We're married now!

If you didn't already know, I'm married now... and maybe you're following this blog.
You still can, of course! But, I'm trying to refocus on our new spot on the web...

Check us out!  :o)

100 Posts.. and A Year in Review

So, I guess 2013 breezed by without a peep from me, huh? I glanced at my blog the other day and couldn't believe what I saw. No posts since November 2012? How can that be!? So much has happened!

Let's see if I can summarize a bit:

A great day of smiles near the end of the hospital visit.

December 2012 - My friends Amy and Hallie and I moved into a house (actually mid-November) in downtown Raleigh. After a year in a Garner apartment, it was nice to be back "in town" and around familiar surroundings again. And YAY for not having to climb to the third story every day! That was tough since I was still healing from my leg break over the summer.  I traveled to Louisiana over Christmas to see Damion and celebrate with his family.  It was fun to do that together, but I had a few teary moments on Christmas day since it was my first one away from home.  I had planned to stay until New Year's Day or so (I think I was originally supposed to fly home on the 1st or 2nd), but plans quickly changed after some devastating events.  Damion and I were watching the New Year's Eve television specials at his house, waiting for the ball to drop at midnight.  It was cozy and nice to be together.  About 15 minutes after midnight, his mom and dad came out of their room, trying to rush outside.  For a couple of days, Damion's mom had been experiencing a pretty severe headache, and had even been to urgent care.  They thought she had just pulled a muscle in her neck, but she couldn't ever get any relief.  It turned out to be much worse! They were able to find that she had some bleeding from her brain.  After a couple of days of tests, pokes, prods, pain medicine and lots of worry and prayer, they determined that she had had an aneurism. There was a blood clot on her brain and she was in severe pain.  The next few days were hard. It was scary to watch all of this going on, and to sit together basically having to wait and see what would happen.

Emily's car window drawing during a hospital trip visit

She's definitely a fighter, though! And we are thankful that God saw fit to rescue her from that! It took a while for things to start working out altogether, but her life was spared!  I had to travel back to Raleigh before I wanted to, but I'm thankful that I was able to stay when it all first happened and be beside Damion through such a rough event!






January 2013 - A new year! Things at work started to really gear up for one of my big annual projects, and that kept me really busy.  My roommate Hallie was working out of state (since Thanksgiving), so it was pretty quiet at home with just myself and Amy there.  Damion and I were planning our next visit together.  Both of us knew that continuing to be apart, 1000 miles or so between us, was very difficult and trying.  So, after many discussions and planning, it was decided...

That's the plane in the center!

February 2013 - He flew up on a one-way ticket to Raleigh on the 2nd.  And thankfully, he's still here. ;o)  The first couple of weeks, he was able to stay with me and Amy (since Hallie was still gone), but we knew that was only temporary.  While he was here, he started looking for work.  TCC came through for us again! 

Snow-Clops!

My friend Akasio had a place for Damion to live, sharing in the "boys place" in downtown, where lots of guys from TCC have passed through over the years, and Estella at church told him about a job at the hotel where she works as a chef.  We did get some snow when he first got here, which was fun. He didn't have much of that growing up in the deep south.  We were also able to let him finally use a Christmas gift I had given him in 2011! He got to fly a plane!

New job in Raleigh!

March-April 2013 - We were getting settled into life in the same city together, and I loved it! He started his new job, and the Spring came, bringing lots of warm sunshine... and a whole lot of new allergens for him. They bother me every year anyway, but we were able to struggle through the pollen together. My nephew, Reece, turned 3!

Reece turns 3!

Community Group Fun!

May 2013 - The community group we were attending at TCC had grown to be a little too big, so we multiplied.  The final time meeting together was a fun outdoor grilling with lots of space for the kids to play and run around.  It's been really nice to have fellowship with the church together! Also, I got to the one-year mark of my leg break/surgery! Yay! Really started noticing less and less of a limp, FINALLY!






