Christmas Presents Come Early

Romans 8:28

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good."

Can I get an amen? AMEN!

Kyle told me I am not supposed to be telling people about this yet, but I don't think anyone who reads this has any relation to other people who it may affect. Wow, that was wordy. Sorry. So Kyle, if you are reading this (which I highly doubt you are because you think blogs and Facebook and any other sort of internet social network are dumb), I'm sorry! But I am too excited not to share and I think people who have been praying for us should know that their and our prayers have been heard and answered! KYLE GOT INTO THE GPR PROGRAM!!!!! When he called me yesterday to tell me, I was at work and I am pretty sure I freaked out most of the patients that were there because I got really excited and when I get really excited my voice shoots up an octave or so!

What does all this mean?
1. Kyle gets an intense year of additional learning and training over everything imaginable in the world of dentistry.
2. We get to apply for DownLine (which is the whole reason we tried to stay in Memphis for a year).
3. I get to start looking for jobs in the near future.
4. We get to start looking for a home.
5. WE GET TO STAY IN MEMPHIS!

Kyle will tell you that #5 is the only reason I am excited he got in. And for the most part, he is right. HOWEVER, I am thrilled that he got in because it was something he really wanted and worked hard to get! With that said, I am not a huge fan of change. I don't adapt well, I get nervous, I freak. So it is very comforting to know that in the midst of such big changes in my life (i.e. graduation, career, wedding, marriage, etc) I get to keep something that is familiar to me.

Kyle, I am so proud of you!!!! Congratulations!

I feel like I am full of good news this week:
-One of my dearest friends Cy proposed to his girlfriend Jordan Leigh!
-Today is my new favorite person's birthday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLA!!!!
-The Grizz win again!
-Rachel and JP are in New York spreading the Good News!

Don't plan on any more updates until after Christmas but you never know what could happen in two days!

Wex

Mississippi River = Holy Water

Today was one of those days that puts things into perspective...

Just like every Sunday, God delivered a powerful message through one of the Fellowship pastors. Bryan spoke today on of course, Christmas. Within our culture and today's society, Christmas has become a holiday rather than a holy day. Holidays include marketing, advertising, and celebrating receiving gifts from family and friends. Not that I don't enjoy a visit from Santa, but it is so true how twisted Christmas has become. With the way the economy has been lately, many people are distraught over not being able to stock-pile beautifully wrapped gifts under an ornately decorated tree. Bryan made a statement during the sermon that spoke to this very notion. "We have put our hope in the things beneath the tree, rather than in the man whose arms were stretched out across the tree." (Not a direct quote, but you get it). Think back to Christmas when you were 10 years old. What was it that you just had to have??? Can you remember? If so, would you be able to tell someone where it is now? I sat there in church pondering over the things that filled in the blanks: "I would be happy if I could just have ___." And then thinking back to what would have filled in the blanks 15 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago, and even just one year ago, I realized not one of those options would make me happy today. Lasting happiness cannot be found in any Christmas gift. Except one. The One. The baby boy, the Son of God, who was sent here for the salvation of the world. The Wonderful Counselor. The Prince of Peace. Do you know Him? And more importantly, are you happy knowing Him?

Ok, so service is over :) Thanks for letting me share.

Getting into my car after church, the temperature read 34 degrees. Keep this in mind as you read the following:

My incredible friend Rachael has been my rock throughout PT school. She has calmed me down, wiped my tears, told me to shut up, brightened my day, etc, etc, etc. She and her husband Jacob have been married a little over a year. They amaze me. Without going into detail, their first year of marriage required much prayer, trust and faith in God, patience, and endurance. While they have both been believers for many years, the growth that I have seen in them over the past year and a half has been wonderful to see and very influential on my life. So today, Jacob was baptized (he was baptized when he was younger, but wanted to do it again) after church. Although baptism isn't required for salvation, it is an outward expression of the inward beliefs. With it comes responsibility, accountability, and a testimony to others of who we choose to follow. So I, Rachael and Jacob's families, and their community group headed down to the Mississippi River. Jacob and his community group leader, Blake, had picked out a spot prior to and today, everyone carefully climbed down the rocks towards the water. Just wanted to share the happiness of these two important people in my life with all the other important ones! Here are some pictures (remember the temperature???):

Continuing with good news, the Grizz won!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Wex

A Few New Highlights

Pictures to accompanying these highlights will be added soon....

