Gee...no list to check off... I love books, children, movies, music, friends, crochet, watching the river go by, a good cup of tea on a grey day, having a chat over coffee, and joining with the assembly of the brethren to worship and fellowship.

A note: the question on smoking below has answers that are too limited. My response would be: I don't smoke anything myself and can't stand to be around cigarette smoke, but I often enjoy the scent of a pipe, and won't begrudge a man a hearty cigar now and then (as long as you don't stink my house up with it). :-)

I was 23, after growing up Roman Catholic and leaving that religion at 17 and calling myself an atheist, immersed in spiritism. God whopped me upside the head and made me see that all my arrogance was just hot air, an offense to Him, and that I was deserving of nothing but damnation and destruction. I am profoundly grateful that He pulled me out of the pit of spiritism (which is nothing more than purposeful contact with demons).

Lately, my walk has its ups and downs, but I'm very grateful for the fellowship I'm in- we hold each other accountable to godly behavior...and love each other enough to say the truth even when it hurts. (Okay, we don't do it perfectly, but we strive for this.)

In my church, we have several long-term urban missions volunteers (I am one), and we live on the church campus, as a "family". The Lord is using this on all of use to purge our dross. Sometimes it's quite painful or embarrassing. But, praise God, His plan for sanctifying His elect by using other people actually works! :)

I admit to struggling to maintain a steady discipline of personal study and prayer. It's much easier to maintain when you have someone else to struggle with you.

Even though I didn't know the term "doctrines of grace" when I was converted, I've always known that God sought me, changed me and granted me faith, because I certainly wasn't looking for Him!

It's amazing how knowing that I didn't orchestrate my own salvation gives me peace and security... I didn't gain it, and I can't lose it. Praise God! This is also very important in evangelism. Early on, I was taught that my actions would determine if someone else got saved. What an unnecessary load to put on someone's shoulders! Understanding election and the salvific plan of God through history has unburdened me about that, and allowed me to speak to others freely instead of formulaically (is that a word?).

Not to mention the peace of knowing that every atom in the universe is under the direct control of God Himself, and nothing can slip by Him...all things ordered by Him to fulfill His purposes. As a wise man once said, "Has it ever occurred to you that nothing occurs to God?"

And lastly, losing my husband 6 months after losing my mom (back in 2004) was very difficult. If I hadn't been completely certain that the Lord was in control of every minute part of everything, I'd have despaired in my grieving. As it is, He was my Comfort & my Shelter through that storm.

I try to have time each morning, but I don't always. Here lately, I've been bouncing back & forth between Spurgeon's Morning & Evening devotions, and Hoekstra's Day-by-Day by Grace devotions.

As for study, we've just started The Fear Factor by Wayne & Joshua Mack at our church's mid-week studies. For the moment, that's all I'm doing.

This jumps about from Peter to Esther to Ruth to Daniel to... Get my drift? I love Ruth's devotion & submission, I love Esther's submission and willingness to accept the consequences of her actions, I love Peter's impetuousness and fervor, I love Daniel's rock-steadiness in the face of almost certain death... Then, there is Rahab, and Anna, and Zechariah, and the Gentile woman who agreed that she's a "dog", and the Roman soldier who finally understood who Jesus was as He died, the veil of the temple ripping in two from the top down...

I try to be content, to wait upon the Lord. Honestly, I'm not thrilled with my single state, though it affords me opportunity to minister in ways I couldn't if I had a family and a home of my own. Then again, if the Lord grants me a family, then THAT is my ministry.

Having had the closeness that comes only in a godly marriage, I long to have that back. It's very hard to know what it's like to share your life completely, and then have to be "single" again - that loneliness is profound. I tell my friends that I had a good marriage to a godly man and that I'm greedy...I want that again.

They tell me I'm loyal, helpful, bossy and a "Brainy Smurf". (I wanted to find 4 positive qualities, but that #3 is something I'm currently trying to mortify.)

The glory of the Lord, as revealed in redemptive history and made available to the elect by His grace, and living my life in obedience to His Word. As a working out of that, I'd love to leave a legacy of a faithful family.

My security in Christ, that God's grace allows us to enjoy His creation, my church family, and ever so much more. Why do these lists always ask for just 3?

In a man, I like humor, leadership tempered with gentleness (a man of steel and velvet, I think is the phrase), a love of the Word, a desire to lead, to teach his family, but one who also understands the vital need to be a functioning member of an active, local Body of believers. And let's see...a man of integrity, with a good reputation among the brethren, able to teach, a good manager at home, compassionate yet firm, willing to strive to love Scripturally, an effective communicator, a leader who's also under authority. And no, I don't expect perfection, but I would expect forward movement in all these areas. And as far as occupation, if you're honoring God in it, and can support your family by it, great.

I prefer to see someone willing to say what he believes, what he wants, instead of floating in a nebulous cloud of indecision and apathy.

I sort of answered this one above, in what my friends say of me. There's more of course, but perhaps we can leave something to talk about.

