Center Street Synopsis

TFA conference reflection

2012-01-23T14:18:00.007-05:00

The TFA conference this weekend was wonderful. People that came out for the conference are from all walks-- they are involved in the NFL, in academia, in intelligence, in high-level finance and business, in engineering, in interior design and construction, and some are still getting their degrees. As part of it, I led a discussion on religious freedom in Iran with Dr. Timothy Shah of the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown and a group of thoughtful conference participants. It is a humbling topic, to say the least.

Yesterday, the conference concluded with a worship service and a time of prayer and thanksgiving. Our prayers went out for a Christian pastor on death row right now for refusing to recant his beliefs. If the Iranian government goes through with the execution, it would be the first of this sort in 22 years. What a challenge-- a call for us to pray for our brothers and sisters abroad, though they may look different and wear different national labels... though they are far from American soil.

Grace & peace,
Catie

---

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths,
and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection,
hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand
to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make
a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children
and the poor.
...

a Franciscan prayer

Trinity Forum Academy

2012-01-14T12:09:00.003-05:00

Trinity Forum Academy, a set on Flickr.

Taken January 12, 2012, TFA day of Silence & Solitude. On those days, we don't speak between morning & evening worship, so in between exercise, reading, and cooking, I took out my camera and walked around the property.

What am I up to?

2012-01-11T20:00:00.001-05:00

I just responded to the Q, what am I up to? thought it would be fun to repost and share more broadly:

"I'm about halfway through my Christian fellowship program on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Everyone goes through the same routine: morning worship, class, shifts at the lodge, class, evening worship, dinner. The fellows are from all over (Texas, the Mid-West, Papua New Guinea, Switzerland, NY) and our classes are discussion-based. Os Guinness has been with us this week, and he's taught on apologetics, freedom, speed, and this morning it was the problem of evil after we watched a documentary on the Rape of Nanking last night. Tomorrow is our monthly day of Silence and Solitude, so I won't speak to anyone or use technology between 8:30am and 5:45pm. The format of this place is based on Francis Schaeffer's L'Abri in Switzerland where believers and non-believers come to examine the Christian faith, discuss honest questions, and do humble work to keep the place going (cook meals, etc)... many of our staff and speakers met there in the 1970's. Here we do a lot of writing, discussing, cooking and cleaning, I play music (bought a mandolin this New Years Eve!). I'm applying to go to the Hebrew University for a Masters in religious studies starting in the fall. I want to go to Israel early and take summer courses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It's in God's hands, we will see. For now, I'm amazed by what He is doing here."

Favorite photos from 2011

2011-12-29T14:32:00.005-05:00

Blog gets a face lift and a new picture-filled post (whoop!). 2011 has been a year of unpredictability, growth, faith, change, and adventure. Here is some of it.

Happy (almost) New Year!!

Catie

April: 1216 roommates (ahem, friends!) celebrating Jordan's & Logan's birthdays. Busi pulled off an amazing night.

May: At Amber's for her birthday!

Worldviews on stage

2011-12-02T23:46:00.008-05:00

Note: The below post included thoughts edited out from a paper written for TFA. Still wanted to share it! -Catie

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kevin Sprague

Journey with me for a moment up to New York. It was an early winter Sundayafternoon. I was on 50^thstreet just north of the Theater District of Manhattan. People in light jackets dined al frescoin the small city square. I satdown to finish off my phone call and my warm Starbucks and then stepped into asmall theater. I had come to seethe off-Broadway show Freud’s LastSession, a fictional drama based on the book The Question of God (NY Times) depicting a dialogue between the highlyesteemed 20^th century thinkers Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis, anatheist and a Christian, respectively. As an audience member, I was struck by the clash between atheistic andChristian approaches to the topics of God, love, sex, and the meaning of lifeand was simultaneously immersed in the aesthetic experience of the play itselfwith its set, the actors with their body language and tone of voice, theaudience, and the atmosphere of the theater. The play came to an end, and Lewis and Freud didn’tarrive at any sort of agreement. The heavy questions were left echoing in the air—“Do you really believethat Jesus Christ is the Son of God?” I sat wondering about how many of the attendees over the show’s runwould ever set foot in a church building.

I was intrigued to learn that famous actors like AlecBaldwin had come out to see “Freud’s Last Session” considering that it sodirectly embraces the debate between faith and science. I picture Alec Baldwin leaving the theater in a more reflective posture than when he entered, and I pray that that was more than a mereoccasion for him to scratch his head before moving on.

We each place our hope in one worldview or another, and each worldview carries its own assumptions and definitions of truth, beauty, love, and peace. So were do we go to tease this stuff out? Do we ever? How can we come together as believers and nonbelievers alike and, as Tim Keller suggests, “doubt our doubts?”

Words from the woad.

2011-11-26T13:27:00.003-05:00

Note: It's Day8 of TFA Thanksgiving break, and this past week has been full of time for dearfamily and friends, good food, and time for reading and reflection (I highlyrecommend "Confessions" by St. Augustine, by the way). I’mwriting now from a window seat on the 2nd story of a big bus. I'm headedto NYC where I am anticipating sweet moments of exploring the city and spending time with a family friend.

Now, for some thoughts on speaking & courage....

I constantly wrestle with this question: “Where does my own voice even fit intothis communication- and information-saturated, mile-a-minute culture?” This point is not my own but bearsrepeating: You don’t have to speak the loudest or compete for the spotlight. You just have to say what you mean.

We are humans, created in God’s image as relational beings,built to dialogue and create. Whybe content to listen and absorb and never speak up in return?

In his song “White Owl,” Josh Garrels sings:

Child the time has come for you to go
You will never be alone
Every dream that you have been shown
Will be like living stone
Building you into a home
A shelter from the storm

Like a messenger of peace, the beauty waitsbe released
Upon the sacred path you keep, leadingdeeper into the unveiling
As your sailing, across the great divide

Like a wolf at midnight howls, you use yourvoice in darkest hours
To break the silence and the power, holdingback the others from their glory
Every story will be written soon…

The “livingstone” imagery he uses is powerful. Our dreams, our visions of the way the world should be but isn’t, ourlongings for heaven, should not be cast aside. We are built stone by stone, piece of hope by piece of hope,into solid dwellings.

A charge to you: Trust people with the truth. You are imperishable.

Togetherness

2011-10-17T22:20:00.003-04:00

Ginger the cat is roaming around somewhere outside, just under your nose. There are sure to be Fellows in the Windrush kitchen, or else we are scurrying around not far. They will take their study break. Or come to refuel from their bike ride into St. Michael's or their 5-mile run. People are in and out. Your best bet for time with the whole community is joining us for class in the morning or afternoon. You will be doing what the rest of us will be: listening. We find community in our attentiveness to the speakers and the messages they bring, preceded by us each engaging with assigned class readings on our own time. Even after class hours, that same sense of community is found in our studies. We are alone, then we reunite to share our ideas and to listen to each other. The togetherness is pervasive. Imagine family dinners every weeknight and most weekends, too. Those present at the house on a Saturday or Sunday night wouldn't willfully refuse the blessing of dinner time though the schedule does not explicitly call for it. We have a steady diet of leftovers from the both the lodge and from our own kitchen. The answer to the questions, "Want to make dinner?" and "Is it OK if a few more join us?" are always a quick "Of course." Visitors, speakers, and those within the Eastern Shore community regularly stop in. Significant others, parents, friends of Fellows, former Fellows. Hurricane Irene wrecked opening weekend, so many are coming now to get acquainted with the program and with our beautiful Eastern Shore stomping grounds.

It seems I am lagging in showing my world outside of TFA into the TFA community. Certainly a few factors are at work. I am always wary of creating a sense of obligation. I am also very keen on savoring experiences. Though I once might have, I don't walk into situations with an eye for the free patches of time and space that I have to myself. I walk in to a new place (or friendship) wanting to understand, to reflect upon, and to wonder over what is already there. I experience yet still doubt the feeling of needing to create more stuff (activity, excitement, flair, flirtation, etc).

I see Fellows with their loved ones & can't help but reflect on those I care for. What can I do but anticipate sweet time together one day, as the Lord ordains? I would be at a loss if not for prayer. Does your mind wander much when you pray? When a mind wanders, what it can do (in place of moralistic redirection) is to turn the objects of its wanderings into prayers, to draw those objects into the Lord's presence.

Try it!

Osprey Point

2011-09-26T23:52:00.002-04:00

Krista, one of the girlswith whom I share a room in our house of 14, posted amazing photos of Osprey Point to her blog. Osprey Point is the name of the point on the Chesapeake Bay where we areliving. I overheard Krista earlier today say to a friend over the phone,"I feel spoiled," and I would have to say I feel the same.

This is an intense week,but I have no doubt it will be an immensely rewarding one. I'm screamingto myself "yikes!" and "awesome!" at the same time. We areat a point where each staff member and fellow gives a "life story"...so basically spends an hour and a half walking the group through their life. Ipresent on Thursday...

I find it so hard right now to...

(1) communicate the whole picture of TFA life in what I share with people outside this community... I'm constantly processing it myself
(2) express the experience in terms that don't sound cheesy

Today in morning devotional time we sang "Be Still, My Soul."

Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertakeTo guide the future as He has the past.Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

TFA initial thoughts.

2011-09-04T15:31:00.005-04:00

So I finally made it out to Royal Oak to settle into my home for the next nine months. The Trinity Forum Academy fellowship program began rather quietly on Tuesday though it was supposed to begin Saturday with a big kick-off weekend full of family and friends. Hurricane Irene has us all on our toes.

Now we are a few days in and I'm already at a loss for where to begin. The 11 other Fellows are great. The official TFA bios will be sent out soon, and they will paint better portraits of people than what I could give on here. The key is that I feel incredibly humbled to be a part of such a group.

In our day-to-day, we have several things to juggle:

Readings and preparation for classes (2x a day... get ready)
Working at Osprey Point (cleaning hotel rooms after guests leave, cooking in the kitchen, serving in the dining areas, etc)
Doing chores around the house (we each get assignments that require constant attention since 14 people live in our Windrush house)
Cooking dinner at Windrush (You plan meals for around 15 people when it's your night. You help the chef on some other nights.)
Being relational (This covers getting to know my Mentor, Host Family, and TFA Staff, and the other Fellows who I live with... and to make good on their suggestions for professional connections and reading material.)
Cultivating hobbies (I brought my guitar and played with someone else for the first time last night!)
Individual research for my thesis
Keeping up with people back home who are so generous in their prayers and encouragement

Lots of good things going on. Lord, give me patience and diligence. Be the star of this show.

In the library where our classes are held. My cubicle is pictured just
above the ottoman where my feet are now resting as I write this.

Faith and Law brought a big group to Osprey Point this weekend. Another Fellow and I, working morning shift during the group's Sunday morning closing session, were asked to share a few words with the group on who we are and what we are doing here. Standing before the 60 people in our work uniform (an Osprey Point polo and khakis), the other Fellow introduced himself. "I am a former professional tennis player turned financial planner..." I love it.

"... and I came here to spend this year learning to incorporate biblical principles into personal finance."

And then it was my turn. I gave my spiel (we were told to keep it at 45 seconds). "I grew up here, went to school here, studied this, and did this. And I am here because I feel convicted that..." "This year is designed to help us all learn how to articulate our callings in terms of our faith." We exited to warm faces. I didn't notice until later how disheveled my hair looked while I was talking (I had just been running a "silent sweeper" (manual vacuum) all over the dining room). Ah, but who cares about my hair when there is so much to celebrate.

Weather post.

2011-08-26T07:23:00.003-04:00

An update from the road:
I drove across Tennessee and Virginia on Wednesday and slept through an earthquake aftershock that night. My friends felt it, but I did not. Went to lunch in McLean and happy hour in DC yesterday and heard earthquake stories at both, meanwhile communicating with family back home and people at the program about the hurricane approaching the east coast. Plans for the weekend have been evolving, and I have extra time to myself today since family is no longer flying in to meet me here. I'm staying at my old house, and the girls here are incredibly warm-hearted, and I don't feel stranded. I get to read & relax as the clouds roll in.

Pause.

2011-08-19T12:20:00.002-04:00

I was doing so good there for a while, writing semi-thorough and long posts on a regular schedule. I will come back around to writing a final Israel post, but I will do it sometime later, when I revisit the trip and reflect on the second portion of it that was spent touring archaeological sites in northern Israel's Galilee region.

But with so many balls in the air, some are likely to drop. This plays to some of my greatest fears... failure and incompetency. I've been dragging a small dry-erase board around the house with me every where I camp out... on my desk, in the family computer room, by my bed, etc. I even walked out the door with it one day after my friend Jessica rang the door bell. "Really?" I yelled out loud.

But my task list is becoming less daunting day by day. I have over the years become a compliant and responsible soul. For me, getting things done and done well is not a question (with exception for uncontrollable external factors, my learning curve, and being spread very thinly at times). I like control. Size me up how you will, but I like a challenge. I like an all-consuming, can-hardly-find-your-way-out challenge. I like the simple thrill of survival. Maybe I am crazy, who knows? But please don't make me stop.

I am starting something new as of a week from tomorrow, and for my very involved role, I have read 7 proscribed books* over the past 2 months. More important than just finishing the reading, I've been charged with the responsibility of identifying questions and realities that challenge me. The conviction at the foundation is that the love of Jesus Christ lights the way through all the struggles we face. God himself (the true God, the one who constantly breaks down our shotty human perceptions of Him) soaks our pure endeavors with His eternal hope. Still, the sense of vulnerability I must learn to embrace is unnerving.

If you are joining me in praying for this new adventure and want specific calendar dates, pray for Saturday, August 27, and Sunday, August 28, but keep me in your prayers at any time.

*Book list

o The Call - Os Guinness

o Life Together - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

o Robinson Crusoe

o The Gospel of Mark

o Keep In Step With The Spirit – J.I. Packer

o King’s Cross – Tim Keller

o Culture Making – Andy Crouch

Israel - Fortress, sea, & tomb.

2011-08-10T15:45:00.004-04:00

Tuesday, July 26

Today was the day we set out to explore southern Israel.

We hopped in the Mazda early Tuesday morning and drove down two hours or so to Masada, passing through the West Bank and along the western side of the Dead Sea. Masada, which I had never heard of until planning this trip, is a fortress built by King Herod the Great between 37 and 31 BC. Out of paranoia, he built it as a safe place to escape to in case of invasion or rebellion. The place is so high off the ground, and it's in the middle of nowhere. There is little refuge from the sun, and indeed it was swelteringly hot.

Looking at Masada from the NW. A tram on the eastern side
takes you to the top. There is also a snake path that you can walk
up, but it was closed the day we visited due to heat conditions.
I would have taken the tram anyway.

On top of Masada facing NE. Dad with the desert and the
Dead Sea in the background.

Then came the Jewish-Roman War in the 1st century AD, and a group of Jewish rebels took shelter from the Roman armies at Masada. They lived here for several years while the Romans laid siege to the fortress. Today, there are plenty of incredible remains from the community they established, including a synagogue and huge cisterns where they stored water.

