Hate. What a strong word. Such abhorrence oozes from this four letter word.

While reading Psalm 5 this morning I was struck by this phrase in verse 5, "...You hate all who do iniquity."

{Iniquity: any I think, say or do that breaks God's law}

That's me. That WAS me.

"But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindess I will enter Your house..."

Then I was overwhelmed by this other four letter word ::LOVE::

"The Holy Spirit reveals that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so." Oswald Chambers

As of last Saturday, one more of my dearies is now married...

{Ryan and Jocelyn St. Hilaire}

*happy sigh* She is such a beautiful bride.

Insane.

{fun}

Exhausting.

{satisfying}

Stressful.

{joyful}

Last Friday afternoon marked the end of all that craziness for the summer. Just about every Friday afternoon, for the past six months there has been anywhere from twenty-five to forty-five Kindergarten through fifth graders congregated in the multi-purpose room of Ridgecrest Elementary school, attending Good News Club.

Our time with these kids was difficult. Short-lived attentions spans, anger management issues, lying and defiance were just a few of the issues we had to wrestle with for one high-energy packed hour each week.

"Kept on our toes" would be an understatement.

As taxing as it was, I LOVED it. Yes, I loved every. single. minute. It was truly the highlight of my week. My heart aches for these kids. A majority are growing up in broken homes, and attempting to deal with broken relationships. Juvenile detention, alcohol, drugs and abuse have left their mark on many of the "families".

The truth of the Gospel has been breaking through the power of sin. In spite of it all, seeds have been planted and lives are changed. Hope reigns!

Good News Club might be on break for the summer, but my prayers won't be.

...Honestly, I don't know why I am doing this exactly. It will no doubt bring me nothing but grief. Cheers to mocking me!

Dani, pick yourself up off the floor. I can hear you laughing all the way from here. ;)

Lately in my life...

...I've celebrated the nuptials of two friends.

...I have enjoyed evenings eating delicious sweet things (i.e. uber yummy homemade chocolate cake!) while curled up on a couch with friends watching favorite television episodes.

...I ran into two former co-workers, not just once but twice in one weekend.

...I'm loving the fact that I can wear sunglasses again. Life without contacts can not only leave you squinty-eyed (which leads to more wrinkles, but who really cares?), but rather bored with your lack of facial fashion too. Yes, that's shallow, I know.

...I've enjoyed conversations with dear friends over my lunch break.

...I am trying to make it a habit to move more during my eight hours of potential stillness at work. I've had to get creative: lunges to and from my boss' office, thirty minute walks over my lunch break, etc.

...my brain has been hurting as I attempt to organize vacation Bible school for my chapel. Even with the handy "director's guide" some decisions still aren't that easy to make. VBS is even invading my dreams at night. :)

...(Speaking of dreams) I've been dreaming of planting cucumbers, bell peppers, herbs, squash, lettuce, kale...in my future backyard. I'm a wee bit intimidated by the sandy soil and my total lack of experience, but I can't seem to resist the temptation to have soil embedded under my nails and sweat running down my back from real work.

...Caught a Rays game with my dad. Good times.

...I'm learning that my word of the year ::RISK:: is challenging me various areas that I thought I didn't particularly struggle with...mainly the fear of man. I take other's opinions into consideration a little too much. More on this later.

Hope you have a blessed weekend remember the death, burial and RESURRECTION of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

To move or not to move...that is the question of the month! Life has certainly not been dull, to put it mildly. It's a long story, and perhaps someday I will detail the events on this blog, but basically there are certain circumstances outside of my control (i.e. home is for sale, and the parents are down-sizing) that are making it a necessity to find a new residence.

I'm in the process of moving out...and what a process this has proved to be. It's not necessarily the boxes, or the cleaning, or even the adjustment to new surroundings and habits (goodness knows I've had plenty of experience with all that while growing up) but it's the up and down roller coaster of not knowing when I'll move exactly that has been a bit stressful.

Learning to rely on God's grace for the stressful loose ends, unfinished projects, piles of boxes and stuff scatter around, and all-the-while keeping up with myriad of usual commitments has been stretching and surprisingly refreshing. In the midst of the craziness, I'm finding that the key is prayer...real prayer, taking quiet moments with God (I liken it to a spiritual "deep breath"), and emotionally detaching myself from what is simply out of my control, letting Him know and have everything. Not always at the forefront of my mind, but I've tied a mental piece of string to assist me.

"It is good for me to be afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes." Psalm 119:71

God is so good. So faithful.

On a side note: I can't wait to introduce you to my new abode. This cozy home on Overlea street has history, location and hints of charm that aren't exactly what one would expect...pictures coming soon!

I don't like to focus on being single. It's not because I can't cope with not having a significant other right now...quite the contrary. I've come to realize that it shouldn't be my focus, plain and simple. Because of Christ my single status {or anything else in this world} honestly doesn't define me, make me who I am or what I do. Christ, and Him alone does!

{I must remind myself of this frequently}

Thanks to my carnality, some days are easier than others to deal with singleness...and true to form, I was having such a day not too long ago when I stumbled upon this video.

Coming from the Passion for Christ Ministries, and one of their Lyricts Lounge contributors is Janette on waiting on Christ and delighting in Him during singleness.