SnowBall 2012--Kings & Queens:

I apologize in advance for the format; Blogger won't recognize the presence of enter keys, for some reason. ~January 4, 2013~ For those who did, or even did not, attend The Dance Syndicate of Yakima's Snowball 2012 this past weekend, I was listening to this song yesterday and was struck by it's application to what the Holy Spirit was consistently impressing upon people throughout the Snowball weekend. Audio Adrenaline's new single "Kings & Queens" has resonated within me each time I've heard it, striking a chord as it rings with truth, reality, and hope--my three favorite themes to find bound together in books, movies, music, stories, life. Hearing it after the Banquet & Ball...excuse me, Jared...the Snowball--I understand it in a new light, from a new perspective. Is it just me, or doesn't this epitomize what this weekend was all about? God designed men to be kings--not dictators, but respected and respectable providers and protectors. He designed women to be queens--valuable and valued (and equal) helpmates to the kings. Why is it, you may ask, that we do not always live up to these roles? The answer, my friends, is that we human beings brought sin into the world. God gave us a free will, and we used, and use, our freedom for ill, though our God-given conscience makes us aware of the difference between right and wrong. And so, we fell. In the garden Adam & Eve fell; at every wrong choice we make, we fall again. Alas! what a discouraging truth; however, it doesn't end there! God foresaw our fall, and He had a plan to redeem us in spite of our willful wrongdoing that separated us from Him, Holy & Almighty God. He wove His thread of redemption through history, and when the time was right, He came to live amongst us Himself. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light SO THAT IT MAY BE SEEN PLAINLY THAT WHAT HE HAS DONE HAS BEEN DONE THROUGH GOD" (John 3:16-21). I feel an appropriate response to this passage from the book of John is as follows, from Psalm 103: 2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Sin entered the world and marred it, but from that moment onward God has constantly both desired and offered to redeem us from the pit, and it is in and through Him and only Him that there is HOPE. Because in Him we have hope, when we accurately identify who we are in Him we are able to turn around and offer that hope to others who are hopeless, as we previously were. At that point, Boys become kings, girls will be queens Wrapped in Your majesty When we love, when we love the least of these Then they will be brave and free Shout Your name in victory When we love, when we love the least of these When we love the least of these -Audio A. This is one thing that this weekend was all about. This weekend experience was all about people whose identity is founded in Christ seeking, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to help others and themselves rightly identify who they are in relation to God & mankind and to therefore 1) Have hope and 2) Step forth into that position of king or queen designated for for them by Almighty & All-Loving Creator God who weaves redemption throughout our lives in spite of ourselves--who weaves it throughout my life in spite of my self-centered mindset and ways. "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." As I finish writing, this song has just begun to play over the internet radio, and it's pulse beats out a tempo that beckons and challenges me to join Audio Adrenaline, the Syndicate, and Kings & Queens everywhere in seeking to love "the least of these" in whatever place or lifestyle we may encounter or discover them and to open their eyes to their God-given designation as Kings & Queens themselves. Soli Deo Gloria. ~JE

MIA

Yes, I have been, and will likely continue to be, MIA since the beginning of the school year. You'd think I could still manage one post per month, but the very idea of making that a priority stresses me out. I do, however, quite frequently contemplate blogging...:D. Sometimes daily. And I wanted to share with you the reason for that.

In, oh, May or so, I went to a yard sale on a Friday evening, and for some ridiculously low price like $1 or $.50 (I think it was the latter), I purchased an old edition of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. It was a beautiful, old red hardback, and I've always heard good things about M. U. for H. H., so I decided I'd take it. It turned out to be the buy of the year, because I've been reading that book almost every day of the year since June or July. Though I don't agree with absolutely everything Chambers says, his words are often profound, and where I disagree, he at least has done the job of getting me thinking about Scripture.. That is highly valuable, truly.

