FOTS: Kindness

I've been thinking about a couple at our church whom I so admire.  They are amazing folks with hearts of Jesus!  And I've been thinking about them for this kindness post for awhile, so let's go!

Brent and Rene' Lacy.  This couple started coming in to my mom's cafe' a few years back, and they were so friendly and open ... and they became regulars.  Well, my mom sat and chatted with them as often as she could, and one day, she was bold enough to ask them about where they stood with Jesus.  They put their trust in Jesus during that conversation and have been coming to our church faithfully ever since.  And wow!  What a blessing they have been!

To me, the word kindness goes so much farther than just being nice to someone.  Kindness is about putting yourself in the other person's shoes, trying to see where they are coming from and then serving them just where they are, no matter who they are.  I guess I think of kindness being a synonym to servanthood.  Just my opinion.

Well, Brent and Rene' are servants who exude kindness.  Ever since they started coming to our church, they have found countless ways to serve our church family.  They pretty much ran the church garden by themselves last year ... I know Richard Smith helped, and forgive me for any others who may have helped ... but I know Brent and Rene' put in a ton of work in the church's backyard last year.  Rene' reaches out to families in our church on a weekly basis, helping them take care of chores and projects and anything else they may need.  They have helped my parents with projects around their house and at my mom's cafe'.  They chip in and help at all kinds of events at Calvary on a regular basis.  And I know there are so many other things that they do.  And I know for a fact that they do it because they love people, and they love Jesus.  That is what kindness is all about: serving others in love.  My family and I have been so privileged to get to know them and call them our friends.  I am so grateful for their salvation and for the hearts of kindness God has instilled in them.  They truly do share kindness wherever they go.  And they go a lot of different places because they literally do not eat any meal at home! ;)

Mical's Heroes :)

Hey, all! :)  Wow ... it's been almost an entire week since my last post!  That is crazy!  I know you all have missed my 8,000 posts a week. ;) ... Well, this one isn't really new.  I want to change my "Question for you" section of my blog ... just to spice things up a bit ... so I'm gonna post this here ... 'cause it's just too good to delete. :D .... Stay tuned for more blogging!  I'm almost done with the busiest and worst semester of my life!  Thursday!  Thursday!!!  So more blogging to come, friends!  Yay!

Who are some of your heroes?

Post a comment to my blog or write me an e-mail at Faithful7326@aol.com to reply to this question! It's one of my favorite questions to ask and to answer!

Want to know my answer??? ;)  Good!  'Cause I'm gonna tell ya!!! :D

#1: Ben Nilsen

BEN NILSEN is a ROCK in my life - the most spiritually and emotionally stable person I know! He is my #1 spiritual thought buddy - I go to him for all my deep questions and thoughts about God. He pushes me to strive harder after Jesus and to become all that God has called me to be. He is so consistent - in work, in school, in relationships, in his walk with Christ. He is the BEST example of Christ I know, one of my best friends, and an amazing encouragement in my life.  Words can't express how much he has done for me over the past several months ... taught me so much, loved me so much, and has been an irreplaceable friend.

#2: Emily ("Love")

And EMILY KARAS is my BOSOM BUDDY! She is my #1 role-model. Her example and love for Jesus is one of the most inspiring experiences I've ever encountered. Her consistency in her walk with Jesus, in her love for her friends, and in her attitude - to NEVER give up no matter what God lets her way - are some of the biggest lessons I've learned from her. Her wisdom and love and consistency are irreplaceable in my life. And she is my #1 encourager and favorite hugger!

#3: James Nilsen. :)

JAMES ... Yep, he's another one of my heroes!  James is one of the godliest guys I've ever met. He is so consistent in striving after Jesus. He will mess up at times, as we ALL do, but He picks himself back up and keeps running the race! ... He is in love with his kids. He pours everything he is into his ministry. He absolutely adores the kids he serves. He just adores kids and young people, in general! ... One of my favorite things about James is that he not only wants to become the most amazing man of God that he can be, but he is striving hard after Christ so that he will become just that! ... He is the most compassionate person I know.  And he's got the biggest heart I've ever known. ... And whatta ya know? He's one of my best friends!  I also LOVE that he is a huge cheese!  He loves to laugh, act crazy, and give the biggest, cheesiest smiles you'll ever see!

