Opposites Attract

Everyone has heard the phrase "Opposites Attract". I may not have really believed it until I fell in love with Jonathan. We are almost as opposite as two people get. Before we got married I noticed it. But I notice it even more now that we are married.

Since Jonathan is pursuing a Linguisitcs Degree at Southeastern (he is wanting to do Bible translation in the future) it has kind of changed our atmosphere around the house. Here are just a couple of examples:

1. One morning recently I was standing in the bathroom brushing my teeth. It was first thing in the morning. My brain doesn't operate then. Nor do I like to communicate with others. Jonathan comes in with a smile on his face. As if he has just discovered something amazing. He starts asking, "Have you ever thought about the letter 'C' before? We don't really need it. It makes the same sound as the letter 'K' and the letter 'S' but it doesn't make it's own sound. It's useless." Of course I couldn't respond because I was brushing my teeth. But I couldn't really come up with a response anyways. Because my brain doesn't even operate like this. Pondering things like the sounds that letters make. It really never comes into play in my daily routine.

2. This scenario has happened multiple times lately where I am standing in another room. I can hear Jonathan murmuring to himself. The first time this happened I was a little concerned, "Has my husband starting talking to himself?" That's never a good sign. So I walk into the other room, "What are you doing?" I ask. He replies, "I'm practicing the phonetic alphabet for class". Ok then, I now have a husband who murmurs to himself. haha.

3. Yesterday we are sitting on the couch. I tell Jonathan that I like the new Pepsi Max because it actually tastes more like the real product than most diet drinks. Jonathan's response? "Have you ever thought about why Coke is more popular world wide than Pepsi?" "Not really" is my response. He says,"Well, because not many other languages have that 'P' 'S' sound. It's hard for them to make. But coke is easier for everyone to say. Because most every language has that sound".

And these, are just a couple from a long list of examples I could give. These examples not only show the kinds of conversations we will have for the next 70 years. But they also show just how different we are.

Since I met Jonathan I have definitely been able to see clearly that God is calling him to bible translation. He is amazing at picking up other languages, studying the bible, etc... All the things it takes to be geared towards bible translation, Jonathan possesses those traits. I can even see this in the things that fascinate him. Which, by the way, are most of the time opposite of the things that fascinate me. He has always been interested in things that I look at and go,"What in the world?". But then I think again and I am like,"That's exactly why he is going to be good at translating the Bible".

This comes into play in more than just our conversations. For instance, when we were on our honeymoon in Europe, the kinds of things he cared about were NOT the same thing as me. He was always concerned with taking a picture of something and it being in the EXACT middle of the picture. He also wanted me to see things for the first time looking at it dead center. I could've cared less if I was looking at something centered or uncentered. He cared about how a building was designed. I just liked it cause it was pretty. He wanted to climb every building in the city to see the different "views" of the city. Then he wanted to decide which one was best. I thought if you'd seen one view you'd pretty much seen 'em all. haha.

So, how do we get by when everything I talk about doesn't interest him and vice versa? I gotta be honest. At times I have no clue how our relationship works out.

But, then I am reminded of all the reasons he completes me and makes me more balanced of a person. Here are just a few examples:

1. Jonathan rarely gets stressed out. Even when big things happen in life. Somehow he remains pretty unphased. Me, on the other hand, I kind of stress out and worry too much. ANd that really isn't on his radar screen.

So we balance one another out. At times he should be a little more concerned about a situation than he is. And I remind him of that. And at other times I just simply need to calm down. And he reminds me of that.

2. Jonathan is (overall) an insensitive person. And I am incredibly sensitive.

It's good that when we are faced with a conversation where someone needs a person to empathize, I can step up in his place and be sympathetic. Because that usually isn't an easy thing for him to do. And, honestly, sometimes I can be overly sensitive. And I need him to remind me that I'm acting like an emotional basket case.

3. Jonathan likes to just go for things. I like to sit around and analyze them forever and finally make a decision.

We both need one another. Sometimes I need to be reminded that I have thought it through pretty thoroughly and I need to act on the wisest option. Sometimes he needs to be reminded to sit back and think about a situation more.

4. Jonathan is pretty even kill. I am moody.

5. Jonathan is task oriented. I am more relational.

I suppose this is really a guy/girl thing. But, I think it's good that we can balance one another out in this way. We are both going to need each other when it comes to ministry in this way. Both are very important to remember.

