The month of November is all about giving thanks. It’s easier to focus on what we’re thankful for when others around us are sharing what they’re thankful for. This leads up to the BIG day of Thanksgiving – a day where everyone seems to slow down and reflect on the blessings in their lives. Then, the day after Thanksgiving comes. After a month of giving thanks, a switch seems to flip, and it’s all about getting the best deals and buying more stuff. There’s nothing wrong with shopping (I love the convenience of online shopping), but for me, the idea of standing in lines and spending lots of money is not the way I want to begin the Christmas season. Instead, the day after Thanksgiving usually involves putting up my Christmas tree, listening to Christmas music (this is the first day I will listen to Christmas music), and watching Christmas movies. Here are some of my favorite Christmas movies:
What are you favorite Christmas movies?
0 Comments
Dear Childhood Home, For 34 years, I called you home. Within your walls, memories were made: baking cookies, brownies, pizzelles, and bread in the kitchen, family dinners and birthday celebrations around the dining room table, watching TV in the living room, helping mom grade papers on the sofa, opening presents underneath the Christmas tree, my brother and I throwing toys down the laundry chute, singing and playing instruments (and Dad playing the piano every Sunday morning to wake us up), playing Oregon Trail on the computer, setting up trains in the basement, and spending time just hanging out with family, friends, and neighbors… Within your walls, I felt safe. Within your walls, my family grew closer. Within your walls, love was found. And for that, I will forever be thankful. Now, it is time to move on. Now, it is time for another family to call you their home. Now, it is time for someone else to make lasting memories inside your walls. I never thought it would be so hard to say goodbye. I never thought I would grieve a house, but you aren’t just a house. You are a home full of memories. Memories of people I love. Memories of people I miss. Memories of my family. Even though it's time for us to leave, you gave my family these memories to take with us to our next home. Thank you for this gift. Thank you for being such a wonderful home. I hope this new family will also find joy and love within your walls. Love, Julie P.S. The great thing about memories is that you can create them anywhere you go. I look forward to visiting my family and making new memories along the way. I love listening to music. It wakes me up each morning (my alarm is set to play music), and I listen to it throughout the day in my car, at work, and at home. Random song lyrics frequently come to mind. It’s weird how I can forget something at the grocery store, but I can remember song lyrics from the 80’s. When some people hear the word “Pandora,” they automatically think of jewelry. I think of all my favorite Pandora radio stations (I’ll save that for another blog). Why do I love music? It’s an escape for me. It can change my mood. It can bring back memories. It also has been an important part of my faith journey. I feel closest to God when I’m listening to or singing praise and worship music. God often reminds me of important truths through the notes and lyrics of songs. Even though I love music, I rarely buy CDs anymore. Thanks to iTunes, I normally buy individual songs. It’s hard for me to find an album where I love every song. There’s one album, though, that I didn’t hesitate to buy - MORE by: Rivers Crossing Worship. I’m blessed to hear Rivers Crossing Worship each Sunday at my church, and their passion for God is evident. They are a group of talented, but ordinary, musicians who desire to see others connect with an extraordinary God. This 12 track album has been playing on repeat. It's my new favorite CD. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite song, but right now, “You Hold Me” and “The Valley” are two songs that God has used to encourage me. If you’re looking for some new music that will help you draw closer to God, download MORE by Rivers Crossing Worship on iTunes . You can also download FREE chord charts and check out some videos at www.riverscrossingworship.com . For the past 2 weeks I have been enjoying watching the Summer Olympics. I love watching anything in the water, such as swimming, diving, water polo, and rowing. I also love watching gymnastics, basketball, and track and field events. The athletes make it look so easy. Sitting on my couch, I think, “I could do that,” and then I remember…
The fact is that these athletes make it look easy because they have been training for years (and having athletic genes in your family helps too). While watching the Olympics, it’s easy to forget that these athletes are the best of the best because of all the hard work they have put in preparing for their event(s). I may spend an hour at the gym, but they are spending 6-8 hours a day working out. And they've been doing this for years. Their job is to train, and they are extremely focused. You don’t become an Olympic athlete overnight. Besides watching the events, I love watching the stories behind the athletes. I love hearing about their experiences growing up and seeing behind the scenes footage of their training. These stories remind me that they are real people too. They don’t just have extraordinary athletic abilities, but they have experienced joys and struggles along the way. If they can overcome adversity and achieve greatness, maybe I can too. Maybe that’s why so many people are drawn to the Olympics. We long to see hard work pay off. We desire to find moments to celebrate. Deep down, we want to believe that our dreams can become reality. I will never be an Olympic athlete and that’s ok. Instead, I will proudly cheer them on from my couch. That is something I can easily do.
Every year I look forward to going to the Spirit Song music festival at Kings Island. It’s three days of spending time with friends, riding roller coasters, and going to concerts. I love all of these things by themselves, but when you put them together it’s even more fun!
The music festival is held in an outdoor amphitheater and goes on rain or shine. In past years, I remember singing with friends in the pouring rain. This year, we didn’t have rain, but we had lots of sun (and heat). You know you love music when you’re willing to stand in the pouring rain or in 90 degree heat to see your favorite bands. This year’s lineup included: Jordan Feliz, Andy Mineo, Jeremy Camp, Casting Crowns, Hollyn, Rend Collective, For King & Country, Toby Mac, Stars Go Dim, Red, Crowder, and Kari Jobe. One of the things I love about Spirit Song is the wide variety of music. You can be at a rock concert with Red, and then soon after that, you're singing worship songs with Kari Jobe. For someone with eclectic taste in music, this is great. To recap this year’s Spirit Song, I thought I would give a few awards. Unfortunately, I don’t have any fancy statues/trophies to pass out, so instead I will honor them with a shout-out on my blog. Let the awards ceremony begin… Most Memorable Moment: David Crowder (Click here to see why) Favorite Artist: Rend Collective (An extremely talented group from Ireland. Watch their video below. I bet you’ll be singing along by the end.) Artist Who Surprised Me the Most: Hollyn (She’s young, but so talented. I've been listening to a lot of her songs the past few days. Check out a video below.) Breakout Artist: Jordan Feliz (Jordan sounds just as good live as he does on the radio. Check out his video below. His song, "The River," has been stuck in my head for weeks.) Most Fun To Watch: Toby Mac (A little bit of hip-hop, rap, and pop music all mixed together.) Favorite Worship Set: Kari Jobe (Beautiful voice!) That concludes our awards ceremony. Spirit Song 2016 was amazing! I'm already looking forward to next year! |
About Julie
I'm an ordinary introvert who loves an extraordinary God. Categories
All
Archives
July 2021
|