3...2...1....

BLASTOFF!!!!!!!!

3 more finals to go...

2 days til I'm home...

1 BIG God who will see me through.

Philosophy, honesty and back massages

..what do they all have in common?  Monday.

As some of you may know, yesterday I spent seven [yes s-e-v-e-n] hours sewing a beautiful sunset tapestry for a history project.  Though the tapestry turned out pretty darn good, my lovely back paid the price.  I spent last night laying on our living room floor trying really hard to breathe and fight the tears.  Three Advil did not suffice when it came to controlling the pain, so I had to resort to some stronger drugs.  Thankfully, it knocked me out for the night and my sciatic nerve didn't stand a chance against Percocet.  I was so thankful to be able to sleep from midnight all the way til 8:30 this morning.

I woke up to an empty house [one roomie in Santa Barbara, two studying at Starbucks].  It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I got to spend the entirety of my morning studying and I felt so good to get so much done in such a small amount of time.  I spent the rest of my day studying philosophy and writing a philosophy paper.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted and my back was/is throbbing!  I am so thankful to have such amazing friends because one of them was willing to come over to my place and give me an AMAZING back massage.  So now, I just got done having a heart-to-heart with my roomie Amie and now watching an incredible sermon from Louie Giglio  :)

I gotta run so I can focus [at 10:38pm] on the amazing message being preached!

Love you all.
Blessings,

The "M-Word"

So...

I'm sitting here, on my [very comfortable] couch wondering why I'm not up being productive.  I have philosophy to be reading [Hume, Descartes, Plato, Tolstoy...the list goes on], a quilt to be sewing [that's right, I said quilt], a paper to write [due tomorrow at 4:30] and many other things too.

There's this thing called motivation.  And whatever it is, I DON'T have it.  It's been a while since I've been buddy-buddy with the "m-word."  Somehow I find myself filling my time with other things: redesigning my blog, going on adventures with friends at 11pm to look at Christmas lights, watching hilarious youtube videos with the roomies, going to In N Out with one of my friends and talking for a couple hours, cleaning, doing five loads of laundy...are you getting the picture???

You know what?  The funny thing is, I don't regret any of it.  I've had more fun than I've ever had in the midst of finals.  I've laughed more than I have all semester.  And somehow, I feel more at home here than I ever have.  Laughter is a gift from God--and sometimes we only get to experience it by throwing caution to the wind and living like there's no tomorrow.

So today, take some time to feel the wind in your hair, the rain on your skin, the sand in-between your toes.  Take time to feel the cold air send a chill down your spine.  Take time to watch the clouds drift by and form an infinite amount of shapes.  Take time to smile at a stranger or at your spouse.  Take time to watch your kids play.  Take time to listen to the deafening sound of quietness. Take time to let your ears ring from the noise.  Take time to see God in the small things.  Take time for life.

"Wherever you are, be all there."

~Jim Elliot

Held

I have no words to describe how weary I am right now.  I have no words to describe this deep yearning in the depths of my soul to feel God near.  Right now, I simply want to be cradled like a child by my God.  I want to rest in the palm of His hands...beneath the shadow of His wings.  I want to allow Him to carry my burdens--to carry me.  It is the most amazing blessing to serve a God who is strong in my weakness, who sees the tears I cry, who cradles my broken heart and slowly and carefully mends it back together.  It is a blessing to serve this God:

"Do you not know?  Have you not heard?

Ha it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

he sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, 

and its people are like grasshoppers.

He stretches out the heaves like a canopy, 

and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

He brings princes to naught 

and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, 

no sooner do they take root in the ground, 

than he blows on them and they wither,

and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

'To whom will you compare me?  Or who is my equal?' says the Holy One.

Lift your eyes and look to the heaves: Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one,

and calls them each by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,

not one of them is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel,

'My way is hidden from the LORD;

my cause is disregarded by my God'?

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God, 

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

he will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary; 

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint."

God is faithful to answer our prayers.

Truth

If only you knew how much I needed to hear this song.  If only I knew how true this song was.  Maybe home wouldn't seem so far away.

Suffering

"Suffering is like a pile of rocks.  You can choose to carry the load, throw them at someone, just let it lay there, or you can build an altar."
~Chad Arnold.

For an amazing story of about what it means to suffer well, read this incredible story.

Peace

We've all been there. Those times in life filled with trouble/sadness/loneliness/hardship/whatever else you might be going through. Those times when Satan seems so close and God seems so far. Those times when friends seem hard to find and enemies seem abundant. The times when you feel like your prayers only reach the ceiling and then bounce back. Maybe it's true. Maybe our prayers do only hit the ceiling. But you know what the good news is? God is near so He knows our prayers before we even utter the words. And he not only hears our prayers, but He listens to our prayers. God is all-encompassing, ever present. Our prayers do not need to travel vast distances before God knows them. We serve a good, good God. Amen?

How sweet the words of Scripture are in times of _______ (you fill in the blank).

"I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
So I say, "My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the LORD."
I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke while his is young."

Lamentations 3:17-27

May the peace of the LORD be with you today and always. Praise be to the God of comfort and peace!

Blessings,