Priorities

I'm sitting here with my head glued to electrodes, wrapped in gauze, with a million wires hanging off my body into a fanny pack. I am looking so hot right now!

This is my last medical test, a 24-hour EEG. I'm sure the results will be normal and then I'll be stuck not driving forever! Ugh! I'm still fainting/dizzy, etc. and hopelessness has set in.

All this mess started Easter weekend. I can see God working and moving through it all, so I know it's not in vain. It's just frustrating. I've made some serious changes in my life as a result of all this.

I needed to re-prioritize my life. I knew what I should have been doing, but I didn't do it. My relationship with God was no longer my main priority. Quality time with my kids was becoming less frequent, I was working too many jobs and too often, my dates with Vince weren't consistent, etc.

Everything changed when I ended up in the hospital. God got a hold of me and I've made the changes I needed to. I'm not perfect, but I'm much better. Thanks for praying for me.

I want to make sure it doesn't happen again. I'm not naive enough to think that I won't make the same mistakes again. I am by nature a hard working, people-pleaser which can be a recipe for overcommitment and burn out.

Everyday we have a bunch of decisions to make. Some are bigger than others. The small decisions can have just as big of an affect on our lives as the big ones. If I say "Yes" to having coffee with someone, then I'm saying "No" to playing outside with my kids. If I say "Yes" to working overtime then I'm saying "No" to something else. The hard thing in ministry is that so much of what we say "Yes" to is good. Of course having coffee with someone is a good thing. The issue, I think, is balance. It's keeping yourself in check and constantly taking inventory of your life. It's figuring out what your priorities are and making decisions based on those priorities.

The hard thing is actually doing it. It's one thing to know all this, but to actually live it out is a different story. Do you have any practical suggestions? If so, please leave a comment for all of us. This is something that all of struggle with with; we need each other.

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Summer Update!

So far all my tests have come back normal, which is good, but annoying. It just means more episodes, no driving and total aggravation for a lot longer! I have one more test to go and I have no idea what's next. I'll keep you posted!

Other than my health, things are really good. The kids are still in school because they go to a year-round school. Summer break doesn't come until the middle of July. We've got a mission trip and a trip to see family scheduled. Next week the kids and I are headed to the mountains to go hiking with my sister and her family. I finally get to meet my new niece!

Our friends are driving their RV across the country and arrive tomorrow! I can't believe we've lived in Las Vegas for just about 18 months.

It's been so cool to see people's lives changed by Jesus at Verve. I had coffee with a girl and she said, "I can't believe that I got baptized. Three months ago I never would have imagined that I would be getting baptized, let alone going to church." She came to Verve on a whim and never meant to stick around! At one point she asked, "Does this mean that I'm a Born Again Christian?" She was quite surprised that she was "one of those." We laughed hysterically!

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Update!

13 people got baptized on Sunday at Verve. It was so awesome and encouraging to see people give their lives to God! It made me feel like everything we've been through has been worth it! I was singing in church a couple weeks ago and was filled with this sense of peace and "heard" God say, "None of these people would be worshipping me right now if you hadn't moved here!" Some eternal perspective never hurt!

I'm still doing the same health-wise. I wore my heart monitor for 30 days and am waiting on the results. My MRI was normal. I have an EEG scheduled at the end of the month. Hopefully they will find something wrong with me! The unknown is driving me crazy.

We're headed to California this weekend. Vince is speaking at Real Life Church on Sunday. Dawson's 5th grade trip to Disneyland (fully paid for by the school...crazy) is on Saturday. We're picking him up early and the boys are going to a Dodger's game on Saturday night. On Monday we're headed to Six Flags Magic Mountain (care of the super generous Real Life Church). I know that I'm getting old because I have to take Dramamine before going on any rides. How pathetic is that?!?!

My family came into town last week to celebrate my brother's 30th birthday. What a baby! We went to the Valley of Fire with my parents. It was so beautiful. One of the advantages of living in Las Vegas is all the amazing places there are to visit. (Look at me, I'm actually telling you positive things about Las Vegas. I've come a long way, haven't I? Ha!)

Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers for me during this really challenging time. I appreciate you so much!

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