Hey, Siestas! We will do our random drawing later today as promised and, if you don’t mind a little delay, post our biography winners within the next forty-eight hours so we can leave time for you to respond to this post. I learned something new about you over the previous post: YOU ARE READERS. And I love that. Get a load of the number of comments to that post! Of course, it makes sense when you think about it. Blog readers usually are…well…readers. I have already ordered several books from your recommendations and others of you mentioned titles that stirred up great memories of biographies past.I am a dyed in the wool book nerd so this totally spoke my love language.
I’ve been thinking about something since AJ’s recent post about stepping back from her LPM job for the sake of her family. In that post and in the one that followed, we hashed over the painful truth that, actually, no one can do everything and, unless our all is Jesus, no one can have everything. We have limited resources of time, energy, and ability. But, I thought it would be fun to list a few things (dreams, if you will) that we’d each do…if only we could. If only we were not limited by time, energy, and ability, or money, for heaven’s sake. How would you complete the sentence, “If I could, I would…?” Here are the ground rules: YOU CAN ONLY NAME THREE THINGS. You have to choose. Keep in mind, these aren’t regrets. (i.e. “If I could, I would…live my whole life again without making that stupid choice.” We all have plenty of those and they’re not likely to encourage others much.) The things we’re listing on this post are wishes! Dreams can say a lot about a person and reshape how we picture one another. For instance, maybe I’ll find out today that Moose Mama secretly wishes she could sky dive, or katiegfromtennessee has a long standing dream of being a zookeeper, or Sister Lynn has always wanted to take tuba lessons. You see, this could change everything. OK, well not everything. Not even much. But, for crying out loud, wouldn’t it at least be a little fun in a grueling week? Here are three of mine:
If I could, I would…
1) Travel to every country on earth.
2) Teach elementary school Sunday School.
3) Learn sign language fluently.
OK, how about you?
If I could, I would…
1. Have an infinite number of children. Really!
2. Live a 100% debt free life. Not even a mortgage payment.
3. Rock a bikini. Heck, I’d even settle for just rockin’ shorts and a tank top.
1. I would visit every country in the world
2 Write a book about my 60 countries so far
3. do stand up comedy
1. Own my own business
2. Go to the Holy Land
3. Read books and drink coffee all day!
If I could, I would:
1. Make a list of the 12 best theatre productions in NYC and take in one each month
for a year.
2. Read through the entire collection of Charles Swindoll’s Great Lives From God’s Word series….that’s ambitious!
3. Travel to Israel with one of my many, wonderful Christian leaders!
(not necessarily in that order!)
1. Have a 2nd wedding ceremony performed by Chuck Swindoll…small country church in the middle of Montana.
2. have at least 3 more kids.
3. Own a hunting outfitter. I would do the B&B stuff…he would do the hunting stuff.
If I could I would…..
1) Travel to the Holy Land – a huge dream of mine and one I hope I do before I die
2) Have a beautiful singing voice
3) Wish I could teleport myself to different places so I could get there faster!
1. Travel more
2. Have a cabin on a lake
3. Write a book
1. Have a full time nonprofit organization to give to children/families in need all over the world (including US)
2. Travel the world and give everywhere I go
3. Money to do the above.
My heart’s dream – there is so much suffering in our world – children in need just breaks my heart! What I can do now is just a drop in the bucket of what I want to do.
4. Get a housekeeper. Sheesh, what was I thinking?
1. Bring my husband home from Afghanistan… tomorrow!
2. Design and build our dream house
3. Travel the world with our kids
Praying for safety over your husband in Afghanistan and for God to pass the time quickly until he returns!
I am so sorry that your husband has to be in Afghanistan. I am truly greatful for his service.
If I could, I would…
1. Learn to play the acoustic guitar (without having it hurt my fingers so badly!!)
2. Travel the east coast of Canada with my family
3. Learn to be a master gardener/landscaper so I could spiff up my yard and help my friends with theirs
How fun to dream!!
1) Just crawl up into Jesus’ lap and let Him give me a
Hug like He did with the little children.
2) I would like opportunity to share Jesus and speak at a
a church nearby. This lady contacted me, but has not
tried to contact me again.
3) I would like a photography, a Bible class and a writing class.
Joyce – what a thought! Sitting with JESUS – of course I thought of that after I posted! DUH!
I love your number one…I love to just close my eyes and imagine myself in His lap and He always meets me in my thoughts and “hugs” me while I sit on His lap! But I also cant wait til the day that I get to actually crawl up on His lap physically!
Blessings to you sweet Joyce!
Me too! Me too.
