A look inside: Running on Fumes

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Running on Fumes

In exactly three hours from now I will leave my favorite place on earth, my home, to catch a horribly early flight to Houston. Blah!

And yes, I'm not going to bed tonight. In fact, I still have to pack. And yes, I did get up at 5:00 am this morning. And yes, I did work a twelve hour day today. And yes, I did submit two grant reports before I left tonight. And yes, I am seriously considering quitting my job. And yes, I have officially used this platform to complain to anyone willing to listen.

So whoopty-do, I fly to Houston and stay in this hotel

eat at this restaurant

and sit in this hot tub

Even after looking at these pictures, I'd still rather stay home. In fact, I suddenly feel the urge to belt out Sinaed O'Connor: "I could eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant, but nothing, I said nothing, nothing compares to you (hot husband, wonderful adorable children, my little house)...Oooh oooh!"

So I'm feeling a little glum tonight my faithful blog reader(s?). But not to worry, I will remain dedicated and focused to your blog reading needs and keep my promise to post every day for your reading pleasure.

....praying for strength (not only for me, but my poor husband who will be a single parent for the next five days)

____________________________________________________

Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. ~Psalm 112:1-7

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. ~Proverbs 12:25

13 comments:

Kim H. said...: From a native Houstonian - WELCOME to Texas!! I totally understand how you feel though - it would be a whole different experience if your family was with you.

Try to enjoy our city a little though if you can...; November 13, 2008 at 5:34 AM
Christi said...: I am totally listening so vent all you want. I'm praying that at some point you will finally get some rest. You are carrying such a heavy load and you've got to be exhausted!!

You are a girl after God's heart so who knows how He will use you this trip.

I love the verses you have posted lately!; November 13, 2008 at 7:40 AM
Team Johnston said...: We will pray for safe travels to and from Texas. Also that your husband will survive 5 days without you. I love the verses you have been posting lately!
Have a great trip!
~Danielle :); November 13, 2008 at 9:15 AM
Ona said...: Doesn't look too bad:) Give kisses to my nephews!; November 13, 2008 at 9:37 AM
Unknown said...: I am like you, I would rather be home than anywhere else! Have a nice trip, enjoy the hot tub and fancy restaraunt!; November 13, 2008 at 11:52 AM
Lindsay said...: Hope your trip made HOME an even better place to be :) and I hope you were able to enjoy those FUN places too! :); November 13, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Stefanie said...: Wish I could join you...sounds fun to me:); November 13, 2008 at 2:25 PM
Anonymous said...: Hang in there liz! Do you get to see Janell?; November 13, 2008 at 2:41 PM
LizzyG said...: Angela,

Yes, I get to hang out with Janel on Satuday night!!! How cool is that?; November 13, 2008 at 3:41 PM
Michelle said...: Blessings from our Home state!!! I hope that the Lord blesses your family and you in many many ways the next five days!; November 13, 2008 at 5:48 PM
February Jill said...: Hang in there! Get some sleep and try to enjoy getting out and being an adult for me!; November 13, 2008 at 8:11 PM
momaof4 said...: I so understand being away from fam. for 5 day's. I am always good to go, but can't wait to GET HOME!! Have a relaxing time, when your not working. Order in on night. ;); November 18, 2008 at 6:21 PM
momaof4 said...: I so understand being away from fam. for 5 day's. I am always good to go, but can't wait to GET HOME!! Have a relaxing time, when your not working. Order in on night. ;); November 18, 2008 at 6:21 PM

Words to Remember

"Christ's followers cannot expect better treatment in the world than their Master had. Let them not promise themselves more honor or pleasure in the world than Christ had. Let each live a life of labor and self-denial as his Master, and make himself a servant of all; let him stoop, and let him toil, and do all the good he can, and then he will be a complete disciple."
~Matthew Henry,
English Pastor 1662-1714

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."
~Martin Luther King

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
~Jim Elliot

"I am a missionary, heart and soul. God Himself had an only Son, and He was a missionary and a physician. A poor, poor imitation I am, or wish to be, but in this service I hope to live. In it I wish to die. I still prefer poverty and missions service to riches and ease. This is my choice."
~David Livingstone

"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same. "
~C.S. Lewis

"I want Thy plan, O God, for my life. May I be happy and contented whether in the homeland or on the foreign field; whether married or alone, in happiness or sorrow, health or sickness, prosperity or adversity - I want Thy plan, O God, for my life."
~Oswald J. Smith

songs with meaning

If you hear one of these songs playing while visiting my blog, here is why it is so special to me:

I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman: I would listen to this song as a young teenager and dream about finding a love like this song describes. Guess what? God gave more then I ever dreamed.

