Married Life

Well I am the world's biggest blog loser....it's not like I've had anything interesting happening in my life lately that I couldn't blog! I mean geesh!

The wedding is over, the honeymoon is over, but the chaos is not over! But somehow within that blur of activity I've found my piece of heaven in every day. Life is constantly changing, just like the leaves are beginning to burst with a few spashes of color, and I'm beginning to adjust to the change married life brings. The thing that gets me through is asking Jesus to be my everything, everyday. Only then have I been able to truly find joy in having my own home to make, a husband to care for, and a job to work, a ministry to build.

Last night was our first night as Step-Up (our young adults group at church) leaders together. It was such a great time and I just love this group of young adults! We played mafia (a game about killing people and accusing people....perfect for church), and spent some real time in the Word. Afterwards we went to Applebees for half off appetizers with a couple Step Up-ers.....which is what I love so much, ministering on a small and personal basis. Another amazing thing about married life, that Frankie and I can minister together as a team. :)

All in all, life throws a lot of changes no matter how ready you feel or how not ready you feel. But God is that saving grace; He is always reminding you that the change is for the good, for if we never saw change then our lives would never touch another's.

Love to you all,
Libby Julian :)

Bloggity Blog Blog

Wow it has been a while, hasn't it? At least I can say life hasn't been boring, it's just been busy! In fact there's been a lot I could blog about....for instance, when someone at work says, "Oh crap...." when a certain regular customer is coming to tea, that's not the ideal response, right? So I've had a lot of attitude blogs come and go through my mind. We also decided to only speak Wookie in the kitchen at work, so if someone comes in and asks, "Can I have another plate of scones? I need five..." while there's only four sitting on the tray, instead of being obviously annoyed with words, just yell out, "grujdghrggrrr!" they'll never know what you said so you won't be in trouble for saying anything bad. So I've had some humorous blogs come and go through my mind as well.

I think the biggest thing I'm experiencing right now though is stress; yes, in fact, if you just look at my face you'll notice. Just typical signs, like baggy eyes, glazed eye balls, hair everywhere, a constant large zit (or multiple ones.....dang....) lingering on my face, it just changes spots on a weekly basis, a quiet aura (or is that gas? I don't know..)..... Thankfully, amongst the craziness of life God still keeps Himself real to me. I relate to the apostles in Acts 4:23-31. They were in trouble and were frightened but instead of panicking in fear they prayed. And what gets me is that they didn't pray for deliverance, they prayed for boldness to continue preaching the good news! It is astonishing. A lot of times we pray for God to take our trials away, like if this one thing would be gone life would be just ducky. But I realized when I read this that praying away our problems doesn't benefit us one bit....we HAVE to go through things to let God be glorified. And you know what happened when they prayed? God shook that place, literally, and they did indeed speak with much boldness! Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." This is the reward of calling on God in faith because he DOES reveal Himself, and more! He will shake you, and give you boldness. Not only does He reveal Himself, but the unsearchable things we don't know, which of course only God Himself knows what those things are, but that's why it's so cool because if it's a secret of God it's got to be good!!

I've also come to accept the fact that the birds at my house insist on using my car as a port-a-potty and there's nothing I can do about it. I should probably take my car in and get it washed but the combination of not feeling like spending the extra cash and being lazy really cuts into that plan. So if you see me driving by with tiny rusty spots all over my car in a year, it's because the bird poop ate away at the paint and left me with a "new" car.

Dry Bones

This week my family and I are in Alabama on vacation. We're right on the beach in a gorgeous penthouse condo overlooking the ocean. I've had some precious time with God on this trip, appreciating the beautiful creation around me. We've watched a few movies while we've been here, "Bordertown" and "The Last Sin Eater". Both movies are very different from each other but similar in point. There is a truth out there that people are starving for, in a world full of evil a deceit people are walking with the veil over their eyes. After watching these movies I felt so sad but comforted. Sad because our world is so evil, but comforted because of the truth that sets us free.....it's just a matter of spreading that truth for all to know and receive. I conveniently came upon Ezekiel 37 in my reading, the valley of dry bones. God blew life into those bones, bringing them to life through Ezekiel. Ezekiel is us, and God is waiting to use us if we will just listen and obey. I'm leaving for Haiti in 4 days, and the anticipation is growing. I want to be God's tool, to bring truth into the wanting hearts and breath life into dead souls. Even if it's just touching one or two lives, I know God will be using me to do His will. I can't wait!

