New Beginnings.

For those of you who felt like you were left hanging after Thursday's announcement about the end of time with APD, have no fear - you will not be left in the dark any longer.  For those of you who were feeling sheer panic that I might be relocating or something crazy - take a deep breath!  The Lord has continued to keep Tampa my home and for that I am extremely grateful.  In fact, I'm really not going anywhere.... I will just be changing from being a member, attender, and leader at my church to being full-time on staff!  Surprise!

As with any big life decision, this required prayer and thought but I am confident the Lord so clearly directed my path.  I'm hopeful that the Lord will develop my spiritual gifts and talents and allow me to serve and be a small part of the big things my church is doing for His kingdom!  Grace Fam has truly been a church family to me these past five years (in the geographical absence of my own) and coming on staff feels like coming home.

I'm touched, blessed, and encouraged by the warm welcome they have already given me and most of all by the people who have been 'praying me in' since before there was a position with my name on it (they know exactly who they are - and the next round of Wrights cake is on me!)

Oh, I forgot to tell you what I'm doing?  Well, that I'm still figuring out BUT I will share that I will be assisting with the Women's Ministry and with Leadership Development.  I will be working under two amazing leaders and towards their vision for two incredible areas of our churches ministry.  I'm thrilled about it.  As far as the day-to-day, well, that I guess I will be finding out starting Monday.

So, thanks for walking into a new season of my career with me here on the blog.  I'm every positive emotion right now - grateful for where I came from and excited for where I'm headed.  God has again shown his faithfulness to me in this time of transition and I feel pumped up to continue to do His work.

Love,
B

I'm Loving...

It's good to take a break sometimes to just appreciate all the things that are going right in our lives, don't you think? I wanted to take time to celebrate a few things I'm loving lately...

My guy blog followers. I'm flattered that anyone reads my blog to be quite honest and I continue to be amazed - especially as the blog nears 30,000 views! Yikes. So humbling. But recently it's come to my attention that I have quite a few guy followers (most of them not official followers - but regular readers). And I like that. I try not to be too terribly girlie on here but I'm still excited to have some guys that have been enjoying my writing. Just wanted to publically say thanks. : ]

Edamame. I'm somewhat obsessed with edamame lately. I buy this big bag at Sams Club that comes with smaller steam bags of it (and individual sea salt packets). They're delish. A great snack. And a nice jolt of protein in the afternoon before my post-work-workout. Love.

LC! I love Lauren Conrad and the fact that she's on this months People Style Watch (which gave me some good outfit ideas for NYC)...




And I just bought a trench on sale at Kohl's from her clothing line...


My tailor. She is awesome and she took up the straps on my latest dress for 3 bucks. 3 bucks! I may or may not be totally obsessed with tailoring things lately. Ack.

New York City. I am loving planning and daydreaming about my trip to New York City with Bryn and Nancy. It's going to be the best trip ever - I can already tell.

Invisible Children. What an incredible organization. Buy a t-shirt from their site - show some support - they're changing the world.

Being in first place! I love to WIN! And right now I'm in the lead for fundraising for this years Walk for Life. Check out my site.

Volunteering. I took a recent from my challenge to start using my skills to contribute. I've been helping out with our softball league and I'm loving it. I've made new friends, taken lots of pictures (hey Dad, see! I didn't waste those 3 years of photography school), and really it's just been fun!

Life is good and I wanted to celebrate, especially in light of recent more serious (downer) posts about my health.

Love,

B

The Naked Truth.

Image.

This weekend I stood in front of thousands and people and told the truth. The truth about my dark years away from my faith. See the tricky thing about life is we fight so hard for what we want, sometimes we forget to realize we want the wrong things. Life isn't about the perfect party or the perfect party dress. It's not about making the most money or driving the nicest car. It's not even about having the most friends or the best boyfriend/fiance/husband. Life is bigger than me and you.

I didn't always realize this and I got caught in filling the holes in myself with the stuff that was supposed to make me happy. Clothes. Boys. Parties. 'Friends'. Money. Jobs. Grades. You get hate idea. And you know what? I was good at it. I mastered that life. No one could see the holes through my carefully created exterior.