Wednesday:
I called the wedding store earlier in the week to see which of my bridesmaids still needed to order their dresses. Of course, all of them did! Haha, love you guys! So I sent everyone a reminder text to go ahead and do that. Well, my oldest and dear friend Kati called saying she had a quick question on how to measure and for me to call her back. So I did and asked what she was having a hard time doing. Kati is married and has been in weddings, so I assumed she knew the drill (which she does). But then she says to me, "I don't know how to measure if I am going to be 50 inches around by then." I thought she was being funny about gaining weight or something, but then it hit me. SHE'S PREGNANT! Kati and her husband Patrick have been married two and half years and this will be their first child. I am soooo excited for the two of them and cannot wait to be an aunt!!!!!

Thursday:
Was my last day of my third rotation for PT school. 8 weeks FLEW by so quickly and I must say I shed a tear or two as I was walking out the door. Two wonderfully sweet patients of mine bought me gifts. The first was just a little happy: lotion from Bath and Body Works and some decorative iron hangers that mount of the wall that have hooks on them to hang jewelry. This particular patient also prayed over me before she left the clinic that day. Amazing! It is nice to know that someone felt and knew that that was something we could do together. (And how wonderful it is to know that there ARE workplace environments out there that not only are okay with this, but that encourage it and make it intentional to treat not only physical needs, but spiritual as well.) The second was a WEDDING gift: a beautiful Wilton Armetale large platter that I had registered for! I was shocked when I opened it! Way too generous and very much appreciated! This patient also gave me a sermon on CD about understanding the Big Story before you can understand yours...Listened to it this morning on the way to work and it was terrific.

Friday:
Kyle had his interview for the GPR program. He said he felt like it went well, maybe stumbled on a question or two, but otherwise good! We will know something by the first of the year, or so they tell us. Continued prayers are appreciated! :)

Saturday:
Spent the day working on some wedding stuff and getting my life back in order. And then Saturday night found out some incredible news: KIMBERLY and NATHAN are getting MARRIED! He proposed Saturday afternoon-ish. Kimberly and I met Nathan two and half years ago when her friend Cassie was in Memphis visiting. Cassie and Nathan were friends and thought she should introduce him to Kimberly! Good thing she did, because they are now engaged! Kimberly has been a friend of mine since freshman year of college. She lived across the hall from me in the dorm and was also in my pledge class. We also roomed together our sophomore year in the Phi Mu house. She is such a good friend to so many people and I am so excited that she and I can share in the excitement on being engaged together! Nathan is wonderful to her and makes her so incredibley happy, which is the most important thing! CONGRATS again Kimberly and Nathan!

Sunday:
Awesome sermon at church and then good times with my sweet, supportive Growth Group. We had a great game of Dirty Santa and people were not afraid to steal some gifts. Me included! Madalyn prepared a delicious meal and the fellowship was great as always!

Monday:
Kyle took Day One of his dental school boards this morning. One down, one to go (tomorrow).
Oh, and I bought a new planner! How exciting huh? Everyone has awesome, exciting news and I get a planner. :) But for a nerd like me, I'm thrilled!


Until next time....

Wex

Only Time Will Tell....