It's funny to look at these differences (and I could've listed more). But these examples always remind me of why it's good that we have one another. Opposites really do attract. And most of the time it's a really good thing. I know it is for us.

In Comes Fall...

The past couple of days have been absolutely beautiful. The skies have been a perfect blue with no clouds in sight. I have wanted to go mad at times stuck inside filling out application after application. It's strange how just getting outside and taking a walk can just make me feel SO much better! Nature can do that for you! And lately, not only has it been so magnificently blue outside, but it has also felt like fall. And I LOVE it. It's weird how a slight breeze in the air and the way the sky looks can make you realize fall is here. And we haven't even reached the most amazing parts of fall yet.

Here are my most favorite things that, in my world, make fall so wonderful:

1. Apple Cider



2: Corn Mazes



3. Jumping in leaves (one of my favorite memories from childhood).



4: Chili. YUM.



5: Carving pumpkins!!!



6: Pumpkin Bread. Haven't tried it? YOU MUST!



7: Hay Rides.



8:Corn Bread.



9: Adorable babies in cute little costumes.



10: Bonfires (with Smores of course)



11. The leaves changing into brilliant colors.






So go on out there and enjoy yourself some fall!!! It's got so many great things coming!

Beating all Odds.

You know the movies where it's the end of the world (i.e. I am Legend, Book of Eli, and 2012) and the main characters never seem to die? You could have a scene where a 10,000 pound meteor could fall out of the sky and fall on them and somehow they would make it. Heros/main characters in movies seem to bounce back from practically anything. And even when every single person that is around them gets killed they somehow manage to defy all odds and survive. Well, I can't lie. Isn't that what we all wish for? If we were in that same scene wouldn't we want to be the one defying all odds and somehow staying alive? Of course!

Well it dawned on me today as I was reading my Bible. We are that person. In Christ, we are defying all odds. I have been discouraged lately with my recent job loss. And I have been trying so very hard to just trust God. It's hard. In all honestly, it just isn't easy. When things you deem necessary are taken away from you for no (apparent) reason, you want to give up. I have found myself wanting to give up. I have found myself wanting to stop trusting. I have found in myself the worst possible reactions.

But God has been faithful. And every time I reach for my Bible and read a planned reading schedule it was as if God was speaking to my very circumstance.

Here are some examples:

Psalm 138:7& 8: "If I walk in the thick of danger, you will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend your hand; Your right hand will save me. The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. Love, your love is eternal; do nto abandon the work of your hands"

Psalm 91: "The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the almighty. I will say to the Lord,'My refuge and my fortress. My god, in whom I trust.' He himself will deliver you from the hunter's net, from the destructive plague."

Isaiah 40: Do you not know? Have you not heard the Lord is the everlasting God. The Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary. And his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the wear, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and your men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Matthew 17:20: Nothing will be impossible for you.

So the moral of this story is that we are the main character in the movie. It's like we never die. The Bible states that even if destruction is happening all around us our life will be preserved by God. There is nothing too big for God to handle.

Of course, I am not a believer in the prosperity Gospel. I don't think that because we are christians nothing bad will ever happen or that we will never die (though if eternal life counts in your mind, we'll never truly die). I am simply saying that bad things can occur all around us. Unfair things. Life altering things. But as long as we are in Christ God has our back. He is not going to let anything happen out of His will and it should be of great comfort to us that He will take care of our needs even when it looks like He isn't. That even when unfair things occur God has a plan to redeem the situation or at least be there and give us strength through it!

The matter of the fact is that we are on God's team. He is there for us. He sees our every need. He knows our every circumstance. He can make the unthinkable happen. He can handle our enemies or our biggest battle. And all we must do is realize that in His strength we can do anything. We have a God who we can trust. Who can bring us peace for any tribulation. We must simply remain in Him. Seek Him. Pursue Him. We have to do our part. We have to trust Him. But He will never leave us alone to fight our own battles. He is by our side every second.

And so, in a way, we are just like the main character who can defy all the odds. Only difference is we are doing it because of Christ. Not because of something unrealistic.

With You I can attack a barrier, and with my God I can leap over a wall. Psalm 18:29

he one who trusts in the Lord will have faithful love surrounding him. -Psalm 32:10