Belly Of A Fish

I remember when the Veggie Tales version of the story of Jonah came out in the theater. I went to go see it with my two best friends, we were thirteen, giddy and got the best seats in the house. It was a cute movie with a good message and memorable songs sung by vegetables. But the story of Jonah is so much more than a tale about a giant fish who swallowed a man only to spit him back up three days later.

The story of Jonah is also my story. I'd rather be likened to another character in the Bible like Samuel or David or perhaps even Moses, but Jonah it is. There is this thing I don't like called the unknown. Also conflict. That too. But yea, not knowing what comes next or how or WHY is something quite scary, in my opinion. Stepping outside of my comfort zone and deciding that what HE has asked of me is more important than my ridiculous concerns and fears. But alas, I am like poor ol' Jonah, I look at the task or request and I run full speed ahead...in the opposite direction. There is some phrase about facing your fears, it's good advice, but I like to be different from the pack; I like to run from my fears. HE says do this, go here, speak that and my flesh will not die. I am like a disease to my own self. Insane, I know.

Jonah didn't have Nineveh in his plan, it wasn't on his regular route and I'm sure he hoped it never would be. We don't get to plan our destinations or the routes by which we get there. The only option we have is to obey or not to obey. Do we do it HIS way or do we turn our backs and run in our own way? Which one do you think brings the greatest amount of satisfaction? On this journey of HIM revealing to me that I am more and more like Jonah than I was at first willing to accept, I have realized that even though I may run there is no place HE is not. David in the Psalms said,

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, and settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast (139:7-10)."

I can try for the rest of my days to run from HIM if I so desire, but it achieves nothing and it hurts because I know that if HE has called me somewhere then HE only means good by it. So perhaps I will save my legs and my breath and run the direction HE has placed before me because I know that submission and obedience bring joy and peace.

Hopefully I won't need a giant fish to swallow me before it completely clicks...

~Josie

Coffee Fairy

Tuesday i spent the greater half of the day and on into the night writing. Monday too, but Tuesday is what drained me. My final test and 10 page paper were due on Wednesday morning and i was scrambling to get the finishing touches on my paper. Grr. I stayed up until 5 am Wednesday morning and got up at 6:20am. I dreamed of literature and woke up with Joanna Newsom's song inflammatory writ stuck in my head. i kid you not. Took the test, the essay part was brutal. I think i did terrible. One hour of sleep will do things like that to you. However, teacher gave us a grace period to turn in our papers -- 5pm Thursday. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! It made life look a little brighter. At one point while i was taking that exam and scribbling away on paper i realized that i had more or less been continuously writing for the past 12 hours. People, that is not cool. My brain has reached its limit i'm afraid. hoorah?

I have a Dr. for a sister now. She's so cool. Graduation was yesterday afternoon and it was far from boring but definitely long. 73 new Dr.'s. The storm blowing through took out the power on campus and all over S-ville. Made for a weird experience, especially the reception since it was at the V-school. c-r-e-e-p-y. Chats with Mr. G about missions and working with kids. Caught me off guard some. J.H. Ranch.

Youth Church practice at La's and Rudy's. Utilizing the daylight. Pro. Hunger pains were attacking the majority of the crew. Plan of action was put into play. Grilled the foodsen and ate by candle light. The stars....oh the stars were beautiful. Won't get that kind of a view in the middle of town ever again. G.C. goes home to where there is power. 2 papers left to finish. Sorrows. Little sis spent the night, she was sort of stranded.

And now that i have been successful at procrastinating.... i guess i'll get to work on finishing that horrid paper. yikes! wish me luck and stuff...or the abundance of creative juices.

Where is my coffee fairy when i need her?

~me

Who Knows. . . .

Christmas lights on the highway at night are amazing. For instance, this one house was semi-decked out, just the usual icicle lights and such. BUT they had pine trees next to there house and put santa in his sleigh and four reindeer 50 feet up. It was huge and it was amazing. probably also one of those 'you had to have been there' sights. Also, it is quite dangerous to put out amazing, bright and shiny christmas lights along the highway. Because you want to look and go 'ooooh pretty!' and then you remember that you're on the highway. Dilemma.

My exciting life on tuesday consisted of taking my last final exam. whoop! It was short essay kind of deal...i think i did alright. Then i went to go get my hair trimmed. Finally! I'm trying to grow it out and i knew if i went back too soon that i'd be like 'what the heck, just chop it short!' And so i waited.....FIVE months. That, my friends, is a long time. woah. My hair is happier now. Then i went home, cleaned dishes, washed clothes and then my mother called to ask if i had gone to the doctor.
Uhhh whoops? I forgot that i had been coughing up a lung ALL day....! Yes, i went. I have bronchitis. Again. My lungs have had a hard life. So then i headed to the pharmacy to get my drugs. The pharmacist called me over, he's an old family friend, to inform that this one drug might make me a bit shaky. I said ok. He asked how i was, being sick and all. I replied, 'yea it's just bronchitis.' l-o-l.
Then i did work stuffs, went home and watched the sound of music. love. that. movie.

Also, i had my first cup of coffee tonight since sunday. SUNDAY! I figured i didn't need to mega dehydrate myself while being sickly and all. But now my body is like "caffeine!!" Which is probably the reason this is the most is utterly ridiculous post in every regard. Is there a point, you ask? That would be nice, but alas the answer is a resounding no.

Bible study ended. yes, i'm repeating myself, but don't worry, i'm going places. So, it ended and i'm left with the constant hovering question 'what do i teach on next semester??!' And i panic. But only briefly. And then HE is like 'hey, do this!' I rejoiced. HE knows what's good. So, in the process of studying and preparing for next semester i'm reading like nine kajillion books. Deep thinking books at that. It's fun. I am excited. You should be too.



You can blame the caffeine.






~ME

Mr. Gus

Ladies and Gentlemen, may i have the great pleasure of introducing you to our living room friend. He was once well behaved and is known to be of the praying sort. To whom he prays or what he preys is yet to be determined, however. I think we shall call him Gus...
Now Gus, here, first came into our living room through the fireplace. I suppose he figured it to be the safest way to enter, knowing that we wouldn't have a fire going in September. He spent his days and nights there and was happy. We were not so sure what to think of our new house guest but couldn't bring ourselves to kick him out just yet. Until.....! It was Labor day and all was well in our living room, but little Mr. Gus was not content in his tiny abode. He apparently needed to explore.

He crept out of our fireplace and up onto the wall. I was busy doing homework and allowed him to wander for a moment. In between homework i was cooking a pasta salad, which required a great deal of my attention. Going in and then back out of the room on multiple occasions. As i was re-entering my living/dining room i set my glass of juice on the table only to see out of the corner of my eye green claws grasping towards me! I, being of the jumpy sort, looked down, realized it was not my imagination and jumped back screaming.
Mr. Gus is not as friendly of a house guest as we had originally thought. I even tried to shake his hand and he threatened to eat me. I do not believe he is the religious type of creature we believed him to be. However, he was rather close to my homework, making me think that he was the intellectual type or perhaps the dog type, either way my homework would get done or i would have a legitimate excuse that my "pet" ate it. After much deliberation, and many threatening looks from our temporary and once harmless house guest, i decided i would release him back to his real home and told him to call next time before he came for a visit.

~Me