few customized handmade items {yes, I know...everyone's doing handmade items nowadays :-)}. For now I only have 3 different items that I'm taking orders for, but maybe in the future I'll discover some other things I can make. :-)

Anyway...I need help. I want to come up with a name for this little venture. The point is to raise money for our adoption, so I want it to reflect that but still be catchy & somewhat versatile. I was trying to think of something to do with the two stories of adoption from the Bible - Moses' adoption by the king's daughter, and Esther's adoption by her cousin Mordecai. "The King's Daughter" popped into my head when I was reading about Moses, because she is unnamed so I couldn't use her name. And Mordecai is kind of an odd name to use in a business because people won't know how to spell it. :-) Anyway does anyone have any ideas? I need help!!

adoption tees

One day we will have a baby, and he/she will wear these onesies. It makes me laugh that these actually exist...

Dead End

From the Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional...

How God Builds Your Faith: Dead End

by Rick Warren

“At that time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact we told ourselves that this was the end. Yet we believe now that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9 PH).

When the pursuit of your dream deteriorates from difficult to impossible; when the situation looks hopeless, congratulations! You’re in good company.

Even Paul went through dead ends: “At that time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact we told ourselves that this was the end. Yet we believe now that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9 PH).

If God can raise people physically, He can raise people who are dead emotionally. He can raise a dead marriage. He can resurrect a dead career. He can resurrect you from a health problem. If God can raise the dead, He can do anything.

In Abraham’s situation, God said, “I want you to become the father of a nation,” but then Abraham had to wait until he was 99 years old before he had his first child. The Bible shows Abraham’s situation going from difficult to impossible. He looks at his body and says, “No way!” Then he looks at his wife and says, “Double no way!”

But Sarah got pregnant and they laughed about it. When the baby was born, they named him Isaac, which means laughter.

God often lets problems become impossibilities. The disciples planned to follow Jesus. They thought He was the Messiah, but then the next thing they know Jesus is hanging on the cross, dying. Was this a dead end for the disciples? For three days it seemed that way, but then Jesus walked out of the tomb.

When you face a dead end, you may start asking, “What’s going on, God? Did I miss Your will? Your plan? Have I missed Your vision?” Keep in mind that dead ends are part of God’s plan for you.

What’s the best response to a dead end? “He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and He will deliver us; we have placed our hope in Him that He will deliver us again” (2 Corinthians 1:10 HCSB).

do what with my hands?

I read this sign on the nail drying station at the nail salon yesterday. Pay attention to #4.