Night Out on the Town... and then some.

After cleaning up from white water rafting, we decided to do dinner and a movie.

Chattanooga:

HOT!

Crazy drivers everywhere!

Rain

Such a pastorly face, Ryan...

Car broken into during the night Saturday night. Poor Holli and Grant!

Headed back home with the window knocked out. This meant a hot ride home, but we endured and persevered all the way back to Meridian!

White Water Rafting The Ocoee River

Ryan and Jessica Moore. Grant and Holli Fleming. Myself. Tennessee. Ocoee River.

White Water Rafting

Near Birmingham around 10:30pm... halfway there.Fog and mountains...

Ryan, the driver.

Lost.. and found by the GPS

"butterflies"

The whole gang. We survived without anyone falling out of the boat.

Sooo hungry. Thanks, Sonic!

Giving It Up

Oh what peace we often forfeit,
oh what needless pain we're to bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

It is amazing how we take burdening issues in our lives and attempt to control/fix them... when we have no means to fix or control them. Yet we worry and plot and plan and scheme over how we can make this better, make this happen, stop this and that from happening. How we let these issues dictate our mood, our actions, our lives. How blind are we to not realize that we cannot change things with our simple minds and hands.

Last week, I finally got tired of worrying and getting emotional over things. I mean, what can I seriously do on the issue? So to God I gave it. He is the One in control. He is the only One that change hearts, lives, nations, the world. He is the only One who knows how life will play out, and His way is the only way. He has already heard my puny input, but His eyes can see MUCH farther than mine. It is His; I am sick of letting it rule my life. So to Him I gave it. It is not His "problem" to worry about... not mine anymore. May His will be done.

While I wait on things to process at CHILI, I thought I would blog a little bit.

Caution: There might be rambling and an incoherent train of thought.

Prayer... conversations with God, communicating with the Creator and the One who knows you best and knows the plan for your life. Prayer...

There are a few things that I am dying to know from God right now. It is amazing how I can unashamedly approach God and ask for these answers. How? ... How can a little girl, full of mistakes and screw-ups and horrible thoughts, selfish thoughts, that is sometimes deliberately disobedient, how can I even consider asking the Heavenly Father for certain things? Why would He listen to someone that consistently hurts Him and even more so answer their deepest questions?

I already knew the answer from growing up in the church and being involved for the last 23 years. But the other day, I felt the need to look up these verses and claim them... to re-confirm these truths.

Romans 8:16-17
¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children, ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Ephesians 3:11-12
¹¹ This is according to the purpose of the ages, which He made in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness, access, and confidence through faith in Him.

So we, adopted children and followers of Christ, can be bold enough to approach God and...

Matthew 7:7-8
⁷ "Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

So I am begging... pleading... painfully and probably annoying continually asking God my questions. I am searching for the answer... think Indiana Jones. I will admit that I am a little afraid that I might, like Indiana Jones, fall into traps and have arrows fly by my head... I might not get the answer that I want. But what if the answer happens to be what I'm hoping for? What if I find that ancient treasure? And I'm knocking, beating, pounding my fist again the door. Think Lord of the Rings: Orcs trying to get into Hornburg in Helm's Deep by slamming massive trees into the gates/doors of the place. Yeah... I'm knocking.


"Oh, Lord. I want to know what You have planned for me. Tell me. I beg."

Got a Funny Feeling...

After Today - Sanctus Real

After today I'll get me out of this place
Into the world so I can set a new pace
Seems I'm on my own from here
Vision doesn't seem so clear
Won't You lay me in Your hands of grace

I've got a funny feeling that I'm gonna go away
Gonna face my future, gonna try to make the grade
I've got a ways to go from here and vision doesn't seem so clear
But praise God He's got a plan and understanding isn't my place

After today I'm gonna come face to face
With a new world who knows I'm feeling this way
I've got a ways to go from here
I'm gonna overcome these fears
Still I'm gonna need Your hands of grace

I'll be a bigger man...
I'll pray a bigger prayer...
I'll dream a bigger dream...for today.

Get Up And Go!

My mind is racing.... racing through imaginary thoughts of travel, of new places and experiences and sights. I am dying to get up and go somewhere.

