how are you walking?

i've struggled lately with the idea of having a DAILY quiet time.I wasn't convinced that it had to be daily.i coudln't find in scripture where Jesus retreated daily.So,why should I? As long as I'm having frequent quiet times aren't I accomplishing the same purpose? I've come to find that I was struggling more with the quality of my quiet time but just masking it as something else.I can tell you that I MOST certainly believe a christian should have a DAILY quiet time.I've really come to realize it's importance.I was reading a friend's blog today and he discussed this very issue.He expressed it so beautifully that I thought I would "steal" from him.....

It's like the rudder of a ship. Imagine yourself at the wheel of a large ship, charged with guiding this vessel to a specific destination thousands of miles away. As you pilot the ship and try to stay on course, the best way is to make small course corrections every couple of miles. Such it is with being consistent in the Word of God. A main reason (I believe) we need to daily read our Bibles is so truth can make small course corrections in our lives as we steer towards the final goal.

Imagine what happens when you only make course corrections every week or at irregular times. You tend to find yourself making large zigs and zags in order to stay true to the course. I always struggled following God closely when my daily walk with Christ was erratic, inconsistent, and haphazard.

Sweet little baby boy : )

I came across a blog today of a lady who was telling of the birth of her child.Her blog was quite revealing and beautifully expressed. She included some picture s that I thought were some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. This little boy was born at 22 weeks stillborn. I wanted to share this though because it shows just how formed this baby was even at 22 weeks of birth. THe mother describes it best "He weighed 1 lb., .8 oz. and was 11" long. He looked like a tiny, miniature baby doll. He had tiny fingernails and tiny toenails and tiny earlobes... he was perfectly formed."
You can't help but acknowledge and thank God for creation when you see pictures like these.

"You gave me life and showed me kindess,and in your providence watched over my spirit" Job 10:12

It's a cold,cold world out there

Been a hard one, Been a bad one
Been a tough one, Been a sad one
It's been one of those days that keeps chipping away at my heart
Nothing new here, It's what I do here
its a stereotypical day, in the life
I'm surrounded by all of the pain and the strife
but I know it's alright, woah oh

Chorus:
Cause it's only the world i'm living in
It's only today i've been given
There ain't no way i'm giving in
Cause it's only the world (oh cause it's only the world)
I know the best is still yet to come
Cause even when my days in the world are done
There's gonna be so much more than only the world for me
do do do do do do do do do, yeah its only the world

Verse 2:
Anybody can you hear me?
Do you feel me? I mean, do you feel me?
I know I'm not the only one wearing the weight of this world
We got problems (said it's alright)
Just remember (yeah, it's alright)
Take a good look around we're just stuck on the ground for a little while
Don't it make you smile

Chorus:
Cause it's only the world i'm living in (Yeah)
It's only today i've been given(Yeah)
There ain't no way i'm giving in
Oh Cause it's only the world (only the world)
I know the best is still yet to come
Cause even when my days in the world are done
There's gonna be so much more than only the world for me
do do do do do do do do do, yeah its only the world (Yeah)

do do do do do do do do do, yeah its only the world(Oh it's only the world)

Bridge:
Heaven is a place where the tears on every face will be wiped away
Oh And I can't wait to go, but for now it's enough to know
This is only temporary this is only, Yeah, Alright!

Chorus:
Cause it's only the world i'm living in
It's only the day i've been given
There ain't no way i'm giving in
Cause it's only the world (only the world)
I know the best is still yet to come
Cause even when my days in the world are done
There's gonna be so much more than only the world for me

Cause it's only the world i'm living in
It's only tod i've been given
There ain't no way i'm giving in
Cause it's only the world (only the world)
I know the best is still yet to come
Cause even when my days in the world are done
There's gonna be so much more than only the world for me
(So much more than only the world, yeah)




Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.(Psalms 90:2)

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.(John 17:5)

Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.(1 John 5:5)

the legacy continues..........