A cistern to hold water. Huge, right? It is said that the
rebels had enough water to last 10 years.

The history of the Jewish-Roman conflict is well-preserved both in the works of historian Josephus and in the remains of battle left to this day. You can see from the top of Masada the outlines of the Roman encampments surrounding its base. The ballistas pictured below were weapons of choice for the Roman army. Forces hurled the rocks towards the fortress in efforts to hit anything they could to weaken its defense. As recounted by Josephus, the Jewish rebels took their own lives as their final act of defiance once the Romans breached Masada's walls.

Ballistas collected into a pile.

Today, Masada is an Israeli national treasure. All soldiers joining the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) go through a night-time swearing-in ceremony here after completing IDF basic training. While we took a tram to get to the top, the soldiers walk up the snake path. Their ceremony is torch-lit and concludes with the statement, "Masada shall not fall again." No wonder Israelis have such a strong sense of nationalism. Because their service in the military is compulsory, the vast majority of Israeli citizens (shopkeepers, stay-at-home mothers, and statesmen alike) have this ritual in common, among others. I can't imagine.

Dad and I enjoyed some people watching at Masada. Other tourists came from Russia, Italy, France, and the U.S. A group of young French students wore their swimsuits under their light layers, so certainly they were headed to float in the Dead Sea after their Masada tour. Since the Dead Sea is close to Masada, Dad and I had made plans to go there, too. So we went, got ready for the beach, and weaved our way through the mud-coated bodies to get to the edge of the water. Through we skipped the part where you put mud all over yourself, both the mud and the high mineral content of the water are supposed to do wonders for your skin. Maybe next time. I waded into the Dead Sea mudless, and it felt like business as usual until I got to where the water came to my chest. I tried to keep my feet on the bottom but found that I couldn't sink any further into the water. It felt like I was paddling an invisible unicycle in the water. So strange... and fun!

Sadly, I didn't snap any pictures of the floating experience. Next time.

That marked the end of our time in southern Israel. It was about 1pm-ish when we started heading back to Jerusalem. No nap today. Nope. Dad and I decided instead to get cleaned up and head out to maximize the last of our time in Jerusalem. The first stop after breaking at the hotel was the Old City market to change some dollars to shekels.

The market begins just a few steps away from Hotel Gloria and goes for streets and streets. It is the most peculiar and interesting maze of tiered stones that form the narrow passageways. I had found, after browsing the vendors over and again, some most interesting things. For one, I was introduced to lokum. Lokum is a type of jellied candy made from sugar, water, and starch. I didn't know this until I just looked it up, but it is sometimes also called "turkish delight." I was quite taken with lokum and kept loads of it around to munch on.

After spending some time in the market (where, I must throw in, I picked up two wonderful handmade camel-leather bags), Dad suggested we tour the Garden Tomb in the case it was still open (it's often hit-or-miss with Jerusalem sites depending on time of day and day of the week). I agreed, so we meandered through the Arab quarter, out the Damascus gate, and into open Arab streets. A few streets back, you would be immersed in Hebrew but, where we were, you would only hear Arabic. As tourists, it is assumed that your foremost agenda is to spend money, so you have an understood pass to go where you want, but I take that this is not the case for citizens.

The Garden Tomb was open when we got there, and we were invited to join an English-speaking tour. Ironically enough, the only fluent English speakers were my dad, myself, the tour guide, and a Chinese translator. A large church group was there from Hong Kong, and they were so friendly to my dad and me. The tour guide was a Messianic Jew from Paraguay named Cesar. ¿Que bueno que tuvimos la oportunidad de hablar con otro hermano en Christo en espanol, no?

Cesar and translator. Narration outside the tomb as the final
piece of our tour.

In addition to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre we had toured on Sunday, the Garden Tomb marks another location thought to be where Christ could have been crucified, buried, and resurrected.

Romans 1:4 on a stone near the tomb. The Garden
Tomb is managed by an Anglican church. Scripture
is presented throughout the site to celebrate the
events of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

We spent some time in the gift shop after the tour where, in addition to enjoying A.C., I made mental notes of books I would buy if I knew I had the time to read them... Josephus: The Complete Works and a Hebrew-English parallel Bible. My Dad was carrying on in Spanish with Cesar, and I joined in. Soon enough, three middle-aged Americans were chiming in with beautifully articulate Spanish. They were siblings who, at different points in time, each relocated to Israel for work (contracting?) or ministry. My reaction to their story was a simple, "Wow, you meet the most interesting people in the world here in Israel."

Dad and I, after leaving the Garden Tomb, decided to pay one last visit to the Western Wall before leaving Jerusalem the next morning.

And, for the last dinner in Jerusalem, guess where Dad and I once again found ourselves eating? Circa Ben Yehuda Street, of course. We found nice patio seating at a grill and ordered hummus, chicken kabobs, and the like. I've known since moving to DC that I like Middle Eastern food, and I could see it growing on Dad, too.

Now this is my 4th post about Israel, and there are more to come. As much as I enjoy experiencing things firsthand and sharing those experiences with people, I am deeply curious about the impact that others' experiences have had on them. So I pray that I become more intentional about listening to others and asking questions.

In seeing believers come to Israel from all nations (take the Chinese and Spanish speakers in the Garden Tomb as an example), I was awed as I realized how global the church really is. Have you been struck with a similar revelation? What situation brought it about?

Israel - Mount & valley.

2011-08-08T00:41:00.001-04:00

Monday, July 25

Garden of Gethsemane
Mount of Olives
Kidron Valley
St. Peter of Gallicante

Our Monday began with an early morning hike through the Old City and out the Lion's Gate on the eastern wall (see map from yesterday as reference). Once you step out of the gate and face straight ahead to the east, the Mount of Olives is just in front of you, and at the base of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane.

I spent some time on my own in the garden. Since we were there so early, it was nice and quiet.

The name "Gethsemane" means "olive press."

Scripture to narrate the path around the garden. Fun fact: Matthew,
Mark, and Luke contain direct references to Gethsemane, and John
mentions a garden.

The Church of All Nations (aka Church of the Agony) stands right next to the garden. In the pulpit area is a wide, flat stone. It is thought that this is where Jesus' "soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (see Mark 14:32-42 for the account).

Bedrock at the front of the Church of All Nations.

I stood reading the sign in front of the Church of All Nations
on the Mount of Olives and could see the eastern wall of Old
City Jerusalem in the sign's reflections.

We continued from the garden on up to the top of the Mount. It was a little bit of a hike, and the sun's rays were becoming more and more potent by the minute, but given the tour buses I saw lined up at the top, I knew the view at the top would be rewarding. The paved road we walked up wound around a dusty Jewish cemetery. And then we finally stopped and turned back west towards Jerusalem. The view was stunning. The gold-capped Dome of the Rock I had been so close to the day before stood clearly pronounced among all of the city's buildings.

Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. You can see the Jewish
cemetery just below where I stood. I retook this same picture
maybe 3 times because I could hardly bear not to squint.

We walked down from the Mount of Olives and started across the Kidron Valley. To envision what the Kidron Valley looks like in context, think of a Kidron Valley sandwich being formed with the eastern wall of Old City Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives as the bread slices. The only toppings that sandwich comes with are some sparse shrubbery, and the meat is in general dry and nondescript. And that's the end of my questionable sandwich analogy.

Mount of Olives with the Kidron Valley below. The eastern
wall of Old City Jerusalem would be off camera to the left.
This good illustrative photo is courtesy of BiblePlaces.com.

On the night of Jesus's arrest after he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was taken down and across the Kidron Valley to be held at the House of Caiaphas, which would have been well behind the photographer in the above photo. Interesting fact: In the Bible, the Kidron Valley is specifically named 11 times, and 10 of those times are in the Old Testament.

On our walk through the valley, we passed a handful of tombs including the iconic monument Absalom's Pillar. Although surrounded by scholarly skepticism (surprise), the 47-foot tall pillar is largely accepted as the one described in 2 Samuel 18:18:

During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in theKing’s Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, “I have no son to carryon the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is calledAbsalom’s Monument to this day.

Absalom's Pillar.

As we continued southeast out of the Kidron Valley, we walked passed the historic City of David and onto the Church of St. Peter of Gallicantu, also known as the house of Caiaphas. Here is where Jesus was taken after his arrest, and here is where Peter denied him three times (Mark 14:30). In fact, Gallicantu is Latin for "cock crow." A Byzantine church once stood on the site, but it was destroyed and later replaced by a Crusader church, which was also destroyed. Such is the history of many buildings in the Holy Land. The majority of them, wrought with age and war, have a cyclical history of construction, destruction, and reconstruction. The present day Church of St. Peter of Gallicantu only dates back to 1931 and sits on top of the ancient house of Caiaphas and prison chamber of Christ. After enjoying some A.C. and peach tea in the gift shop, we walked inside the church and found a religious ceremony in progress in the small downstairs chamber, so we settled on walking around on the ground level and peering over the ledge into the ancient quarters.

It was about lunch time when we left the church, and a bout of weariness from jet lag, from the direct summer sunlight, and from the distances we walked were starting to set in. I vaguely recall having a bagel in the Jewish Quarter for lunch (back to the lovely Jewish Quarter!), but I am sure that the time between late lunch and late dinner was used to...

[NAP]

After much rest following our full morning and early afternoon, Dad and I got out again to wander the city by night. We walked west from Hotel Gloria and then south to the cluster of restaurants around Ben Yehuda Street, a street I was beginning to know well. Dad suggested a boutique-ish Italian restaurant called Luigi's. We sat down and enjoyed a wonderful meal, eating our weight in foccacia bread, lasagna, and truffles. Prego.

This was the first night of the trip that I slept through completely. Lesson learned that heavy Italian food before going to sleep is a great remedy for jet-lag.

Israel - The first full day.

2011-08-05T18:45:00.378-04:00

Sunday, July 24

Jet lag set in, and I was wide awake sometime between 4:30 and 5 am for our first full day in Israel. Breakfast at Hotel Gloria began at 6:30 am and, sure enough, Dad and I were there at 6:30 on the dot. Here's a quick overview of our Sunday:

Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Dome of the Rock and the Arab Quarter
Western Wall tour
Lithostratus, the Via Dolorosa, and the Pool of Bethesda
Lunch in Jewish Quarter
Jaffa & Ben Yehuda Streets

I will attempt to give each bullet some airtime despite this haunting sense that I will do them no justice. The below map vaguely outlines the gates and major sites of the Old City, Jerusalem.

As I wrote yesterday, our hotel was located in the Old City, just inside the Jaffa Gate to the west (F on the map). The location gave us great walking access to the hot spots. The Old City represents only a fraction of the Jerusalem metropolitan area, but the Old City and the land immediately to the south and east of it contain Jerusalem's treasured Islamic, Jewish, and Christian sites. The Western Wall (aka Wailing Wall), the Dome of the Rock and the Al-aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre all neighbor each other.

One recurring observation that I must record before I get going (too late?) was the notation of BCE/CE everywhere in Israel instead of BC/AD. "BCE" stands for "before common era" and "CE" stands for "common era." With this alternative notation, no reference to Christ or Lord is made ("anno domini"). In Israel, dates are spoken of in this fashion. According to the Wikipedia page, "Use of the CE abbreviation as a replacement for AD was introduced by Jewish academics in the mid-19th century. Since the later 20th century, its use has been popularized in the United States by publishers emphasizing secularism or sensitivity to non-Christians." I'm still using BC/AD on my blog. Christ is my Lord.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

This church sits on top of the possible site of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (an alternative site is the Garden Tomb located to the north outside of the city walls). My father, who is no stranger to the scene, highly recommended we get to the church as early as possible to avoid all the fuss of crowds and lines. So in we walked around 7am. What you see upon walking in is captured in the pictured below. The rectangular stone where the people are kneeling and praying is called the Stone of Anointing. It could be the place where Jesus's body was laid and prepared for burial after it was taken down from the cross a few meters away. The lamps and other ornaments you see above the stone were given by Armenians, Copts, Greeks, and Latins, says the Wikipedia article.

The Stone of Anointing, Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

As reverently as possible, I wandered the place and snapped photos. There were Sunday morning services held in front of and behind the tomb. "Copts" belonging to the Coptic Orthodox church rooted in Egypt were chanting and waving metal tins of incense in one area I passed through. The whole church was a little strange for me. I understood the power behind the sacred place because of what it represents, but I didn't understand its reality. I wanted to sense a deeper connection there but, in spite of myself, I felt as if I was peering through a glass window. The neat part was seeing that the other visitors we passed by here and there had come from all sorts of countries. Christianity is not an American religion.

Dome of the Rock and the Arab Quarter

We had a 10:00am time scheduled to tour the Western Wall and, since we got going so early, we had time between places to explore a little. So Dad and I went through security to access the Western Wall plaza. We stopped there for a brief moment, then suddenly Dad realized the Temple Mount was open to the public. "Let's head on up." "Right behind you!"

Pause for background (and confession). I knew shamefully little of Jerusalem and the temple prior to my trip. One of the single-most important things I took about from the trip was my still faint yet ever improving understanding of the significance of the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount covers Mount Moriah where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac. It is the holiest site in Judaism, the location of the temple where the Lord's presence came down in the Holy of Holies and the point towards which Jews turn to pray. It is also the third holiest site in Islam, the site where, according to Islamic tradition, Mohammed ascended into heaven. So, backing up, Solomon built the original temple here in 957 BC. It was destroyed during the Babylonian conquest in 586 BC. Another was built and, a few centuries later, King Herod, though vile indeed, felt indebted to the Jews, so he made the temple grand. This second temple could be easily spotted upon approach to the city by the Jews coming in for Passover. It is an icon that is still very much cherished by the Jewish tradition. Prayers are made at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount as it is the closest accessible spot to the Holy of Holies where the Lord was present. After the second temple's destruction in 70 AD during the Roman conquest, centuries passed, and Jerusalem was conquered by the Muslims in 637 AD. The Dome of the Rock was built over the place of Abraham's sacrifice, where the temple once stood, and it still stands today. Meanwhile, Jewish tradition still holds that the third and final temple will stand one day on the Temple Mount. Makes things a little interesting. What about the Christians? The Temple Mount is indeed important to us, too. Our Savior grew up worshipping here. The veil was torn on this mount, ushering in the new covenant. The early church gathered here. The Holy Spirit was received here. What of it? Fair question, and the answer is found in the New Testament. In John 4, Jesus is speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well.

¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” ²¹ “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Dome of the Rock.

After walking around and passed the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, Dad and I snaked around the Arab Quarter to see the different Old City gates: the Damascus Gate to the north, and Lion's Gate (aka Sheep's Gate) and the East Gate (aka Golden Gate) to the... east. The East Gate (aka Golden Gate) is the one connected with messianic prophesy and exists as a reminder of the long-standing religious tension in Jerusalem's air. In the 16th century AD, the gate was sealed by an Ottoman emperor in order to prevent the fulfillment of the biblical prophecy that the messiah would return through the gate. I didn't get to peer at it directly. We did, however, step through the Lion's Gate and look across the valley to the Mount of Olives & Garden of Gethsemane. It's all just right there!