Many days I wish I had the time to simply sit and type out the entire content of Chambers' words for that day. I bookmark the day and plan to write or blog about it, but then I don't, and then there are too many bookmarks cluttering up my book. So here and now I am telling you: Find a copy of My Utmost for His Highest. Buy it. Read it daily, or as close to daily as you can manage. (At first I would try to "catch up" if I fell behind, but I gave that up, and that has made it easier to keep up with the proper day, somehow. FYI.) They are short, one-page devotionals written by a man whom I believe was closely in tune with God and God's Word. They provide a consistency that is different from other devotionals--consistent length, consistent depth, other consistencies that I'm too tired to explain properly. You don't have to keep at it for a whole year or even read it on certain days, but I strongly encourage you to check it out in some way.

~Blessings & Happy 2012!

P.S. Ghetto Apples to Apples, etc.

Last Thursday I learned to play Ghetto Apples to Apples, in which each person makes up ten or so pieces of paper (we used 1/4 pieces of notecards--sturdier, if you want to save them). Each paper has a quote or lyric or noun or something on it--whatever the person wants to put. Then all the little pieces of paper get thrown in a pile and mixed up, then randomly drawn so that you now have the papers of several different people rather than just yourself. Next, the players take turns making up different scenarios, like, "You were shoplifting in Mr. Boothman's bookstore, and Mr. Boothman caught you. What do you say to him?" The ensuing hilarity is both remarkable and priceless, and you will definitely want to teach this game to all your friends!

This also reminds me that I learned a new game on Wednesday (the day right before G. A. to A.), as well! It was named "Sock-o" by the guy who made it up, but I prefer to call it "Ultimate Sock." Basically, it's Ultimate Frisbee, except that you have a sockful of flour instead of a frisbee and your goals are hula hoops with one player from the opposing team standing inside. You play like U.F., but when you get to the goal, you must hit the person inside the hula hoop with the sock:D! As the sock is passed, thrown, and used to whack people, the flour gradually diminishes, and people end up with flour dust all over. SO MUCH FUN! It's less intimidating than U.F., and works best if you make sure all the players get to play, not just a few athletic individuals. Another game you should teach all your friends:D!

June's almost over, and July's just one month!

I am currently listening to "Beautiful Things" by Gungor. :D

Well, the title, said in a hurried and exclamatory manner, describes how I'm feeling right now! May had no blog because May was ridiculously busy; June is almost over; July is just one month; in August I'm going on a trip, & then school starts--YIKES!

But I am LOVING summer. It is beautiful:). I love eating outside, throwing open windows, listening to night-sounds, waking up at 5 AM to light! (Of course, I go right back to sleep.)

Allow me to backtrack, though. If you are reading this blog, you most likely already know, but I'm not 100% positive whom I remembered to email. Drumroll please.......I have a job! (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:) I'm stoked! Next year I will be teaching pre-school to 3 & 4 year olds, and though I'm a bit nervous about it, I am confident in God's direction. Honestly, that's what's keeping me excited, because otherwise I would be too overwhelmed by how many new things I am learning and discovering and trying to remember, so thank You, God:).

I got to know my job a little bit by observing, subbing, and then doing year-end inventory (which involved a great deal of getting to know my classroom and supplies:)! Throughout the summer I hope to get at least a month of school tentatively planned (I'm sure there will be plenty to learn and change as I jump on in). Additionally, I am helping my church with VBS, babysitting two of my favorite little monkeys four Fridays in a row, babysitting 3 others of my favorite little monkeys 24/7 for either 7 or 8 or 9 days--something like that, still loving on kids at youth group and in a girls small group, and hoping to make enough money to pay the bills all summer long! One of the big deals of the summer (I don't think it quite tops a full week of babysitting 3 little monkeys, but it's a close second for biggest deal:D) is that I will be going on a missions trip for 16 days in August! Not saying where, but ask for details and I'll mail them to you:). It prob'ly doesn't matter, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to say.

Anyway, the summer's filling up, and I am trying to maintain a balance. Hopefully it will be achieved! Trying also to surrender my life more to God, but I am finding out that I am even more stubborn than I had realized. Thanks be to God for His indescribable grace, truly.

