Reblogged from Life After Death (to self):

This an awesome read... I hope you'll take the time to read and ponder it for a few minutes.

I promised you that i’d try to write a post this weekend and answer any questions you all had. besides that, I like to give you periodic updates on whats going on in my crazy life from time to time. I think it’s important that if readers are going to read something, they “get to know” the author.

i know my posts usually post at 7:00 AM (EST), but today is my mom’s 62nd birthday – so i’ve been a little busy celebrating and enjoying her special day with her! hence, the late-night posting.

The last thing I remember telling you was that I was in the hospital with cellulitus. Well, thank God – that has pretty much cleared up. I just have 3 new little scars where the scab had formed. Thank you to those who were praying for me.

What I don’t remember if I told you or not is that I stated a new job a couple weeks back. I still work at the same place, but in a different office. And I couldn’t be happier. The people I work with are great, and my boss is such a great guy to work for! Oh, and instead of being responsible to help 70-ish people, I’m now only responsible for 10. The only drawback is that it’s a temporary position called a “developmental” – meaning the job only lasts for 6 months to a year, and then I go back to my old position if I don’t apply for and accept another position somewhere else.

I’m still going to Northwood University working on my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. I’m currently taking 5 classes this semester, and after i finish this semester i’ll only have 3 classes left to get my degree – which i plan to take this summer. I also plan to start my two-year Masters Degree Program at Northwood University in the fall if all goes as planned.

On top of taking classes for my Bachelors Degree, I’m also taking classes through work to obtain what is called “PM Certifications.” I’ve already completed the Level 1 classes, and i started on my Level 2 classes this past week. Actually, I completed 3 classes last week alone – which is a big accomplishment, since these classes take a lot of time. but i’m proud of myself – most people don’t get these classes done until they’re farther along in their career and it’s crunchtime for them. I also enrolled in the CES Foundation Course so I can get that out of the way. i have 4 months to complete the entire course.

And since i’ve been dealing with so much illness over the past year and a half, i’m finally taking a vacation for the first time in 2 years. My best friend’s mother invited me to join their family vacation this year and go on an Alaska Cruise! I’m so excited! We leave on either May 23 or 24 (my birthday!) and will return on June 2.

lastly, i started weight watchers a couple weeks ago to try to finally lose all the weight i gained during my tumor-related illness and all the surgery stuff. with all the medications i was on, i was gaining weight like crazy. so far i’ve lost a few pounds, and i’m loving the weight watchers program — it’s easy and convenient. in another 6 months, don’t be surprised if i’m one of those crazy spokespeople for weight watchers. i’m already a huge fan and recommend it to everyone looking for a good diet plan!

so that’s basically it in a nutshell. It’s chaotic and it’s less than perfect, but it’s my life, and I love living it.

Okay… now to answer the questions you had for me:

danklemitis asked: What message has been rolling around in your brain as of late, and what are your thoughts?

Mainly, my prayer life. Preacher has been preaching a lot on prayer for the past month or so and i’ve really been realizing how lacking my prayer life is. my life is stressful for lots of reason, and when something comes up i usually try to fix things on my own. i don’t take it to the Lord and ask Him for help. I don’t ask people to pray for me (not like i should anyways).

Pastor Baker asked: When black chryslers roll down your street, does Eminem music start playing?

Are you asking if it starts playing in said car? or if it starts playing in my head? LOL. because the answer to both is no… ha. unless of course you play that old Chrysler commercial from the 2011 super bowl – then yes. :]

Pete A. asked: Our family’s been most concerned about your health. How are you doing and how is your outlook?

In addition to what i said above about my health, everything else seems to be going great. I haven’t had any more pain or discomfort, so i haven’t gone back to the doctor. you know what they say: “no news is good news.” my outlook for the most part has been pretty positive. i’m not saying that there haven’t been times when i questioned why or been a little frustrated. but as long as i realize that God is always right, and i am always wrong, and He doesn’t owe me any explanations – then everything will be alright.

so i’m opening it up to you…

is there anything you want to hear from me?
anything you want to know (within reason, folks)?
any questions for me?
any curiosities that you’d like settled?

so, this one’s on you. let me know – leave me a comment and i’ll do my best to respond in a post sometime this weekend. :]

and if no one leaves me any comments regarding things they want to know, i’ll just assume you all think i live the most boring life ever as a hermit in a dark corner somewhere. awesome…

a friend of mine found this poem online and i stole it from her. i don’t know who the author is or when it was written or anything about it really… other than it’s really awesome and spot on.

when you tell people you’re a Christian, what is their reaction? do they slowly start to back away? do they look at you like you’ve gone mad? do they show concern on their face like they’re not good enough to be around you? are they interested in obtaining the grace you’ve found?

when I tell people that i’m a Christian, i want them to look at my life and see hope and peace and love and joy. i don’t want them to be terrified that i’m going to ram my beliefs down their throat. but i want to be the person who is willing to share their faith at any given point in time when an opportunity arises.

I Am A Christian

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!

Author Unknown

thoughts on this poem?
anything you’d like to add to it?
what is your favorite Christian/inspiration poem?

The following is a confidential report on several candidates being considered for our church leader.

Noah: Former pastorate of 120 years with not even one convert. Prone to unrealistic building projects.

