Making it Through July

I made it.

Technically, July isn't over, but I made it...barely.

I'm a little rusty with my blog, so...here's another list.

1. I have the best friends in the world. I can't make it without them.

2. LOST nights save me. Go Team Ben!

3. The Disco Students are fantastic. The Sports Camp skit was fantastic because of their talent. May God grow that giftwithin them, and bless their willingness to serve and use that gift to the benefit of others.

4. Sports Camp turned out very well, in every way possible and all ways imaginable. Even in the middle of the heat wave that threatened to keep the kids from coming. Disco Kids are the greatest. Praise God!

5. Throughout my crazy July, I found escape through watching endless episodes of Ace of Cakes and Good Eats. Now I want to decorate cakes and learn how to cook. There are many things I am not good at; and anything to do with the kitchen tops that considerable list.

6. I love my worship teams. Although I miss playing for the 9 AM, my 11 AM team blesses me more than they'll ever know.

7. I am blessed at my job. I thank them for every project they trust me with...I like being challenged.

8. I love my friends at work. They keep me sane.

9. Life without constant coffee isn't so bad. It's easier than I thought it would be.

10. The life I have now is far better than the one I left behind.

At some point, I may delve into what made this July so difficult. But for the moment, I'm focusing on the victories. Sometimes it's holding onto those small victories that help me get through my biggest storms.

Sorry July, you tried to break me. I know you'll probably try again next year, but as of this moment, I can declare that you didn't win. The LORD, my God, carried me through this storm. And He's the only reason why I can keep going.

I am not my own. I've been carried by You all my life.
--Addison Road, "Hope Now."

Pondering on Freedom

I realize that on this Fourth of July, I have not written about politics in awhile.

No worries, this isn't going to be a political blog.

However, I will ponder on the freedom that our American forefathers dreamed about when they declared our nation's independence by signing a piece of paper. Truly, words alone don't make one free, and I am grateful to those who put those thoughts to inspire action in others, and even more grateful to those who gave their lives to preserve a way of life that they themselves would not enjoy.

Whether it was bought by thoughts expressed by ink upon paper, voices that inspire a movement or blood spilled on the ground, freedom comes with a cost.

As I write this, I realize there those who are not able to express their own thoughts. I realize that I am a single woman, and if I had lived somewhere, I may be forced to live a different kind of life because of my social status. I realize that there are places where I would not be allowed to speak, to become educated, to own property, to vote, to form an identity that is not attached to someone else, to worship God, or to have any of the freedoms that I take for granted on a regular basis.

And even if it only comes once a year, I find that it is good to remember the freedoms we enjoy, and to remember those who got us here.

Happy Independence Day, America. May we never take our freedom for granted.