Don't know when the next update will come; I'm feeling like this was rather dry, but informative. Something of interest? ... I finally finished reading Francis Chan's Crazy Love; it rocks; you should read it!:D Also read Impossible by Nancy Werlin. I loved it, overall, but I was warned that it was weird. It has 2 or 3 things I really disliked, but there were a lot more that I really liked, so it's a toss-up on whether I can recommend. But I can't really explain the dislikes without completely giving away a lot of the story. If you like well-written fairy tales, it is one, and a modern one, besides. Well-written modern fairy tales are rare, in my book. So take a chance. But if you don't like fairy tales or fantasy, just skip it.

Read/reading tons more; maybe I'll review some things next time:D. Adios, y vaya con Dios.

Another Prompt: Favorite Teachers

Mrs. Linda Smith, formerly of Selah, Washington, did her utmost to make learning fun—and she succeeded! She was the teacher everyone wanted. Through songs, anecdotes, and empathy for her students, she gave me my two most memorable elementary years, the third and sixth grades. I most recently connected with her one year ago, in the midst of my own student teaching experience. As of then she was still pouring her love and energy into young children’s lives.

Mrs. Smith was the first teacher who made me want to be a teacher, as she made my classroom experience creative, exciting, memorable, and just plain FUN. I hope that somewhere in every student’s K-12 experience there is a Mrs. Smith, transforming the lives of children and, by extension, their families and communities. Thank you, Mrs. Smith, and the many dedicated teachers like you!

The Occasion of the Thirtieth Anniversary

This will have to be edited at a later date, but I need, at last, to get the email containing these song lyrics OUT of my inbox! I emailed them to myself over a month ago upon learning that these songs were sung at my parents wedding, thinking I would soon thereafter include them in a blog. Well, here they are:D.

There's something about listening to people singing at your own parents' wedding when those parents were just about your age. It is both incredible and enlightening, awe-inspiring and tear-evoking, beautiful and almost eerie. My parents, aged 20 and 22; the persons of these beautiful, "old" photos I've loved looking at all my life, being wished a marriage full of God and full of love. And I listen and consider how I, too, want that.

Were my parents once idealistic youths? Am I an idealistic youth? Did the wishes professed in these hand-picked songs come true? Will my own wishes for life and love come true? It's hard to tell; there are many invisible and incomprehensible variables. Regardless of what was, is, and will be, I admire those youthful parents for the lives they set out to live; I admire my raising-kids parents for the standards to which they held us; and I admire my now-parents, for whom they are now.

It's a little melancholy to only now find out, after thirty years, that my parents have a tape of their wedding; however, it is all the more treasured and meaningful because I am the age they were then and I am facing the same sorts of grown-up issues they were then. It's possible that I can appreciate this tape more than if I'd grown up having heard it now and then. Maybe, maybe not, but these are the songs that I've discovered as a result:

"You're a Gift" sung by their pastor's wife
[I have to copy these from a piano book my aunt has...the lyrics can't be found online. Stay tuned; it's really good, thought-provoking, and God-centric!]


"The Troubador" sung by my uncle
He is now to be among you
at the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this troubadour
is acting on His part.
The union of your spirits, here,
has caused Him to remain
for whenever two or more of you
are gathered in His name
there is Love, there is Love.

Well, a man shall leave his mother
and a woman leave her home
and they shall travel on to where
the two shall be as one.
As it was in the beginning
is now and til the end
Woman draws her life from man
and gives it back again.
And there is Love, there is Love.

Well then what's to be the reason
for becoming man and wife?
Is it love that brings you here
or love that brings you life?
And if loving is the answer,
then who's the giving for?
Do you believe in something
that you've never seen before?
Oh there is Love, there is Love.

(Short solo)

Oh the marriage of your spirits here
has caused Him to remain
for whenever two or more of you
are gathered in His name
there is Love, there is Love.


"Lady" by Kenny Rogers, sung by my dad to my mom:D

Lady, I'm your knight in shining armor and I love you
You have made me what I am and I am yours
My love, there's so many ways I want to say I love you
Let me hold you in my arms forever more

You have gone and made me such a fool
I'm so lost in your love
And oh, we belong together
Won't you believe in my song

Lady, for so many years I thought I'd never find you
You have come into my life and made me whole
Forever let me wake to see you each and every morning
Let me hear you whisper softly in my ear

In my eyes I see no one else but you
There's no other love like our love
And yes, oh yes, I'll always want you near me
I've waited for you for so long

Lady, your love's the only love I need
And beside me is where I want you to be
'Cause, my love, there's somethin' I want you to know
You're the love of my life, you're my lady

Have You Seen This Chicken?

