God-sized goals...

I saw this quote on the Living Proof Ministries blog, and couldn't help but copy it.   

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion.                     - Mark Batterson

There are so many things in this quote that just resonate with my soul, but none as much as talk of setting God-sized goals and dreaming big.  If you know me well, you know that I tend to live life on the safe, some might say conservative side of things.  I have friends who work on commission - that freaks me out.  I have friends that have jobs that don't relate at all to their college major - not me! I have friends that have big, lofty, even scary goals for their lives.  Not me. I am a planner.  I like don't really like when things don't go according to that plan.  So, I sit in my little bubble.  Doing what I know will work out.  Doing what is safe.  I'm not sure how to step out of it, I've lived there most of my life.  Really, if I'm honest, I'm sitting here currently trying to formulate a plan to get myself to be a dreamer.   Ironic -  I don't think it works that way.  So, I guess I just move that way, one step at a time.

Meet my new friend...

His name is Jack.  My sweet friends Clint & Lisa welcomed him into the world last week.  I think he's just precious.  I got to make a quick stop at the hospital to see him on Thursday.  This was our first meeting.  It still catches me off guard that people my age are having kids.  I don't feel old enough for that.  But I'm super excited for my friends and this precious little boy that is now a part of their lives!  Congratulations!!

My Doctor Friends!

These are my amazing friends Dr. LB and Dr. Julia.  This last weekend they graduated after four long years in the Doctor of Audiology program at UTD! It was SO fun to get to be a part of the festivities and celebrate all of their hard work!  It's crazy that LB has been in school, working towards this since I met her at Baylor and she's finally graduated and starting her very own grown up job in just a couple of weeks! I met Julia her first year of grad school, when LB loaned me out so that Jules could test my hearing (they had to scrounge up their own patients and LB had excess).   At the end of their first year, Julia & I became roommates.  I got to keep her until she left us for Arizona for her fourth year externship.  Thanks to these two (and my friend Stephanie who graduated last year) I now know more about ears than I ever thought I would!

All this to say, I got to live with and near these girls and saw all the hard work they put into grad school.  I know it wasn't easy, and I am so proud of you friends!!!  Friday night I got a little teary watching my friends say goodbye to this phase of their lives and become all official with their white coats! Saturday LB's parents threw a party at her house.  It was great fun to celebrate these girls and all they accomplished.  I have no pictures from the weekend.  I stole the picture above from facebook! :) I'm so glad I got to be there and celebrate this weekend.

Congratulations Girls!!!

Baptism

They showed this video at Shoreline on Sunday night.  It’s from Watermark’s baptism service last year.  I’ve seen it before, but it still brought tears to my eyes.  I love the way Watermark does baptism – it’s a huge celebration.  A celebration of the way God has chosen to redeem lives.  I always walk away so encouraged by it.  As I sat at Shoreline on Sunday, I thought about the fact that this is the God that I serve.  The God that is in the business of changing lives.  The God who seeks us out.  Who calls us to him.  I love what a sweet reminder this video was for me. Baptism is this next Sunday, and I’m so excited.  

Baptism Spring 08 from Steve V on Vimeo.

Happy Mother's Day

There are so many things I could say about my mom today. She is a godly woman who has brought the three of us up to love the Lord and led by example. I've been teaching Proverbs 31 to my small group this semester, and I consistently think of examples from my life involving my mom to put in our lessons. The way my mom served my dad and the three of us so selflessly is amazing. She was always doing things for us and had dinner on the table every night. She also has a great sense of humor and is so fun! My mom has gone back to work this year. It has been so cool to watch her serve the refugee community in Amarillo with her gifts. Some day when I have a family, I hope that I can serve them and love them the way my mom has.

Mom, I love you and am so thankful for the example you've set for me and the way that you have loved me.

Never Say Never

In case I haven't mentioned it before (or more times than I can count), I lived with these girls in college.  They are my favorites.  There are a couple of things that all of them did, that I wanted nothing to do with.  You could say I was very adamantly and perhaps a bit vocally opposed to them. I might have even, a couple of times, said I would never do them.  Don't you hate it, when  you find yourself doing the exact things you said you would never do!?!  And not just once, but on an almost daily basis!  These things are running, and eating Kashi cereal.  It may sound silly, but I was very vocal about my hatred for both.  To the point, that I'm sure I offended the girls a time or two, calling their beloved cereal cardboard or telling them they were insane for running.  So here, my friends, is your public apology for ridiculing you all those years.  I was wrong, please forgive me!