This next week is a big for Kyle and I. And for a worry-er like myself, a long one... This Friday, Kyle has an interview for a GPR program at the VA. This year-long residency program would give him so much more experience in all aspects of dentistry before heading out on his own. We have been praying for this interview and experience for quite some time now. If Kyle gets into the GPR program, that keeps us in Memphis for another year and allows us to be able to go through Downline. If not, it's back to the drawing board. After his interview Friday, it's back to the books for the rest of the weekend to finish preparing for two days of board exams on Monday and Tuesday!!! Yikes! Just the thought of having to take my own boards in six months stresses me out enough, so I can only imagine the different emotions he must be feeling. As much as we would love to and desire to stay in Memphis for another year, we know that the Lord has already ordained the days of our lives and has His perfect plan in place for us. So we are praying for peace, calmness, confidence, and most importantly that God's will for our future to be revealed in these next few days. So if you're reading, would you join us in prayer? And let me know how we can be praying for you! :)

I saw this cartoon earlier today and it brought some comedic relief. Don't all interviews feel this way:

Back Row Blessings

Last night our back row group of friends from PT school got together for a pre-Christmas dinner together. I hate even saying my "PT friends," because it makes them sound as if they are only my friends at school. But this group of girls mean so much more to me than that.

It's crazy to think that it has been two months since we have all been together! Way too long when you are used to seeing someone 8 hours/day, 5 days/week at the very minimum!

Through heartbreaks over worthless boys, illnesses, family crises, wild nights, stresses of school (this list could go on forever), we have been there for one another. It amazes how just after a little over two years how close you can become to others. We have had our struggles and silly fights, but I wouldn't trade a bit of it, because it has gotten us to where we are today. I love these ladies and know that no matter where life takes us, that we can always come back to a Thursday night dinner as if it's only been a few days since we've seen each other.

Our scarf exchange

Black and White Shot

The damage...

Close up

And yes, December is here! Below freezing...Here's the proof:

!!!Still Blogger Challenged!!!

Ok, I don't know how many people read this thing of mine, but if anyone is reading and can tell me how to change my layout so it spans the whole width of the screen and not just centered in the middle that would be great! They should make tutorials for this thing...

What I Should Be Doing, But Instead...

So this weekend I have to go to school ALL DAY Friday, Saturday, and half a day on Sunday. We had to choose an elective for PT school so I chose Spanish with the thoughts of "I could totally use this one day" and "How bad can it be?" Trying to teach yourself a new language is absurd...So instead of reading this book like I should be, I have found that catching up on tv shows, sitting in front of a warm fireplace, looking for wedding stuff, and devouring more Oreos than necessary is waaaayyy better (nevermind the fact that I now have a wedding dress to fit into).


Speaking of wedding dresses, I am getting steadily more frustrated with trying to find bridesmaids dresses. I thought I found one that I liked, but the more I look at it, the uglier it gets...I know what color I want. I know what fabric I want. Now I just have to find a dress that comes in both. uuuugggghhh!!!! picking out my wedding dress wasn't this hard! I have beautiful bridesmaids and I want their dresses to be just as gorgeous! So on that note, if anyone has any input or suggestions for my little dilemma feel free to send 'em my way.

Busy Busy Busy

9:15. Sunday night. Exhausted. I feel like I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off the past few weeks. I am now halfway through my third rotation, and it's going well. Patients are great and the staff is wonderful. Still not sure if outpatient is for me or not, but I am enjoying myself and learning much. It's reassuring to see your patients making measurable improvements. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right.

This weekend was A LOT of fun! Kyle and I headed down to Miami on Friday for my dad's wedding weekend. It was the first time Kyle was going to meet Gigi and Poppy, my dad's parents, and I was so excited! They are the world's best grandparents and I am not sure where I would be without them. They loved each other, like I knew they would!!!

Saturday was the wedding. It was on the beach around 4:30 and it was beautiful. The tide was coming in and the sun was setting and the weather could not have been more perfect. It was good to see Dad so happy. While we were taking pictures after the ceremony, Kim (Dad's new wife) told the photographer about Kyle and I getting engaged so she snapped a few photos of us. It was awkward having to pose but hopefully they turned out cute. I will post some when we get them back. Here are a few pictures from the weekend...

Opening an engagement present from Gigi. Her gorgeous diamond heart necklace. My first BIG piece of jewelry, besides my ring of course.

More engagement presents!!!

Kyle, me, Dad, and Brother

In other news, a few weeks ago was Race for the Cure. After a week of rain, the weather could not have been any nicer for race day. What a blessing it was to be able to walk WITH my mom. Latest oncologist appointment shows no signs of cancer!!! Whoop whoop!

