explorers

I learned yesterday that my friend Karis loves exploring just as much as I do. Turns out that she has been searching for the old Mt. Holly altar for quite a while, and how excited was I to tell her that I FOUND it... and quite accidentally! So yesterday, we went on an expedition in Mt. Holly-- first to the Mt. Holly cemetery, next, to the altar, and lastly, to the old shed where an ancient witch is said to still live (we didn't see her!). =)

Here are a few pics from the adventure. (All pics are taken by Karis O., who is becoming QUITE a good young photographer!)

Brennan Manning marathon

I made a deal with myself when I finished last semester that this summer, I would read as many Brennan Manning books as I could. Well... I finished my first one tonight! Actually, I'm pretty sure that the book I just finished is his most recent one-- patched together: a story of my story. Man, he offers such an amazing perspective on who God really IS. I found myself sitting here in wonder, thinking, 'I want to know God that way...' But isn't Brennan Manning like 85 or something? Maybe I still have some time. =) And when I remember and reflect... wow, I'm grateful for the sliver of God that I have seen in my small 28 years. I can't even imagine all that is to come.

Anyway, he ended this book with a challenge that is just... beautiful.

Go back and live out your name; live like the beloved of Abba. Some may ask you, but most others will simply observe the way you live. Some will call you crazy, some may even try to silence your voice, but some will stop and wonder. Your courage in living as Abba's beloved can give others strength to do the same. For in the end only one thing remains--Abba's love. Define yourself as one beloved by God.

I suppose that is the whole point right there. Wow...

Now, on to the next one!

PS--I remember one of my professors from college telling me, "You become what you read." Wow, I sure hope that's true... =)

Mt. Holly is a cool place

Besides having a really neat old cemetery, I discovered tonight that the "mount" of Mt. Holly is hike-able!! I found a trail last week that I decided to try tonight, and before I knew it, I found myself--seriously--walking on a dirt path in the woods up a small hill, pretty much in my own neighborhood. If I closed my eyes, I could have imagined that I was in Maine... or even in the Alps! ...except that within about 2 1/2 minutes, I had already reached the "top"... =)

Cool thing though... I got up to the "top" and found this strange looking structure. At first, I couldn't figure out what it was, but upon a closer look, I realized that it was an old altar with the words "holy, holy, holy" inscribed on the front. Seriously. An altar at the top of Mt. Holly. I have no idea why anyone would build an altar up there, but I am so curious! I felt like I had reached some holy place or something. Of course, I was looking for symbolism somewhere and found myself remembering...

"Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- His good, pleasing, and perfect will." (Rom. 12:1-2)

I guess you never know where you'll run into truth... even if it comes in the form of a strange old altar...

the bigger picture

"We have no equivalent now for a Purple Heart of spiritual warfare, but we will. One of the noblest moments that await us will come at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Our Lord will rise and begin to call those forward who were wounded in battle for His Name's sake and they will be honored, their courage rewarded."
~John Eldredge


Thank you, Jesus, for the bigger picture and for the promise of all that is to come...

enjoy the fajita

"When you get to heaven, Little Friend, Abba will not ask you how many prayers you said or how many souls you saved. No, He'll ask, 'Did you enjoy the fajita?'

"He wants you to live with passion, in the beauty of the moment, accepting and enjoying His gifts."

~Brennan Manning

just a few highlights

Today, I am thankful for Starbucks, country music, Google, pearls, my sister, and Jesus... not in that order.

Starbucks... I think I've been LIVING on it yesterday and today! I drove back and forth by myself to a wedding 3 hours away all in 24-hours time. The words "extra coffee caramel frappucino" became music my ears. When you've got a lot of driving to do, Starbucks is your friend. Of course, I will now have to lower my quota for the next week in order to make up for my excess in the past 2 days. =)

Country music... Well, one of my favorite moments had to be singing a Brad Paisley song at a small-town Karaoke night last night. I wasn't so good... But then my sister and I rocked out to Big & Rich today... very fun. And Big & Rich also accompanied me on my long drive home. Their music is just so FUN.