Billy Blanks and Tamilee Webb are cooler than Hillary Clinton

I went and voted today. It was thrilling. I think there were about 5 other people in there at the same time as me, I'm hoping more went to the poles to vote after work! I hate presidential elections...I mean I'm grateful we get to choose our leader, but I hate it because none of the candidates are ever going to be perfectly aligned with what we want. All I know is that I never want to see Hillary Clinton in office, she is a crazy woman and is evil....just look at her pictures, she has this creepy little smirk on her face all the time!!

And I'm certainly ready for some warmer weather and sunnier days; this grayness is starting to take its toll on me. I woke up this morning and laid in bed for about 30 minutes doing nothing....and then progressed into my day with some excercise (You would think Tamilee Webb would be old by now...in the 80's she was thriving in her spandex underwear and beige hose with those white, scrunched socks.....I was surprised to see a recent workout video she did a couple years back....she is still a stick and looks like she's 20.....what is that all about?), then some laundry and cleaning in the house, and then did some shopping for work and voted. I got home and my mom gently reminded me that we have a tea house meeting tonight where I snapped, "I know....." with that punky little attitude I get sometimes. It was at this point that I realized I'm not just ready for a change of weather but a change of life in general.

I'm sick of just living the mundane, plugging away through every day just to get to the next. I'm worried that on the missions trip I'll be working every day just to get closer to getting back home, where I feel the same way only I don't know where I'm working towards. Does this make any sense? I start wishing I had some certain calling, like how people feel when they're called to the ministry or to be a singer or an interpretive dancer...hahaha....okay maybe not the dancer, but you get the idea. I know, I know.....I'm called to be a chef. I know it's my calling. But I sometimes feel like it's not enough.....like I'm missing out on something. Will I do it forever? I don't know. Which makes me wonder, should I go back to school for something else, just in case? Ugh. It disgusts me sometimes. It disgusts me that I'm so unable to focus on where God has me now and live every day FOR that day, and enjoy it, and not just to get to the next day.

On a lighter note, today during my workout (Tae Bo rocks...haha) Billy Blanks said, "Now, you're stinky, hairy leg should always be bent!" I started laughing and was like, "what?" Silly me, he said, "Your stationary leg should always be bent." I think he's cool. And Tamilee. I like them better than Hillary.

Feed Me!!

We can all relate to being hungry. The other day I was so hungry I felt like I could eat a cow....I was working all day and even though I'm around food non-stop I never really feel like eating it. So I hadn't eaten anything. Frankie and I went to Red Robin that night and I seriously downed my entire burger....I'm not sure I've ever done that at Red Robin, I mean those burgers are big! It was funny, Frankie ordered a salad and the waiter who brought us our food naturally thought I ordered the salad, and Frankie the burger....that's a good way to make a girl feel like a heifer, haha!......

Anyway, I was really happy to get food. Eating is so much better when you're famished. But not everyone can just eat when they're hungry.....when I go to Haiti in March I believe I'll be seeing a lot of that kind of poverty. Worse than physical poverty is spiritual poverty. Lamentations 4:4 says, "Because of thirst the infant's tongue sticks to the rood of its mouth; the children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them." New believers are at such a risk of this, not being fed spiritually and even if they beg for that spiritual food the mature believers are so consumed in their own growth that they go unnoticed. One of my great fears is that I will overlook the needs of another believer because of my own. Doesn't the Bible say to put others before ourselves? It's even a common thing for grown believers who once believed crave something more, and because of their own intellect find themselves in dire need of some sort of spiritual fulfillment, but are looking into their own minds rather than the truth of God's love. Their tongues stick to the roof of their mouths and they crave bread, something to fill their empty stomachs, but nothing can really satisfy that emptiness except the real deal......it's like drinking pop instead of water, you can take in all you want but it only makes your thirst worse. Those tricky pop companies!!