Given the time, I could probably come up with a dozen or more puns on this subject.

There's the childhood songs route:

"Oh where, oh where has my little chicken gone; oh where, oh where could it beeeee?"
"______ stole the chicken from the refrigerator! Who me? Yes, you! Couldn't be! Then who stole the chicken from the refrigerator?"

Orrrrr, the Shakespearean route:

"Chicken! Chicken! My kingdom for some chicken!"
"Chicken, chicken, wherefore art thou chicken!" (A misuse of the word "wherefore," but one commonly used, and rather "punny," nonetheless.)

I'm quite sure I could come up with 3 times as much, but I'll stop there, because quite frankly, at the moment, I have better things to be getting on with. Suffice it to say there were two pieces of chicken last night when my parents and their company finished dinner, but where the chicken has gone between now and then is a mystery. Possibly the fridge (though we've thoroughly searched it); possibly the freezer (but we searched it, too!); possibly the garbage (unfortunately already and much-too-efficiently removed and thrown into the dumpster) or a random cupboard (for which I am not brave enough to face for an exhaustive search, yet). All family members have been questioned, and allegedly none of them ate the chicken. We didn't even know it was gone until we tried to start warming up the leftovers at 7 PM, in a state of moderate hunger since we'd waited for my mother to get home from work.

If it turns up, the mystery will be solved, but I'm not holding my breath.

Waltzing

I haven't been able to get this song out of my head since Friday, December 3, when I heard it while at a swing dance. It is a waltz, and I've never actually waltzed to it with a guy, but I have waltzed to it, alone, around my house. I also think I waltzed to it with my dear friend Erica H. at the Christmas Dance, but I can't remember whether that was this song or a different one. Regardless, the song has been waltzing around my head, off-and-on, for the past month and 3 weeks, and in order for you to understand why I'm letting it stay there, you need to hear the song. (P.S. I did already know and even love the song, but I somehow have become significantly more attached to it since the third of December. I think that is a combination of a love of both dancing and recognizing beloved songs in a setting where I usually don't know the songs or have only heard them there.)
:)

"How Many Kings" by Downhere

Sung Neng Yee/Nora Sung

I just finished the book China Cry, the story of a little Chinese girl named Sung Neng Yee born in pre-Communist China. She grew up to be called Nora (Lam) Sung in the the United States. From her birth in Peking (Beijing) to a mother who could not keep her to her loving and wealthy adoptive parents; to being forced to flee from the invading Japanese; to being given hope and relief when the Japanese were defeated; to a devotee of Communism, thinking it a great new order; to re-seeking God, whom she knew as a child, as a result of Communism's suspicious persecution. Then, through many, many hardships and faith-building steps and leaps, from China to Hong Kong to the U.S. and then back to Hong Kong and, at last, China. The story is incredible, and I HIGHLY SUGGEST you read it for yourself. I was SO encouraged by all the amazing miracles God did. There were so many times Neng Yee protested or questioned God because she couldn't see the big picture, but then she many, MANY times found out later how huge an impact these difficult events and her obedience had had on bringing others to Christ. What an indescribably AWESOME God we serve! I wish that Neng Yee were still alive (she died in 2004) so that I could personally write and tell her how powerfully I have identified with her. Through her story, I have seen confirmation of the importance, beauty, and worthwhileness of submitting oneself to God and boldly believing that He will cause everything to fall into place as a result. Maybe not in the ways my little mind forsees as "best," for how often my plans and expectations of what is "good" or "best" are wrong, but only seen as such in hindsight! But He will cause them to fall where they truly will be "best," for He is omniscient AND has my best interests at heart. How awesome! And He has chosen to use ME and YOU in that process of implementing his good and perfect will!!! Can I get a "Hallelujah!" from anyone out there?

