"The Frazzled Female"...

For the last year plus, I've been looking at ways of de-cluttering my life - ALL ASPECTS. Starting with my schedule and obligations. I thought if I don't get control of my time first, then I won't be able to get control of other things...re-organizing, ministry commitments, spending time with God, nurturing and building relationships with friends, family and other Christians...and maybe even finding "Mr. Right!".

• I have done a fairly good job with the time management - I'm finding large blocks of time, even entire evenings or Saturdays with nothing on the agenda...I'm learning to see the blessing in that empty block. I've found time to spend with friends, I've made attempts to re-connect with "old" friends, I'm loving developing current friendships, and I've even begun spending time with "new" friends outside of my circle. This has been a real encouragement to me - because that was one of the things I was most missing...quality time with other people. Not to mention, I'm enjoying doing laundry and household chores at acceptable hours of the day.
• In addition, in January I started working towards re-organizing my home and attempting to get rid of things I don't need. Still major work to be done on that end...I don't like to get rid of things...but I'm hoping my community yard sale in the Summer will help with the the getting rid of unnecessary things process.
• I'm also making good strides at learning to say "no" to things, people, and commitments that are taking my focus away from where it needs to be. Saying "no" is hard for me...but God is teaching me to say that little word.
• I've also started carrying about myself more, and my outward appearance...God wants us to care about our bodies and our outward appearance, not to be vain or to get hung up on looks/beauty - but rather because we are a reflection of his image. So we should care about looking presentable (however you define presentable) - this doesn't require name brand anything or expensive hair-dos, jewelry, etc...just being aware of who we are and how we are reflecting this in our outward appearance. To that end...I started a diet, including being accountable with friends via weekly weigh-ins (have no fear - poundage is not revealed, just number of pounds lost! I've not lost my mind); I started the new year off with a new "do" that was pleasing to my face; and I've started wearing make-up more...(for clarification) not because I find it necessary - but wearing make-up gives me confidence and I feel better about myself...I'm convinced there is something magical in those lip gloss tubes!! When I feel better about myself, I don't feel so frazzled; therefore, making me open to listening more to God's leading, teaching and convicting - and not focusing on myself!

However, with all of the efforts, that I have made and I am taking - I've not arrived at my goal of being de-frazzled. I mean why would I think that in a year, I could "undo" the circumstances that took me several years to create - it's just like dieting...it takes time to gain the weight, and time to shed the pounds. It's going to take time to de-clutter my life. It's an on-going, daily commitment that I have to make. In addition, most of the things I've done are outward tasks, and I need to focus on the inward part. As I shared in a previous blog (and alluded to above) - I'm coming out of a time when my life was stuck in a chaotic rut, and I was in need of major re-alignment in my life...it was during that "rut" period that I first attempted the study below. During my current all aspects of my life "re-alignment period", one of the areas that God has convicted me of and challenged me with was having a daily in-depth devotional time that was truly growing me into HIS image - not just reading some verses, making personal application and moving on (you know like a checklist kind of study...gotta do it, do it, check it off). Rather something that was going to challenge me, change me and cultivate my relationship with Him.

Just prior to God revealing to me my need of alignment, I was strolling through the local Christian Bookstore, looking for some new "miracle grow" for my soul. I found a study that caught my eye - mainly because the title described me, "The Frazzled Female - Finding Peace in Daily Life" (by Cindi Wood), and because I felt like most days of my life I looked like the character on the front of the book. I read the description, read through the TOC, found it to be something I could benefit from, so I purchased it (bonus it was on sale - yet another sign God was drawing me to the study), started the study, and shamefully I didn't get through the first week - because I found myself running out of time each day (pathetic, yet ironic, to say the least!). I've seen the study next to my bed for sometime now - but I've not opened it up. However, through God's conviction and begging of me to be closer to Him - I decided that I am going to start (or I guess I should say re-start) this study. This is part of an entire series entitled "The Frazzled Female". I've committed myself to doing this study DAILY - as it is designed, beginning this Sunday (because the study is a weekly study that begins on Sunday - and I'd get confused if I didn't start accordingly). It's a six week study. In addition, as a way of holding myself accountable (and maybe even challenging/blessing others - even my male followers), I'm going to post blogs (at least weekly) about my progress, the truths God is teaching me and challenging me with through that week's study, and whatever other tidbits I may find to be applicable.

