Me.

So... just for the heck of it, I decided to participate in Kelly's "Show Us Your Singles". You never know where you are going to meet the love of your life so as a single person who is totally open to what ever means God has planned for me to cross paths with the love of my life... Here I Go!!

A little about me...

My name is Laura. I am a late 20 something southern girl, born and raised. I have lived in South Carolina my entire life. My faith is the very core of who I am. I am active in mission work both locally and around the world serving as a board of trustee for a medical missions organization. I am also helping launch a new church here in Columbia as a way to serve my local community.

I love to cook and entertain. My family and friends are my world and keep me going every day! My niece, who is two, just might be the coolest kid around. I am also a bit of a college football junkie. My blood runs orange! GO TIGERS!! I grew up on the lake, so I love ALL things related to the water. The past couple years I have developed a love for the mountains too as my family has a vacation home in western NC.

I am finishing up graduate school in May. Right now my time is focused on finishing my thesis and research. When I am done, I will have 2 masters degrees (architecture and healthcare design)

If I missed anything or you want to know more, shoot me an email!

Lollysc@gmail.com

When I say I'm a Christian....

"When I say... "I am a Christian"

I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."

I'm whispering "I was lost,

Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"

I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble

and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"

I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak

And need His strength to carry on.

When I say. "I am a Christian"

I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed

And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"

I'm not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible

But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"

I still feel the sting of pain.

I have my share of heartaches

So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"

I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner

Who received God's good grace, somehow."

— Maya Angelou

Its the most wonderful time of the year....

In my family, we always wait until after thanksgiving before really even thinking or considering Christmas. It has nothing to do with the fact that we don't love Christmas- Its more that we just have way to much to be thankful for to skip Thanksgiving.... Plus fall is such a fun time of the year. (Ummm... YEAH... FOOTBALL!!)

BUT... once we have enjoyed a wonderful thanksgiving surrounded by the friends and family we are so thankful for, I quickly starting thinking about Christmas. I always wake up the Friday morning after Thanksgiving when everyone else is out shopping thinking about getting the Christmas decorations out and enjoying the traditions that make the Christmas season so special!

I LOVE the holiday season. I love the decorations. I love the friends. I love the family time. I love the parties and the food. Plus the fun songs and hymns that really remind us what the season is all about make me happy all day long! All around, it is such a wonderful time to just live up life and soak up the amazing parts of the holiday.

One of my traditions that I started when I went to college was always sending out Christmas cards. Some times they are artsy and fun. Other times they are reminders of Christ's birth and the true meaning of the season. Sometimes they are just cards and other times I include pictures. This year I was SOOOO excited when I saw Shutterfly was doing a big free give away- 50 free holiday cards just for blogging about it! How awesome is that!?! You can get more information here if you are interested!

I have been debating about what kind of card I want to send. I think I want to send photo cards this year but keep going back to my traditional folded cards. When I went here and looked, I was totally amazed and cant decide which one I like the most. They are all so great!!! And we all know I am terrible at making decisions!!! I should probably go through my pictures and see how many I think I want to include... I am not sure if I want just one or a couple. Here are a few that I really liked... but since i still have not decided which one I am using, who knows you might find one in your mailbox!!

I love this one... a mix of classic fonts with a little fun, modern design!

The candy cane detail and the fun colors make me smile. Its so cute and fun!

I love the retro details of this one. Kinda fun!

I also then got some fun ideas for calendars. I was going to print some of my own at home, but these are just to awesome to pass up. I think I will be making one for myself!! (Yes... I know I should be thinking about gifts for others... but I need a calendar to keep these crazy school things organized!)

So... also... I did not realize Shutterfly does invitations. These are SO cute and so much fun!! I want to throw a party just because the invitations are so awesome!!

I am such a sucker for paper products!! Now if I were only better at making decisions and could decide on a Christmas card!

Recent Quotes

A few more short, but sweet, quotes and tweets I have read recently... and that have me thinking!

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now- CS lewis

"The only moment we ever have is this one right here & right now... make it count... think, choose, act wisely... don't squander it" - Christine Caine

"You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving." -Perry Noble

"The true expressions of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. God's life in us expresses itself as God's life, not as human life trying to be godly."

" I am 100% confident that He has me right where he wants me. And that His plan for me, albeit incomprehensible at times, is carefully crafted and sure to be full of wondrous surprises." - Lindsay Nobles

Medical Benevolence Foundation

A couple of months ago I was approached about serving on the board for an INCREDIBLE organization. After a minor bit of research, I realized I would be completely stupid to not jump on the chance to serve along side this amazing group.

