Everybody Wants To Be An Asian....

Long past week and a half. Life is lovely, not always, but on the grand scale it is so. I am always amazed how there always happens to be a rainbow after the storm...you sometimes just have to look for it.

So, I didn't understand why God had asked me to stay here all those months ago instead of going to serve in Belgium, but now i do. I didn't think at the time that i would ever say this, but i am SO GLAD God told me to stay here this semester. I love my bible study girls. I love teaching them, i love hearing their stories, questions and insights. I love being a part of what HE is doing in their lives. I love what HE is teaching me about HIM (and myself) through leading this study. I am in complete awe of HIS wisdom and grace. I may have said this before, but can i do this until the day i die, please?

I had another person this week tell me i looked like an Asian. I'm starting to wonder if the entire world is going blind. Or maybe my parents just haven't told me something? Doubtful. For dinner G.C. and i made chicken soaked in wine and other tasty things. It was delicious.

I will leave you with this bit of awesomeness. My lovely friend and i made these super cool pumpkins using our vast imaginations. We decorated my living room with them for my roommate to discover later. (If you feel that you cannot take the following dorkdom, please exit now....!) Behold!


~ME

It's The End of The World as We Know it And I Feel Fine

Looking back on this week i probably could have used one of these . On multiple occasions too.

So, i haven't had the best of weeks, but it happens. Life happens. We can't foresee what will come of most any circumstances or situations, but we can hope for the best. We can hope for that which we do not yet have but so desperately want. We can hope with the realization that we may or may not receive whatever it is we wish to have. But what would life be without hope? Most likely drear and well... lifeless. Hope takes us places.

My sister had to remind me the other day when i was moping, not eating, etc... basically throwing myself an all-out pity party, that those actions were wrong. She semi-quoted me, in fact, on one of the bible study lessons i had taught awhile back. She said that 'it's wrong to throw yourself a pity party because God wants us to rejoice and mourn together, even if we feel like hiding in a cave.' It's true. Hard to hear repeated back to me, but true nonetheless. Even though i may feel like hiding in a cave until i am gray and wrinkled, i can't and i won't. 1) it would be smelly, 2) it would get lonely, 3) i like trees. SO! I think i have eaten my fill of ice cream for the week...well, maybe. But for the sake of my sanity and for that little flame of hope of better things to come, i will press on. This sounds like some kind of battle cry. I'm so poetic like that. . . ?

Someone should inform the woodpecker on our house that he is not welcome. He should also be notified not to ruin our freshly painted abode. Possibly having an LOTR marathon this weekend. Which may also include more ice cream eating...and yea, i still think i need that ice cream cozy.

~ME

When Life Gets You Down.....

...It's always good to have an awesome friend who brings you coffee flavored ice cream and bananas.

Let It Rain. . .

So, it finally rained today. I think the drought was going on 2+ weeks? Burn ban was in effect. G.C. said we could not light a fire...in our fireplace. Yes, ma'am, i will keep that in mind. Mind you, however, it only rained for about 30 minutes. I'm not sure how well that accounts for the lack of rain the past 2 weeks, but i'm not overly concerned. Rain is good. The plants love it. My car, who was in need of a bath, appreciated it. Rain can be lovely.
As the rain started coming down it reminded me of this wonderful song. It's short and it repeats but it is incredibly sincere and desperate. It goes like this: "Open the floodgates of heaven! Let it rain! Let it rain! (repeat ∞x)"

So then, i wondered, what does that imply? What kind of request are we asking of HIM? Floodgates. HE swoops down, overcomes, overpowers and overthrows the strongest and the weakest. HE covers and leaves HIS mark. If we are asking HIM to release HIS love, HIS power, HIS wisdom, all of HIMSELF to everything that is and around us then we can only expect things to change. We can only expect that HE will answer and wash over it all. Are we singing a lovely and repetitive song or are we genuinely crying out to HIM in desperation because we see the mess we've made of this place and know that HE is better, even if that means that HE brings a flood. We have to be willing to get washed away, otherwise our old and messy selves will remain and begin to stink and rot and crack.

I dislike water, but i take showers. I dislike water, but i swim in the ocean. I dislike water but i drink it. I dislike water but i'm willing to be drowned in a heavenly flood. What about you?