Western Wall tour

We walked back to the Western Wall plaza to meet up for our tour. Our tour guide was an American Jew originally from Atlanta. He and his wife had made aliyah like many other Jewish people. I was surprised at the number of Americans we ran into who were living in Israel. Some Christians, too. There were people on our tour group from L.A., Chicago, Florida, Mississippi, and Argentina. Country folks and city folks alike. This tour was a highlight of the trip for me. Much of the history I had been hearing of the Temple Mount was laid out and illustrated. I'm a visual learner, so this was helpful. We walked underground along the base of the Western Wall and found that we were closer to the spot of the old temple than the Western Wall plaza. We had come to the closest place you can get to the Holy of Holies, truly. At this point, many women were seated along the underground walls quietly rocking back and forth in prayer. The tour guide made an open invitation for anyone to stop and pray. No harm no foul, not in the Holy Land. And, finally, I had one of those powerful moments I had been waiting for when I stood against the wall and shouted inside, "God, You were here!"

The Antonia - Lithostrotos, the Via Dolorosa, and the Pool of Bethesda

Dad and I popped into a few stops as I tried to keep all the facts in my head straightened out. All of the sites were part of the Antonia, or the Roman fortress that would have stood in Jesus' time. First came the Lithostrotos, the place where Jesus was tried before Pontius Pilate and received his death sentence. Now there stands a convent over the court, but the original Roman pavement remains. The site is easily overlooked among the others in Jerusalem, and it is lightly trafficked.
Weaving through the streets is the Via Dolorosa marking the path that Christ carried his cross. There are several markers that mark different points in his journey, which eventually leads to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Many visitors will walk the path from start to finish with a cross on their backs.

We went and saw the Pool of Bethesda as our last stop before breaking for lunch. This is the site where Jesus healed the lame man. See John 5:1-15 for the full story.

"Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda..."

Ruins of the Pool of Bethesda.

Lunch in Jewish Quarter (schawarma)

Yes, this one deserves a section with an underlined title, too. I had taken to the Jewish Quarter as it was quite clean and appealing with its art stores and sidewalk cafes, so we headed that way for lunch and ended up stopping at a deli counter for some schawarma. The place we had stopped was small, so Dad and I shared a table with a group of young women about my age. I had a seat and caught a glimpse of the waist of the person seated next to me. Fastened to her belt line, as casually as any other accessory, was a big, black handgun. Guns are commonplace among Israeli armed forces roaming the streets, reflecting Israel's standards of national defense, and this weapon was tiny in comparison with what the soldiers walking around in numbers were packing, yet I was still surprised. Oh, but the woman had a friendly demeanor, and we carried on for a bit before winding down our schawarma feast.

[NAP]

Jaffa & Ben Yehuda Streets

I ran into two Harding friends on the streets of Jerusalem that night! I spotted them when my dad and I stopped at the same coffee shop where they were seated outdoors. It was my friends' last night before they flew back to the states after 5 weeks of studying Hebrew at the Hebrew University. The four of us and a friend of theirs sat around for an hour and a half or so and shared some life plans and musings. It was amazing to see friends in that sort of manner, just running into them half a world away from where the casual friendship began.

Good first full day in Israel.

Israel - Getting there.

2011-08-03T22:24:00.002-04:00

So, I've done some traveling lately. I was blessed to make my first trip to Israel last week! It's so hard to begin to describe the experience but, all perfectionism aside, these next few posts will help me keep the memory of the trip fresh for me as I share it in writing.

Friday, July 22 to Saturday, July 23

Memphis to Atlanta, Atlanta to Israel. Tel Aviv, Israel, specifically.

The flight map as we descended into Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv is a large, vibrant, and modern seaside city. The metro area contains a population of 3 million+, which is sizable considering Israel's total population of 7 million+. Dad & I quickly found our rental car once at the Tel Aviv airport and, meanwhile, dad's narration of our trip began. "Tel Aviv is similar to our Miami. It's secular. It's young, and there's a big nightlife scene. Jerusalem will be different." This narration endured until the very end of our 8-day journey (I'm very grateful for it, too).

We hopped in a little Mazda and headed east on the highway to Jerusalem. We drove 30 minutes then started the adventure of navigating Jerusalem's cramped, winding roads, eventually making our way to the Hotel Gloria inside the Old City walls. Hummingbird syndrome set in, and my eyes were catching on different pieces of the Jerusalem scenery (people, buildings, streets, Hebrew words on signs, and the landscape). The "ultra-orthodox" Haredi Jews were walking in packs along the sidewalk. You won't find the Haredis driving around on Saturdays (Shabbat). I was shocked by their garb. The men wore knee-length black coats despite the triple-digit weather, white shirts and black pants, trademark side curls, and white strings hanging down from the waist.

"So what is 'thank you' in Hebrew?" "Todah."

We drove inside the Old City wall and turned left on one of the first streets after passing the Jaffa gate. The street was so narrow, and I doubted that we could get a car down it. On top of the street's narrowness, there were pedestrians and vendors everywhere. So we stopped and asked a person in uniform, and he gave the nod to drive the car down the little passage. So we parked along the road in a place marked handicapped (whoops) and a man from the hotel stood and told us we would be fined 1000 shekel (about $350). He unlocked the gate to the hotel's little parking lot, and we squeezed into a spot there. The same man checked us into the hotel. "Todah," Dad offered. "We are Christian here," the man responded. Pause. "Arab Christian." "Oh, ok. How do you say thank you in Arabic?" I asked. "Shukran." "Ok, well.... shukran." "Afwan ('you're welcome')."

Hotel Gloria inner corridor.

After settling in, I grabbed my backpack and Dad and I head out to walk the streets and grab some food. We walk around the Old City, the Jaffa Gate and the Western Wall, and out of the Old City down one of the fancy shopping strips (Mamilla Mall). We walked down Jaffa Street, headed west, and turned on Ben Yehuda Street heading south. The city came alive once the sun went down and Shabbat ended. Dad and I walked down Ben Yehuda Street looking for a group of South Korean Christians who sing worship songs square in the middle of crowded Ben Yehuda every Saturday. We found them by first spotting a small crowd, and we stood to watch. Though they sung in Korean, I recognized the tune of the song they were singing. I recorded them singing "Days of Elijah" and posted the video below. The English words to that song popped into my head intermittently through the trip: "... and we are the voice in the desert crying 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord.'" The news of Jesus Christ was celebrated and preached to the Jews at the temple in Jerusalem by a small number of believers in the book of Acts. This trip to Jerusalem, dotted with moments like this scene on Ben Yehuda Street, afforded me a slightly better grasp of the early church's experience. While the Korean singers sung their worship songs, passersby looked perplexed but entertained, and many stopped and watched. I saw some mimicking the hand-raising that some of the singers were doing. A few giddy folks joined the crowd who seemed to know each other. Their group grew as time passed, and I heard them speaking Spanish. At one point, the Koreans turned to the crowd and motioned for people to come and join them in front of the steps where they stood. The space between the singers and the crowd disappeared, and the singers prayed over those who came up to them (and charismatically so... each person was saying his or her own prayer aloud). Then the Spanish-speaking group turned and prayed over the Koreans. The group was so pumped to get involved that they asked to play one of the singer's guitars and started singing worship songs in Spanish and English.

So those were my first few hours in Jerusalem!

Big city, small town (part 2)

2011-08-01T05:13:00.003-04:00

How much of yourself you share with those around you is a huge difference in human behavior in small towns and in big cities. Boundaries among people are drawn quite differently from place to place. Recently, I went into a county clerk's office in Jackson, TN, to switch out my car tags. I stood at a window in front of a woman's desk for about 10 minutes. As we sifted through paperwork, I quickly noticed a white piece of paper facing me from where it was taped to the top of her computer screen, about 2 feet from my eyes. Typed on it were lines of Christian encouragement mentioning God and Jesus quite plainly and calling the reader to trust in them. This scene caught me off guard and seemed almost unreal. In a city, your private life is kept private. You certainly would be discouraged from airing your faith to your clientele at your job. If you did, you would face consequences. You have likely violated your organization's code of conduct and, if this is the case, you have risked formal disciplinary action. I'm speaking from my experience working in the non-public sector in which the concept of separation of church and state is not directly applicable. But this woman holds a tax-payer supported position in local government. I'm not personally objecting to the piece of paper on her computer, but I will observe that she shouldn't take it for granted that the rule of law has not required its removal as it would in other circumstances. In Jackson, faith in God and Jesus Christ is common and is generally accepted as "good." So the woman in the clerk's office probably isn't offending anyone with the Christian thoughts she's sharing. But drive down the road for a day until you run into DC. Just look around you at the working crowd and try to get a personal conversation going with someone. If you bring into play a set of religious views, you risk being received as slightly juvenile, idealistic, or unfocused. People are vastly different from others in cities, so once people go off script and discuss things beyond objective facts and circumstances, you are likely to run into walls very quickly. The rationale is to play it safe by remaining low-key and picking your battles. Why put your career at risk or make someone else feel uncomfortable?

Communication. City people are scheduled, and meeting up takes effort and intentionality, so emails are a must. Ready with your smartphone? This dance goes as follows, and each of these items is a separate email:

Idea of Meeting Up,
Agreement,
Proposal,
Acceptance or Counter-Proposal,
Later Confirmation of Date & Time & Location,
Discussion and Agreement upon Logistics [Parking, carpooling, alloted travel time; only applies to certain events, mostly involving groups; note: this information is likely to be posted in an electronic invitation such as Evite or Facebook],
Day of Event: Possible Cancellation or Shifting the Time to Accommodate Work Demands or Confirmation of Originally Set Time & Location,
Finally: Face time!!!!!!!

Small town version: "Hey, are you in town? Want to grab dinner in 20 minutes?" "Sounds good. How about Mexican?" "Yum. Which Los Portales will it be?" In Jackson, this decision boils down to a restaurant 4 minutes away or one 7 minutes away from me. And, boom, in no time I'm sitting with a friend eating tacos.

Traps to be aware of living in a city, and these are only a few of the many that exist, include... Busyness & disconnection from others and from yourself. Aloneness and therefore selfishness. Forgetting that rest has its proper place in your schedule.

And, conversely, some opportunities...

The uncomfortable nature of an urban environment (financially-, physically-, and relationally-speaking) will have you confronting questions like, "What am I here for?" Cities will sharpen you up, redirecting or reaffirming the important decision you've made that landed you there.

Some people in cities get angry easily on the road and in other public places, and they may direct some anger towards you. Here is where you choose what kind of person you will be... a forgiving one or a similarly vile one. Choose the former and you will duly learn that it is not your duty to make people happy. All you can do is your best to value each person based on who they are in God's eyes, not how they make you feel. Where would I have learned this but a city? Jackson folks are much too pleasant to present me with such choices.

That's it for this subject, yall. I've done some traveling and am eager to focus on that.

Big city, small town.

2011-07-20T16:04:00.003-04:00

I moved my stuff from DC to my parents’ home in west Tennessee on Sunday, July 11. The time between quitting my job on June 21 and moving away from the city was filled with reading, packing, spending time with people, and a short sprint of traveling up the east coast. I have being doing some writing outside of this blog in response to all I’ve been reading and seeing. Most of this writing is done in journals and book margins, and with a few thoughts stored away on my hard drive. No posts have made it to the blog in a while, and I regret that.

Today, I was sitting down in Liberty Park’s gazebo and was thinking about the differences between the big city scene and a small town. I have been in Jackson, TN, for 9 days now and Where do I start? Now, turning this into a post, I’ll do my best to keep it simple…

Small towns are immensely easier to navigate. Not much planning required to get from Point A to Point B. The frame of reference of a few major streets can get a man anywhere and quickly so. Even at the most trafficked times, one’s in-town commute may take 10-15 minutes.
Small towns have fewer public parks, and there is less local engagement in and demand for those leisure-based amenities made available to the public (I say “leisure-based” because I’m not referring to social welfare programs. I don’t know about that side of things.) Now, I am biased. My knowledge on cities stems from experience living outside of Washington, D.C. in Arlington, VA. Arlington County and neighboring Fairfax County have excellent public transportation and education systems. They have public parks and plenty of walking, running, and biking areas. And they have close proximity to D.C. & it’s excitement (Hello National Mall!). The D.C. area attracts high-output, well-educated people who, in turn, make a lot of money that the area taxes quite heavily. So the state and local governments have relatively high tax revenues at their disposal to reinvest in the area. But there is more reason behind the small town decision to proportionately invest less in public amenities… there isn’t as much demand for it. People in small towns have their own places to roam. They have yards and second stories, and if they want more space, they get it. City folks are more likely to rent, or to own condos or townhomes, and so to have less space and want to get out more. Getting out of your house is a way to walk around and be a part of the excitement of the area. To see people. To go grab a bite with a friend. City homes aren’t as comfortable for entertaining. And where people are out of their houses, a good commute from home, and among buildings, the city builds public sitting areas. But few are to be found here in Jackson where home is usually a comfortable 5-mile drive (or less) away.
Although they are commonly described as “materialistic,” that description begs clarification. City people actually own fewer things. Their things are typically more label-driven, yes, and there is a stronger sense of elitism, but most people do not remain attached to possessions. It’s hard to remain attached to particular things in such transient climates. They let go, trade up, move on, buy a new one, and rent instead of own. Fewer things are clung to on the basis of sentimental value. Even if someone drives a BMW, good chance they don’t have a long history with it. It’s very likely that it’s leased.

Hmm, I had more to say that I thought. Let’s just mark this post to be continued. Next time I’ll include more differences as well as some comments on the dangers & opportunities of both cities & small towns. I’ve already scribbled thoughts down on paper, so no excuse for me.

If you are reading this blog still, I must say, thank you for sticking with me. So much has inspired me lately, enough to write volumes, and sometimes if I can’t say everything, I don’t say anything. Encouragement from others to keep writing has pushed me through this. Can’t thank you enough.

Waiting, Feelings, & Unemployment

2011-06-23T13:25:00.007-04:00

I left my job on Tuesday.

Several have asked how I feel about all this. To be honest, for months I just feltfuzzy. Resolved, but uncollected,and I felt that I should simply wait it out. I didn’t feel like trying to understandthe fuzziness. I’d felt it for awhile. Accompanying it was an deeper sense of urgency that I could not stop and try to understand it, to regain control over it, but that I must letit run its course through and through.

James 1:4 – “Let perseverance finish its work so that youmay be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Feelings and truth don’t always see eye-to-eye. For example, I may feel like an idiotwhen a peer asks about my plans, and eloquence fails me and my explanationcomes out choppy and unconvincing. But the truth is that even though I am as self-conscious as the nextperson, I’m not affected by the blank stares because I know deep down that I amchoosing a path more solid because it is crafted by steady hands not myown.

