I Believe: Part Two

I know this post has been a while in the making. I have had to really think about what it is I believe in now. I really do not have any profound or inspirational things to say to begin this post. I will just begin...

-I believe Jesus is the son of God.
-I believe he died for my sins.
-I believe God is who he says he is.
-I believe God can do what he says he can do.
-I believe I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
-I believe God's word is alive and active in me.
-I believe I am saved by grace.
-I believe there is an active spiritual world and battles that I do not see.
-I believe I am safe, protected by the Holy Spirit in me.
-I believe God adores praise and worship.
-I believe God is honored with instrumental worship.
-I believe acapella worship is my love language.
-I believe each person has his/her own personal relationship with God.
-I believe in the love I have for my husband.
-I believe in the love my husband has for me.
-I believe we will be together until death parts us.
-I believe in the incredible power and brilliance of an autistic mind.
-I believe Bryson has abilities that many will never have.
-I believe Bryson will form precious relationships in his life, will get married and have a family.
-I believe Cason is the happiest child in the world.
-I believe Cason seeks pure joy in life.
-I believe in precious friendships that last for ages.
-I believe in the power God has as he reconnects people throughout our journey on earth.
-I believe my parents did everything right in raising children. I want to parent like they parent.
-I believe my sister is and always will be my hero.
-I believe every person has what it takes to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. It is a choice.
-I believe in the simple pleasures of diet coke and coffee.
-I believe a hot bath can cure a bad mood.
-I believe in Mojo football :-)
-I still believe in the power of a song.
-And I will always, for the rest of my life on earth, believe in "real" mashed potatoes.

When I write it all out, it sure does not seem like much. I know that I believe in so much more, I just can not put it into words...yet. Part of me is a little afraid of the reaction of some of things that I may believe in. I know that I still have a lot more growing to do.

Valentine's Day and a Meme

Happy Valentine's Day friends. We had a big day with all of our parties at school. Bryson is sick now, so the party has stopped. The boys are in bed and Wade is at work, so I decided to spend some time catching up on the blog.
I promise that the second part of my "I Believe" post is coming soon. However, I decided to throw my hat into the meme ring. Melanie tagged anyone who had not been tagged yet and I guess that would be me.
There are rules, but I am too lazy to post them. Here are 5 non-important habits/quirks about myself.

1. I love white noise. It is so comforting to me. I love to go to bed with the sound of the fan or my sound spa machine. The sound of the hair dryer makes me want to crawl up under the covers and take a long winters nap.

2. I have this incredible memory when it comes to music. I can usually sing a song from memory after only hearing it one or two times. I can also remember all of the words and moves to every single one of my masterfollies shows. What is even scarier is that I can remember most of the words from every Alpha Chi and CD show from when I was in school. Yes, it gets worse. My sisters shows. Yes, I can sing through all of my sisters masterfollies shows as well. I know. I'm a nerd.

3. For a long time, my dream was to become the first female football coach. I seriously considered this while career planning in high school.

4. I count when I am sitting still. I count the number of ceiling tiles, chair legs, etc. I can not tell you how many times a day I count the number of slats in my plantation shutters in my living room, or the number of tiles and light fixtures in my classroom. It is very OCD. In fact, if the number turns out odd, or a number I don't like, I will add something to make the number come out "right".

5. I have unusually short legs. I hide it well because I wear heals and long pants. I do not own a pair of true capri pants. All of the capri pants that I have bought hit me at mid calf or right above the ankle. My legs are so short that there is not much difference in my height when I am standing and sitting. Most restaurants I go to, my feet don't touch the ground and I look like a giant sitting with all of my friends. So, I slouch alot while sitting.

Well, there you have it. I tag Cheryl, Tania, and Monica.

Pinewood Derby

One of the most exciting things about cub scouts is the annual pinewood derby. This is our second year to enter a car. Bryson is more into the theme of the car, than if it's fast or not. We finished 2nd over-all last year, but were 4th in our division this year. We went for style rather than speed! (lol)



Bryson finished 4th in the wolf division (2nd grade)



Bryson and Cason both had a car this year. Cason is our junior scout "mascot".



Bryson's Elvis car! (We had a Tony Stewart car last year.)



Cason's Power Ranger car!



Pack 91, pinewood derby contestants.

I Believe: Part One

Not too long ago, I came across my journal from Dr. Blassingame's Freshman English class at LCU. One of our assignments was to make a list of all of the things that we believe in. I remember being puzzled by the assignment and, of course, put it off until the last minute.

One thing that immediately came to mind while reading this long lost list was my precious friend and roommate Stephanie. She too was taking this class. I remember staying up most of the night, sitting on my bed, as we made our list. She found the assignment easy and as she began reading her list, I too, got on a roll. We laushed and cried and had a wonderful conversation, while trying, in our "mature" 18 year old minds, to figure out what exactly we believed in.

Not too long ago, I came across a scripture in my church small group Bible study that struck me. It is the story of the boy with the evil spirit whom Jesus healed. The verses are in Mark 9:22-24. The boy's father ask Jesus that "if he could" to heal his son. Jesus stated, "If you can? Everything is possible for those who believe."

Now this is the part of the scripture that struck me. The boys father EXCLAIMED, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Even with the strong belief I do have, there are still ways that I need to believe God more. I am still learning this. One of the greatest spiritual growth opportunities that I have had recently was to take Beth Moore's "Believing God" Bible study. So now, I have decided I need to make another list. I have been searching my heart as to the things I believe.

My list is still in progress and I will share when I complete it. For now, I want to share some of the things that I wrote down when I was 18 years old and a freshman in college. On that night, when Steph and I were making our list, I will never forget two things that Steph wrote on her list. One was that she believed that Jesus was the Son of God and that He came to save her. My precious little friend is with Jesus now. She sits in Heaven with him because of her belief. The other thing she wrote down that I will never forget was she believed in "real mashed potatoes". :-)

Things I Believe In (1993)

-God
-Jesus is the son of God
-Jesus died to save me from my sins
-because I have obeyed Him, repented of my sins, confessed His name and been baptized I will go to heaven to be with Him someday.
-Christian education
-my parents love for me
-my parents love for each other
-my sisters love for me
-my grandparents love for me
-Mojo football (I know...deep!)
-a single red rose
-true friendship
-there is such a thing as the perfect roommate (Steph and I both put this one)
-true love (Wade and I had just started dating and I was smitten)
-the power of a song (I was a little dramatic)
-home is where the heart is

There were more, of course, but I think you have the idea. I obviously had alot of growing to do. I remember how grown up and mature I felt. I no longer feel that way about myself. I feel that even though I have grown, I still have much work to do.
So, my friends,what do you believe in?