9.19.2013

(BE)Truth :: Done in Love

Link up with your posts that speak the truth we need to fill our lives with here each Thursday with (BE)Truth

9.16.2013

(BE) Church :: One Friend Away

Since starting my new job almost two months ago, I've been unable to attend Sunday worship with my church. Which surprisingly has been a GREAT thing. For this sometimes "Check-box Christian", Sundays have been given in my life, and God is breaking down that box of what his Church and Community should look like - and too often I've stuffed it into Sunday services and church programs.

However, I fully believe that listening to scripture and sermons is SOOO valuable - so I've been attending {ChurchOnline} through {LifeChurch} based in my childhood hometown: Oklahoma City.

We're currently walking through a series called
"Friending: Show me your friends,
and I'll show you your future.
"
Sophomore Year Friends
Last night Pastor Craig shared about three types of friends we should have in our lives based off the life of David in 1 Samuel


1) Samuel: a friend who makes you better (16:12-13)
2) Jonathan: a friend who helps you find spiritual strength (23:15-16)
3) Nathan: a friend who will tell us the truth (2 Sam 12:7)

Senior Year of High School - me and this lady are still friends despite different colleges and living 1,000 miles (literally) away from each other. 16 years strong friend!
Which brings a lot of reflection on my life


  • Who has been that in my life and how can I thank them for the positive impact they've played on my life?
  • Who is becoming that as I make roots here in Chicago?
I've decided (and I'm telling this crazy blog world to hold myself accountable), that:
A) I'm gonna write good old fashioned snail mail notes to those who have played these roles in previous seasons
B) I'm gonna pray about who here in Chicago is walking daily life with me and currently playing one of these roles in my life.
Me and my college Roomie during our Sophomore year.

Do you have a Samuel? Jonathan? Nathan?
How did you make friends with these people?

How can you show them you appreciate the role they play in your life?

The 9 lovely ladies who made me who I am today thanks to their friendship in college and since.

9.14.2013

Coming Your Way

Earlier this week I received a surprise...

A sweet thank you note from {Amy} one of the hosts of the first ever {Etsy Swaps}
What a sweet idea to thank all the participants.

And guess what I sent off today... 
My secret gifts to my Etsy Swap participant.

GET EXCITED!

9.12.2013

(Be)Truth :: Rend Your Heart

My morning studies brought me to this beautiful passage.
Remember today, all you need to do is REND your heart
THINK upon the Lord
and he will be GRACIOUS and COMPASSIONATE!


I seek to (Be)Truth in my life, and one of those ways are these weekly posts. If you're also putting truth out on this crazy world wide web, feel free to link up by adding your post in the form below!

9.11.2013

Becoming (BE)Loved :: When Doubt Enters

Doubt entered into my life at the age of 12. Doesn't it come into everyone's life somewhere around there. Teenage years are difficult with body changes, the start of middle school, and boys only "sort of have cooties."

But more than anything for me, this was doubt in my relationship with Christ. 
As I mentioned,I didn't have a singular conversion experience. God was simply a part of my life because I went to church and I obeyed my parents and I enjoyed VBS and church camps. 

I remember QUESTIONING God to see if he would miraculously tell me that I'd get to spend eternity with him and "properly" hold the title Christian.
One summer day I was sitting in our mostly empty pool 
(only mostly empty because it was being worked on... we didn't make it a habit to have an empty pool)

with my feet several inches away from the water, praying:

"God, if I'm really saved, then let that water touch my feet."
And when it didn't MIRACULOUSLY rush over my whole foot, 

my fear and desperation inched me forward physically
and repeated the question till I myself slipped my toes into the water.


The following fall I entered to the youth group.
And with youth group came weekend conferences.
Places full of people who were raising there hands, passionate speakers who talked about P.U. (Persecution University) and door-to-door evangelism, and the POWER OF THE LOVE OF GOD! Conferences where you were supposed to invite your non-Christian friends so that they could hear about Christ and choose to follow him. And at the end of everyone of these conferences they'd do the "alter call" and thousands of people would go down to the front and pray with someone and accept Christ into their life. And their whole lives would change. They had their CONVERSION MOMENT.

And while they had their MOMENT, my doubt deepened -
Maybe I'm not saved.
Maybe God doesn't love me because I've never said those exact words to invite him into my heart.
But others THINK I'm a Christian, so I was ashamed to ever walk to the front.
But I wanted to be "safe."
I wanted to get to spend eternity in heaven with the rest of family. 
I didn't want to go to Hell.
So every conference I went to, I SECRETLY prayed THE prayer. I let worry and doubt drag on my young mind and hid the fear that maybe I wasn't a Christian.