#4: My dad.

My dad is one of the godliest men I have ever met.  He, Ben, and James are probably tied for first place. ;) .... He is gentle, kind, hilarious, consistent, an amazing provider, wise, and upstanding.  He's probably the most upstanding person I've ever met.  He hardly ever gets mad; he hardly ever gets offended.  He has a way of caring for his family that goes above and beyond the call of duty. He is always there to give godly, upright advice .... or to make me laugh. And he is incredibly consistent.  He never wavers.  No matter what's going on in his life, he never stops trusting Jesus and living for Him.  He buckles down and gets the job done.  He loves the Lord.  He is consistently in His word.  He is an amazing example of Christlikeness.  I really couldn't ask for a better dad.  Saying "I am blessed," is the understatement of the year when it comes to the gift of my dad!

Now ... tell me about YOUR heroes!  Please! :D

Spiritual Thought Buddy #2

Well, while I'm at it .... I better tell you about another friend God has been using in amazing ways in my life lately. I love bragging about my friends ... can you tell? .... That, along with bragging about Jesus, is the entire goal behind this Fun and Faithful Tales blog!!!!

Alex Ehrhardt. Yep .... she is my #2 spiritual thought buddy, a great inspiration, and becoming one of my most cherished friends. I've only known Alex since July ... and we have only been growing in our friendship over the past couple of months .... but our bond in Christ has strengthened our bond of friendship in extraordinary ways! It is amazing what kinds of friendships come out of a foundation in Christ! Really! .... I really haven't spent much time with Alex if you get right down to it. We've met for a Jesus talk maybe 3 or 4 times .... maybe. But again ... our Christ foundation links us. And in linking me to Alex Ehrhardt, God has drawn me closer to Him. We have been sharing deep God concepts through our "book" e-mails for several weeks. We both know how to write a lot, so our e-mails are so long they could be books! :D .... And like I said in an earlier post about Alex, when she sits down to talk with me at our Jesus talks, it is like Jesus is sitting next to me, pouring Himself into me. She is so full of Jesus! And her Godsong causes my Godsong to sing all the louder! She is an amazing inspiration. She is younger than I am, and yet she grasps the things of God so deeply ... way more deeply than I do! And she's so good at loving. She loves to love other people. .... She's just a spectacular person! And I am excited to be growing in my friendship with her! I think I can stick her next to my bosom buddy, Emily Karas, and say, "I want to be just like you two when I grow up!" :)

Thanks for all your love, encouragement, and spiritual support, Alex! Love ya, friend! :D

A "Thank You" the day before Thanks Day :)

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!!! Thanks Day is tomorrow. Aren't you excited? ... I am excited to spend time with family I don't get to see but once or twice a year. And we're traveling to Ohio to see them. :) I like traveling! Where are you all going for your Thanks Day??? :)

Well, in light of this thanks season .... I've been thinking extra hard about the things and the people I am most thankful for. It is not hard to think about ... I am more blessed than I know how to say! God is ALWAYS faithful. He is ALWAYS pouring on blessings ... even when we can't see them quite as well. But He has been pouring more blessings into my life over the past several months than ever before! (Remember all my posts about my pain? Ha! God used that pain to bring the greatest blessings too! Wow! How does He do that!?) .... So ... I wanted to share one of the things I'm the most thankful for right now ... or, I should say, the PERSON I'm most thankful for .... :)

Ben Nilsen. Yep ... have you ever gone through a time in your life in which God knew exactly the kinds of people to stick in your path to encourage and uphold you??? God's been using several people in my life lately, but one friend who has helped me in a way that no one else could is my friend, Ben. :) And since this blog is all about fun and faithful tales about FRIENDS ... about Jesus .... and about lessons learned and learning ..... I thought I'd share some Ben blessings with you all. :)

One thing I really appreciate about Ben is that he is one of my very few guy friends whom I can just sit and chat with and it not go down the awkward road. Guy-girl friendships are often so complicated because ... well, because of just that ... one of the friends is a guy; the other is a girl. I think you know where I'm going with this. ;) .... Anyway! Ben and I don't have to worry about any of that. He's my brother. I'm his sister. We are friends. We build each other up. And I LOVE that about my friendship with Ben. We've both talked time and time again about how thankful we are that we don't have the normal guy-girl friendship drama that others have. .... Guy-girl friendships are important. They are very good and godly when they are done right. And from a girl's point of view .... the friendships I have with my guy friends are so important to me because they make me feel safe. God has given me scads and scads of friends, and several of those friends are godly guy friends. I am so blessed! And Ben is one of those guys who makes me feel safe and loved. :) I can't put into words how thankful I am that Ben and I are friends who can simply be that ... friends ... minus the drama.

