Doing a Good Work

Well when I said I was going to get over my pity party, I meant it! And the Lord took me for my challenge. He's met me right where I am and provided me with all kinds of reasons to feel blessed. And, best of all, no reason at all.  He's just been near.

I've spent a lot of this week sharing. Sunday small group keeps getting better. We've been splitting up the men and the ladies and it's been awesome. I don't know what the men are doing but there's something about sharing prayer requests and confessing sins in a group of only women that makes the time more meaningful. It's been beautiful. I don't know how else to say it.

I shared my adoption journey on another blog last week and an amazing woman , who I've never met and will probably never meet this side of heaven, not only donated puzzle pieces in the name of her twins but also put my story on her blog. I was blown away by the kindness. It's kind of been like that this week. I had another woman I've never met ask about how to support our adoption as well. It's pretty clear God supports adoption when he faithfully provides people to love on you, pray for you, and support you all throughout this messy process.

I also shared over at Beth Moore's blog (in the comments section, people, I'm not that cool) that I've been attempting to memorize scriptures more regularly this year. Cool as that was, I had a new bloggy friend (Shout out Ryan!!) who encouraged me and told me she was on the same train. My friend Jordan has also encouraged me and we're going to do this memorization thing together this year.  Our church, The Crossing, has also been encouraging scripture memory and has even given us specific verses to memorize.  If that's not enough reminders this week, Ann Voskamp also had a fantastic post this week about how important it is to memorize scripture.  Several of you have come out and expressed your personal desire to memorize, too. If this is you, let's do it!! Let's encourage each other! I think it's so much more powerful to do something when you agree to do it as a group of believers. So in the spirit of accountability and encouragement, here's what I'm memorizing right now:

Psalm 27:1

"The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?"

Last week's was Psalm 20:7 "Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."

(Just so you know I am still the same me, I typed "thrust" three times before I got the word right. Yeah. I'm not going to be thrusting in the name of the Lord our God. You know, let's not even go there.)

So anyway, yeah. I feel like this is already making a considerable difference in the way I am seeing life. And if you are memorizing too, please give a shout-out! I'd love to be able to encourage each other.

In other encouragement news, I had a student stop by this week, tears streaming down her face, to tell me thank you for finding her a path to graduation. For a girl who needed some emotional "ups" that was a huge one. God is faithful. And usually in ways we don't predict.

Finally, a cool blog  I've been reading at the recommendation of another pretty cool lady wrote her faith story this week. While pieces are similar and pieces are way different from my own story, it got me thinking. I am pretty sure I have never written my faith story out in its entirety. So, that's something I'm considering sharing with you all soon. If I can convince myself to be that vulnerable. Or convince myself that anyone would want to read it.  I'm just in a sharing mood, see?

And on that note, dear friends, I am off to see my man. I hope you've been encouraged this week. And if you haven't, I pray the Lord will encourage you some way some time soon.

Keep me accountable on this memory thing, ok? I'm really good at the first 3 or so verses of the year. It's the 24th verse I never seem to memorize:).

I'm out.