Same blogger, new blog!

Please visit me on my new domain: victoriasramblings.com. You can expect the same delightful word play and life lessons you've been getting here!

Hope to see you there!

Very married.

January 19, 2013

Well friends, I'm not 'Victoria Easter' any more. I'm Victoria Wilson! I'm sure I'll update my blog URL (along with my email, social media accounts, bank accounts, etc etc) in the coming weeks. For now, I'm just basking the glow of being a newlywed and wondering how I ever grew up this quickly.

Much love,
Victoria

Worry and God's Will

When I decided to look at Psalm 37 with an eye for how my expectations should relate to God's will, I didn't expect so much of this chapter to be about worry. As much as it pains me to admit, I am often a Mr. Worry:

Poor Mr Worry.  

Whatever happened, he worried about it.  

If it rained, he worried that his roof was going to leak.  

If it didn't rain, he worried that all the plants in his garden were going to die.

You get the idea. (And if you're not familiar with Britain's Mr. Men series, you should be. They are fantastic.)

Equally shocking to me was the realization that my worrying does demobilize my ability to trust that God will establish my steps (Psalms 37:23). Anxiety, as Kevin  DeYoung says in Just Do Something, is living out the future before it arrives. Anxiety could also be described as the enemy of trust. We must understand that God's will is always taking place - why, then, do we worry about God's will? It has happened, it is happening, and it will happen!

Delighting in Christ allows us to be certain about our future. God wants us to trust His promises for tomorrow, and the next day, and the one after that. Several of these promises for the children of God are found in Psalm 37 alone:

• We will dwell in the Lord's land. (verse 3)
• We will be given the desires of our heart. (verse 4)
• God will act when our way is committed to him. (verse 5)
• We will have righteousness and justice. (verse 6)
• Though we fall, we will not be cast aside. (verse 24)
• God will be ever generous with us. (verse 25-26)

And those are just a few verses! It's important to understand that this secure future was purchased by the atoning blood of Jesus. Christians around the world have just celebrated (or, if you're like me, are still celebrating) the birth of the Christ-child. Christmas, though, isn't ultimately about a cradle - it is about the cross. We must not forget that God came to dwell among us. We must not forget that Jesus was fully God and fully man. Jesus is the answer to Job's cries for an arbitrator to represent both infinite and finite parties in Job 9. And it is Jesus who will empower you to be anxious for nothing, but to cheerfully and expectantly watch God's will at work in your life. 

Unlikely Christmas Thoughts

This morning, I find myself in North Carolina. My hometown. Though I oddly feel like a stranger in my hometown, there is one place where I never feel like a passerby - Broad River Coffee Company. It's where I worked my first job. Was introduced to indie music. Learned how to pull a perfect shot of espresso. Where I, in many ways, was first introduced to adult responsibilities.

And this rainy Christmas Eve morning, I find myself drinking a cup of coffee as a nondescript customer. I'm continuing to study My Expectations and God's Will and another set of verses from Psalm 37 shouted for my attention.

The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD upholds his hand.
Psalm 37:23-24 (ESV)

What in the world does established steps and not being cast headlong have to do with Christmas? I'll tell you.

On Sunday, traveling through Tennessee on my way to the Land of the Pine, I stopped to attend Cornerstone Church of Knoxville. What a passionate, Christ-exalting congregation! The sermon was the final of their Advent series and entitled "Christ our Mediator". The pastor brought to light that Jesus is always mediating, or interceding, on our behalf before the Father. The wonder of the Christ-child isn't that he remained a baby, but that he grew up to be a man and atone for the sins of the world - my sins and your sins. Now, Jesus stands in Heaven and says, "Father, I know Victoria has sinned and she doesn't deserve your grace. Here, look at my perfect sacrifice on Calvary. Apply my payment to her sin debt. I love her; she is mine."

Have Yourself a Guilty Little Christmas

Don't count me off as Ebeneezer Scrooge's little sister! Hear me out. Tonight I began my Christmas shopping (T-6 Days, I know) and was struck with an overwhelming sense of guilt. What happened to good tidings of great joy? Read on.

It is more blessed to give than to receive, I don't deny that. What I learned tonight is that giving for the wrong reasons is a horrible excuse to fulfill the old adage.

Have you ever felt guilty for not giving someone a gift? I think at Christmastime, those feelings become even more acute. The dreaded moment when an unsuspecting someone approaches you with a, "Guess who's got a present under the tree!?" (Maybe your buddies aren't that corny - I hope they aren't - but you get the idea.) You are in a tight spot my friend.

