Once Upon My Life

Recently I've been caught up in a great TV show called "Once Upon a Time". It's a classic fairytale story, like you've never seen before. See, back in FairyTale Land, the Evil Queen cursed the land, and all fairytale creatures were banished to a land with NO happy endings, our world. So we follow these fairytale characters living average unhappy lives in Storybrooke, Maine. Until a young boy  discovers a book that has all the answers…a  book of fairytales. He believes that everyone in his town is a fairytale creature, and to break the curse, he must find the daughter of Snow White & Prince Charming…and his very own birth mother.  Emma Swan arrives on the scene a skeptic, but in wanting to build a relationship with the son she gave up, she follows along with his fairytale "madness". But every once in awhile, a  character in the "real" world will have a glimpse of the life they were meant to live, but it's fleeting and unclear. And as a viewer, I have the anticipation that more pieces will fall into place, they will get more glimpses of their true selves and this curse will be lifted.

I was praying the other day, and I felt that God gave me this show as analogy for my own life. I think our enemy, Satan, wants to keep Christians lulled into a state of laziness, apathy or obliviousness, never truly awakened to the life we're supposed to live in Christ. And I think we get glimpses of the power of a life in Christ, and it's like a shock to our system, a "whoa, I've never experienced that before", but then we fall back into our apathy. All the while, God is waiting in anticipation for us to wake up and see clearly our destiny and our true selves. I think one of Satan's greatest victories is keeping Christians in active. Jesus said in John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly". How many days do we, do I, allow my life to be anything BUT abundant through choosing the path of least resistance? And how much more does God just want me to wake up and embrace who  He has destined me to be?

Thoughts for the weekend...

Travel Bug

We booked our tickets to London for our summer outreach this past week! And I must say, with a trip now planned...I have the strong desire to travel more. Hazards of being a missionary I suppose, always with one friend or another traveling somewhere new...somewhere exciting. I call it the travel bug. And it's contagious. Just this summer alone, I have friends traveling to London, Amsterdam, Prague, Munich, Ukraine, Dominican Republic, the Middle East, India, Thailand, China...and probably more!  I just get so caught up thinking about the HUGENESS of our world and of our God, and I just want to GO. I think it's this wanderlust, this travel bug, that God put within me to call me into missions. The insatiable desire to see His glory throughout the nations. London is just the beginning of mine and Creagon's adventures together in missions. In years to come, I believe God will send us to India, Nepal, China, Cambodia, Thailand, Iceland, Sweden, Jordan, Turkey and back again. So I as sit here, infected with my travel bug, looking at globes and maps,  I pray for these nations just waiting for the day I get to step foot on the soil 

Muldoon Camper Makeover [With Pictures!]

For the past 10 months, I've been living in a 31-foot camper. Six months ago, my wonderful husband moved in and it became our home. Now campers aren't really known for their architectural beauty or trendy designs, but I refused to let that keep me from making a home a beautiful place to be. The redesign process that we've called to going from "Cracker Barrel to IKEA". Here's a glimpse to our Muldoon Camper Makeover....

 We've added a great little patio setup...a deck, a gazebo, a hammock and a grill! Makes outdoor living in Florida bearable!

 The living space was quite a trick. A lot of sewing and creative solutions [chalkboard paint!], but it's finally coming together!

The  kitchen! We did some tile work [OK, it was adhesive, but still!] and even got a new fridge [because the original one broke...] and it's looking great!

I LOVE our bathroom decor, aqua blue and whales. It's just so cheerful!

No before pictures of the bedroom, but here's a little of what we did!

Thanks to Pinterest and my father-in-law, I have a wonderful little palette garden out back as well! We're growing some great veggies like peppers and zucchini squash, and some seasonings like oregano and basil! Yum!

These are just a few of my absolute favorite decor elements in our home...a chevron rug at our front door, a travel nook & some fabric flowers, and the completion of our aqua whale bathroom theme, complete with custom artwork from our friend, Dana Higgins! 

Hope you enjoyed the most recent edition of the Muldoon Camper Makeover! Am so blessed to call this place home with this man...

Liberty

Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;"

The world  could some liberty today, don't ya think?

Timesuckers

I spend a great deal of my time online. Most often, it's for work. Reading, editing, posting, designing, emailing, researching...you get the picture. So why is it that in my free time, I turn to the Internet as well. Surely there must be entertainment beyond the glow of my Macbook screen. But daily I fall victim to the lure of endless entertainment at my fingertips. These are my top 3 timesuckers, as I like to call them.

1. Pinterest. It started with wedding planning...and went down hill from there. I have boards for creative things I want to try to make and yummy things I want to try to bake. I have boards for the places I've gone, am going, and have yet to go. House decorating tips and style ideas, yup got those too! It's practically become my Google. If it's not on Pinterest, does it even exist? Discuss.

2. Goodreads. The lure of a new book. There's not much more exciting than that! With Goodreads, I can actually catalog the books I've read, track progress on books I'm currently reading, and even make lists of books I've yet to read. Maybe it sounds daunting to you, but it's inspiring to me. Anytime a website offers an "Explore" option....I'm hooked. Other readers have gone before me and cataloged books into compelling lists like "Big Fat Books Worth the Effort" or "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die". And to take the cake, Goodreads offers a Reading Challenge. I may not be one for an athletic challenge, but if it's a reading challenge....let me at 'em. This year's challenge, 50 Books in a Year. And according to my graph, I'm 17% ahead of schedule on this challenge. Sweet. 