But sooner or later, as we all do - I had to face the reality that it was me and not my life that needed fixing. That's what this weekend was about. Giving credit where it's due to the only person who could save me from myself, my Savior. So in a 1 minutes testimony, in 3 services at church this weekend I finally had the courage to say I was lost but now I'm found. I was selfish and hopeless but I found grace.

I'm not much of a public speaker to say the least. Crowds make me nervous. I sweat something awful when I get stressed. I can never decide what to wear. I talk entirely too fast.

The good news is, today had nothing to do with me.

The fact of the matter is that 2.5 years later I'm not just more joyful than I was when I 'had it all' - but honestly, my life is 100 times better. And even if you took my perfect little starter home and my carefully saved emergency fund, and my big ole walk in closet full of colorful sundresses...if wouldn't matter. Yeah I'd be sad to see them go but now, they wouldn't take me with them. I finally recognize that stuff is just that, stuff. It comes and goes. It can be replaced. It's faith, family, and friends (and I would argue maybe even football) that matter. I only wish I'd known that years ago. But I guess our journey is all part of it...who we are, who we are becoming, and who we one day will be.

Love,

B

Quote of the Week.

'What you are today is the sum total of the choices you have made' - Church Bulletin, Grace Family Church

Sunday afternoon thoughts.

This week in our bible study reading I was really struck by a comment made that we should stop praying and start doing.  The author went on to say that it's not that we should do things out of our own abilities, leaving God out of the equation....that's not the right way at all.  But that we should stop praying to God for things he's already given us.  For example he wrote of a guy who's coworker said he needed a new computer.  The guy said, 'I'll pray for you' and he did.  Then he said he heard God say back, 'you have an extra computer, what are you asking me for?'.  The guy got the message.  He gave his coworker his extra computer and he shared with the author that often we pray about things God has already spoken on.

He went on to list some examples of the things God has already spoken on and therefore we don't need to ask him if we should do.  Love our neighbors.  Give generously.  Raise our children right. Submit to our husbands (if you have one).  God gave us clear instructions in the bible on so many topics but we find it safer to say we'll pray about it.  Prayer is an important part of the Christian faith and not to be used as a cop out for the areas of our lives were not quite ready to give up.

Along these lines I had to check myself this morning in church.  I'd received some extra money for a job I did and in my head this morning I was trying to justify not tithing from this money.  I battled in my head for a few minutes and finally thought to myself, God has blessed me over and over with money and provisions and his word is clear that he wants the first and the best of everything I earn.  I tithed.  Then I bowed my head (while no one else way praying) and I asked God to continue to hit my upside the head with guilt when I forget that my money is not my own.

I should probably stop confessing all my struggle and quirks on here before you all get too much of a look at my thought closet. : ]  But the truth is in the last 2 years God has really gotten a grip on me and the transformation I've seen in my heart and life has been a miracle in and of itself.  It is because I know that my God is a God of grace and not a God of perfect people that I'm comfortable telling you all that somedays I battle with my selfishness even in church!

I shared with my small group that I'm coming out on the other end of this problem.  I've prayed for years and years for God to provide for me financially and bless me, etc.  Then one day a few months ago I was really humbled when I realized he's HAS been providing for me.  I've just been piddling it away on 'stuff'.  I finally had to stop just praying for my savings account to fill up and start accepting God's provision with humility and wisdom.  It was time to start asking for it to take care of itself and start being a good steward of all that he's already given me.

Another topic discussed this week was this whole submitting to your husband 'thing'. : ]  There are a lot of strong women in my life and I'd go so far as to say I'm one of them.  But one girl said something that really hit home for me.  She said that God calls us to submit to our husbands. That is our job.  Our husbands job is to lead us within God's will.  Now, if he misses the boat on leading our family within God's will - then God's going to slap him upside the head for it. But if I get in the way because I'm not submitting and I think I know best - then I'm gonna get the slap upside the head before he does.  She went on to say, I've learned that sometimes submission is like ducking - to I can get out of the way and let God give my husband a whack.

I'm not married myself but this made me laugh.  I often find myself getting in my own way when it comes to God's will.   As one man said in a video at church this morning, "I need to give God more glory and less of me'.  Amen.

Love,

B