I started a blog called "This one time" on Tumblr. 

I'm not able to blog a lot right now because of computer screen issues, so I might just stick with my Tumblr. Expect short posts about the silly and the serious; the goofy and God... it's pretty much the only way I know how to live and write, so that's what I'm sticking to.

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So, first thought of the week is "I haven't blogged since last Monday." I think I have an excuse for that though, I preached on Wednesday and Saturday, and Thursday I gave blood (which ended up turning into an all-day thing.) But here is what I've been thinking lately.

Bible

INVEST in your BIble-reading! Invest time, invest money, invest your presence (no distractions!)

Don't just read your Bible, but make it CENTRAL to your life, make it URGENT and give it the importance that it deserves (it's not every day that the Creator of the Universe writes a book.)

On Thursday, I was unexpectedly stranded in Morelia almost all day (more on that in a second.)  I realized that in my hurry to leave my house, I had forgotten my notebook! So, instead of saying "too bad" I bought a fairly nice notebook, as well as a nice pen, and just read my Bible and took notes. Give EVERYTHING to spend time with God!

Blood

I was unexpectedly stranded in Morelia last Thursday. I was asked to give BLOOD for a friend's brother, and I said I would. Now, let me tell you, my biggest fear involves people sticking needles in me and stealing my bodily fluids. Or, in simpler terms, I'm a wuss when it comes to giving blood. But I gave it anyways.

This isn't about me being better than you, because this was something I had to remind myself, but how can I say I'm a Christian if I'm not willing to bleed for a friend?

How can I say I'm a Christian if I'm not willing to bleed for someone (friend or unknown person,) that Christ bled for?

Maybe it's not literally giving your blood, but how can we be Christ followers if we're not willing to sacrifice our comfort for a stranger?  (I plan on doing a full-length blog on the subject in the near future... aka next two weeks.)

Surprises

Sometimes it's fun to do something unexpected. Surprise yourself.

Have I mentioned that I was stranded in Morelia last week?  

I COULD have complained, or been bummed out about the loss of time that I could have spent making money or preparing for my teaching on Saturday, BUT I enjoyed myself immensely! 

I decided I was going to seek God, and just have a good day. I found this small diner on this street that I had never walked down before. It was pretty much empty, and one of my rules is to never eat in a place where there aren't many people. However, I had to go to the bathroom, and I was really hungry (and the prices were really good,) so I decided to risk it.

I took a long time to just read my Bible there. I put some worship music on my Ipod, and I just focused on God. It was really cool, and the fact that I was doing something different was so refreshing from the same-old same-old routine.

I also decided to walk as far as possible that day, so I was able to stop and admire parts of Morelia when before I had merely driven past them.

Take time for surprises, take a day off from life!

Money

I've now kept track of my money for the past two weeks.  The good news is that I'm making SLIGHTLY more than I'm spending (and that's after setting aside 45% for essential non-essentials.) So basically, I can live on 55% of the money I make, when I'm not making a lot. It's HARD WORK keeping track of the money one spends! I was a money nazi, and I still somehow managed to miss 110 pesos of expenses!  A friend helped me remember most of it, but there's still about 50 pesos (4 dollars) of unaccounted for money. It might not sound like a lot, but considering the fact that I don't make a lot to begin with, it's a sizeable percentage (5-7%!) If I'm living on 55%, I need to know where every cent(avo) is going! 

But; all-in-all I'm really liking keeping track of my money. I've been wiser spending it, and I don't feel the classic "So WHERE exactly did all my money go?" I can give a 90% accurate report of every dollar I earned and spent.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Wow, I talk a lot. That's it for this week, I probably won't be able to blog AT ALL because of this conference that I'm going to, but I'll definitely have lots to talk about after the conference!

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So, in the spirit of continual blogging, (the 21 day challenge is over, but the love of blogging continues!) I've decided that Monday will now be Monday Madness.  

Basically, it'll be about different ideas that are bouncing around in my head. Some may be turned into blogs at some point in the future, but for now this is how I'll be sharing what's inside my head.

Books!

I have seven books on my desk that need to be read, as well as a few books on my desktop that also should be read/finished. These will most likely be talked about more in depth later, so I won't list names or anything like that. "Leaders are Readers" is pretty much the motto that I'm trying to apply to my life right now, so that means I need to buckle down and start reading! 

Money!