1. Live in a big house like on “Dallas” with all my children and grandchildren.
2. Play the piano like nobody’s business
3. Be at high school guidance counselor
1. Play the piano really well without practice
2. Be able to speak in public with ease
3. Lead my children & grandchildren closer to God
I wish I could…
1) Travel the world and truly experience other cultures
2) Become a writer / Teacher
3) Build my dream home on 10 to 15 acres with a Lake view.
If I could I would…
1) Represent the United States on the US Women’s Soccer Team in the Olympics (I might beg the Lord to let us win the gold that year)
2) Be able to Travel whenever where ever I wanted (I’ve got half of this down right now… its the where ever I need to figure out!)
3) Be First Lady… No Laughing Everyone… 😉
I believe you could be First Lady Hawk! You are so pleasaently assertive!
Oh to be First Lady and people have to say “ma’am” to me. I’d do that too. Except that would mean my husband would have to be President and that just wouldn’t do.
You go girl!
I wish you were first lady 🙂
I think you should run for President. 🙂
Hawk, you’d make a great First Lady!!!
1.) Learn to play the violin
2.) Have unlimited ability to design my garden with a pond in it.
3.) And these are not in order of priority- #3 is actually #1- Be one of Travis worship team!!!!!
If I could, I would…
1. Go back to school (forever?) for biblical studies.
2. Own a lakefront cabin in the mountains of Colorado or Montana or Wyoming somewhere.. or on the Muskoka lakes in Canada.
3. Backpack across the US with my hubby.
1. take ballet classes
2. take my entire family (parents, sisters, brothers-in-law) along with my own to Disney World
3. live on a cattle ranch in Kerrville
If I could, I would:
1) Do my job for free (yes, I love it THAT much)
2) Find a knock-his-socks-off way to show my husband how much I love, respect and value him
3) Learn how to sew (I can re-roof a house, but I can’t figure out how to use a sewing machine – what’s up with that?)
Love you, siestas!
Michelle
Didn’t reroofing the house knock his socks off?-Knocked mine off just hearing about it!
Ok you have me curious! Ha! What is your job??
If I could I would:
1) Buy a huge house and take in kids who lack good homes.
2) Travel at least once a month
3) Sit down and express my appreciation to people who have influenced me like Beth, Billy Graham and James Dobson (just to name a few).
Haven’t you already done number 1? 🙂
No, just 2 of the many that need someone to stand for them and help them. My school is an innercity school and believe me, if every Christian family could take just 2 kids in, we could make such a huge difference in the kids right here in the US.
1. I would like my natural hair color back!!! Arrgghhh
2. Travel the world.
3. Have a little cottage on land, with a creek, animals, and my family close by.
Makes me wonder what your haircolor is, for crying out loud?
Natural hair color Now: White (at 40). Natural color at birth until 28ish: Dark Brown…
1. Adopt two little girls from China
2. Finish seminary in less than 5 years…
3. Live to see all my future grandchildren get married.
If I could, I would quit my job, sell my house, most of my belongings, pack a small bag, take a taxi to the airport, randomly pick a place and just go and keep going…
Nice!
If I could, I would…
1) Adopt a baby…maybe 10
2) Start an afterschool program for kiddos with special needs.
3) Move…but the Lord won’t let me. Heaven knows I don’t want to miss what he has for me here.
1) Buy my Dad a truck.
2) Learn how to fly an airplane.
3) Take my family on a vacation. Maybe a Disney Cruise where I could enjoy time with my husband and kids AND have some a lone time with my husband. (Not easy to come by these days.) 🙂
I would if I could…
1. Travel to all kinds of places, even those off the beaten path.
2. Paint beautiful pictures of the places I travel.
3. Learn to speak another language.
If I could, I would
1) Tell everyone about Jesus.
2) Save abused and/or orphaned children and give them a wonderful, loving, Christian home.
3) Travel to Italy, Ireland, Scotland, England, and Greece.
1) Become the dolphin trainer that I always wanted to be
2) Sew all my own clothes
3) Have a beach house on North Clearwater Beach, FL (my most favorite spot in the world) where my family and I could retreat to whenever we felt like getting out of Central Texas 🙂
Cool Bethany! Lived in Clearwater area for 5 years and went to that beach all da time!
If I could I would:
1. Go to Seminary and train in Christian Counseling. (Westminster Seminary is literally a mile away from my home!)
2. Memorize the entire bible so I would be able to recall the perfect verse for every occasion…be it disciplining my children, counseling the sweet college girls I work with, and of course my personal walk!
3. Learn to play the harp…just listening to it relaxes me.
1. Sit in the front row in heaven!
2. Travel all year long and see all the places I’ve always wanted to.
3. Give away millions of dollars to those in need all over the world and share the Gospel with them as I handed them the money.
I love this! Save me a seat!