If you were me about 6 hours ago, you would have slide into the car like Bo Duke and put the lead out to make it to some Stuff-Mart. I did the ritualistic scouting of the gift aisles and thought the usual last-second shopper thoughts. "O, they might like that (insert item he really wouldn't like)." "If only that had (insert seriously ugly item) in a different color, she would really like it. I guess this one will work." And the last stitch-effort "You know what, I'll just get them a gift card."

Yep. Classic guilt.

Thoughts on the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting

December 14th 2012

9:30am

Newtown, Connecticut

Sandy Hook Elementary School

What to say?

I, like so many of you, have been at a great loss for words reflecting on the Sandy Hook Elem. Shooting. And yet I, like so many, are trying so hard to think of things to say. My thoughts won't be long, but I hope they will be meaningful.

So, what do we say in the face of tragedy? Not even just an accidental tragedy, but a heartbreaking and horrific pre-meditated atrocity.

A Delight to Trust

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:1-4

As we trust God, we become friends of faithfulness. We land in His land. We are granted the desires of our heart. To trust in God, then, is truly a delight.

Psalm 37:4 is echoed in Job, "For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God." (Job 22:26 ESV) It is important to note that in Psalm, as in Job, our heart's desires are not our heart's whims. God does promise to grant us what our heart desires, under the banner of our first delighting in Him. As we delight, we will desire the right things - we will desire what the Lord desires for us.

In a brief word, what does the Lord desire for us? To be like his Son, Jesus Christ.

Lord,

Meld your desires with my desires. Make my expectations resemble your will for my life. May I look more and more like Christ daily.

In Jesus' name,  

Yes and Amen

My Expectations & God's Will

I expect great things. I've always expected great things, for myself and for others. I'm certainly a dreamer, usually a glass half-full kind of girl. I'm always imagining and re-imagining future plans. O, the possibilities!

These grand expectations of mine really only have one foil: reality.

To be perfectly honest, the last time my expectations were wholly met and exceeded happened in 2010, during my semester abroad in Scotland. Why? I haven't a clue. I truly didn't know what to expect and, in the Old Country, the LORD taught me to expect Him. I certainly was blessed to make friends and have experiences beyond my wildest dreams, but I did learn that when we expect God to work in our live we can be sure a grand adventure is to follow.

Since returning from Scotland, nothing has gone the way I expected it. I mean nothing. It's not been all bad, but it's certainly not been what I expected.

Actually, since returning from the UK I've been at great odds with My Expectations and God's Will. Through reflecting over the past two years, Ben - my future husband - suggested I study the two and how they relate.

I'm using Psalms 37 as my base text. I'm also going to be reading through two books 1) Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung and 2) Found: God's Will by John MacArthur.

I'll be blogging my reflections here. Join me, won't you?

another (slightly morbid) poem

Upon Watching People Watch a Funeral Procession 

It's an uncomfortable feeling
when death crosses Main Street.
People stop, gawk, and stare
at the soul who's no longer there.

A New Writing Focus

I'm not a very focused person.

Strike that.

I have tons of focuses, but often struggle choosing which direction I should go.

I've always had tons of dreams and aspirations:
I want to be a wife. I want to be a mom. I want to travel places I've never been. I want to travel back to places I have been. I want to write a book, a poem, a something. I want to run a coffee-shop. I want to own a bookstore. I want to teach. I want to invest in people. I want to move. I want to settle.

You get the idea. Lots of focuses, no direction.

In particular tonight I've been thinking about my writing. (Remember NaNoWriMo? Yeah.) I've been inspired to approach writing, and my whole life by extension, with a renewed focus.

Instead of beating my head against the wall trying to hammer out tons of personal writing projects, I'm going to approach my work with a God-ward focus. Spending dedicated time with the LORD should define my day. Nothing else should seem more important (because, in reality, nothing else IS more important) than that. This blog will now be my way to reflect and meditate on what I'm studying in the Word and learning from the LORD.

Romans 12:1 says we are to be a "living sacrifice" to the LORD. My writing is indeed a gift from Him. I desperately want to perfect my craft as an act of worship - not for my own gain, but to lift up Christ. I hope to not only produce the same type of work, but pieces of even greater quality because I'm writing to honor my King.

NaNoWriMo Fail

Obviously I haven't posted anything new in a month. I haven't written anything to post in a month. My NaNoWriMo novel is in a sad, dejected state. I am sitting at just over 5,000 words - of course no where near 50,000.

November BLEW UP with lots of exciting (but not conducive to writing) activity. Namely, I moved! Yes, I'm now living in the apartment Ben and I will call home in 50 days! So I can't be all that upset I didn't finish my novel.