June 2013 - Both of our birthdays are in June.  They were both pretty low-key, but on the actual day of my birthday, we took off in my parents' big red pickup truck for a long road trip to Louisiana.  Since he moved here with just a suitcase or two of clothes and belongings, there were some other things to bring back to help make his space in his apartment more like home.  It was a LONG drive, but we "trucked" along and finally pulled into Ragley about 16 hours later. We were able to spend a few days with his family and get some of his stuff, and then we were back on the road! (P.S. - My little Jetta hit 100K miles, too!) We were also able to go to my family reunion and my niece's dance recital.

Rhylee loves popcorn (and her daddy!)

July-August 2013 - We had a busy summer! Work, hitting the beach for a couple of days with some friends, and a little bit of traveling with family.

Happy 5th Birthday, Asher!

August is also the time when I try to take time to honor the memory of my friends' son, Asher.  You can read my blog about him here.  I'm thankful that I was able to share that time with Damion this year.  He showed kindness and gentleness, both toward me and our time by the grave site. 

God is Able! TCC's First Service in the new building!

At the end of August, TCC was able to move into our new building! I've been attending this church since it started in May of 2006. We've moved a LOT, and seen so much! It was such a moving service for me!

September 2013 - Finally! Fall is here! I got some fun new darker hair, thanks to my sweet friend Kathleen.  My family was able to get away for a few days, too.  We usually try to do something together in September each year to celebrate my two nieces' birthdays.  This year, they were 10 and 7! I can hardly believe it!  We spent a relaxing and BEAUTIFUL weekend in Gatlinburg.  Great fun!

Hot Tub Fun!

The beautiful morning view!

October 2013 - October 1st brought some interesting changes in my work life.  Near the end of my work day, I found out that since my position within the state office where I work is fully federally funded, I was being furloughed.  There hadn't been a budget agreement made between the Senate and the House to begin the new Federal Fiscal Year (which runs Oct 1 - Sept 30), so everything had to "stop."  I was pretty shaken up, at first.  Especially when things didn't get resolved over the first couple of days, like we had expected.  Thankfully, an agreement was made just one day before I would have had a lapse in benefits. I returned to work on October 17.  There was MUCH to do to catch up, especially regarding my big annual project that begins in October each year. (The same one I'm still working on into the new year each year.)  We got to hang out with some great friends one Saturday, including a fun tee-ball game and an incredible homemade breakfast spread.  A little time with Mario was fun, too. :o) We carved pumpkins together and celebrated our 2nd Anniversary, as well!  My little cousins were in little league football tournaments, so we got a lot of kid sports time in October!  My mom turned 55, and we had yummy cake for that!

Brother Love :)

Beautiful Lake Lure

November 2013 - My family celebrates Thanksgiving early each year because of my parents' work schedule, so over the Veteran's Day weekend, we went back to the mountain for a weekend of great eating and time with family.  During the real Thanksgiving holiday, Damion's little brother, Dustin, was able to fly up and hang out for a week.  I don't know that he really loved Raleigh as much as we do, but that's okay. While he was visiting, we went back to the mountains again so he could meet some of my family and see some of the places where I grew up.  We visited Chimney Rock Park and Lake Lure.

December 2013 - The holidays are really fun! It gets busy, though! Two families, parties, etc. We had a fun time decorating a gingerbread house.  I had never done one before!  We laughed a lot during that!  We left on the 20th to go to Hickory, and we spent that weekend with my family.  Lot of gifts and laughter and of course, more yummy food.  On Monday morning, we took off in my car for another road trip to Louisiana! This time, it "only" took us about 13 hours.  Much better!  Sadly, I ended up spending several days (including our drive back) with the stomach virus, but we loved getting to hang out all week with our families and start making plans for our future together. :o)

Lots of exciting things to come in 2014, that's for sure! (And thanks for making it through such a long post!)

The Day Before Thanksgiving.

