Here's what I've learned since I haven't paid my cell phone bill...

1. You really can live without one. I mean, sure, it's harder for people to keep in touch with you, and to some point it's kind of become a way of life, but you really can survive without it. It's amazing that the huge thing that Zack Morris use to carry around has now become a necessity to life.

2. You won't believe how much rest I've gotten since I haven't had to worry about talking after my phone turns free at 9 p.m.... I needed that rest too since I've been sick as a dog this week. I mean really...how much snot can one person produce.

3. That even though this little vacation from technology has been nice, I'll pay my bill on Wednesday and you should all be able to call me if you chose so. But for now, if you need me, e-mail me and I'll send you my house number.

I'm sick and ready to be over it. There's really only so much Tylenol Sinus you can take before you go insane. Sleep never comes at night either. How come I can take naps and not cough at all, but lay down to go to sleep, and I almost kill myself trying to cough it all up? geez.

I've been praying through a lot of things lately concerning my future. Our church has been through quite a few changes the past few months, and it's really been a test to see who can survive the "church planting process." We were told a lot of what is happening would happen, maybe I was just to naive to believe it, or really didn't believe that I would even still be here at this point. But even with all that's happened, this is where I feel I'm suppose to be. SO...to continue to work at the church for free, I have to find other employment after this school year. I can't continue to work special ed and expect to be sane. It's not a job that you go to and leave. And that's the kind of job that I need. But I'm so grateful for being where I've been. Some of the most amazing relationships I have in Georgia have come from this experience.

God has been teaching me so much lately. I've always had a problem with letting guilt and shame get in my way. It's just always been a foothold that I've let Satan have in my life. But God has been teaching me that "I can approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that I may receive mercy and find grace..." For so long I've asked others to do this for me, or I've sinned and thought at the end of the day..there's no way that I can talk to God today. But I have to remember that I'm a sinner, that's not really going to change. How often, and which sins I chose to run back to can change...but until I'm made perfect in Him, that's my reality. So I can spend weeks at a time, in shame and guilt, over the smallest or biggest things, OR I can chose to BOLDLY go to the throne and ask for the gifts that He has to give me. Not gifts that I deserve...but gifts that He CHOSE to lavish on me because He LOVED ME. Choosing to accept God's LOVE is probably my number one challenge in life. But I'm getting there...slowly but surely.

So that's the update. I've got a few more things I've learned but there's only so much sense you can make drugged up!!