MoT: a Sunday inside #7

*Oops!  This was supposed to be posted a week ago...but at least it's still March...:)  

We got some snow over the weekend.  It started on Saturday, blew around for a while, and finally decided to accumulate over-night.  By this morning, we had about 10 inches of beautiful white all over the ground.  Needless to say, most everyone in the dorm was snowed in.

I really do like snow (even though it is officially Spring, and it normally rains here).  There is something so pure and clean about snow.  And it reminds me of home.  

Winter Wonderland?

As I come to the end of Spring Break, it is nice to spend a day inside, away from the hustle and bustle, without work, just to think, pray, read my Bible, fellowship with others, and journal.  This is often just the prescription for getting back into the "swing of things" after a time away (or not away...tehee).  

Doing/Being Church

This morning I wasn't able to go to church because of the aforementioned snow.  So I stayed inside and listened to my Daddy!  (Oh, the wonders of technology!!!)  

• 30-Second Commercial Break:  I love my Dad so much!  As I have gotten older and have been away from home for a while, I have come to see more and more of what a godly man he is.  It is so cool to see him ministering daily to everyone around him, and showing them the gospel of Christ.  He exemplifies a shepherd's heart and has a love and compassion for people that comes from God.  He does so much in the strength of the Lord for my family and our church family!  I am blessed to have him as my Dad!  Love you, Dad!   

Thanks to a podcast, I was able to listen to last weeks sermon from my home church.  In lieu of several conversations that I have had with different people, the message was very challenging and encouraging!

Here!  Check it out...:)  

http://www.harrisonbiblechurch.com/apps/podcast/podcast/293939

But the jist of the sermon was to encourage believers to get out of the rut of "playing church".  Where you go on Sunday to hear a good sermon, to see some of your friends, and to eat a great meal.  We are not called to be the Body of Christ to pretend that our fellowship is just another thing that we do each week.  

As God's children, bought with a price, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and set apart for His glory, we are called to more! 

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 says, 

"And we urge you, brothers, 

admonish the idle, 

encourage the fainthearted, 

help the weak,

be patient with them all.  

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, 

but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone." 

We are exhorted (strong challenge) to do these things for one another.  Why?  Look at what we have through our Lord Jesus Christ!  Ephesians 1 shows us that we have been blessed with "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."  That's a lot!  Why should we not want to do for others as Christ has blessed us and loved us and done for us!?  

We are to admonish (warn) the idle.  Carefully, yet without fear.  Sin should make us sad, especially when our brothers and sisters in Christ are caught in it.  

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, 

you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.  

Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."  

Galatians 6:1

"My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth,

and someone brings him back, 

let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering

will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." 

James 5:19-20

We are to encourage (come alongside, support) the fainthearted.  One of the unique things about the church is that we are a group of individuals that are able to come together in the name of Christ for the mutual encouragement of everyone.  You don't find this is some kind of club or organization!  

"By this we know love,

that He laid down his life for us, 

and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers...

Little children, let us not love in word or talk,

but in deed and in truth."

1 John 3:16,18 

We are to help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

The point is that we can't do any of these things on our own.  We try.  And sometimes it "looks" like we are doing well, but really all we amount to is "...righteousness like filthy rags..."  Doing anything in our own strength is just that.

Christ calls us to rely on Him.  Completely.  Fully.

Because we need Him!  Our brothers and sisters in Christ need Him.  We have nothing good apart from Him.  We do nothing eternally good apart from Him.

Stop playing; just be!  

MoT: Tuesday came with a flurry #5

Some days come and go without any fanfare.  They are the "normal" days.  Tuesday came today with the prediction of rain.  And it snowed instead!  It was a beautiful snow with huge fluffy flakes.  They didn't stick to the ground, but it certainly made the word moist and lovely!

Today at work, I had a special project to work on.  We are making a large sign and needed to trace the image on to the board.  After finding a antique projection machine (picture a grenade launcher/laser shooter), from the library, we set to work.  

Here's Bertha!  

It was a fun task!  I enjoy the change from the ordinary, and doing some kind of physical labor/art project are always enjoyable.  We completed the first few steps, like tracing the image and then outlining the words. Though going into professional sign-making is a tempting offer, I think I'll just stick with my job and do things like that at random times!  

Do you enjoy doing random or out of the ordinary things?   