Thank you, God, for your indescribable goodness, faithfulness, love, and majesty! As it says in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do," and in Isaiah 64:6, "...all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..." You are the Potter; we are the Clay. Mold us, please, into beautiful things, and help us yield to your will, and help us to humbly realize that it is by Your power alone, and in no way our own that great things are done. Soli Deo gloria.

I love writing for a prompt. Why? Well, I love writing, but I don't always have a clear idea what I want to write. For example, today I was rather bored as I was subbing. Staring at students for hours on end is not extremely intellectually stimulating. So what materials did I have? Paper. With paper, I tried to write, but it turned out to be a very dull account of what I was doing. Enter, my saviour: the prompt!

I write well when I write for a purpose. When I encountered the following prompt, I was excited, because it made me think about The Chronicles of Narnia, something in which I already am have a profound interest. I didn't win anything, but I thought my purposeful writing worth sharing. Maybe it will stimulate your heart and mind, as well. :)

In 200 words or less, tell us your favorite character from The Chronicles of Narnia series and share why you would like to attend the London premiere of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

I had never taken time to consciously consider a favorite character from the Narnia series. C.S. Lewis filled the series with a plethora of fantastic characters; each has a depth of its own, as well as different struggles and triumphs. I have identified with different characters at different times, yet I can easily say that my favorite is Shasta from The Horse and His Boy. It is his story to which I return the most, drawn by the wonder of a child both physically and spiritually lost and then so miraculously found by a Loving Father. Neither the themes of redemption and love nor the thrill of suspense and victory in this tale have ever disappointed me. They provide not simply a story but also a glimpse of my Heavenly Father. That is why I would be delighted to travel to London for the premiere of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Lewis’ Narnia has always helped me relate to the Triune God by painting glorious pictures of how even young children could know Him personally. I would be interested in seeing how those involved in the making of the Narnia films view the indisputably spiritual work of C.S. Lewis.

Postscript: Note that I used exactly 200 words. Being me, I started with more and whittled it down. Lol,:D.

No-shave November

I recently heard on the radio that a guy could almost certainly point to a couple of girls he went to college with as the original instigators of No-shave November. At least he said he'd never been able to find anyone who could trace the annual event further back than these two girls in Texas. Apparently, in a season of singleness, they'd decided not to shave their legs for a month. I think the idea was that no one would know the difference--but word got out, and a holiday-month was born.

Well, that is my introduction--an anecdote of interest relative to this month. However, it is merely the reason I began thinking about this blog topic, not the focus of it. You see, I am here to tell you why I believe in a No-shave Life. I'm not being funny, silly, or sarcastic--I'm being serious. So if you don't ind, lend your eyes, your brain, and your heart for just a few moments.

I began not-shaving a couple of years ago. I've always been a fan of not-shaving during the winter. I mean, who really wants extra-cold legs when nobody will see them anyway? But in 2008, my nonconformity grew gradually bolder. You see, I had a dear friend and housemate who had never shaved her legs in her life, and she inspired me to do away with the senseless, uncomfortable, time-consuming practice.

My mother and younger sister were not fans, to say the least*, but their insistence for conformity strengthened my feelings of rebellion on the subject. Their attitudes and the prejudicial ones I encountered--or sometimes, perhaps, merely imagined--forced me to think:
~Why am I doing this?
~Why do I care?
~Why does the urging of the crowd--family, friends, random
acquaintances--make my generally docile self feel ready to boil
over?


~TBC~


*My father and older sister did not care, and my brother applauded my action--or rather, inaction.

October

Saturday, October 16, 2010
11:39 PM

Sticky notes turn up in the oddest of places. This week I found three.

1) In the front cover of my Bible.
2) Under the white flip-flops that used to be Megan's.
3) Under the rug.

I learned some very interesting things through these sticky notes, such as,

1) Evil Sticky-noters have very good imaginations for where to place things,
2) Jennifer Jaff turned into a giraffe,
and 3) Jennifer Mutton turned into a button.

Had the urge to sticky-note someone's room, workplace, or car lately? You probably should. Someone will learn important things as a result.

