we just found out that that we should get the bpo (broker’s price opinion) results back next week! and IF they are in line with what our offer was (which the seller’s agent is confident it should be), we will have a new house by the end of the year!!!!!!!!!
still lots of “ifs” and variables to wait on, but so far it’s good news!!
have you ever had to “pick” a church? or have you ever had to metaphorically form a checklist of things the church needed to have or not have to meet your expectations? we have ”church hunted” SO many times mostly due to moving, and it is a draining process. i’ll have to admit, it has caused more ”heated talks” in our marriage than any other topic. i can’t tell you how many churches we have stepped foot into whether it be for 15 minutes (and yes, there was a church that we literally walked out of after 15 minutes) or a couple sundays. the process is so frustrating because you start to observe things with such a critical eye instead of really focusing on the purpose of church. some of the (superficial) reasons for us: the congregation is all 20-somethings; the congregation is all senior citizens; the pastor never opened the bible (because it was all in the handout); the music was too boring/old/or just didn’t flow well; the atmosphere was too cold/dark/uninviting; and the #1 reason – it was just too cheesy/fake or it felt like they were “doing church just to DO church”.
i’ve struggled with what church is and is not supposed to be and how much of it really relied on my opinion or how i “felt” about it. how much “sacrifice” do you make to be at a church in regards to travel time, wants/needs and relationships? or by me even thinking twice about those things, does that automatically make me less spiritual since church isn’t supposed to be about me?
matt and i grew up in two VERY different churches. i grew up in a “mega” church with 4+ services on saturday nights and sunday mornings (christmas eve was like 8+ services). i was very involved in the youth group including missions trips all over the world. matt grew up in a much smaller / more traditional atmosphere. he too was very involved in a close-knit community. both were neither good nor bad, just VERY different which caused frustration when trying to “pick” a church that wasn’t solely based on preference or what we were “used to” growing up.
i think we’ve found a place where we both didn’t think we would ever end up. and it’s different than most churches we have experienced. people are happy. people are filled with joy. they practice what they preach. they enrich lives and encourage you to spread it. they teach salvation and present the gospel every chance they get. they don’t sugar coat it. and while i know this church isn’t the perfect church and lots of people wouldn’t necessarily be drawn to it, we have been blessed by it! it’s almost too good to be true. and it’s an unbelievable feeling. we’re excited to see what God does.
we COULD close by the end of the year!! keep your fingers and toes crossed for us!!
so i just have to recap (for my parents) with the few pictures that i have the wonderfulness that was my 27th birthday!
matt took a 3-day weekend the 18th – 20th with the anticipation of some exciting plans in store, however, there was a hiccup with me getting time off, so plans got changed. we spent friday sleeping in, going to lunch and a movie and a birthday party for our good friend, glyn. we left saturday morning for half moon bay – one of our favorite places! we had dinner at hmb brewing company (another fav) and enjoyed freshly baked chocolate chip cookies at our b&b (another fav). sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast in bed and matt surprised me and took me on a hike! it was a typical foggy day in hmb, but it was a beautiful hike overlooking the ocean! we took tons of fun pictures!
matt found a fun little candy shop where we picked up some fabulous fudge and then hit up an italian restaurant which will for sure go down as another fav! so cute and great food!! we walked around downtown before we headed home.
then on tuesday (the day before my birthday) i got a text message from matt that said “we have plans tonight, i’ll pick you up at 8:30 (he didn’t get off work until 8). dress comfy – we might be out a little late.” so i got all excited trying to rack my brain of all the fun things he might have in store. we walked downstairs like we’re going to get in the car to go somewhere and he turns the other way, pulls 2 tickets out of his pocket for the killers concert at arco arena (literally across the street from our place) that he got for FREE from a friend at work! we showed up just as the opening band was starting their last song! it was a blast!
wednesday i was surprised at work with flowers from my parents and flowers from by bff, tara!
some co-workers took me out to lunch and then when i got home i was surprised by even more flowers from matt and dinner at pf changs! our favorite place 
it was a fabulous birthday! i felt so special and totally spoiled!!
matt took me on a little mini-vacation this weekend for my birthday. and honestly i don’t think i could have asked for anything more – getting my husband all to myself for 3 whole days to do WHATEVER we wanted was pure bliss!! i don’t remember the last time we had 3 days just to ourselves! we slept in, we ate amazing food, we went shopping, we saw a movie, we went on a mini-hike overlooking half moon bay, we ate candy, took naps (well i did), took pictures and just enjoyed not having a schedule!! it was all so delightful!
and because of that… i didn’t work out and i didn’t stay up on my reading, so forgive me for not posting about it… i took a few days off. but i’m back in the saddle today!
pictures of this weekend to come!
p.s. fall officially starts tomorrow and that’s just exciting!! now if the sacramento weather could cool off a little, that’d be much appreciated!
i was very encouraged by this post on tim hughes’ blog today. i sometimes think that people in the public’s eye – especially christian leaders somehow are above all those insecurities that “normal” people face, but this just really hit home. i couldn’t have said it better myself!!
