Revealing Grace

1. Twice in one week I almost went out grocery shopping in my slippers. I was halfway down the hall when I realized my feet were still wrapped in fuzzy goodness. What kind of things will I be wearing out when I am old?? 2. I may not have a lot of skills, but making conversation with cashiers is definitely one of them. If I ever meet a good one maybe I can finagle myself a date...or something for free? Coupons would be good too. 3. I had a dream the other night where I was told that God wanted me to work with the Native Americans. I would take this as a sign except that later the same night I had a dream and someone else told me to be a model. Missionary or model? Hmmm, tough choice. 4. One of the great dilemmas of my week was that I did not make it to the Farmer's Market and thus had to buy produce from Trader Joes. I was very distraught because none of their produce was local, in fact most of it came from Mexico. Then I realized that I now live in SoCal so Mexico is practica...

The Psalms speak to my soul. This is the one place in the Bible where we can see the folly of man. We can stand beside the writer and feel his pain, his anguish, and his desires. We feel those feelings! We think those thoughts! The Psalms, they seem to speak from my own soul.  Last night I came across Psalm 73. Every now and again I read a Psalm that I feel I could have written. This was such a Psalm.  *A side note is that I recently purchased a NRSV translated Bible and I love it. I recommend it for anyone, especially if you grew up on the NIV like I did. It is a refreshing read of the Scriptures. * The Psalm begins with these words: "Truly God is good to the upright,  to those who are pure in heart.  But as for me, my feet had almost  stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped." How true this is of my heart! Surely God is good to those who are pure it heart, but oh how my feet have almost stumbled! How easy it is to get entangled. How easy it is to becom...

I really think that the world would be a better place if we all just sang what we were thinking instead of speaking it. Everything sounds better when accompanied with a tune, don't you think? Maybe it is just me, but it is something to think about. I am also realizing the similarities between my life and the life of fictional character Bridget Jones (minus all the smoking, drinking and promiscuity...so really only the being single part). As I live alone as a single twenty-something I have started picking up all these weird single person habits. It might look a little like THIS to an outsider. (Again, without the smoking and drinking habits. Don't worry, I am in seminary. I'm not that far gone.) To be honest I never expected to be "the single one" of my friends. Granted I am still in my early twenties so I have plenty of time to find a man, but we live in America and in America everyone pairs off early. I started noticing this new label in my life about a year ...

Missing you guys this Thanksgiving. I can't believe that this is my first Thanksgiving without my family. I guess this is all part of growing up. It makes me thankful to be able to come home for Christmas, that is for sure.  

So tonight I was in my cohort (a small group of students I meet with each week and share in life with) and we were asked to share what we are thankful for. This is a typical Thanksgiving question that I always love, and when it came to me I shared what first came to mind, and I actually got quite emotional. Now I thought this was very weird. Who gets teary-eyed when saying what they are thankful for?? But I realized that what I was saying must mean a lot more to me than I had thought. I did not realize its importance until I shared with my group and my heart exploded in front of them, overcome with how thankful I truly was. So here goes my Thanksgiving post, as I wanted to share it with whoever reads this little bloggity-blog. This is what I told them I was thankful for: I am so thankful for my friends and community back home. It was hard to move out to Pasadena and leave my community, especially because a lot of you are still at Georgia College. But you all have been so supportive...

It is the little things in life that make it grand. It is buying new tupperware and listening to Christmas music. It is getting excited that at Target they make a handle for your toilet paper. It is eating teeny tiny cartons of ice cream while wrapping up your hair in socks. Its the gifts you buy for people and finding someone who also sings instead of talking while shopping. Its shopping with this friend after a long day at work. It is an apartment and a hot shower and the ability to walk down the hall and borrow an egg. Its a baby that takes long naps and a Skype call with your whole family in the living room. It is being 22 and crouched under a chair in a blanket fort, shooting at an invisible enemy with a light saber. It is indeed the little things that make life grand.

I've kept a prayer journal throughout the years. I don't keep up with it every day, or even every month, but sometimes I pull it out and pour my heart out to God. Inevitably it is in the joys and the sorrows that I write to my Father. And inevitably I begin to flip through the early pages of my journal. I turn to this date last year or the year before and read my conversation with God, reliving the moments and emotions of which I wrote. Something always strikes me when I flip through these prayers: I am definitely a C student at this whole being a daughter of God thing. The trusting, the listening, the waiting patiently, I am bad at all of it. It seems that no matter how many times God tells me something I inevitably have forgotten it by the following year. Think of how frustrating that must be! Over and over and over again God has to teach me the same lessons. And I still don't get it. But what a patient God He is. I never feel like He is mad at me. He never just drops H...

