Impossible Prayer

I am not making a New Year's Resolution.  I have never really made them, but I resolve not to.  Multiple conversations throughout the past month and semester have led me to make a new purpose for myself, not a resolution.

As the book Discipleship by Design would teach, a Godly purpose leads to Godly goals, and then to correct priorities.  Goals are specific and accomplishable and should reflect the broad Purpose.

So, with a purpose to know God more this next year, I have come up with a Goal that seems absolutely impossible.  However, I know it IS actually achievable and I have made a plan to see it happen.

By the end of the year, I want to be able to spend an hour in prayer 6 out of 7 days of the week, and at least 30 minutes on the 7th day.


This is nuts! It seems crazy! How could I EVER do that? There's no way!

As you see, my first reactions are nothing but encouraging.

The Plan

January	10 min	3 days/wk	5 min	remaining days
February	15 min	4 days/wk	10 min	remaining days
March	20 min	4 days/wk	10 min	remaining days
June	30 min	4 days/wk	10 min	remaining days
August	40 min	5 days/wk	15 min	remaining days
September	45 min	5 days/wk	15 min	remaining days
October	50 min	5 days/wk	20 min	remaining days
November	50 min	6 days/wk	30 min	remaining days
December	1 hour	6 days/wk	30 min	remaining days

It ISN'T crazy!  In fact, the goals for January seem EASY! With that in mind, the next step, in February doesn't seem hard either.  And so-on and so-forth. 


As you might have noticed, I skipped months.  That's ok, I plan to keep praying during those months :)


Also, I want to take time to recognize that prayer is not all about the time spent; it is about quality time.  Really seeking God.  Really listening to HIM.  These are things I don't plan to have perfect all year long.  I know that this will be a learning experience for me.  It will not be easy; it will not always be fun.  I expect I will be a very different person by the end of next year, not because I am really trying to change myself, but because spending this much time in the presence of God cannot leave me unchanged.  


The reason I am posting this is really to keep me accountable.  Because this is now public, there is no going back.  


Here we go!! (spoken in the Mario voice)






For music, we've landed on the letter "J"


Jason Mraz will win this one. He makes me think, and I like his voice. A great combination.

I'm not ready

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/2012/01/over-here-again.html

Read this story.

All the way through.  I found this blog, from a blog, from a blog.  I do not know her, but I know that, at least, this particular post makes a whole lot of sense to my life right now.

I WILL write about student teaching someday, when I have some time.  (as if I will have time while student teaching)


Alphabet Music Challenge: K

When you listen to this song, dance - it should be hard to sit still.  Get up, jump around. Do something. At least add it to your work out mix.


Artist: K'naan
Song: Waving Flag

Everything Revolves Around Food

Do you ever feel like your life revolves around food?  Even as I write this blog, I am keeping a tab on the clock so I make sure I'll be ready in time to leave for a lunch with friends.  Something has to change.  Not the friends, just the massive amounts of food.  I feel some self discipline is on the way.  ...Maybe.

Our family has always joked that our family trips revolve around where we want to eat.  Which is true.  We know where the good restaurants are in Missouri are and we make sure we make it for either lunch or dinner.  Holidays revolve around food; we even give food as presents.  Almost all church events seem to involve food: either eating at them or eating after.  

A good friend of mine, Erin, just came up to visit; food wasn't the MAIN event, but it was at least second billing.  

Left: Erin at Tres Casas after she got here.  Right: Me at Cafe Brazil after The Nutcracker. Bellow: both of us after the show (sorry for the poor picture quality).

There's nothing inherently wrong with any of this.  We were made to eat three times a day.  That will automatically take up a large portion of anyones life.  But there IS something off with what we're doing now.  I went out to eat for all 3 meals a couple of days ago, which might be ok if I didn't feel so terribly full after every one of the meals.

Meh.  I don't know exactly what to change (in addition to self discipline for smaller portions).  Just thoughts.  I know I am not the only one; that's why it's ok for me to write this particular blog.  Someone else needs a kick before the holiday food gets the best of them.



 For music today, we're on the letter I


Ingrid Michaelson: You'll get 2 songs for 1 today, because I like them both.

 I'll dedicate this first song to Roni though because it was one of the theme songs for our road trip that happened ages ago. :)




Ingrid Michaelson • Be OK






Ingrid Michaelson • You and I


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJOzdLwvTHA
This is another good song by her. The music video is strange though.
In fact, just keep listening to more of her music.


Go ahead.  Sing along.

Finished

Ok, not quite.  But I'm pretty close!

