I’m having a little trouble coming up with a topic for today’s post.  I don’t know if it’s that I just need to take a day to rest or what, but my mind is not completely working right now.

So here’s the deal.  I want you to look around the room that you’re in right now and list 10 things that you see.  Don’t get up and walk around.  Just stay where you’re at and let me know what you’re seeing.

I’ll go first:

1.  My computer.  It’s a Toshiba laptop.  Probably my last PC.  My next will be a Mac.

2.  A picture of me and the other bridesmaids and the beautiful bride at my friend Cathy’s wedding.

3.  Chuck Seasons 1-3 on Blu-ray.

4.  A picture on my wall that says: “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. ~ Abraham Lincoln”

5.  Nintendo Wii and games.

6.  Gilmore Girls Season 1.  That reminds me I need to finish watching that and get it back to Bethany.  :)

7.  My Bible.  I try to keep it pretty close at all times, but especially when I’m sitting here writing.  You never know when a verse is going to pop into your head that would fit perfectly in a post.

8.  I think I have four or five cups sitting around here that I just need to pick up and take to the sink.  Maybe tomorrow.

9.  My feet.  They’re propped up in front of me.  I’m relaxing.

10.  My bookcase which holds all my favorites.  I only keep physical copies of books by my favorite authors since I have my Kindle, so that means books by Jane Austen, Terri Blackstock and Dee Henderson to name a few.  Still between the three there are quite a few books in there.  I’ll have to see what else I’ve got.  Saturday might be a good day to go for a run and read.

So now it’s your turn.  Give me a little glimpse into your day today.  Remember, don’t get up and walk around.  Just stay where you’re at.

What do you see?

We took the youth group today to the mall in Evansville for a scavenger hunt.  There were several of us adults that the kids were supposed to find.  The goal for the kids was to walk around the mall and get all of our signatures and meet back in the food court at a certain time.  Our job was to not let the kids find us.

At first I was going to dress up crazy, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t want to.  For one, I didn’t really want to walk around the mall looking like an idiot.  Secondly, I decided that the best way to avoid being seen was to blend in.  So I walked around the mall for an hour and a half and was only caught twice by the teams, which I consider pretty good because I saw most of them throughout that time walking around and looking.

I think everyone had a good time.  I even got a little bit of shopping done.  And while I don’t think there was intended to be any sort of object lesson from the whole day, I’m always  looking for something to write about, so I found one.

It’s so easy to get lost when we blend in.

Most of us try not to stand out too much most of the time.  We can usually blend into the background.  No one will notice because we’re careful not to let them.  You won’t do anything ridiculous because what if I think you’re a little weird?  We’ve worked hard to fit in.  We don’t really want to be any different because then that means that sometimes we’re going to be alone.  And sometimes when we’re alone, we’d really rather be hanging out with some friends who don’t really get us.  They only get who we’ve pretended to be so we don’t stand out.

And then there are times when our souls just long to be heard, but since we’ve worked so hard trying to be what everyone else thinks that we should be, we’ve kind of lost our voices.

We all just need to be seen sometimes.

And I think the only reason we’re not being seen is because we’re not doing anything to stand out.  Now, I don’t think we should all walk around in the mall dressed up like a leprechaun or anything like that.  But I do think that we should try to be completely who we are.  I believe that God has created us all to be different.

And those differences make us beautiful.

But to know how we’re different, we have to know who we are in Christ.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Each fiber and gene created to specifically who we are.

So tell me, who are you?

I love good Christmas music.  So I’ve decided to make a list of some of my favorite Christmas songs.  Some of the videos aren’t that great, but they’re the best I could find.  Here they are in no particular order.  Hope you enjoy!

1.  Chris Tomlin – Glory In The Highest  ~ I love every song on this CD, but O Come All Ye Faithful and Glory In The Highest are probably my two favorites.  This video is an advertisement but includes some sampling.  Enjoy!

2.  Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You ~ I may be 100% alone on this, but this song just makes me smile and tap my toes.

3.  She & Him – I’ll Be Home For Christmas ~ I can’t get enough of this group.  Very mellow and soft sounds.  You should buy the album.  It feels like you’re back a couple decades while listening.

4.  Andy Williams – It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year ~ I grew up on this version of this song.  Nothing brings back memories like hearing the songs you grew up with!

5. Johnny Mathis – Sleigh Ride ~ Another version I grew up with.  Although, on this one there have been several recen versions that I like very well!

6. O Holy Night – There are so many incredible versions of this song.  I just wanted to share with you one of my favorites from one of my favorite people.  This is my friend, Katie Gruen, singing it for us!

7.  John Lennon – Happy Xmas (War is Over) ~ I love this song.  I don’t think it will ever get old.

8.  Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas ~ No one sings it like Elvis.  But this video is a little creepy ’cause Martina just walks right in there!  I just had to share

9.  The Chipmunks – Christmas Don’t Be Late ~ It can’t be Christmas until I hear this at least 20 times…they just keep playing it!  Anyway, good memories attached to this one!

10.  Baby It’s Cold Outside – I actually like the Dean Martin version best, but the Zooey Deschanel/Will Ferrell version is pretty good.  And I think this is one of the best Christmas movies of all time.

So what are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Confession #193,293:

I can be a spoiled and entitled little brat.

I like for things to go my way. I like for a little order in my life, even though my desk is a complete mess most of the time. I like for things to be clear and concise when I’m trying to get something done.

I want it my way and I want it now.

I get a little pissy when it doesn’t happen like I think it should.

One of the many problems with this kind of attitude is that I start to make it more about me than the person I’m serving. I guess with this kind of attitude, I’m making it all about me.

And while there are times that there are actual legitimate concerns, I think most of the time it’s just because things don’t go the way I’d envisioned. I want to have my hands in a little bit of everything, and quite honestly, they just don’t need to be there.

We all have strengths. We all have weaknesses. We need to hone our strengths and to strengthen our weaknesses. The trick is to know the time and the place to be doing those things. It’s hard to know. That’s why I called it a trick.

Building a house is not the time to learn how to hammer a nail. Building a birdhouse? I’d say that’s a little more feasible. Catering a meal for 500 people is not the time to learn how to cook. But making dinner for my friends? Go for it.

If you’re in leadership, take care of business. Show compassion, and show organization. If you’re completely unorganized, get someone to help you. Good leaders ask for help.

If you’re not in some sort of leadership, do whatever you’re doing well. Seriously, give it all you’ve got. We’re commanded to.

“Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Do work you won’t be ashamed of.

I ran into a situation this week where I had failed to do something properly. It was unintentional, but still wrong. I was embarrassed, angry and completely frustrated with myself. There really wasn’t an excuse. I just didn’t do it right.

Do work you won’t be ashamed of.

Whether you’re leading a group of thousands or working in a cubicle with thousands, do it well.

Because when we do the little things well, then those big things seem so much easier to handle. The little decisions made well make the big decisions easier.

So Monday I was a little pouty. I was angry with myself. If you would have met me in the midst of it all, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have liked me.

Do things right.

Do things well.

And in all things God will be glorified.

What about you? Are you Type A like me? How do you handle things unraveling in a way you hadn’t planned?