{...}To Be Continued 

9.10.2013

M&P :: Prayer Wall



So I've lived in Chicago for just over two years now. Since moving here in July of 2011, I've moved 4 times. And finally I'm some place that I hope to stay for the next several years :) And it's a roommate situation rather than a host family situation. Which means I get to decide on furniture, artwork, paint colors and 
SO MUCH MORE!

However, settling takes time, and making it into a home is not an overnight thing
(check out a really good post about that {HERE} by Stephanie)

So even though I officially moved out of my parents house in OKC and into this one last May, I still have very few things hanging on my wall. But one that I did finally get up before summer ended is THIS:
MY PRAYER BOARD

I had a beautifully blank wall over my desk that I realized I stared at all the time. And with a roommate in the ministry field along with other family and friends spread all the way across the world, I thought this would be a great way to focus in on intentional prayers.

All it took was:
 {THIS} map
Cork Board {SQUARES}
3M stickies
Ribbon
Push pins
Paper & Photos - for all the people you're praying for!

And to inspire you on setting physical reminders for yourself in your next DIY project
REND COLLECTIVE EXPERIMENT!

How have you been productive recently?



9.06.2013

Becoming (Be)Loved :: Claiming Christ

I remember the first time I claimed my faith. I was probably 6 or 7. 

My family had gone to a magic show at one of the local high schools and the performer was a Christian. At the end of the night, he made an "invitation" for anyone who wanted to know more about Christ. We had gone with some family friends and the kids were sitting apart from the parents.
Attendants were passing out info cards with several boxes we could check:
 - Uninterested
 - Would like more information
 - Already a Christian.
(or something like that... this is a 20 year old memory, ha ha)

I remember not really knowing what to do with it. My parents were not close enough to know what to do. So I checked the "Already a Christian" box. Not thinking much about it at the time. I went to church, I knew who Jesus was. So I guessed I was a Christian.
We passed the cards down the row, he finished his act and we went home.
 
A week or so later, I returned home from school to a piece of mail
(Which was already a BIG deal to me - oh how I LOVE snail mail!)
I'd received follow up letter from the magician.
It read:
 "So glad that you know Christ"
… or something like that. Again, 20ish year old memory

What I do remember is my mom reading that letter and being surprised. She didn't know.
I wasn't the kid who said the "Prayer of Salvation" right before bed at her parents prompting. God was a part of my parents life, so he was a part of my life.

I guess it was natural for me  - and I didn't understand at the time why my mom was so surprised.. Or even the mix of excitement and disappointment that I remember being in her voice.
Surprise because she didn't know I claimed the title
at that age you don't really understand the meaning of community and sharing your faith with others.
Excitement because I suddenly went from being a daughter to a sister in Christ.
Disappointment
 maybe disappointment because she didn't get to share that "moment" with me. She might have felt like she missed out on the beginning of my relationship with God.

She hugged me and asked me when I had asked Jesus into my heart - when I couldn't tell her, she just smiled and said she was happy no matter if I could remember the moment or not.
No bedside prayers, confessions before the alter or instant moment of change...
My faith started out as much of a given as it was going to church every Sunday with my mom.

9.05.2013

(Be)Truth :: Pure Joy


"Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of MANY kinds,"
James 1:2

9.03.2013

M & P :: Saving Money

This week in Music & Productivity is all about the GREEN!

With taking my new job I knew I'd be taking a paycut

And I've seen in so many ways God provision in keeping me on the path he wants me traveling and the circles he wants to use me in.
HOWEVER, I also know is that he's provided me with a mind that allows me to think and budget and use the little bit of money that He is giving me paycheck. So I've started an intense budget sheet on excel and am tracking on my spending.
Along with that I'm trying to make wiser choices on purchases so I can "splurge" on the things I value more

i.e. I spend $5 on the GREAT healthy bread from my local farmers market because I value that.

One of the things I'm okay shaving money off of is cleaning products - you don't need that $10 bottle of name brand cleaner - and with the help of {Pinterest} and {THIS} handy dandy book
my first product to tackle was laundry detergent!
My pretty new detergent on my not so pretty dryer - but hey the thing still works, so we're not complaining :)


After some research I decided on a 1:1:1 ratio
One bar of soap

One cup of washing soda
One cup of Borax


I went with Irish Spring soap for several reasons.
First off, it was cheapest - and this is all about saving money right!
Secondly, one of the reasons some people don't want to make their own detergent is because of the lack of scent... I LOVE fresh smelling clothes -- and Irish Spring definitely smells fresh
Third, well, there's not actually a third. So there you go - Irish Spring it was.

