23

Well, it's here. I've been waiting for age 23 for the past 10-11 years. For a pretty stupid reason too.

The bride at the first wedding I ever attended was 23 years old. Since then, I assumed I'd be married at age 23.

I think lesson learned: put your hope in Jesus, silly.

Most memorable moment of July 18, 2010.

Setting: Dinner at home.

My Dad prays for the meal before we eat.

Dad: Father, we thank you for how you've been good to us for the past 23 years...
*long silence*
Vicky's head: Oh my, Dad's crying.
*Vicky starts crying, Mom too*
Vicky's little sister: *cracks up*

We all look up at each other and start laughing.

My sister thought my dad forgot how to speak English.

It's been a year to be thankful for. Messy, hurtful, and oh so unexpected.

From my fav chapter of the Bible: Deuteronomy 8:16
"...who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end."

From heartbreak to mad insecurity to anger at ministry to shingles to months of bitterness to forgiveness to reconciliation to healing to amazing joy.

My God is constantly doing new things.

Integrity

I'm starting off with a tangent.

This Sunday, Pastor Steve spoke on Jesus' hard words on lust and divorce. At the end of the sermon, he gave time for the congregation to ask questions. You could either ask questions by speaking into the cordless microphone, or by texting in your question to the number projected on the screen. TEXT! Bah! Who would've ever thought people would use text like this in church. hehehe

Now I shall veer away from the tangent.

Pastor started talking about the subject of how women should dress. And then he mentioned something about if you dress one way to Bible study but you dress in another way to a bar, you should probably question your integrity.

Jesus calls us to be whole people.

I never really thought I struggled much with integrity. I suck at lying.

But integrity is more than speaking the truth- it's living the truth.

The truth right now is: I often dress in ways before my friends that I would never dress in front of my parents. I speak in ways before my coworkers I would never speak to the Sunday School kids. I share my life in ways before the ministry girls differently from my non-Christian friends.

If I were truly living for my King, would there be a discrepancy?

It's exciting to learn how to be His hands and feet to everyone, everywhere, but ultimately be His, yet tricky at times too. There's got to be a way to be all things to all people, and be the same person at the same time.

Challenging stuff.

Jesus, everything really means...everything.