So, keeping track of my money has definitely helped curb my crazy spending. Yes, I've only been at it for 5 days, but in those 5 days I've only spent 25 pesos (2 dollars,) whereas I've set aside 300 pesos (27 dollars) from the money that I've made. I'm going to be giving periodic updates for anyone who cares, and I'll also work on making a really cool, but very SIMPLE, balance sheet for anyone who is interested in working on saving money (and spending it more wisely) with me!

Change!

 Change brings... change. It can be positive, it can be negative, but when there is a big change in one area of your life/organization, there will almost always be other areas that are changed or restructured. It's good to be ready for (unexpected) changes, so that if the opportunity arises you'll be able to implement other changes as well. (A dumb example: your internet goes out. If you weren't planning on changing your internet habit, you'd be upset and frustrated. If you're planning on reading more books, perhaps this unexpected change is the perfect opportunity to apply other changes to your life.)

Future Wife!

Last Monday I wrote "A Note to my Future Wife." It really got me thinking about whether or not I'm prepared, or getting prepared, to enter such a serious relationship. So I've started to pray for specific things for my "Future Wife" during my devotional time. Sometimes it's something that comes to mind that has nothing to do with the text that I'm reading, and sometimes I basically pray for her what the Bible is saying to me. 

That's pretty much all that's going on in my head. I don't tell you these things to brag, but merely to let you know what's going on in my life and in my head. This will more than likely turn into an every-Monday post, so see you next Monday with more random thoughts and ideas :)

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We've been blogging for 21 days at BlogADay... I haven't been super faithful like I should have, but life is crazy, especially on the weekends because I stay at another family's house. 

A lot has happened in these 21 days, I guess writing about it and being more observant really helps you notice all the changes. I've noticed a lot of faults in my life, and I've started to work on them. I'm not perfect, but dang it am I close! (Ok, I lied. I'm not close.)  People have been SO honest on some of their blogs, I really feel like I know some of these people, including my own grandma, more than ever thanks to these blogs.  Also, the pastor of 14 years of one of the churches that I help in just left.  The leaders are still in shock, and the rest don't even know what's happened. From what I've heard and pieced together, he's leaving to help in another church. It was a healthy split, but it's still going to hurt a lot of people.

But more than anything else, I'm glad that I was able to be able to blog alongside a ton of people that I really care about. It was fun "sharing life" with a bunch of people, talking about 1001 different topics. I'd really like to see BlogADay repeated, and made bigger, but I don't think I'll be organize anything like this until after summer break, it's HARD to be encouraging people and reading their blogs and writing my own blogs with the craziness that is my life.

I want to thank everyone who has been reading these blogs, and writing the other blogs, and especially those of you who have been so encouraging to me! 

The end is only the beginning! I'll still be blogging, perhaps not as consistently right now, but I'm not going to disappear!

/End the first-ever BlogADay challenge... wait for the next one!

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And it was rather strange.

It was January 22, and it's the only dream that I've written down all year.  I wish I had written more about it, and sooner, but I was thinking about what to blog about, and I thought this would be good (especially since the people in my dream haven't heard about this yet.

I dreamed that I was in the set of a movie as an extra, playing a student.  Amanda Tenney was there, saying "I was in the movie about your hair!" (In my dream it was obvious that she was joking, and I immediately thought of Beverly Hills Chihuahua when she said that to me... and I actually WAS an extra in that movie!)

Kenzie was one of the extras, and a friend named Tirso was there. When the dream started, we all ran out as if we were celebrities. There was a girl there, and I felt like I knew her.

At the end of the dream, I had left a notebook on the floor as the take ended.  We all went inside this small room to start filming again. I felt lonely and wanted to have a gf.  They brought us some white sheets and pillows to sit on, because someone complained about the floor.

/end dream

I really wish I remember more, it all felt so real and vivid; I hardly ever wake up remembering my dream! And I thought I'd share it with all of you today :)

The end.

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I've been waking up before 7 AM for the last couple of weeks (working on getting up earlier, but I go to bed too late.)

I feel good. I'm more energetic, even though I work like a madman at the gym and I wake up early(ish.)  It's easier to read my Bible (after working out, I'm a bit of a zombie before working out, I'm hoping that'll change as well.)  

Lots of small life-changes going on, it's really exciting. I don't know if it's coming from the consistent waking up earlier, or the consistent Bible reading, but I feel that God is waking me up from this stupor that I've been living in.