In my 30's, I'd have said David (my late husband).His disability made him appear weak, but his faith was strong and he was able to lead our small home with a dependence on the Lord that was of great value.

These days, I'd have to say the elders of my church are the most influential, one in particular whose wife and I met in college and have been good friends since. God uses my elders to guide and protect me since David's death, as well as to speak to me straight when I'm allowing the flesh to have its way. Accountability is such an enormous blessing.

I was widowed in Oct 2004.Our marriage was a good one...normal ups and downs, but with a godly man at the wheel, we mostly sailed straight. We were blessed with 6 years together before he went Home. We were not blessed with any children, though we both dreamed of a houseful. I greatly miss the intimacy of sharing my life with a husband. And since his death, I've learned that I'm not really cut out for singleness.

Since then, I've been introduced to a couple gentlemen, and met a couple gentlemen on SGS. I guess I'd say that that it wasn't to be with anyone to this point. From this, I learned that you can't be in a hurry to think you know what you need to know. I also learned that my church elders will be there to help me see things clearly, and to reign me in if I'm moving too fast.

Whate'er My God Ordains Is Right - ask me how God revealed Himself and His sovereignty to many members of my church after Hurricane Katrina.

Feelings come and feelings go, but feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the Word of God, naught else is worth believing. - Luther's hymn, translated and set to modern music... The truth of this statement is why women need male leadership.

It is well with my soul. - ask me about how this hymn ministered to me after my husband's death.

Nails, spear will pierce Him through, the Cross be borne for me, for you. - from "What Child Is This?" ... everybody sings about the Baby Jesus, this line reminds us of WHY He invaded time to be born a human baby.

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great, great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Your ways Lord, O King of the saints. Who shall not fear You, O Lord?" - singing Scripture...awesome way to embed the truths of God in your heart. (I love much of Paul Wilbur's stuff...if you don't know of him, check him out, you won't be sorry.)

"Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda

I've been volunteering in disaster and urban relief missions since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. I do mostly admin work, and have direct contact with the needy in the community, meeting needs directly and seeking resources for those needs we cannot meet. My hope is to build biblical counseling and teaching into this picture, as my elders see fit.

I feel called to this for this time. Don't know if or when God will change that call.

In order to support myself as an urban missions volunteer, I work part-time jobs around my ministry work. Right now, I'm only working around 25 hrs/wk being a customer service rep at UHaul. Economic woes have hit our ministry, too, and support has dropped. We've had to cut back a lot of our homeland mission work for the moment, so that we can work for hire more hours/week, and pursue other revenue streams, so that we can continue the ministry, even at a smaller level than before.

If the Lord wills, these are some of my goals...

Goal: to marry and be a godly wife to my husband

Goal: to bear and/or rear children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and if I don't have my own children, then being involved in the lives of the children around me with an eternal purpose.

Goal: to begin again with studying Biblical Counseling...not to hang out a shingle, but to be competent to counsel other believers.

See the "interests" question above - Lately, I watch a lot of old, classic movies on netflix. And I've been bringing my friend's daughters now and then to yarn-crafting groups.

I enjoy watching a friend perform at the local little theatre, going to some of the free concerts around here (living near New Orleans has some definite musical benefits!), and just hanging out with friends. While I love to read and watch movies alone, I'd much rather do something with others, even if it's just sitting at the park, feeding stale bread to the ducks.

Born in New Orleans, still in the general vicinity...traveled to or through most of the southern states...plus CA, WA, MN, DC, AZ, IL, MO, Canada, Mexico, England, Spain (and the Netherlands, too, if you count 2 hours in the Amsterdam airport) - my bags went to Nice once (without me).

I love travel, but finances prohibit much of it. (Missions volunteers aren't known for large bank accounts.) Most of my trips involve family. Usually, I'm inviting anybody and everybody to come down here to visit...to see what we're doing at Homeland Missions (see url above), and to consider permanently joining us in the work, bringing a short-term missions crew, coming for a church retreat or just visiting. I live in an amazing area, full of life and culture and food and history and wildlife and recreation of all sorts. Everybody should come visit!

My family are not believers, and while I love them, I don't have the spiritual affinity with them that I do with my church family, or even with my late husband's family. My parents are both gone, no grandparents left, my siblings have spread out quite a bit, and many of my nieces and nephews are grown and on their own, also spreading out. As the baby of 6 kids, whose mom was #5 of 6, most of my extended family is quite a bit older than me.

Relocation is an option...if the Lord wills that I move, I move. Separating yourself from people you love is always difficult, but not unthinkable. And I firmly believe that a woman follows the man God gives her as husband. If it's obvious to myself and my church elders that I am to marry a man who does not intend to move down here, then I go.

To be honest, though, I'd prefer to remain here in this ministry, and it would be a real blessing to find a man who would embrace it, so we could minister together in the New Orleans area.

That list above is nearly exhaustive.

Yes...I'm also on FB. My name is Laura...and my last name is the obvious part of my screen name here. Or you can look me up by email, my screen name @ yahoo. You can also find the ministry I'm with on FB, Sovereign Grace Homeland Missions.