Have you ever wondered who you'd pass in 5, 10, maybe even 20 years from your "wonder years", when your walking down a random street after you've moved to a far off place? I have, but little did I know that Saturday night one of those moments was about to hit me in my young age. I was at "gallery hop" downtown with a friend, it's a trendy Columbus event that happens on the first Saturday night of every month, where all the art galleries open up their doors for locals to view and admire the art. I was having a great time and then while I was passing by a CD 101 booth I saw a familiar face. At first I glanced, I didn't want to stare...I wasn't sure if it was who I thought it was so I glanced back twice...yet, kept walking. I got half way down the street, turned around a third time and saw a smiling face waving back at me. So I turned around and it dawned on me- this was my childhood best friend- the one that I thought I'd never see after high school. The girl that was full of ambition and a love for Chicago, and wanted nothing to do with high school or the rest of the people in it. The girl that I sat next to on the bus to kindergarten and had every class with until high school. As I stood in front of the CD booth talking to her for a few minutes we agreed that we should hangout and we did tonight.
I can honestly say, it was one of the funnest nights of my life. We talked for 3 1/2 hours and reflected about how we'd get in trouble in elementary school for the dumbest things. Not to mention, how life has been for us the past 3 years and what we want the future to look like. It was so surreal to sit in front of someone that I knew so much about for 13 years, but knew hardly anything about the past 3 years of their life. I feel entirely blessed that ours paths have met again, especially this summer. It's incredible too because because we're finding ourselves in a lot of the same places, once again.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
What Moves You?
Lately I've been trying to figure out what m o v e s me.
It seems so easy to tell others what you like...but what is it that drives you, propels you, pushes you forward and ultimately is an expression of what you believe life is all about?
Sometimes I think I catch a glimpse of what that is for me, but it's incredibly difficult to put that into words.
On a different note, my trip to San Francisco was a success. I was able to spend time with my mom and my sister and show Michelle the city. Some highlights for me were: sailing in Sausalito, drinking coffee at a little Italian cafe in San Francisco's "Little Italy"...it was called Cafe Roma, having pillow fights with my sister on the hotel beds and catching up with a couple really good friends in Santa Cruz that I hadn't seen in 2 years. It was so weird to go back to a place that I had made my home for an entire summer. To go back and experience it in a different way because family was with me this time and the other interns were not. For some reason this opened my eyes to the fact that it wasn't so much the place that I learned to love that summer- it was the people. That really gives me a lot of hope for the future- wherever it may lead me-there will be people to love there...which will eventually lead me to feel a little more "at home" wherever I am.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Grace is Beautiful
Grace for Augustine, is God's freedom to act without any external necessity whatsoever- to act in love beyond human understanding or control; to give his Son freely as Mediator and Redeemer; to endure the Church with the indwelling power and guidance of the Holy Spirit; to shape the destinies of all creation and the ends of the two human societies, the "city of earth" and the "city of God"....I think this is beautiful and I'm learning so much about God's grace right now.
It all came full circle today when my sister and I were talking about this paper of religion she is going to be writing and ideas of what she could write about...she actually asked me to help! Yeah I am stoked beyond measure to be able to talk about what we think is right and wrong and whatnot..she's not a dull crayon and happens to be quite opinionated..no surprise about the opinionated part!
While we were talking this morning, I remembered that the other day I found a tract in one of her work books while I was cleaning around the house. It was a million dollar bill that had religious language..not Scripture around it and actually told you what God thought about you if you were a sinner. Can you believe it? As I read it I was baffled beyond belief...no Scripture...human words were telling me that if I was a sinner God looked at me with disgust...not love, but merely as a distasteful creation. I couldn't believe how bad the theology behind this piece of religious advertisement was...surely this wasn't the God I serve. The Jesus I serve "loved me even while I was still a sinner." "He sent His only son so that I wouldn't have to perish." That's what God thinks about me and you and every other Joe or Janice in the world. He is willing to sacrifice it all. I asked my sister if she received things like this often and she said yes and that it's usually something about "turning or burning" or "the 10 steps to take to get to God." She even told me a story about a guy that looked strange at her the entire time he was sitting in her section waiting to get his food, and she could tell he was judging her..making presumptions about her and then she had confirmation when the creep left a tract on the table. He made no effort to get to know her.