A year ago today, the day before Thanksgiving, I was sitting at work staring at the clock. I was a nervous wreck, but also tremendously excited. I only had a few more hours to go, and still couldn't believe that it was really happening.  I was leaving after work to go to the airport.. and he'd be there waiting for me.  I'm smiling so much right now thinking about that day.  I went home so that Dawn (and her daughter Mackenzie) could ride with me because she was nervous about me going alone. ;o) To be honest, I'm pretty glad she was there! Not because I was afraid. My heart had been invested for weeks already.  Maybe it was just helpful to feel like someone else was there to be sure this was real.

I met this guy online. I know, I know. I can already see your eyes widening and your mouth dropping open. It wasn't like "that." No dating site, no singles hook-up page.  Just some friendly online video gaming. :) For several months, I had been getting to know lots of friends that way.  People all over the East Coast, Canada, a few scattered out west. There was a group of us that hung out on the game and played around for months.  And then there was this guy.  He's younger than me, but my interest was piqued immediately. He's pretty interesting. We'd chat about the game, he helped me along (I'm still not very good at it! haha), we talked for hours about a million different things. Travel, our family, things we love (yay for crunchy peanut butter!), things we don't love, people in our lives, our past, God, work, etc. Anything you can imagine!  I found myself thinking about him.. a lot. I was frustrated by this in some ways because 1) he lived so far away, 2) he was younger than me by several years, and 3) he's "online." And that's weird, right? But, I'm weird.

Then, as our friendship grew, the texting began. And then a few weeks later, the phone calls. Those were the kind of phone calls that kept me up the entire night. Many nights like that. I didn't think I was going to make it some days. :o) Funny what you can put your body through when it comes to stuff like this, huh? But he was always there. Pursuing me, getting to know me, talking about life with me - and even when serious things happened, like the death of my grandfather and some serious health issues with his own grandmother a couple of days later, he was there. My heart was opening more and more. We talked a lot about God, a lot about each other.. and then we talked about how we really felt. I was scared.to.death. I felt like it had been so long since I had been so seriously involved with someone, but I couldn't shake this. And I really didn't want to.

So, the confessions came, and the emotions flooded.. and I knew I was in this for the long haul. And so was he. :o) So, I shared with a few more close friends about what was going on. What the heck was I supposed to do next? How could I.. you know.. like.. love someone in another state? He and I began to discuss what it would be like for us to meet. I remember one time telling him that "in a year or so, I'm going on a cruise with my family. Maybe I could swing by Louisiana." Hahah... Oh man. And do you know what he said? He said he'd wait that long if that's what I needed. (Though I don't think that would have really been the best thing for us, of course. :o)) And then, as Thanksgiving approached, we were talking about family traditions and what our families were doing... My family celebrates a few weeks early because of my parents' work schedule, and his family all had plans out of town/state. So... maybe. Could we? SHOULD we?

Again, I asked my friends. What do I say?! Should I let him visit? What if he doesn't like me anymore? What if we don't get along in person? What if we DO get along in person?! Everyone's answers were the same. These women, all independently of one another, told me the same exact thing. "You can't continue on having your heart love and care for someone you aren't even willing to meet, Nicole. You're being silly. Say yes."
So.. I said yes. We Skyped and I told him yes. He was going to visit for Thanksgiving.

I drove around the corner at Terminal 2 at RDU airport and I saw him, off in the distance. He was on the phone talking to me, looking for my car, and I just stopped talking and looked at him as I drove closer. My heart was pounding, and Dawn just looked at me and smiled. I stopped the car, and we both smiled at each other. I got out while he was shoving his luggage in the back seat with my other passengers. And then he ran around the back of my car to meet me half way, and his arms went around me and he hugged me so tightly.
I still love his hugs.

