So far so good...

To give you an update on my progress, so far I am 2 for 2. As soon as my alarm went off Monday morning, I jumped right out of bed wide awake and went to the dining room where I had my bible and study materials out and ready. I poured myself a big glass of orange juice and started my morning time with a quick prayer to prepare my heart for change.

This morning I was not quite as bright eyed and bushy tailed. I must have been a little anxious about getting up on time today, because I woke up pretty much every hour last night to check the clock and make sure I hadn't overslept. When the alarm finally did go off, I honestly wanted to shut it off and go back to sleep. Instead, I asked the Lord to help me wake up and help me get through the day. By the time I made it into the dining room I was awake and ready to grow.

I have noticed that, thus far, my days have seemed a little more cheerful and a little less stressed. I am positive that is a direct result of my 2 days of accomplishments. There is so much more to say about what I am learning and reading about, but I have to get to bed tonight so I can be up and awake for my appointment with God tomorrow.

Activate!

As some of you may know I started a new bible study this week called Activate. This class is something that I have been looking forward to over the past couple of weeks and something that I think will greatly benefit me. The class is focused on making your relationship with God more personal, being able to pray more effectively and becoming comfortable with sharing your faith with nonbelievers. After the foundation (introduction) section of the book, the author gives you the honor of doing a self-evaluation. I know that everyone loves to honestly evaluate and critique where they are and to identify their weaknesses, right? I don't really love the word weaknesses. It seems a little negative. Let's use "areas of growth" instead. During my evaluation time, I realized that sharing my faith with others is a big area of growth for me. Thinking back on my almost 9 months in Ohio (geez, has it really been that long), I have only straight forwardly invited 3 people to church. To me, that is kind of sad. I see a lot of people on a daily basis. What is holding me back from sharing my faith with those people. Is part of it rules about appropriate behavior in the workplace? Absolutely, but that is an entirely different post.

Now that my self-evaluation is completed, I move on to the challenge of the first week. This week's challenge is to set aside a specific time (preferably in the mornings) to complete your reading and quiet time with God. Our leader in this class urged us to find an accountability partner. This person is someone you can check in with who will hold you accountable for your challenges. Hello accountability partners! Given that in the past I have tried similar things on my own and due to the lack of will power have not been consistent, I am now making myself accountable to the blogosphere and anyone interested enough to read this blog. I have chosen to do this for a couple of reasons: (1) I will feel pressure to complete all of my quiet times because I plan to update the blog everyday with my outstanding consistency and (2) this is one step I can take to share my faith with others. Granted only my family and some close friends read this blog, but I am making a stand and will try to befriend and invite nonbelievers to the blog.

My prayer for this week is that God will provide the opportunity to share my faith with someone and help me be faithful in my daily devotion time. I would greatly appreciate any prayers that you guys could get up for me.

If anyone is interested in completing the series with me or at another time, thus far I highly recommend the book. The title is Survival Kit: 5 Keys to Effective Spiritual Growth. It can be purchased at Lifeway Christian bookstores or at Amazon for under $10.

As soon as I spell check and click publish, I will be setting my alarm clock for 5:45 so I can do my quiet time in the morning. I will let you know how it goes. Good night!

Brittany

Hitting close to home......honoring a hero

Everyday we hear about soldiers getting killed overseas while defending our freedom, protecting our rights and providing us with the opportunity to live in the greatest country in the world. It's easier for the American people to hear these stories as long as they are distanced from the pain and mourning of the families that are paralyzed by the loss of a loved one. When one of these stories hits closer to home, it makes you take a step back, re-evaluate and recognize all the small things that we take for granted everyday.

Many of you have not been directly hit with tragedy of burying a dear friend, child or spouse, but you have all heard stories and news cast of such grief. One particularly popular and touching story was about Marine Lance Corporal Jose Gutierrez. He was the first American solider to be killed in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Three days ago Sgt. Andrew H. McConnell was killed in Afghanistan by an IED. At 24 years old, he stood up for his country and lost his life defending the freedom that he believed in. Yesterday, Army Sgt. 1st Class Shawn McCloskey was killed in Afghanistan when enemy forces attacked his vehicle. McCloskey left behind a widow and two small kids. Sure these stories break your heart and many of you wish there was something that you could do to help. Well now there is.......

A fellow solider and a dear friend of John's, Sgt. Justin Duffy was killed in action on June 2, 2009 after a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee. What does this mean to you? John along with Duffy's family and the University of Nebraska have initiated a Memorial Scholarship Fund in honor of Sgt. Duffy. Since August, the scholarship fund has transformed from an idea to a discussion and now to an official foundation. John's goal is to raise $25,000 by December to honor this fallen hero. Although this may seem like a large goal to accomplish, since the scholarship began collecting money just a few weeks ago, the scholarship fund has already reached over 10% of the goal. My hope is to do my part in raising awareness of the fund and providing you with the opportunity to reach out and honor a hero who laid his life down for your freedom. We need you to help us reach this goal. Any amount of money no matter how big or how small will be put to use for a great cause.

To learn more about the Sgt. Duffy Foundation website visit it here

http://stories.nufoundation.org/node/565

To make an online donation to honor this hero or to find an address suitable to mail a check follow this link

https://nufoundation.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=1367

This Facebook page has also been created to rally support and provide further information about donating.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SGT-Justin-Duffy-Memorial-Scholarship/123053338041?ref=ts