excellent in the ordinary

this just keeps coming up in my life so it must be something i need to learn and share with you.
10/21 my utmost said, "it is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. we have to be exceptional in the ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people..." (mean means average here, not unpleasant)
10/22 streams in the desert the angel of the Lord came to Moses while he was involved in his every day work (tending the sheep). He seeks a man traveling an ordinary road.

there's so much truth in that. we do think that we have to do something different, extraordinary, earth-shattering. even when we know God's told us, "I'm going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told." what if the utterly amazing was that we walked with Jesus every day of our lives? what if we loved our students and their parents and they saw Jesus in us (even though they don't know it's Jesus right now)? what if we loved our neighbor as ourself (for me today, that means letting everyone in front of me in traffic and not calling them jerks)? what if we really did everything for the glory of the Lord? what if we made disciples within our families and neighborhoods?

i keep telling my girls that God wants to do something amazing in their lives, that He wants us to live abundantly. and that's truth. but that amazingness (new word) starts now. as we're walking this road. as we're tending these sheep. as we abide in His word and become conformed to the image of His Son. in the day in, day out ordinary life He's set before us.

live excellently

this post is dedicated to:
my friends that keep saying, "when are you moving back to texas?" (insert lubbock and dallas where texas is written and that question becomes more accurate; you know who you are)

i feel the love
it's sweet to be missed
but it's also sweet to be where God wants me

so until further notice, i'll be here. in florida.
and you shall be known as "Job's companions"
better than "satan," don't you think.
i'll pray for you

maybe you'll all move to florida
that would be perfection

i heart texas

well at least fellowship found in the state of texas
and the west texas sunsets
and dairy queens at every town
but mostly the fellowship
love y'all

long overdue

it's been a while, i know, i know...
the Lord is dealing with me in many ways...
learning that to be a poured out drink offering, you first have to be crushed up...uncomfortable.
got a new devotional book that i'll be using the next 8 weeks...so far, so good...just been needing to take it to the next level.
church has been good...learning about the godly kings of the bible and the traits we can apply to our lives. our sunday school class is growing, so that's exciting.
church might be taking a trip to east asia within the next year...very, very tempting. very torn between that and a visit to romania.
work's been challenging, but good. sometimes i feel like i'm talking to a brick wall, but i realize that i just need to get out of the way and live a surrendered life. it's not about me. it's about Jesus and what He wants to do through me. praying for the Word to fall on good soil and for divine appointments to speak life and truth into the girls.