Cheers!

I leave bright and early tomorrow morning. . . as in by 5am. The sun won't even be awake by then, which is a miracle. You should right this down in your diary of many secrets and wonders so that one day you may tell your kids and grandkids that Josie K. was up and awake with coffee in hand before the sun ever showed his face. ;) So, I'm driving out with my friend Anna and we're taking four days to drive out to the beautiful Colorado. I am so excited about this road trip! The second night we're staying in this cool place in New Mexico, which I can't say here because I'm keeping it as a surprise for Anna. muhaha. But it looks fabulous and makes me happy.

Our itinerary, if you care to know, is as follows:

Thursday -- leave Starkville, MS around 5am and drive West. Most likely reach Little Rock, AR by lunch and Apache, OK by 6pm. Apache, OK is our destination for the first day, we're staying at a ywam base's hospitality suit for the night.

Friday -- leave Apache by 8am and continue driving West. By this point we will have traveled through MS, AR, OK, and be heading into TX. We're planning to stop at every State sign and take a picture. It's going to be awesome. Ok, continue driving and eventually reach NM where we will spend the night in unsaid location.

Saturday -- leave by 8 or 9am and head North where we will travel through Starkville, CO....completely awesome. Pictures will be taken. Take slight detour to the Great Sand Dunes, which are reported to be really cool. Drive to Colorado Springs and bunk for the night.

Sunday -- Tour around Colorado Springs and just chill and hang out for the day. Hopefully go see the Garden of the Gods which are also reported to be really pretty. Sunday is up for change and fun.

Monday -- drive to Denver and send Anna back home on le airplane to MS. Most likely cry some more. Drive by myself to Arvada, CO where I will know no one and be spending the next 5 months of my life. Eeegads.

I'm freaking out just a little bit, but i'm mostly just getting ridiculously emotional. I was watching what not to wear and started tearing up. I mean...c'mon! These next two weeks are going to be long, weird, exciting, good, scary, and thrilling I do believe. I know I'm going to miss my family and friends immensely. But I also know God is loving and I know that He is good and I know that He has called me to this place at this time and that He will never leave me. And for all of those truths, I am extremely grateful.

So, here's to life more abundant and love without end. . . .to God and God alone be the glory! Psalm 115:1

~Josie

Psalm 23

I love my family and i love God. I also love the Scots. The combination of those three wonderful things can only bring about the likes of something this awesome... Behold!

The 23rd Psalm in Scots

The Lord is my Shepherd in nocht am I wantin'
In the haugh's green girse does He mak me lie doon
While mony puir straiglers are bleatin' and pantin'
By saft-flowin' burnies He leads me at noon.

When aince I had strayed far awa in the bracken,
And daidled till gloamin' cam ower a' the hills,
Nae dribble o' water my sair drooth to slacken,
And dark grow'd the nicht wi' its haars and its chills.

Awa frae the fauld, strayin' fit-sair and weary,
I thocht I had naethin' tae dae but tae dee.
He socht me and fand me in mountain hechts dreary,
He gangs by fell paths which He kens best for me.

And noo, for His name's sake, I'm dune wi' a' fearin'
Though cloods may aft gaither and soughin' win's blaw.
"Hoo this?" or "Hoo that?" -- oh, prevent me frae spearin'
His will is aye best, and I daurna say "Na".

The valley o' death winna fleg me to thread it,
Through awfu' the darkness, I weel can foresee.
Wi' His rod and His staff He wull help me to tread it,
Then wull its shadows, sae gruesome, a' flee.

Forfochen in presence o' foes that surround me,
My Shepherd a table wi' denties has spread.
The Thyme and the Myrtle blaw fragrant aroond me,
He brims a fu' cup and poors oil on my head.

Surely guidness an' mercy, despite a' my roamin'
Wull gang wi' me doon tae the brink o' the river.
Ayont it nae mair o' the eerie an' gloamin'
I wull bide in the Hame o' my Faither for ever.

Oh how i miss Scotland; the people, the landscape and their incredible accents. <3

Flickering Light Bulb

Woe is me. Worthy is HE.

I have been studying a lot in the Psalms the past few months, mainly because of the bible study I am leading and firstly because that's where I had been studying even before that came about. In the Psalms David talks a lot on the goodness of God and how much HE has done for him even though David had as many downs as he did ups. David writes about his struggles and then rejoices. David writes about his failures and then praises HIM. David pours out his heart, broken or full, and worships HIM. It's so repetitive yet somehow we fail to see it. We see the brokenness, the pain, the wanting, the waiting and the agony that David experiences. Do we see, however, David's love for God, his joy, or his embrace of the Father's discipline? Do we see God's goodness to David even when he messed up or when he was on the mountain top? God is fully present and constantly teaching us if we'll just learn to focus on what's truly important.

I've realized that over the past few months I have been having a 'woe is me' attitude about life. I feel sad, things aren't going the way I planned, I don't know where to turn next, I feel like such a failure, etc. When the attitude I should have had all along be that of 'worthy is HE.' HE has taken me along this road for a reason, HE has led me through the highs and lows on purpose, HE thinks more of me than I do of myself most days, HIS plan is better and that's the truth. I've started to see that HE likes leading us through rough spots when HE wants us to learn something, otherwise if it were on a smooth path we wouldn't get the point...literally. We have to be wanting HIM and in search of HIM, not an answer to why we're in a rough spot, but wanting to know 'what can I do to glorify YOU while I'm here.'

The speaker at church on Sunday had similar things to say about hard times and God's goodness. He spoke on finding God in the journey and not getting consumed with where you were on that journey. I've learned that's it's good and necessary to be expectant, but it's better to be wanting HIM all the more. If HE is in control and 'has given you everything you need for life and godliness' than we must learn to look no further than HIS loving eyes. HE will lead us down straight paths if we will just learn to hand over the pilot's seat. Easier said than done, I know. It takes discipline and a humble heart, but that's better, perhaps harder, than trying to do it on your own. It never works. Believe me, I've tried.

I suppose then that it is a God-consumed perspective that we must look at life through, otherwise we will most likely trip, fall, and have to go through the learning process again. So, pay attention the first time...

~Me