had a lovely weekend.  friday night i went pottery painting with cyndi.  i made a light-switch plate for my bedroom – modeled it after the monet poster that now hangs in my room…  i get to pick it up tonight!  i can’t wait to see how it turned out…  then we watched Ocean’s Eleven.  man, what a great movie.  i’ve heard there’s going to be an Ocean’s Twelve due for release at the end of this year.  i hope it’s good! 

saturday i slept in big time!  i got out of bed at 10am!  i can’t remember the last time i slept so late.  boy did it feel good!    cleaned house most of the day…  saturday night i had dinner with my cousin nicole and ryan (jones).  kind of a spur of the moment thing.  good food and great conversation.  then we met up with andrew at starbucks for more good conversation.  i was very encouraged and blessed. 

sunday was lovely.  <<insert girly note – i wore one of my new outfits on sunday and thoroughly enjoyed it.  felt extremely cute.  oh, check out my easter dress that i wore last week!  it was a surprise find while i was shopping…  and no, i didn’t pay that price for it.    end girly note.>>  my uncle, who is the pastor of our sister church in tucson (click on the “about us” section to see a pic of my uncle), preached a great sermon about how unity in the church (motivated by a desire to glorify God) magnifies His grace in our lives, and stands in wonderful contrast to an unsaved world.  sunday night luz and i went to see a play in which a friend of ours was the main character.  the play was based on the poem The Singer by Calvin Miller.  it was quite enjoyable.  it was also in Sun City.  so luz and i enjoyed nearly an hour and a half of driving time talking about boys…and theology…and boys.    then luz spent the night.  i love having friends spend the night.  especially luz.   

*IS (“Intra Script”, as opposed to a Post Script [PS], since i’m saying this in the middle of the post not at the end…) — can y’all tell i like this whole linking thing?  sorry if it’s annoying to any of you.  i just like to make it as easy as possible for you all to be on the “same page” as i am.  just trying to enhance understanding…  anyway, back to the post.  no more links, i promise…

i was reading psalm 12…7.  yeah, 127.  i think.  sorry, when i get going in psalms i start to lose track of what number i’m on.  anyway, it was the verse that says “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.  it is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”  and i was struck by how everything is about God.  for by him and through him and for him all things were created.  we do everything in vain if He is not the center of it.  and as i pondered that, and examined my own life and heart in response to it, i was struck by the thought that all things must therefore be done FOR him.  our motivation for everything we say, think, and DO must be to glorify God’s name and to draw near to Him and grow in our affection and love for Him and to know Him more, otherwise all that we do is for naught.  it’s like baking a cake and going to all the work to measure and mix ingredients, carefully pour it into the pan, bake it, let it cool, carefully decorate it, only to have it fall in the mud as you go to serve it.  the whole thing is ruined.  useless.  all your work was for nothing.  and yet you were so confident throughout the whole process that your work was going to be wonderful.  i was convicted about how i don’t stop to think about why i am truly doing something.  i am so confident that what i’m doing is good and wonderful, but in the end, it really amounts to nothing if my heart is not in the right place.  i don’t want to be wasting my time!  i don’t want to do and think and say things that are of no value b/c i am not doing them for God.  anyway, i was convicted and encouraged and motivated once again by the wonderful and powerful Word of God.  praise His name forever!

You shaped the heavens and the earth, revealed Your splendor
You spoke Your life into our hearts, so we belong to You

creator God in you all things now hold together
working Your wonders day by day, You’ll reign forever

You are the maker of all things
First and the Last
creation sings praise to You God
You’re reigning in glory
Ancient of Days
You’re people sing praise to You God