Nothing-ness

In honor of my super annoying brother-in-law, I've decided to post a blog about nothing in particular. He yells at me for posting about things which end on a positive note and are encouraging/teaches some sort of lesson....I think he suggested writing with rage....rage....RAGE!!!

It's hard for me to write in rage because I'm never really mad, but I can tell you about the last time I was mad. I was playing euchre with my sister, Jon, Amy, and I have just learned the basics of the game so naturally I'm not very good. SO, after being totally lost and being told what cards to play the entire game by Andy I was getting tired of the game but couldn't stop till the entire round was over. In a moment of irrational irritation I lashed out at my beloved Frankie when he was trying to call me to say hi....So what did I learn through this? That when I am learning something new and don't understand it right away and don't catch on really super fast, I get really mad. I think it's probably a pride/insecurity issue so that's interesting...

I was also thinking about marriage the other day and what it'll be like. Frankie told me he expects me to cut his toenails, do thorough cleanings of the house every day using a toothbrush for detailed cleaning, cook at least 3 meals a day (with a minimum of 4 courses each), pluck his eyebrows, do all his laundry, birth at least 5 kids in the first 3 years of marriage, and paint self-portraits of him every year to hang in the hallways of our house. I also expect a lot from him though, I mean I expect at least one vacation a month to places like Hawaii, France, Italy, Spain, and Ireland, lots of expensive jewelry, a box of chocolates every Monday morning by my pillow, serenade me every night before bed, rub my feet at the end of every day, a back rub every other night, and a monthly allowance of $2,000 for clothing. I think we're off to a good start....;)

My dad makes the volume on the TV so loud I think I'll go deaf before this blog is over.

I think it's funny that they put instructions on a pill package telling you what to do with the pill. What else would you do with it? Do you pick up your pills and crush them up and use them for seasoning in your food? Here's a recipe for success: crush up some prozac and use it like a sandwich sprinkle or like you would salt. Salt is actually a food enhancer, it opens up your tastebuds to let in more flavor....it's the same concept, it's like salt, it just enhances your happy-factor. What else would you do with your pill besides swallow it? Let's see....you could use it to play finger football, you know where you make the triangle with paper? Or you could use colace pills in a muffin recipe...that's a tasty treat for someone you don't like very much! You could make a pretty collage out of vitamin supplements. The possibilities are endless.

Oh wow, it's over and I'm not deaf...

My Home Church

Bedford Christian Community has been my home church for 7 amazing years. I've gone through so many good and bad times, both challenging and sometimes grueling, but BCC has always been my place of refuge and encouragement through all of those times. I never had it stuck in my mind that I'd stay at the same church my whole life, simply because I never knew, or thought that I knew, what the future would hold or where God would take me. Well this past Sunday I spent the morning at Faith Christian Assembly, the church I will be going to after Frankie and I tie the knot in September! My heart feels so torn sometimes, when you're faced with a situation where you lose something you love but gain something you love in return, it's such a bittersweet thing. I can't express my joy about going to FCA; it's going to be an amazing time of growth and new challenges, which Frankie and I will face as a married couple and as a team as we lead the young adults ministry there. I look back and can't believe how all the things I've been involved in and been a part of at BCC have prepared me for this point, where I'll be helping in the same areas at Faith. Isn't it cool to look back and see how God has prepared us and we don't even realize it until the crossroad comes?

Just like we discussed in youth group last night that we're all a piece of the puzzle of God's plan, so is every talent and ability we possess, every issue we face, and every mountain and valley we experience throughout life. Whether it's a lifestyle change or a change of mindset, it's all a part of God's master puzzle for our life, and our one life is a little piece in the master puzzle of His plan. So I'm changing churches.....I'm blessed to say I've been a part of Bedford, and I thank Pastors Nate and Rick, Wendy and Beth, Vanessa, Lauren, and Mike and Pam Hardy, for the leadership they've shown and impact they've had on my life while I've been at BCC.

I know these next 7 months are going to fly by so I felt this on my heart tonight....I just wanted to share with all of you BCC-ers how much I love you and appreciate you! Ephesians 1:16 "I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."