30 Before 30 in the New Year

This year I celebrate my 30th year.  (Read about my 29th year here. It was the beginning of my blogging adventure.)  There are quite a few things that I've accomplished in these 30 years.  Some I'm quite proud over.  Others...not so much.  But there's a few things that I want to do before I turn 30.

God told Habukkuk to write the vision and make it plain which is a lot out of context here; however, there is some good in making plans and writing them down.  You have to do it.

I've decided to save the bigger things for my 35 list (more on that later), but for now these will do.

+ Join a Gym
+ Take a college course
+ Visit an exhibit at the Philbrook Museum
+ Take a cooking class
+ Lose 20 pounds (The irony, I know.)
+ Attend a musical
+ No diet coke (Awwww! What am I doing?)
+ Take a weekend trip to Fort Smith, Arkansas
+ Read a book a week (Check out this Pinterest board.)
+ Write at least 1 hand written note to a friend every week
+ Have a high school reunion dinner
+ Visit my sister, Destiny, in Oklahoma City
+ Eat at the Rusty Crane
+ Attend a class at the gym once a week (Zumba here we come!)
+ Visit my alma mater at least once
+ Call my grandparents (both sets) at least once a week
+ Eat at Elote Cafe and Catering
+ Save at least $500
+ Try Gluten free (Let's see what that does to me.)
+ Buy something from Saks Fifth Avenue
+ Eat at Lola's
+ Do one Pinterest project every week
+ Get up at 6am or earlier every morning except Saturdays
+ Go to the Tulsa Ballet
+ Drink 8 glasses of water everyday
+ Eat out only twice a week
+ Pay off one credit card
+ Read every magazine I subscribe to
+ Hook up my wireless printer
+ Always have fresh flowers in my surroundings

That's it...My 30 before 30.  They're all seemingly small, but I only have a few months to do them.

Gotta go now.  I have to finish all of the diet coke in my house before midnight!

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Divine Design + Freebie

This morning I was doing my devotions when I came across one of my favorite verse in the Bible.  Chances are it's one of yours too.  It's usually that verse people quote at you when you feel lost and maybe even abandoned by God.  I'm sure you've read it on graduation cards.  I know you've heard in many sermons.

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If you read the context of that verse you'll find that there is trouble all around the Jews.

Here's a few of the things they were facing.

• Their country was literally divided in two and it had been for sometime.
• Over half of both of their countries, Judah and Isearl, were in exile.
• When they were taken into exile, the infrastructure was destroyed including their beloved temple in Jerusalem.
• They refused to listen to the voice of God choosing, rather, to listen to false prophets who feed them lies.

That sounds like a pretty dark place to me.
                    It was a dark place of their own making.

But here's were the promise of God comes in. 

This verse is actually included in a letter written to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon where the people of God were in captivity.  It's basically a warning to Nebuchadnezzar that soon his day would be over.  His rule would have no effect of God's people.  The people of God were in trouble.  They where in exile.  But for long.  God had a good plan...a plan to prosper them and not to harm them.  A plan to give them a hope and a future.

They messed up.  I mean, really messed up.  Bad.  They hadn't obeyed the commands of God.  They had turned their backs on God and on His prophets.  But despite all of the terrible things they did, God, their Father, was with them.  He knew them.  He loved them.  And He would restore them.

God's ultimate plan is always one of restoration.  He always has a good plan for you.  

Does that mean that you won't have to live in some messes sometimes especially ones we create?  Absolutely not.  Just like the Jews, we create our own problems by not living in God's boundaries.  Yet at the same time, just like His people, He always has a plan to get us out of our mess...to prosper us and now to harm us.

God sees you.  He knows you.  He will restore you.

I know I've created several messes in my own life some of which I'm still living in now.  But I know God is my restorer.  He's my healer.  He's my best friend.  He's my love.  I know He is divinely working all of my messes for my good.

I'm sure it wasn't in His original plan but He's working it into His divine design.  

The end is better than the beginning and it's much better than now.  It's all in His divine design.

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