Bad Blogger, Bad

I'll be back Monday night....

Weeks of Whirlwind

Where to even begin...

We'll start with the END OF SCHOOL! What a feeling to have finished with classes. 6 more months of clinicals and then I am DR. COURTNEY WECHSLER! whoop whoop! The last day ended with research presentations, a class party at Rio Loco, and some karaoke at Superior. After having spent soooo much time with my classmates, we have become another family to each other. I am going to miss everyone, but I know we are all so excited to have reached this mountain top.

Last Friday, one week ago today, the most unexpected thing happened to me....

Kyle and I drove to Crossville for a wedding in Johnson City on Saturday. We had dinner with Steven, and then he and I went back to his parents' house to chill out and relax. After being at work in the morning, in the car all afternoon, and then Japanese steakhouse-type dinner, I felt nasty so I ended up taking a shower. While I was in the upstairs bathroom, Kyle walked over to their apartment-over-the-garage and showered over there. When I got out of the shower, I plopped down on the couch downstairs and turned the tv on. Not thinking too much about Kyle not being back yet, I just channel surfed a while. Earlier in the day we had been making funny comments about getting married. When Kyle got back, he was yelling down the hall asking me questions about me being serious about getting married. Since he was breaking my concentration on the oh-so-important whatever it was on the tube, I just non-chalantly hollered back at him. He joined me on the couch and we were just relaxing. Then he started to ask me more questions about marriage. "Are you sure you want to marry me?" "How sure are you?" "How sure is super sure?" "Like 160% sure?" Irritated I responded, "Yes babe," "Super sure," "No doubt," "Yes, 160%." I answered him politely, secretly annoyed that he continued to talk while I am clearly trying to watch tv. After answering those questions, he started making some serious comments saying things like "Babe, you know when we get married I am going to try to be the best husband ever, "I will always provide for our family," and "I will always try to lead our family down a biblical path." Sweetly I kissed him and said "I know, that's why I love you, I appreciate that so much about you." Then this man has the nerve to take the remote out of my hand and turn the tv off!!!! As he did this he spun around off the couch and down to his knee. And at this point, I'm thinking he is about to cross the line. Taking a step back, let me explain this. He once jokingly got down on a knee and I about knocked him out and told him DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN UNLESS YOU ARE SERIOUS!" So you can see my frustration here. I am trying to watch tv and this clown (love you babe!) is talking to me while I'm watching tv, taking the remote out of my hand, and acting like he was about to ask me to marry him. Except this time, it wasn't acting. He asked me to be his wife with wonderful sweet words, a gorgeous ring, and some more secret stuff that yall will just have to wonder about :)

So through the flood gates that are my eyes, I saw this amazing ring, and after stuttering, "Are you serious, is this for real, no way, oh my gosh, we're gonna get married?" I put the ring on!

Once we had our time together, Steven came back (after having known the entire time what was going on) and took some pictures for us. No make up, wet hair, and sweat pants. Looking like a million bucks! Rrrrright. Then I proceeded to sit on the kitchen floor for two hours crying and calling family and friends.

I am so honored to get to marry this man. A man whose first love is God and his second love is ME :) We are so excited (even among the few arguments we've already had) about the next 8 months of preparing for marriage. Prayers and encouragement are welcome and much needed!

LET THE PLANNING BEGIN!!!!!

Back to reality (again)

Here I am again. At the end of another road. And rather than reaching my destination, there is a fork (rather several forks). With my last PT school test waiting for me at 10:00 tomorrow morning, everything but wound care is on my mind. I stupidly assumed that after 20 years of education, one would know exactly where they wanted to be when the studying stops. After four years of undergrad and almost three years of grad school, this doctor of physical therapy-to-be has found herself lost without a map not knowing in what setting I want to work and having every feeling of inadequacy and fear of failure imaginable.

"Why do you want to be a physical therapist?"