Below is the description of the study:

Knowing Christ and His Word is really the best way to deal with today's frantic, stressful pace. Nonetheless, connecting the two can be a challenge. This book is a new study designed especially for women. By sitting at the feet of Jesus and absorbing His teaching, women will be able to deal with essential issues like managing their time, getting along with difficult people, taking time for themselves, and even organizing their lives. This thought-provoking yet light hearted study helps women discover practical, biblical help to confront issues that otherwise leave them feeling discouraged.

So stay tuned...God is working, and this could get exciting!

Penny...

On Friday, February 12 at 7:49 a.m. I lost a friend, and Heaven gained an angel (as Jenni so sweetly put it)...my lifelong friend Penny (Miller)Hoffman lost her battle to cervical cancer to gain the glory of the Lord.

Penny was only 39 and she leaves behind a husband, four small children, her parents, siblings and their spouses, several nieces and nephews, and MANY friends. Two days shy of 13 months from her diagnosis of the horrible disease that ended her life - God called her HOME...saying "well done thou good and faithful servant...enter into the joy of your Lord." Our loss was truly heaven's gain. Penny was easy to love - she had a sweet spirit, was always smiling and above all was a faithful servant and follower of Jesus Christ. Penny lived her life to bring honor to God and to point others to His free gift of salvation, while demonstrating his love unconditionally to those that she came in contact with.

For a few weeks now, we knew that Penny's life on earth was coming to an end - and I've been thinking about some memories I have of Penny. Penny is the older sister of one of my childhood best friends, Katie...and it was through Katie that I first got to know Penny. Growing up I spent many a Sunday afternoons or Friday nights at Katie's house. Through the years, especially at the end of my teen years and into my early adult years Penny began to become my friend. And since that time our friendship grew and blossomed. Penny always called me by my first and middle name - Megan Marie. I'm not sure why, but she did and it became how I signed my name to cards & letters to Penny. It was her "nickname" for me, and honestly it was nice to hear it and know I wasn't in trouble! I've enjoyed my trip down Memory Lane - quietly traveling through the phases of our friendship and remembering so many wonderful experiences. We've had many fun times together with lots of laughter. We've had many heart to heart times with many tears shed. But one of my greatest connections to Penny was because we shared a similar experience - SINGLENESS...and more importantly singleness beyond 30 years old. Penny spent the majority of her adult life as a single (she and her husband were married for 7 years and 12 days, when she left this world) - so Penny could relate to me, a fellow single. She OFTEN told me that she understood what I was thinking or feeling and that she was praying for me. Often times these were just random confirmations of her being there for me. Outside of myself and my Mom, I don't think there is another person on this earth who prayed more that God would bring me a husband. Penny was my matchmaker prayer warrior! That was so special to know - because I knew Penny truly understood and knew exactly how to pray about this situation...what a blessing that was to me. This past summer, right before Penny started her slow decline in the battle - she asked if she could meet with me and pray over me. She said that myself and my sister had been on her heart and mind, and that she wanted to pray with us. We both agreed - so after a Sunday evening service, the three of us meet in quiet room and Penny laid her hands on us and prayed for us - specifically that God would fill the desire of our hearts and bring us each a spouse...a Godly spouse. No one had ever done that with me or for me - no one had ever taken the time to lay their hands on me (as they did in Bible times) and to pray specifically for me to find a husband. What a special moment that was - with tears quickly streaming down my face I embraced Penny and thanked her. I'm a wimp and I don't do hospitals all that well; however the week after Christmas I went to visit Penny in the hospital. It was the last time I saw my friend and had a conversation with her. When I left her room, my heart was crushed...she was so frail and weak, but as I left I stood beside her bed, hugged her frail body and said..."I love you friend." And she hugged me tighter, and in a weak voice said..."I love you too, Megan Marie." Those were the last words I heard her speak to me, and I will cherish them forever.

What a privilege is was for me to call Penny my friend. I'm going to miss her greatly - her smile, her laugh, the way she pronounced certain words (i.e. idea), her love and compassion, her example of being a faithful servant and mostly her friendship. I realize that Penny is in much better place. She is healed from her cancer, she no longer has tubes, ports or bags going into her body. Penny is now perfect - and she has seen the face of God. I realize that those of us who knew her were only guaranteed an unknown amount of time to have her with us, and I also realize that she had completed the work God called her to do - and while I (and so many others) may feel it was too soon - He was ready to have her back. However, I look forward to and know that there will come a day when I again will see my friend...and I'm sure she will be at the gates of Heaven welcoming me in and grabbing my hand, running me to throne of Jesus Christ, so that we can together worship and praise Him for all eternity.

