her dear Bridegroom's face

How often it is that I look to what is right in front of me or just a few months down the road. I struggle to keep the whole Kingdom perspective in proper view. I want it to become a habit for me to see the immediate but also the distant. I want to interpret my immediate by the distant [the hope of glory]. I don't want to be like the bride who walks down the aisle enraptured by her own dress that she forgets to fix her eyes on her dear bridegroom. Now, I don't know what it's like to walk down the aisle but I feel like you wouldn't even think to look at your dress due to the overwhelming emotions of walking toward the man you have waited for. But how often do I look at what the Lord gives and not my Love Himself? The last stanza of this poem talks of that. I saw this poem on another blog and loooooove it. Enjoy :)

The sands of time are sinking,
The dawn of heaven breaks;
The summer morn I've sighed for -
The fair, sweet morn awakes:
Dark, dark had been the midnight
But dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

The king there in His beauty,
Without a veil is seen:
It were a well-spent journey,
Though seven deaths lay between:
The Lamb with His fair army,
Doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land

O Christ, He is the fountain,
The deep, sweet well of love!
The streams on earth I've tasted
More deep I'll drink above:
There to an ocean fullness
His mercy doth expand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

O I am my Beloved's
And my Beloved is mine!
He brings a poor vile sinner
Into His house of wine
I stand upon His merit -
I know no other stand,
Not e'en where glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear Bridegroom's face;
I will not gaze at glory
But on my King of grace.
Not at the crown He giveth
But on His pierced hand;
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Emmanuel's land.

Strawberry Avocado Salsa

I found this recipe in an old Cooking Light magazine. My roommates and I ate it as a salsa but you can also put it on chicken, fish, or pork tenderloin. It was delicious (my roommate Amber had to eat her words that it sounded disgusting after she tried it!!)

::before::

::after:: (sorry for the quality - took it with iphone)

1 cup finely chopped strawberries
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled avocado
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon lime rind (which I did not use)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss gently. Serve immediately!

[Note: You definitely do not have to buy as many ingredients as I have pictured. I doubled the recipe and still had some left over. 1 avocado, 1 jalapeno and way less cilantro would be plenty]

#4 - Run a 5K

I have started running in the past couple of months. One of my goals was to run a 5k this year. I ran in the Atlanta Womens 5k in Candler Park this past Saturday (it was coooold). My goal was to finish under 35 minutes. I did it in 33m 26s so I was very happy with that for my first race. :) I am going to do it in under 30 minutes next time! My roommate did it as well and she is a rockstar. She finished in 18 minutes and won her age division.

My Favorites

These are my favorite children ever! Not to mention that their mom, Amber, is one of my favorite friends :) I love going over to their house and hanging out. Check them out here.

Happy Tuesday!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend - I certainly did. :) I went to Macon to visit some dear friends and take a 'sabbatical' from ministry. It was very refreshing. Here are some recent pictures of what I've been up to! There are a couple from Meredith's birthday. She is a student at Georgia Tech that is so sweet (people often think we are sisters!). I have loved getting to know her over the past 3 years. The last picture is from last night. I made some coconut macaroons and put them in little baggies for my roommates to take to work with their lunches. :) They are delicious and super easy. I'll put up the recipe later on today.

::lawton, jess and i at meredith's bday::

:: my mini me and i at her 21st bday::

::my coconut macaroons::

Happy St. Pattys Day!

My Grandma always made green bread for us on St. Patrick's Day. I really want to keep the tradition. :) This was my first attempt at homemade bread and it turned out delicious if I do say so myself... Although I did forget to add the green dye in when I was supposed to, so I had to do it later which made it kind of speckled. Oh well.

::my GREEN honey whole wheat oat bread::

Cookies Anyone?

I went to a cookie baking technique class yesterday. It was SO fun. I love baking. Check out my friend Sarah's blog for pictures... I figured I would just let the professional photographer bother with that... (While you are there, check out her awesome photography.)

#3

#3 - bake a shaped/character cake

To be a baker like those on Ace of Cakes is a dream of mine. So, I thought I would give it a shot. You can't tell in this picture but this is a magician's bunny (just imagine a hat at the bottom that the bunny is jumping out of and a deck of cards for effect). My roommate, Amber, did magic shows at birthday parties when she was in middle and high school. I LOVE that about her! Anyways, she has been at her parent's home for almost 3 weeks recovering from ACL surgery so this was for her welcome home surprise. :) I am an extreme perfectionist so I won't even tell you what I think of it BUT it was super fun and Amber loved it :) So, I'm counting it a successful first try! I already have plans for my next one... Unfortunately I don't really like cake that much so I'll have to figure out something to do with them!

