Charazmatic with a seat belt on....

Ok, If you are in my life, even in the least bit, you will know that I LOVE MARS HILL!! Maybe even to the point where I idolize it...hahahaha (I continuously quote Mark, my homepage on my personal computer is www.marshillchurch.org, I am considering moving so I can go to church there-these may all be signs that I have a problem) I know that the Lord has not put me in Seattle, but thankfully he put Mars Hill on the internet, and I can view Mark Driscoll preach while I type invoices in at work, get ready in my room, or when I just want to lay in my bed and watch it while I wind down. His topics are sooooooooooooooososososo RELEVANT!!! I love it! I have posted a clip from when he was on Nightline for you to see...you have been warned~ you listen to him a few times, you may be hooked!! I'm just saying.....

death to our old selves.

"Something happens when we come to God for His grace and mercy--something that is so radical and so amazing that it can only be described as death to our old selves. It is the overwhelming desire to please the One who has loved us with such amazing and unconditional love...I may not get better overnight; I may not be the fine, upstanding, and wonderful Christian I thought I was, but I now have a desire to please the One who loved me (and gave Himself for me). That desire is the soil in which goodness grows--not perfectly, by any means, but it does grow."
Steve Brown

The Baby of the Family

Well...it's been a month since my last post (I am slacking on the job). My baby sister, Emily, is no longer a teenager. She turned TWENTY YEARS OLD!!!!! She actually shares her birthday with my great grandmother. My great grandmother turned eighty two. (so when I have babies, we will have five generations in my fam) She is in good health, and I hope that I inherit her longevity. I do not get to see her very often because she lives in Boaz. She has a very content spirit. I love to just sit and talk to her, and I always come away feeling still and calm-far away from the business of everyday life. We celebrated their birthdays on Saturday eventhough they were actually on Thursday, Feb 5th. My mawmaw Peggy cooked chicken and dumplings and we had two birthday cakes. I ate a lot!!! I remember when the day Emily was born. I remember being at my cousin's birthday party, and yes, her birthday is the fifth also. Crazy, huh? Anyway, Emily was born with yellow jaundice (mispelled?) and had to be flown in a helicopter to Bham. By this point, I was tired of babies. I was four years old and no longer the center of attention. I am so excited to see her turn into a beautiful woman right before my eyes. She is still my baby sister, but I know that she is a mature young lady. She is in Respitory Therapy School at Shelton State in Tuscaloosa. I am very proud of her, I can honestly say that she is naturally beautiful inside and out. I am allowed to brag a lil' bit bc this is MY blog...haha.

new year

Picture of me and my roommates

sidenote: this is how much I love chocolate in my milk...

Gandy: What is that you're drinking, coke?

Heather: No, it's chocolate milk.

Gandy: It's the color of my drink, and I am drinking coke.

we go back

Saturday night, I went to Applebees with three of my dearest friends whom I grew up with. pictured from left to right. Tiffany, Reese, Jennifer, me, Ciara. We had a great time, and it was so encouraging for me to hear all about their experiences being wives, a mom (for tiffany), and future mom's (because jen and c are both expecting). These girls are in more of my childhood memories than anyone else. Jen and I shared our love for organization and cleanliness when we were children. I remember organizing my entire "pretend kitchen" with her. I loved to spend the night at her dad's house where we explored the woods and decorated her tree house. Ciara was my cheerleader friend. I cannot imagine Ciara not being in my life all those years to share a passion for cheering, stunting, jumping, and yelling. I was priveleged to get to experience all those ballgames, competitions, practices, and camps with her. I got to share the excitement of being a freshman junior varsity cheerleader with her the very first year hb had one. (LOL-ciara if you read this, wink wink.) From pom-pom girl to the last time we were on the field together, I enjoyed every moment beside her. Tiffany...ummm...let's see. Where do I start? We are actual "blood sisters". I could probably write a book using the notes that we passed to each other throughout our elementary, middle, and high school years. Yes, even in high school. Her notes got me through second block. From taking "Olan Mills-Glamour shots" to laughing so hard that we peed in our pants...I could not have imagined growing up without her. I love these girls!!!! Thank you Lord for blessing me with their sweet spirits and unique personalities, and I praise your name for sovereignly making them a part of my life.

words by andrew peterson.

This is on the album by Andrew Peterson called "RESURRECTION LETTERS", I just had to share this with you because it blessed me in so many ways when I read it today. It's kind of long, but once you start reading it, you will want to keep going.

"He came back.

After that brutal Friday, and that long, quiet Saturday, he came back.

And that one intake of breath in the tomb changes everything. It changes the very reason I drew breath today and the way I move about in this world because I believe he's coming back again. The world has gone on for more than two millennia since Jesus' feet tread the earthhe made. What would they have said back then if someone had told them that some two thousand years later we'd still be waiting? They would've thought back to that long Saturday and said, "Two thousand years will seem like a breath to you when you finally lay your crown at his feet. We don't even remember what we were doing on that Saturday, but let me tell you about Sunday morning. Now that was something."

These many years of waiting will only be a sentence in the story. THis long day will come to an end, and I believe it will end in glory, when we will shine like suns and stride the green hills with those we love and the One who loves. We will look with our new eyes and speak with our new tongues and turn to each other and say, "Do you remember the waiting? The long years, the bitter pain, the gnawing doubt, the relentless ache?" And like Mary at the tomb, we will say, "I remember only the light, and the voice calling my name, and the overwhelming joy that the waiting was finally over."

The stone will be rolled away for each of us. May we wait with faithful hearts. -AP"

I don't know about you, but this gets me excited!

A MUST SEE

Please go see Marley & Me. My favorite movie of all time!
http://marleyandmemovie.com/

So, I was off work for five full days. I got a lot of stuff accomplished. Two Extra Big sized pillows for $12.99 a piece at ROSS dress for less. I am easily amused. I heard about Ross from my roommate Jessica Gandy. I have two roommates. Jessica Gandy...girl who can design on a dime, and Tiffany Murdock...the world's best Coach of the YEAR.
I am serious; Gandy is magic. She can turn anything into art. I am so thankful for them, and I like to think about how continuously faithful the Lord is to surround me with like-minded people who encourage me, and push me closer to our Savior. Although, we are different in so many ways, our conversations are a reminder that we are all part of one body. And, I am thankful for them when I look at my shopping list...here is an excert from it:
Things to do:
1.Chocolate ice cream
2.Cereal (replace Tiff's)
3. Wheat thins, multi grain (replace Gandy's)
4. Milk (buy the kind Tiff likes b/c you drank all of hers)
5. Chocolate milk
6. Chocolate syrup

I guess you get the point!