Over the last few days, I've been searching through songs to just bring comfort to my sad heart, and I came acrossed the one below, I found it to be so fitting of Penny. She always wanted to make sure that her life was causing people to love Jesus more - she encouraged people to love Him more and to come to know his unconditional love. So I found it rather appropriate to end my blog about Penny with this song. I love you Penny!

Until we meet again...may I too live a life that is pointing others to Christ and leave them loving Jesus more.

A Voice From the Past...

Do you ever wonder if you've made an impact? Will people who don't see you often and only knew you for a brief time remember you? How do you want people to remember you? Will people remember you as being a Christian - someone who actively served and attended church?

I get so excited when I get mail that is worth reading, you know not junk or a bill! As much as I love the ease of modern technology (FB, e-mail, IM, etc.) - I get super excited when I see my name/address handwritten on the front of an envelope, as I pull it out of the mailbox. It's like a little surprise that is added to a normal routine (heart gift)!

Today, I checked my mailbox as I do daily. Junk. Junk. Important details from PNC regarding the transition from NCB to PNC - ugh. Cousin's Wedding Invitation - cool! An envelope that appeared to have a personal note or card - super cool! WOW - two fun things in one day (heart gift)!! I was shocked to see the name on the personal note...Jan Brownlee. A co-worker from the Insurance Broker I worked for 12 years ago. I hadn't seen or heard from Jan in those 12 years. I read the note...she explained that she recently purchased an insurance agency located in the Westgate area, and that she had moved to this side of town. She went on to say that she was looking for a church in the area. She gave me her phone number - so I called her immediately after reading my note. All the time wondering - how did she know she had the right person - there are two people in c-bus with my name. GOD KNEW!!!

She answered, and on the other end was a voice from my past...and honestly, a voice I rarely thought about. We quickly caught up on where we "were" in life and how things were going. After about 10 min, Jan quickly turned the conversation to her purpose for sending the note...finding a church. She was an active member of a church for many years and several things have brought her to where she is currently looking for a new church...one being that she had moved to the Westgate area and wanted to find something closer to home. As she was explaining why she thought of making contact with me, she said..."Megan, I remembered that you lived in this area. I also remember that you were active in a church and how much you loved your church. So I thought I'd call to get some information about your church." For the next 20 mins. I talked to Jan about IBC - its current schedule, ministry opportunities, worship style, shared the website address, explained how IBC is like a family and our current state of transition. For 20 min., I felt like a proud parent "bragging" on her child. I was proud of my church, and the direction it was headed. Jan explained that she had a list of other churches to visit - but would definitely be visting IBC in the near future. I hung up the phone and thought..."WOW!! That was weird. That was kinda cool. Just WOW!". The fact that I had just talked to someone I hadn't seen or talked to in 12 years seemed so surreal - I hadn't talked to her in many years, and yet she remembered me. She remembered me being a Christian and talking about my church. I made the impact on her that I had hoped for - even if that hope was subconsciously. Someone that I worked with - occasionally casually discussing our religious beliefs and background - I made an impact on! It's a simple impact - I know...but it is the impact I desire to make on the lives of others. Who knows where Jan will continue her involvement in the body of Christ. But today, I'm just thankful that my life when I worked with her 12 years ago - made such an impact that she took the time to personally write me a note - just to learn more about my church (heart gift).

"Very cool God, very cool! Thanks for the "heart gift" today God...it totally made me smile."

Today's Reminder Lesson: Live the life of a Christian daily - in all aspects of life. People really are watching - and you never know how God will use your daily testimony in the life of another person.