“Worry is an accusation of God’s faithfulness,” quotes mymentor. I pray that I waste notime pointing fingers unjustly.

I feel wonderful. I feel light. I feelhonest. I’m proud to own my ground in ways morevital than before.

I will be in DC until July 1. I'll be seeing as many friends as possible, working on my summer reading list, tying up loose ends and otherwise relaxing. Then a bit of travel up the east coast... Philadelphia & New York City with my brother and sister. Then I'm camping out for a few weeks in Tennessee and taking a week-long trip to Jerusalem with my dad.

The voids left by my lack of professional title or salary are an afterthought for me, at least at this point. I've still got so much learning and growing to do. :)

JFK quote

2011-06-12T12:53:00.002-04:00

My parents came to DC last month. My dad attended classes at a big medical convention, so my mom & I had free time to roam the area. We visited JFK's gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery, and one of the 7 quotes carved in marble grabbed my attention...

"With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth Gods work must truly be our own."

Taken from his inaugural address, January 20, 1961.

1000 Gifts

2011-06-02T23:14:00.000-04:00

"The real problem of life is never a lack of time. The real problem of life-- in my life-- is lack of thanksgiving.... "I redeem time from neglect and apathy and inattentiveness when I swell with thanks and weigh the moment down and it's giving thanks to God for this moment that multiplies the moments, time made enough."

-Ann Voskamp, 1000 Gifts

Following the lead the author quoted above, I took up the dare of calling by name and writing out by hand one thousand blessings in my life. It's a dare to stop & give thanks, and to do so habitually so as to make thanksgiving your lifestyle.

I'm only beginning my list.

Here are a few of the gifts to which my pen has given name...

The humbling crucible of my own imperfections.
Cab rides.
New cuisines to sample.
Sacred moments sitting on my front porch.
Friendly neighbors.
That I was the one picking up the phone to give a friend a call.
Prayer requests... the constant flood of them on behalf of so many (including myself) keeps me humble before God.
Proper, truthful diagnosis of negative feelings.
Long-awaited reunions.
Modern conveniences... planes, trains, and automobiles.
The peace and grace given to me to let the unimportant things go.
Living in a house full of Christ-followers.
Knowing God is trustworthy, and leaning into His promises.
Understanding, flexible coworkers.
Tough times emotionally... that means deeper roots spiritually.
God's power to discern my needs though I cannot conjure up the words to express them.
Sunshine

I think I wrote down prayer, sunshine, & meals with friends multiple times each. There are so many more I could add, and I pray that God will guide my eyes to my blessings in the midst of my regular days, not just when I'm alone & lost in thought, & not just when I sit down to blog.

God,

Reveal these gifts to me one by one, making each day an adventure in unwrapping Your love & celebrating Your thorough provision. In addition to the small & tangible, help me to praise You for the broader & more mysterious aspects of Your presence, for those things which I cannot grasp or quantify. Teach my heart to release its slipping grip on control. Teach it to sit still & praise You for all that You are. You do know what you are doing. You are trustworthy. Forgive me my faithlessness. "Create in my a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me." Lord, I know that You are so near to each of us. And I know that when I stop preaching my opinion & start instead really desiring to take You in, my eyes are opened to glory.

Revelation 21:1-7

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children."

Mother's Day thoughts

2011-05-07T17:12:00.004-04:00

In relationships, there is always a give and take. Some relationships are completely unbalanced, by nature. I am never ever going to repay my parents, grandparents, other family members, mentors, teachers... it is impossible. While my parents have afforded me many comforts and opportunities with financial support, more crucial has been their emotional and spiritual support. My mom has listened to so much whining from me over the years, but she in her patience and Lord knows her sense of being at a loss for what else to give would always provide a listening ear, no matter that I certainly frustrated her at times. It would take time for God to play out His upending story of redemption in my life. And my mom gave me that. I suppose she was waiting in hope while doing what she could to be there for me.

Now that I have by God's grace grown out of much of the self-addiction and grown into my own faith and confidence, I still receive my mom's constant support. It's by grace that I can call to her not out of helplessness but out of a desire to include the people I love in my life and persevere in overcoming the obstacle of distance (I live a plane-ride away...in a very different world).

I praise God for my mom.

Me, Mom, Jeni

I also was struck this morning when both of my grandmothers texted and emailed words of love and support, back to back. Grandmothers... born of a different time when sharing words was an art that was often put to paper and savored... have reached into this world of pervasive electronic communication in order to remain in touch with me and all of those they love. I cannot take that for granted. Love you Grandmommy and Grammie!

Winds of change

2011-05-03T21:27:00.003-04:00

These winds are beginning to pick up. Work now knows of my intentions to be a student again come this fall. I can take deeper breaths as I sit in continued stillness, waiting on news that has kept me in the dark for months now.

I'm waiting to hear from these people. I am also sending an application to these people.

God, I'm come a long way in stepping out of my comfort zone. Leaving my job to change paths is not a simple act of defiance or of confusion or desperation, though I've been met with many a blank stare. I'm slowly adjusting to the rhythm God has set for my days on this good earth. I promise, were it not for Him I could not do this. I would be paralyzed with fear before thoughts became actions. I would simply remain comfortable in a good life.

Living a comfortable life is not a bad thing. What is bad is when God wants to stretch you, to use you in a way that is beyond your understanding and control, but instead of submitting to the Author of Life, you insist on clinging to what you know. Watch out that security does not become an idol that obstructs your service to God. He alone is worthy of our devotion, and only in losing ourselves in Him will we find the security we so desperately seek.

So here I am, sitting loose and ready. Still waiting.

Counting blessings - I've gotten to live in this amazing area for 2 years this month.

Unbroken, Part 2

2011-04-27T20:10:00.006-04:00

I finished the book Unbroken last Saturday after I logged some thoughts here. Great, great read. I was speaking of the book at work, and a coworker directed me to another associate in the office, someone whose grandfather appears at times in the book. I knew the associate, as we joined the firm at the same time and thus we have done several trainings side by side. He sits on my floor, so today I decided to talk a walk after I got the strange yet common sensation that my eyes and my computer screen had been spending too much time together. I found Ben at his desk. It was around lunch time, so he was loosed from his work and was free to talk...

In the unlikely but true World War II story told in Unbroken, the protagonist Louis Zamperini shared a bunker with 15 other men in his time in the war on a military base in the Pacific. At the end of the war, only he and three others were still alive out of the 16 total men. Of this small group was Jesse Stay, my coworker's grandfather. Very cool to learn that I was close to a small piece of the story even in my relatively nondescript workday. I was riveted as Ben spoke of his grandfather, who passed away in 2008. Unbroken's author Laura Hillenbrand had already conducted interview after interview with him prior to his passing. These began in 2000. The book wasn't published until 2010, so for 10 years Hillenbrand labored. Ben mentioned that his grandfather gave her material from his unpublished memoirs which, though unpublished, serve as a vibrant chronicle of history for his family.

Unbroken

2011-04-18T22:32:00.002-04:00

As I wrote in the post Grandparents Make a Visit, my grandfather recently read a book called Unbroken. I ordered the book and it has been sitting on my shelf while I've been waiting out the last few hectic weeks of long weekdays and working Saturdays. Oh, but last week, I cracked open the book's covers. And last Saturday, my first free Saturday in weeks, I did not leave my house. It was too perfect a set-up... my deep need for rest, storms outside all day, and a book that I could not put down.

Unbroken is a WWII story depicting the life and trials of Louis Zamperini. I try to tell people the story but it's hard to know where to begin. Louis ran with the U.S. Olympic team in 1936. He did not place but had high hopes for the 1940 Olympics, which were canceled after world erupted in war. Louis was drafted into the Air Force and after training was sent to bases in Hawaii. He flew with a crew of about 10 men. One day, when flying an old and tired aircraft on a search mission to find a missing crew, Louis' crew went down over the Pacific, killing all but 3 of the men including Louis who were relegated to two small life rafts. They floated and floated, scorching in the sun by day, freezing at night, feeling sharks bump the bottom of the rafts incessantly, and wasting away from hunger and thirst. After floating for 30 days, a Japanese plane spotted them and began raining bullets on them. The first time the plane went by, all 3 men were able to jump into the water to shield themselves and then hop right back in after the plane flew by, but the plane came by again and again (4x total), and the two men with Louis did not

Louis Zamperini

have the strength to get back out of the rafts after the first go around. But no bullets touched them. Louis meanwhile hid under the rafts bumping sharks on the nose with the strong arm survival technique he learned back in Hawaii. All in all, 48 bullet holes were found in the rafts (which were the size of a good-sized bathtub), but no man was shot. One of the rafts was lost, so they all crammed into the other. The holes in the canvas raft bottom didn't matter so much, but the holes in the inflatable outside ring threatened to sink them as the air slowly crept out. Patching kits were tucked into the raft pockets by design, and the three men worked and worked to dry the rubber out and seal the holes while continuing to pump air back into the tube. They managed to do it. On day 33, the man in the poorest health stopped fighting for life. Louis and his friend Phil were alone until day 47 when their raft was washed up to one of the Marshall Islands, occupied by Japan, America's fierce enemy during WWII. So, weighing well under a hundred pounds each, they were isolated and held in holdings cells for a few weeks, then transferred to the island Kwajalein which had earned the nickname "Execution Island," which they survived and were taken to a prison camp called Ofuna. Life was bleek at Ofuna, but Louis and Phil adapted. The rules were strict and the guards were violent, yet those who held Louis and Phil captive had not been given over to complete sadism. After a year and a half, Louis and Phil parted ways. Louis was transferred to Omori, another prison camp. This is about where I am in the book now. At Omori, Louis meets a Japanese man who greets him the first day with two punches to the skull. The violent man was not a Japanese officer but held a lower rank. Nevertheless, he was placed in charge of discipline at Omori. Known to prisoners as "The Bird," this man made sport of manipulating, accusing, and terrorizing the prisoners. I sense that the book spares the most gruesome of details yet it is still gut-wrenching to read through the accounts. The Bird regularly singled Louis out, threatened by the renown Louis brought to the camp and delighted by the chance to subjugate the famous runner. Louis got pummeled every day.

I keep reading and reading, knowing the story has a happy ending. I appreciate how the book highlights Louis' spiritual breakthroughs beginning when he was at sea for weeks on end (in a "sensory vacuum"... nothing but sky and sea) when he sensed the presence of the Lord more clearly than ever before in his life, though he did not previously consider himself a man of faith.

I cheated. I skipped ahead, watching the CBS news clips on YouTube telling Louis' story. He survives. Then he comes back to America, he marries and gives his life to Christ after hearing a sermon preached by Billy Graham. He puts away the alcohol he drank every night, no longer desiring its comfort. He learns of forgiveness and simultaneously lets his anger towards The Bird melt away.

The past few weeks have been tough.

2011-04-05T21:17:00.001-04:00

Standing up in the middle of a trial is an act of the will. Trials take away the option of indifference. You must make a decision of how you will respond... in trust that God's ways are higher than our ways, or in resignation and defeat. I have had moments recently where I've come dangerously close to that second path and have been humbled by my weakness. It's been through God's grace that I have been reminded that I alone am powerless, that I was created to be dependent on the Lord as my sole provider.

And by God's grace, I have grown in my understanding of the Christian community. I have set out on my own in many things, but my journey with Christ is the glaring exception to that. We were each created to be a part of God's vibrant community of believers, growing closer in our fellowship through our trials and victories, rooting our relationships boldly in Scripture, and interceding for one another in prayer. The role of the Christian community in my spiritual development cannot be understated.

I began asking for prayer more proactively a few months ago and have been blessed by the continued support I have received, even as I've no longer been expressly asking for it. I've needed it all the same, and even more now than when I began down this road of trying to determine God's next step for my life. Sometime soon I will receive some specific answers that will shape my future, which I will be happy to share once I hear them. For now, I'm celebrating God's provision in a million small ways. We must trust in where the Lord plants us and we must love our ground, letting God break down walls as we worship Him regardless of where He sends us.

I feel supported by my family who have been incredibly understanding of the bold steps I've taken and that I'm taking in the future. I've been running, which is more of a spiritual exercise than a physical one. Although I run alone, I have friends who also enjoy running, so we are able to encourage each other. I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler this Sunday, and it was wonderful. Wonderful weather, and I felt great throughout the race, running faster than expected. This is no doubt a testimony to God's incredible redemption of my life, because my natural tendency is to stop when I become uncomfortable in a pursuit, when I must make sacrifices. When you see me going "above and beyond' in any way, it is the single-handed work of the Lord, for I on my own am incredibly unremarkable and fragile.

I have clung to Truth... I am not kidding when I say that I have been close to losing it several times. This is one of the verses that has kept me sane, praise God...

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

The period I am going through now could be seen as a wilderness, which is exactly what the Priscilla Shirer study is about. The wilderness is seen a right of passage of sorts for those called by God to serve powerfully in His kingdom. God leads you into the wilderness to be taught. And the wilderness periods come in cycles... they do not last forever. The spiritual blessings that I so long to see in my life must come according to God's way of producing them, so He leads me through tough periods where I have no one but Him, and through the process I am refined as I learn the meaning and the blessing of dependence.

Hebrews 3: 12 - 15
"See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called"Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said: 'Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts..."

Father, please bless anyone reading this. And anyone with whom those reading this come into contact. My family, Lord, bless them. My friends, Lord, bless them.

Surrendering control over circumstances. Rest in God.

2011-03-01T06:48:00.004-05:00

Proverbs 3

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.t

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.

Reading my Bible

2011-02-19T22:20:00.007-05:00

"Sometimes, if I don’t read the Bible, I make up a God. Usually this God is mad all the time, or lazy, or not really all that serious about sin. He changes, you know, depending on how I need him to change. But, when I do read the Bible, I see another God – the one who has no need to change. The one who loves me enough to be serious about sin. The one who loves me enough to want my eternal healing, even if it looks like my temporary sickness, or my waiting. "

-a blogger named Josh

I read that and was humbled and convicted by the speaker's honesty. I can relate. I've felt it lately that I have been settling with quick, one-off verses that fit my immediate need or mood and in so doing have settling for spiritual snacks instead of hearty meals. It brings to mind a line in "After the Storm" by Mumford and Sons, the band in the previous post. It goes,

"Life has always pushed up day. You must know life to see decay.

But I won't rot. Not this mind, and not this heart. I won't rot..."