(A) I want to take a roadtrip out west again in the next five years. I am would love to see how the American landscape changes so suddenly from one beautiful climate scheme to the next. And to be in California again where the mountains and gorgeous Pacific ocean are side by side (not to mention numerous attractions).

(B) Tropical destinations. Hawaii. South Florida. Any unknown beach, actually. Breath-taking sunsets. Warm water. Sand. New sights and smells.

(C) The mountains.

(D) Ireland. Scotland. England.

(E) Australia, the land down under.

(F) Africa.

So many places! So much to explore! So many new faces to see and people to meet!

Let's go! Let's go now! I am ready! Who is with me??

Catching Up

Long-over due pictures. No time to upload/organize them all. Check them out via facebook.

Enjoy.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=191023&id=600670859&l=49c6fbd1d4

Looking Back

Looking back... I knew that I would go to college after high school graduation.

Looking back... I knew that weather captured my interest. I knew that God fills us with passion and interests that are unique to us and the furthering of His kingdom, if we act on it. So I pursued a degree in Meteorology.

Looking back... I knew that I wanted to attend Meridian Community College, an unknown territory. Transitioning from a school/place where 'you know EVERYone and EVERYone knows you' to a place where 'you recognize no one and nothing' was hard and exhausting. Slowly but surely, those people, classes, places became my norm. And I loved it.

Looking back... I did not realize how that transition from (a) Kemper Academy to Meridian Community College, (b) driving 15 minutes to school to 1.5 hours round trip, (b) no traffic to traffic, (d) people knowing your life story to starting fresh with new people, (e) from set routines to being able to pick/choose where and what I wanted to do, (f) balancing money, (g) and all the other extra responsibilities that come along with college life... how it was all part of the 'breaking away' plan.

Looking back... I am SO glad that I kept God so close to my side, to my heart. Without Him, I would still be in a little hole in the ground, scared to go out and enjoy the world.

Looking back... The summer after I received my AA from MCC, all of the worry, stress, mind-racing, crying, snappiness was so not worth it. Knowing I would be going off to college in the fall, making the choice as to what college I would attend was the daily struggle. Oh, how family, distance, bigger unknowns, and the like weighed heavy on my mind. After much prayer and pleading for God's guidance, the University of South Alabama was preferred choice.

Looking back... It's so crazy that the beach was one of the biggest motivating factors when choosing which college to attend. Again, how totally amazing is it that God uses those strong interests for our lives!!

Looking back... I remember fear, overwhelming fear and sadness, come over me as I pulled out of the driveway on that USA Transfer Orientation July morning. It was like I was going off forever. Tears were shed, but many more prayers were said in the car that morning. "Lord, this is a me and You adventure," I remember praying.

Looking back... How appropriate was it that the weather was horrible on the drive back, horrible. Dark clouds, some rotating, heavy rain, heavier skies ahead, wind. It was almost like, "Yeah, this is that I want for you, Jaclyn."

Looking back... How sadness of leaving home that Saturday morning in August transformed into this peace and excitement of the beginnings of a new experience. And again, I asked for God to be right there with me on this blind path of life.

Looking back... I expected to break down and become homesick. But for some reason, I was NEVER homesick, never. There were times that I wished I was home, but never was I sad or unhappy that I was not. Such confirmation that this was where God wanted me!!

Looking back... I did not realize what amazing people and friends I would make and meet those first few weeks of classes. I did not realize how important these strangers would be in my life. What blessings they have been and still are! Praise God for surrounding with great people (and that's SO an answer to many prayers!).

Looking back... With a passionate desire to find a church close to campus to get plugged into, a simple google search led to one of the best decisions of my Mobile life. Airport Baptist Church... a church with a young, sarcastic, down to earth pastor; a church with up close and personal group of college friends; a church willing to accept me and let me serve; a church that has a passion to learn Christ and His ways and extend His kingdom. ... Thank You, Father, for leading me to that place! And how it has to growth and commitment.

Looking back... I am so grateful that God (and Mr. Wade) gave the another chance to go on a spring break meteorology trip to Oklahoma with a group of people I hardly knew. And oh! How special that trip was and the memories attached to it.