I was extremely angry about this and deeply saddened. What are these people thinking? They don't know anything about my sister. They don't know the deep questions she's had about God or what prevents her from fully giving her life over to Him. They don't know her past or where she is right now. They know nothing and that's the way they prefer it...as long as at the end of the day they can say they handed out a piece of paper. Sorry that's not going to cut it pal- try living with sinners. Try really loving them. (Now I'm not saying I have evangelism figured out but stories like those remind me of why I need God's grace, why we all do.)
I went to Joshua House tonight with a good friend from high school. Joshua House is a 20's - 30's ministry at a different church than my own, but I love it because it's alive and vibrant. I listen to their podcast sometimes and there's a great speaker that happens to be a woman, she gets thrown into the preaching rotation every now and then. Well, during meet and greet time I turn to my side and she came all the way from the back of the room to greet my friend and me. We started chatting and realized we both have a couple mutual friends on staff at IWU. Not only this, all the while she doesn't have a clue I listen to her preaching and love it, and she invites us to her small group Bible Study on Thursday nights. Alleluia! Even during school I said I wanted to join a small group this summer..one that has depth and whatnot..and here it is hand delivered. Grace? I think so.
It all came full circle today when my sister and I were talking about this paper of religion she is going to be writing and ideas of what she could write about...she actually asked me to help! Yeah I am stoked beyond measure to be able to talk about what we think is right and wrong and whatnot..she's not a dull crayon and happens to be quite opinionated..no surprise about the opinionated part!
While we were talking this morning, I remembered that the other day I found a tract in one of her work books while I was cleaning around the house. It was a million dollar bill that had religious language..not Scripture around it and actually told you what God thought about you if you were a sinner. Can you believe it? As I read it I was baffled beyond belief...no Scripture...human words were telling me that if I was a sinner God looked at me with disgust...not love, but merely as a distasteful creation. I couldn't believe how bad the theology behind this piece of religious advertisement was...surely this wasn't the God I serve. The Jesus I serve "loved me even while I was still a sinner." "He sent His only son so that I wouldn't have to perish." That's what God thinks about me and you and every other Joe or Janice in the world. He is willing to sacrifice it all. I asked my sister if she received things like this often and she said yes and that it's usually something about "turning or burning" or "the 10 steps to take to get to God." She even told me a story about a guy that looked strange at her the entire time he was sitting in her section waiting to get his food, and she could tell he was judging her..making presumptions about her and then she had confirmation when the creep left a tract on the table. He made no effort to get to know her.
I was extremely angry about this and deeply saddened. What are these people thinking? They don't know anything about my sister. They don't know the deep questions she's had about God or what prevents her from fully giving her life over to Him. They don't know her past or where she is right now. They know nothing and that's the way they prefer it...as long as at the end of the day they can say they handed out a piece of paper. Sorry that's not going to cut it pal- try living with sinners. Try really loving them. (Now I'm not saying I have evangelism figured out but stories like those remind me of why I need God's grace, why we all do.)
