We were not prepared for the snow!

So this beautiful winter wonderland was the scene yesterday (Sunday) morning when we woke up for church. It was so amazingly serene and peaceful and I remembered all the things that I loved about winter and the snow. Austin was loving his first snow here in NY and we banded together to get everything (sound equipment, stuff for church set up) into the SUV and ready for take off! It was cold, but it was calm. We were enjoying the winter!

Then today came...

I'm looking out the window right now and I can't see past our parking lot...all there is is blowing white mist. The wind is blowing so hard that as I was walking across campus, I was literally blown forward or to the right or left depending on wind direction. It was insane! The wind was blowing the car and it is so cold and snowy that I was afraid I might die in the Land Rover on the way home! I'm trying to cancel some other appointments I have this afternoon because I don't think I will be able to see to get there. Let me tell you it is not a pretty sight! What happened to our winter wonderland. It's like someone got the snow globe and shook us all up!

What it means to share a meal...

We were so blessed this Thanksgiving to be away from close family and friends. I know what you are thinking...that doesn't sound like a very nice "thanksgivingy" thing to say. Of course, it is always a blessing to see family and friends and to be "home" for the holidays, but God had other plans for us this Christmas. We got to share a meal and be family for others. We didn't go down to a shelter to serve a meal or anything, but we were blessed to open our homes to some who could not be with family and some who do not know Jesus. I loved cooking all day long and feeling our home with those familiar aromas that remind us of comfort and love and security and inviting those into our home who may not experience that in their own lives. We had a small group, but we ate and laughed. Austin got to share some Bible stories with someone who had never heard them. We talked about traditions and what holidays should be about. We allowed those who are lonely to seek solace in our home. Sharing a meal meant sharing ourselves, our time, and our family here with those who are without. It was the best thing that we could have done for our Thanksgiving. Austin and I dialogued over our own thankfulness this morning and we wouldn't have had this Thanksgiving or this year any other way. We may not be rich, but it felt good to give of what we do have... a meal!

Failure is hard...

It is so easy to share with others when you have successes in life and when things are going well. It's often much harder to divulge your failures and disappointments. So I share this realizing that I am human and not perfect, so that others will feel encouraged.

God is teaching me so much about allowing Him to be in control and to have peace and trust in Him when things don't go my way. As many of you know, I have been working like a mad woman on my thesis for my Masters' from seminary. I had all the plans to graduate this December and I was so proud that I had completed this 100 page paper. I was passionate about the topic because it is about college-church planting which is what we are doing in NY. I was waiting to here back this week from my professor about the changes I would need to make in order for it to be ready to turn in. I knew that it had been more rushed then I liked, but I figured I could at least pull a B. (You can only get an A, a B, or you don't pass and must re-write it.) I never thought I would receive an email stating that there were issues with my thesis that my professor could not pass me on... I was devastated, frustrated, embarrassed, and angry all at once! I cried. I worked so hard, probably harder than any paper I have ever written. I would be ok with a B, but not to pass it...I felt stupid!

My professor assured me that all was not lost, but I would not have time to fix it this semester. So I will have one more semester and then I will graduate. It seems that my professor will be willing to work with me on this topic after I stood my ground and God has given me a peace about it. So I just wanted to share because someone out there might go through a similar situation and we just have to trust God and learn from it!

Trying a New Blog

I'm trying out a new blog here on blogger. I originally had my personal blog on here when I was single and adding pictures and video is very simple. I have been on wordpress with our blog, but I've had trouble being creative with it. There are a lot more background templates on wordpress, but I want to be able to add pics easily! So I will be trying this one out the next few weeks. Let me know what you think!!

This is Austin and I at Niagra Falls at Night!!