Jen the Jag

My sister is such a little baller! After a short stint away, she decided to return to South Alabama and play her last year of softball for the Jaguars. She's having an awesome season so far--7 homeruns in the first 15 games! WOOHOO! I like to brag. Read more about her last tournament here....

http://www.usajaguars.com/news/2011/2/27/SB_0227112417.aspx

Jenny would object to my bragging. She would only want me to boast in the Lord, and she is right to object. It is God who has gifted her with amazing athletic ability, and He has purposed for her to use it to bring Him glory. I am so overjoyed to say that Jen is using this time in her life to make a difference for Christ both on and off the field. She is a leader to her team and is using every opportunity to point each young lady toward the Lord. I believe God is truly blessing her decision to return to South and play her last season.

But still...I have to brag...just a little!

American Saturday Night

Adam and I don't often agree when it comes to our music and movie preferences. Marriage has taught us how to compromise, though. I watch his "shoot em' up" movies and he watches my romantic chick flics, and we get along just fine. We do, however, share a common love for country music (well, most country music), particularly Brad Paisley's music. While country music can be a little (ok...a lot) cheesy and contains a WHOLE lot of bad theology, I love that the songs tell a story about life. Granted, a lot of those stories involve alcohol, lost love, and empty religion, but not all of them. I think Adam and I love country music because it reminds us a lot of where we came from. Paisley is a favorite, not only because of his witty lyrics and mad guitar skills, but because we can relate to the things he sings about in his songs. Adam said, "You feel like he's singing about you in so many of his songs." I told him that not every person feels that way, but he does because he's a good ole' southern boy who can truly relate to songs about "tractors, trucks, little towns and Mama." I understand where he's coming from. Growing up he spent a lot of time on the lake fishin' and ridin' around gettin' a little mud on the tires. Now, he spends a whole lot of time waitin' on a woman, but his eyebrows SURE aren't plucked and there's a gun in his truck (or several in his closet). I could go on, but you get the idea.

Anyway, all of that long discourse was just to eventually say that Brad Paisley came to Louisville last night, and we got to go see him in concert! A few months ago, we heard he was coming, and we both decided that was something we didn't want to miss. Luckily, we got cheap tickets and sort of had a late Valentine's day date (since we studied and ate dinner at home on the real V-day...so romantic, I know.) Besides the fact that the people next to us made us get up about 25 times during the show so they could get by to get beer re-fills, the concert was great. Darius Rucker opened for Paisley, and we enjoyed him almost as much. He has so many hits that I hear on the radio all the time that I didn't know he sang. Paisley played for 2 hours---pretty much all his hits. All in all, it was a nice night out and a much-needed break from work and school. Brad ended the show with his song "Alcohol," which was an appropriate choice since much of the crowd was...well, you know....gone!

Here are a few poor quality photos from our seats in the upper deck.

Baby, Baby!

So, the news is finally out that baby Rice is on the way. I almost made it to the 12 week point before going TOTALLY public (although tons of people already knew), but I'm married to Adam Rice. So, of course, we ended up spilling the beans slightly earlier than planned.

We are thrilled about this new season of life, but I have to admit that the whole idea of having a child is still completely surreal. In the moments when I'm actually not nauseated (which have been few and far between), I start to wonder if the little Rice-a-roni is really, truly in there! The idea of parenthood, particularly Christian parenthood, is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. We have been given the awesome and massive responsibility of raising a child to know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ! For many years of my life this child (and hopefully others) will be my greatest mission field for Gospel ministry! I am already praying for wisdom, discernment, and grace for this task...often!

Even in these first few months of pregnancy, I have been humbled and driven back to utter dependence on the grace and provision of Christ. Developing complete trust and satisfaction in Christ alone is not necessarily a fun process for sinful, self-reliant flesh. I am so inclined to try to find security in myself! This week, I have been stripped of that. On Sunday, we discovered that my car has some major problems that are costing us a significant amount of money to fix. We've been trying to get around to different jobs/classes with only one vehicle this week. On Tuesday, we found out that all the money left in our checking account had been stolen (fraudulent charges) and that we were going to have to wait a day or so to have it re-funded. Combine these things with Adam's search for a full-time job, crazy pregnancy hormones, and intense nausea, and it makes for a somewhat stressful week. I would love to say that I handled all these (very minor) trials in a godly way by remaining calm and completely trusting God's provision. I have to admit, though, that I had some melt-downs. Poor Adam. In spite of my unfaithfulness, God is faithful to complete the good work He started in me. He will not allow me to wallow in worry, anxiety, and self-pity. In His Word, God has commanded me not to worry and fret about my circumstances but to trust Him because He has promised to faithfully provide for his children (Matthew 6:25-34)! Throughout this week, I have been reminded that God is good ALL the time and that HIS provision in HIS timing is perfect. There will be hard times and trials (ours are so small compared to what some are facing) for all Christians. Life is not going to be easy, but God is sovereign, and He will take care of his children. It has been faith-building to watch the Lord provide already! He has never let us down before! So, why do I fret and worry and "melt-down" when my circumstances aren't ideal?

Matthew 6 reminds me that God knows exactly what I need in every life circumstance. He will provide all that is necessary to accomplish His purposes in me and to bring Himself glory. This applies to the great task of providing for and raising a little Rice to love the Lord! In my utter inadequacy, this gives me deep hope and deep purpose. Praise the Lord for His goodness and grace!

Hiatus

Yes, I have taken a somewhat lengthy hiatus from blogging.

No, I cannot guarantee that I am back for good.

I did make a few updates to the ole' blog. These updates took me WAY too long because I am not blogger savvy in the least. I don't even know if I really like the updates. They will have to do for now.

It's really kind of sad when you update your blog more than you post on it. HA!

I am a tad bit more motivated to record some of the details of our lives because we have some pretty big changes occurring. More details on that later.

AND a friend did recently ask me what happened to my blog. So, I know that at least one person reads it. This should motivate me....

The school semester began today, though. I'm already behind on reading. On day 1.

Therefore, I cannot say when I will be back.....

Hopefully sooner than later.