Last week our Core Team decided to memorize a scripture verse together and now I can officially say that I have this verse put to memory! Now…we’ll see how long I can keep the verse memorized 🙂
2 Timothy 3:16, 17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
I am loving on God’s creation lately. Saturday night consisted of an amazing night filled with leftovers, brownies, banana bread (minus the middle…special baking by a certain boy), “Planet Earth”, friends, Target, and seat warmers. We watched the Ocean and Desert episodes of Planet Earth. The filming blew me away and I’m still in awe. Now I just want to travel all over! Who wants to come!? Then, at church, the sermon started out with a comparison of the Sun and the Earth. Incredible numbers and visuals. I am astounded at how many earths would fit inside the sun–I’d tell you the exact numbers, but they’re too big for me to remember. Go wikipedia them 🙂 Anyway, creation has so many neat things and I love it! Probably why I love running, walking, hiking, biking, waterskiing, stargazing, meteor showers, sunsets, sunrises, and all those other outdoor activities. Now if only the cold temperatures would go hide so that summer can come right in!
I remember as a little girl going the whole nine yards with the “best friend” frenzy. From necklaces, to bracelets to matching things, we flaunted the “best friend” status. Unfortunately, in those years sometimes people get left out and hurt by the whole “best friend” mania. Plus, the manufacturing companies never made life easy by only allowing a girl one best friend. Although, if we want to go technical, there should only be one “best”, right? Maybe we just need different types of “best” because that’s what the distinction comes down to sometimes. A best friend to talk with, a best friend to do sports with, a best friend to go dancing with, ect.
Last night, I really needed one of my “best friends.” I tried some of the other “bests” and they filled their spots wonderfully, but not quite what I wanted/needed. I needed that person to talk some sense into my negative, messed up head and to speak light and truth into the darkness with all encompassing love. I fell asleep with tear stained cheeks feeling a bit defeated. Yet come morning, my “best friend” spoke the healing words I needed. I am so thankful to have such amazing people in life. I am so glad that I have all sorts of “bests” to walk with me through the different struggles and triumphs. I am so thankful to have enough relationships that go beyond the proximity and affinity type (those are important too, but in a different way!). So, here’s to all the “bests” in life who let us lay it all down, drop anything to get there for us, and help us rise into the light at the end of the fight 🙂
Just lay it all down, put your face into my neck and let it fall out
I know, I know, I know, I knew before you got home
This world you’re in now, it doesn’t have to be alone
I’ll get there somehow
Cause I know, I know, I know
When even springtime feels cold
But I will learn to breathe this ugliness you see
So we can both be there and we can both share the dark
And in our honesty, together we will rise out of our nightminds
And into the light at the end of the fight…
You were blessed by a different kind of inner view: it’s all magnified
The highs will make you fly but the lows make you want to die
And I was once there, hanging from that very ledge where you are standing
So I know I know I know, it’s easier to let go
But I will learn to breathe this ugliness you see,
So we can both be there and we can both share the dark
And in our honesty, together we will rise out of our nightminds
And into the light at the end of the fight…
…and in our honesty, together we will rise out of our nightminds
and into the light…at the end of the fight
“Nightminds” by Missy Higgins
100th post!
I’m obsessed with crazy, crimped, wavy, flared, pinched, spiked, and well basically every kind of non-normal rims in terms of pottery. Pretty much every teacher has commented on my love for unique rims. I’m not artsy in the draw an amazing bird on a vase kind of way so I make up for that in other ways–like rims or glaze. I also hate wasting clay and throwing away pots. I will do almost anything to make the clay work itself into something decent. I’ve forced wavy tops down with a needle tool. I throw in more clay if I cut through somewhere even though this technique is unorthodox. All of this to say, I use rims to hide the off-balance, off-centered pieces. With a wave or a flower type design, you have to hold the pot or be skilled to really notice. Hence, I hide my inability to center perfectly behind my love of rims–mind you, I can center! Sometimes things just go awry.
In relation and going Bible-y on you, I can totally relate this to my life and the analogy of the potter (God) and the clay (me/you/us). Often I’m the stubborn clay wanting to be off center and veering out. I want to bow and thin rather than stay uniform and even. At church, we’re started a series called “Be Killing Sin or Sin Will Be Killing You.” As we went over the definition of sin, many of my rebellious and stubborn clay attributes came to light again. Sometimes I don’t even let the potter spend time with me because I’m too busy flirting with the slip or the glaze. Ha, I feel like I’m taking this a bit too far and could come up with a ton more cheesy clay jokes/references/analogies so I’ll stop there while my hole is only a bit deep! You get the idea 🙂
I officially have signed on the dotted line, paid the deposit and received a set of keys! Beginning Tuesday, I can start moving my stuff in 🙂 We had our first official “Family Dinner” at Amy’s after we got the keys and of course it was breakfast! Yum. I love breakfast food and love pancakes with peanut butter even more.
Unfortunately, the camping trip was cancelled due to rain; however, we made the best of the situation by having a movie night and then walking around Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet today. Lots of fun! Walking and talking and yummy food. Plus, we watched “Into the Wild”–love it!! I’m already ready to watch the movie again, that’s how much I liked it.
Memorable quotes from the movie and book (I REALLY want to read the book now!):
“When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God’s light shines upon you.” -Mr. Franz
“When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it.” -Christopher
“Happiness is only real when shared.” -Christopher
“You don’t need human relationships to be happy. God has placed it all around us.” -Christopher
“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it…I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic. I thought climbing the Devils Thumb would fix all that was wrong with my life. In the end, of course, it changed almost nothing. But I came to appreciate that mountains make poor receptacles for dreams. And I lived to tell my tale.” -Jon Krakauer
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon for each day to have a new and different sun.” -Christopher
By 5:00pm tomorrow, I’ll know if I for sure have a place to move! Yikes! I’m ready 🙂
I’m obsessed with white chocolate and chocolate covered things! Therefore, I decided I’d go the healthy/unhealthy combo of fruit and chocolate for the Core Team tonight 🙂 Ha, I actually took a picture for one of my friends back home so I’ll post that later once I get it uploaded. In other news, the weather is gorgeous!! I’m SUPER excited to go camping this weekend and get away. Plus, before that I get to have dinner with my mama and brother and then hopefully go sign a lease. I already started giving the relatives a list of garage sale items to be on the lookout. The list includes: a grill, dining room table and chairs, deck furniture, a bike and a few other items. We’ll see what happens! Well, I better go shower so I don’t smell (I went running today…happy day!) at Core Team tonight.
I have to make a dessert/s for the Wednesday night Core Team and I have yet to find the perfect thing…any favorites or suggestions?
b'ahava 