I have heard that question repeatedly and I have repeatedly given the same response. "It's just the only thing that I have ever wanted to do." (For work that is) I have finally realized this weekend what this boring answer really means. Not so much an epiphany, just a realization pointed out by the One who holds ALL the answers. I want to serve. Though I may not know through what outlet, or to exactly what specific population, I know that God has ordained these steps in my life and in that, I try to find peace. "The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:11-12) In the craziness that is this world, where people are constantly trying to climb the corporate ladder and typically do so at the expense of integrity, Christ challenges us. To Him, greatness comes from serving-giving ourselves to God and to others. He came as a servant. Why should my focus be on ME?

On a lighter note, Starkville was great this weekend. The weather was beautiful and I had a wonderful time catching up with friends and taking in some Bulldog football. Despite a loss, the weekend was just what I needed. Dinner at Bin612, breakfast at City Bagel, and a long afternoon of tailgating. Here are some clips and a little video (RGB, that video was for you!)

Football Feuds

Nothing substantial to write about just figured almost two weeks is slacking...

I love having grown up in Tennessee and appreciate everything this great state has to offer...EXCEPT UT orange. Something about that color makes my stomach turn. Though I have grown tolerant of people's die-hard obsession with Rocky Top and Smokey, I secretly (or not so secretly) enjoy watching the frustration experienced when Crompton yet again throws an incomplete pass! Brutal? Just for proof, this picture is from tacky day during homecoming week in high school.

My love for the Gators has been embedded since birth. Born in Tampa with a dad and uncle who both graduated from Florida, it wasn't even a choice what colors you donned on Saturdays in the fall. Having been to two Gator National Championship victories, my love grows stronger everyday! :) The first was in 1996. Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. It was the awkward years. 10 years old, walking Bourbon street with my father. What was my mother thinking? Here's a picture for comedic relief. Danny Wuerffel "7" on the cheek and a 52-20 victory over Florida State.

13 years later, I was back. A little less awkward this time (at least I hope). Thanks to one of the world's best uncles, my cousin Rachel and I got to spend a few days in Miami and celebrate with thousands of fellow Florida fans. Here's some more pictures...

2 Saturdays ago, Kyle and I survived our first UT/Florida game together. After much convincing and promising to be on my best behavior, he agreed that we could actually be in the same house while the game was on. Because my love for Florida far outweighs my hatred for UT football, I'm not a huuuuuge trash talker. So I kept quiet as Tebow made Crompton look like a pee-wee quarterback. I even made our friend Travis a birthday cake with a power T on it. Pretty big of me I must say.

Since then, school has kept me pretty occupied. But the end is in sight and it sure helps when you get some of these at the end of a long week...

Thanks Kyle! (Isn't he sweet???)

Headed to Starkville Thursday to spend some much needed QT with some very special people. And hopefully to see a Bulldog victory. With all that Gator talk, I guess I forgot to express my love for Mississippi State. Very proud of the way they held their own this past Saturday against LSU! GO DAWGS!

Proverbs: Friendship

Because I have a 45 minute or so drive to school in the mornings (it was either live with the madre and Mike or sink into unneeded debt) I like to make it somewhat worthwhile. I usually try to use that time to mentally and spiritually prepare myself for the day (or sometimes just to try to wake up). Lately I have been listening to Mark Driscoll sermons. He is one of the pastors at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. He is a powerful deliverer of the Word of God and does not hold back. Very bold!

The sermon I listened to this morning came from a series on Proverbs and discussed friendship. These are just some notes I took as I listened (not while I was driving of course):

The definition he gives of friendship is this: "A trustworthy peer with whom we mutually choose to lovingly live with by seeking unique access and service for God's glory and our mutual good."

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This means that "friends" should mutually choose to be friends. That we seek the well-being of our friends. It is intentional. While circumstances may bring you together, your friendship exists outside of them. Classmates, co-workers, family members, etc do not necessarily equal friends. While they may be wonderful relationships, they may not be friends. Friends are able to get ahold of you at any time of the day; they can call, text, email, or just drop by. Not everyone in your life gets that special access. Our friendships should glorify God and better who we are.