It was weird for all of about 5 minutes in the car, but as quickly as it started, it was over, and it was like the most normal thing for him to be sitting next to me. The next few days felt like a whirlwind. We talked for hours, I showed him (too many) things and places in Raleigh that I loved, we made food together, we watched movies, we laughed (a lot), and we soaked up every free waking moment that we could.  I was definitely in this for the long haul. :o) My heart already had been for a while... I just had to let real life catch up. On Sunday, that weekend, we went to see Dawn's son, Trevor, get baptized at their church. Afterward, at a family lunch at a restaurant, Mackenzie looked up at Damion as we were paying for our food and said, "Oh, are you guys like "together" now?" Everyone kind of giggled and smirked and he told her we were. I already knew that, but it was still sweet. And a little embarrassing since the whole group was standing there. :o)

The last year has definitely not been a breeze, in regards to "long distance dating."  We spend as much time as we can talking, Skyping, etc. And we do visits as much as we can. A lot has happened, and we've learned so much. But every day, he makes me happy.  I love his wit, his attentiveness, his desire to know the deep and difficult things about God, his maturity in handling my emotions. I love his laugh when something really tickles him. I love how he cared for me and my family through a weird and trying summer. I love his family and how much they love each other and stick by one another when life isn't always easy. I love that I still get a giddy feeling in my stomach when he's calling, or when I see a text pop up on my phone from him. I love his stories and how smart he is. I like learning what it's like to put someone else before myself. (I don't always like that - it's a hard, life-long lesson, I hear. But I enjoy that I'm getting to learn it with him.)

I'm so happy he's in my life, and I can't wait to see what the next year holds!

Sweet Nieces

For the past few years, especially since my parents have been on the road working (they're long distance team truck drivers together), our family has tried to get together in September for both of my nieces birthdays. Natalie, who turned 9 this year, has a birthday on the 9th, and Reagan, who's 6 now, has a birthday today, the 25th. Last year, we all went to Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, NC. That was pretty fun!

This year, my mom decided to make it more of a "Girls Only" fun day.

On Saturday morning, the day started with my mom, my two nieces and me heading out to go to Toys R Us. Natalie told my mom, "One time, my dad went to that store, and I had to wait out in the car! I've always wanted to go inside!" Haha... so, of course, Grandma complied.  I don't really remember ever getting to go there as a child either. It's probably for the best! There's a LOT of cool stuff in there!

My sister and sister-in-law both had other things they had to attend to for the morning, so it was just the four of us. I was able to stick around for most of this leg of the race. I had to go back to the truck to wait while they finished picking out a little gift for Grandma to buy.  Unfortunately, I still have trouble staying on my feet for more than 20-30 minutes at a time, especially if I'm walking around. (I haven't posted about this just yet, but to brief those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, I fell in May and broke my leg.. a lot of times. ;) I had surgery to begin the repair process including adding a plate and seven screws to my bones. But, more on this later.)
I did get to look at a few fun things with the girls and snap a picture of Reagan being inducted into the Birthday Club at the store.

After this, we met up with one of my mom's sisters, Lora, and my cousin Roslyn. I was so excited they joined up with us! I don't get to see them very much. We six grabbed a quick lunch and moved on from there to meet up with my sister and sister-in-law at Bliss Spa/Nail Salon there in Hickory. While my sister got started with her nails, the rest of us started with pedicures. We had that place taken over in no time! :) (From farrrr in the back of the photo, to the front, it's Natalie, Reagan, Karen (sister-in-law), Aunt Lora, Roslyn.  Then me, then my mom on my other other side.) I wanted to try the pedicure thing. I am -not- a foot person. I don't enjoy feet. Not your feet, not my feet. No feet. *Unless you're under the age of three or so. haha* But, I do enjoy the AFTER-pedicure feet and toes. I'm also a creature of habit when it comes to polish colors, and thanks to Birchbox samples, I've been able to try some different things. I'm going on vacation next week, so I wanted something fun for my feet this time... and fun I chose! I've always loved those funky polish names. :)

"Yodel Me On My Cell" by OPI

We got pedicures, manicures, and even got treated to eyebrow waxes (do guys really know what it's like for us sometimes? ha) all courtesy of my sweet mama! We talked, laughed, and just spent a few hours chatting and sharing our 'finished products.' Here are the little girls' nails.