Here are the main things that have changed, maybe one will help you.

1. Consistent Bible reading. I'm reading one Psalm, one Proverb, one chapter of Acts, one chapter of the leadership-ish books of the Bible (1/2 Timothy, Titus) and one chapter of the book that I'm teaching from (Ruth.)  I've gone through Ruth 9 times already, I'm well into my second reading of Acts and Proverbs, and I'm on Proverbs 36.  Consistent Bible reading = da bomb.

2. Consistently waking up earlier, and going to the gym. Those 40-60 mins in the gym give me an incredible energy throughout the day. Combine that with my Bible reading, and by the time I step out the door, I'm ready to face the world!

3. I just started this yesterday, so I can't talk about it with a ton of experience, but better money handling. I am writing down every single thing I spend money on, and I definitely noticed yesterday that I didn't buy some junk that I wanted to, because I knew I was going to write it down.

That actually brings me to my last thought. Sometimes breaking one bad habit by itself (let's say junk-food eating in my case,) is actually EASIER while creating a good habit that has something to do with your bad habit (I want to control my money and stop buying junk food. It's easier to break the bad habit when the good habit is helping me along.)

My website not be working tomorrow, I know you'll miss me. I'll just talk more on Facebook :)

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This isn't going to be a long post, I just want to share a verse that I really think God is giving me for this time of growth and change.

"Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer." -- Proverbs 30:25 

An ant doesn't have a lot of ability. Sure, he can lift 20 times his own body weight, but he has the brain with 1/40,000th the amount of brain cells, and he only lives 45-60 days.

I may not be able to lift something that weighs 3700 pounds, but I've got a way bigger brain, and I'm going to live about 420 times longer than an ant will. (YAY math. I didn't think I'd get to use math, I'm excited now.)

God is calling me to be faithful in the little that I have, just like an ant is faithful in the little that he has.  I may not make a lot, but I DO make money. I may not be really talented, but God HAS given me talent in certain areas.

I'm going to start saving, and being responsible with my money above and beyond my weekly tithe and offering (right now I'm saving 25% of the money I make, I hope to change my habits so I can save even more!)

I have 200 pesos (20 dollars) saved right now, but I just started today. I'm going to be faithful with the little I have (money, time, talent, etc.,) and I'm going to trust that God will bring bigger and better things my way.

We're creatures of little strength, but God has given us big ol' brains, and a long time to learn!

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Respect your country like a soldier.
Love others like a hippie.

Believe the Bible like a fundamentalist.
Believe in the Holy Spirit like a charismatic.

 Those thoughts came to me on the bus a few days ago. So often we fall into the trap of thinking "if I do/feel like this, that means I can't do/feel that." A person who thinks peace and love is the answer, yet is willing to sacrifice his life in a war? That's not normal! 

A person who reads the Bible, believes it, believes certain things are inherently wrong, yet spends time with the people who live those lifestyles? That's just not right! (Jesus, you spent time with sinners, WHAT? That's just not socially acceptable!)

Prejudices (closed minds) keep us from living in fullness. I've had discussions with friends, especially regarding spiritual/biblical matters, who have told me I'm weird. I believe the Bible is infallable, perfect, and should be read and learned, but I also believe in "the weird stuff." With so many people, it seems like it's one or the other.

You can love others, OR you can fight for your country. Someone who loves people wouldn't kill people.

You can accept people as they are, OR believe in the Bible (don't get me started on people who claim to be Christians and can't love people! That is, to me, the highest form of being IMBALANCED!)

I should probably stop writing before I start preaching.

Be balanced people.

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I'm not married (yet.)

I don't have a girlfriend (yet.)

But I really have learned alot about relationships, more than anything from books, pastors, and people in my lives that have either been good or bad examples. (No names will be called, so don't worry!)

So this is for you, my future wife. You may not even speak English, but I'm writing this thinking about you (whoever you are.)

A note to my future wife

I want to start this off honestly. I won't be able to love you perfectly. I probably won't even be able to love you that well. But I know that Jesus will give me a love for you that will be something beautiful, something perfect in its imperfection.

I probably won't be much smarter than I am right now (sorry, it's your fault for marrying me.) But I will seek wisdom; I will seek it from my parents, from my leaders, from my pastors. I will do my best to be the man you deserve me to be.