Another thing I'm thankful for in my friendship with Ben is something I wrote about waaayy back during the Cookie Cutter Friend posts ...... I'm thankful that he is my #1 spiritual thought buddy. :) I go to him for all of my deep thoughts about God. .... Just yesterday, I called him to ask for some resources about Existentialism because a girl from the writing center asked to get together with me next week to talk about Christianity and Existentialism. Crazy, I know. And Ben was right there to offer support and any help he could give, as well as drop the books off at my house this weekend. What a blessing! He is always offering spiritual support. :) And what's more ... he pushes me to think about things that are over my head. The more time I hang out with him, the more I realize how little I know about God, about the world, and about the human heart (a few things he and I have been talking about and have been trying to understand better). And it's good I realize this! It's an amazing push in the right direction! Thank you, Ben! :) .... In addition to spiritual support, he is also an emotional rock in my life. He is the most emotionally stable person I know. I'm a fairly emotional roller coaster kind of woman at times, so I can't express how much I need an oober stable friend like Ben to keep my head above water. ;) He is constantly reminding me that he's praying for me ... and always asking me how I'm doing, as well as, "is that the official version or the real version?" .... He is genuine. He cares. And his consistency, stability, and support have been one of the greatest blessings and strongholds of my life over the past several months. He's one of those people God knew I needed to help me through several heartaches ... and whom I needed to help me grow further in my current spiritual growth spurt. It is amazing to watch God do great things through the people He places in our lives, isn't it?

.... Well, I could keep going about Ben .... but I better stop here. I'm sure you all have turkeys to put in the oven, potatoes to peel, and thanks to give. ;) Hope your Turkey Day is great tomorrow! Be sure to thank God for all the amazing people He has placed in your life! I only mentioned one person in this post ... but I have a long list of people to thank God for! I know you do too! Happy Thanks Day, all! :)

Marvelous Mammoth Memories

Alrighty!!!!!! Gonna tell you about my marvelous weekend! :)

First off ... I know the picture of the cave is lame. I'm sad to say this was the best cave picture I took all weekend. Sheesh. The cave was too dark (imagine that!), and I couldn't get good pictures. But that's alright. I'd never been in a cave before, so I thought it was pretty cool. And the company was among the best a woman could have! :)

So ... as you've all guessed by now .... I went to Mammoth Cave for the weekend with some of my best friends. Ben called me up last week, asking me if I'd want to join him and some of the gang on a weekend trip to Kentucky. And I'm so glad I got to go! It was one of the best times I've had in a long time! And I wanted to share some of the highlights with you all! :)

Like I said ... I'd never been in a cave before, so the trip down to the cave on Sunday morning was pretty great. It was amazing to see yet another MARVELOUS, God-created masterpiece! God is really good at creating things, isn't He? And at one point during our cave tour, the guide shut off all the lights in the cave ... and we stood in complete darkness. I had never been in darkness that ... well ... dark! I kept blinking .... my eyes were looking for even the tiniest glimpse of light ... somewhere! Anywhere! But there was no light to be found. It was amazing!!! And then the guide lit a match, and it was amazing how much light it provided. One tiny match. Wow. ....... There are tons of analogies there ... but I'll leave Alex to the cool picture stories and analogies. ;) ... An understatement --- The cave was a pretty cool experience.

