A New Haircut!!

I got a new haircut today! I'm SO excited...
Check it out... and tell me what you think! :)

a post during my lunch break! ;)

He holds victory in store for the upright,
He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
for He guards the course of the just
and protects the way of His faithful ones.
-Proverbs 2:7-8

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
-Micah 6:6-8

There's so much hurt and pain going on in the world. It bothers me, like seriously gets under my skin. I find myself asking "Why!?!" all the time. I love this passage in Micah. God's not impressed by my offerings, by my sacrifices, by my "good works"... God's impressed when I act justly to others, when I love mercy by my heart continuing to break for those hurting around me, and when I walk humbly in obedience to God. God is a shield to the blameless... He protects those He loves. May I in this job, in my church, in every aspect of my life act with justice, love and delight in mercy, and walk humbly with God. May I spur others on towards a relationship with this God who loves, protects, and lifts up even in the darkest and most hopeless moments in life.


Praise the Lord! I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever. He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever. He has shown His people the power of His works, giving them the lands of other nations. The works of His hands are faithful and just; all His precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast forever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness. He provided redemption for His people; He ordained His covenant forever - Holy and Awesome is His name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise!
-Psalm 111

Massive Upload of Pictures

Ryan and I just put a TON of pictures up on our blog... and I copied and pasted our wedding and honeymoon pictures here, so if you scroll down you'll be able to check them all out! :) Hope you like them!!

Little update on me... I've been working at Lutheran Social Services in Canton, Illinois and it's going rather well! I've been a bit frustrated as I won't actually get my own cases until I complete training, and as training was full already when I was hired on, I won't be going until March. So come April 1, I will have my own official case load! Until then I've been following people around, watching, and trying to learn how to be a caseworker before actually becoming one.

What will I do? My official title is "Child Welfare Specialist"... basically: my goal is to reunify children with their parents. Sometimes this isn't possible, so kids are in foster homes while workers like me work on adoption and guardianship in the most stable homes we can find. It seems like it will be really interesting, difficult, yet rewarding. I'm very anxious to become licensened and actually start working!

Ryan and I are going on an "Encounter" retreat this weekend through the Nazarene Church. I'm interested in seeing what it's all about, and we're both really excited about the follow-up and small group potential we'll have after this weekend with other couples and people in our church that have already experienced an Encounter Weekend. :)

Other than laundry, cooking, working, sleeping, and Encounter...
not much else is going on!
Oh yeah... we're trying really hard to get all our wedding thank you notes finished and in the mail. It's crazy how many we will be sending! I'm excited for you to get one... watch the mail!

Much love and prayers,
Your friend,
Kara Joy :)

So Goode :)

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
-Psalm 37:4-5-

Just a short note to say: Check out our new blog!
sogoode.blogspot.com

:)

I'm taking a break from painting the living room to let you all know that...


I HAVE A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)


I am SO excited!!
I am a case manager for Lutheran Family Services in Illinois, working with foster families... aka: a real social worker!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) I start on Monday!!! Praise God!!!!!!!!!!!

SO MUCH MORE to come soon!
Love,
Kara Joy :)