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He jokingly refers to Facebook friends. Do you really have 1,057 "friends"?
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It is important for us 1) to be good friends and 2) choose good friends.
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I immediately thought about my friends and then quickly changed my focus to the kind of friend I am.
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Proverbs speaks well of the benefits of a Godly friend. "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Friends either help or harm. How do I affect my friends? How do you affect yours?
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Proverbs 16:28 "A dishonest man spreads strife and a whisperer separates close friends." Don't pick someone who is dishonest as a friend. And don't be a dishonest friend. Gossip (something I am still overcoming over the years) separates friends. Don't be a whisperer. They throw matches, ignite the flame, and watch it burn.

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Another important thing to remember in friendships, like in any relationship, is grace. People have bad days. We don't get enough sleep, we have five tests in one week, our family is dysfunctional, whatever it is. Everyone deserves a hall pass every once in a while. Let's not be so quick to rebuke (though they are times when it's necessary, coming later in post) each other when we aren't Mr./Ms. Bright and Shiny all the time. Grace.
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There are those friends who are ALWAYS optimistic, always cheerful, always "look at bright side." This can be painful. There are certain times where we need our friends to hurt with us when we hurt. There are friends who are the devoted friends, the ones who when we need a friend the most, they are there. When crisis comes, they are there! "A brother is born for adversity." This is how you know who your true friends are. When adversity hits you, who is there? And when your "friends" experience adversity, where are you? There?

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"There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Only a handful. We are blessed to have one or two (some may have more, but only a few when you really think about it). It's not bad to have lots of people you know, but it's better to have a few close friends you can count on.
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Proverbs 27:6 "Faithful are the wounds of a friend..." We tend to think that people who rebuke us, confronts us, point out sin in our life aren't really our friends. Wounds from friends are not used to destroy, but to sanctify. Carefully chosen words to show concern for our friends' lives are for love, not for hurt. If they are our true friend, we should listen... If two sinners are going to be friends, they have to be honest and occasionally "wound" one another, not to destroy but to heal. Takes much love to be able to do this...Tough huh???
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Questions to ponder:

1. How is Jesus a real friend to us? Do we even see Him as that? Does He not perfectly exemplify the definition of friendship?

2. How can we be a better friend and to whom?

3. Who if anyone would you consider a good friend to you and why? (Maybe let 'em know! )

4. Who do we need to be pursuing more intentionally?

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I pray that I can be, become, whatever, this type of friend that closely portrays the above-mentioned definition of a friend. If I'm not, "wound" me. Please.

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Here are a just a few pictures of a few of my friends:

Amber and I

Kate and IMeg and I
Laura, Suzanne, Kimberly, Me, Natalie, Alicia, CarlyRachel, Suzanne, Me, and AliciaSpringer and I

Rachael and I

Told You I Could Procrastinate...

It's 9:05 on Monday night and I should be studying for my integumentary exam that I have at 8:00 tomorrow morning...Clearly I'm concerned. With only 10 actual days of class and exams left, you would think that I could find the desire and motivation to finish with that "gung ho" attitude I started school with, but for the first time in the past two years of PT school I am finding myself the most relaxed and carefree as I have ever been. (Springer, don't judge my run-on sentence)

The weekend was great! Friday night, Kyle and I cooked dinner...Actually, I cooked dinner. As pathetic as it is, I am 24 years old and just now learning how to navigate the kitchen. After living in the Phi Mu house for 4 years and then moving back in with the parentals during PT school, I have never been forced to have to fend for myself. Spoiled, maybe. Blessed, absolutely. So I have taken it upon myself to learn to cook (at my mother's checkbook's expense). It was incredibley easy which is great for this reservation-making girl. Kraft.com has the answer for everything...Literally took 35 minutes, prep time and all. We ate the WHOLE thing between the two of us! But we put all those calories into good use after and cleaned Kyle's entire house... Even though he does a good job of keeping things pretty tidy, the house just needed some PineSol and Tilex. Looked and smelled much better when we got done! After that we just bummed around, in a dust free house :)