Google... where would I be without Google maps? Never failed me once...

Pearls... it continues to amaze me what pearls can do for any outfit. I just love them.

My sister... We now have the memory of staying at a very "special" small town inn together. Weird inn, karoake, Raven & Angelique, Starbucks, Big & Rich, razor, dancing... only she will appreciate these things as much as me!

Jesus... I love that He can "take" me, all of me. I sort of had a yelling session--told Him everything I was thinking sort of LOUDLY--while I was driving tonight. It's weird for me to admit that... but I'm reading through the Psalms now and realizing that He's heard lots of yelling before He heard it from me. And the crazy thing is that it doesn't seem to bother Him. And I'm learning to conclude, as so many of the Psalmists concluded, "I trust in Your unfailing love..." I have NO idea where my life would be without Him.

trusting His heart

I love the way he says this...

"There is another great 'revealing' in our life on the road. We run our race, we travel our journey, in the words of Hebrews, before a 'great cloud of witnesses' (12:1). When we face a decision to fall back or press on, the whole universe holds its breath--angels, demons, our friends and foes, and the Trinity itself--watching with bated breath to see what we will do. The question that lingers from the fall of Satan and the fall of man remains: Will anyone trust the great heart of the Father, or will we shrink back in faithless fear?

"As we grow into the love of God and the freedom of our own hearts, we grow in our ability to cast our vote on behalf of God. Our acts of love and sacrifice, the little decisions to leave our false loves behind, and the great struggles of our heart reveal to the world our true identity: We really are the sons and daughters of God."

~John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance

I saw God today...

Without my intending it to be, I think this blog is starting to become a place for me to write about the ways in which God unexpectedly shows up in every day life. I think it's SO important for me to remember these things because when I have a bad day (or two or three), I so easily forget... Life starts to become all about me, and I forget the kindness of the Lord.

And you know what? I guess part of being human is that we are always on the verge of that happening. We don't get our way, and we're READY, just ready, to throw the grown-up version of a temper tantrum. Well, I can only speak for myself, but... Anyway, this is why I love to write about the ways that the grace of God just shows up in my life.

So, today...

a co-worker walks in to my office with two little red daisies in a green pot just for me! She didn't even know that red daisies are among my very favorites... she just told me that they reminded her of me. So kind of her...

I go outside for a few minutes to sit by the duck pond and take in the beauty of the day, and I'm sitting on the bench when two mallard ducks waddle up to keep me company. I'm not usually a fan of ducks, but these two were different. Then, a Canadian goose comes up to join them, and I REALLY don't like Canadian geese. I guess the Oriole in the tree knew that, because as soon as the goose approached me and the ducks, the Oriole sprang off the tree and flew straight into the goose's head, scaring him away! No lie. The Oriole rescued me from the goose, and then, he returned to his tree branch and sang away.

And then, it was so funny. George Strait's song "I Saw God Today" pops into my head. And I'm like, "God, are You in the Oriole?" Maybe He was... maybe He wasn't. I don't know... all I know is that I want to see Him more.

letting go

"You see, Willie Juan, the Evil One has studied you and discovered where you are most vulnerable. He has used your bad feelings about your leg and scars to tempt you to hate yourself; he is trying to steal the joy in your life. But this doesn't have to happen, if you can embrace what lies around the corner, even when it's unknown. It can be dangerous, because you will need to let go of your hold on life. You'll feel as if you're losing control, and the illusion of being in charge of your own future, of being the master of your own destiny will vanish. For the first time in your life, you will understand just how much you are loved. It's risky, without doubt--but it will set you on the road to freedom. Do you have the courage, Little One?"

~Brennan Manning, patched together: a story of my story

from a full heart...

Tonight, I am thankful for good HEART friends... dear friends who just GET me. I only have to say one word (or not even one word), and she looks at me and says, "I understand." What a blessing... Thank you, Jesus, for friends.