What fun to dream!
I would if I could:
Spend more time with my grandchildren.
Travel with my husband whenever he wants, without consideration to allotted vacation time at my present job.
Feed the hungry of the world until they are satisfied.
Dreams……..
Oh Kathy how I relate to the vacation time issue. I currently work 4 part-time jobs and know that the flexibility of it has blessed my family immensely over the last few years, but am feeling frustrated with the lack of full-time perks!
If I could, I would:
1. Ride in a hot air balloon
2. Lead a children’s choir for church
3. Visit Israel
(I like LittleStepsofFaith’s #3 to hold a little piece of rainbow in her hand – what a beautiful image! LOVE that!)
🙂
1. Fly!
2. Write a really beautiful song
3. Buy lots of books for people. 🙂
I would, if I could:
1. Travel, travel, travel
2. not have major stage fright speaking in front of a crowd.
3. work in full time ministry instead of working for someone else.
P.S. I would also put write a book but I’m working on that one as I’m going to college for my Associates in Communications at age 41!! LOL!!!
If I could, I would:
learn to play the piano fluently
learn sign language fluently
be a women’s advacate for Christian Women and teacher of women
Thank you
1. Travel to Israel (with my daughters)
2. go to seminary
3. take a dance class
If i could i would feed every hungry stomach.
if i could i would live on a south seas island–for a while
if i could i would be a queen in a palace.
Love your honesty – truly!
If I could, I would:
1.) Spend at least three weeks seeing Australia, New Zealand and Fiji
2.) Write a book and get it published
3.) Get married and have a family
1. Star in a Broadway show
2. Write a book (I have the title)
3. Live at the beach, any beach!
Sally – my number one was the same as yours. If only I had talent!! 🙂
1. Find a wonderful, God-fearing man to marry
2. Adopt orphaned kids from the tribe that my missionary sister works with in Thailand and love on them
3. If I was independently wealthy I’d love to spend much more time reading books, writing reviews, promotiong literacy…and write one of my own. Every reader secretly want to be a writer, do they not?
I would…..
• Know everything there is to know about the bible.
•Drive and own a convertible 😉
•Grow-up and be a interior designer.
Blesses me! What a joy to want to know HIS WORD! HE WILL REVEAL IT TO YOU!
you are awesome!
If I could, I would…
1) Live in small house in the country
2) teach yoga and Pilates every day
3) volunteer at my childrens’ school more frequently
If I could, I would:
1. Hug every mama who has ever had a miscarriage.
2. Get a degree in history.(maybe someday I will…)
3. Get a children’s book published. (maybe someday I will…)
Oh Kristi! <3
Thank you, Kristi. Consider this my hug back as part of #1
If I could I would:
1) convert my home into a homeless shelter
2) do something/anything adventurous
3) travel internationally ( which involves flying)
Travel around the world with my husband and seven kids.
To be a great cook and have a big beautiful kitchen to inspire me with all the bells and whistles.
To live somewhere exotic/beachy
If I could I would
Live in Paris
Open a yarn shop cafe
become a yoga instructor
I love that you want to own a yarn shop cafe! I do too. That was on my list. Maybe someday!!
I had fun reading through these!
If I could, I would
1. Fix every single problem plaguing my husbands family
2. Work with people who have Down’s Syndrome
3. Visit the Holy Land
If I could, I would…..
1. Walk the hospital corridors and touch every single sick person and tell them they are healed in the name of JESUS!!
2. Have enough money to give to everyone who needed that one boost up to get out of their financial crisis.
3. Take Beth Moore, Kim Safina, Gran Jan Morton, Melissa Fitzpatrick, and Lichelle Nanninga to dinner and then have a sleep over so we could laugh and talk all night!! long!
ok, i wanna come too, Roxanne!
Whoa wait, I wanna change mine to a sleepover
If I could, I would…
1. Have a rockin’ worship concert with thousands of people where I played the piano and sang my heart out (I can’t sing & I can’t play the piano but it’s a great dream).
2. Travel to Italy with my husband to see all the beautiful sights and eat all the delicious food without gaining a single pound.
3. Lay on the beach in Hawaii watching my husband and kids play in the surf while I sit on the beach sipping a smoothie and doing a Beth Moore Bible Study. (Oh wait, I’ve done that one. But I loved it and I would do it again and again!)
Christina,
I went to Italy last summer for a whole month and ate the wonderful food and ate gelato and LOST 8 pounds!!
True story! They don’t have all the processed foods with additives and preservatives like we do in this country so it helps you lose weight! So go to ITALY, eat to your heart’s desire, and lose weight!!! 🙂
Christina,
I love this one….me too…always dreamed of playing the piano beautifully! 🙂