I love those words... they are words of resolve. For followers of Christ, Christ is the source of our lives, and the Bible was written for us to know the story of the God & His purposes for sending Jesus down here. In John 10:10, Jesus makes it clear, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Spending time in the Bible makes you more of who you were created by God to be. If you, like me, haven't been very intentional in reading it at times, start by resolving to simply have strength enough to open the Book. It is life-giving! Here is something worth telling. I didn't start reading the Bible regularly until my senior year of college, about 2 and a half years ago. Do you know what prompted me to start? My tax accounting professor offered extra credit to anyone who read through the entire New Testament over the fall semester... 10 points added to a test. The prize of 10 extra points was small, but nevertheless I was so afraid of doing poorly in the class that before I knew it I had opened up those leather-bound pages. I budgeted myself 3 chapters of the Bible a day, reading at morning or night in my dorm room. What happened next was something I never would have expected. I started looking forward to reading the Bible. I got to the end of Matthew, the first of the 27 books of the NT, and just stopped and sobbed. I had trudged through the comforting truths ("blessed are the peacemakers") and the discomforting ones ("I did not come to bring peace but a sword"). Over his lifetime, Jesus was in many ways an outcast. He was very brash but also very loving. And when his time came to be killed at the hands of people trying to suppress his influence who were ultimately overcome with bloodlust for the power held in his teachings, Jesus submitted to God's will and gave up the last thing on earth he was still holding on to... his life. Jesus' soul was completely emptied out before his Father who is too our Father because his entire life was lived in deep communion with God.

By God's design, we become all of who we were created to be when we follow Jesus by embracing a lifestyle of self-denial. By His grace and out of His love, we are saved despite the fact that we are not perfect like Jesus. It is a spiritual art formed in us by God to live in the balance of the hard, radical truths that violate our very sense of self and the awe-inspiring love that sets us free. Scripture & prayer guide us into this balance and teach us how to rest in God's grace. They embolden us to let go as we witness firsthand what God can do with lives surrendered to Him.

Without engaging these means of knowing God, we miss out on experiencing God's fullness and greatness. But read Scripture and you come to know the heart of the God who will never change nor be replaced by our puppet gods and celebrate as life is poured into you by its very Creator. I must remember this in times such as now when my life is full of potential distractions and each step directs me towards God or away.

My prayer is that we return to the simplicity of the Christian life by soaking our minds in the words of our Creator. We've got full lives that are awaiting our embrace.

All the small things

2011-02-17T22:13:00.003-05:00

... make the biggest difference. Appreciate them!

Get pretty roses for your house and put them where you can see them every day.

Get a desk calendar and make it an event to tear off a new page every morning!

Download good podcasts.

Drink water, even if water is not that exciting.

Buy that super-comfortable mousepad for work, even if it is $10 more than you would pay for the cheapest one. It will be your wrist's best friend.

Remember that words of truth can come from anywhere... Twitter post:

@RickWarrenRick Warren

Never envy a significant place of service. Make the place you serve significant.

Busy season sustenance

2011-02-09T22:06:00.002-05:00

For the next two months I will be collecting Scriptures & quotes... feel free to share any treasures, let's get a good thing going.

"The most important spiritual activity you will engage in today is to choose. Keep in mind the difference between the freedom to choose and the choice to be free."
"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." Isaiah 40:31
"Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:13-14

Welcome back, Martin.

2011-02-06T21:46:00.001-05:00

When Grammie &Grandaddy decided they would drive out this way, I asked them to include as part of their cargo my guitar and my hand drum. I played piano when I was much younger but eventually grew disinterested. I missed music, though, and got a drumset during my junior year of high school. The next year, I signed up for percussion & music theory courses & ended up playing the drumset through my freshman year at Harding. Once again, the cycle of interest and disinterest led to me leave the drumset in storage for 2 years before I picked up a new instrument-- the guitar. I did my research and got a beautiful Martin acoustic. It came out to DC with me, but I sent it back to Tennessee with my mom when I moved last summer. Still not sure why. I've missed my guitar sorely and didn't even realize it until very recently.
Read more...

Grandparents make a visit.

2011-02-06T21:43:00.002-05:00

Just a week ago Saturday, the idea of seeing me seeing my grandparents within the week was tossed around. Well... spontaneity is certainly not lost as we grow older. You see the photo of me and my grandfather? It was taken yesterday at the Starbucks beside the metro station close to my house. Grammie & Grandaddy made it into town early Friday evening and left this Sunday morning. We had a full night on Friday and a full day yesterday to sit down and talk over meals and to get out and explore the DC area. Friday was a nice dinner close to my house in Arlington. The restaurant made for a perfect venue for talking late into the evening... dinner began at 7:30pm and lasted until 10pm. Saturday was filled with sightseeing from the car, a lengthy tour of the Holocaust Museum and lunch in the museum's cafe, a driving tour of Tyson's Corner where I work and Vienna where I used to live, two coffee breaks at Starbucks-- one in the morning and one in the afternoon, a little bit of rest, some shopping, and a steak dinner.

House update

2011-02-03T04:35:00.001-05:00

My precious friend and roommate Brier is moving back home to Norfolk, VA (Virginia Beach area) at the beginning of March. We've started showing potential new roommates the house... the first was last night. All 4 of us were home, so everyone put in their 2 cents on everything from our landlord to the neighbors to our community in our home and how we like to entertain and where we go to church and our cleaning habits... etc etc.

I was struck by how great our house is and how often I overlook all of these beautiful yet subtle things about it! Thankfulness swept right on in.

"South Pacific"

2011-01-08T10:31:00.002-05:00

My roommate and friend Logan and I discovered that we both LOVE going to shows! And DC has several venues. The Kennedy Center, Ford's Theatre (where President Lincoln was shot), National Theatre, and Warner Theatre are the most frequented, but there are other smaller locales that I discover all the time.

Huge statue of JFK's head inside the Kennedy Center

A New Year!

2011-01-02T14:45:00.001-05:00

The year 2010 is now behind us. I hadn't done too much reflecting on it until last night after a conversation with a friend. So, quickly, I will recap my 2010 resolutions and my year in general. As I wrote this post a year ago, my "resolutions" for 2010 were to...
1. Write more
2. Learn different recipes
3. Worry less
4. Grow closer with God

Collage of Christmas Treats

2010-12-18T16:35:00.000-05:00

And we've got time yet in our 2010 Christmas season!

Gingerbread house decorated on Thanksgiving by me
and my sister Jeni (mostly Jeni). Had to start rolling out
the goodies early!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T08:42:00.002-05:00

Things I am thankful for as I reflect on my life a little:

I am becoming more self-forgetful. This is allowing me to let go of the common things designed for immediate self-service and is freeing up time and energy to cultivate deeper passions.

I've discovered that one of those passions is mentoring, of helping someone to see their strengths and to carve paths through the challenges they face, and to furthermore begin to view those challenges as opportunities for growth. It is a tremendous joy and an honor to pass along any insight God may have gifted to me through my own trials in order that others may benefit. None of us can make it through this life alone. Ironically enough I've only had a small taste of what serving as a mentor is like, but it was enough to imprint on me the desire to find regular and recurring opportunities to pour into others.

Read more...

My Small Group

2010-11-15T20:04:00.001-05:00

Aren't these ladies beautiful?

Since February, this has been my small group through Frontline at McLean Bible Church. We're closing in on a year now of Sunday meetings where we work through studies together, pray together, and share blessings & challenges. Kim, to my left, is our leader, and Therese, all the way on the right, is her coach. We're all pretty different in age and backgrounds, but those differences fade away so fast when you get down to the real stuff, and I love these women!

University of VA and Charlottesville...

2010-10-29T07:05:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, Busi my roommate asked me if I wanted to go down to Charlottesville for Univ. of VA's "Reunions" weekend on October 16. Once I heard the date, I immediately thought, "Oh, I better not." October 16 falls the day after October 15, a huge tax deadline. I assumed that work would be crazy for me leading up to the deadline and that I would need that Saturday to catch up on sleep, to take care of unexciting things like laundry & grocery-shopping, and to just be a unscheduled bum. Not to mention the fact that I knew I was starting my rotation in the downtown DC office that next Monday, October 18. But as it turns out, my assignments were complete by Wednesday October 13, so I took Thurs & Fri off and hopped in the car with Busi earlier morning Saturday for a day trip to Charlottesville.

Busi and Logan, another roommate, are both UVA alum so naturally I hear about the school and Charlottesville all the time. I'm always curious to learn about other people's college experiences since my own was so unique. I can't directly relate to most people's... Harding's football team never made ESPN. We didn't have rival schools (ACU & Oklahoma Christian do NOT count!). I don't know how to mix a cocktail. I never sat in a class of more than 80 students. None of our alum have gone on to be Heads of State Etc. Etc. I appreciate Harding (see blog post "A Tribute to Harding"), but the curiosity for the world outside of it is definitely there.

Student rooms on The Range

Our day in Charlottesville was certainly eventful. I'm glad that I got to experience so much of the town. Charlottesville just has this hip vibe about it, and now I feel like I "get" why people who went to UVA talk about it like they do. First thing we did when we drove into town was to head towards UVA's campus. We parked the car and toured around for a bit. Lots of buzz around campus since it was homecoming weekend. I saw Busi's old room on the "Range" and saw where Edgar Allan Poe and Woodrow Wilson once lived. Students were everywhere... they all look so young!

Inside the Comm School

We walked through the undergrad business school- "Comm [commerce] school." I've seen lists where the school is rated the #1 undergraduate business program in the country. The interior of the building was both state-of-the-art with its interactive flat screen maps and very traditional with crown molding, hardwood floors, and woven rugs. While we were walking around, Busi shed some insight into the curricular structure each of its students is subject to. Sounds intense.

For lunch, we grabbed dumplings at the downtown Charlottesville mall with Busi's friend B.K then had ice cream at Arch's, a Charlottesville establishment, where we sat on the patio and roasted in the midday sun. After B.K. left us, Busi gave me an extended tour of UVA's campus. I saw several statues of Thomas Jefferson, the beloved founder of the school. I heard about all kinds of UVA traditions... secret societies... fascinating.

After walking around for a bit more, Busi and I met up with her friend Deborah at a big tailgate (I knew 1 person out of 100) before we headed to the UVA vs. North Carolina football game. We found seats sat in the front of the student section, right next to the percussion section of the band. Busi had brought an extra T-shirt for me, so I blended into the sea of orange and blue. I learned the cheers and did my best to play it all off. UVA students are called the "wahoos," or "hoos" for short. Now I can say I know what a wahoo is!

Me & Busi in Scott Stadium, UVA vs. NC

After the game, we headed to the top floor of the library, apparently a common meet up point. As we were waiting for Deborah, I sat and watched all the students there in the library on a Saturday night, absorbed in the workload of their courses. I remember back to those days as a student, marking time in task completion rather than making the distinction between weekdays & weekends. I got a little nostalgic. We waited there in the library for Deborah then headed over to a UVA Young Alumni Reunion party. For this year, former students are considered "young alumni" if they graduated in years 2007-2010. I was once again plopped in the middle of hundreds of unfamiliar faces, but I'm sure that with my UVA shirt on, I didn't look too terribly out of place. The party was FUN. Well done, UVA. Good food, good DJ, great atmosphere. I met a few of Busi's friends, got out on the dance floor, and eventually even got pulled into a picture at the photo booth (go here to check it out... we're photo #60).

I'll end this one with the chant that is yelled whenever UVA scores a touchdown...

WAHOOWA, WAHOOWA

UNI-V, VIR-GIN-I-A

HOO-RAH-RAY, HOO-RAH-RAY

RAY! RAY! U-V-A!

Yeah, it took a bit for me to follow that one.

Me on the beautiful UVA campus

In the words of C.S. Lewis

2010-10-24T22:31:00.001-04:00

We may think God wants actions of a certain kind, but God wants people of a certain sort.

I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer.

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.

Fun & Friends

2010-10-17T20:42:00.001-04:00

My roommate Logan just bought a fire-pit, and we got to enjoy it when some friends came over few weekends ago to celebrate Busi's (roommate) birthday.

Happy birthday Busi!

Recently, I got to spend time spent catching up with my dear friend Audrey. Audrey was Jeni's, Will's, and my babysitter for years and years. I wish I had a pic to share of those days!

Dodged a bunch of protestors to get this pic taken of me propped up against the monument...

My Frontline small group joined with other small groups for a fun night at Cox Farms, where they have the spooky "Cornightmare" and a haunted hay ride.

On our way up to the top of a big slide, Courtney and I came across a monster's jaw... oh no!!!!

The crew on the haunted hayride.

Wedding!

2010-10-17T20:04:00.001-04:00

So, I've had some great times catching up with friends and family over these past few weeks! At the end of September, I flew to Memphis for a whirlwind weekend trip to see my cousin Emilie get married. I stayed with my friend Kayla. She and her husband Drew were married and moved into a house in Memphis this past summer. Finally, I got to see the house and do a little catching up on her life. :)

Kayla and I, we go way back. Here she is as my gracious wedding date for my cousin Emilie's wedding in Memphis, TN. Actually, this pic was at the morning brunch on the day of the wedding.

Kayla was also my hostess for the weekend-- I scored the guest bedroom at her and her husband's new house in Midtown. Isn't it so cute?! And this is just the outside.

The interior looks so homey. Gotta say, I impressed-- IMpressed-- with what that girl can do by just throwing in some accent pillows and lamps.

Between the brunch and the wedding, we went "antiquing" [is that a verb?]. We drove around to some local antique shops and found some treasures [hello... LOOK at those binoculars!].

Here I am with my grandparents before the wedding at the church. See that stained class in the background? The church interior was so ornate that minimal decorations were needed for the ceremony. Emilie's lace veil was a focal point. It was all beautiful.

Reception at the Peabody. My dad, Kayla, me, and my mom. Fun night! Everybody boogied until the AM to the sound of the Dave Humphey's orchestra set.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit

2010-10-10T09:17:00.001-04:00

So, because I've accepted Christ as my Savior, I learn more and more about his nature and God's nature every day. I'm seeing firsthand how, when a person accepts Christ, the Holy Spirit enters in and turns his or her life upside down, pushing the reset button on all his or her thoughts, relationships, attitudes, priorities, finances, ambitions, hobbies, etc. And this role that the Holy Spirit has in spiritual formation in not a once-for-all, event-based deal. THE SPIRIT STAYS WITH YOU! ehhhhhh.

And so we live by the Spirit...

^{Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. [a portion of Romans 8]}
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. [Galatians 5:24-26]

We don't just live by the Spirit on our good days. In our weakness, frustration, and impatience, we stand and rejoice in how God is molding us...

Romans 8...

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

I watched a video yesterday of a recent sermon given at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Pastor Mark Driscoll articulated well the some of the things I have begun to realize about the Holy Spirit and about the Spirit's role in my ordinary life. Pastor Mark outlines where the rubber meets the road. The video is 11 minutes long, and well worth your time. To watch it, click here.

Marine Corps 10K - Oct 31, 2010.

2010-10-05T12:44:00.001-04:00

The MCM10K begins on the National Mall near the Smithsonian Castle. The course crosses the 14th Street Bridge, runs through Crystal City, past the Pentagon to the finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial.