Any Song by Keith Green!!! I first heard Keith Green as a young child and knew all his songs by heart. As a teenager, I loved his music because he is so honest and authentic. I also read his autobiography when I was in my teens. He is one of my all-time heroes! I remember my friends laughing at me when they were in my car, wondering why I would be listening to songs from the 70's. Yes, the music is cheesy, but the lyrics are simply amazing!

How Could I Ask For More by Cindy Morgan: My senior year of high school I was on homecoming court with four other girls, who were all good friends of mine. We all picked this song to be played during our ceremony. I still love this song!

Have I Told You Lately by Rod Stewart: The song Jon and I danced to at our wedding. I smile every time I hear it.

I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me: This song was played at Brian Ditchen's memorial service. Brian was Jon's cousin who he grew up with, and who I went to school with, and he was a dear friend. He passed away in March of 2004 in a tragic plane accident, he was only 28. It shook the core of our faith. The only comfort came from knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, who Brian lived his life for: Jesus Christ. He was a dedicated believer, and we can't wait to see him again. Every time we would hear this song, it touched us deeply, it still does. Heaven has become very real to us.

The Scientist by Coldplay: My younger brother, Ben, sang and played this song on the piano at my brother Jeremy's memorial service. Jeremy passed away suddenly in September of 2004, he was only 31. Once again our faith was shaken (see next song)....

Cry Out To Jesus by Third Day: Whenever I hear this song I am reminded of my brother Jeremy...."To everyone who's lost someone they loved, long before it was their time, you feel like the days you had were not enough, when you said goodbye....cry out to Jesus" I am reminded to turn to God in the midst of my pain and loss, and it's OK to go to Him with my questions

We Will Dance by Steven Curtis Chapman: My current love song. It so beautifully describes mine and Jon's relationship.

I'm Not Cool by Scott Krippane: This is Daniel's song.Not in a mean way. He absolutely loves this song and sings along with it every time. The funny thing is, it describes him perfectly.

She's a Dancer by Phil Keaggy: This is Sarah's song! It so sweetly reminds me of Sarah...."she's a dancer, she loves to dance, she's a singer, she loves to sing, she's a lady, walkin' round in mama's shoes, standin' tall in mama's shoes" Sarah has also been caught singing into the bathroom mirror. And when she was younger she put on many "dance performances" for us in our living room.

Olivia by Phil Keaggy: Obviously Olivia's song! I've sang this song to her since she was a tiny newborn. She knows the words and sings along now. Whenever I put this song on, she stops what she's doing and gets a big smile on her face, and says "my song!"

Beautiful by Bethany Dillon: OK I'm 32 now. And sometimes when I look in the mirror, the depression creeps in. I don't look like I did ten years ago, I don't see a beautiful young woman looking back at me. And that can get you down sometimes. This song reminds me that true beauty is who I am in God's eyes. I could be perfect in every way on the outside and yet not be beautiful in the eyes of God, and when it's all said and done, my life would have been lived only for myself. I want to be beautiful in God's eyes, I want Him to look inside my heart and smile, and most importantly, be pleased.

Who Am I?, The Voice of Truth, and Praise You In The Storm by Casting Crowns: All three of these songs are very special to Jon. These are three of his all-time favorites. These songs brought him close to God when he was going through a hard time in his life.

I Am by Nicole Nordeman: The first time I heard this song was at a Women of Faith conference. She played it live on the piano. It was so beautiful and moved me so deeply. God is truly my "I Am", He has been my one firm anchor through every season of my life.