look what i got.

fresh wind in my sails.

(pic of all the girls from crystal's baby shower this weekend. congrats to one of my best friends of all time. i love you)




the weather was amazing today. i love hot weather...when i got home from work, i napped, drank some tea and read a little- then, topped the day off with a good run. while running, i got an overwhelming hopeful feeling. as i ran, i prayed...thought...talked to God, and it seemed like fresh hope pumped through my very veins. i needed that today...i don't really have an explanation for that other than Jesus..."the ultimate hope giver". i know we can't be ruled by feeling or emotion, but today i sensed so much of God's goodness, grace, hope...love. I want to live each day like that. All of us have worries, fears, anxieties about our futures, presents, what if's, how comes? Jesus is the ultimate provider and supplier of every need we have. learning to really believe that gives ultimate peace. during my run, i thought of all my worries, fears, goals, plans....things I feel God has called me to....instead of feeling anxiety, i felt fresh wind in my sails....

While God may be invisible, He is always at work. That's the beauty of His invisibility. He may be moving in a thousand places at the same time, working in circumstances that are beyond our control. During a waiting period, God is working in our hearts. All the time, we are gaining new strength.

God quietly spoke a verse to my heart on nandina street. Isaiah 40:31. "yet those that wait on the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not faint."

Prayer for the day: let me be like the eagle Lord. i will wait on YOU, YOUR timing, YOUR best. in the process, help me to learn and gain what i'm supposed to and not just pass it by....looking to the next step. help me to live in the present and enjoy each breath, because it is a gift from only You. Thank you Jesus for your peace and hope...and for the fresh wind You put in my sails.

dog days of summer

went on a roadtrip last weekend, and this whole week has been a rush as a result of it. i had a great time at home...like i said in the previous blog, there's definitely no place in the world like home. one of my best friends, jen aka jean, went with me (see pics above).

im really ready for the students to come back to school in the fall...the workplace here is quiet without them. students breezing in and out, professors scurrying around to get to class to give that test, hearing worship services in the chapel, smelling food in the food court-all those things that go unnoticed in fall and spring are sure missed when you can hear a pin drop in the summer.

life is good. God is amazing...He's teaching me something new everyday. i'm learning that He'll do that when we let Him.

i am a bridesmaid in Brittany and Lenny's wedding tonight. it should be fun...great people reunited, good food, fun music. it will be an awesome time. well, it's 9:51 am and this is what's been on the agenda of my mind thus far. until i write again...i pray peace and blessing over your life today, too.

love, meshali

homefoundation.net

if you can, check out www.homefoundation.net

The Home Foundation was founded in 2005 by singer/songwriter Natalie Grant. After an episode of Law and Order awakened Natalie to the real-life, ongoing tragedy of Human Trafficking, she threw herself into a deeper research on the issue. What she found disturbed her so greatly, that Natalie knew she must do something to fight for these helpless victims – precious souls without a voice.

After learning that over 10 million children world-wide have been sold into sexual slavery, and inspired by her trip to the red-light district of Mumbai, India, Natalie Grant founded the HOME Foundation with one goal in mind: to help those who may not otherwise be helped. The Home Foundation has partnered with:

World Vision
Bombay Teen Challenge
International Justice Mission
Shared Hope International
Not For Sale Campaign
Jubilee Campaign

Let's do something to help. Don't just sit in silence. We all can do our part....Dream BIG. You can change the world.

love, meshali

looking upward

ive had to make some pretty important decisions on which way i'm about to turn on this journey im on lately...sometimes i wonder if im making the decisions or if the journey is taking me to some place certain. i am feeling i should stay put. dallas is where im going to be for a while i believe. today, i plant my feet, set my eyes upwards and ahead of me....with God's help and his hand, I can do this. His way is perfect and He always leads me home. i feel hopeful and my expectations are high for what is ahead.

this weekend i got to go home to "the natural state", get on the lake, and clear my head a little. it always helps to go home...to that familiar, steady and consistent place. i thank God for "home". there i have consistency, steady support, unconditional love, memories, hopes for the future, a screened in patio where i can have a good cup of joe and book in the mornings. i even see the creek where my kids will someday have a tireswing. how much better can you get than that?

here are some pics to reflect from this weekend. i am a happy, hopeful girl.