The Canister I found at Home Goods for $5 and actually matches 3 canisters I have in my kitchen that I found at garage sales back in college (BONUS). I also used a Birthday Credit card from my grandmother to make that purchase - so spent no money on that.

This is the 1:1:1 ratio four times

I also have enough ingredients left over to DOUBLE THIS!
Saving Money Success!

Have you tried any homemade cleaning products?



9.02.2013

(Be)LOVED :: My Story

I've never enjoyed telling my story. It bored me. I didn't think there was depth to it. I'm your classic "good girl". 
Practically invisible 
in the shadow of two very active, talkative and mildly problematic older brothers.
Introvert by personality and by choice, 
because sitting alone watching movies and eating Chinese is better 
than realizing no one had made plans to hang out with me, 
or worse, call someone to make Friday night plans
I lived by and large with my religion as an excuse.
An excuse to be a loner.
An excuse to be self-righteous.


An excuse to build walls.

Not only does my story feel boring to me, but I'm afraid.
I'm afraid of what the world will think - because the stories we hear most often are those of RADICAL transformation and because I was never found drunk and sleeping around before Jesus "found" me I fear people won't listen and people won't be changed.

But slowly God has peeled away the layers of stubbornness at keeping my story to myself. Just as He's faithfully claimed me as his through all the small times of disobedience He's shown me day by day the woman he wants me to become. 

And so it's time...
Over the next few weeks I'm gonna be bold and own the story that God is writing for me
Check back in a couple days for the first chapters of my story...
Becoming Beloved.

8.31.2013

Week's End Gratefuls :: Books and Birthdays

This Week I'm Grateful For...

- quotes that just catch you right where you need to hear it! 
- parents who send me flowers at work on my birthday
 (and that there's enough to go around for extra vases in the house)
- "early-bed friday nights"... yep, I'm that girl.
I didn't go to sleep till 9, but I was in bed curled up with a book a 7:24pm


- books that help me save money
(look forward to a GREAT GREEN "Music & Productivity" this coming Tuesday ;D)
- books that feel like old friends
I read The Princess Bride once a year all the way through Jr. High and High School.
 Glad to have its familiar binding back in my hands.
- blank books ready for filling in the quickly approaching new year...
yeah yeah, I know it's only August, but 2013 is passing too fast for me not to plan ahead.

"Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives. Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our Yes! to His grace." - Ann Voskamp

So what are you thankful this week?

8.28.2013

Blogger Swaps :: Mugs!

Although I've been blogging for several years now, I'm just beginning to find new joys and community that comes from sharing life on this world wide web. And this year as I've taken time away from most other social media mediums, it's opened doors for me to discover even more about what great community opportunities there are through these crazy web pages.

One such discovery thanks to {this} lovely lady is BLOGGER SWAPS. Where one blog hosts a swap between participants. And when I found out about this first swap - I just couldn't resist!


All you had to do was sign up with a little bit of information about yourself
Promise to send a mug to the person you were matched with
and viola! You're learning about new bloggers and connecting to people.


So first I'll share my "Mug Swap Sends"


His and Hers Mugs - since even though it's the wife who's a part of the blogging community,
the husbands are important too because they're sharing their sweet wives with us :)

I found the great Latte mugs at World Market and couldn't resist them. Kept one for myself to remind me to pray for this family that I'd been connected with. The "His" Mug is one I already had. I'm a mug collector and thought I'd be fun to send off one that was currently in my collection, but not used very often.
Check {Her} Out

And now for the "Mug Swap Received"
The sweet woman who received my name mentioned that it was ironic for a "Girly Girl" to be matched with "Granola Girl" But she nailed it on the HEAD!

-  I didn't have an Oklahoma mug yet. SCORE!
- Loving the gray and yellow right now... and always.
- Was just thinking about buying some Nutella, and now I don't have too.
- and this gratitude journal will get LOTS of use for 2014
- BONUS: the package arrived on my
25th BIRTHDAY! So perfect :)
Check {Her} Out!