Still, hoping that December will afford some solid writing opportunities :) When do you do your best writing? How do you fit creative space into your week?

NaNoWriMo

So, I'll be doing NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month) for the first time this November. Wish me luck! The big goal is to crank out 50,000 words the next 30 days. My personal goal is going to be 25,000. Of course I won't forget you faithful readers (however many of you there are), but just a head's up my main efforts will be hitting 1,600 words a day on the next Great American (LOL).

18 Years of Faith

Though the LORD saved me at a very early age, 4-years-old to be exact, I have no doubt that I understood my need for a Savior even then.

As the years have passed, that need has naturally become ever more evident to me as I've walked both close to and far from Christ.

Today, my "spiritual birthday" as it were, I felt a great sense of loss. For 18 years of faith, I hoped I would have had more to show. I wish I were more spirituality mature, more holy, and more obedient. I wish I had a stronger testimony. As I was telling this lament to the Father, He gently reminded me of a sweet truth:

All I have to show is Christ, which is all I need.

Yes and Amen.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:14-19

Small Group Shenanigans

Just before small group last night, I stumbled upon this blog post, originally posted in March, by Kelli where she highlights Kirbyeveryday. Kirby is this hilarious and highly talented gal who began a project to record one day out of her week. Her style is zany, very quick witted, and altogether fantastic!

So, what else could I have done than try to make my own! I give you Small Group Everyday:

What's Love?

Yes, I know I speak with little authority on the topic of marriage. I don't know a lot about this love-thing, but I know enough to know this:

I used to think love is saying no to yourself and yes to the other person. Actually, love is that moment when saying yes to the other person is saying yes to yourself. It absolutely is.

When you want to run and they want to walk, you want to walk.
When you want to talk and they don't, you don't. 
When you want to go and they want to stay, you want to stay.
On and on it goes.

Does this picture of love scare you? It should. It's so counter-intuitive to absolutely everything we humans do. This kind of love, this dying-to-self-for-the-sake-of-the-other-party love is not only made possible but also sustained by one person: Jesus.


"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

and they laughed.

Today, I happened to mention to someone that I don't live with Ben (my fiance). We believe Scripture when it says that God has a plan for how men and women should relate, and that most intimate relationship is reserved for husbands and wives.

It's how we roll.

Back to my story. 

About a nano-second after the comment, this individual burst into cackles of laughter. Total, complete, absolute laughter. Like, muscles were pulled and breathing was difficult kind of laughter  I'm not faulting my amused friend for his reaction. Though, his reaction did prompt a personal response. 

Am I willing to stick to my guns, even when others think me to be laughable?

Most importantly, do I trust God to know what will bring me the greatest joy in life? Joy that will never be matched - not even by a hundred thousand laughs.

Thoughts on a Bridal Shower

Click the picture to visit the post!

Money in Bathrooms

There's a lot of things that you can find in bathrooms, money isn't usually one of them.

If you've followed my blog, you'll know I readily admit to money management problems.

And, no, I don't mind being candid. Why? The one person who I would want to hide my imperfections from - Jesus - already knows all about them (Hebrews 4:15). What's more, He exchanged His righteousness to cover my imperfections - my sin, my disobedience to God - so that I can enjoy fellowship with my Heavenly Father (2 Corinthians 5:21).

For the first time ever I find myself living paycheck to paycheck. Don't get me wrong, I've held down a good job since January and will step into a new position later this week. What's my money problem, then? A disregard towards the Lord's blessings.

When I'm careless with my spending (even if I'm making "good" purchases), in practice I tell God that I don't appreciate His provision. Worse still, much of what I do spend money on tells God that I will find my own ways to make me happy. Had a long day at work? I drown my sorrows in a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Feeling restless at the house? I jump in my car and hit up the stores. At the root of my actions, I tell the God of the Universe that I'd rather spend time with overpriced caffeinated beverages than with Him.

I'm a winner!

Ok, there's this girl called Kelli who runs a great blog (check it out!) who hosted a giveaway for Modest Pop and, through a random drawing process, I WON! :)

So excited! I get to take home their "Chevron Cardi".

Thanks to Kelli for an awesome giveaway and to Modest Pop for making awesome clothes!

DE-FENSE: Church and Football

Shot of Panthers vs. Giants game @ Bank of America Stadium

Proud of this post I just wrote for my church, Grace Community in Berea, KY. Thoughts on the Panthers vs. Giants [highly disappointing  game my fiance, my grandma (yes, she's seriously that cool), and I just attended. Would you check it out? Even leave a comment? Thanks!