Looking back... I did not realize that uncouthly turning down a tall, goofy guy for a movie after SeCAPS would go full circle to a friendship and relationship that has taken my life to a new level. What laughter, smiles, joy, comfort, peace, sweet memories, and mere contentment would be lacking if I had not listened to God's voice on so many matters. And how His timing was so perfect! Praise You, Father, for answering my prayers and for such a great addition to my life.

Looking back... The amount of personal growth and character building was sooo underestimated. Group projects, hard tests, weather briefings, papers, personal choices, responsibilities, yes's and no's... they have ALL led to this Jaclyn-foundation that became stronger with every obstacle encountered. And how it was led to me to my knees many times, brought me to tears, forced me to run and jump into my Father's arms, because NO ONE else could help me through it all. Praise You, Lord, for ALWAYS being there, for being so faithful.

Looking back... No one ever expected this quiet, homely, worrisome, meek little country girl to move away from everything near and dear to her... to become a girl that found her voice, that thrived away from home in a new place, to a girl that learned to lean on her Heavenly Father to let go of (most of... still working on it) worry, meek but bold when she needs to be girl of Mobile, Alabama.

Looking back... I am so unbelievably grateful for this thing called 'college life.' How unbelievable awesome, amazing, wonderful my Savior is for walking beside every moment of everyday and providing for me and guiding me!! How blessed I am to have the means and support to be in this position.

Looking back... I knew that I would be walking across a stage with a cap and gown on to be, holding a diploma in my hand reading, "Bachelors of Science." But I did not know it would be here this fast.

It is here. It is time. This is it. This is the present. Five years in the making all for this moment.

All glory to God! Gratitude to my family for the encouragement and provisions. A special thanks to all of the friends, teachers, others that made the experience so worth it and enjoyable.

Synoptic Is Over!

Synoptic Class of 2010

Lost... and No-stinken-Where to be Found

My mind.... what mind? It is gone. It has left. No good-bye. No adios. Nothing... nada. Yeah.

I have apparently lost all capability to reason, to think, to use my brain. I have done so many stupid-air headed things this past week.

So let us recap:
(a) I almost left my geta's keys in the room
(b) ... shortly after, almost forgot to lock the door with those same keys
(c) contoured a couple of things completely wrong on my maps
(d) have slurred words, combined words, basically cannot speak
(e) left keys in the laundry room (along with driver's license, cash, etc.)
(f) left the same keys/wallet in Fred's car and didn't realize it until it was time to pay for groceries
(g) tripped over my feet
(h) struggled like a 6-year old (this morning) to put a series of negative and positive numbers in increasing order
(i) ETC......

"Stupid Mode" has returned in full force. It is crazy. The more I realize just how stupid I have been acting, the more it aggravates me. And the more the cycle continues. The reason? I really do not know. I believe it is because my mind is trying to sprint off in 10 different directions, so I cannot focus on one thing. Once I figure out what I need to think about, my mind if already shooting off to the next topic.

Please pray that my mind returns.... especially before finals.

Thank you.

"It Is Finished"

Yesterday marked the end of an era... the Synoptic briefing era. What a relief!

Dodge City, Kansas is the forecast city this week. Why? The chance of severe weather...


As usual, I prepped the entire morning for the briefing... grabbing charts and pasting them into a powerpoint presentation, analyzing charts, trying to figure out what is going on and why.

The presentation went ok, as I lacked words to describe a few charts. The questions were not quite bad as they have been in the past. But alas, I was within the time limit (19+ minutes), executed accordingly, and was debriefed by Dr. Blackwell... for the last time. And I steadily improved my grades from one briefing to the next! (Praise the Lord!) Now all I lack is one last verification briefing which will be tomorrow.

But it is over. No more stressing out over a Synoptic weather briefing. What a burden taken off of my back!

I realize that there will be A LOT more "synoptic briefings" to come my way, but what a relief and joy to know that God got me through 8 of them over the past year. And He will be right there with me for every other stressful (and non-stressful) moment in my life.

So in conclusion: ALL praise to Him to getting me through allll of it! It was not my strength or courage or knowledge. Uh uh and no ma'am. It was by and through Him was I able to get the job done!

Before AND After

The Before:

The After:

Praise the Lord! They are done!

Learning to Wait...

Patience is a virtue.