An Inadvertent Win:

I posted the following for Inklings Bookshop's Poetry Day contest on Thursday. I merely wanted to be involved in the discussion, because it was about children's poetry, and if there are two genres of literature that are my favorite, they are children's lit and poetry. If you put the two together, fireworks explode in my heart, and I can't help but grin. Why, just today a fourth grade girl came up to me and showed me Sharon Creech's Love That Dog and Hate That Cat, and I could hardly contain myself in a professional manner as I tried to communicate to her my enthusiasm for poetry and Sharon Creech. So here's my little snippet--I hope it gets you reading children's poetry! :D

"One of my favorite childhood poems is'Disobedience' by A.A. Milne, which is about how a 3 year old takes such good care of his mother, but unfortunately she disobeys him and ends up lost. Despite King George's offer of "forty shillings reward," James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupree's mother is never found again. Alas! But it's hilarious..."

P.S. I was just perusing the blogs in my little subscription inbox (RSS feed? I don't know what it's called, for sure). In doing so, I have realized that I am ONE MONTH behind in my reading! How did this happen? I'm sorry, dear ones--I will begin catching up on your lives ASAP. (Which probably means after I get back from California on the 12th of October:(...) I'm sorry! Will catch up; cross my heart and kiss my elbow. Hasta luego.

Borrowing From an Email, While I've Got it So Concisely Written:

Here are three little internet videos that I have found helpful to both my mind and the way are relate to God and his world; maybe you've even heard of or seen them. All three videos touch on thoughts about consumerism.

"The Story of Stuff" was a video Nathaniel had me watch a couple years ago, and it gives legitimate concerns about our consumer society and why it isn't as great as a lot of Americans--Christians included--seem to think.

One of the Advent Conspiracy videos was shared with me by Brian a few months before Nate shared "The Story of Stuff" with me. (And I think I shared that one with Brian.) These videos are a specifically Christian and Christmas-oriented look at things--"stuff." I would say they're applicable to all of life, though, not only Christmas. I advise first watching "Enter the Story" then the "[AC] Promo 2009" videos, which are respectively the 5th and 4th videos down on this page. Or even better, watch "[AC] 2009 Promo" here so that you can make it full-screen and actually read the tiny print:). The other videos are probably great, too, but those are the only two I have watched, and I think it's good to watch them both, with "Enter the Story" coming first.

A Frustration:

Allow me, briefly, to mention a frustration I have with the Christian sub-culture.

Disclaimer: I am in no way saying I am perfect and amazing and do the right thing all the time, neither from pure nor calculated motives. However, it frustrates me to listen to a Christian radio station that sends listeners to foreign countries purely for the sake of going to a concert. I keep hearing this contest go on, and I think, "Really? A trip to Ireland? What about the starving kids all over the world? What about humanitarian efforts?" I can understand sending people free CDs; it's both marketing and a source of encouragement and the Message of Christ. I can kind of understand sending people to concerts, though that's iffy, depending on the amount of money going into the whole thing. But the stations are provided those kinds of giveaways. But who is funding transporting people to foreign countries to go to concerts? I want to be a part of a sub-culture that focuses its energies and monies toward curing diseases or curing people of preventable diseases or providing drinking water and food to those who need it.

As I said before, I am far from perfect, but is it just me or does sending people on overseas vacations sound a little too much like American pop culture than being the hands and feet of Christ?

Feel free to argue.

Changer of Lives

It is late, and I am going to school tomorrow, but I could not let tonight escape without some news. Tonight I learned that one of my youth group kids became a Christian!!! Praise God! That is a huge encouragement that what I am doing is somehow really changing people's lives. That's what I want to be, a Life-Changer, but sometimes I question it. There are so many job types out there, and each one has it's place. Just today I was wondering what kind of jobs are truly meant for me and I for them, and I'm still not sure. But it IS good to know that what I am doing right now, in this silly, humdrum, interim period of life-after-college-but-before-"REAL"-life can meaningfully impact those around me and help people find the love of a Saviour who provides the "peace that passeth understanding." He is the Changer of Lives who gives me the ability to help change others' lives. To God alone be the glory!

