Learning to fly...

It's my Birthday month! Last year at this time I was celebrating my 40th in Ibiza...

I can't believe it's been a year since I got on a plane, and headed to Spain for the summer.

If you've seen this month's newsletter, than you know that I've finally gotten some good news about my visa! September 15th is the tentative date that it'll be ready for pick up. Which means soon, I will be able to leave! Now I'm starting to finalize stuff here in Vegas.

I still need to:

1. Sell my Car! - I've never done that before, so it should be an interesting experience. I'm going to try to sell it myself instead of to a dealership. Anybody got any car selling advice?

2. Death to the Pack Rat! - Yes I admit it, I am a pack rat! I'm making myself go through my remaining boxes, and throw away all of the stuff that I don't really need. I have one box that I've been through at least 4 times! I'm learning to let go...

3. Packing and Shipping - I'm trying to pack as much as I can, so I don't have to ship a lot. To ship an average sized box to Spain costs about $60-70, so I don't want to send many of those! I'm thinking I'll ship my bedding, and pillows, and maybe a few other things...

4. My Books! - If any of you have ever had the privilege of helping me move before, you know that 80% of what I own are books! I know that I can't take all of my babies with me, so I've been trying to decide which ones I'll take, and which ones will stay here in Vegas. Tough Choices!

As the days pass, I'm getting more and more excited to go. For the past several months, God has been teaching me a lot about FAITH. As I get ready to step out into the unknown, I feel like more than ever He's asking for my trust. I read this great quote last week...

"When you have come to the edge of all light that you know, and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown, FAITH is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught to fly"

- Patrick Overton

(Source)

Here's to learning how to fly...

Surrender...

“The greatness of a man's power is the measure of his surrender.”

-William Booth

Waiting...

I googled pictures of waiting, and here's what I came up with...

Hopefully the waiting will be over soon!

Put me in Coach!

I am still in Las Vegas, and part of me feels like I'm a high school basketball player who's been benched. I'm sitting on the sidelines, on the edge of my seat just waiting. Hoping that at any moment the coach will call my name, and tell me it's my turn to play...

On Sunday, I got to share a little about 24-7 Ibiza at church. It was awesome, as I always love talking about what we do in Ibiza.

It was a bit challenging, because the pastor gave me 5 minutes to share! Don't get me wrong, I was very thankful for the opportunity...it's just that as I began to write out everything I wanted to share, that 5 minutes got smaller and smaller. I had to cut, and edit and really get to the heart of what we do.

The purpose of his invite was to help me with fundraising, but anytime I get to share about 24-7 Ibiza I want people to understand what it means to me. I wish I could just zap them to the West End on a Wednesday night at about 2:00 in the morning. If I could do that, I think my fundraising goals would be met a lot easier!

Trying to explain the streets in words can be tough. But I do my best, and then pray that the Holy Spirit does the rest!

Still wondering what goes on in Ibiza? Just check out the What's Poppy Doing in Ibiza? page of this blog.

Don't forget to sign-up for my monthly newsletter. The next issue will be coming out in a few weeks.

Hot Off the Presses!

Even though I'm not in Ibiza yet (still waiting on my visa) I have officially launched the monthly Poppy in Ibiza Newsletter. The May issue has been sent out to all my subscribers, full of the latest Poppy in ibiza news.

If you want to subscribe, just fill out the form over here --------- >>>>>

Here's a peek at what you'll be receiving each month...



And that's just the top half! Check out this months full newsletter HERE

This week, I've been reading the book of John, and John 4:34 really stuck out to me.

Then Jesus explained: "My Nourishment comes from doing the will of God who sent me, and from finishing his work."

Here's how Webster's defines the world Nourishment: Sustained with what's neccessary for life, health and growth. To strengthen, build up or promote. To Cherish, foster, or keep alive.

There is nothing like the feeling you get when you know you're doing exactly what God wants you to. It's the ultimate sense of PEACE. I love that Jesus uses the word Nourish. By doing God's will, we not only find peace, but we also find spiritual growth. Doing what God wants for us each day is the thing that sustains us!

Jesus should be our example as he looks to God to nourish him, and not anything else. God wants to sustain us, to strengthen us, to build us up and promote us.

So let's get busy doing the things that God wants for us each day. And remember, It doesn't have to be some huge undertaking...it could be showing kindness to your neighbor today. It could be showing forgiveness to someone who's hurt you. The cool thing, is that if we ask, God will show us what to do...

Discipline is Not a Dirty Word

(Source)
One of my top 10 favorite movies is The Last Samurai. I watched it last week (for like the 30th time!). There's a scene in the movie where Tom Cruise's character starts talking about the Samurai. Here's what he says...

“From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue…I have never seen such discipline.”

Every time I watch this movie, I’m always struck by that line.

I start to think about my own life, and my lack of discipline, and wonder…what if?

What if I woke up each day with that kind of devotion towards my relationship with God? Completely putting away yesterday and tomorrow and just focusing on TODAY.

Some nights when go to sleep, I have this moment of clarity. As I lay there in the dark, I look back on what I did that day, and sometimes recognize that I didn’t really do much of anything that matters.

I spend so many of my days worrying about and longing for what’s coming…or dwelling on and regretting the past…what about today? I want to let those things go, and give God my focus NOW.

What can I learn today?
How can I do to grow in my knowledge of God today?
Who can I serve today?

I don’t want to live my life on auto-pilot. You know what I mean. Those days you wake up and start going through the motions of life. You’re just doing what you normally do, without even thinking about it, and before you know it, it’s 3:30, and you haven’t really put forth much effort.

I want to be AWAKE and ALIVE for every second of the day. I want to be OPEN and ready to SEE and HEAR…

I’m really trying to have that attitude today as I’m anxiously waiting for my Spanish Visa. Instead of worrying about how long it’s taking, or dwelling on the fact that I want to be in Ibiza like YESTERDAY, I want to focus on God here in Las Vegas in this moment. What can I still do while I’m here?

Standing on the Edge...

My time in the states is getting shorter and shorter. It's almost time for me to head to Spain...and I'm so excited! Right now I'm just waiting for my Spanish visa.


I would like to officially say that waiting sucks!

While I wait, I'm preparing in other ways. I've been going through all of my stuff. It's amazing the amount of boxes one can accumulate. I'm throwing things out, and trying to downsize. I'm also trying to figure out what I NEED to take with me. Notice the emphasis on need. There's lots of stuff I'd LIKE to take, but if I take it all I'd be paying $1000 in overweight luggage fees alone!


I think it's finally starting to hit me that I'm actually going to do this!


I feel like this...

...like I'm on the edge of a great adventure. I'm about to jump in, trusting that God is going to lead the way. The amazing thing is that I'm not afraid.

I'm Expectant

Hoperful

Anxious

Eager

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all." - Proverbs 3:5 (MSG)