And I also mentioned that the company was great. :) ........ The group included the entire Nilsen family, the Beards (from GFC), a few people who work with Ben, Brittney, Elise and her friend, Drew, Kim Svoma and her nephew, BJsquared (as I like to call him), and me. Some pretty amazing people in that group. I had the most adorable kids in the world crawling all over me, giving me hugs, holding my hands all weekend. Isn't that picture of Barrett and the Beard kids to die for? ;) ....... That's what I love about kids. They don't have bubbles. Ha! I can't believe I'm saying that. Just months ago, I would've been afraid of those kids. I have a BUBBLE. I've never been a real touchy person ... but I'm growin' out of it a bit. I must be! Because I LOVED every minute with the kids! (Makes me want to work in kids ministry even more than I already do!) Time with Barrett, Mason, Corrin, and Silas was one of the best parts of the weekend. I'm so glad the kids came along! :)

Another highlight .... James. Yep! He sang and DANCED most of the weekend. At least during the car rides. Actually ....... it was amazing! I have never heard the Nilsen guys sing as much as they did this weekend. Saturday night, around the campfire, BEN LED THE SONGS! I'm not kidding! He just busted out singing. And Alec and James busted out the tunes throughout the night too. It was great! I love it when people sing! They can be the most tone-deaf person ever or right up there with David Phelps - I just LOVE IT when people sing! ....... And James and Kim danced to Grits and R.E.S.P.E.C.T. half of our trip home. It was one of the highlights of my night!

Yet another joy .... I walked with Ben for close to half of the cave tour, and that was definitely one of the best parts of the trip for me. Ben is one of my closest friends, and chatting with him is one of my all-time favorite things to do. He and I have been growing in our friendship a lot over the past 3 or 4 months, and he's one of the few friends I can sit and talk to for hours on end. .... We obviously didn't talk for hours in the cave, but it was great to chat with my buddy, Ben! We talked about serious things, happy things, random things .... and we had a good time goofing off together ... as we often do. Good times!

I also got to spend extra time with Judy and Alec this weekend. :) Two people I don't get to see all that often or talk to much. It was great to chat with Alec around the campfire ... listen to him try to lead "Open the Eyes of My Heart" about 8 times on Saturday night .... no one followed him. Ha ha! And for some reason, he was trying to light a candle while we were sitting around the fire on Saturday night. He kept calling it his "night light." He was gonna sleep right next to the fire pit, so I don't know why he thought he needed a night light. Ha ha! And he couldn't get it lit! He went through an entire box of matches and lots of being made fun of in the process. It was hilarious and way too much fun! ........ I also got a hug from Judy. Judy hugs are some of my favorite hugs. :) And during the cave tour, we talked with Ben about how we are emotional roller coaster women. It was fun to laugh with her about that ... and hear all of Ben's deep explanations of why we are that way. Ha ha! It was a fun time!

Lastly, I walked down the hill next to our campsite and found huge boulders!!! I don't know what it is about huge rocks ... but I get excited about them! If you've ever been to a big place called "The Chimneys" in Tennessee .... now there's a GREAT place for huge boulders! And they are for climbing on!!!! That was my first experience with huge rocks ... and I have gotten excited about them ever since! Ben and James and I talked for half the cave tour about wanting to climb on all the huge rocks in the cave! ...... Okay .... back to the big boulder I was talking about .... I found these huge boulders down the side of the hill, and one of them turned into a great devotion spot. :) Sunday morning, after breakfast, I grabbed my Bible and my 382 prayer journals and headed for the "devo. boulder," as I like to call it. It was huge! And was shaped just so I could sit comfortably on it and read my Bible. I had a really great devotional time that morning ... read Psalms 18 and 19 ... wrote in my 382 prayer journals (I really only have 3 ... but that's a lot! Might as well round up!) ... and sat in silence for a few minutes, breathing in the crisp, November air and listening to squirrels run through the crunching leaves. Sitting in the middle of the woods is one of my favorite places to be ... so it was an extra special devo. time. :)

Okay ... I know I've made this super long. I don't know how to keep things short. Sheesh! ;) ..... It was a great trip! If you've never been in a cave, go! If you've never camped with some of your best friends, do it! Makin' memories is way too much fun! Do it sometime! And soon! :)

My Big Sister!

Well, I think the e-mail/blog fast I took a few weeks ago is helping ... I haven't been blogging 4 times a day like I used to. ;) I haven't been checking my e-mail quite as much either. Hopefully I'll continue to prioritize!

And speaking of prioritizing .... I have a special friend I've been meaning to write about and haven't ... so I'm making her a priority today! :D

I think everyone who has siblings will know where I'm coming from with this post. Siblings are an amazing blessing!!! Our biological siblings are great .... but what about those people God puts in our lives to be our "other" brothers and sisters. Ya know what I mean? God gives us amazing people outside of our family to ADD to our family. So yes ... I have my little brother, Wes. He's my only "real" sibling ... but I have "other" brothers and sisters too. I have a couple of big brothers ... even a second mom and dad .... but I only have ONE big sister!

