My name is R-E-G-I-N-A!!!!

Last weekend I made a trip to Ikea. I love Ikea...it's fun just to walk around and imagine all the potential that surrounds you. I personally LOVE to put all that stuff together...I think I get that from my daddy. Growing up he made building things an event...that's always sort of stuck with me ;o)

Anywho, back to Ikea. While I was there in Saturday I had to return something so I went to the Customer Service Desk. They usually give out numbers but were out, so they were taking names instead. Now I have a fairly simple name...Regina. I don't personally think of it as hard to pronounce. And you can clearly see that my name begins with an R...not a V!!

As my turn comes due, over the Store loud speaker I hear this...."VIRGIN!! You're next...VIRGIN!! Please come to the Customer Service Desk!!!" I immediately know that they have mistaken R-E-G-I-N-A for V-I-R-G-I-N. To top it all off, when I get up to the Customer Service Desk, the gentlemen at the desk says, "are you V-A-G-I-N-A??" I said, "NO, my name is Regina...that's R-E-G-I-N-A with an R!!".....

Next time, I'll just stick with Rose....I mean surely they can't screw that one up ;o)

Bloom where you are planted

Bloom where you are planted...that's been my conviction of the day. The honest truth is, I haven't been blooming lately...I've given up and decided that I want to be somewhere else.

That's a terrible thing...I expect God to pick up and bless me with something new, when here I am having a bad attitude and expecting to be rewarded.

Tonight I was flipping channels on cable and I came across "Facing the Giants" of all shows. And I knew that this was God's way of speaking to me. He had a lesson that he wanted me to learn tonight...and I'm listening. Don't give up, and BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED!!!

Right now, I'm planted in Chicago...thus I must make the most of it. If I cannot bloom and flourish here, what makes me think that a new bit of scenery will change anything. It's not about my surroundings, it's about my heart. And I've got to make sure that my heart is for the Lord, all the rest will come in God's due time.

Footprints

"It was then that I carried you".......

Footprints

One night a man had a dream.

He dreamed he was walking along the beach

with the LORD.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.

For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the

sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he
looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of his life

there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest

and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the
LORD about it:

"LORD, you said that once I decided to

follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But

I have noticed that during the most troublesome

times in my life, there is only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why when I needed you most you

would leave me."

"The LORD replied:

"My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never

leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when

you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Written by Mary Stevenson

Why I hate newspapers....

Ok, I'm as polite as the next person, but I draw the line if you have something on your face. I refuse to let anyone in my vicinity walk around looking like a goon because I was too "polite" to tell them they had broccoli in their teeth or a big black smudge on their face.

Today, I started my morning off reading the paper...I don't always read the paper, I usually have no extra time in the morning. But today, I had a few extra minutes to grab a paper and read it with my morning coffee. Apparently while reading said newspaper my fingers were coated in that lovely black ink that all newspapers leave behind.

At noon today...NOON!!!! I was talking to a friend down the hall from my office and she said, "Oh Regina, did you know you have a large black mark on your nose?" Did I know I had a large black mark on my nose??...NO, I did not know that. Do I know when I got said black mark on my nose??...YES! I got said mark at 7:00 AM this morning....FIVE HOURS before my nice friend brought it to my attention!!

So the moral of this story, PLEASE don't be polite....TELL a sister if she's got something ON her face, IN her teeth, or even IN her nose...she'll thank you later...I Promise!!

Summer-itus and Uncertainties

WOW! Do you ever look back at certain points in your life and say to yourself, "is this it?" "Is this all I'm ever going to do, all I'm ever going to be?" That's where I am right now. I've reached a wall in my career.... basically, I've decided that this is NOT the career that I want. This is not the job that I want to be doing for the rest of my life. BUT, now what do I do??

There in lies the ultimate question. I'm unsettled, I'm uncertain of my future, and I'm done. But again, what do I do now?? And the answer is, PRAY!!!.... PRAY A LOT!!! For the past year I've felt as if God was moving, leading me toward something. I've felt Him working and I've known that a big change was coming, but I wasn't exactly sure what that change would be. I'm still not certain of the change, but I do know this....I've got some large decisions to make.

First and foremost, what do I want to do?? If I don't want to do what I'm doing, what is it that truly strikes my fancy, floats my boat, makes me kick my heels together in glee?? And right now, I honestly don't know the answer to that question. I'm praying and asking God to lead me to it. Because I've got to tell you, I'm completely at a loss.

And secondly, where do I want to be?? And by this, I mean do I really want to stay in Chicago?? I've made a life for myself here, but I don't think this is really where I want to BE to STAY.... Where I want to spend the rest of my life. So then, where do I want to BE?? Where would I be most happy and settled?? That's another question for God. I have a few ideas, but they all seem so far fetched. I'm simply praying and asking God for His direction, for His peace, for His strength to continue the search. I'm open to whatever he holds in store for me. I'm willing to go where He leads me, I'm just in need of His direction.

If possible, I'd prefer the whole lightening bolt in the sky approach, but I'll settle for anything.

So please pray for me. Please pray that God continues to work and continues to direct my life. And please pray that I will have the strength to follow where He leads.