My thank you note included this picture of my morning cup of tea and bowl of homemade granola

Want to be involved in a swap: Meg's hosting an Etsy Swap
AND
you're lucky because she extended the sign up period.
So if you want to get in on this awesome gifting, {HOP} over to her blog and sign up QUICK
I promise you won't regret it!




8.27.2013

Music & Productivity :: Birthday Cake

Yesterday was my 25th Birthday
And it was great!
more on what happened later this week

So this morning I got up at 7am (which is normal)
and went straight to the kitchen to get productive
making my favorite cake

Carrot Cake
The carrot cake my mom made for my 21st Birthday.
She made it and then drove 3 hours to deliver it for my
"Back-to-school Birthday Bash" with mall my friends.

This way I can still cover my friend's shift and the cake will be nice and cool to frost when I get home before my community group comes over tonight
This is my own carrot cake in the process to celebrate my 25th!

And soundtrack of choice for this baking extravaganza?
Although Ben Rector has been playing more often over the past week I decided to listen to my old favorites Shane & Shane. They've got a new album out recently also.
SO MUCH TRUTH goes into their lyrics.
Enjoy!




8.25.2013

(BE) Church :: God of Restoration

With a new house that I could actually make my OWN HOME
has come MANY hopes and dreams of things I want to have and DIY projects.

One of those was fresh herbs that I could pick and cook with..
but these things cost money... until you find friends with bountiful gardens who are willing to share a shoot or two.

So with 3 gifted plants
rosemary, mint & basil.
3 gifted pots 
and a new bag of soil
I prepared to have my own herbs to take care for my new home.

However, it took me a couple days to pot my new dear plants...
and I didn't pay attention to them well enough...

and I killed the poor mint. : (

But in some sad hope I went ahead and planted the poor dead thing.


But upon planting him, I gave up hope because he looked so dead.
And out of laziness I left the poor guy in his pot and just watered his flowering green friends!

The other week I was out admiring and giving the big green guys some love
 and  much needed water in this Chicago heat wave,

what did a find?
a small GREEN shoot of HOPE out of the brown dead stump.

I hadn't watered him AT ALL.
He'd been in that dirt for a month with only God's provision of rain.
And here is is GROWING!!

ONLY THE GOD OF RESTORATION COULD DO THIS!

I'm in LOVE with my mint plant 
and can't wait for him to grow large enough that I can use him in my kitchen.


"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
If you need to hear a good message on Ridiculous Restoration check out LifeChurch Online this week and Craig Groshel's final message in his series on Elisha and Ridiculous Faith!

What have you seen God redeem this week?

8.24.2013

Week's End Gratefuls :: Friends and Flowers



 This week I'm Grateful for...

- Prayer boards that remind the world is larger than the Chicago Suburbs
- bright and sunny sunflowers in blue vases
 - finishing old journals and beautiful new journals arriving from home
(early birthday gifts and parents who know me so well!)
- friends returning and a full table of delicious food
- chalk raw hands and tiring out my arms climbing after tiring out my legs with an 8-hour shift
- early Birthday wishes from friends far away & remembering a great 6 years of friendship!

"Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives. Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our Yes! to His grace." - Ann Voskamp

So what are you thankful for this week?



8.22.2013

(Be)Truth :: Job 38

Rainy days always make me think of the book of Job...
because when God rips Job a new one (in a loving fatherly way ;D)
he talks about the the storehouses of thunder, hail, lightening and so many other amazing acts of nature that I sure can't control.

I need a little bit of humbling too some mornings.
So this truth was good to let sink in as the rain soaked into the ground this morning.



What truth have you read in scripture lately?

8.20.2013

Music & Productivity // Aug 20th



So with my new job I'm getting used to new "weekend" hours...
meaning that I'm off on Tuesdays and Saturdays (no more Sunday Sabbaths for this little later)
and I've decided that I want Saturday to be a Sabbath,
but Tuesdays are PRODUCTIVE DAYS!
Cleaning, laundry, running errands... (the necessary)
AND
DIY projects, baking, building, blogging (the desired!)

And what's a little productivity without some music - so I'll share what I'm currently listening to as well!

THIS WEEK'S SHARE!
HOMEMADE BLACKBERRY COBBLER
Fresh berries from the Farmer's Market!
Picked this recipe up from one of my favorite bloggers over at Today's Letters

Ingredients:
3 Cups of Blackberries (or 2 cups Blackberries, 1 Cup Blueberries)
2 Cups of Flour
2 Cups of Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Stick of Unsalted Butter

Directions:
1. Pour blackberries into a 9x13" greased baking dish and set aside.
2. Mix flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, and salt until well combined in a stand mixer.
3. Crumble flour mixture over blackberries.
4. Melt 1 stick of butter in a microwave safe dish and pour over flour mixture.
5. Bake for 35-40 min at 350°.