Ever heard of that phrase? Waiting and patience go hand in hand. And quite frankly, sometimes waiting sucks.

I have never been much a long-term planner. But if I have a time limit and tasks ahead of me, I can schedule and work and get things done on time... that's short-term planning though. My mind is slowly shifting to the other side recently, maybe because I am being forced to think about such things. This urge to jump on top of things, sort things out, map, plan, talk, discuss, lay everything out on the table has been immanent for some time now. But yet every time I get worked up on the issue, I hear this voice saying, "Not now. Just wait. It will all work out." Besides, it is honestly not in my hands anyway. I gave it away to two people to take care of.

So here I sit, twiddling my thumbs, focusing on what lies directly in front of me, trusting that things will happen accordingly to His plan and timing, and trying to keep my tongue motionless in my mouth.

If patience is a virtue, God is grooming me into a virtuous woman. .... and I am completely okay with that!

Dirty Dishes

Have you ever wondered how dishes can multiply in the sink before your eyes in the matter of minutes, hours, a day?

I have been trying my best to keep up with the room this semester. Since Monday nights are my "free" nights, I try to cook, clean, and straighten up. I followed suit a week ago, and washed a sink full of dishes. It was not two days later that the sink was just as full again! And I thought to myself, "Someone else can wash these. I am not going to do it again."

Thursday: Oh, more dishes are in the sink.
Friday: There's a hint of funk coming from the door, as I pull out my key to unlock it. I walk in and tell Ashley that there's this smell... "Haha. I bet it's the dishes." All the more do I think to myself, "Nope. I am not cleaning those."
Saturday: Come in from work.... dishes still there.
Saturday night: Still there.
Sunday: No change.
This morning: It's like a porcelain/plastic explosive went was planted and detonated in the sink.

Oh, how my blood is beginning to boil. "No, I said I wasn't washing them. The majority of them are not mine. I'm sorry no one else has done it."

So I am in my bed this morning, just lying there. Instead of rushing out of bed, I decide to take a few minutes and talk to God. After praying, I continue with my usual morning routine and eat a bowl of cereal. When grabbing a bowl from the cabinet, I see those blasted dishes STILL there!

But my heart softens, and I realize my jerkish stance on the issue is NOT the way I should be.

"If I was those dishes," I thought, "It will be for God and God alone. Not for the fact of getting them done, not for anyone else, not for redemption for my jerkish way... but those stinken dishes will be washed for His glory."

His glory? Nasty dishes for His glory? A remedial task done in God's name? .....yeah. If He blessed with me dishes to eat off of, utensils to clean them with, muscles/coordination to wash them, and a conscience to be a good steward of what He has provided me with, YES. It will be for His glory.

So, I swallow my pride, pick up the Joy and a sponge, and begin to rub-a-dub-dub-scrub (while cooking dinner tonight, of course).

"You Whore!"

What would you do/think if someone called you a whore? A slut? An adulterer / adulteress? Would you deny it? Would you hurl spiteful comebacks at them? Would you give them an evil look? Or would you just stand there in silence, still in shock at what you were just called.

Well... you are a whore in a sense.

"Where is this coming from??" The book of Hosea.

God used Hosea's life to paint the perfect illustration of how the Israelites (and present day people) treat God. It's painful. It's shameful. It makes me want to cringe, but it makes me realize just how unconditional God's love is for His children.

God told Hosea to "Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry." (Hosea 1:2) So Hosea marries a woman named Gomer, a very promiscuous and slutty lady. But a little while after their marriage, Gomer goes back to her former ways, sleeping around with the local men. She gets pregnant, and God tells Hosea to name the child "Jezreel"... named after a place of battle and bloodshed. She becomes pregnant again with a girl, and her name was to be "Lo-Ruhamah" ... which means no mercy. She becomes pregnant again with another boy, and his name was "Lo-Ammi"... meaning 'you are not My people." Hosea does not even know if these children were his or someone else's.

Hosea's story becomes even more heart-breaking. Gomer is not only sleeping around with other men, but she's living with them! I just cannot imagine how I would feel. If my husband was doing this, extreme hurt and anger would boil through my blood. I honestly do not know if I could bring myself to say that I still loved this person.