And... so my dear friend and I talked tonight... and whenever we talk, Jesus is just there. He just is. It's like His presence fills the room and I'm reminded yet again that I really don't belong in this world... and that the most important relationship that I have is the one that I can't see. That the most important THING that I possess right now is this intangible, unpredictable Love that somehow lives in my heart.

I guess this is what real community is meant to do... help you to open up your heart so that you can see what's really there and so that it's available for Jesus to reach in and mold and change. I thank Jesus for people who love Him enough that when I spend time with them, I can't help but be pointed to Him too.

And I pray (and I know) that the good work that He's begun in our lives will just continue and continue... that no matter what the cost, we would continue to live remembering the world that is yet to come, the world that we REALLY are meant for... that we would cling to the most important relationship that we have, even though we can't see Him... and that we would embrace and be embraced by the Love that somehow really does live inside of us. Amen...

today I am thankful for...

a funny little doctor who looks and talks just like Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor and makes me burst out laughing in the middle of the doctor's office

a kind sister who sits with me through the whole doctor's appointment and laughs at "Jerry Lewis" just as much as me! =)

1/2 price Frappucinos with extra whipped cream pouring out the hole in the lid =)

when I find myself going into "freak-out mode" and then hear the still small voice say, "I am with you... peace be still"... and then that peace starts to become mine...

loving grandparents who just decide on the spur of the moment to take me to dinner at a nice restaurant...

stars...

This hasn't been my best week... for several reasons. One being that I've been lacking sleep... which is never good! I guess I finished the semester and in my excitement, I started loading up my schedule. Too much, too soon.... When I have a bad week, I can start to get hard on myself... and before I know it, I'm shrinking into my turtle shell and pulling away from Jesus.

I know I've just begun to scratch the surface of who God is... but man, He must be so good. Because here I am, feeling guilty and trying to run into my turtle shell... but you know what? Even when I try to escape Him, I can't... He's so good that He doesn't let me get away. Thank you, Jesus, for that. I was talking with a friend on Tuesday night, and we realized that there is SO MUCH about God that we just don't know. So we decided to ask Him to show us... to just show up in our lives in whatever way He might choose. And then we agreed to tell each other about it. And you know what I'm realizing? God is everywhere. Even when you want to haul up in your little shell, He's still everywhere. We can't get away from Him... thank God.

Tonight was one of those times. I was walking from my car to the house, and it was night time and the stars were out... everywhere. I just stood in the driveway and I stared... and again, the still small voice speaks. Here's what He said...

"Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?

He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name,

by the greatness of His might, and because He is strong in power, not one is missing.

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

'My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God'?

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:26-31)

And this is the God who loves us...

Walton's Mountain

My sister Shannon and I left Friday night to take a road trip through the night (one of my favorite things)... headed to Lynchburg, VA to visit our best (and only) brother, Sam. We were on route 29, about an hour outside of Lynchburg very early in the morning on Saturday, when I spotted a road sign--"Walton's Mountain Museum, 8 miles to the left." There's one thing that few people outside of my family know about me-- I LOVE the show, The Waltons. OK, I guess it's not a secret anymore. Little did I know that by going to visit my brother in VA, I would be right in the middle of the stomping grounds of John-Boy Walton! I was ecstatic. My brother and sister were SO kind, and today, they agreed to go with me to visit the "Walton's Mountain Museum." After driving on a LONG dirt road, we arrived at the site that inspired the show "The Waltons."

It was actually quite hilarious. The "Walton's Mountain Museum" is actually a former middle school run by 2 old ladies, with about 4 of the classrooms turned into "rooms" from the original Walton house. It wasn't EXACTLY what we had in mind, but it was lots of fun. We walked down the road a little bit and found an old church, the original house where the author of the Waltons grew up, and an old country store.

So... now we know WAY more about the Waltons than we ever knew before... WAY more than Sam or Shannon cared to know, I'm sure (they didn't seem to share my level of excitement)! But we had some great laughs... and I'm sure this is an adventure that we will not forget for a LONG time.