Christmas is coming up soon! Yes, yes, I know Thanksgiving comes first but admit it, we have all already begun thinking about Christmas. Today I was talking to my dad about this very holiday and we were discussing the fact that really there is nothing that we need for Christmas this year. Everyone in my family has more than enough clothes and shoes. We have cameras, TVs, and we each have a GPS. Really, we want for nothing. Even though this is true, living in Pasadena I sometimes get caught up in the consumerism. Literally anything I could want is just a few blocks away. That sweater at Target looks totally necessary, and I love that scarf at GAP. I need a new pair of boots, right? Right? Don't I have five pairs of boots already. Wait, five? Dang it. So what makes me think I need more? I am almost embarrassed to write this post. I feel bad because I have a lot of stuff and yet sometimes I want more. But I need to face the facts. There are plenty of people this Christmas that a...

History is a funny thing. Naturally, it is in the past, but I don't think it stays there. What has happened in history, especially in the history of America, still has great and dire consequences. One of these instances is the Native American tribes. Our history in regards to these communities is devastating. The loss of life, the displacement of nations, the atrocities against them. Reading what was done to these Native people is heartbreaking, but usually we stop there. We feel bad but we realize we can't do anything to change it so we move on. But this is not true.  Native American communities all over the US are still facing extreme hardship because of the past. Drug and alcohol addiction is rampant, as is physical and sexual abuse. Some of these communities, like the Navajo, are facing extreme poverty. Others have physical possessions but have a depth of spiritual need that we cannot imagine. There is hopelessness on these reservations. Just as ages ago, when these peopl...

The past few weeks have been spent with this goodie: If you have not read this trilogy I highly recommend that you stop whatever you are doing and go get this book. The author writes this thrilling story in a way that reminds me of 1984 or Brave New World. The characters have a lot of depth and it is seriously one of the best books I have read in a long time. It may go on my list of favorite books ever. So what are you waiting for?? Go start reading! 

Mid-week post just to say I don't have time to post. But I have been doing some awesome things in my  time when I am distracting myself from studying , ahem, free time, so you can all look forward to some great pictures coming up probably on Friday. May God's grace and mercy abound in your life today as you seek to know Him more and spread His love! 

There are things I cannot express to you in words. It is so much bigger than mere words, this thing that I am feeling. Its called joy.  Joy. mmm, joy.   More than happiness, so much more. You know how I know that this is different? Because my life isn't peachy. Not every day is a good day. I have bad days and moments. I am sad and sometimes I am homesick. I'm grumpy! But this thing, this joy, it pervades all of this. Its bigger than just being happy.  Joy.  It comes from God. My loving Savior. It comes from my walks with Him through the garden. It comes from my family. It comes from my bigger family! In Virginia, Georgia, California, Spain, India, my family that loves me! It overcomes sadness and hardship and frustration. It is this feeling that even in the midst of the lows, that everything will be fine. This reassurance in my soul that I have no need for worry. My life is bigger than the ups and downs of this world. My life perspective is eternal.  I have joy...

I thought I had everything figured out. I thought I did, but apparently not. I was going to be used by God to change the world. Eradicate poverty? Done! Spread the Gospel? You got it! My heart ached for those hurting around the world and I felt strongly that I needed God to use me to stop the hurt. But now? Now I have no idea what God wants of me. Don't worry, God and I are still tight. We chat, He speaks, I listen with my nose scrunched up 'cause I don't really get the big picture, yea we are tight, but man! Figuring out my part in His mission is tough! How can I possibly understand God's mission for the world??? I'm just a little human being! And now I am a  little perplexed one. You see, I had in my head that I was going to go overseas. I was going to help the poor and spread the good news of Jesus Christ and all that good stuff. But then I started studying missions and now I'm starting to think that maybe I am not needed out there. I'm tall, blond, and...

Lesson being learned in Pasadena: Apparently I have no filter. I guess it is a work in progress... On another note: As we all know Monday was that joyous holiday we call Halloween. Seeing as I live in an apartment, I skipped the candy aisle at the grocery store this year, being told by many that I would have no trick-or-treaters coming to my door. But they were wrong. At about 7pm I was on the phone when I heard the doorbell ring. I quickly told my mom I had to go and went to the door, assuming it was my neighbor-friend. As I peeped through the peephole I jumped at the sight that greeted me. It was in fact, not my neighbor-friend, but two small girls. I contemplated pretending I wasn't home, but that was no good, I was sure they had heard me. So I opened the door. "Hi!" I exclaimed. The two girls just stared at me. No "trick-or-treat." No candy bags. Nothing. The smaller of the two was a princess, but her older sister, who was not dressed up at all, was stan...