Yep! My friend, Tiff, is the only friend I've thought of as a sister. She just has those big sister qualities .... wise, loving, a good listener, gives advice, looks out for her "little sisters," fun-loving .... and it's hard for me to explain, but she's got a way of supporting people that screams "big sister" to me! She is really good at supporting the people she loves, encouraging them to follow their dreams and give it all they've got, and letting them know that she's behind them no matter what. She's helps them feel encouraged and more confident. That's how I've always felt around Tiff. I know that no matter what I choose to do with my life, she'll be right there to support me through it, love me through it, and encourage me to keep going even when I feel like quitting. And it's funny .... she doesn't even have to say anything. She's steadfast. And it just flows from her. Every hug, every "hang out time," every conversation .... I just know she supports me. Just like a big sister. That's what big sisters do. They are there to pour out love and wisdom and support. And Tiff is so good at all of that!

I remember hanging out with Tiff several years ago .... it was early in our friendship, and we had never hung out just the two of us before .... we tried to get a bunch of the girls to hang out, but we were the only two who could get together. We ended up going to Culver's in Plainfield. We probably shopped around or drove around or talked .... but I remember we left our outing as "bonding buddies." And it was a name that stuck. I still have cards that Tiff has written me signed "your bonding buddy." It was one of those days I'll always remember --- a day out with my big sister bonding buddy!

And last month ... Tiff and I went on the Calvary Ladies' Retreat together. Friday night ... while all the ladies were upstairs laughing and playing games ... Tiff came downstairs to see what I was up to, and we ended up chatting for close to an hour. We talked about my discouragement with my major .... how I feel like I'm wandering aimlessly ... how I feel like God isn't directing me much at the moment .... and Tiff simply listened and offered support. She reminded me that I'm almost done with school .... and then we got to talking about a college graduation open house! I was bummin' out about not wanting to be in school .... about not knowing what I'm going to do with the rest of my life .... and she got all excited about an open house! She gave me a a huge boost that night! ...... I'm gonna graduate next December .... so we started planning a Christmas theme for it! She even thought up the idea to have people write an answer to "What should Mical do with her English degree?" as their "admission" to my open house. And then we talked about having them write their ideas on an ornament and sticking 'em on a Christmas tree!!! What a great idea!

It was a sweet time with my big sister, Tiff. She knew I was down about my future, and she found something to get excited about for me. She's always been really good at that. :)

I've had lots of friends over the years. Cookie Cutters .... the Cooks/Adamsons gang .... the "Fab Five" .... but I only have one big sister! :D

A Great Conversation ... and another found PROMISE from the Lord!

Conversation! Isn't it great!!!??? Conversation is one of favorite things ever! For those who know me well, I'm sure you know I love to talk(!) ... loudly and excitedly, most of the time! ;) Ha ha! And conversation is one of my favorite things to do! I just love people! So therefore, I love to talk with them ... since that's what we human beings tend to do from time to time. ;)

I had a GREAT conversation with a friend on Thursday night, and it was one of the most encouraging, uplifting conversations I've had in awhile. One of the most God-centered conversations, for sure! Don't you love it when you meet people who are just bursting with Jesus!? (Alex is that new friend I'm talking about, by the way!) :) .... It was a great time! We sat and talked about Psalm 37 (one of her favorites) for awhile, and then we moved through the rest of the Psalms and even into Isaiah and Jeremiah and Proverbs ... talking about all of the verses we had underlined in our Bibles. It was great! Hearing Alex talk about the way God was using His word in her life was inspiring and exciting. It gave me a bit of a push to get me through the rest of my week.

During our trip through Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, and Jeremiah .... I "stumbled across" a word from the Lord! One, I believe, He meant specifically for me at that moment! I've been in real need of guidance, healing, and comfort over the past 6 weeks, and God has been giving it - a lot - over the past week. :)

Isaiah 57:18-19 says .... "I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel."

WHAT A PROMISE!!! God is faithful! The EXACT things I need in my life right now, all in one verse! And all because God provides godly friends to share CONVERSATION with! Amazing stuff!