Let’s be honest, we all at times struggle with either insecurity, jealousy or an unhealthy competitiveness. Or maybe it’s just me! Over the Summer I read through the John’s Gospel and was so inspired by the way Jesus, the God who came to bring LIFE interacted with broken, ordinary people. The Gospel doesn’t hide the frailties and complexities of people but paints a picture of the transformation that can happen when Jesus is present.
One key character is Peter. Full of passion and determination but with a real knack for getting things hopelessly wrong, most vividly seen when he denies Jesus. In John 21 there is a beautiful encounter where Jesus re-instates Peter. He welcomes him back in to the fold and empowers him to carry on following Christ. The challenge is laid out – feed my sheep, but also the warning that now Peter would have to live a life which involved surrender, following Christ and being led to places where he would really rather avoid (John 21:18) As the enormity of this call rests heavy on Peter’s heart I can imagine him looking at the other disciples – am I alone in this? Will others suffer to?Peter then looks at the disciple John and asks Jesus, what about him? Jesus replies,
“If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” John 21:22
I relate to Peter’s question. I catch myself looking at others and thinking, what about them? Are they achieving more than I am? Does God seem to be using them more powerfully? Are they more popular? Do they seem to be more effective in what they do? The problem with these questions is we either look at others and then feel insecure about our own walk with God. We end up striving to play ‘catch up.’ We push ourselves to achieve, not out of a love for Christ, but because in the eyes of man we don’t want to get left behind. We need to be so careful that our insecurity doesn’t force us to run a race that is not marked out for us.
The other danger is we look at others and begin to judge. They’re faking it! They may write amazing songs, but have you seen how they speak to others! The accusations fly around in our minds. This trail of thought can lead to nothing good whatsoever. In keeping a jealous eye on someone, spiritually we begin to diminish and shrivel up inside.
Perhaps we need to hear Jesus words again in terms of what he calls others to do, ‘what is that to you?’ We’re called to follow Christ. Every path will be different. Every journey will take varied turns. We need to learn in our lives not to lag behind what God is doing, but also not to run ahead.
the seller’s agent said that she’s done 7 successful short sales – they take awhile, but they DO happen!Matthew 7:1-2 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.
7:12 Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.
this last part is so hard for me. i like doing nice things for other people or taking the initiative to make someone’s life easier, but the problem is, i feel like i often get taken advantage of in return. often they start to expect me to do those things and it was almost like i meant for it to be a nice thing, but instead i just create more work for myself and get bitter about it. how am i supposed to respond to that? it’s not like i want a pat on the back or an “atta-girl” for it, but by me doing something nice was not me volunteering to do it from hereon out. does that make sense? it happens at work all the time and sometimes at home too.
what would be the right thing to do in response? just continue to do it without complaining??
the chase continues…
oh my word! matthew 5 & 6 rocked my world! can we just talk about the beatitudes for a minute??
Matthew 5:3-5; 16 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
33-34 “And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true.
46-48 If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
and the last part was just SO right on for me right now… i need to tattoo it to my forehead!!
6:33-34 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
i started a challenge today to read through the new testament in 99 days! i decided to read it in The Message (which i am well aware of is not the version of the Bible i should be studying out of for theological reasons, but for the sake of reading… it seemed to be a good choice). this was the part that stood out to me today:
Matthew 3:7b-10
“Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference? It’s your life that must change, not your skin! And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as father. Being a descendant of Abraham is neither here nor there. Descendants of Abraham are a dime a dozen. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire.
ahh!! i LOVE how God’s Word is relevant yesterday, today and forever! (i’m going to try and refrain from speaking generally, so i’ll speak for myself.) so often i am concerned with how i look and how other people see me and make sure that i look up to par on the “christian” scale (by saying all the right things and sometimes flaunting my christian education) and i forget that the condition of my heart and the character that i’m building is the point. all that other stuff is so showy! i need to be green (and i don’t mean eco-friendly) and growing!
