Isn't Life Beautiful?

I've been sick since Thursday, and am at the tail end of this nasty cold. It's really hard to be sick on project, because there is so much to do all of the time. We had our staff vs. student softball game Saturday night, which I of course attended but didn't plan to play in. When I saw my name on the batting roster it was hard to resist going up for just a few swings. I struck out :) We beat the students by a ton, which Ben was excited about because he planned the event and had worked hard to make sure the staff would have the victory. That's not even why I'm writing though. I'm writing because on Monday I received a sweet package in the mail. Ben's church he grew up in had a women's supper on Father's Day, and instead of having a speaker they gathered information about their women missionaries and learned about them...and made cards for them! Take a look: They are all so beautiful and unique-they just brightened my day right when I needed to be cheered up! It was such a great idea for a women's conference-and the most meaningful part is that they were all praying for me as I gave my talk at our conference the very next day. Thanks CLCBC ladies!

Lead of Love

I'm in the process of writing a talk to give at our womens' conference tomorrow night, and I came across this picture a friend made for me four years ago. I had sent out an email update for my internship at Iowa and included the lyrics to this song by Caedmon's Call called "Lead of Love", and he responded with this sweet picture of the lyrics. I love the song because it shows the artist's hindsight understanding of God's hand in the things he went through, which were hard to understand at the time.

My aim for tomorrow night is to help the girls I'm speaking to remember how God has worked in their lives in various ways, (and continue to be aware of this), and catch glimpses of how He might want to use their lives. The theme of the night is 'catching a glimpse', and I've had what seems like an impossible time getting my talk nailed down. When I think about the different ways God has brought me out of situations that seemed hopeless, totally changed my defeated mindset, or redeemed dead parts of my heart, I am hopeful that those stories will encourage my listeners and help them believe Him in their own lives.