Conversation .... you should try it sometime - and often! :)

One of My Biggest Joys :)

Joy ... Webster defines it as "a very glad feeling; happiness; great pleasure; delight." God gives us joy in many forms - yay! I have found that my BIGGEST joy in life is the PEOPLE God has given me. :) And one of my joys is Christina Adams!

Many of you, who read my blog, do not know who Christina is. The short version is that she is an awesome girl in my youth group! She and I have slowly become good friends over the past couple of years, and I consider her to be one of my greatest joys. She is a girl with amazing potential! She is a leader among her peers, a good friend to those around her, thoughtful, hilarious, and full of strong convictions. She has a really good head on her shoulders; she doesn't let the stupidity of immaturity and peer pressure weigh her down or sway her from the Truth. She loves Jesus and wants to do what is right in His eyes. She is a good example for others to follow. I just think a lot of her!

One of my favorite things about her is super simple but super hilarious! She gives the best "looks" I've ever seen! She is right up front with you when it comes to the looks she gives. Ha! When she thinks you are acting retarded, she lets you know by giving you "the Christina look." This is a classic! I cannot describe it to you other than to say that you KNOW when you've said or done something dumb when you get this look. And I mean all of this is a GOOD way! It makes me laugh and feel good good about myself. ... Yep! You're probably wondering how someone giving me the "Mical, you're retarded" look can make me feel good, but "the Christina look" is priceless! I LOVE to make her give me that look! It makes my day! It is hilarious!

And Christina IS hilarious! She is just a funny gal! Part of it is that she is incredibly blunt sometimes - she tells it how it is and doesn't beat around the bush! She cracks me up! And I love it when she laughs (especially when she laughs at me!). It is way too much fun! ... I still remember when she was in 7th grade ... we went to CIY (Christ in Youth summer conference) with the youth group, and we bunked together. It was just me and her in a room all week long. I got more "Christina looks" that week than the rest of my time knowing her combined! I was the old, high schooler who shared her room. She was in 7th grade ... I was a junior in high school. We made each other laugh all week. I don't really remember much about that week ... but I do remember "Christina looks," laughing with her (a lot), and good time with God. It was a really fun week and one of my favorite memories of Christina! She is simply a wonderful girl ... a huge blessing to me ... my friend ... and one of my biggest joys! Love you, Hurricane! :D

Smiles and Laughter! :)

Okay! One more post for today! I REALLY need to get to my homework!

Smiling and laughing are two of my all-time favorite things to do. Yep, you should try 'em sometime! Amazing stuff! These actions not only make YOU feel better, but they make EVERYONE else feel better too! Try it. I mean it ... like RIGHT NOW! :D

Well, my friend, Kim Svoma, brings amazing smiles and laughter to my life. She is one of those mentor kind of people in my life. An older lady ... (Whoa! NOT old, old ... I mean older than I am ... ya know, she has a career and a husband and has been through more of life ... that's all I mean by the word old. Ha ha!) ... An older lady who has kind of taken me under her wing ... her wing of fun, smiles, laughter, and support. We have actually become good friends! She's one of those amazing Grace people! Yep, Grace Fellowship Church! That's the one I'm talkin' about! It's my second church family and home! The people there are so amazing I don't know what to do with myself! My friend, Ben Nilsen, is trying to convert me ... but I'm not giving in ... yet. ;) But yeah! Kim is from Grace. A great place! A great woman! And we are becoming good friends. :)

About a month ago, now .... we went out to dinner. We met for the purpose of me picking something up from her, but we decided to make an evening out of it ... probably because we got to Los Rancheros (a great mexican restaurant that you ALL should try sometime!), and some of the first words out of her mouth were, "I forgot the stuff I was supposed to bring you." It gave us a good laugh. :) So we made an evening of it!

