50 new things update

Time to update the list of 50 new things. I've made progress and have been pleasantly surprised by some things. So, here is a short list of new things I've recently attempted and/or completed:

I've read several new books by new authors and my absolute favorite was: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. This is one of the best books I have ever read. I started reading Friday morning and was finished by 3 PM Friday afternoon - obviously, I didn't accomplish much else throughout the day. I was fairly captivated. It is a sweet story about acceptance, love, forgiveness and friendship. It's a fast and easy read and I was sorry when I completed it. It is funny, quirky and well-told. And, Beth Hoffman has a way of making me feel like she is writing about people I know and care about.

I ate Shrimp Nachos at our favorite mexican restaurant - absolutely wonderful. Fish and Mexican food are just not two things that go well together in my mind - Boy, was I wrong. Yum!

I went to a new Christian bookstore that recently opened near my house and spent a couple of hours browsing through the books and the music - nothing much better than that.

The past several weeks, my husband and I have started praying together every morning and it has been such a blessing. It is beautiful how close this has made us. And, I love that starting the morning this way greatly affects my attitude as I go through the day. Prayer truly is an act of being vulnerable with each other and I'm blessed we can love each other in this way. It is so comforting to feel God's presence with us as we start the day.

I continue my job search and am, again, awed by the support and love that continues to be shown to me through this experience - often, in unexpected ways. I feel like God is teaching me so many things through this ordeal. And, I am learning new things about myself everyday - things about my endurance, my sense of humor, my faithfulness, God's faithfulness and steadfastness, my trustworthiness. All these things are unfolding inside of me and I am realizing more than ever that God's arms are enfolding Joe and me every step of the way. We continue to pray we are brave enough to walk through the door of His will and to trust Him with our care.

I continue to seek God's will in discerning my call to Ministry. I'm still in the process of trying to figure out exactly what this call means. It has been a blessing to meet with my discernment committee, a group of seven individuals, whom I have chosen and trust to help guide me in this endeavor. They had no idea what they were committing to when we started this process and I am thankful for each of them and their willingness to walk this journey beside me. I think, sometimes, I may bewilder them with my thought processes...

God continues to take me, to mold me and to use me in ways I never imagined were possible. And, I am grateful.