I'm running this race on October 31, 2010, with 3 dear friends. I met these girls a little over a year ago- and that seems like yesterday. But, then again, it doesn't because I feel like I've known them for much longer than a year. Anywho, here we are, last winter. Melissa, second from the right, just finished her first triathlon. If she can do a tri, then surely I can run 6 miles!

Thoreau + Hebrews

2010-09-27T21:55:00.001-04:00

I have another quote to share...

"Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
Henry David Thoreau

I thought of it when I was reading this Bible passage...

"All these people [Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc] were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country-- a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."
Hebrews 11:13-16

Lovely.

Home for dinner!

2010-09-20T21:57:00.001-04:00

Tonight marked quite an occasion... I was home by dinner time. Busy season has settled down a bit, and here I am trying to get readjusted. I've been fed take-out meals at work for a month or so, and I have to learn how to feed myself all over again! So, I stuck a Stoffer's chicken lasagna in the oven and put a movie on.

Away from numbers and computers (with the exception of logging on to blog), I've had a very chill night. Lovely! Whenever I get free time to myself, I typically avoid anything information-concentrated. I don't watch the news, I don't have super intellectual convos, I don't read Business Week, none of the above. I exercise the left side of my brain enough at work, and I work a lot, so every minute I can spend unwinding from that is precious to me.

My hobbies have evolved dramatically over the past year and a half. The catalysts for this change have been jolting:

graduating school. leaving "the bubble".
moving to DC, where I'm always on my toes... getting around the area, getting stuff done at work, reading Scripture or maybe a book for small group, talking to people, learning about everything from pro-sports to fundamental religious beliefs to eastern European geography ... my mind always stays engaged in an effort to keep up.
taking a whirlwind CPA review course, then taking the 4 exams, studying for months straight then sitting down for 4 separate 4-hour long tests, and having to retake one. my brain was comatose (sp?) there for a while.
working. at a very fast pace. with smart people.

So freakin what, Catie? You elaborate on your DC lifestyle pretty much every other blog post you write. We get it, you're challenged. Well, you guys, here's the cool part! Going through tough stuff teaches you more about yourself. Over time, the things you truly enjoy and care about will form a pattern in your life. You tend to make those things a priority. When you have less time, you are more aware of your priorities, because time is precious, and it hurts to waste it. Then once your priorities are set, nothing else matters. So liberating, it's great!

Before you know it, you become self-forgetful and just start living, your life becomes of an art and less of a science.

Lovely.

So, here are a few things I truly enjoy:

Drawn following the instructions from a How To Draw People book.

Blogging. Duh.
Scrapbooking.
Drawing.
Reading uplifting and challenging books. Lots of books are a waste of time (lots of well-marketed nonsense out there, be careful), but most books are treasures. They draw me in and speak right to me, often delivering truth & inspiration. One of my recent reads was called "Don't Waste Your Life". Well, dang, I had to hear what that guy had to say. I also really enjoyed reading Condeleeza Rice's biography a couple of years back. That woman is fierce. Henri Nouwen's "The Inner Voice of Love" is beautiful & poetic & has ministered to me through some confusing & painful periods. Donald Miller's "Blue Like Jazz" restore my belief in God as a jaded teenager. Alexandra Stoddard's "Things I Want My Daughters to Know", gifted to me by my mother, has given me some excellent practical advice like "open gifts slowly", and "travel heavy". During my summer in Yellowstone, I had a hiker's guide book to the park, and I would highlight a trail in the Table of Contents after we hiked it. That how I know that, by the end of the summer, I had hiked over 100 miles. So, yeah, me and books, we get along well.
Watching the same sappy movies over and over. I just finished "Little Women", and I don't want it to get too quiet in the house, so I'm letting the music from the DVD main menu play as I wrap up this blog post.
Finding excellent quotes.

"Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstances." -Emerson
"If my life is fruitless, it doesn't matter who praises me, and if my life is fruitful, it doesn't matter who criticizes me." -John Bunyon

That's it for tonight. Have a lovely week.

It's the little things in life...

2010-09-15T15:11:00.001-04:00

...like this lovely surprise left on my bed by a roommate.

Fifty pieces of chocolate are in that bag in the picture... 50 PIECES! I took the bag to work on Monday and assumed the role of "Chocolate Fairy." The bag was GONE by today. :)

Faith and our culture... it's everywhere... honestly.

2010-09-12T23:52:00.003-04:00

Here's what I'm seeing:

An extremist pastor claiming Christianity got entirely too much media attention, mostly because people don't know what to do with him. I'm grieved that this man represents my faith. I've only seen one bit of new coverage that was worthwhile... a Christian newscaster appealing to the pastor on the basis of biblical principles. Here's the video.
The President of the US gave a Scripture-laced address on 9/11. Here's the video. My reaction? He is looking to reconnect with and regain goodwill amongst voters he might have lost when he responded to the heated NY mosque debate by reaffirming freedom of religion in the United States (which, I'm not rejecting his viewpoint, but I am saying that the building of the mosque is something many either support or vehemently oppose and, thus, it seemed that Obama supported it). Whatever the motive behind our national leader's use of Scripture on 9/11, he definitely used the words "God" and "prayer".
A conversation on Saturday with a guard sitting the office building's security desk where you have to sign on on the weekends:

"'Mary'... do you go to church? 'Mary' sounds like a church name."
I responded, "Yes, I do go to church, but I'm not Catholic. I'm Protestant."
"Oh ok... Protestant... very good."
"Are you Catholic?"
"Yes, yes I'm Catholic. But, you know, it's not the church name that matters. [Pause]. All that matters is serving Him."
"[Pause]. You're right."
"Have a good day."
"You too."

... and that was that. I appreciated him striking up that convo. I'm still a little awkward with explaining my religious affiliation to people, because people come from all different perspectives. So here's the run-down: I believe that Jesus Christ was & is God's Son, that he stepped out of glory and came to earth and died so that, as sinners, we may step out of the awful chains of sin and be seen again as perfect in God's eyes through the overcoming power of Christ's death. I believe that, at the end of this life, I will go to be with my Heavenly Father for eternity. I also believe that God is love. And that people, myself included, don't realize the depth and power of that love. That it changes lives and it heals. And that this world is broken, but that God is a just God who sees it and will restore it!!! This world isn't it, there's better!

"Redeeming Greatness"

2010-09-07T23:05:00.001-04:00

Wise words from Pastor Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, spoken right to my heart as someone who has, from time to time, masked my God-given talents in a false sense of humility. I now recognize where the gifts come from and who they truly belong to, but I'm daily humbled by the tension of living for my own glory vs. living for God's.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

2010-09-05T21:33:00.002-04:00

Photos from my lovely Sunday afternoon at Meadowlark, 5 minutes from Tyson's Corner. People have weddings here all the time. It's no wonder.

Francis Scott Key

2010-09-05T17:05:00.001-04:00

In a recent post describing my Sunday morning run, I mentioned a little park that I stumbled upon that AM. It sits tucked away in Georgetown just on your right after you cross the Key Bridge into DC from Virginia. On today's run, I caught sight of the marble slab near the pedestrian sidewalk marked "Francis Scott Key Park." Ohhhh, so the statue I saw two weeks ago, that was Francis Scott Key, the man who wrote America's "Star Spangled Banner." Got it. That's neat.

And JUST NOW, as I Googled the park's name, one of the search results read "Francis Scott Key Bridge." Whoa! I now know why it's named Key Bridge. I'm learning stuff all the stinking time! Ran across the bridge again today. Lovely, lovely Sunday.

Blog Layout

2010-08-22T20:16:00.000-04:00

For those of you that keep up with this blog (shout out to the handful of you!), you may have noticed how experimental I am with the blog layout. I'm playing around with it until I find something that I like and that looks good. Would love feedback!

My lovely Sunday-morning run....

2010-08-22T19:59:00.001-04:00

Starting Point: my doorstep.

Run run run... cross walks and cars and empty restaurants...
Passed Clarendon Metro Station... run run run... more restaurants and Whole Foods and parking meters...

Run run run...
The apartments and townhouses turn into high rises. Then I see Court House Metro Station... This is where I usually turn around and head back home. Hmmmm... how am I feeling right now? Well, I'm feeling like I've been sitting in a chair all week, counting on my weekend run to make up for it. I'll keep on.

Run run run... Ok, I'm in Rosslyn now. Buildings are taller and major roads start to intersect. Last week I got pretty close to the Key Bridge... the one that takes you into DC. Hmmm...

Run run run... Ok, I'll make a left, because I know that the Key Bridge is not far that way. AHHH I'm seeing the big greenway highway signs. Tourists with fanny packs? I no longer feel like I'm in residential, hang-out Arlington. Nope... I head across two cross-walks, and I'm started across the bridge along the pedestrian side walk on the right side.

Now, it's been pretty hot and humid out, but the breeze blowing over the bridge is cooling. I can see Georgetown directly in front. The Potomac River is below me, with kayakers out on the water. I'm running faster. I won't kill myself running today. This is obviously further than I usually go, so I'll push through until I'm in DC, then I will take it easy with some walking, allowing myself time to enjoy the scenery and to slow down.

So now I'm just walking around in Georgetown, a chic little area of the city. I pass some folks out for a leisurely walk, but the pedestrian traffic is light compared to what I usually see in the area. Granted, I'm usually there on a Saturday when the shoppers are out in the day and the "young" crowd is out at night. This is a Sunday morning, and I get to see a different, quieter side of Georgetown. It looks a bit more quaint. I notice the small things, like a cobble-stone park area off to the side of the main drag - M Street. The small park was wedged between the river and the intersection of the Key Bridge and M Street. Lines of benches surrounded a commemorative statue and trees protected the area from all the nearby hustle-and-bustle. Very nice. I walked down M Street until I came to the cross walk beside the now-famous cupcake shop Georgetown Cupcake (it has it's own show on TLC called "DC Cupcakes"). I overhear two people's conversation:
"Yeah, there's always a line outside of [Georgetown Cupcake]. You have to wait for like 2 hours."
"Well I'm sure the cupcakes are good, but they are just cupcakes!"
Ha. I've heard this same conversation countless times before.

Anywho, I turn around at this point and start back towards Virginia. The tall buildings of Rossyln loom ahead, and I'm almost sad to leave DC. But I need to get home somehow. Strange, I don't have my SmartCard on me to hop on the Metro. That's the way I always get home when I go into the city. I don't have a single thing on me, just my running clothes and my running shoes. This feels strange...

But, wait, what did I just do? Run... on foot... into our nation's Capitol... from my house? Yep.

Run run run back home now. (actually, this was more like walk walk walk...)

Kings of Leon show

2010-08-15T12:35:00.001-04:00

Towards the end of high school, I went through a huge music phase. I mean huge. I had these two friends from school, Robbie & Natalie, and each had a very refined taste in music, so I soaked it all up... burned CDs from Robbie & Natalie, SPIN magazine, older 90's music that only the authentic music-junkies knew about, live weekend shows at local warehouse venues that I would hear about through school connections, converse sneakers, dating the drummer, etc. This phase came and went. Two years, junior and senior year of high school. Then came college, and my interest in 'discovering' new music faded and was replaced by the top hits station on my XM radio and random mixes on the iPod. Now I listened to some good songs, yes (think Guster & OAR), but still there was a marked change in my relationship to music, as I now just picked up stuff from friends as it became mainstream.

Music once again became somewhat of an interest when I spent the summer in Yellowstone between my sophomore and junior years of school. I had my car out there and not much else (no internet, limited phone, etc), so my friends and I tuned into the classic rock station on our drives through the park. My Yellowstone roommate introduced me to bands like The Traveling Wilbury's, and it all came to a head when my dad came out to visit at the end of my summer. I told him about the music I had been listening to, and in response he shared stories of his early, concert-going days and how he and his buddies would hang around to meet the band after the show. Who knew my dad has hung out with Heart?

What brought on these thoughts of music, nostalgia, etc was a concert I went to last week. I went with friend Katie, Haley, and Kendra to see the Kings of Leon at Nissan Pavillion. I originally heard of this band in high school, from Robbie & Natalie. They put out their first album in 2003 (I believe) and have recently become extremely popular - even winning a Grammy Award. Well, I know a couple of songs from their first 2 albums, but I'm not as familiar with their latest stuff, except for one big hit, "Use Somebody" (26 million+ hits on YouTube, gosh).

I'm no longer super music-savvy. I like a band for a while then I move on, and Kings of Leon was a band I had long-since moved on from. No matter, I had so much fun at the show. Interesting/awesome how everything comes full circle. A big concert by band that put out a CD that I picked up from high school friends 6 years ago now makes for great last-minute plans with DC girl friends!

Here are some pics...

Me, Katie, Haley, & Kendra. Our one group shot for the night.

Ah, the band.

View from our seats. Loved the Black&White on the big screen.

Update, finally!

2010-08-04T21:45:00.003-04:00

Well well well, so I haven't updated in a while. I've thought about it sure, but the idea of relaying every great thing that I've done or have seen or have learned is just exhausting most of the times. That's why so many of my entries skip all of that and go straight to the deeper reflections. Over the past few weeks, I've missed having this time to blog, because it's when I write that I process. Most of the time I use all of my energy to take care of what needs to get done in the present, and that allows little time to think about the past. Overall, it's a good thing that I don't have tons of time on my hands, because I tend to be over-analytical in a counter-productive fashion. So, I'm busy most of the time, yes, but the important stuff in my life always gets attended to, and busyness to me is a clear indication that I am blessed. I'm blessed with a challenging job (which, despite the long hours I sometimes work, I would choose over a not-so-challenging job in a heartbeat) and living in a challenging area (hello, traffic. hello smart people everywhere... smart people who have been raised and bred with an acute level of cultural awareness that, until being exposed to the ongoing information tsunami that defines our culture when I spent time a month at Vanderbilt two years ago, my happy-go-lucky self was blissfully unaware of.)

In short, I'm happy.