Other brief update: I have applied for a job at a bookshop in hopes of working there part-time and subbing, as well. I would like some kind of regular income, as my loan is soon coming due. Thank God that I have plenty of food, clothes, and options for shelter; I need only repay my loan until such a time as I have enough to finish it off. (After that, my family willlll charge me rent, unfortunately but understandably.) August has been a whirlwind, but a new season is beginning with the start-up of schools all over the valley. Also, I read a very meaningful, to me, short story by Roald Dahl today called "Lucky Break," and last week my mom & I went to visit my brother in California. That's not much, but it's all I have time for today. Tomorrow I'm observing a first grade teacher throughout her first day of school--should be fun, and educational!

TTFN!

Ha HA!

As it says above...ha HA! I have figured out how to beat the beast that turns all my titles and labels into a foreign language! One must simply type the title and labels in the body and then cut and paste them into the proper locations. Not a cure, exactly; I still don't know why it does it to begin with. However, I have fixed all my run-together titles and labels and shall not have to run them together any longer, and THAT makes me quite glad!

What I have been doing since graduating:

I have been working as youth intern at my church! It was a job without any description beyond what I could recall previous interns having done, but I had a very strong desire for the job, regardless of unknowns--it was something God was putting in my heart. I sent a few emails in early May and, at long last, heard back in late May: I was hired!

Since then, I have been learning all kinds of things about what it means to be a leader involved in youth ministry. I make phone calls & reservations, write emails, buy hot dogs & hamburgers, stay up all night (ALL NIGHT!) with two middle schoolers while the rest of the kids crash on couches and the floor. I write facebook messages, make more and more facebook friends; I hang out with kids and talk, but more often I listen, listen, listen. I encounter persons from ages 9 to 12 to 16 who think I am 17 years old, and then I laugh--especially because the 9 and 12 year olds still think that's old:).

I read the Bible and I pray, pray, pray. A dear woman in our church, out of her amazing heart for our youth, comes each week and asks each student if they would like to fill out a prayer request for that week. She then takes the entirety of our youth group time to pray, pray, pray, and then she makes copies for another leader and myself so that we all may pray for these precious students, their highs, their lows, their struggles, their victories, their hearts' desires, week after week after week.

I teach Sunday school, trying to learn to be a better organizer-of-thoughts, a clearer speaker. I teach youth group and try for the same. And besides all these things, there are more hopes and dreams on my heart, just waiting for the opportunity to be introduced and fulfilled in the lives of these kids. The resounding question: How do I help them care? I can have all the service projects and spiritual growth and bonding events and activities in the world planned outside of youth group and Sunday school, but in this day and age of "Too Busy-ness," who will come? Who will care? Over and over I ask God, "How can I reach these kids?" We have to work to figure out how to make the most of the time we have with these young people of whom I was so recently one.

My heart desires to continue in this vein, whether there is money in it or not. I am hoping that my church will want to keep me on in an employed capacity, having seen me work and relate with these students throughout the summer, but even if they do not, I will stay until God directs me elsewhere. It takes time to build trust and relationships, and I don't want to throw those away--neither the time nor the relationships invested in this summer.

For me, you can pray for God's direction in my life. Somehow God will provide the means to repay my school loan, I know it, but I'd love it if that plan involved more-permanent employment with my church. It could also involve another part-time job, for unless they have very direct leading from God, I do not think I would be hired in a full-time capacity. Pray for me to grow continually closer to God as I seek his will for my life; pray for total surrender and complete obedience and submission as God asks me to be a fool for Christ--as he so often does in the littlest of ways.

~Soli Deo gloria, or To God alone be the glory.

Much to Think About

I know it's late, and bed is definitely calling. But there was much to think about, and here's one way I can process it a little better [i.e. by writing].