But God... God told Hosea in chapter 3 and verse 1:
"Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love the raisin cakes of the pagans."

Go bring her back into Hosea's house? Love this woman who is supposed to be your wife but is living with some guy that she's sleeping with? That... that sounds impossible! Implausible! Ridiculous! Absurd to say the least! Hosea goes out to find Gomer and ends up having to buy her back. He takes her back (at the command of the Lord)! But rules are set for her upon her return (Hosea 3: 3).

I have heard a sermon on Hosea before, but Lee Harper preached on it tonight at Airport Blvd. Baptist Church. And... I have to force my jaw muscles to keep my mouth closed. How can God ask Hosea to marry a whore that will run away from him and then go bring her back? Why?

And then it clicks. This is same way that we act towards God. We receive salvation (marry Him). Our lives instantly change, but then we slip back into our old habits (sleeping around... aka struggling with those sins that we were slaves to before salvation). But God, still amazingly in love with us, goes and finds us in another man's home and brings us back to Him.... pays a hefty price (His Son) for us. What pain and agony and broken-heartedness God goes through every time we turn our backs on Him to do what we want! How unconditional His love is for us!

So... to sum things up. I am a recovering whore. And what a mighty, merciful God I serve!

Bittersweet Emotions

Emotions are a great and horrible thing, in my opinion. I love to see them on the big screen, on loved ones' and friends' faces, and randomly in every day life. But when it comes to me, I do not like them... except the good/happy ones. It bugs me how fast quickly emotions can shift.

I have a feeling that these next few weeks are going to be emotional... up one moment and down the next. Mixed feelings from every direction: so glad to be done with school for the semester, upset that this is my last one at South Alabama, ecstatic about receiving a Bachelors in meteorology, scared to death about how and where to use it, wildly excited about what God and the future holds for my life, upset about leaving beloved friends behind, terrified about certain things drastically changing or coming to an end, and helpless not knowing where God wants me to do with my life. There's just sooo many changes that accompany a degree.

God is in complete control of the whole situation... I know this whole-heartedly. It just sucks when my emotions over power that peaceful fact and reek havoc on my mind. Worrying about worst-case scenarios, over thinking things, and attempts to ignore what is coming... yeah, these little guys like to hang out in my brain without a personal invitation to do so.

Just pray over these next few weeks that I can let God take these concerns of mine, that I can completely let go of them. And that He will show me what He wants me to do and that I will have my eyes, my ears, and my heart focused on Him to know what direction He wants me to go in... regardless of my emotions.

Indulgence

I left straight from work Saturday (April 2nd) to be home for Easter. And the ENTIRE time I was honestly blown away by just how beautiful it was outside! All of these descriptive words kept soaring through my mind, as I attempted to capture the nature's beauty by using the English language. Needless to say, I was unsuccessful. The best I could come up with:

"Hundreds of variations and hues of luscious greens, brilliant purples, smooth creams, striking yellows, and passionate pinks emerging from under the beaming, spring sunlight... hundreds of reasons to look outside and praise God for new life!"

How appropriate is it that spring is always around Easter? How amazing is it that the cold winter months of death and dormancy are erased by this explosion of life and color... just in time for Easter?

You know, I know that God is brilliant and just mind-blowingly amazing when it comes to creating things. Just remember back to biology days (... or google...) and the human cell. The detail! All of the processes going on at once! How they are all intertwined, and if one thing does not work, it affects everything! Then take a step up to organs... and follow the same thought process. Then the human body as a whole... and the same process. Then ecosystems, then continents, climates, the water cycle, weather patterns, sun interactions with the earth... and the same though processes! Can you feel your mind wanting to break down at this point?

God thought it all...and I mean IT ALL... through. Every... little... intricate.... minute.... detail. And if that does not make you stand back in awe, think about this. Genesis 1:1. From the beginning, before He created anything, He already knew the reason for it all. And my, how it all revolves around that reason, His Son.

Even nature proclaims His resurrection and the new life that He has given us! Who else can turn death into life? I am blown away... simply blown away by the God the Creator, by God the Giver of Life, by Jesus and His faithfulness to the plan, and by God letting me indulge in His glorious proclaimation of a new life, a new start, and life in Him.