So... I am very happy to say, I am a member of the Board of Trustees for the Medical Benevolence Foundation.

Through the coming weeks, months and years, you will see lots of things coming across my blog about this organization.

more to come soon... BUT... check out the website in the mean time!!

http://www.mbfoundation.org/index.php

on being High Maintenance and high performance

The past month or so I have been dating a guy who seemed like a keeper but it was not meant to be and we recently went our separate ways. However, I noticed a while back he had on his facebook that one of his favorite quotes was "I don't mind high maintenance as long as its high performance." Given he is a total car person, it seemed like a normal quote... but in light of recent events between us, I started to think about it in a very different context. I started to think about it from the stand point of dating and relationships, an analogy of sorts, and the roles two people play in that context.

I would argue that single women who truly strive to be Godly women are high-performance. If you think about the examples of high-performance vehicles, they are valuable, they are beautiful, functional, and impressive. They are perfectly engineered on the inside under the hood. If you think about the biblical characteristics of a Godly woman, I would say she meets those standards and then is eons past them- greater and more valuable than ANY high-performance vehicle. Just thinking about the fruits of the spirit, she should be loving, joyful, patient, peaceful, kind and full of faith and goodness. If you add on top of those characteristics the characteristics seen in Proverbs 31, you have an incredible woman of integrity, and the verse even goes on to say that she "lacks nothing of value." More than the fact that she lacks nothing of value, her heart was paid for at the highest price possible when the Son of God lived a sinless life and paid the ultimate price for her and every other person on this earth. Her heart belongs to God and from the inside, she is perfectly engineered because she was created by Him and has given her heart to Him.

And maybe Godly women are high-maintenance too. A Godly woman is not going to settle for less than God's immeasurably more (Eph 3:20) when it comes to a man. She is not going to adjust her integrity or her character for some guy just because he is not willing to step up. Maybe high-maintenance means that men have to try a little harder because the Hollywood standard of guys who refuse to be real men and refuse to pursue women the way they are called biblically do is not enough. Maybe it means that a man has to step up and trust God with the hard decisions.

BUT... in that same vein of thinking about high performance and high maintenance- you are not going to let just anyone touch or mess with your high-performance (usually VERY expensive and valuable) vehicle. In the same way, Godly women are not going to (or at least shouldn't) let less than the prepared, taught, and trained man touch them- be it mentally, physically, or emotionally. Too often guys today want to claim the rights of manhood without owning the rights of manhood. Too often guys want to tell women that they are ready and trained and prepared to be the Godly men they are called to be in relationships, but eventually time and experience would say and show other wise. Or, the other experience would be they know what they should do but they let society's ways and methods drag them away from what they know is right and away from the plans God has.

So. Guys.. if you want to have a true, Godly, "high-performance" woman (even if you think she might be high-maintenance) step up, be a man, and run after Jesus because if she is a true "high-performance" woman of God, that's where she is heading. Be real and be honest- but as Perry said so perfectly "... commit to her or quit. Don't play games to inflate your incredibly weak male ego with a woman's heart and soul and mind. She is a daughter of The King and deserves to be treated better. Why don't you step up and commit to her and then see what happens?" If that dating relationship works out, you have found an incredible woman of God. If not, you have learned and gained from the experience and respected the woman and respected God in the process.

And ladies- Wait for the man who realizes your true value and realizes the "high-performance" and worth that comes from dating a true woman of God. Wait for the one who is running after Jesus in the same way you are. Don't settle... even when the world is screaming that you should- DON'T do it because the King is enthralled with our beauty (Psalm 45:11) both inside and out- Let God bring you the perfect man He has created just for you and who realizes your true worth. Don't settle for the junk yard find when God has the BMW or Maserati or Mercedes or the Bentley, or whatever other really nice dream car for planned for you if you will just wait for HIS perfect timing. God makes all things beautiful in his time (Ecc 3:11) and He has "immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine" in store for us. (Eph. 3:20) It can be a struggle some days (LORD knows how much I struggle some days), but hold tight to the faith that God only wants good for us, He knows the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4), so delight yourself in and him and hold tight to the faith because HE WILL PROVIDE in ways we could never expect!

thinking...

Thinking and trying my hardest ...

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”- James 3:17-18

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Phil 4:4-7

Its a good thing all my hope and all my faith is in Jesus Christ and not someone walking around in this world.

I cant give details at the moment, but prayerfully considering a variety of things at the moment. Will you pray for me?