MoT: Monday...#4

Monday dawned gray.  Like yesterday.  

The world felt like a Monday.  Don't ask me how to explain, but each day has it's own feel to it.  

Mondays seem to have a touch of expectation, like a new week is starting.  

There is also a lagging feeling that follows a busy weekend.  

On this Monday, I have been thinking about how God is working in my life.  

It is so incredible to contemplate!  

It has been a year since I was encouraged by my family and friends to apply for the RD position at Calvary.  We didn't know what God was going to do, but I was accepted.
That began one of the best and most challenging years of my life (so far!), and it's not over yet!

This is what brings hope for the future!  Because we serve a God who has shown His faithfulness in the past. There isn't a reason to doubt the future!

"And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."  ~ Romans 8:23-25

How often does the future look grim, and nothing seems to make sense?  

Yet, what does God continually say?

Trust Me!    

God is good!
How have you seen God's goodness in your life?  

Of dictionaries...and prolific hugs

You know those times when you say a certain word in a sentence that you believe is grammatically correct, and then the person you are talking to gives you a really odd look?  Then, you start thinking, "Wait, was that the right word?"  "What did I just say?"  "What does she think I mean?"  With these questions in mind, your face becomes a mask of quizzical-ness as you evaluate what it was that you just said. 
Now, I know that I am not the only one that has experiences like this!  (I think :)

My story has to do with the word "prolific".  I used it in the context of a friend of mine giving another friend a hug.  "You hugged her prolifically."  To this comment, we both started laughing.  Then the questions ensued. 

"What?" 

According to the dictionary, prolific has several different definitions, including: producing offspring, young, fruit, etc., abundantly; highly fruitful: a prolific pear tree. (2) producing in large quantities or with great frequency; highly productive: a prolific writer. (3.) profusely productive or fruitful (often followed by in or of ): a bequest prolific of litigations. (4.) characterized by abundant production: a prolific year for tomatoes.

Therefore, in the sentence that I used, giving hugs prolifically just means that they are given in abundance.    But does this really work? 

With this thought in mind, I realized how many "creative" words I think I know and yet may not.  There is definitely something to be said of expanding your vocabulary! 

Word of the Day: appertain; to belong as a part, right, possession, or attribute. 
Synonyms: apply, be characteristic of, be part of, be pertinent, be proper, be relevant, bear, have to do with, pertain, refer, relate, touch upon, vest

Try to use this word today.  It appertains to the development of your vocabulary! 
And tell me what you think of prolific hugs!!

February 25th: Starbucks with Mrs. A

 So, couple of weeks ago, the freshmen put on a Winter Social.  This event entailed a lovely picture scavenger hunt.  For the prizes, each of the teams would win an opportunity to spend some time withe professor of their choice going doing things like...going out for coffee, eating BBQ, put-put golfing, going shooting, going bowling, etc.
My team, made up of Alisha, Sarah, Beth, and Jesica chose to go with Mrs. A to Starbucks for COFFEE and GAMES!

Bethie and I

 Besides drinking yummy coffee, we got to play some fun "learning" games like In a Pickle (this is the game where you choose things that can fit inside of other things...the more creative you are the funnier it ends up) and You've been sentenced (this game involves combining random grammatical cards to make grammatically correct sentences that do not necessarily make any sense.)

Jesi and I

This is a sentence that Alisha made up.  She said that it was about my mom.

"What if chickening out Mom Parker is traveling about the crusher monkey milk."

What a happy part of the day!!! 

February 23rd: Korean lunch and other random happenings...

Well, Thursday came fast.  I haven't been looking forward to the exam in my Intro to Philosophy class, but the prospect of going out to Korean for lunch made the day seem more bearable.  A Korean friend of mine was inviting a group of people and she asked if I wanted to come too.  I was excited to try some new cuisine!  Last semester I tried Indian (as in the country of India), and really enjoyed it!  So, in my eagerness to expand my taste pallet, I accepted the invitation! :)  I must say that I was very pleased with the food!
And had a great time with the people.  There was a good amount of laughter that proceeded from the car that I was riding in.  This was mainly due to one of our professors singing along to Johnny Cash!  That was an experience!  (Something about eating and fellowshipping with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ!  It makes us look like we only like to eat together...:)