I don't know what you'll look like, what your personality will be like, but I'm sure that you're going to be my better half. I'm complete in Christ, and I don't want you to complete me. I want you to better me, to be with me, to share life together in the deepest, most meaningful way possible.

I wanted to warn you about a few things as well: I'm not perfect. You might think so (love is blind, right?) but I'm not. I sin, I mess up, and I've got issues (ask my sisters, they're really honest.) I'm working on them, I'm seeking God's transformation, but I'm never going to be perfect. 

So I'll make you a deal; respect me even when I don't deserve it, and I'll love you even when I'd rather pull out my hair. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be a walk in the park, but I know that, in God's timing, it'll be the best roller-coaster ride of our lives.

So, future wife, I'm praying for you. I'm doing everything possible to arrive at our wedding night the best man that I can possibly be. Also, I can't wait to see you in your wedding dress... Unless I'm a millionaire when we marry, I hope your Dad pays for it.

Anxiously awaiting the day we meet,

Zac

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This is going to be super-short... you can sigh in relief right now.

I've been noticing that my annoying friend vanity has been showing up quite frequently.  

Two examples:
1. Being super excited that I got 7 likes on one of my blog posts (probably the most anyong has ever liked anything of mine!) 
2. Being glad that I was re-tweeted (for the uninitiated, someone re-posted what I said on twitter.)  To make it even cooler/lamer, it was this flash game developer... 

Who cares? People either take an extra two seconds to click the "like" button, or someone thinks that I'm slightly funnier than the rest... that's what really matters to me?

I don't like vanity. I don't like posting this, hoping you'll either love this post or love what I'm saying. Because, honestly, if you're still reading, it already proves that your tastes aren't that great!

So, I have an idea...

"Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

Because, seriously... He. Chose. Me.

I didn't REALLY choose Him. He softened my heart and gave me the desire to seek Him. 

He designed me to be the way I am (minus all the flaws.)

He chose my parents, the place I'd be born, the house I'd be raised in.

He brought me to Mexico.

What did I do? Pretty much nothing.

So, maybe being vain isn't ALWAYS bad, as long as we're vain in the Lord.

Let's stop bragging and worrying about ourselves, and start bragging about the God of the Universe who for some reason chose us to be His children.

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So... I messed up.

In lots of ways.

But specifically, I messed up yesterday, I. Didn't. BLOG! :O

The funny thing is, I messed up in a bunch of other areas. My messing up affected my Bible reading, my exercising, my preparing for Wednesday.

I think it's easier to keep messing up once you start, (the reverse is also true, it's easier to keep to the goal when you've got momentum.)

Momentum is good... negative momentum, not so good.

Watch it, it'll start out slow, but it'll just keep getting faster and faster until you spin out of control!

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I just wanted to say: Good habits are hard to make.

And good friends are hard to find. (I'd actually go as far as to say that good friends are hard to make, considering the time and effort involved in making a friend into a good friend, but I don't want to get all rowdy and reinvent the wheel today.)

Blogging every day has been killing me. I'm trying to make a whole lot of good habits form, and it's killing me. 

I went to the gym for 4 days straight, waking up too early and going to bed too late (all in the name of blogging and getting ready for church and all that fun stuff.)  

I have too many things going on, and this whole lack of sleep culminated in me sleeping a ton on the weekend, and still feeling tired.

And this week isn't looking much better.

Good habits are hard to make... but they're worth it.  Just make sure that you take it at your own pace (or maybe a little bit higher than your own pace, since going at your own pace got you into this mess in the first place!)

You want to make good habits. You don't want your habits to break you.

Question: Any good habits that you need to make/are trying to make?

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I'm trying to avoid posting lots of "personal" posts, at least the journal/diary-type posts. However, I also want to blog everyday, so that presents a conundrum because a) it's late, b) I'm tired and c) I don't know what else to write about.

All week I live in Villa Madero, and that's where I work and serve and play. However, on the weekend, I go to this bigger town called Tacambaro, where I help at the church there.

It's really been a blessing to me; I get to work with your and play the bass guitar, but I also get to stay with this incredible family. The parents are about the age of my parents, and their three daughters are all younger than my youngest brother, Spencer. I've been staying with them every weekend (Saturday-Monday) for quite a while now, probably for 4 months. It's weird, because I suddenly have three more sisters, who are all much younger than my sisters.  

It's not bad though, it's probably the one thing that I've missed most in the last couple of years. It's so nice to be away from home, and yet have another home where they love you and treat you like a son and a brother.