In my family,we have a legacy of aunts.My mom's aunt are very close to her thus leaving me with some amazing great aunts.My dad also had some great aunts in his family.They've since passed on but even I knew 2 of them.Then,i have aunts in my life on both sides of my family that have truly impacted my life.My aunt Ann gave me my first cross necklace when I was baptized.I still have that necklace to this day (22 years later).My mom gave her nieces cross necklaces as well when they were baptized.My aunt Sherry has played a big part in my life despite living in Florida.She has always made a purposeful effort to keep in touch with me via e-mail,phone,letters,etc as I grew up.Every christmas we'd always get a big box of presents she'd shipped and called her on Christmas Day.we also in turn had sent them a box and my mom always made sugar cookies for them.So,my mom was also a very involved aunt.so,as you can see,aunts play a VERY big role in my family. That explains part of my excitement about being Aunt "Shesha" to Madelyn and Anna. Today,something else happened that just made me sit back and remember what a privilege it is to be an aunt.The picture on this blog is madelyn wearing my flip flops.she carried them around with her all day today.She kept putting them on and walking around in "shesha's" shoes like a big girl :)What makes this so special to
me is that I used to do this at my aunt Ann's house.she worked in boutiques most of her life and is certainly "diva".So,going to her house always produced a plethora of 4 inch heels and TONS of costume jewelry.I remember the countless times I'd parade around her house in her high heel shoes.Boy did I think I was the stuff !!!! I have these special memories even today.So,it just really caused me to pause when I saw Madelyn do the same thing today.It just made it hit home that I've been given the title "aunt" and what a privilege it is :) Guess I need to do some MAJOR shoe shopping and make sure I'm stocked up on some 4 inch pumps !!!!!!

P.s. Forgive the blurry shots but she wouldn't be still long enough for me to get a good one :)

Books a Million : )

Hey all ! i have been really into reading and buying books lately.My place is beginning to look like Books a Million :) I just picked up Jenna Bush's book "Ana's story".I'm really excited about reading it.Most of the books i've been reading and buying lately however are spiritual in nature.i'm enjoying them all so far.So,I wanted to ask you "What is your favorite book?" "What books do you recommend to me?". i'd love to know my friends' tastes and various ideas.I know you have them :)

I'm in the money !!!!!!

********stolen from another blog because I really like how his perspective.The thing that hit me was realizing just how rich I am as an American.I'm in the money !!!! :) **************





This morning on my way class, I was listening to a radio program where two pundits were discussing capital gains taxes. Exciting, I know. One thing that was said struck me. Since 1980 American wealth has grown from $30,000,000,000 to $70,000,000,000. I typed out all the zeros purposefully — just look at the staggering amount of wealth we have in this country. We live in the wealthiest society in the history of the world, and the last twenty-seven years have been the greatest single societal increase in wealth in history.

Another of the points made was that as the wealth of Americans has increased, so has expendable income — that is, money which is discretionary and not alloted for specific expenses. I am not an economics whiz, but this seems like a common sense approach to expenses:

1. Mandatory — things you must have to survive, such as food, shelter and clothing

2. Necessary — things you do not intrinsically need for survival, but are necessary for the functioning of a modern-day life, such as a car and gas (if you don’t live in a city), various types of insurance, etc

3. Discretionary — things that might be helpful, useful, or fun, but that are not mandatory or necessary, such as microwave, a computer, TV, etc

Obviously, we will have to spend money, and most of us do not have uncountable riches to spread to the masses. However, if you are an American, especially in the middle-class or higher, you are filthily and unavoidably rich. More so than 99.9% of the history of the world’s population. This means that we ought to be able to survive and thrive (if not “materially”) on much less than we do. There are probably dozens of ways we can pare down our mandatory, necessary and discretionary expenses, freeing up funds for the good of God’s Kingdom.

Take for example a very simple budgetary example:

Say Bob earns $1200 a month. Here is Bob’s budget:

Tithe = $100

Rent = $350

Food = $150

Gas = $100

Car Insurance = $50

Health Insurance = $50

Utilities = $50

Cell Phone = $50

Internet/Cable = $50

Savings = $250

Bob wants to know how to live on a “wartime budget”. I think there are two ways to do it:

1. Cut down on the quality/expense of his mandatory and necessary expenses. He could eat out less, or drive a cheaper car that would not cost as much to insure.

2. Cut down on the quantity of his discretionary expenses. He could cancel his cable and internet connection for example

We need to look at our budgets for ways that we can pare down our expenses, with the purpose of using our wealth for the Kingdom. I myself am only beginning to think through these issues, but I know that God will hold me (and us) accountable for what we have been given. I want the Slavich family to use its wealth and all of its resources in a selfless and non-money-treasuring way.

