Confirmation

I read on a Pastor's blog this morning that she received a word that 2011 was going to bring many breakthroughs and much freedom in her church. I got goosebumps as I read her entry, because I firmly believe that 2011 will be my breakthrough year. Even though she was referring to her own church home, I can't help but wonder if 2011 will be an amazing year for the entire Church as a whole. God has promised good things for His people, and He always keeps His promises. I have a feeling that we all are going to see some mighty works this year!!!

Back to the Grind

I came into work today. Our school is closed, so it's pretty much a ghost town here. I had to work because, although I am stationed at UMB, I am technically an HHMI employee, so I follow a different vacation schedule than my co-workers. Yesterday, I decided to work from home. After all, I didn't want to be the only person in my building. (Even the security guards and housekeeping staff are on vacation). That turned out to be a mistake. I didn't get a thing done. I used to work from home a lot when Bianca was younger, and I never had any problems. Now that she is running all over the place, it's not as easy.

Because I am under grant deadline, I had to bite the bullet and come into work today. Even though it's bothered me the past two years, today, it feels quite nice being the only one here. I have been super productive this morning. At this point, I have one slight budget issue to fix, and I need to have a meeting with one of the investigators on Monday to get some more of the technical details, but after that, it should be smooth sailing! Considering how awful my last grant was, this one feels like a walk in the park!

And since my supervisor is on maternity leave, this one is solely in my hands. I finally feel like I'm getting the chance to prove myself, and it feels good. Everything feels like it is under control. We should not only be able to submit our proposal on time, we should be able to submit early! Again, this is complete opposite of our last application. I am hardly stressing at all. Praise God!

I have a few more easy tasks to complete, and then I'm calling it a day. Bianca and I will be going to Harry's Christmas tournament tonight. His game isn't until 7:30 PM, though, so it's going to be a long night for our Little One. (Who am I kidding? It's going to be a long night for me, too!)

For about a month now, Bianca has been having trouble sleeping. Of course, that means Mommy has also had trouble sleeping. Last night, though, was wonderful. I had a terrible headache, so Harry told me to go to bed early. At 8:00 PM, both Bianca and I went to bed. She cried for about 5 minutes, then she fell asleep. I was out not much longer. She didn't make any noise again until 4:40 this morning! I was so happy! My headache went away, and I was able to get over 8 hours of constant sleep! Such a HUGE blessing!

Today, my sticky note from God says, "Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness. Psalm 112:4." It's making me quite giddy because it's reiterating the message my pastor gave on Christmas. Yes, 2011 is going to be my Breakthrough year, but it's only because Jesus is lighting the way. It is simply wonderful having something so tangible to hold onto!

cookies and ice cream and cake...Oh My!

The past few weeks (aka - the Holiday Season), I have been eating terribly. No treat has been too good for my belly! I have also been drinking lots of soda. My body is definitely paying the price: my pants are too tight, and my face is broken out. I definitely need to clean up my diet and start exercising. Every year I make a New Year's Resolution to do just that - and lose 30 pounds in the process - but I end up making poor choices pretty much right off the bat.

I'm hoping that 2011 - my Breakthrough year - will be different. Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. It's clear that if I want to see real change, I have to approach my weight loss in a different way than I have been all these years. I only wish I knew exactly what it would take to make a lasting impact. If I had the answer, I would already be much healthier right now.

My Answer is Yes

I'm sitting in front of the fire, enjoying it's beauty and warmth, as Harry and Bianca are napping upstairs. Snow is coming down outside, covering the ground with a powdery white blanket. I just feel incredibly serene right now.

We had a wonderful Christmas. I loved the message our pastor gave during the Christmas service. He focused on Jesus being the light in the darkness and a fount of water in the desert. I won't try to repeat it, but it was simply beautiful. We turned off all the lights in the church, lit a single candle from the Advent wreath, and then passed the flame from neighbor to neighbor. By the end, the entire church was brightly lit. We then sang, "Jesus, Light of the World" as we held our candles high. Tears were pouring out of my eyes. We then had communion to remember Jesus' biggest sacrifice and the true reason He came to earth. Finally, our pastor challenged us. Jesus says "Follow Me." He wants either a yes or a no, not a maybe. What is your answer going to be?

I asked Jesus into my heart in 1999. And even though I was on fire for a few months in the beginning, I never truly committed to living my life for God. For too many reasons, I was living life as a lukewarm Christian - saying all the right things, but not truly surrendering my life. My feet were planted on two sides of the fence. I wanted to trust that Jesus could provide everything for me, yet refused to let go of the world.

But 2011 is my Breakthrough year. It's the year when I am going to make great strides in my life - all because I finally let go. I have surrendered my life to Christ. I give him a resounding "YES" this Christmas!