::buster the bunny, amber's treat::

Dinner and Prayer

I have the privilege of leading a team of 18 students to Johannesburg, South Africa this summer with 2 other staff. I am so excited about the opportunity to go :) Every Sunday night, the girls from Georgia Tech and I have been getting together to share a meal and pray for Africa, the students we will be meeting, our team, our support, etc. Here are some pictures from our latest time. (I apologize for the quality - they are from my phone!)

::breakfast for dinner - yum!!::

::mk, natalie, paige and I (missing you lauren!)::

More Pictures

Here are some more pictures from the ski trip.

::with alpha xi's - mia, me, callie and lauren::

::more alpha xi's - me, meredith, maggie and lauren::

#2

#2 - Go Skiing

The ministry I work for, Campus Outreach, takes an annual ski trip. Somehow I've never made it down the slopes. So, this year, the girls I spend time around on campus were all going so I went in order to spend time with them. I have always wanted to go skiing anyways so I thought I would give it a try. And the results are....(insert drum roll here)..... Mountain-1, Ginnie-0. Let's just say it's not a great idea to go to the top when you have never skied before... Apparently it's important to read the signs of what lift you are getting on.

The whole purpose of this '10 in 2010' for me has been to 'shake things up a little bit'. I really want to force myself to do things I don't normally do. The lesson I learned this time was that I love to be in control. Skiing felt totally out of control to me which manifested itself in me falling frequently and knocking some poor snowboarder over (I have the softball-sized bruise to prove it..) I hated feeling like I didn't have control. When I tried to do it on my own, I couldn't. I kept falling. But when one of the students let me hold on to his jacket while getting off the ski lift, I actually made it off without falling and really enjoyed it. As soon as I let go of him, I fell. I saw how sweet it is that I'm not in control of my life because it would look about the same as I did coming down that mountain: pure chaos and destruction. The Lord was merciful to me to order my days. Through Christ, He chose to save me from my destructive ways and transferred me to the way that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14) just because He's good. How sweet :) As long as I'm following him, there is real joy. As soon as I let go and turn my own way, it only brings pain! AND even sweeter, He is actually the One who holds onto me! So, maybe skiing was a success after all... On to #3...

::skiing with some Georgia Tech girls::

10 in 2010

Why Blog?

My great friend, Kira, had a wonderful idea. In her words, she decided to do 10 things she has never done before this year in order to keep life interesting. I had been feeling a little like I was 'in a rut'. So, I'm going to follow suit. I think I may have more than 10 when all is said and done! I have a lot of ideas. :) That is where this blog comes in.

#1 - Start a blog

I have wanted to start a blog for quite awhile now. Reading blogs is one of the things I do in my free time (nerd alert!!). I love to read blogs of all different kinds: news, cooking, coupons, theology, blogs of friends, etc. I have wrestled with the fear that I would just become more self-absorbed than I already am BUT I think I am going to try it out and just evaluate it as I go :) Here is to #1!

Hello Blogging World!

This is my first attempt at blogging!

So, why 'pleasant places'? Let me explain the name.

If I could pick what verses have shaped my life the most in the last few years, it would without a doubt be Psalm 16 (just ask my dearest friends - I talk about it often!). You should read the whole chapter if you can. I will just share a few verses here.

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken...You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

I love the rich imagery here - portion, lot, lines, inheritance. When I think about it being within the Old Testament, I see the deep trust of the writer because their entire livelihood was based upon their inheritance which was their lot (land) and their boundary lines. It was a BIG deal. There is this deep sense of satisfaction with the Lord and His provision. To me, there is this call to contentment with the circumstances of one's life trusting that they have been providentially established and ordered. My natural inclination is utterly opposed to this. I focus on what I do not possess; I plan for the future and forget the present; and I compare to others' circumstances or stage of life. But He who holds my lot is the King of the Universe. He is trustworthy and these presents days are pleasant places found in 'the lines' that He has chosen for me. And really, these pleasant places (v. 6) are just a taste of the pleasures forevermore (v.11). This will continue into fullness in what is to come which is more of God's presence.

::my current pleasant place::