After this, as the evening was beginning, the original plans of going to play putt-putt and have dinner all as a family (meeting up with the guys at this point - and can I just go ahead and say how fun it is that one of those guys in the group is all for me, finally! ;)) seemed a little daunting, so we nixed the idea of putt-putt and went back to my parents' house to discuss dinner options. We decided on a little Japanese place really close to their house, so off we went again. It was fun to still hang out together and the kids, of course, continued to provide lots of entertainment. My nephew is 2 and a half now, and I promise, he gets funnier and funnier every time I see him! All three of the kids love to play games on my iPhone (thankfully, Damion has one too, so he can share that burden of little hands grabbing for them!).  Here's Reece letting me know (by his expression and his statement on the matter!) that he doesn't want to be in any more pictures. That's just too bad, sweet boy. :)  We headed back to my parents' after dinner again while they took the girls to pick out a cake at the store. It was really yummy!  I loved being with my family all weekend! I hope I'll always get to see them for their birthdays.

(and have I mentioned how happy I am that this guy got to be there this year, too?) I'm a happy girl...

I Gave It A Try

Very often, I end up with lots of beauty samples. I'm not talking about the incredible monthly Birchbox that I subscribe to (use that link to sign up through my referral!). I mean, I get random samples. Sometimes, from Sephora orders, sometimes in the mail, sometimes because I pick them up at random. Usually, they get tossed into a drawer in my bathroom cabinet, or I'll end up trying something once and forgetting about it (like perfume, for example!). Not today!

I'm planning a fun day for the girls in my small group where we're going to get together and just hang out and talk.. have lunch, drink coffee, and play around with some of my make up, nail polishes, etc. I don't know if anyone has disastrous experiences with "the smokey eye" like I do, but I thought it would be fun if we played around together! That's in a couple of weeks.

In gathering up things to prepare for our "girlie day of fun," I found a sample of Urban Decay's Naked Skin foundation and wanted to go ahead and try it for myself.

The first fun thing is that the sample came with four different shades. Don't worry, I didn't try them all. ;) What I was able to do, however, was use the card they provided to match my skin tone. You hold the card against your jawline (it's clear except for the foundation shade examples), and the foundation that's best for you is the one that "disappears" against the natural tone of your skin. Simple enough! And it worked perfectly! I got matched up quickly with their 2.0 formula and peeled back the sample. It's enough for two days, so I'll be finishing it up tomorrow.. because it was great!

It was definitely much lighter than the foundation I've been using (which I have loved, too), and I feel like it's stayed on throughout my whole day into this evening just fine! That's a big plus for me because I hate feeling like I've gotten all 'done up' for the day, only to discover at 5 when I leave work and get in my car, it looks like I just woke up again.

I was so impressed right away with the smooth consistency and feel of the initial application of the foundation, that I went to look on Sephora's website and compare the price with the foundation I've been using. They're the same price for the same amount of ounces! Yippee! I'll definitely be buying this one instead!

Gasp! She blogged!

The pages are pretty dusty on all my blogs. Yes, all of them - as in, there are multiples. :)
The last two years weren't journaled for the e-world to see. Photos weren't posted. Exciting news wasn't shared. It doesn't mean fun and exciting things didn't happen for me! It honestly just means that I was lazy about posting anything. Will anyone even read THIS one? We shall see.

Don't be nervous. I won't bombard you with a super long post about all the days of my life from the last two years. There have been a multitude of adventures, joys, travels, lessons, laughs and tears. I'm thankful for all of them. I'm thankful today for where I am, and even though there are always lists being made of how I can do things differently/better/more creatively, I'm thankful.