Another thing about eating Oriental food is the opportunity to use chopsticks!!!  For those who remember, I gave a speech a couple of months ago about the benefits of eating with chopsticks when you eat Oriental food.  (1-the food tastes better, 2-you aren't as likely to over-eat, because you eat slower with chopsticks, 3-it is respectful of that culture)  I think I experience all of those benefits today!  :)

What were some other fun and random happenings of the day?
At my Thursday night church group, I got to watch the little kiddos!  What fun!  I think that it is funny how the adults almost have as much or MORE fun than the kids...but that must mean that we are just all "kids at heart".  Between the mushroom game (hopping on pillows or mushrooms), playing "Simon Says", but forgetting to say "Simon says, 'Stop'", so that Bekah keeps jumping up and down, and playing dress-up with time with the kids was anything but boring!

Then, to end the day, I was privileged to spend time with my Dorm Sisters.

Thank the Lord for a happy day...:)

February 20th: Monday

*que epic music*

Monday...

*music slowly gaining momentum*

Monday...

*cymbals crash, etc*

Monday...

Yes, today was Monday.  Now, I suppose that you are wondering..."What's with the epic music and cymbals?"  

And frankly, I just thought that it would give you a nice audial picture of my anticipation for a NEW week complete with starting Monday on the "right" foot!  :)

Honestly, there are some weeks that you just dread starting.  There could be any number of reasons, such as a huge homework load, a unpleasant job, or lack of sleep (which makes Everything Look Horrible).  Need less to say, I was very excited about starting a new week.  

Reason #1:  I am a people-person.  I love spending time with people.  Most of the time, I get energy and encouragement just from spending time with people.  So, Sunday night--being filled with "people time"--spurred me to loads of energy and kept me going on Monday!  

Reason #2: In chapel today, a student at Calvary spoke.  He lost two of his fingers in a table-saw accident over Christmas break.  He just shared all of the things that God has been doing and teaching him through the hard time!  God's grace is so good.  Praise Him!

Reason #3: Study-time in the Library.  On the days that I don't work IN the library, I sometimes like to go and study in there.  Even though there are usually some people still around, the atmosphere is quiet, and you are surrounded with books.  

Reason #4: Do I really need another reason to be happy!?!  I don't think so.  

Thank you Lord for the start of another week!  You are good! 

I am happy!

Foggy Day List

When we were little, our mother's had long lists of things to keep their children occupied when the outdoors were unavailable.
There would be things like coloring pictures, reading books, playing cops and robbers, building forts/ships/castles in the living room, helping mom bake something, or playing a game. Then, there was always the lovely phrase, "saving for a rainy day!"

But no one ever says anything about a foggy day!

Well, today has turned out to be a very foggy, dreary, drizzly, and chilly day. I have woken up the past few mornings, half expecting to see snow on the lawn, only to be surprised by the pleasant temperature of the day. *remember, it's November!* Today was not an exception!

Anyway, there are just certain activities that are acceptable on foggy days. The first thing that comes to mind is reading a good book. Foggy days are wonderful for snuggling down in an overstuffed arm-chair with a large hot mug of coffee (or hot chocolate!), and cracking open that long-anticipated best seller. As you sit inside, you can watch the wispy fog roll by and feel warm and cozy on the inside.

Or if I was feeling particularly motivated, I would probably go into the kitchen and fire up the stove and do some baking. Everyone knows that there is just nothing quite like the smell of homemade bread or cookies. Combined with the weather outside, any person baking will probably have lots of help eating up the freshly baked food.

But, if reading or baking just doesn't "float your boat", then I say you should just start going upstream and do something unexpected. Something maybe like going for a walk! If it's not too cold--or even if it is--you can bundle up with coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and boots, and enjoy what the fog does to the world around us! It is amazing how the moisture refreshes the countryside and makes everything look so beautiful! I particularly love walking on foggy/dreary/drizzly days!!!

So if it's foggy at your house, or if it's a beautiful day, don't be afraid to make a "foggy day list" of all the things that you can do to make the most of the day that God has made!

Celebrate Everyday pt. 24

Happy Crazy Day!

It's crazy day? Really?

Yes! It is crazy day!

Today, you can be crazy if you want to.

But if you are normally "crazy", then you should be normal today and do something that isn't habitual.

Because if you didn't then it would just be like any other day.

That is not what crazy day is all about.

Crazy day is about doing something...crazy!?!

(but remember...always be safe!)