Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy, or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you . . . —John 14:27

Now if you know me at all, you may find this slightly ironic. I’m generally not a fan of kids. I don’t get that excited over little babies, I’m not afraid to admit that they all pretty much look creepy when they’re born (myself included!), and I cannot stand the sound of whining. Literally- it makes my skin crawl.

And yet, every weekend, I volunteer my time to play with children and help them learn about Jesus Christ. And I love it! I’ve worked in the children’s ministry pretty consistently in the last three and a half years, but it’s only been in the last year that I’ve really dedicated myself to the elementary aged group.

I’ve gotten to form relationships with so many of these children, and watch them grow in life and through their understanding of The Gospel. They are funny, incredibly smart, and amaze me just about every week with their insight and unique views of the world. Sure, they’re crazy and exhausting and even a little sassy, but they teach me more than I can even begin to teach them.

Usually our lessons are pretty basic, and I’m more focused on making sure the game/verse/activity goes smoothly than the actual story. For some reason though, today’s really hit home.

For the month of August we’re discussing grace, and this week we discussed the story of The Lost/Prodigal Son. As I watched the video, I was shocked at how immediately I disagreed with the story. The son was rude and awful to his father, he leaves, spends all his father’s money, and then returns back to his father…who accepts him with open arms and unrelenting love.

Whaaaaaat?? I thought. That is so stupid. He’s such a selfish jerk. I would never accept him back like that!

And then…it hit me. Of course he accepted him back. Did the son deserve it? Probably not. But his father extended him grace, just like Our Father extended it to all of mankind. He loved us as sinners, when we most certainly didn’t deserve anything at all. We’re all selfish jerks sometimes, but it’s on the grace of God that we can stand and be judged.

It has nothing to do with what we’ve done or what we will do. And if I’m truly going to love others like the Bible has instructed me to do, I need need to remember first what God has done for me, and continues to do every day through the death and resurrection of his Son.

You didn’t think Sunday School was so deep, huh?

My 13 year old yellow lab, Hunter Charles Franz, was put to sleep this morning. He was old, had a hard time getting around, and after a physical this morning they discovered he had cancer all over his body.

He looks pretty innocent, but he was actually a pretty terrible dog in his youth. He chewed almost all of the furniture in our house, destroyed baseboards and carpet, ran away more times than I can remember, dug huge holes in the backyard, would go for a swim in the pool whenever he felt like it (especially in the middle of the night), and just generally ignored any/all commands.

But he was the most sweet, loving, and gentle dog ever. And we will miss the little goober.

In other words, I just thought this was pretty deep and true:

Minus the cig, of course.

PS: This is the scene that the title comes from, if you didn’t already know.

Anyways, yesterday was a pretty lazy Saturday. Lots of naps, movie-watching, and a few productive errands. Just what I needed, methinks.

San Antonio was a neat city! I randomly had a couple of friends living in the surrounding area, so I actually got to visit with them and not be entirely alone. Win.

I didn’t see the Alamo, sadly, although I hear it’s kind of a let-down. (Small, simple, not overly ostentatious. Does anyone else think the word ostentatious is a little ostentatious? No? I digress.)

I did see/eat a bunch of delicious Tex Mex food, and see/drink a lot of delicious margaritas. I think I had tequila all three days I was at the conference. There’s not much I enjoy more than a legit, brown-colored margarita on the rocks with salt. And chips. With salt. (Can someone say sodium-problem?)

I also saw, what I believe to be, a very accurate representation of Mexico:

That was the ceiling of the “authentic” restaurant.

They’re so blurry because I was starting to have a seizure due to the bright, flashy colors.

The rest of San Antonio was a little more relaxing.

(The view from my hotel room balcony. That’s the Riverwalk below!)

I also got to see the astronauts from NASA’s last mission:

And a man who decided to run for President of the United States a few days after he spoke at my conference:

(Gov. Rick Perry, in case you haven’t been watching the news.)

Overall, I’d count it as a pretty successful trip. I did do a lot of work stuff too, I promise! It just wasn’t nearly as exciting and photo-worthy.

So this 5 Personal Questions thing has floated around some of the blog-world, and I thought I’d give it a try:

1) What are you really good at? What are you really bad at?

I’m really good at multitasking, reading comprehension (from novels to bill legislation), directions, and planning.

I’m bad at putting furniture together, painting, almost anything creative, and putting cute/stylish outfits together.

2) Have you ever been in a car accident? What happened?