And while NONE of this happiness comes from circumstances (it's much more real than that), I will go ahead and plow through a bulleted list of what's up in my life (it's the best I can do):

We got our house set up. All set up. Porch swing, book cases, candles & lights & accents, tons of dishes, spics, wines, curtains, a garden of Black-eyed Susans planted, fresh flowers everywhere inside, two grills in the backyard, a flag flying on our flagpole outside, I could go on. My roommates all have steady jobs in the area, and no one is getting married soon, so we are all in settle-down mode. I'm here, in this Arlington home, in D.C., in a career, with no thoughts of "what's next".
I turned 23. That number sounds a little less college-y. And, no, I don't feel old. Nor do I feel as pigeon-holed by my age.
We had a fun BBQ at the house as a housewarming/birthday party. It was on my actual birthday, which fell on a Thursday. I had gotten out of my comfort zone a bit in inviting people. How many people do I know in this area that would appreciate the invitation as a friendly gestures, even if I worried that it would seem out of the blue? A lot, I came to learn. [If you are keeping score, Maturity - 1. Vanity - 0]. It rained earlier in the day, so we weren't sure how many of our invitees would still show up, but we guessed about 40 people were here. Several of them were my co-workers. There were also several girls from Bible study, a handful of Harding people, along with other friends from church. My roommates have lots of friends in the area, and several of them came out to our party. What a great night. I met several people, many acquaintances became friends, and my friends made friends with each other! Hospitality does not come naturally for me, so this was a big night. Big night. And at work earlier that day, I got several "Happy Birthdays", and the next day too. Confession: I intentionally mentioned it to people. I enjoy excuses to celebrate! I am a mentor to one of our summer interns at work. Her birthday was two days before mine, so we got a group and went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Our waiter messed up our order, so we all got a free piece of cheesecake. Yes, please! Back to the BBQ, Brier made a BEAUTIFUL red velvet cake. Triple layer, with cream cheese icing. It was GONE by the end of the night. Soooo good.
Been playing tourist with Brier. She's new to the city, and her excitement to go and see and do is contagious. I was able to somewhat be a guide (this memorial is here, that is there, this restaurant is good, etc), and that's cool, to feel established, and like you can help someone else discover this amazing area and get to know it as you have. Doing that, you get to know it better yourself. I love D.C.
Past Saturday: dinner at M&S Grill outside on the sidewalk in downtown D.C., then to E Street Cinema (an independent film theater) to see Restrepo, a very tasteful, non-political documentary on what life was like for a U.S. platoon stationed in Afghanistan for 15 months. It was great. I had been wanting to see the film ever since I saw the creator interviewed on CNN. He was asked lots of political questions, and he would politely decline to answer them. "This movie is about those boys and what it is like to be in a war. Period, end of sentence."
Got an Arlington County library card as of yesterday, and I've already come home with 2 books. The library is just a few blocks away and it's SO nice! It looks like a college library. Legit.
Been cooking more.
Been running more. I'm running a 10K at the end of October and, though it's early, I need to be conditioning myself physically and mentally for it. If I don't start running until a few weeks before the race, I'll spend all my time up to then wondering if I will actually do it, if I'll actually run. I'll just nip those doubts in the bud and go ahead and start hitting the pavement. I'm now running with Brier 3x a week, between 2.5 - 3.5 miles each run. I bought running shorts this weekend, and Brier bought a new pair of running shoes. Taking it seriously, and I'm challenged by my own commitment to run.

"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life." ---Anne Morriss

My new favorite place on earth is our front porch. I spent Sunday morning sitting out reading a new book, C.S. Lewis' "The Great Divorce". Brier read the Sunday Washington Post, and we would take turns sharing our reads out-loud. We sat out there for hours, sipping out of our coffee mugs and resting our legs from the morning's run.

To me, the best feeling in the world is the feeling of not wanting to go anywhere or to be anywhere else but where you are, doing what you are doing. I get that feeling a lot now.

Life on Lincoln Street

2010-07-11T14:49:00.001-04:00

So I'm sitting on my bed right now, leaning against a wall right next to a window. On my left is my bookcase and two more windows that face out to the street from my second floor bedroom. It's Sunday, a full week+ 2 days since every single one of my possessions on God's green earth was loaded into this house. And I'm finally catching up to the reality of my move, and not just my move but everything else that I've come through since moving to the D.C. area in May of 2009! The pace of life is so unbelievably quick that every moment I'm allowed to stop and catch my breath is precious.

Last Sunday night was the 4th of July. I spent most of the day shopping for the house and continuing to unpack and settle in.

Then Monday was a day off from work, but I spent the better part of the day preparing for an "extracurricular" work assignment (for lack of a better description) to teach an hour-long lecture on a niche tax topic. Internet was still not configured at the new house, so to get my work done, I journeyed up to Starbucks in Tyson's Corner (close to work and church) in hopes of connecting to the ATT wifi (that's now free!), but the company laptop I use was not linking up to Starbucks' network. So after doing all the work I could offline, I called Courtney, a roommate at the townhouse in Vienna, and got an OK to go back to their house to use the wireless network, which my computer had already been configured to. So I got to a stopping point on my presentation at long last, organizing my handouts & all, and went into Tuesday's work day able to focus on other tasks.

Then Tuesday rolled around, and I felt like it was the first day of school again. I had just been given a four-day weekend and used it to move into a new place with new faces. Now I was back to packing a lunch and figuring out the best way to drive in to the office. Just like freshman year all over again!

Wednesday... PRESENTATION DAY. It went well and I learned a lot from having to give it. I now know that I can literally talk for an hour on state issues (as opposed to federal) that could affect a partnership (particular type of business entity). I also know (or reaffirmed) that I am a perfectionist. And I also know that I could not have gotten through that without praying and praying to God for strength to push through. Yes, I done nerve-wracking presentations in the past, and comparatively speaking, I had an easy audience this time around, but the biggest difference I came up against between previous presentations & Wednesday's presentation is that in the past I've work with a team. I've always had people to consult, people to bounce ideas off of, clear materials to reference, a support network. For example, when I had to give a presentation in school, most of the time there were 2-4 others I worked with, and even when I prepared a presentation solo, my classmates were required to complete the same project I was, so we could take breaks and discuss how our work was coming along. I say this to punctuate the reality that in completing this project I did not have that access to the comforts of my former small-town or college-campus environment. My presentation-style is based in me having a good grasp of my topic so that I can explain and elaborate as needed. I don't memorize. But this time, the length of the assignment and the breadth of the topic I was given left me alone in the company of the echoing question: "How I was going to be ready for this?" And I had no good answer to this question. I've never been as intentional about bringing something to God, but I did with this one. God, I'll stare at all these different resources as long as I need to. I don't see the connections nor do I have enough experience with this sort of material to develop a discerning eye for what is relevant and what is not. But, I'll trust you, Lord, and I'll keep trying. A key verse to reference: 1 Corinthians 10:13 (New Living Translation) - "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." Now, the "temptation" in this circumstance would be to bow out, to cite any available excuse to get out of presenting and to present the excuse with eloquence so that I still seem responsible and diligent. Prayer and the reckless abandonment that comes with blind faith that God provides led me down a different path, however. I presented on Wednesday and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Praise God, He is so faithful.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, right now on Sunday - Happy hour and dinner with friends. Hanging out with Logan, Busi, and Brier (new roommates) and getting to know them all better. Late night convos. Fixing up the house. Getting our kitchen curtains up last night.

"Normal life" has begun to resume. Haha, that's a lie, there's no such thing as "normal life," I just meant by that sentence that I've gotten past the initial adjustment period of the move, now to continue getting settled in. Gotta say, the house I live in is killer. How did we all end up in such a great situation?! I'm so thankful. Word on the street is that we are going to start entertaining soon, and by that I mean hosting BBQs, etc. We've already started. I had a dear friend Laurie over for brunch this morning - I cooked ham & cheese omelettes! And right now as I sit here and type this, I've moved downstairs to the living area to watch the Spain vs. Netherlands World Cup game with Logan, Brier, and our 2 guests.

Hope everyone has just as much joy in their lives :)

Post-Move

2010-07-08T12:57:00.002-04:00

We are getting internet installed at the house today, so I will be back online soon. For now, a quick update from the office on my lunch break. I moved last Friday and have had quite the week to follow, packed with seeing Mom off back to Tennessee, getting things settled into the new house, trying out a new church service (McLean Bible in the morning), running into the city for fireworks on the 4th, re-configuring my routes everywhere from my new address (to church, the office, etc), preparing for an hour-long presentation at work, and giving that presentation yesterday. Lots of adjustments/commitments hit at once! And I'm just trying to stay organized, keeping things in order with my finances, my workload for my employer, my clothes (making sure I know where things are so I don't get stuck not matching!), my exercise schedule (it's way off), and making sure I can get my bowl of cereal every morning like always.

Overall, very excited about the new house and the opportunity to get to know my roommates and our new area in Arlington.

Mom's in town!

2010-06-30T22:23:00.001-04:00

My mom has been staying with me over my last week in Vienna. She got in Sunday and joined me & my roommates for our last roommate dinner. Mom & I made taco salad for the crew. We say Toy Story 3 last night, and tonight we rented another movie. I love having a buddy around! You forget how much you need your mom until she comes in and starts taking care of you, just because you are hers. I come home from work and it amazes me how things just get done around our house. I'm going to feel helpless again next week, just wait for it!

Friday's the day of the big move. Time's flown by, and I can't believe my stuff is really going into boxes right now. White walls and white floors everywhere!

Bumblebees

2010-06-26T10:11:00.002-04:00

"A person with a positive attitude is like a bumblebee. The bumblebee should not be able to fly because the size, weight, and shaped of its body in relationship to its wingspread makes flying aerodynamically impossible. But the bumblebee, being ignorant of scientific theory, flies anyway and makes honey every day." [John Maxwell]

"The Inner Voice of Love"

2010-06-23T14:31:00.002-04:00

The role of books & music in my life has drastically evolved as I've begun my journey in this world as an adult. I'm much more intentional about what I feed into my mind. There is a lot of negativity in this world, or not just negativity but busyness, which creeps up much less conspicuously. I could busy myself with information to no end, reading every volume on successful companies, new technologies, political secrets, etc. I could be up-to-speed with every top MBA student out there. That's great, that's fine. But that cannot come at the expense of more important matters, such as a good attitude not dependent on circumstances, a proactive not reactive spirit, and a trusting heart that sees through attempts at perfection yet understands the power of grace. More often than not, I need less information and less material and fewer complexities but instead more truth, more kindness, and less distraction. This is true for me. Nurturing words from the pages of a book or from the lyrics of a song can speak truth to me that I would otherwise be oblivious to.
Read more...

Tribute to Harding

2010-06-20T23:22:00.001-04:00

I got to see some Harding friends this weekend. So people may fully understand the depth of connection I have with fellow Harding students, I'll add a quick note: Harding University is a private Christian college located in Searcy, AR. It's relatively unknown outside of the Church of Christ denomination. It has strict rules governing student housing (on-campus unless you're married or over 23), drinking (not allowed regardless of age), cursing, curfew (midnight), daily mandatory chapel, Bible classes, acceptable forms of worship in school-sponsored assemblies, etc, and while many view these rules as an easy target for ridicule, there is no denying that in the end they serve to create a bond between Harding students that no one outside of the school (save for a few that attend similar colleges such as Oklahoma Christian or Freed-Hardeman) will ever fully understand.

So the two friends that came to town... Molly and Melanie. Molly I know through my club (Harding's version of a sorority), through classes, and through a summer business program in London and then after the program 2 weeks of travel throughout western Europe, just the two of us (picture on the right was taken outside the Louvre in Paris). During those 2 weeks, we joked that we were like a married couple. And actually, it was during some candid conversations we held while we were over in Europe that I really started to seriously cultivate the idea of coming out to DC.

So Molly & Melanie came out here so that Melanie could do some apartment-hunting before she starts law school here in the fall. I got a chance to meet up with them for dinner on Friday and Saturday. We ate out both nights in Georgetown, a pretty posh area in DC. Friday night was at Mr. Smith's followed by a walk around George Washington University's campus, and Saturday night was at Tackle Box (a casual sea food place) followed by lounging at Paolo's, a destination for preppy college kids & summer interns. It seemed that there was an unwritten dress code for girls to wear slinky dresses & stacked heels. Molly & I represented the humble South in our blue jeans, while Melanie decided not to pair her dress with a painful-looking pair of stilettos, a Georgetown girl's wardrobe staple. It was so refreshing to me to see these girls' faces!

One interesting thing about our time together, in the middle of this fascinating DC environment in which I still feel very much a stranger, were the observations we shared about Harding, adult life, friends getting married, etc. The tone of the conversations about Harding reflected a deeper sense of gratitude we each have for the Harding community. We specifically pointed out our teachers & the genuine concern they show for their students. The business department at Harding is relatively small, and most students have the same teachers at some point since the business core is the same for all business majors. Molly, Melanie, and I were all business majors, so we all built relationships with the same faculty members and we understand the personalities & quirks of each one. The teachers care, you can tell. One small example: I posted a status update on Facebook that read: "Friday night date with molly ingram. Used to meet at shores dorm, now we're meeting at a metro station. Is this really happening?!" And guess who "Liked" it? A finance teacher from Harding (who I never actually had for a class but still had the chance to get to know well). Yeah, ok, so what's the big deal, that was a small gesture. But it still meant something to me and to Molly, who saw it when she went to "like" it herself, (enough that we discussed it at dinner). Very encouraging to know that people at school are still keeping tabs on our lives.

So here my letter to my school:

Thank you, Harding, for the support you have provided for me, even after I have left your safety net. You've made me think through some hard stuff regarding my beliefs, stuff that many never take the time to confront. No, I didn't get it all figured out, nor will I ever, but you showed me what it looks like to value truth, even at the expense of comfort or convenience. And even if the Harding environment has its flaws, thank you Harding faculty for not letting that stop you from investing in your students as best as you can and for showing that you care. Harding, you've given me relationships that will go with me throughout the rest of my life. Just wanted to say thanks.

From Center Street to Lincoln!

2010-06-18T00:31:00.002-04:00

I'm moving away from Center Street. Yes, that's right, the street that serves as this blog's namesake. It's been an evolution of meeting people, holding conversations, reflecting, and doing a ton of house searching & emailing with new roommates, but... it's done. Finalized, as of tonight. My signature is on a year-long lease for a house in Clarendon-- a neighborhood in Arlington, VA, minutes away from downtown DC. Pretty vibrant area. I've spent 3 out of 4 of the last nights down there. It's absolutely hopping with young 20-somethings, while Vienna (my current town) hosts families and empty-nesters.

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Drew & Kayla's Wedding Week - June 9-12, 2010

2010-06-15T20:40:00.001-04:00

What to say about Kayla & Drew's wedding? It was a whirlwind from the moment I got off the plane Wednesday night to the moment I flew back on Sunday night. I was swept up in seeing Kayla & catching up with other people & spending time getting to know the rest of the wedding party & trying to pitch in where I could & just taking it in that my friends who had dated for 9 YEARS were taking the next step, for real. No more "one day..."

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Burleson Cruise Part 2.3 - St. Maarten

2010-06-06T12:55:00.001-04:00

The next day after St. Thomas, we reached St. Maarten. St. Maarten is divided into a French side on the north and a Dutch side on the south. It's the smallest island to be owned by two countries. Around 8:00am, we docked on the southern side of the island at the Dutch capital of Philipsburg. Mom & I wanted to get an early start on the day, so we got off early and took a water taxi to go shop on the main drag of the city [surprised?].

Burleson Cruise Part 2.2 - St. Thomas

2010-06-06T12:53:00.000-04:00

The ship reached Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St. Thomas, on Wednesday morning after a full day at sea on Tuesday. Our group disembarked around 11:00am (which was as soon as the boat allow us off) and quickly hopped in a taxi to go downtown to shop. I spent the better part of an hour picking out a David Yurman necklace in one of the local shops. I walked out of the shop with a beautiful necklace-- a two-toned smoky quartz pendant on a silver chain. I have always loved the polished look of David Yurman jewelry and would have never guessed as I was getting off the boat that day that I would be stepping back on it owning a piece of my own. The whole cruise attitude of "go big or go home" was definitely at play as I handed over my Visa to the lady at the sales counter. Well, this frugal gal has no regrets. Here's to celebrating a successful finish to busy season! THANK YOU LORD!