Perhaps short posts to catch you up would be a nice place to start. I'm itching to write these days. So what does a girl do? Start over? Test the waters?

Have you ever abandoned a blog and been unsure of how it would treat you when you returned?
That's where I am today... Readers, are you here? :)

~nicole

A Broken Down House...

Would you live here?

Did you know that you already do?

"Last week your boss gave you your walking papers, or your teenager rebelled to your face, or you were diagnosed with a disease, or a tree fell on your garage, or your best friend gossiped about something you said in confidence, or your aging body ached, or your church disappointed you again, or you pulled your back out, or your vacation proved to be more work than retreat, or you found out that your exorbitant city taxes are being misused by a politically hungry elected thief, or you learned that someone stole your identity, or you felt drawn to something you knew was wrong.

Last week you encountered the world as it really is: broken.

How did you do?"

Broken Down House, pg. 31

Currently Reading:

Through Tears...

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

~Psalm 116:15

I believe that God is author of life and of death. I believe he ordains all things and that His will is ultimate. I believe that it is great gain for a believer to die. For families and loved ones left here, death doesn't always taste so sweet. Especially at first.

Just over a week ago, I learned that a gentleman that my family knows, my cousins' grandfather on their mother's side, passed away after some time of medical complications and deteriorating health. While I cannot count for you the number of years it had been since I had seen him or spent time with them, my heart was saddened by the loss. Perhaps because it made me one step closer, in my mind, to losing my own grandfather. Maybe it was simply the idea of weeping alongside my dad's family who I have not spent much time with over the last few years.

The service was small and very beautiful. The wind was blowing and the sky changed from blue to grey. Friends spoke of the way the life of the gentleman and how he cared for his family. My aunt, his daughter, shared about her father's example as a husband to her mother, and as a spiritual leader in their home by his faithfulness to pray. Men cried and shared about how he trained them in the fields to work and to be diligent. His family wept together and watched as his body was lowered into the earth. The county's Honor Guard stood by ready for their salute and when Taps was played, I'm not sure I could have held back my tears any longer.

I am grateful for my family. I'm so thankful to them for letting me share that day with them.

Thank you for opening your home to me on a day like that. Thank you for sharing your gift of hospitality and your hearts... and your hugs. I enjoyed our conversations and the laughter... and the tears.

I am grateful to God for the ways that death made me think about life.

I Promise I'm Still Here...

Blogging can be daunting. Some people are really great at it. Others are hard to follow because they rarely update... like me. Oops. ;)

Just a few updates, perhaps?

I have a new work schedule. Starting in November, I was approved for a flex schedule. Now, I have Mondays off and I work 10 hour days Tuesday-Friday. So far, so good. My goal is to make a plan, a list of sorts, for each Monday of things to accomplish. I've been able to do that a little bit, but already see where I need improvements after only one month at the new schedule. Ideas?

Thanksgiving...
I didn't go home this year. That's the first major holiday I've not been with my family. Since my parents weren't going to be home for Thanksgiving again this year, (they are long-distance team truck drivers and didn't take off for Thanksgiving) I had decided to stay back in Raleigh and then a family at church asked if I would help with their house and dog while they were gone, so I did that. My roommate's friend, Megan, invited us both to eat Thanksgiving lunch with her and her parents, so I did get to have a really yummy, and beautifully decorated, dinner.
I did miss my family and felt okay about being in Raleigh... but the funniest of things trigger emotion, you know? Thursday night, back at the home I was watching, I was thinking about heating up my leftovers from Megan's and how I wished I had brought some of the dessert home with me, too... which made me think about my Granny's baking... and I just lost it! Isn't that the most pitiful think you've ever heard?! LOL... I cried for about 20 minutes thinking about pie and missing sitting around late on Thanksgiving with my aunts and uncles eating leftovers and pie. I guess I'll have to eat extra at Christmas? ;)
On Saturday, I got to go to Kristin's 4th Annual Happy Thanksgiving Saturday. I love that event! She gathers her family together and invites a few friends to enjoy an extended Thanksgiving dinner. The food is always so good, and I get to see all of her family! Love both of those things. :)

