Just a Call Away

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

Have you ever waited impatiently for a specific phone call? One that you don't know the time it is coming or how long you will get to talk, but you will be extremely disappointed if you miss? Well, I guess the ol' military has taught me another thing...phone calls are a precious gift at times. I watched for a whole year, as my older brother was overseas, my parents eagerly anticipating phones calls. Sometimes they never came and at times the only thing they heard was his voice on the answering machine because they had missed the call. But, sometimes after answering the phone and having a small pause in there, a voice familiar to us would say "hey" and all of a sudden a certain peace came over your body knowing you were really talking to your loved one and he was OK. When Tim left for Basic he had one call when he arrived at Ft. Jackson. My parents waited the whole day on June 5 and left for an hour to go run an errand. During that time, Tim called and I answered. Talk about disappointment from both my parents and brother! lol So, from when Tim left on Memorial Day until today, my parents had not talked to him. They knew he was going to call, but not certain the time. On faith, my mom went to church but came right home after, just in case. Good thing too since Tim called around 2 p.m. this afternoon. Dad didn't get to talk to him because he was still up at church. But, this phone call was a very important one for my mom. I am happy she got that call.

Much like we wait for important phone calls, I believe our Heavenly Father waits for us to call on Him. He is eagerly waiting to hear our voice. How often do you sometimes go before you talk to God the next time? I can't honestly say I have a perfect prayer life...that is something I definitely want to get better at doing. The truth is that He does answer when you call on Him. Sometimes it is not always what you are wanting to hear and then other times he blesses you beyond measure. Amy Grant has a song out right now called "Better than a Hallelujah." To me, this song shows us that God doesn't want you to just come to Him when things are going great, but even during the darkest times of your life. When you are completely broken and call to God, He enjoys that more than someone who always "does the right, Christian things." I think this shows that you recognize God truly is the only One who has the power to save and is God.

God really is just a call away. He is waiting to hear our voices.

Remember Your Manners

We have all had those days, even weeks, when nothing seems to be going right at work. You do everything you can to get caught up and yet you fall more behind. (By the way, how does that happen? And, how do you curb this problem?) Yes, I have been having several of those bad days here recently. It is not that the tasks are hard, but there are many of them. I won't get into necessarily what is happening, but it has been rough for me at least..that is until yesterday. It seemed like the simplest of things really. One of the National Guards who are here training with the DASNR International Agriculture Programs needed his license scanned. We have a fairly new scanner so the easiest thing to do was to scan it to me then I would forward it to his e-mail. (You ask why I didn't just send it to his e-mail? Well, I couldn't find the . Crazy huh?) In a matter of seconds everything was complete. Later that afternoon, I received an e-mail that this person had replied to me and said "Thank you for scanning my license." That's it. And, yet these two simple words may have changed my attitude for the rest of the week.

Too often we get so busy we don't stop and thank those around us who are trying to help us. This is a prime example we need to be more cautious sometimes when we hand out work for others to do. A simple "thank you" can go a long way. Hey, you might even through a "please" in there too, which could earn you some brownie points :) Just be appreciative...even in the little things.

Positives of Social Media

Oh, the era of Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other social media outlets! For many, you probably have one or two or maybe all of these mentioned. It is an easy way to connect with old friends and new friends and share pictures and let everyone know what you are doing. Sometimes these are abused and most college students have attended a lecture about social media etiquette once or twice here in the past several years. However, sometimes it is really used to bring people together. Case in point:

My brother as you know is at Basic Combat Training in Ft. Jackson, SC. We received a letter last week telling us what his mailing address is, but it also said their captain maintained a Facebook group. She had on there what the exact name was, but for some reason it took me a really long time to actually find it, but I did find it! It has been fun to see pictures of my brother as he is going through this experience. It is also cool to know what they are doing basically each day. This group also can bring together friends and family of the soldiers going through the same regiment. They can talk and it serves as a place to encourage (or destroy --sorry for such strong language) people. My mom, an avid non-Facebook person, recently signed up herself just so she could see what is happening.

You might think it is crazy, but it is good to see him. When Bryan went through training we had absolutely no idea what to expect. Now, we get to see Tim kinda go through the process. Most of the time the pictures aren't necessarily of him, but they are his group. This might even be a little more humbling than just showing up for graduation. You never forget what they are doing and why they are doing it. You see the struggles from others, but you see the excitement as well. Something I have noticed is that although it is the soldiers really doing the work, the armed forces is a family business. Being a soldier is not a 8-5 job. Thank you Facebook for giving people like Tim's regiment a place where people can come together in this experience.

Hoorah!

A Servant's Work

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men."
Ephesians 6:7 (NIV)

College really is the best time of your life. Even with all of the challenges, I would not trade back any of my college days. Instead, I want others to have the same experience as I did. I want to help students who are lost find their place in the university system. So, that is what I am doing...going back and getting my master's in college student development. For many, plenty of questions are needing to be asked and a welcoming face is a great way to make students feel comfortable. During this process, I was graciously offered a graduate assistantship with the office I have been working for the past 3 years. I couldn't pass on this opportunity.