When I was 17 (?) I backed out of our driveway, avoided a set of trashcans, and managed to nail the door of the Escalade parked directly across from our driveway. I felt terrible, and had to knock on the neighbor’s door to tell her about the whole thing.

I was also side-swiped while going about 50 mph. They took out my side-view mirror, and messed up my passenger door pretty badly.

3) Why did you attend your college?

I went to the Florida State University because I wanted to stay in-state (I had the 100% bright futures scholarship), and they gave me additional money to attend. I also really fell in love with the campus when I toured, and thought it would be a good distance (far but not too far) from home.

4) How did your parents’ relationship influence you?

My parents got divorced when I was maybe 7-8, but they were pretty good amount keeping it as cordial and friendly as possible. I would say they both probably stressed the importance of not getting married super young, and also being financially independent and responsible before you commit to that type of long-term relationship, if at all possible.

5) What were the three happiest moments of your life?

This is a toughie! I’m fortunate enough to have had a lot of happy moments so far. Three that really stick out was when I finished my first half marathon, when FSU beat Duke 66-61 last January (and I got to rush the court with all of my friends), and when I was sailing on the sea of Galilee in Israel earlier this summer. Pretty random group of events, but I figure they all represent pretty different and exciting parts of my life.

Off to do the Sunday-school thing. Happy weekend!

I hear it’s pretty sweet. And as a history nerd, I dig old buildings.

As I said in an earlier post, my friend Elizabeth tagged me in the 7 Links Challenge. Well, since I’ve been neglecting the blog a little, and posting just an assortment of random thoughts like a crazy cat lady in WalMart, I was inspired to take a little spin on the challenge, inspired by this post. Yeah, there’s not a lot on common with the 7 Links Challenge and the list I’m going to share below, except for the fact that they both involve the number 7, but since when do I do anything really normal on here? Exactly.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you my 7 favorite movies of the 1980′s:

7. Back to the Future

Marty McFly is hot. (Even his mom thought so.) And Doc is just adorable.

6. Footloose

Jump back! Tractors, dancing, fighting, dance-fighting..what’s not to love?!

5. Top Gun

When Tom Cruise was less crazy and more sexy. “I feel the need, the need for speed!”

4. Pretty Woman

Because you, too, can be a beautiful hooker who makes it rich.

3. Dirty Dancing

Nobody puts baby in the corner.

2. Pretty in Pink

I want Duckie to be my best friend. “May I admire you again today?”

1. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Because that leopard vest and those white shoes are just too dang cute.

So, what do you think? It was really hard to limit it to only seven (since the 80′s were a time of cinematic genius), but is there any of your favorites you’d add to the list?

This week has also been super random. My Tuesday night was spent drinking wine from Napa, eating various meats and cheeses, lobster, and watching Shark Week. (I know, can I get any classier? Or whiter?)

Anyways, Shark Week is awesome. I love it. But this looks better: AMC Mob Week. It’s even hosted by Rudi Guiliani! Oh, the irony. I haven’t watched any of it, because COMCASTCRAP hasn’t installed my cable or internet yet, but it looks like a pretty sweet lineup. Lord knows I’ll be watching that Godfather marathon this weekend. I love me some Michael Corleone.

This is just really cute:

Elephants may just be my new favorite animal. Besides pigs.

Ryan and I are running this loop on Saturday for our training: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/44132208

If you can’t see it, just know there are a lot of hills. It’s gonna be awful. 7.85 miles of crap. So why am I excited?- I’m a freak.

How is it already Wednesday? How is it only Wednesday? I’m so conflicted about how I’m feeling about this week! I can’t wait for the weekend to get here so I can see my family and move! I am also dreading this weekend because I’m, well, moving. I’m trying to pack, but the clutter is making me feel stressed and unprepared. Gah.

I can’t sleep, and I think my hair is starting to fall out. And no, I’m not being overly dramatic. GOSH!

It’s times like these when a little magic would come in handy.

Daniel, dear, I’d be eternally grateful if you could shoot a spell or two my way to pack up all my things. Kthanks.

In other news, I’m on day three of the Dukan Diet. Now, I’m not going to make this a “diet” blog, and I’m not going to sit here and defend my eating choices because, let’s be real-

(I’m going to regret putting that picture up.)

Anyhoo, I believe that diets (as in, the way one eats) are personal decisions. It’s whatever works for you, your lifestyle, and your tummy.