New Moon...
Pretty much every person in my life knows how much of a Twilighter I am. For a year now, it's been a big part of my "hobby" life. Through Twitter, I have met TONS of other Twilight ladies around the world, and several of them, I've become pretty close friends with. So, some of us decided we'd like to get together when the second movie came out in November. We planned it and talked about it for months! I couldn't believe when it got down to the wire that it was actually going to happen! Since two of us live here in Raleigh and another fairly close by in Charlotte, we decided it would work out well to have the other 4 girls come here. That way, hotel costs would be eliminated and we'd have two locals to plan things, not having to worry with a new city. Thursday morning arrived, and so did the drama! Planes were delayed, FTA computers were crashing... what a mess! No worries... every one got here just in time and we all spent the weekend at Erin's house. We went to the midnight showing of New Moon, then again on Friday and Saturday afternoons. We ate out together, had pedicures, sat around and laughed like crazy... we even got to take Sarah to the Super Target like she asked. ;) I'm grateful for the friendships and so happy we were able to all get together... Discussion have already begun for the June opening of Eclipse, the third film in the saga. I plan on visiting another friend out in California in the summer, so who knows where we'll all end up!

Holidays...
Christmas is coming and I can already see the hours and days flying by! My roommates and I were finally able to decorate last night. We went all out... it was a frenzy of lights, ornaments, candles... the works! We laughed a lot and even decided to try our fate at a few outdoor lights. Here are few shots I took with my phone. I apologize for the quality... but you get the point. ;o)

I'll be going home for Christmas on the 23rd sometime and because I have off on Mondays, I'll get to stay until the 28th. Alicia, Kristin and I had planned to try and go to Texas over New Year's to see Dan and Casey, Zoe and Jack, but tickets for air travel at that time are RIDICULOUS! Wow... almost 400 dollars!! Twice the normal rate. So, we're having to wait and have tossed around the idea of having a New Year's party like we have had in the past. We'll see what shakes down on Seawell Ave...

So... just a few updates. If you've made it this far, I'll send you a Christmas card... just comment and let me know you did. ha! ;)

Words.

I am currently in a home-study at my church. Those of us who teach a class during the Sunday School hour are encouraged to take most of these classes as they are offered so that our souls are being encouraged to pursue Christ in a class-form discipline... since we don't attend the adult Bible time. This is apart from our regular participation in the regular worship service and our small groups, of course. The work is takes time, but the reading is deep and the questions are thought-provoking and prick my heart.

The current class is a book study on Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp. I'm in the middle of answering a question about the power of words in relationships... and was overwhelmed by this section in the chapter:

The world of talk is a world of trouble

Nobody articulates this more powerfully than James: "If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check" (James 3:2b). Who can honestly say that all his words are well-intentioned and appropriately spoken? Who has not hurt someone with words or used words for a selfish purpose? Who hasn't used words as a weapon of anger rather than an instrument of peace? Don't let yourself back away from the troubles. If you are honest, you have to admit that your relationships have been troubled by words as much as they have been helped. James calls us to admit that our words are the most powerful and consistent indicators of our need for the grace of Christ. James say that if we were without fault in this area, we would be perfect in every way. So listen to your words. Don't they expose how deep your need is for God's forgiving grace? We stain our relationships with thoughtless and evil words. We are guilty of turning this gift into a weapon. We need forgiveness and we need help.

Wow. I am guilty. I know that you are, too, because none is perfect. None is righteous apart from Christ. I have seen some very, very strong relationships broken by one wayward word. One quick quip. One unthoughtful blurb. Words cut like a knife.

I want to be better. I want to wield this weapon of my tongue in an expert way that heals instead of hurts others.

Not much... just a short post... but something that was really heavy on my heart to share with you all.