Simple Ingredients. Simply Delicious!

And because I'm not great at taking pictures of the WHOLE process, here's one from Mrs. Letter's herself

And now for the music...

So that was a little sneaky, because it wasn't a song.
But TODAY is August 20th!!
and that means my pre-order downloaded automatically to my ITunes!
LOVING THIS ALBUM RIGHT NOW!

It just might be on repeat for a couple days... so go check it out for yourself!

8.18.2013

(BE)Church

So for those of you who don't know
I've started a new job
at a place called Blackberry Market

If you live in or near the Northwest Chicago suburbs you should come check us out.
And I'm loving it so far
But God is stretching me because my regular schedule puts me at work
Sundays from 7am-3pm.
No more Sunday Church

But God is continually teaching me that he is bigger than I could ever imagine.
And that includes a building with four walls that we call church
For the Church is not created by buildings,
but made up of people.

And that's what the Irish Band Rend Collective Experiment is trying to share through their new album Campfire. The video below shares their story of why they decided to record their album in community around a campfire.


"All of us have the divine spark in us and we desperately need the breath of God to set us on fire."

So whether you worshiped this morning in a building, around a campfire or as you worked
may you see the ways that God is using you to set this world ablaze.

What are you learning on Sundays?

8.17.2013

Returning

Hello gang of faithful followers...
I've been MIA.
I've been avoiding God.
I've been letting God transform.


I've been avoiding sharing that transformation...
because it starts with where I come from
And looking where you come from takes courage.


And sharing that story takes even more courage!

But I'm returning.
This week - posts ARE COMING!

Until then,



Enjoy these beauties that I bought at the French Market this morning
(Wheaton's so fancy we can't call it "farmers")

6.24.2013

Viral Mondays

Take A Seat - Make A Friend?



Questions to Make You Think
+ Would you have climbed in the ball pit?
+ How do you make new friends?

6.16.2013

The Climb of Your Life

The follow was my final newsletter update to all my amazing supporters during my time with LeaderTreks.

            Over the past two months since my last newsletter I’ve done a lot of traveling. In this time of transition I’ve taken the freedom and opportunity given to me to see many friends and family. From Virginia Beach to Chattanooga, Oklahoma City to Dallas and even back to good ‘ole Siloam Springs where I spent my college years.

            On one of those treks I took a weekend to spend in the beautiful Red River Gorge area in Kentucky. The main purpose of this trip was to get in some great rock-climbing, something I’d never tried in my life, but was willing to give it a go (under the good supervision of my much more skilled friends). A few things I learned about climbing:


  • ·         There are two people involved in a climb – the climber herself and the belay, who has the other end of the rope and is your anchor to the ground
  • ·          If the climber needs to rest at any point on the climb all they have to do is yell “TAKE” and their belay will tighten the rope and yell “GOT YOU”. Then the climber can lean back into their harness away from the wall and rest their arms. When they are ready to continue they yell, “CLIMBING” and the belay responds “CLIMB ON”.


Super intense face, pulling your body up a rock wall is a TON of work.
I feel like my life is a 1,000 foot climb. I’m strapped into my harness, my knots are all tied correctly and Jesus is on-belay. I was a couple hundred feet up, when I miss my hold – the solid jug that was LeaderTreks actually had a crack in it and pulled away from the wall with me still holding on to it. But Jesus is the best person to have on the ground and He caught me. One aspect I love about this sport is the climb need not be rushed. When your arms get tired and you don’t see the next hold to move you up the rock-face, you call, “TAKE!”  You shake out your arms and study the wall and listen to your friend on the ground, He has climbed this wall before and knows that just a couple inches higher is the perfect hold if you’re willing to trust Him and reach for it.

Right Arrow:   MESo that’s where I’ve been – resting in the strength of my Gracious Savior who knows the right path to climb this daunting wall. Over the past 2 months I’ve driven several thousand miles, received numerous hugs and encouragement. Now I’m officially back in Chicago, moved into a new house with a new roommate and started the job hunt. The climb is slow going sometimes, but I know it will be amazing when I finally do look out and see the view that God has brought me to.


            So again, thank you for ALL the prayers, monetary support, open homes and arms, and anything you’ve done to support me during my time at LT. The end of my time at LeaderTreks may be here, but there is much more of my climb left and I’m excited to see where God takes me.