Psalm 23

I love my family and i love God. I also love the Scots. The combination of those three wonderful things can only bring about the likes of something this awesome... Behold!

The 23rd Psalm in Scots

The Lord is my Shepherd in nocht am I wantin'
In the haugh's green girse does He mak me lie doon
While mony puir straiglers are bleatin' and pantin'
By saft-flowin' burnies He leads me at noon.

When aince I had strayed far awa in the bracken,
And daidled till gloamin' cam ower a' the hills,
Nae dribble o' water my sair drooth to slacken,
And dark grow'd the nicht wi' its haars and its chills.

Awa frae the fauld, strayin' fit-sair and weary,
I thocht I had naethin' tae dae but tae dee.
He socht me and fand me in mountain hechts dreary,
He gangs by fell paths which He kens best for me.

And noo, for His name's sake, I'm dune wi' a' fearin'
Though cloods may aft gaither and soughin' win's blaw.
"Hoo this?" or "Hoo that?" -- oh, prevent me frae spearin'
His will is aye best, and I daurna say "Na".

The valley o' death winna fleg me to thread it,
Through awfu' the darkness, I weel can foresee.
Wi' His rod and His staff He wull help me to tread it,
Then wull its shadows, sae gruesome, a' flee.

Forfochen in presence o' foes that surround me,
My Shepherd a table wi' denties has spread.
The Thyme and the Myrtle blaw fragrant aroond me,
He brims a fu' cup and poors oil on my head.

Surely guidness an' mercy, despite a' my roamin'
Wull gang wi' me doon tae the brink o' the river.
Ayont it nae mair o' the eerie an' gloamin'
I wull bide in the Hame o' my Faither for ever.

Oh how i miss Scotland; the people, the landscape and their incredible accents. <3

First Pet

As of yesterday i have decided that i really want a fish. A cute and non-cuddly fish. Preferably pink, but i will settle for orange, as that is what is most common. And he (or she) will live in a bowl with rocks, plants, and maybe a porcelain cat or an Ariel figurine. It will be grand. Upon getting this wonderful fish i am tempted to want to name it Dori -- from the movie Finding Nemo. She was my favorite character. Not Nemo, however, as that is the name of our German Shepherd. So, opinions or suggestions on the name of the new house pet that G.C. and i will have are MOST welcome.

~ME

For The Love of Thursdays

So, as most all of the world knows, as it has been declared by so many already, today was the first official day of Fall. It equaled for me waking up at 7:14 am, having to leave to go to class at 7:30 am, being grateful for curly hair, not making it out the door till 7:40 am, sitting through classes, discovering my gas tank was almost empty, emergency refill, lunch with mom and twin #1, wonderful talks, library visits, work, bugging G.C. to no end, and this crazy long sentence. That was my first autumn day. Tomorrow is Thursday (or today, depending on how late i stay up writing this). Thursday won't be appreciated by many. It's not the first day of autumn and it's the day that keeps us and Friday separated. But it is still another day. Another day that we didn't have yesterday. Another day where we can figure out how to make curly hair and emergency gas refills something we praise HIM for instead of gripe over. Another day where we don't just consider HIM or act in a way that tries to fill the gaps with HIM, but where we make every moment about HIM. Another day where we can practice giving and demonstrating love rather than consuming and seeking it.

My bible study group and i are reading through Praise Habit... the name speaks for itself. So, i find myself wondering why it's so easy, almost automatic, to wake up at 7:14 am and say "crap, i'm late. this day is gonna suck" rather than "thank YOU for this lovely day." --Although, i wouldn't be that verbal or conscious to utter something in such length that early, but you get the idea.-- When did we substitute praise for grumbling? I can only imagine how often we do this and don't even think twice about it. It's natural. Like breathing. So maybe we should die. To ourselves. Then we maybe could see what true praise looks like. It doesn't involve anything we've done or said or accomplished. No. Praise exists when we are looking at HIM and no one else. Praise happens when we have fixed our attention on the Author of the day and not the minor or major situations that arise throughout the day. So die and don't look back. Praise and don't hold back. Appreciate 'Thursday' for more than one of it's many lovely qualities.

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