"Julie & Julia"...Meg's Review

For those who know me well, you know that one of my passions in life is food!! I LOVE food...preparing it, eating it, learning about it, reading about it, collecting recipes - anything to do with food I love it!! :) You could call me a "Foodie" ("someone who has an ardent or refined interest in food."). I became a "foodie" the first time I laid eyes on my Holly Hobby Easy Bake Oven - since then I've know that my home was in the kitchen!! Another one of my newest passions is blogging! While I don't do it as much as I'd like, I do enjoy it!! It's a great release for me - I enjoy writing, it lets me be creative in sharing my thoughts, lessons I'm learning, fun stories about myself and my family, and just everyday life! Martha Stewart would say "it's a beautiful thing". I also enjoy reading other's blogs, and of course blogs about food. So when the movie "Julie & Julia" hit the movie screens - you can only imagine how much I wanted to see it. I SO wanted to see it...but I never did see it on the big screen. While I was excited about it - I couldn't find anyone who shared my same passion - they just didn't see how blogging about cooking could be the makings of a movie worth seeing. I on the other hand thought it made perfect sense! I decided, I'd go by myself...but time got away from me and it never happened. Watching it on DVD became my next goal (if you can have goals about watching movies!). Therefore, I made it a suggestion for a Christmas gift. I have a friend who each year at Christmas we tell the other exactly what we want - only one gift idea is shared for each of us. I kinda like it - even though it takes the surprise away...I'm guaranteed to get an item on my list. I don't share the idea with anyone else - just this friend...making sure not to duplicate! Well this year - I knew EXACTLY what to tell my friend..."JULIE & JULIA"!!! And that is exactly what I received!! :) I was so excited!! So I planned for my own personal movie night (one of my favorite hybernation activities in the Winter on Friday evenings). I picked up a pizza, put on my comfy clothes, headed for the basement with pizza and Pepsi in hand, put the movie in and assumed my usual spot on the couch. I was ready!! And my thoughts on the movie...

General Details:
Based on Two True Stories of Julia Child & Julie Powell
Meryl Streep (Julia Child)
Amy Adams (Julie Powell)
Director: Nora Ephron
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Romance
MPAA Rate: PG-13 (for brief strong language and some sensuality)
Runtime: 123 min.

Meg's Review:
Star Rating (out of 5) - 3.5
Overall: Cute, Funny, Lighthearted, and will leave you wanting to cook and blog


Meryl Streep - She did an excellent job portraying Julia Child. She did an amazing job sounding exactly like Julia. Even though, I'm a self proclaimed "Foodie" - I knew very little about Julia Child prior to watching the movie. So I found the movie to be rather "informing" on the life of Julia Child. I was familiar with her name (in general), her eclectic accent, and her overall unique appearance (tall and rather plain). I didn't realize she was the only women in her class at Le Cordon Bleu, that she was married to a diplomat, nor that she didn't set out to be a World Famous cook. Food was what she enjoyed and she was looking for something to fill in her time while living in France - so she took cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in hopes of expanding her horizons, and later desiring to teach American Women how to cook french food.

Amy Adams (an actress I'm starting to enjoy) - I knew nothing about Julie Powell until this movie was released. I did research the Internet to see if her "The Julie/Julia Project" blog still existed - and it does, but has not been updated in some time (WARNING: If you review the blog there is offensive language throughout the blog). I felt I could relate to Julie Powell - for several reason...she is a Secretary, she enjoys cooking, she had emotional outbursts after she got way stressed out, she quickly got over her emotional outbursts, and she put her entire life completely into her project (i.e. she begins feeling that she is actually cooking for Julia Child, she began wearing pearls daily, because she wanted to be Julia Child). Julie Powell is a writer who had not reached the goal of being a published writer and finds herself as a Secretary for an organization involved in the rebuilding project of the World Trade Center site. She is approaching 30 and is frustrated about her current "place" in life. She loves writing and wants to start a blog, because a fellow friend has a blog - but feels she has nothing to write about...because she is not an expert on anything. She then decides that she will cook/bake her way through Julia Child's first cookbook, and write about her experiences...with a deadline of one year. (she had to set a goal, because she knew if she didn't she'd never finish the project...yet another reason I feel I could relate to Julie Powell).

