I love this

Beautiful Christian Sister

By Maya Angelou

A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean living;'
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say....'I am a Christian’, I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say...'I am a Christian", I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say...'I am a Christian’, I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess...

When I say...I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
my flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say...'I am a Christian’, I still feel the sting of pain...
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say...'I am a Christian’, I'm not holier than thou;
I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!

MY KING

I went to church tonight and they played the audio of this sermon by Dr. S.M. Lockridge at the end of the service. It's so powerful to hear.

Moving forward

One other crappy tidbit that most of you don't know is that the audit exam I passed 18 months ago "expires" on November 24. So since I failed this most recent exam, I lose the audit exam. Now I have to take TWO exams to get that license. One step forward, two steps back...

I checked and received my failing score at midnight on Saturday (as I had just gotten home from the Carrie Underwood concert and then a drink out for my friend's birthday). My score was 67. 75 is needed to pass. As you can imagine I was quite upset. I didn't get out of bed until 4:30pm on Sunday (with the exception of bathrooms breaks, during which I cried the entire time I was awake). Then when I did get out of bed, I cried for the next two hours until I made my dad invite me over for dinner because I told him I couldn't be alone. Taking a shower and getting out of the house really made things better. I had decided in my hysteria that I was over it; I can't do this anymore and I won't do this anymore. I've spent too much time on this already, and it's been SO costly on my mental health and overall happiness. Like I've said before, these exams have been a huge burden on my shoulders for three and a half years! and they've been stifling my creativity and ability to feel free.

But of course, after the hysteria, I'm still VERY upset but I've decided that I can't throw away those other two exams that I passed and have not yet expired. And God has a way of getting a message across at the right time... I'm in LA for the week for work because there is a client I've worked on for the past 3 years, this year is my fourth year, and they just can't let me off of it yet. This will be my final year on the client, I just need to transition it over to another senior. Since I'm in LA I was hoping to get together with some of my friends. Kirstin invited me to come to a Bible study with some other friends from church tonight. I went to the Bible study where we read Exodus 16 and shared about what makes us "grumble" in life. I shared that I grumble about giving my all and working my butt off and then failing. I forget exactly how the conversation progressed, but then our leader said, that grumbling is not being a good steward of our resources or talents (or brain). And I'm like, God? Are you talking to me?


In other news, I went to the gym at the hotel tonight and I was able to ride the recumbent bike for an entire 30 minutes! yeah! go me!

And in other news, my brother and his girlfriend got engaged on Saturday!

peace and love,
J

LOVE

After my last post I couldn't stop thinking about how I could be a better member of the Body of Christ. This, of course, led to frustration because I wish I could change this world for the better, but I feel so helpless against society and politicians. Those thoughts reminded me of this quote: "To the world you might be just one person, but to one person you might just be the world." All I can do is my best. All I can do is try to make a difference in my community and the lives of the people around me.

Sunday morning at church, Pastor Kent spoke on John 13:31-35, and I felt like his message was just for me. Isn't it crazy how God works? He is amazing. If I need to hear something, he will make sure that I get the message! The verses are as follows:

"We he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Pastor Kent said that glory comes from giving yourself up; making sacrifices; being humble. All these can be done with an attitude of love. Kent gave 5 suggestions for extending love to one another:

1. Offer practical help/assistance. Employ common courtesies.
   
2. Be present. Waste time with each other. Bear each others burdens, believe together, hope together.
3. Have real interest. Put aside your own interests and take an interest in what others enjoy.
4. Delight in one another. Delight in things with someone else. Share joy.
5. Respect. No conditions. Simply - EVERYONE is created in the image of God.

This message spoke to me in a practical way, showing me HOW I can BE a proactive member in the Body of Christ. First, I can give of the love that God first gave me.

Peace and love.
J

We are the body of Christ

After listening to bad music on KIIS FM at work all day I hopped into my car for a commute with Casting Crowns. I have their self titled album from 2003 and I LOVE it. When the second track came on I felt convicted by the lyrics. I haven't been acting as the body of Christ in my daily life. I'm not doing horrible things, but I am not honoring Him and loving others to the fullest extent. I think we should all take these words to heart and encourage each other to live like the Body of Christ that we are.

If We Are the Body
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in trying to fade into the faces
The girls teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

Chorus:
But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances
Tells him that his chances are better out on the road

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

Jesus is the way


Praise Him!
Julie

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! My prayer for you is that you will be richly blessed this coming year and that you will share those blessings with everyone you interact with. Share God's love and be a light in the lives of those who need encouragement or do not know Him.

My resolution for 2007 is to study a lot, and more productively, in order to pass the CPA exam.

Health update: My ear nose & throat doctor finally returned my calls, and my sinus CT was normal. Back to square one with trying to figure out what's up. My dad is convinced that I'm allergic to LA and need to move back to Northern California. I have an appointment with an allergist next week.

Peace and love,
J