The Balloonist

I heard this at Tyler's graduation and thought it was rather comical! Enjoy:



A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a man below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet about the ground. You are between 40 and 42 degrees north latitude and between 58 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the man, "but how did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."

The man below responded, "You must be a manager."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "how did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are exactly in the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

Couch to 5k...Here We Go!

Today marks the beginning of a new era: I resolve to actually ENJOY running! Crazy, right? Well...I found this half marathon I want to do in October and I feel like I should like running to run THAT much! =)

Regardless, I have started a nine-week program wherein by the end of it, I should be able to run a 5k without stopping! It's a cool thing...you start by mixing up walking and jogging and eventually leave the walking out!

Week one, day one = DONE!
Wednesday will be W1D2...and I'm pumped!

If you would like to join me or even try the program yourself, I found the workout here: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml?act=AFC-SocialMedia&Property=CoolRunning&Sport=Running&PageType=Content_Articles&Emp=TO&PostType=Profile_Link&Site=C25kfacebook&Dy=8_11_09&Note=C25kfanpagelink

I am determined to finish this program, run a 5k, work towards a 10k, completing that, and then train for the half marathon...and then FINISHING that! It is a lot, but I know that the Lord will be made great through all of it and I'm excited to see it happen!

Austin CROP Hunger Walk

I made a commitment to walk to raise funds to end poverty in our world! On March 6th, I will be walking three miles and want you to join me! If you are interested in joining me as a walker or donating, feel free to contact me! I would love for you to take part in the adventure with me!

The funds raised are allocated both locally in Austin and globally! Church World Service sponsors the Austin CROP Hunger Walk and assists 60+ countries in need!

Check out my personal page on the CWS website to see how I'm doing and all the latest on my progress! http://www.churchworldservice.org/goto/laraehumes

Change

2010 has begun! I pray that the Lord would bless your life in ways unfathomable to us in this year! =)

I have decided that I'm going to post my New Years Resolutions so as to be held accountable, because we all know that by Valentine's, these resolutions will merely become a starting list for 2011.

In 2010, I resolve to:

--eat better! High blood pressure runs on BOTH sides of my family, and I just want to take precautionary measures to better my life.

--exercise consistently, both spiritually and physically! That calls for at least 30 minutes of exercise per day..and if not daily, at least three times a week. As for spiritual exercise, I need to get in The Word. On a DAILY basis. There are no shortcuts or loopholes, that's that.

--be conscientious of my posture. I know that sounds silly. As I student teach, I have realized that when I teach a lesson and have poor posture, so then my professionalism is poor. With that said, if you see me slouching or whatever, poke me in the back and tell me to get my shoulders up--Mom always did that as I was growing up. Seems I still need it! =)

--be intentional with the third graders in Mr. Cowan's class. I want to truly get to know them and their hearts. The Lord has put them in my class for a reason and I just want to love them.

--be intentional with my Cohort! As this is our last semester of college, I want to eat out (or in) with them. I want to go on different outings: karaoke, hiking, shopping, coffee chats, basketball games, etc. Whatever it is, I want to do it!

--be mindful of the meals for the week. I'm still learning how to be a better wife. As both of us are heading towards being a real grown up (Tyler already is, but I'm not), I figure I should be better organized in that area. In doing so, I'll plan meals within our budget.

--be on top of teacher stuff. (E.g.-cert. test registration, studying for those cert tests, applications to school districts, etc.)




I believe that's it! The Lord blessed Tyler and I immensely so in 2009 and we can only wait to see what 2010 holds!

Knitting

These are pictures of my handy dandy needles!
And my fun burnt orange yarn...soon to be a full blown scarf!


Thanks to my friend, Whitney, I have picked up the art of knitting! Having picked up a new hobby, of course, I am not great at it but I'm definitely making progress.