6.10.2013

What Defines You?


Last night my church gathered for our 1st summer picnic and watched this year's Oscar Winning Documentary Short. So good! Here's the trailer. If you haven't seen it I suggest renting it off ITunes and giving it a gander.





Thought Provoking Questions:
- What do you let define you?
- How do you get up in the morning (happy/depressed)? Does that affect the rest of your day?
- What are your dreams?
- Is there someone that you wish you could be honest with and tell them you love them?

6.08.2013

The Return of Granola Girl


This morning I got up at 5:30
And I packed this for breakfast



And why did I get up that early?
And take my granola on the go?

Because ALL of the Chicago-land REI's had garage sales this morning.
And my very first Chicago friend (who ironically lives in Milwaukee)
drove the hour and half to stake out two of the sales with me.

Store #1 was a success for him
Store #2 he snagged a good deal for me


CLIMBING SHOES!
(my latest granola obsession since my first experience climbing in the Red River Gorge in KY)

Want to be a Granola Girl on the go like me?
Here's my family's AMAZING homemade granola recipe:

4 cups rolled oats-- thick ones are best  (don't use quick kind)
1 cup slivered almonds or other nut
1 cup cashews or other nut1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup vegetable oil1/2 tsp salt
Dried fruit (raisins are typical, but my favorite are cranberries and blueberries)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees (to bake for one hour and 15 min) 
or 325 degrees (to bake for 30 min)
(I typically go for longer, but I'm a "slow-cooked" fan)
In large bowl combine oats, nuts, coconut, sunflower seeds, and brown sugar.  In separate bowl combine maple syrup, oil and salt.  Combine both mixtures and pour onto pan with high sides.  Cook as directed above, stirring every 15 minutes.  Remove from oven when lightly browned and transfer to large bowl again.  Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

ENJOY!

6.02.2013

Not With Worldly View


"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore
Christ's ambassadors
,
as through God we're making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf; Be reconciled to God. God make him who had not sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
2 Corinthians 5:16-21

This was the passage that I studied this morning with my church family.

Then I was pointed to the following video this afternoon from a ministry update I follow




Although made two years ago and I'd heard of this short film, I had never watched it myself. I found tears in my eyes at several points and God showing me a beautiful picture of what it means to not regard anyone with a worldly view. That's what the Butterfly Circus is all about - seeing the person as the person and not as their circumstnaces. BEAUTIFUL!




Who do you need to stop seeing their old self? 

4.26.2013

1,000 Gifts > Chapter 7


This post is part of my Book Club Series
which was started by {this} and {this} lovely lady
To start from the beginning click {here}

SOUND BYTES:
"You can't positive-think your way out of negative feelings. [...] The only way to fight a feeling is with a feeling. [...] Feel thanks and it is absolutely impossible to feel angry. We can only experience one emotion at a time. And we get to choose - which emotion do we want to feel?" (p136)

I mentioned last week that I was headed off to chase my moon. Well I found it -
In the clink of carabeaners securing rope

In the numerous conversations with strangers just because we both love the outdoors and doing crazy things like walking a line and climbing a rock wall
In the fabric stretched tight of a double hammock

In the late night, triple shooting star, conversations

In the green green mountains stretched before me on hours un-ending of road
In the hugs, laughter, tears and comfort of a friendship with a 6 year foundation
In the exploring new cities that seem more exciting than mine
And over the weekend I slowly planted seeds.
One of doubt.
One of resentment.
One of desire for things and places that are not mine to have.
One that thinks the grass is greener on the other side
But luckily  Abba was there to give me a heart check on my 10 hour drive home. Mile by mile he helped me remember all the things he's given me in Chicago that help to make it my home. Mile by mile he allowed me to look back fondly on college and those friendships that will continue to be there. But Chicago is where I'm supposed to be living day to day life. Chicago holds new adventures and new friendships that I'm building and places to explore and it may not seem as green as Chattanooga, TN, but there is just as much growing here.
And so, I pulled back into my driveway after chasing the room remembering that God's grace is here, now, with me always - all I have to do is choose it.

"Grace - that is what the full life is full of,
what the God-glory is full of." (p129)


TRUTH TO WRITE ON HER HEART:

GRATITUDE EVERYDAY:
Camping and Rock Climbing in the Red River Gorge
More pictures to come!

Adventures in Chattanooga, the new home city of fantastic college friend and her family.