Kim is a talker (and I mean that in a GOOD way!). She loves to sit and talk to people about what's going on in their lives. And she always brings humor into it somehow. She is such a hoot! So we sat down and talked about all the things I was excited about at the time. Something really big and fun had happened recently, and it was fun to tell her all about it! We had a great time ... lots of smiling and laughing. :) After dinner, we headed to her house to pick up what she forgot to bring. And it turned into an incredible evening of fun! We laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling for close to an hour talking about life and other fun things. Then ... ha! We went upstairs and I tried on nearly every outfit she owns! Actually, she was getting rid of a lot of clothes, and she's about my size. So I tried on some fun clothes (Free clothes! - Sweet!). Then! She found some fun dresses, and she said I had to try them on! ... I'm not a dress kind of person. I own two. One I wore to prom my senior year and the other I bought specifically for all the weddings I'm going to this year. I'm just a tomboy at heart. But it was fun trying on the dresses. It was just a great night full of smiles and laughter and genuine friendship!

Kim has been a great friend full of support and love for me. I am excited to continue our friendship! Let the smiles and laughter continue!!! :D

My IM Encourager :)

IM. Instant messanging. It's one of those things that some people think is completely stupid ... "Why don't you just call me instead of typing all of that out?" And others, like myself ... love it! I also don't like phones, but that's another story ... far too boring for this blog. So anyway! I think instant messanging is a great tool! A great tool for ministry, for encouragement, for staying in touch with friends you never get to see. - Man. Well, for some reason my "enter" key won't work, so this is going to be a run-together blog post. - Back to IMing ... I have a friend who is an amazing encouragement to me through the wonderful world of IM. We became friends in middle school and grew in teasing and laughter all through high school. We were good friends by the time it was all said and done. He is a really good guy and a good friend. And I never get to see him. But we chat online every week. He's one of those friends who has, and will always, stick by me ... whether we have the ability to chat on IM forever or not. He is always reminding me of my gifts, talents, and beauty (inside and out). He's one of those guys who never ceases to encourage me. I'm pretty thankful for him. :) - Still no "enter" key. Darn. I don't like it all running together, but I'll have to get over it. - So if you've never tried instant messaging, then I think you should give it a try! If you are online for any period of time, you should sign up for your own IM encourager! - My IM encourager is Brent Keppel. :) -

A Gentle Breeze from that Beach :)

So I have a new friend.

I must admit that I am super excited about this new friendship. She is a bit older than I am ... a mother, a teacher, a giver of godly wisdom and encouragement, genuine love and care, and ... a beach. Yep, a beach. Ha! That term, "beach," comes from one of her own blogs. For those who haven't read that post, she was basically reminding herself (and all those who read) that as women (even people in general), we need to beaches. One description of a beach that stands out from her post is that beaches bring gentle breezes. If you've ever had someone in your life who is a gentle breeze, you won't be confused by that term "beach." But for those who lack breezes, let me share with ya a little something about my new friend.

I haven't known her too long. I've known her sons for a few years, and yeah ... I guess I probably knew who she was during that time, but not really. But anyways ... recently, I have had joy in getting to know her a little better. I have found that she is one of the few people in my life who, although I haven't known her all that long, has become a cherished friend. Ya know what I'm talkin' about? Those people whom ya just have a close bond with right away ... after a couple of short conversations ... after a few brief times of seeing each other. It's kind of like a gentle breeze from that beach. A breeze comes and goes, and yet it is refreshing and sweet. On a hot day, that breeze feels amazing! I've had some "hot" days lately (days full of confusion and hurt and longing) ... but God has been bringing gentle breezes to refresh and comfort me. And my new friend is one of those gentle breezes. She has been there with godly encouragement, prayer, and support. Most of our conversations and meetings have been brief but oh, so cherished. :)

A couple of weeks ago, I was REALLY hurting! That weekend, I found out about a few big things that would change the course of my life's direction completely, and I was confused, hurt, emotional(!), and almost bitter. I and some of my friends decided to head for the tennis courts to enjoy the beautiful Sunday afternoon. I went. I shouldn't have. But I went. I was close to tears the entire day. My new friend was there; she came to watch her sons play. As I sat down next to her on the bleachers, she saw my pain ... even though I tried to hide it. She talked of God's faithfulness and how it never fails, and she gently rubbed my back. It was a small thing. But it was coming from someone I don't know very well, someone with whom I've had maybe half a dozen conversations with. It was a brush from that gentle breeze from the beach. She cared; she loved; she reminded me that God is faithful and that I am loved.

Do you have gentle breezes in your life? Thank God for them, and let them know they are loved!


... Oh, and my new friend is Judy Nilsen. :D