Burleson Cruise Part 2.1 - Coco Cay

2010-06-05T21:29:00.000-04:00

Burleson Cruise Part 1 - The Food

2010-06-05T10:35:00.002-04:00

I'm going to write a mini series on the cruise I just got back from. The sequence of topics may seem a bit scrambled, but I have this post ready to go after I started with a general post on the trip then took off on a tangent. I stopped myself when I realized that the level at which I want to describe the trip cannot be communicated in one concise entry, so I'll break it up by topic. Follow-up topics include: Ports of call, the Flow-Rider and other on-board activities, Family...

The Food

By the time you get on the ship, most of your costs have already been included in the amount you paid for your cruise ticket, so you've paid, done. You're covered for elaborate meals, nightly performances, beach towel rentals, pool-side ice cream, on-board activities, etc, so basically, you've got a constant stream of food & entertainment at all hours.

You can sample tons of food & other things without a thought of money, so for 7 days, you can have your cake and eat it, too. You can be openly critical of that dish at dinner ("I thought the chicken was a little dry") or that show at night ("That figure skater just dropped the sash he was supposed to be twirling around") without feeling the loss of the $30 you paid for the dish or the $200 a dad might have spent to take a family of four to the ice-skating show.

And I don't mean to say that the quality of the services was poor... not at all! When you try 5 dishes a day on average (counting breakfast buffets, lunch buffets, dinner appetizers, entrees, & desserts), finding 1 dish that you didn't particularly care for still leaves your win-loss record at 34-1 for the 7 day trip. And now you know that escargot isn't so bad (see picture - Jeni is scared of the snail dish. She eventually tried it and LIKED it). Above all, you end the trip very well acquainted with your food-saturation levels!

The illustration below describes a typical scenario:

Ok, if I just ate a creamy appetizer & I plan on indulging in the berry mousse with vanilla ice cream & fruity drizzle topping for dessert, I need to choose a fresh, light entree- chicken or salmon & veggies - and eat it slowly and controlled or else I will go directly into a food comma. And I know that Ben & Jerry are two nasty fellows waiting upstairs on the Promenade with their cookie dough ice cream siren call aimed straight for tourists' late night munchie attacks, which on cruise ships kick in at right about midnight.

Burleson Family Cruise - Pic of the Week

2010-06-01T23:20:00.000-04:00

Formal Night on "Freedom of the Seas"

May 28, 2010

Top Row: Jared (cousin) & his wife Morgan, Jeni (sister) & Chase (sister's boyfriend); 2nd Row from the Top: Ryan (cousin) & his wife Marta, me, Will (brother); Next Row: Mom & Dad; First Row(ish): Uncle Hal, Aunt Lori, Grandaddy, Grandmommy, Aunt Jana, Uncle Steve; Front & Center: Ansley & Jordan (cousins)

Mice & Men & Passports

2010-05-22T10:59:00.002-04:00

As the poets say, "the best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew..." I'm supposed to be thousands of feet in the air right now on a plane to Orlando to meet up with my family. We're leaving on a 7-day cruise tomorrow out of Cape Canaveral. My flight was scheduled for 8:35am out of Reagan. So I put my roommate through the trouble of taking me to the Metro at 5:45am, but we quickly learned that it doesn't start running on the weekends until 7:00am. Rats!
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Blackstock Wedding Countdown

2010-05-19T23:24:00.001-04:00

June 12, 2010. The date is quickly approaching, and there are lots of details swimming through my head! Been working, planning, taking care of business. Lots of that has to do with attending to Maid of Honor duties. Lucky for me, I've been trained in the art of being productive when I need to be, so it doesn't stress me too much, and I'm able to enjoy it.

3 weeks from today is Kayla's bachelorette party in Nashville. 3 WEEKS!!! Kayla & Drew have dated for 9 years, so yeah, no huge shock when they got engaged. But, freak out, they are GETTING MARRIED in 3 1/2 weeks! It's here!!! It's really real. I'm doing my hair, putting on a bridesmaids dress & marching into the church where we all grew up, and it's going to look different than the 1000 times we all showed up for Sunday night youth group stuff and sat down to sing worship songs led by Jamie Leland... or to watch the slide shows on Senior Night... or to hear tales from mission trips to Panama... because Skyline's going to be set up for a WEDDING. Maybe then it will hit me? Well, it's coming, and I'm excited. Here's Kayla & Drew's page on The Knot, if you know them and haven't checked it out yet.

Lewis, Nouwen, Weaver, Lucado

2010-05-12T22:03:00.001-04:00

Today I paid a visit to the public library down the street (yes, down Center Street). I went in search of Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol." All 23 copies were checked out. Hm... time for plan B. What other books had I been wanting to read? East of Eden... John Steinbeck. Ah, success, it was marked "in shelves." I wrote down it's location and continued searching other authors... Beth Moore... C.S. Lewis... Henri Nouwen. All those names took me to the "religion" section of the room. You never know what kinds of books you'll find there... After sifting through a few titles along the lines of "Jesus Was a Liberal"and "The Secrets Men Keep," I picked out a few that I'm thrilled to crack open:

C.S. Lewis - "A Grief Observed"

Joanna Weaver - "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World"

Henri J. M. Nouwen - "the Inner Voice of Love"

Max Lucado - "In the Eye of the Storm"

I cut myself off at 4 books and actually completely abandoned both Plan A ("The Lost Symbol") and Plan B ("East of Eden"). Let's see if I can get through all of them.

Pictures from the Newseum visit...

2010-05-09T22:23:00.001-04:00

The Newseum

555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C.

Portion of the Berlin Wall

Ground Level

View from 6th Floor Terrace

Pennsylvania Avenue & the Capitol

Newseum

2010-05-08T23:41:00.001-04:00

So much has happened since I last sat down to write that I’m feeling as if most of it whizzed right by me.

Today I made it into downtown to visit the Newseum (www.newseum.com). I had to take a moment later in the day to reflect on what stuck out to me from my time in the museum. I always try to absorb as much as I can when given a learning opportunity, but folks, it’s tough to be stimulated at 100% capacity non-stop. We’re not machines, we’re humans, and we’ve got to rest it from time to time.

1 Peter 1

2010-04-26T22:06:00.001-04:00

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again... through the living and enduring word of God. For,

'All men are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of the Lord stands forever.'"

Aren't those words mesmerizing??? My hope and faith and everything belongs to a God who is above all I know and see... even as the seasons change and my human understanding falters. God's awesome.

Roommates, Masquerades, and Sleep

2010-04-18T14:58:00.001-04:00

... have all played some cameos in my life as of this past week! Our big spring busy season tax deadline of April 15 has come and gone. I came home before dark 4 out of 5 nights. It's been somewhat disorienting to have time to myself at night, but I am not complaining. at all. Let normal life resume again!

Now that I have more time to process things (which is precious to me as the introverted thinking-type), here's what I can come up with.
This past year, and especially these past few months, I have traversed so much ground...

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Don Miller on attractive qualities in women

2010-04-11T21:56:00.001-04:00

So... it's a real possibility... I might be called to lead life as a spinster. BUT, in the meantime, I aspire to be the kind of woman that Don Miller (one of my favorite authors) descibed in a recent blog post. He wrote:

"Now I am going to say this directly and perhaps offensively, but I want to say it straight: If a girl wants a great guy, she has to stop feeling sorry for herself. She has to do something different to attract somebody different. If you are strong and choosy, if you have a vision for your life, he will sense in you somebody to partner with so the two of you can help others (or raise a family.) That’s what a good guy is looking for. I’m not saying you can’t cry on his shoulder every once in a while-guys love being strong for a woman-I’m just saying if you have the characteristics of a wounded animal, you are going to attract somebody who eats wounded animals.

A guy who has a serious vision for his life and family is looking for a partner, an advisor, somebody who can work with him to do remarkable things. A bimbo isn’t going to help. And if he wants a bimbo, he doesn’t have a very good vision for his life anyway. Self-assurance is beautiful. A choosy girl is beautiful. A woman who does not manipulate with her appearance is beautiful. A girl who is respectful of other people is beautiful. Intelligence is beautiful. A woman who has deep faith is beautiful. God knows there are plenty of books out there for girls on how to attract guys. I’d be careful and read the ones from dignified, older authors, because there are all kinds of tricks women use to attract men that just leave them more and more lonely."

Full Article: "What Men Really Need from Women" at http://donmilleris.com/2010/04/08/what-men-really-need-from-women/

Consistency

2010-03-28T05:01:00.001-04:00

... has been a major theme in my life lately. How so? Well, I've now been keeping up my workout routine for almost 3 months straight. Usually, I start a new routine strong then taper off once the novelty wears off. Or I do the minimum amount to feel like I'm a notch above feeling out of shape. My current routine consists of 2-3 TaeBo workouts a week (8 minute, Basic, or Advanced, depending on the amount of time/energy I have), and it has come to mean a lot to me to get it in. It represents appreciating my health by proactively investing in it, it represents real commitment to something in spite of moods, and it represents an inner integrity developed by practicing consistency in my life.

Philippians 4:4-8

2010-03-18T07:23:00.002-04:00

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praise worthy-- think about such things."

Update on March, so far.

2010-03-07T23:11:00.001-05:00

March, so far, has been a month filled with long hours on the job, very large spreadsheets, getting to know my co-workers better, feeling more comfortable in the office, wearing comfortable shoes, listening to good music, and several phone calls home to check in and wish people happy birthday. My grandma had a birthday last week... and my grandad... and my dad's was yesterday, and my sister's is tomorrow. So that all amounts to some quality conversations with people who are dear to me.

Tax Season Tunes

2010-03-05T18:43:00.002-05:00

I just paid for a year-long subscription to Pandora (www.pandora.com) and my favorite stations are currently Alison Krauss, Little Big Town, OAR, ,& Hillsong. So I spend my days in the office listening to some great tunes. Hey, it's all about the small things, people.

Pet Insecurities

2010-02-17T05:47:00.000-05:00

No updates this entry-- I'll just take you inside my head for a bit.

Holding on to pet insecurities is a struggle I have had in my life, and I know that God has used and will continue to use that struggle to teach me truth that I can share with others. I've seen first-hand how damaging toxic habits are in all aspects of your life. The personal cost is tremendous. Because no matter what you do, where you go, what people think of you, you will always feel the weight of the private battles lost.

Why wasn't I more friendly to this person? Why did I let a small thing get in the way of what could have been a good friendship? Why am I acting so defensive? Why, when I have the spotlight, do I always focus on making my own point and looking strong instead of engaging others and building up their esteem? The dumbest things!!! You wanna hear one of the silliest ones? Sure, ok, why not. I have for a long time held the belief that there is a "perfect outfit." Wanna know why? Because ELLEgirl told me so when I was 14. And because I love buying clothes, so I find it very convenient to believe that the "perfect outfit" is within my grasp. So for years I filled up my closet with clothes that got replaced way sooner than I care to admit. I'm sure someone could run a deep analysis on this (i.e. "You want to believe that happiness is just as simple as a trip to the mall... therefore..."). Whatever. It doesn't matter why or for how long a girl behaves according to scripts written by her insecurities, or even the source of those insecurities [ELLE, I'm not going to sue you]. No, but what she can do is allow the truth that beauty is developed within to shape what the things she seeks in this world.

You know why I have to call myself out on this? Because I want to do things with my life. What if I want to do mission work abroad one day? How would I go tell other people the Good News if I have yet to fully buy in myself? Or, hitting a little closer to home, what if I want to one day tell my teenage girl that she is beautiful, no qualifications necessary, but then my own past struggle with that issue starts silently mocking me.

The key to letting go of the things that control you isn't to focus all of your attention on the minutia of the small battles. No, it is to ground yourself in truth... through Scripture, through service, through others. You give the battle to God, and all of a sudden a huge weight is lifted, and the comfort that the little pet insecurity used to provide you in the past is completely forgotten as you step out on faith. And all the while, your faith grows as well.

No more snow please.

2010-02-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

"There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full."

--Henry Kissinger, New York Times article, 1969.

It's Thursday. I'm in the house for the 3rd day straight. The federal government has been closed all week, and apparently, an inclement weather closure by the federal government is a big stinkin deal. Everyone around has reassured me, "Oh, they never close." I've heard that it costs around $100 million per day. Hear that, taxpayers? I'll refrain from inserting a cynical political comment here...

I've still had work to do. PwC's office was open on Monday, and I went in for the day after spending Sunday digging out my car. The roads were still completely covered in white, but there had been enough salt and sand mixed in to allow for good tire traction. I just took my time driving to and from work. By Monday afternoon, they

were already predicting more snowfall starting mid-day on Tuesday and going into Wednesday. We've been getting email notices about office closings on a day-by-day basis ever since. Still at home. Don't know when I'll be in a normal routine again. I'll just crack it up to a lesson in being flexible and staying focused on my responsibilities.

Our shovel broke last Saturday. We've been borrowing from neighbors and friends. We still have power, and I've kept myself well-stocked with groceries and everything.

And we got to play in the blizzard during my lunch break yesterday!

“The mind is its own place, and in it self

Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”

~John Milton, Paradise Lost

"Why Worry" - Andy Stanley

2010-02-09T22:12:00.000-05:00

Favorite line: "You can have uncertainty and not worry all at the same time" (Time: approx 16:00)

"Snowpocalypse" 2010

2010-02-07T20:11:00.000-05:00

Copied from an email I sent about how I'm handling the Snowpocalypse:

"As for the weather, I'm faring well. I'm spent the good part of my day outside trying to shovel my car out. It is more snow than I have ever seen outside of a ski slope. This area isn't used to this much snow, so our parking lot has not been plowed yet and the roads are not good. There are heaps and heaps of snow everywhere I look, and I know that our county's annual budget for snow removal was exhausted prior to this huge wave of winter weather. I stocked up on groceries and gassed up my car before the storm, so now my only concern is getting to work in the morning. I tested my car out earlier, and I can get out of the parking lot without too much trouble, but I will have to dry slowly in the morning getting to work. I don't want to have to work from home since I have so many hours to get in... busy season is here and work must get done! So hopefully tomorrow's morning trip into the office won't be too much of a headache.

Two major blessings are (1) our power hasn't gone out at all, and (2) with everyone outside, we've gotten to see a lot of our neighbors that we've never met, and even made some new friends."

It was crazy snow. Our snow shovel broke, so we had to borrow the neighbor's. I'm trading in my 2-door Accord for a Jeep ASAP. Not really, I love my car. But after a few hours of snow, it's white color blends in with the snow, and it's completely buried.

All I know is, shoveling wears you out. I'm beat.