The nuggets

It was like I was mining for gold nuggets all weekend!!  - ok -  Actually, I wasn't doing the actual mining- it was more like I was sitting back on one of those fancy Cleopatra-like chairs and someone fabulous (I picture them dressed in a purple and gold tunic with metallic thong sandals) was fanning me and feeding me grapes while a lineup of inspired people were bringing me - presenting me with - gold nuggets of valuable information. At this point I still haven't had any solid time to be with, and go through, and examine, and polish said nuggets...  but I am hoping to do that soon. In the meantime, I found myself here - tippity tapping away at the keyboard - not quite sure of what I'll write.

Hmm. I just realized that I might not blog "properly". I think you are supposed to prepare a well thought out soliloquy for the masses... but frankly, I think my favorite (of my) blogs come from just spilling where I am in my life and thoughts at any given moment.... so I'll just do that, K?

Oh, but I want to tell you all about the nuggets I wrote down this weekend!! Is this a bragging point or what?? --> I totally took 10 pages of notes at church this weekend!?! [Carissa stands up a little straighter with a big prideful grin] I am SOOOO cool!!  <-- Yeah yeah yeah... I see that. That's not good. That's why I'm calling myself out on it. Prideful grin = ack... 

...However, I really was lucky enough to be able to hear the message at Journey 4 times this weekend! I think I should do that EVERY WEEK no matter what, even when I'm not serving because I learn new things every time I hear the talk!... anyway... it was SO good! My major takeaways =

- eep! - I started to write this out and it's too much. There was SO much goodness in the sermon- so much! I can't recount it. But YOU should check it out here!

Bunny trail of the day:
OH WOW!!! DID YOU SEE THAT??? Look above... look where I say "my best blogs come from just spilling where I am in my life and thoughts at any given moment... so I'll do that". THEN I say --> "Oh, but I want to tell you..." WHAT??? That's the problem with me. A big problem. What am I freaking out about? Let me break it down:

See where I wrote "Oh, but I want..."? Well let's look at each part of that...

• BUT I want...(emphasis on "but"... negates everything before it)
• but I want...(emphasis on "I"... focus on self)
• but I WANT...(emphasis on "want" ... focus on attainment)

I know what I SHOULD do, but I don't because I do what I WANT to do. [Yep... just realized what I was writing. Check out Rom 7:14-25 - God is too cool! That's why reading the Bible needs to be an everyday thing- it can and should be applied to every moment, every thought. However, I can't apply it to every moment and every thought if I don't know it. The only way to know it is to BE with it. To BE with God. To listen to God's amazing message for my life and thoughts and purpose and people and ...well... everything!]

I miss the Bible. I haven't been devouring it- hungry for it- the way I was before so I haven't been partaking of it the way I should. And I really miss God speaking to me so clearly. Yes, He's talking right now- He's all around me- loving me with his mooshy marshmellowy loving grace - I feel it - but I'm not in tune with it. I'm not obedient to it with my whole being.

What does it mean? How do I become obedient??? I heard the best thing this weekend about it. I'm gonna try something else though and break out what I heard into a different blog post/message... it is definitely worthy of it's own post.

This one is a rant anyway... just a rant. No substance. I need to be careful about blabbing for the sake of blabbing. It's like what Beverly Carroll said- "Don't talk ABOUT God without first talking TO God". What a GREAT principle! I'm gonna try to put that into action.... What does that look like to you? For me it means that I've got to be in the Word and constant prayer. More Bible. More prayer.)


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