I am, however, finished with the normal part of my degree.  I finished my last final today.

Next semester, starting January 2, I will be Ms. Snider, a student-teacher in the band program at Burleson ISD. (I guess this is the solution to my dilemma of whether my name is Amanda or Elaine)

The overwhelming question I keep getting is, "Are you excited?"  I'm not sure yet.  I think I will be, when I realize what's going on.  I feel like it hasn't hit me yet.  Like I have taken the time to think about it enough to be excited.  I have spent 31/2+ years developing the skills needed to teach, and now I am about to go put all of that to use.  That is exciting!

I still think I'm more nervous than anything else.  There will be no faking it next semester.  No room for a lack of preparedness.  No rolling out of bed and running to class.  No wardrobe crises to make me run late.  It seems like next semester I am going to have to be perfect... or somewhere close.

Labor Day

It is currently 76 outside and it's also labor day.  My checklist is entirely too long for me to actually finish.  So instead of taking all day to do work that I will not actually finish, I will take today to relax and get a little bit of work done. It IS a holiday after all.

This morning started off productive. I read for one of my classes, did my devotion, started laundry.... All of my plans went out the window though when Roni and I decided to open the windows.  The weather is SO nice outside, and it makes me want to really take in the beauty of it.  Seriously.  There is a reason God commanded us to have a Day of Rest.  I don't do this often enough.  My weekends are just as full as the rest of my week.

I know that a lack of rest results in burn-out.  I also know that I will NEVER completely finish my checklist, there will always be something else to do.  So, it isn't like taking time to rest keeps me from finishing something.  In fact, it gives me the desire TO finish more things because I am not so worn out. Rest brings nothing but good things.  Why do I not take the time to do it?

Well, I am today.

I'm Not Nice

Or at least I don't wanna be....

Anyone can be nice, not everyone can be more than that.

I've grown up "nice"; I always (tried) to do everything right by my parents, church and society. Therein lies the problem: None of that matters. The only opinion that matters is God's, and He does not call us to be nice. In fact, He calls us to "be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16 b) To me, that doesn't say "nice".

I've spent the majority of my time, side-stepping anyone who might have a problem with what I believe. I'll even venture to say that I'm not in the minority for this. (I'm right aren't I??) But if I read the gospels and what Jesus called us to do, I am so far off base it's ridiculous!

Read Matthew 10:16-20

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say,20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

As Christians, we always focus on verse 20, that's the easy part. Read just before it though "At that time..." At what time??? When you're ARRESTED?? When you're FLOGGED in the synagogues?? We have not reached this point, or touched the tip of the persecution Christ talks about.

Porque "Que Seguinte?"

Why "What Next?"

Growing up, I went on A LOT of mission trips... mostly to an orphanage in Mexico called Bob and Betty King Ministries to do whatever they needed us to do (lots of digging and laundry if I recall correctly).

One year, the mantra was "¿Que Sigue?", or "What Next?" in Spanish. The point was to remind us that there was always more to do and our attitude should always be a willingness to work and ask "what next?" This has become the personality of our church; everywhere we go we continue to do a job and immediately find or ask for the next one.

Fast forward: Earlier Today.

What would be a good title for my blog?"

As a college student about to go into my last year of my undergrad, I'm certainly trying to figure out what's next. The past week has been an insane time of making decisions for my future. "What next God?" It seems like such a constant question and sometime I really wish it would go away. I wish I would just know what's next and be able to walk in it. I don't really want to know my ENTIRE life, but seeing a little further seems like it would be helpful...

God apparently has different ideas about what He wants to tell us. We've all heard the analogy that life's like a puzzle, and we only see a few pieces at a time now. I'm tired of thinking about that phrase/saying, but it is true. I've also been told that if God let us know everything we would do in our lives, we probably wouldn't believe it or even want to do it. That's probably true too.

Anyway, right now I'm asking "What next?" and I suppose I'll always be asking. I hope I will anyway. I never want to lose my desire to follow in God's plan, and I never want to lose the willingness to do what's put in front of me and then go find the next task. There's far too much work to do for me to sit without a purpose.

One more thing: What language is it? the original was Que Sigue in Spanish right? Yep. Now it's in Portuguese. This is something too long to explain in one blog post, so I won't really try. Anyway, if you really know me, you already know why it's in Portuguese. At any rate, it will suffice to say that Brazil has my heart and I am planning on heading back to do missions work with Lighthouse International.

Que Seguinte? I don't know exactly, but I do know where I need to take my next few steps; that's enough. Past that I have to trust God to give me the answers as I need them.