Without Missing a Beat

Life. Is. Busy. in the life of the Gilpatrick Family. I thought I would post on some things that help me get through the busyness and continue to grow without missing a beat ;)

Morning Coffee
I am the first to confess my greatest weakness is probably my addiction to caffeine.... but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. I mean... didn't the Lord create it for a reason?

My Man
To say that I am proud of my handsome husband would be an understatement... Brett Gilpatrick is the most hard-working man that I know. I am so thankful for such a supportive man to lead me and our future family  in life.

The Word/Prayer
Recently, I have been reading through the gospels and I am so overwhelmed by the life of Jesus. The stories I have heard for years have been given to me with fresh eyes, and I am more inspired to serve and make disciples than ever before. Also, I have been praying for guidance as we entered the new year, and recently I have been hesitant to ask the Lord to do specific things that I want to see happen in our life. I have been realizing slowly that usually my plans don't compare to the plans of the Father and I didn't want to ask things that might conflict with the will of God. He gave me this comforting verse: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." Romans 8:26

Getting Ahead
With starting school this semester, I decided to take advantage of every spare minute I have to get ahead in my school work. I have a past in being a procrastinator so I knew in order to make this semester smooth, I needed to work on things early.

Time Management
In one of my classes, one thing my teacher told our class was the importance of time management. I am one to want to please everybody which means I normally can't or don't like to tell people no. This makes my life very busy and leaves me overcommitted and very tired. My teacher told us how time is our most precious possessions and we need to be wise in how we spend it. This was such a great thought that has helped motivate me to spend every day doing quality things.

Rest
Because rest is rare, I take it when I can.

Honeymoon in Cancun

It is times like these that we would love to be back in paradise on our honeymoon. I miss it so much.

hope and a future

Day two of classes and we've made it... I know y'all are probably like "big deal, its college... ", but this is something that I have hoped for, prayed about, and worried over. After Brett and I got married, I went on a little roller coaster trying to find my purpose and "next step".

I had recently graduated from Christ For the Nations Institute and had a lot of plans that never felt quite right. After working a job that absolutely stole the life out of me all summer it was apparent to Brett and I that change was needed. I quit my job in September and began the search for purpose that would place me unemployed for seven weeks. But the Lord was and is faithful. He opened doors for me to paint custom art pieces for work and gave me time to rest and grow in Him. Being a new wife, during those months I began to feel a loss of identity, purpose, and calling on my life. I began to believe that now that I was married my dreams were now secondary and my sole purpose in life was to be a submissive, quiet housewife. (Now let me also say that none of this was from anything Brett did or said, that's how I know it was an attack from the enemy.) Long story short, after talking with a lady from church who spoke truth into my situation, I finally had a clear picture of my next step: school. I decided to start over at a community college to work towards my Bachelors in International Studies. This is the only plan that gave me peace even though it is going to be one of the more difficult plans. One obstacle that we are having to face with faith is paying for school and books, but it is already really cool to see how the Lord has given peace over the usually stressful things. Another concern I have had in entering this new season is the strain it could have on my relationship with my husband. I have prayed over the last month for the Lord's grace over us in our busyness and chaos... and I already feel His blessing.

Tonight at youth I heard a story of a man who found out that his three year old daughter had cancer last week. Soon after he posted online how the Lord knew about the cancer before they ever found it, therefore the Lord already had a plan for that little girl. Plans for hope and a future. I know my situation is not unfortunate but knowing that whatever happens in the future the Lord already knows about it and has a plan to work it out for my good gives me so much peace.

I am so excited for this future that the Lord has planned out for us, and I am thankful for the journey I took to figure out the "next step". I plan on taking each day one at a time, and asking every morning for the grace to not only make it, but grow.

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

Focus Weekend

This past weekend, we got the chance to serve our student ministry at Focus Weekend. If you are not familiar with Focus Weekend let me explain. This is a very special weekend that comes around once a year for our youth. It is a friday through sunday morning where the kids get to stay with host homes and with all the other kids their age and have Bible study, fellowship, and corporate worship. That's why we call it "focus" weekend. We place the kids in an environment where they can focus, learn, and grow in their relationship with the Lord. I had the privilege of getting to lead the middle school girls all weekend. We had 12 girls (the biggest group), and we had so much fun! The theme and focus for the weekend was "ME"; we learned how the "me" factor is our biggest downfall and we can exchange "me" for "He".

Though I get to spend time with these girls every Sunday, I really fell in love with their hearts this weekend, and by the end of the weekend I felt like a momma to these 12 amazing girls. On Friday night, we had small group time and then got to go "chalking" and car-tagging at the other groups houses. Saturday, we had service with everyone and got to hear the Word from Brad Fogarty (if you can look up his podcasts... you won't be disappointed), and serve at Cornerstone in downtown Dallas. Then Saturday night we went to JumpStreet in Plano, which is basically an old Albertson's turned into this place full of trampolines. Let's just say... I still have whiplash from all the fun. I am really excited to see what the Lord is going to do in this student ministry and in our small group this semester. This weekend was humbling and the Lord revealed to me that I can't do anything out of my own strength. I feel so blessed that He has chosen Brett and I to join Him on this journey to further His kingdom.

Busy, Busy, B's

I love New Years. With a new year we gain a sense of fresh starts, new beginnings, and bigger possibilities. Sounds good to me. If you are like me (which you probably are) then you need a fresh start sometimes. But, even though I love New Years, the truth is that we don't need a new year to get a new beginning. Setting goals, making resolutions, and attempting to "better yourself" will get me nowhere on my own strength, and I certainly have no more power because I make these decisions on December 31st every year.

Once 2012 got here, I knew our lives where going to get a lot busier. I have enjoyed the past few months of peace and smooth sailing as both of our jobs were not too demanding as far as interfering with our personal life. In early December, we decided that I would be going back to school in the Spring 2012 semester. We also knew that Brett, working at the YMCA, would be getting busier because all the people making resolutions to get in shape would be coming in to join at the Y. Our lives would be a little disrupted by different schedules and exhaustion.  Even before the new year, in anticipation of the changes coming, I decided to pray. I began praying daily for grace. Grace is the fresh start the Lord gives me everyday to push through those tired stressful moments and focus on things that are eternal. I (being very prone to stress-out, carry anxiety, and worry) have to decide every morning to focus on the day in front of me rather than every other busy day in the next few months and ask the Lord, again, for the grace to not only make it, but grow.  That by His wonderful grace, we both (Brett and I) would grow even, especially, in the busy seasons.

Did I mention my 21st birthday was last monday (the 2nd) and my wonderful, handsome hubby treated me to such an amazing day! I am seriously so blessed.

I will leave you guys with this:

2 Corinthians 12:9

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."