3. Spotify. Unlimited streaming music at my fingertips. All day, every day, it's  Spotify. Whether I'm in the mood to enjoy a favorite, or venture out to discover something new, I go to Spotify. It's like Pandora on-demand. And ok, if you have the freebie version there are regular ads and it doesn't work on your phone, but whatevs. It's a great product. When I'm really stuck for a tune, I can browse through my friend's playlists and enjoy some of their style as well. Win win.

So there you have it. These are things that suck my time. I'm sure one of these days I'll have to learn something like time management, or I'll become a parent and look back on this post long for the "good ol' days". But for now, I am who I am. Lover of the creative, the written word and the musical verse. And I have the websites to support those addictions

Sports & Fitness for Jesus!

This quarter here at YWAM Orlando, we are running a Discipleship Training School focused on Sports & Fitness. These students are not just going through the basic DTS curriculum, but are adding  workouts and  sports themed ministry on top of it! They are rockstars! A big part of my job here is putting together videos that capture what YWAM Orlando is all about. So I knew we just had to get one of these students who are working so hard, going for it with God, and really training their bodies to be used for the Kingdom. One of our super talented videographers, Larry Weaver, put this amazing video together! Check it!

Mothers.

Mother's Day! A day to celebrate the role of mothers in our lives. Something that we should probably do more often, because how hard a mom works, but may get forgotten from time to time. So I'm glad that there's a holiday to truly recognize them! This year is special because it's the first Mother's Day that I get to honor two moms, my own and my new mother-in-law.

I've been blessed to have been raised by a wonderful, caring, God-fearing mother of my own. And now, almost 30 years later, I have a new mother in my life, my husband's mom. Stereotypically, mothers-in-law are a nuisance or a burden. But that is not the case for me, at all. I love my new mother-in-law and am thrilled to have her guidance and wisdom in my life. And one day, when I become a mother, I have two great role models to look to! So lucky.

Happy Mother's Day to these great ladies, and all the other moms in my life!

Guardian of Orphans

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." - James 1:27


I just finished reading a biography of George Muller, probably the most recognized orphan care worker of all time. He was an evangelist, a teacher, and in his lifetime cared for over 10,000 orphans. A remarkable man to say the least!


But in reading the biography, George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans, I was challenged by not just his care of orphans, but his extraordinary faith even more so. 


I've heard stories of how Muller never once asked someone for finances or physical needs, but now being a missionary, and living off of financial support myself, his lifestyle was even more inspiring. He prayed about every detail of running the orphanage, from the children they accepted to the finances to the food. And God met every single one of their needs! Muller kept a prayer journal, listing each request he made to God, and when and how it was then answered. Muller noted "The Lord not only gives as much as absolutely necessary for His work, but He gives abundantly." There is such peace and truth in these words. I can't begin to tell you how time after time I've wondered how I'd pay a bill or if I would have what I needed, and then there's God's provision. He's so good. Muller often had to trust God for large amounts of money as well, especially when he was building new orphanages. But even the large sums didn't shake his faith. "The greatness of the sum required affords me a kind of secret joy, for the greater the difficulty to be overcome, the more will be seen to the glory of God how much can be done by prayer and faith."


Creagon and I are currently trusting God for a large sum of money as well. We have a London outreach planned for this summer, and are needing Him to provide the finances and supplies needed for this trip. We know He is faithful, and will not just provide the finances, but the people that will be praying for us as we go. 


That's one of the beautiful parts of support raising. The more people I share our financial needs with, the more people that hear about the calling and vision God has placed on our lives. And the more people that get to make it possible. And the more glory that God gets. 


Reading about George Muller's ministry and faith took my faith to a new level. I believe that God will answer my prayers, like He answered Muller's. And I can't wait to give Him the glory as He does!


"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Wake Up Sleeper

My blog has always seem to have fallen between personal journal entries to travelogue to ministry updates. I love having a place to voice what's going on in my world, God's goodness & provisions, and some really cool life experiences. That being said, I think I'm going to be using this particular blog as my personal journal again. Creagon and I have put together a ministry page [www.creagonsjoy.com] for all our ministry stories, updates and news, so if that's all you want updated on....go there! But this blog, you're gonna see more of my day to day life, processing, favorites, things of  actual substance or things that amuse me. Just me. Hope you are still along for the ride!

Have you been looking for new music lately? I've been OBSESSED with the worship band, Gungor. Yes, their mainstream claim to fame was "Beautiful Things", but they are really so much more than a chart-topping, mega-church inspiring worship band. Their latest album, Ghosts Upon the Earth, is complex and intricate, much like an intimate relationship with Jesus can be. I'm especially moved by the song, "Wake Up Sleeper", which sounds like a Nickel Creek & Sigur Ros worship track, that finds it's lyrics inspired by Jesus' words to the Pharisees. Not so light & fluffy, but moving nonetheless. Watch a Youtube of the song here:

If you are looking for a new band to throw into your Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Casting Crowns rotations, I highly suggest Gungor. Be moved and be challenged. Be inpsired.

Enjoy!