I went to Joshua House tonight with a good friend from high school. Joshua House is a 20's - 30's ministry at a different church than my own, but I love it because it's alive and vibrant. I listen to their podcast sometimes and there's a great speaker that happens to be a woman, she gets thrown into the preaching rotation every now and then. Well, during meet and greet time I turn to my side and she came all the way from the back of the room to greet my friend and me. We started chatting and realized we both have a couple mutual friends on staff at IWU. Not only this, all the while she doesn't have a clue I listen to her preaching and love it, and she invites us to her small group Bible Study on Thursday nights. Alleluia! Even during school I said I wanted to join a small group this summer..one that has depth and whatnot..and here it is hand delivered. Grace? I think so.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Coffeetopia
Yesterday afternoon I was talking to a great friend of mine that lives in the paradise known as Santa Cruz, CA and she was telling me about this great new coffeehouse, Verve, that opened fairly recently. Now it's not a chain like most of the coffee places in the Midwest, it was opened by 2 guys - Colby Barr and Ryan O' Donovan and they roast the beans right next to the shop...you can get a cup made from beans that were roasted just the day before..it's all the rave. Ryan actually used to work at Peet's Coffee in Santa Cruz, which happened to be my favorite cup while I lived there 2 summers ago. Needless to say, I can't wait to visit this place and maybe even check into an internship for next summer, if I end up out West. These guys understand the passion behind the roast.
If you want to read the review of the shop you can: http://www.metrosantacruz.com/metro-santa-cruz/03.26.08/dining-0813.html
Saturday, May 3, 2008
The Truth of Humanity
There aren't a whole lot of movies now a days that I would watch again. I ran into a masterpiece Thursday night when I saw Juno. Some of you maybe be asking, "Is that the one about teenage pregnancy?" Well, yes...but it's so much more that the simple aspect of teen pregnancy shouldn't leave the truth the movie portrays in the dark. It's a movie with an element of raw truth dealing with humanity. To a world that lacks commitment it sends a strong message of what could be and what should be/shouldn't be. I have to say this movie was more than just a good flick- it moved me. The main character, Juno, talks about "losing faith with humanity" and I resonate with this. How easy is it to look around you and see all the mistakes people are making, let alone - evaluate some of our own poor choices and lose faith. Yet, this movie brings hope that things can turn out right...oh yeah.
I've been hanging out with my good friend Margaret lately. She is my 80 year old friend that was just widowed 6 weeks ago. We went out to lunch on Friday and shared stories and laughed. It was a great time of catching up since I hadn't seen her since around Spring Break. She tells stories about her husband, who was also a friend of mine, and her eyes still light up and her entire face still glows with a smile at remembering things that he said or did. At other times she shares how hard it is to loose your mate and not have someone to "hang around with" all day and in moments like those I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest...I can't even imagine losing someone that you've been married to for 50 years. I'm learning so much from Margaret though and I'm thankful for that..surely she is full of wisdom, even beyond her years.
After lunch we went back to her house and as soon as I walked in the door I saw the yellow envelope, the one that held a card I had sent her last week, laying on an end table in her foyer. Now, someone keeping a card might not mean much to you, but it does to me. I don't have any living grandparents and I only grew up knowing my grandmother who passed away when I was a sophomore in high school. I always looked back wishing I had written her more because she loved getting cards and letters...in a lot of ways I see God's provision through Margaret and now I get to take advantage of what I've been given. A second chance I guess, a second grandmother in a lot of ways...this brings me hope for humanity, but even more hope in a great great God.
Then as we preceded downstairs and she showed me some stuff she's been learning on the piano. I'm happy to say that she's been taking some more lessons and working on getting some new things to do. She turned to me after playing and told me it was my turn...last time I had a piano lesson I was 7 and got so frustrated I quit and changed my extracurricular activities to fit my natural abilities haha. Music is not my forte, I have to work pretty hard at it...yet she made it seem so easy and before long my hands were moving through the keys and I found it quite fun. I guess we're both learning new things in life together and I'm loving every minute of it.
Next stop: the Book Loft in German Village on Tuesday and I can't wait!
I've been hanging out with my good friend Margaret lately. She is my 80 year old friend that was just widowed 6 weeks ago. We went out to lunch on Friday and shared stories and laughed. It was a great time of catching up since I hadn't seen her since around Spring Break. She tells stories about her husband, who was also a friend of mine, and her eyes still light up and her entire face still glows with a smile at remembering things that he said or did. At other times she shares how hard it is to loose your mate and not have someone to "hang around with" all day and in moments like those I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest...I can't even imagine losing someone that you've been married to for 50 years. I'm learning so much from Margaret though and I'm thankful for that..surely she is full of wisdom, even beyond her years.