Generally speaking, I enjoyed the movie...at times it was slow, but overall it was entertaining and occasionally had me laughing out loud (especially when purchasing/cooking the lobster and during her emotional outburst that lands her lying on the kitchen floor). I liked the easy transitions of similar experiences from the life of Julie to Julia and visa versa. I enjoyed the on screen reunion of Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci (as Paul Child, Julia's husband)...I loved them together in "The Devil Wears Prada". The movie didn't leave you challenged to conquer the world, cause your mind to think during the movie, nor did it have you sitting on the edge of your seat. It was a lighthearted movie depicting the lives of two women who happened to have similar interests living in different decades, and showed you how your life can inspire others. If you enjoy cooking - you will enjoy "Julie & Julia" and will want to add it to your DVD collection. I would watch it again - actually I watched it twice in 24 hours. Not because it is "Titanic" amazing, rather because I had some interruptions during my first preview - and I wanted to watch it all the way through in one sitting. If cooking isn't your "thing" - you may find the movie to be just okay (maybe even boring) and not worth watching again - and I would recommend you rent it first to see if you'd like to add it to your DVD collection. I would recommend watching it at least once - if for no other reason than to see Meryl Streep's performance in one of her best character transformations. The movie ended differently than I thought it would end (probably the most shocking part of the movie) - but I guess you can't change real life. I don't think I'll be taking on the Julie Powell challenge - but I may purchase a copy of the cookbook (to add to my cookbook collection of 100+ different books) and attempt several recipes. However, I could see me enjoying a trip to the National Museum of American History to see the Julia Child kitchen exhibit (minus the butter).

And there you have it...

God's is teaching me...

"Your father knows what you need before you ask him. So do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today's trouble is enough for today."(Matthew 6:8b, 31-34)

As I wait for the Lord to show me where my next work mission field will be, God is teaching me to claim the verses above as my own, and has "introduced" me to the song below. I pray that I daily remember and apply the verses, in addition to having the faith of this song!

Trust - if only it were as easy as it sounds...

Tonight during Small Group (btw...it's a new highlight to my week!), we discussed trust. What does it mean to trust? When do you know you are trusting someone? The importance of trust in God? Are we called to trust all believers? ...and many other aspects around the subject of trust. It was a great conversation and many points were shared. A few of my favorites...some things to ponder.

1. How arrogant of me to think that God should answer my prayers the way I want and not according to HIS will. Loved this comment - because often I get disappointed because I don't get the answer I want, and I even think that God doesn't love me or that he has forgotten about me.

2. Guilt is only a good thing - when I need to realize a sin in my life prior to asking for forgiveness. Guilt of a sin in my past, that I have asked God to forgive, will only hinder me for being the person God wants me to be.

3. Sin has consequences, but the punishment was paid for at Calvary.

4. Does God need to trust me?; OR Is the trust relationship only me trusting Him?

5. Why is it that as a believer, I don't feel like I can be honest with fellow believers about areas of weakness, struggle or in need of improvement...lack of trust, worry of judgement, or...

We closed our time with Philip reading the statement below. May this be the prayer of my heart daily...dying to self and trusting fully my Lord and Savior.

"Abba (Papa/Daddy), into your hands I entrust my body, mind, and spirit and this entire day-morning, afternoon, evening, and night. Whatever you want of me, I want of me, falling into you and trusting in you in the midst of my life. Into your heart I entrust my heart, feeble, distracted, insecure, uncertain. Abba (Papa/Daddy), unto you I abandon myself in Jesus our Lord. Amen"

And the decision is...

Below is an e-mail I just sent to a group of friends and prayer warriors...that may have included some of my blog followers. But just in case you haven't recieved the news....


As some of you may recall, tomorrow is "DECISION DAY", and I wanted to pass along to you the decision that I've made. Most will not be shocked by my decision - but it's not because of the reason that many of you will think caused me to come to my final conclusion. MANY factors played into the decision.

With that being said, I will be taking the seperation agreement - staying true to my scarlet & gray roots...black & gold have never looked good on me - and I will be looking for employment in Columbus either before or after the June 3 date...we will see what the Lord has in store for me. During the process of deciding - I did begin to see what the Columbus Job Market looked like - it is rather "eh"...but it's not as bad as I've seen it in the administrative field in recent months. With that being said - there have been a handful of positions that have peaked my interest - so I've submitted my resume. My desire is to stay with DE until the end - but if another opportunity comes along...I may leave sooner. From the resumes I submitted I've had a phone interview and a face to face interview with a local utility company (face to face was yesterday), a phone interview with a second company (a local event planning company) on Monday evening (with a possible face to face one day next week or the week after) and then yet a third phone interview is scheduled for this evening (Thursday) at 5:00 p.m. WOW!! I'm not nieve enough to put all of my eggs in one basket and assume that I will get one of these three positions - yet it's just a great re-affirmation that God is going to provide for me. He has always given me exactly what I needed, just when I needed it and I know that won't be any different in this situation.

So thank you for your prayers, and please continue to pray - as I continue to look for what my next step is and where God is directing me.