Joseph: A big thinker, but a braggart; believes in dream-interpreting and has a prison record.

Moses: A modest and meek man, but poor communicator - even stuttering at times. Sometimes blows his stack and acts rashly. Some say he left an earlier church over a murder charge.

David: The most promising leader of all until we discovered the affair he had with his neighbor’s wife.

Solomon: Great preacher, but our parsonage would never hold all those wives.

Elijah: Prone to depression. Collapses under pressure.

Elisha: Reported to have lived with a single widow while at his former church.

Jeremiah: Emotionally unstable, alarmist, negative, always lamenting things; reported to have taken a long trip to bury his underwear on the bank of a foreign river.

Isaiah: On the fringe? Claims to have seen angels in church. Has trouble with his language.

Jonah: Refused God’s call into ministry until he was forced to obey by getting swallowed up by a great fish. He told us the fish later spit him out on the shore near here. We hung up.

Melchizedek: Great credentials at current work place, but where does this guy come from? No information on his resume about former work records. Every line about parents was left blank and he refused to supply a birth date.

John: Says he is a Baptist, but definitely doesn’t dress like one. Has slept in the outdoors for months on end, has a weird diet, and provokes denominational leaders.

Peter: Arrogant, brash, and lacking self control. Often speaks without thinking and claims to have walked on water.

Paul: Has a long record of torchering and murdering people. Physically impaired, and claims to have actually heard THE actual, audible voice of God.

Jesus: Befriends prostitutes, hangs out with publicans, and bashes religious leaders. Often wanders off into the mountains or quiet gardens. Claims to be three people all at once – seems a bit schizophrenic.

I wonder which of the people on this list we would have turned away from our churches? Who would we have deemed worthy or unworthy to serve Christ? Who would we have denied time to preach in our church’s pulpit?

I’m glad God can see through all the rubble and mistakes and use a person regardless of his past.

Can you think of any others that could be added to this list?
How would you describe them?

So instead of what I was originally going to post, I decided to upload a new “music video” (ish) I made several months back. It’s rough, poor quality, terrible sound, amature singing and piano playing, and one very old picture of myself. ha.

Anywho, it’s the words of the song that really matter… everything else is secondary. The song is called “Count Me” — and I’m not sure who wrote it. So give it a listen and hopefully your ears won’t hurt too bad at the end. ;]

Oh, and while the song’s playing in the background, you could always go back and read last years V-Day post titled “Mucho amore” where I talked about being a blushing bride.

By the way, Happy Valentines Day to everyone! even to any single people out there — go buy yourself some dark chocolate. buy some for me while you’re at it. ha. ;]

Tell me… how do you plan to spend today’s holiday?
If you had the choice, would you rather receive (or give) chocolate, flowers, a nice dinner, a simple card, or some bling?

What I never imagined would happen is that it would attract such an audience as it has. people from all over the world, of all different ages and walks of life, of all different faiths have visited this humble little site.

In turn, my faithfulness as a writer has diminished. My promises as an author have dwindled away. My commitment as a daily host has basically vanished.

Why…? Because life happened.

I’ve been so busy with living my life that I haven’t had time to share whats going on in my life. Between church, and school, and work, and family, and friends, and homework, and my health, and everything in-between… I’ve literally been on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

So please don’t think it’s because of you. Please don’t think I don’t care about you all… because I do. Really. I’ve just been forced to prioritize everything — and since blogging isn’t a source of income or a requirement for school, it’s sort of taken a backseat to everything else going on in my life right now.

in short… It’s not you; it’s me.

Geez, I feel like I just broke up with you all. how depressing…

So tell me… Whats going on on your world? Surely something new and exciting is going on in your lives these days. :]

Oh! And share a link to one of your favorite recent blog posts below (either something you read lately, or something you wrote.)

Have an awesome day, you fantastic people! ;]

in the words of Pastor Mark Driscoll, “clean out your own lumber yard!”  which is his fancy way of paraphrasing Luke 6:39-42.

anywho, give this video a watch then leave your thoughts…

thoughts?
do you agree or disgree?
did he leave anything out?

so after two trips to the emergency room, they decided to admit me for a 24-hour stay, which then turned into a 60-hour stay. they pumped I.V. meds into me 24 hours a day. eventually the swelling started to go down a little and the redness started to fade a little.

one doctor expressed concern that what i had might be MRSA. they did do a culture of the spot, but i won’t get the results back for a few days.

finally, yesterday evening they decided to release me from the hospital and send me on my merry way. i have never been so excited to see my own room, lay on my own bed, hug my own pillow, or turn on my own TV.

speaking of TV… i watched more national geographic, animal planet, and discovery channel in those 60 hours than i ever care to admit. which, technically, i just did. whatever.

over the last day or so i’ve developed this nasty cold/sinus congested thing, so i’m feeling pretty miserable at the moment — can’t breathe, congested, drainage, bad headaches, little appetite. blah.

anywho, so that’s how i’ve been spending my time over the past week. it’s been a real picnic. ;]

thank you to those of you who have been praying for me. i really appreciate it.

i hope you all are doing well and staying healthy!

i seriously think you’re going to love this video – especially if you like David Crowder, John Piper, and Matt Chandler.

give it a listen and leave your thoughts below afterwards.