Right now, I feel like I don't know where I belong though. This verse of serving the Lord, not men is really speaking to me now. It is a really tough verse if you are really trying to live it out. I try not to question why I am doing a certain task being asked of me. I mean that is just who I am, but at times it is difficult. Details are not necessary for this particular blog, but a challenge for you is to live out Ephesians 6:7 in your own life. Difficult for sure...

The Flag

My older brother was deployed to Iraq for 365 days. Each one of those days, my family made it a priority to fly our flag outside our home. This isn't to say we don't fly our flag, but it meant something different during this time. Every time I came home, the flag was a reminder that although Bryan was not with us physically, he was still in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. When I was home, I loved to place it outside too. It was almost a way I could pay tribute to our soldiers without actually serving.

I admire those who choose to fight for our freedom. They leave their family to go to a place where they do not know anyone and take orders from sergeants every single day. They get mail, but they do not have much time to write back. This is most likely the same day they are allowed to make phone calls. Home sickness is almost not really an option. After basic training, they go through AIT at either the same base or another that allows them to get training in the area where they will be specifically serving during their time in the service. They do have more freedom now, but still... After all of this, which is about six months, they just have to wait for their orders. It all depends on what area they went into. Bryan was an Army Reserve so he came home for a bit before he was sent anywhere. Right now, it is HOT outside. I can't even imagine doing physical training or just spending all day outside. I honestly just can't imagine...

Today, on Memorial Day, we honor those who have served our country. Not only the men and women in uniform, but also the families and friends of these soldiers. Today, my family said goodbye to another family member, my little brother, as he left to go to Ft. Jackson to begin his time in the Army.

Our flag is flying high today, and I promise you we will continue flying it until he returns. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with him as he begins his journey. However, this time it won't be just six months, but for at least the 3 years he enlisted. Today, I am reminded of how blessed and proud I am to have 2 brothers serving in our armed forces. I am reminded of how much our armed forces have sacrificed to give us freedom. I am reminded of how much it hurts. And, I am reminded of how hard it is to put others' feelings above your own.

Thank you, Timmy, for serving our country. Thank you for being brave. We love you and can't wait to see you soon :)

Running

I saw on a friend's Facebook status the other day about running. It stated, "It is OK to be running as long as you are running to something and not away from it." It seems so often I'm running, or being pulled in different directions, or have a million things running through my head. What happened if we were just stationary? Just enjoyed the day by day activities, even if they are not perfect.

I am in a weird place. I just graduated from college with hopes of a job, which I still do not have. And, most of the jobs I am finding are not around here, but in other states. Sometimes I think it would be good to get experience in a place completely different than here...Away from the place I have always known. A chance to start anew. I mean, I have had it pretty good, but isn't there always things you wish were different about you? And maybe, by yourself, only you, you could truly start living for you? For me, I feel like I am a horrible Christian example. My parents showed mercy today in a way I don't think I have ever physically seen by humans. I won't go into details (and no it wasn't to me) but I couldn't help but think, what a God thing!? I want those type of gifts..unconditional mercy. It is a day like this, you can't help but live in the moment. Living in the moment means you are all there though. Every little bit of you is giving it all to that one moment. Emotions-happy, sad, guilt, laughter, frustration; Words-kind and uplifting, nothing to tear down; Actions-a hug, something unexpected.

Another crazy quote that popped into my head this evening, "The best thing about life is that it begins again tomorrow." Today may be difficult, but tomorrow is another day. We don't have time on Earth to blame, to be upset at, or to disregard others. God tells us I don't know how many times to not be afraid, to not fear, to not be discouraged...He is going to take care of us. I know who wins in the end. My God is my hope for every moment and day to come. I stand only because of Him.

Group Dynamics

Hey bloggers!

I just left a class discussing teamwork and a question was posed if we think we are good team members. After everyone talked, I wondered to myself, "Do we do this to ourselves?" We can talk all we want about other people not getting along with other group members and how not everyone contributes equally. But, what about us griping because it is not being done our way? Or, what about us only getting along with a small group, not the whole group? If you were left on the outside or your ideas weren't being considered, would you still want to be apart of this group? I highly doubt it. It is so easy to pass the blame to someone else, but what we need to do is start being a team player ourselves. We can all contribute something, but we can't contribute the same thing--which is good because that would be a dull conclusion. In addition, we all see things differently, different perspectives perhaps, and that can greatly enhance our ideas. I know it is difficult to get along with people who are not the same as us, but we will have to do it the rest of our lives. This is not something that ends once graduation day comes. Sometimes we will get in great groups, and sometimes we won't. However, maybe if we step back and see why things aren't going as great as it should, we can see we are probably apart of the problem too.