I’m in the protein-only phase of my diet, and it hasn’t been too bad. I’ve done similar diets, and I know they effective for me, but I really appreciated the Dukan Diet’s low-fat approach. (As opposed to Atkins’ “fat-don’t-matter!” approach that might be a tad less heart-healthy.)

I do feel like a goober eating straight-up meat all the time though. To improve morale, I think I might have to start acting like this guy:

Except, replace MEAT! with every time he says COOKIE!… nom nom nom. (And don’t you dare say TWSS!… you know who you are. )

My dear friend Elizabeth nominated me for the “7 Links Challenge” the other day on her lovely blog “Legally Blissful.”  And I’ll do it, I promise! (But maybe after the moving shenanigans have ceased.)

Now, in the words of Tim Gunn, “Back to work!”

As a Scorpio, you tend to feel guilty about not being perfect. It pains you to realize your body is not the ideal that you think it should be. Cut yourself some slack and give up on the pursuit of perfection. Find satisfaction in knowing that you are working hard to achieve you fitness goals and you’re getting healthier—even if you never lose those last five pounds. Be true to yourself. If you know that your fitness plan isn’t as good as it should be, do something proactive instead of beating yourself up. Remember that self-love is the first step toward happiness and you deserve the best in life. By learning to accept your shortcomings instead of berating yourself, you may find it easier to reach your goals.

So weird! Get out of my head, SparkPeople.

In other weird personality-quiz-news, my boss made me take this Kingdomality quiz for fun.

Apparently, if I lived in medieval times I would have been the “White Knight.”

our distinct personality, The White Knight, might be found in most of the thriving kingdoms of the time. Don Quixote was a White Knight as was Joan of Arc, the Lone Ranger and Crusader Rabbit. As a White Knight you expect nothing in return for your good deeds. You are one of the true “Givers” of the world. You are the anonymous philanthropist who shares your wealth, your time and your life with others. To give, is its own reward and as a White Knight you seek no other. On the positive side you are merciful, sympathetic, helpful, giving and heroic. On the negative side you may be impulsively decisive, sentimental and misdirected. Interestingly, your preference is just as applicable in today’s corporate kingdoms.

Good to know that I’m similar to Don Quixote. (I never liked Sancho Panza anyways.)

If you haven’t heard, Borders is going out of business. There’s some may-jah sales going on, so naturally I had to browse their remaining selection. This is what I came up with after 15 minutes of looking:

I am going to be all types of cultured. You have no idea. And before you ask: yes, I have a Kindle. But no, I don’t just want to buy all of these as e-book versions. I like the actual books! Plus they look pretty on my shelf.

And for my last little bit of randomness, did anyone else see the new PMS milk ads from the California Milk Organization? Some people think they’re sexist and rude, but I find them pretty dang hilarious. The ad campaign is based on new research that says that milk can help minimize the symptoms of PMS in women. They’re a little harsh, but let’s be real- all women should be able to admit that certain times of the month (due to chemicals and science, duh) we can be a bit…testy. Some of my favorite lines from the ads are: “I’m apologize for letting you misinterpret what I was saying” and “I’m sorry I listened to what you said, and not what you meant.”

Pretty genius. Now I need some chocolate. Or milk, apparently?

First of all, I feel bad for the girl who got bit. I’m terrified of sharks, so I can’t imagine how scary that would be! – Especially since she was 10 years old. HOWEVER, on GMA this morning they quoted her mom, saying that she was “furious” at the local police for not posting signs to notify tourists that there were…wait for it….SHARKS IN THE OCEAN.

Woah woah woah. There are sharks….in the ocean….everywhere?!

Shutthefrontdoor. And damn those local police for not notifying us earlier. I mean really. I’d be pretty upset if I got attacked by a shark, but it is definitely part of the risk you take getting in the ocean. (And I wouldn’t blame anyone else for my decision, either.)

In other news, it’s really hot! During July…which, coincidentally, is smack-dab in the middle of Summer. (I know, someone should have notified us about that as well.)

Yankees everywhere, I don’t feel bad for you. Although I do bet you’re reconsidering that whole  “we-don’t-need-central-air” thing right about now.

People, it’s hot outside. Don’t leave your children/pets in the car, lay down on the asphalt, or do anything else ridiculous and you should be fine.

***

End of my early-morning rant. Why is news so stupid nowadays?! Maybe it’s a reflection of the people that watch it. (Yeah, that means me too.)

Happy Friday.