It has been TOO long!

Good grief.  And I'm not really back.  Honestly, I just wanted to pop in and say, "Hi!" and let you know what I've been up to and then give you a glimpse of some things stirring in my heart.

I've been TRAVELING.

In mid-April I was at Missions Extravaganza with the Woman's Missionary Union of NC at Ridgecrest.  I had a BLAST.  I was able to speak and teach a bit, but I also got to hang out with some amazing women.  

I love, love, LOVED the SHINE girls.

I was so blessed when one of these girls wanted to know about my Bible reading.  I was able to pull out my duct tape Bible, show her my chronological reading plan, and talk about whether or not it's a good idea to read your Bible in a year.  

And I met the "Lick Creek Chicks."That's right.  The "Lick Creek Chicks."  Say that three times fast.  Every time I try it, I end up with "Lick Crick Chicks."  That's okay, right?  

And finally, on Saturday night, after I thought I had experienced it all, I headed back to my room at Mountain Laurel.  In the lobby was the most delightful group of women.  I put my stuff in my room and asked if I could join in for a little bit.  For about an hour we laughed and talked, and one of these gals wrote down quotes completely out of context, just for the fun of it, and possibly to use for some sort of embarrassing game at some point.  I was so tired by this point that I cannot remember what I said that was worthy of writing down.  But, I think it had the word "poop" in it.   

Tuesday, I was on the road again to Greensboro for a Heritage Awards Luncheon.  At this luncheon I heard amazing stories of women and men who were being honored for their Kingdom work.  This would have been enough, but I think the real highlight was riding to and from Greensboro with a dear woman who served as missionary in Korea for twenty years.  And then, after a few years back in the U.S. she headed to Albania where she and her husband led a team that showed the Jesus Film throughout the country.  Really incredible.

The next day I met with a man I have come to LOVE.  He is over 90 years old and sharp as a tack.  He has a heart for the Lord, a passion for legacy, and ran for governor in 2012.  How great is that?

And, there is MORE!  I've spoken at three different churches and will be at one more on Thursday night.  And then speaking at our church on Sunday.  I can hardly believe I have the honor of bringing God's word to folks.  I absolutely love it.

But, really, the pinnacle of my travels was a really quick trip to Charlottesville, VA to spend a little time with my daughter, Grace.

This picture is not in Charlottesville, but it is a picture of my daughter, Grace.  At UVa, I heard Grace play viola for her final studio class of the semester, caught the tail-end of InterVarsity at the UVA Chapel, and went with Grace and a bunch of her friends for yogurt at Arch's.   The next day, I joined in as Grace, one of the newest U-Guides, led an amazing tour of UVa Grounds.  I learned so much more about Thomas Jefferson than I had ever known before.

So, life's been a bit full and I haven't had the time to keep up with  blogging.  Next week it will begin to slow down a bit and I anticipate that I'll be back to posting two to three times a week.  So, keep checking back, or better yet, subscribe.  In the right hand column just under my picture is a place where you can enter your email and my posts will be delivered right to your inbox.  Pretty neat.

Just a bit more, if you can stand any more...

This Sunday for Mother's Day I'll be bringing the message to our church, Inwood Baptist Church.  If Mother's Day is painful for you for ANY reason, or if you are in the Raleigh area and don't have a church home, please come.  My message will not be a warm fuzzy message about motherhood.  The text will be John 20:11-18 and I will be looking at what happened when Mary stopped looking at the evidence and encountered Jesus.

Do you want to encounter Jesus?  I do.  Every single time I open the Bible, every time I journal, pray, worship, I expect to encounter Jesus.  He is so very real to me.  I'm not being braggy because this has nothing to do with me.  He has captured my heart and I love him so very, very much.

Okay, this is more than enough for a catch-up.  I do have more to share, but that will have to wait until Monday.  I am so thankful for you who emailed me in response to this post.  Although this is not a great organizational strategy, I'm keeping your emails in my inbox for another week so that I keep on praying for you.  I would LOVE it if you would keep me updated on what God is doing in your lives.

And, if I met you out-and-about, thanks so much for popping in!  Whether you are new or have been around for years, I'd love to know what you've been up to.  Would you please leave a comment and let me know what you've been doing. And, as always, if you'd rather email me personally, that's fine too.  Here's my email address:  cynthiafin@gmail.com.    

Have a wonderful day!
~Cindy