After lunch we went back to her house and as soon as I walked in the door I saw the yellow envelope, the one that held a card I had sent her last week, laying on an end table in her foyer. Now, someone keeping a card might not mean much to you, but it does to me. I don't have any living grandparents and I only grew up knowing my grandmother who passed away when I was a sophomore in high school. I always looked back wishing I had written her more because she loved getting cards and letters...in a lot of ways I see God's provision through Margaret and now I get to take advantage of what I've been given. A second chance I guess, a second grandmother in a lot of ways...this brings me hope for humanity, but even more hope in a great great God.
Then as we preceded downstairs and she showed me some stuff she's been learning on the piano. I'm happy to say that she's been taking some more lessons and working on getting some new things to do. She turned to me after playing and told me it was my turn...last time I had a piano lesson I was 7 and got so frustrated I quit and changed my extracurricular activities to fit my natural abilities haha. Music is not my forte, I have to work pretty hard at it...yet she made it seem so easy and before long my hands were moving through the keys and I found it quite fun. I guess we're both learning new things in life together and I'm loving every minute of it.
Next stop: the Book Loft in German Village on Tuesday and I can't wait!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Hello Summer and hello Jesus
I arrived at home tonight at around 3:30 and honestly the entire time I was driving home I couldn't comprehend that I was spending the summer at home. In fact, this would be the first summer I had spent at home since high school. I can't lie, I was worried at that idea and wasn't sure why it was I sensed God was leading me in this direction. I mean wouldn't it be easier to not get back into the "home life", after all I'm not planning on moving home after graduation? I was really praying about this during my Spring semester. Praying that God would reveal to me the need for ministry and remind me of why I'm going into it, praying that God would actually use my gifts and abilities that I haven't put to use in any practicum or internship. So often I can become blind to the needs outside of the church when I am engulfed within its walls and so often I feel like I'm checking off things others would have me to do within the realm of ministry...my friends, this is no way to live life.
At 5:00 my dad and I met up with one of my old high school friends...well actually we go all the way back to the 6th grade. We went to see a softball tournament at the OSU recreation fields that I had played on so many times while growing up. As I walked up to the fields I began to catch conversations and see people that were entirely consumed in the sport. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong about loving sports, but I began to hear stories from those around me filled with anger at certain kids' performances on the field and filled with a lustful desire to win, no matter what the cost...welcome to my high school athletic experience.
I was sitting on the bleachers and behind me parents were talking about throwing a party, one in which they accidentally invited new friends that they didn't know were "church people" and felt embarrassed afterwards when they showed up to the party. Now I'm not sure what went on at this party but it didn't sound like it was good. It's amazing to hear that those that don't know the Truth can sense guilt, this never stops filling me with awe. My old high school friend turned to me to tell me about how another friend of ours continues to invite her to church and youth group with other friends, but she won't go with her because they are the type of people that are one way at church and then go and get trashed the next night. It's amazing how my friend can sense that this isn't the way it's supposed to be if you proclaim to be a Christian and professes that she isn't ready to "dedicate everything to God yet".
Lastly as we pulled up into our driveway my dad mentioned for the second time tonight that he hadn't seen our neighbor in 4 days. He then told me that my mom saw him the other day for a second and asked where he'd been, only to hear that he'd been at his mothers house. That's it, he didn't state anything else and his truck isn't in the driveway again tonight. Could his marriage of 20 something years be falling apart? So tonight I pray for the old high school friend, I pray for the women that sat behind me in the bleachers and I pray for the marriage of my neighbors. Surely God has been faithful and revealed the need for someone to minister to these people...someone that isn't contained in the church walls this summer. Come Lord Jesus, Come.
This experience reminds me parts of Psalm 92 that I read today, "It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening." "You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me."