I take the youngest (Daniella, but they call her Danny) to her Kindergarden every Monday morning, and I fight with the oldest (Martha) as if she were mini-Kenzie!  I don't think you really realize how much you need/miss your family until you're part of someone else's.

And it's not just them; the entire church here takes care of me. Monday mornings I go with another couple to their breakfast shop (not sure what to call it, definitely not a restaraunt, it's more low-key,) and they give me breakfast before I go back to Villa!  It's really incredible how these people have accepted the crazy foreigner as part of their family.

I think part of it is because we're all family in Christ, which is an awesome thought because that means, theoretically (because, sadly, for a lot of people it's not a reality,) that we should have a family that loves us wherever there's a church! And part of it is definitely the Mexican culture, which might be messed up in some ways; but, as far as priorities are concerned, definitely has their family in right place! 

I really hope every who reads this has a family-away-from-your-own-family, and that you're enjoying the family you DO have!

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Yesterday, I said that “If you aren't spending time with God in private places, your service to Him is worthless in public places”

Let’s assume that you’re good with God, and He’s calling you to serve.

Where should you serve, and in what capacity?

First of all, as Christians, we all have some overarching “ministries,” (areas where we can serve God.)

1. Love God, love others. (The Greatest Commandment: Matthew 22:36-40)
2.  Share God’s love, teach others, and send them out (The Great Commandment: Matthew 28:19-20)
3. Be God’s ambassadors (Ministry of Reconciliation: 2 Corinthians 5:18-21) 
4. Be PURE! (1 Thess. 4:3-10)

But what did God design you to do?

There’s lots of way to get ideas (examine your life: what do you like to do, where do you enjoy being the most, what natural talents do you have, etc.)

However, the absolute BEST way to find your ministry (other than praying,) is just to get out and serve! Commit yourself to serve in a ministry for a pre-determined amount of time. Don’t make it too short, you won’t get a full of picture of what it’s like to be in that ministry, but don’t make it too long either (you don’t want to be stuck somewhere that you don’t enjoy being!)

God DOES have a plan for you, He has plans for your future, plans to prosper you! So get off your butt and start looking for the future that He has for you!

(Can't believe it's been 6 days since the blog-a-day challenge started! Click on the link to see what everyone else is writing!)

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I'm teaching on this in about 18 hours, so you guys are lucky enough to read this before anyone else hears it! (You don't get to hear my melodious voice or see my beautiful face, but too bad!)

I mostly want to focus on one point: We're called to serve God, NOT the church.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't serve in your local church (PLEASE serve in your church!) It means that you shouldn't serve in the church at the expense of God, or thinking that loving God is the same as serving!

So many people are horrible at God's math. They think "Serve in church = Love God."

It doesn't!

It should read "Love God = Love God."

There's no substitute. We think that we're in a relationship with God when we're serving, but that might be when we're farthest away from Him!  If you aren't spending time with God in private places, your service to Him is worthless in public places.

Your service should flow from your love of God, NOT from your attempts to earn God's love.

(Part two will be out tomorrow morning.)

-Blogaday

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//Slight spoilers regarding the movie 127 Hours//

This is going to hurt (me.)

Just watched 127 Hours again... that movie is the best R-rated Christian movie EVER... even if it's not actually a christian movie (see my Grandma's post here so that you won't judge me!) 

I was seriously moved to tears watching it. I'm going to ruin the movie for you, but it's (based on a true story) all about this guy who gets his hand pinned, and he ends up cutting it off.

Ow. That must have hurt (him.)

I love it. I love how real it is; how much pain he goes through, how hard it is. And it reminds me of our walk with God.

We love it when it's fun, when it's easy, when you pray and BAM your prayer is answered. But we don't love it when there's pain; we don't love it when God is calling us to cut something off.

Ow. This is going to hurt (us.)

At the end of the movie, after graphically and painfully cutting off the lower part of his arm, he looks numbly at the piece of his arm still pinned under the rock. 

"Did that really just happen? Did I really just become free?"

He probably thought that, but he didn't have a lot to celebrate. He still had to make the long walk home, and all he had was a stump of an arm to show for his freedom.  He finally makes it, but only after finally recognizing his need for others (the entire movie highlights the fact that he, as the selfish jerk we all are, neglected to tell ANYONE where he was going, because he thought he could do everything by himself.)

