lost keys

so i was looking through some stuff today and i found something that i wrote a couple years ago when i was going to school up in canada. it struck me because it spoke to where i'm at today...maybe it will encourage you too.

proverbs 2:1-6
my son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
for the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

these verses have been coming to my mind often these days.
and today was no different...

you see, i lost my keys last night. just keys, i know. not a huge deal. i could live without them, i could pay to replace them. but just the same, it was annoying and frustrating because i knew they had to be around and i was nearly certain i had seen them sitting on my bed moments earlier. so i went to bed last night not really concerned, woke up this morning wondering where they were at, but yet again, not too concerned. but then it really started driving me crazy. i searched my whole room. lifted my mattress to see if they had fallen under there somewhere...shook out my sheets and my blanket thinking they got caught up in there somehow...went through the pockets of the jeans i was wearing yesterday...looked through drawers...moved everything on my desk and shelves countless times because i just couldn't figure out where my keys were! i knew they were somewhere to be found, i just didn't know where.
...search for it as for hidden treasure...look for it as for silver...cry aloud for understanding..call out for insight...
it was like i was hit in the face by an unexpected punch. here i was nearly frantically searching for something as insignificant as my keys, nothing in comparison to a hidden treasure or silver, yet how often do i search for knowledge and truth, understanding and insight even to the degree that i was tearing things apart to recover my keys. it was as if i sensed God saying, "brooke, look for me in that same way, with that sense of urgency only much more so...search...cry out to me...dig in...i have things i want to show you, i have the insight and understanding, the knowledge and the truth that you are looking for...pursue me...i have what you need."
it was powerful and very real.
oh...and my keys were indeed found! as i was looking once again through my room, i got a knock on the door. it was a girl named naomi...and she was holding my keys! she said that some woman found them on the sidewalk near the pool down the street. last place i would've looked. hmmm....

the most beautiful baby ever...

it's true. she is the most beautiful baby ever. :) and i had the joy and privilege of spending the afternoon with her today. the landman family came home from the hospital yesterday and are quickly adjusting to their new life. poopy diapers, feeding schedules, little sleep at night, squeezing naps in during the day, and just enjoying each moment with their baby! kinsley is entirely blessed to have mike and kari as parents. they are going to do such a wonderful job!

here's a few more photos for your enjoyment...

welcome to your life, kinsley grace...

i'm speechless when i try to think of the words to describe this precious little life that i met today for the first time. i can't tell you how amazing it all is....or how amazing God is for being that one that is behind every part of it. it leaves me with wonder and awe and joy. and i already love her so much...and i hardly even know her....but i love her. she's beautiful. she's a perfect miracle. and i'm so very glad i am here to share in this day and this excitement.

well everyone...meet my brand new niece....kinsley grace. born this afternoon absolutely healthy and wonderful!

happy 2008!

resolution: a resolve or determination...a firmness of purpose...the act of determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure...settling of a problem...reduction to a simpler form

i think new year's resolutions have gotten a bad wrap. they've become known as things that people never keep, so what's the point in making them, right? usually the resolutions are along the lines of losing x number of pounds or exercising so many times a week or maybe it's stopping a bad habit. all of which are good things. but i think there can be more to it than that.

for some reason, i've been thinking about 2008 and the resolutions i want to make, the things i want to do/change/learn. but i don't want to do them just because i should be doing them. i want it to come from a place of desire...a place that just wants to be the best brooke i can be.

so i guess i'm just saying that i want this to be an intentional year. a purposeful year. a year of growth. i don't want to coast through this year.

and i want to challenge you to think about the things you can intentionally do this year....