May the Lord help us and be gracious to us.

A long needed update

I haven't blogged about myself lately so here it is :) I'm really excited at the moment because I had a VERY VERY productive "paperwork" day at work today.Paperwork is a HUGE part of my job and it's a never ending task.every wednesday is paperwork day.however,it doesn't always mean it's a day of quite and free of distractions.So,I'm very happy that I got LOTS accomplished today. I have some great people in my office too.I fuss about work alot but I have some great co-workers. I'm blessed that I do since I spend so much time with them. I've been a little worried lately but I seem to be tired/worn out all the time.however,the last few days have been better so that's good.I have a check up with my MD next week too.I've been reading ALOT lately and am so excited about some of the books I'm reading and will be reading.I'm finishing up "down came the rain" by Brooke Shields.I have to admit I thought it would be a "so so" book but it has really been interesting.She doesn't hide any of her struggles and you read the book feeling like you're talking to your best friend. I made lemon pepper chicken tonight and it was GOOD,if I say so myself.If you know me,you'll be totally surprised about this next statement.I actually ate grilled squash,asparagus and zucchini the other night.I'm so excited.I always wish that I liked more vegetables/fruits than I do.In the past year or so,I've found that my taste buds have changed some and I'm learning to like cucumbers,cabbage
and the above mentioned grilled veggies.I probably wouldn't eat them unless they were grilled but hey,that's still healthy for you.I'm really learning about healthy eating and treating my body like the temple the Bible tells me it is.
There's not much else to tell right now.I love visiting my nieces when I can.Anna is growing and changing every day it seems like.Each new pic I get she looks like a different child.Madelyn has my heart of course and is just cute as a button.She's really verbal and interactive.She's a little "diva" too.She knows what she wants and gets it most of the time.She's a good child too which is great.She really doesn't throw tamtrums or say anything mean,ugly,etc. I'm so proud of my sister and the great mommy she's become.
I love this time of year.I'm ready for the cooler temps and breezy wind :)
If you're reading this,take a minute and say hi.I never know you have visited my site unless you comment on my blog. Hugs and love to all !!!!!!!

I love girlfriend time : )

It dawned on me today just how much I've come to enjoy my girlfriends and girlfriend time.There's nothing like it !!!!! I am very blessed to have a mom,sister,coworkers,lifelong friends and church members that I get to have girlfriend time with.Some of it is just a time of hanging out and other times is accountability and prayer.I have some AMAZING ladies in my life.I am really blessed :)
My girlfriends love me for me and I love the nicknames,inside jokes,etc we have.My girlfriends have shaped who I am today and I'm so grateful for that.Many have come and gone in my life but each one has made an impact on my life. God knows just what we need,doesn't He? So,to all my girlfriends out there,I love you all !!!!! I can't wait until our next get together.From mexican,shopping,prayer,cards online,long distance calls,sushi with Shanon to just a "how are ya"email or call,I love it all. Take care my sweet girlfriends and keep in touch !!!!!

If this is marriage,I want to remain single

Over the past almost year now,God has really been showing me alot about marriage.It started with my parents separation.Then,it seemed like every week,I was hearing of another marriage in trouble.The issues ranged from not spending time together,one or both partners feeling unappreciated to affairs.My heart has just been broken for these people.Some have been people I love dearly and can't imagine their pain.Others have been people in ministry who have lost jobs,reputations,etc.I am so thankful that as I've heard about these issues,God has graciously whispered truth into my Spirit.He has shown me what He says about marriage and what a true marriage is about.Of course,we're all human and have temptations.I'm not placing blame.But,it does seem that we've either forgotten about God's design for marriage or just give in to temptation,selfishness,etc.I can't even begin to fathom what it's like to know my spouse cheated on me or doesn't want to spend time with me.I can't begin to imagine how "trapped" so many spouses must feel.But,I do know about my God.I know that God is my Healer,Restorer,Comforter,Sustainer,Friend,Father,Lover,Provider and Savior.I pray that God will be present in every marriage in this world.i pray that God will be exactly what each spouse needs.I pray for marriage and God's will for marriage.I pray for my future husband.I pray that we will have a godly marriage that will be free of so many of the issues that so many other couples have had to face.Until I met him though,i'll just stay single.Marriage is hard enough with the right person so no need to make it any harder :)