He stumbles upon a random family, and they help bring him to safety.

This true story screams "Prodigal Son" to me. The prodigal son leaves home, thinking he was self-sufficient... and ends up eating the left-overs of the food given to the pigs. So he starts running home.

He had lost everything, much like Aron from 127 Hours. The prodigal son had to leave everything behind, including his pride, and return to home in shame and failure... "I messed up. I failed. I thought I could... but I couldn't. I'll give you what's left, if you still want me."

Aron has to cut off his own arm, because "if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." (Matthew 5:30)

After he cuts his arm off, it doesn't get magically better. It just hurts. And he was still alone.

But then he started moving.

He left his arm behind, and started running towards healing.

And what I love is that he finds other people. There were people that just happened to be there, in order to help him and save him.

Cut it off, run, and find others. If you're missing an arm, it's all the more reason to ask others for help.

I don't know what you're struggling with, but...

Cut it off.
Run for help.
Find others who will help you.

God will be with you every step of the way, but you need to take the first step in order to cut it off and find healing.

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"The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal.  The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.  It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream.  It isn't a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for." -- Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays (emphasis mine.)

(Awesome photo from Paul Simpson)

Sometimes, I feel that I've forgotten how to dream; I feel that I've become accustomed to the status quo. And that bugs me.

Sometimes, I feel that dreams are selfish, it's all about what I want.

But then I remember: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." -- Psalm 37:4

God isn't trying to ruin your life, He wants to give you the desires of your heart! (This also means that He'll mold your heart to be more like His, so that you'll desire what He desires, but that's for another post.)

God knows what you desire, and He wants it to happen... perhaps not the way that YOU want it to happen, but He does want it to happen.

I was listening about a very famous dreamer today, and a couple quick thoughts came to my mind.

• 1. Don't be a punk about your dreams. It'll tick people off.
• 2. Don't tell your dreams to people who hate you, or who want to see you fail. They'll do everything possible stop you. Confide in a few people, perhaps just one person, then shut up!
• 3. There WILL be "hiccups." Things WON'T always go the way you plan.
• 4. God is with you. He's preparing you, getting you ready for a dream bigger than you could possibly imagine.

You figure out which dreamer I'm talking about? Why yes, it IS Joseph. (Genesis 37 and onwards.)

Joseph had a dream. He dreamed that He'd be huge. But he was a punk about it, and bragged about it to his brothers, who already didn't like him. (He just ignored thoughts #1 and #2)  Then, he was sold into slavery, and accused of raping an official's wife in Egypt (That's what we like to call a "hiccup.") But, the good news is that God was with him. (#4) He was preparing Joseph for something much bigger than being famous; He was preparing Joseph to be the saviour of not only his family, not only his country, but quite possibly the entire known world.

The tragedies involved in living out your dream may be great, but the tragedy of never having a dream will always be greater.

-Check out BlogADay!

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This is going to be a short post (yes, you're welcome!)  It's just a quick thought that came to me as I was showering, and it's really too cool to not share.

As the majority of you (I hope all of you!) know, I'm currently a missionary in Michoacán.  I've learned some pretty cool tricks in order to save money (luck you, you'll get to learn this trick as well!)

Houses need paint. Paint is expensive. This presents a conundrum to the savvy missionary. However, a cheap work-around to get high-quality, but still cheap, paint is to go to Home Depot, or some place where they mix paint, and buy the reject paint. 

Reject paint: The paint that's not bought when some picky house owner doesn't like the shade of salmon his paint is. (Also, salmon is really just orangey-pink, stop calling it salmon!)

Anyways, well 5 gallons of paint were bought (Dark grey, black, orangey-pink, pinkish orangey-pink, and mustard yellow.)

Obviously they wouldn't look well on their own, so we decided to mix them all, and use whatever color came out. (Yeah, I was worried too. I made sure to test a tiny bit of each color first to see how it'd turn out.)

It was incredible! It turned into the perfect shade of grey that looked GREAT with the other colors of the house (dark red and beige.)

You could say "how lucky!" but I'm sure God had something to do with it.  So often we think that God only cares about the big stuff, that He's only looking at your salvation, and not your bank account (or living room, in this case.) God sees, and cares, about every aspect of your life! He even reads all of your blogs!

Trust God today. Trust that He's with you, that He loves you, and that He's watching over you, even when it's something seemingly inconsequential, like interior decorating.

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