Nostalgia. This week has been full of nostalgia. First, on Sunday I went to a small group from church, and ohhhhh, did that feel good. I miss both Core and Village from school, though Core much more, since I stuck with it and got to know people better than through Village. It's so good to be able to gather with a small group of people to eat and talk and laugh and play and build community; it is such an integral part of the Christian life. Just read Acts--the early church lived in community. They also shared in a very God-centered, communistic manner, but that's another story. (Read it and find out:) Anyway, after getting back to the house of the people I carpooled with to small group, (carpooling: another nostalgia-inducing, "this-reminds-me-of-college" event) I was invited in for chit-chat and such, and in the course of that was invited to a Phantom of the Opera party on Thursday. It felt almost overwhelmingly good to have friends. Yes, I've had friends for a while now here, but this is evidence that we are becoming even better friends, that I can hang out at people's houses and that we can have fun together on a regular basis:).

Tuesday, a friend & I planned an old-movie-athon for Monday--further evidence of real friendship:D.

Thursday, we watched Phantom of the Opera with our other friend and then planned more details for Monday.

In between, on Wednesday, another few friends planned a Midnight Bowling party for Friday (today/technically yesterday).

Today was soooooo much fun!!! Oh. my. goodness! We bowled--always fun--and then went in search for ice cream. Baskin Robbins was closed, DQ was closed; we settled for Walmart, which for the record has cheaper pints of ice cream than Safeway, at least right now. First, we girls stopped by the bathroom while the boys wandered off. Second, we girls looked at clothes, while the boys were presumably gazing at ice cream. Third, we girls found the boys in the ice cream aisle. Fourth, we spent a considerable amount of time choosing kinds of ice cream, and I made an excellent choice: Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Macademia--soooooo good! Fifth, we wandered the store looking for boys shorts with a size 30 waist, which proved difficult, to say the least. Ended up looking at a lot of clothes, then wandering back to ice cream, then fiiiiinally paying and heading to the parking lot, where we cranked up the music (but not tooooo loud), ate ice cream, and danced around in the rain and watched the lightning give its most incredible performance yet.

Note about Thursday: There was also a guy giving a girl guitar lessons at the house while we watched Phantom of the Opera.

All these things remind me SOOOOO MUCH of Pullman Life. SOOOOO MUCH. Making our own fun, buying pints of ice cream, dancing in the rain as if without a care in the world, the music. Maybe some people lived like this before college and continue to do so after it, but I haven't had the opportunity. I left Pullman life in Pullman approximately 8 months ago, and I never knew how much I missed it until this week, tonight especially. Having friends everywhere, having music everywhere, having people be sooo laid-back and amiable. Being outside in the rain. THANK YOU, GOD. It's been incredible. And the best part? Fun didn't and doesn't end with Pullman; TBIYTC--the best is yet to come!

If alllll the raindrops were lemon drops & gumdrops,
oh what a rain it would be.

Standing outside with my mouth open wide,
ahh-ahh-uh-uhh-uhh-uhh-uhh-uhh-uhh.

If allll the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops,
oh what a rain it would be.

~SDG. [Soli Deo gloria]

Galaderia

Hmmmm. I thought I'd solved the title/label problem, but maybe that was only on another computer. Maybe the trouble is with my computer, and maybe I haven't solved the problem after all...

Anyway. Yesterday I learned the name of a very pretty flower. Today, I tested my powers of recollection and asked my mother, What's that flower's name? galaderia?" She responded, "Yes, galaderia."

Well, I wanted to know how to spell it. (Don't you???)

I always want to know the spellings of words I learn. Somehow I am not able to be completely in touch with the soul of a word until it's spelling & I are well-acquainted. I cannot explain why this is true, but I like that it is.

At any rate, I went to faithful Google to find the correct spelling of my flower. When regular Google only brought up mentions of Galladoria and bits of foreign languages, I moved my search to Google Images. Though Google Images, too, was sure I was interested in Galladoria, I simply was not. And while a search for "galaderia flower" came up blank, "galladeria flower" returned to me lovely photos of Gaillardia aristata, apparently also known as "blanketflower" or, much more delightfully, "goblin blanketflower."

Sadly, I prefer the misspelling--and mispronunciation-- of "galaderia," and I am nevertheless considering naming my first daughter such: Galaderia. Lovely ring to it, isn't there?

And after all, how many people would ever know it was a misnomer, really?

Mischievously yours,
~The Furry Eel~