Saturday was a typical fall Saturday, football! Gators demolished Troy! But then came disappointment. The Bulldogs who teased their fans in the first and part of the second quarter, failed to pull out a victory. Needless to say Mississippi State alum were disappointed, though this isn't our first rodeo. I am slowly becoming tolerant to Tennessee football (horrible, I know) and even experienced my first trip to Big Orange Country (insert gag sound here) last weekend. And just like my Bulldogs, after a big first game win, the Vols were defeated...Saturday night found a few of us at Pit and Josh's wedding. It was so great to get to spend some much needed time with some not-so-old friends who I don't get to see anywhere near as much as I would like to. It's sad that one of my best friends, Alicia (pictured left), is in the same building as I am studying her life away everyday, yet we hardly ever get to spend time together. Two professional students=loss of QT. Hurts my heart. Getting to spend time with Suzanne, Claire, Kimberly, Natalie, Carly, Kyleen, Rachael, Amy Grace, Anna, Elizabeth, and Pit the bride (I think I got everyone) was wonderful! Wish our whole pledge class could have been there! Times were we can all be together are few and far between and to be able to get together whenever possible is worth the effort.

Sunday, like every other Sunday, is just the icing on the cake to a good weekend. It never ceases to amaze me how easily God speaks to you when you just open your ears and heart. Memphis is so blessed to have such a powerful presence of the Gospel in Fellowship Memphis. I cannot explain to anyone the overwhelming (in the positive sense) worship experience that can be found in this church. This past Sunday, one of the pastors, Bryan, started a new series entitled Lost. This series is entirely focused on sin. Not a subject that every church or pastor is willing to go elbow deep into. But that's exactly what I love about this church. I have never been more challenged to grow in my faith and to speak out about my faith as I have since attending Fellowship. This week's sermon was called "Naughty By Nature" (not the 90's rap group). It was one of the sermons where even though the pastor is pacing the entire length of the stage, you can't help but feel like he is staring at you the whole time. My spiritual life my senior year of college was a roller coaster. My heart's desire was to be an example of the love of Christ and to show others what living in relationship with Christ could offer. But more times than I'd like to admit, my actions were not reflective of that, and for that I apologize to all who my actions affected. Sunday's sermon spoke right to this! As humans, we were not born into this world as good people. Because of one man's (Adam) sin, every child born after came with a sin nature. Wayne Grudem states that "sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, and nature." For so long I always compared my actions to those of others thinking "Well, as long as I am not doing THAT..." Completely wrong mentality. Bryan explained that so many people in today's society have taken God's standard of living He expects from us and dumbed it down to the standards of other people. We have gone from a vertical standard to a horizontal standard. Rather than being concerned with being accepted by my peers, friends, family, whoever, and in turn judging others, it is far more important and valuable for me to be concerned with pleasing God. It is by His judgement that determines my eternal life, not those of this world.

Romans 2:1-3 "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgement on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgement of God rightly falls on those who do such things. Do you suppose, O man-you who judge those who do such tings and yet do them yourself-that you will escape the judgement of God?"

Only 9 1/2 more hours til my test. Better get to cramming...

Wex

Blogging Challenged

Sooooo I consider myself to be an intelligent person who knows enough about computers to figure this whole blogging thing out. But I have no idea what I am doing...So if anyone can give some tips (in lay terms) that would be great!

First and foremost, I must thank Springer for the clever and witty title. Wexercise Daily. As a physical therapy student, it's appropriate. Although exercise is not something I ascribe to daily, a day in a Wex world can leave one just as exhausted.

This little new hobby is purely for satisfying my procrastination needs. I have three weeks left until no more sitting in class from 8:00 to 5:00, no more studying for two tests a week (on a good week), and no more freaking out about practicals. So if you are looking for humor and wit, you may not find it here. Allow me to lead you to http://www.firstofspring.blogspot.com/ for that.

If I can successively procrastinate a little, keep friends informed on my life, and possibly share some enlightment along the way, then I consider the mission accomplished.

Until next time:
"The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

Wex