At 5:00 my dad and I met up with one of my old high school friends...well actually we go all the way back to the 6th grade. We went to see a softball tournament at the OSU recreation fields that I had played on so many times while growing up. As I walked up to the fields I began to catch conversations and see people that were entirely consumed in the sport. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong about loving sports, but I began to hear stories from those around me filled with anger at certain kids' performances on the field and filled with a lustful desire to win, no matter what the cost...welcome to my high school athletic experience.
I was sitting on the bleachers and behind me parents were talking about throwing a party, one in which they accidentally invited new friends that they didn't know were "church people" and felt embarrassed afterwards when they showed up to the party. Now I'm not sure what went on at this party but it didn't sound like it was good. It's amazing to hear that those that don't know the Truth can sense guilt, this never stops filling me with awe. My old high school friend turned to me to tell me about how another friend of ours continues to invite her to church and youth group with other friends, but she won't go with her because they are the type of people that are one way at church and then go and get trashed the next night. It's amazing how my friend can sense that this isn't the way it's supposed to be if you proclaim to be a Christian and professes that she isn't ready to "dedicate everything to God yet".
Lastly as we pulled up into our driveway my dad mentioned for the second time tonight that he hadn't seen our neighbor in 4 days. He then told me that my mom saw him the other day for a second and asked where he'd been, only to hear that he'd been at his mothers house. That's it, he didn't state anything else and his truck isn't in the driveway again tonight. Could his marriage of 20 something years be falling apart? So tonight I pray for the old high school friend, I pray for the women that sat behind me in the bleachers and I pray for the marriage of my neighbors. Surely God has been faithful and revealed the need for someone to minister to these people...someone that isn't contained in the church walls this summer. Come Lord Jesus, Come.
This experience reminds me parts of Psalm 92 that I read today, "It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening." "You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me."
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
It's Official
Hi Friends!
So I've officially created a "Go Live Life" blog to capture moments of living life and inspire others to do the same. This theme came out of my senior sermon on John 11 when Jesus tells his disciples to follow him to Bethany in order that they might believe when He wakes Lazarus. When the disciples saw this miracle done by Christ they themselves were further awakened in their belief of who Jesus was and what he could do. My hope is that we will live in an awakened state of who Christ is and the work that he can do.
Also noteworthy, my good friend Newt spoke these words of life to me the last time I went to visit him before he passed away. When I said goodbye to him he told my sister and I, "get out of here and go live life!" Oh the irony of the situation: a man on his death bed giving me words of life. As I walked down that hall and out of the nursing home I began to turn those words over and over in my head...did I really know what it meant to live life? What did this mean for me since I profess to live my life following Christ, and even more. Was I doing this..was I fully living my life or just waiting for my years to be over on Earth so that I could fully live in eternity. Newt's words transformed me and really just hit me like a ton of bricks...my prayer is that we'll live in a spiritually resurrected state now and not just wait to be bodily resurrected later...now is the time to live!
So I've officially created a "Go Live Life" blog to capture moments of living life and inspire others to do the same. This theme came out of my senior sermon on John 11 when Jesus tells his disciples to follow him to Bethany in order that they might believe when He wakes Lazarus. When the disciples saw this miracle done by Christ they themselves were further awakened in their belief of who Jesus was and what he could do. My hope is that we will live in an awakened state of who Christ is and the work that he can do.
Also noteworthy, my good friend Newt spoke these words of life to me the last time I went to visit him before he passed away. When I said goodbye to him he told my sister and I, "get out of here and go live life!" Oh the irony of the situation: a man on his death bed giving me words of life. As I walked down that hall and out of the nursing home I began to turn those words over and over in my head...did I really know what it meant to live life? What did this mean for me since I profess to live my life following Christ, and even more. Was I doing this..was I fully living my life or just waiting for my years to be over on Earth so that I could fully live in eternity. Newt's words transformed me and really just hit me like a ton of bricks...my prayer is that we'll live in a spiritually resurrected state now and not just wait to be bodily resurrected later...now is the time to live!
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