The knitting process is lengthy, but rewarding. I see the work I have completed at the end of the day and take note of the progress. I can see from start to present what a change I have made. At first, I dropped stitches and there a several mess-ups, but over time, the knits become tighter and more "professional" looking. Sure, mistakes will be made, but I know that in the end, I'll be so excited about the scarf! =)

Recognizing the time that goes into knitting and precision it takes to do so well makes me think of the love God has for us. Psalm 139 hits the spot! "You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." -Psalm 139: 13 and 14 How incredible it is to know that the Lord God himself knit you in your mother's womb! The precision and caution He used in creating you the very way He intended for you to be, it's so awe-inspiring! I read that and realize that the Lord knit us knowing how He wanted us to be in the end, sure there may be some imperfections, but He made us that way and He is perfect. We are perfect in His sight.

The next time I begin knitting and get frustrated, wanting to give up, I must remember the length at which God knit me in my mother's womb--not once has He given up on me! =)

Running

How sad is it that I went outside to run (even though I DESPISE running) and I couldn't even run ONE mile without stopping!?! What is wrong with me? I was 2/3rds of the way in and I got a stitch...an awful one; I tried to jog and it pretty much impaled me from even doing that. Therefore, I have decided that I will do my best to at least run one mile three times a week. If I can't run a mile now, I'm going to be able to soon! =)

While having coffee with a friend, I realized that I often compare my spiritual journey with that of physical exercise and nutrition. Once you get in the habit of doing something good...like running and reading scripture daily, life is good! But that ONE time you don't do it, the devil takes a hold of it and lets you know how good life is without it; e.g., without running, I have more time to do this or that, I needed to rest anyway, I'll pick it back up next week...next week never comes. And the same with reading God's Word. Eh, I'd rather sleep that extra 15 minutes, I'll do it later. I'll really try next week.

I hate to say it, because I do it too, but I think that's a slap in the face! Reading God's Word is something that makes us stronger, we grow in the Lord, He speaks to us during that time; how can I possibly say, "you know, Lord, I appreciate everything you did for me on the cross and I truly do want to meet with you today, but I'll hit the snooze a few more times." Yikes. I do that. All the time. I'm not willing to let the Lord speak to me through His Word.

In the same way, I'm not willing to run or get in shape. I want to. I see the need to do it. But I choose not to. I know the benefits of it, but I'd rather do what I want to do.

--The Lord uses His daily Word to speak to us. Maybe the Lord will speak to me while I'm running or working out. You never know, and I'm not going to put limits on the way the Lord moves.

I think I'm just tired of pushing away the things that I KNOW are beneficial for my everyday life. I'm saying all this so that other people know what I'm struggling with and know that I'm trying to fix it! =) I will read and I will run. It's gonna be good. I need physical and spiritual exercise: reading His Word and running allow me to get both of the things I need!

How Great is His LOVE!

The precious blood of Jesus Christ redeems
Forgiven I'm alive restored set free
Your majesty resides inside of me
Forever I believe
Forever I believe
Arrested by Your truth and righteousness
Your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness
Convicted by Your spirit led by Your word
Your love will never fail
Your love will never fail

I know You gave
The word Your only Son for us
To know Your name
To live within the Savior's love
He took my place
Knowing He'd be crucified
And You loved
You loved a people undeserving


This song "To Know Your Name," by Hillsong touches the strings of my heart! I cannot express the joy I have in listening to the beautiful lyrics of this song.

I am arrested by His truth and righteousness! What a beautiful thing to be arrested to, rather than my sin and iniquities?! Daily, His grace overwhelms my brokenness and I can only praise Him for loving me the way He does! He knew that He would be crucified before stepping foot on this earth, yet He lived a perfect life and gave it up for an undeserving sinner like myself. What a beautiful conviction. It rips me to shreds to attempt to understand such a love. My love for my husband will forever be trumped by the love of my Heavenly Father! And don't let me steer you wrong, I LOVE my husband! And I know he loves me too! To know that someone could love me in such a way to give up His son for me, that is truly baffling! How could I stand here and realize what He has done and not be in awe of His love? Shame on us for forgetting what the death on the cross really meant for us: LIFE and life to the FULLEST!

My prayer is that this song would continue to move us toward a life of pure, reverential worship of and to the Lord.