Little Did She Know...

Oh, powerful and omniscient third person perspective. How I love thee. 


Little did Rebecca Fuller know that when she found her assigned seat on her flight from Long Beach to Seattle that it would be taken by a three year old. Little did she know that the three year old's father would say, "Would you like an aisle seat, instead?" and that Rebecca would end up sitting in a different row in a seat she had no power in choosing. Little did she know that all of these small and seemingly inconsequential happenstances weren't so inconsequential after all!

[insert awkward transition from third person to first person here]


I absolutely adore flying. I love taking off, looking down at the cities as they get smaller and smaller, soaring over the clouds and marveling at the beauty of God's creation, and then landing at an incredibly scary yet somehow safe speed. It's all so glorious.

All that said, though, I have to say that my absolute favorite part of flying is the opportunity to talk with the person next to me. I have had so many fascinating conversations with what I like to call my "flying buddies", that I always hope that they will be willing to talk, too. Usually they do. And, boy do I have stories that I could share! But this is neither the place or the time for such stories. I am writing to share one story in particular; a story that the omniscient third person voice knew of all along.

Imagine my pure joy when I sit down in my newly and unofficially assigned seat and start making small talk with my flying buddy that I would hear an English accent in his response! My flying buddy was from the UK! From the moment he opened his mouth, I knew this would be a great flight. Jonathan is his name; an early thirty-something bespectacled man whose Ph.D. is in something impressively scientific that I cannot even remember (he's a genius when it comes to chemistry, that I can tell you). If I were an omniscient third person perspective for Jonathan, I would say something like:

Little did Jonathan know that when he sat down in his seat that he would soon be accompanied by a inquisitive American girl who would ask him all sorts of questions about life in the UK. Little did he know that he would even find himself enjoying the conversation, too. 


The first thing I told him after I found out where he came from was that I was going to Cambridge this summer. I felt that it established my ethos as his conversation and flying buddy. He was impressed, so I knew I was in. He was mine for the next two hours. It was time to ask all of the looming questions I had about life in the UK.

Our flight went like this: while watching hilarious episodes of the Big Bang Theory on TBS, we would chat during the commercials. Here are some samples from our conversation...a medley, of sorts. Enjoy, and maybe even giggle to yourself as you read. That's always fun. :)

Me: So, do you guys have football over there?
Jonathan: Well, yes, we have football, American football, and Aussie Soccer. 
Me: Oh, yeah, that's right! You call soccer, football! Which totally makes sense. What were we Americans thinking? 
Jonathan: I don't know. 


Me: OK, so my co-worker, Carri, tells me that we should put milk in our tea (she went to Oxford for a year), but this morning, my professor (who lived in Cambridge for a year) told me that we should put cream in our tea. Who is right? What do you put in your tea?
Jonathan: Oh, milk, for certain. Cream is much too thick. You might be thinking of Creamed Tea, though. 
Me: Creamed Tea? What's that?
Jonathan: Oh, it's what we drink during Tea Time. 
[insert massive smile on my face here]
Me: Tea Time?? When does that happen?
Jonathan: Oh, around 4 o'clock. 


Me: So, what's it like living in a Monarchy? You know, as opposed to a Democracy?
[yes, I asked him this question. I was curious!]
Jonathan: Haha, well, I think daily life is the same for you as it is for me. The Queen doesn't necessarily do all that much. 


Jonathan: Well, it was nice to meet you.
Me: Yes, it was! I hope you have a Merry Christmas! Wait, do you say 'merry' over there, or 'happy'?
Jonathan: *thinks for a moment* We say 'merry'.
Me: Oh, because in Harry Potter, they say 'happy'. OK. Well, then, Merry Christmas!
Jonathan: Merry Christmas to you, too. 




Oh, omniscient third person perspective, you're so cool. 

A Study Break...in blog form

I'm finishing up Plato's Republic tonight. It's getting late. Nevertheless, I kind of love my life here at Biola, so it's all good. :)

According to Plato, education is the turning of the soul from vice to virtue. I like the sound of that. I should think and write more about my philosophy of education. Later, though. Not now. Time to go read.

Also, I'm listening to The Civil Wars...again. They are now my favorite band. I now have an answer to the question, "what is your favorite band?". I am very happy about this.

Here's something to think about: why do you get educated? why do you go to school each day? what's the point? to get smarter? if so, why go to school to learn things you can just look up on google? so why go? I think I know...or, Plato does. what do you think?

Insta-Smile

I give her my Panera Card, and watch with anticipation as she swipes it. 

"You get a free pastry and a free hot drink today", she says with excitement. Even the employees love it when customers get free things! 

"Really? Yay!" I respond with a massive and instantaneous smile. 

It's the little things in life that oftentimes bring the biggest joy. 

And in case you are wondering, I got an orange glazed scone (heated, of course) and Earl Grey tea with cream and sugar. Yummmmmmm. :) 

I am in Love....

....with the band, The Civil Wars.

They are so good. I'm kind of obsessed. Especially with this song. The lyrics are incredible. I think I like this duo so much because they are so authentically human. And their voices together are impeccable. Take a listen, if you'd like.

 I just really love this song. 

Ok, back to homework. 

:) 

Contrary yet Simultaneous

I'm sitting in Common Grounds (a coffee shop at Biola), sipping at my perfectly heated London Fog, and reading Edmund Burke's Reflection on the Revolution in France, and it hits me: I'm not frantically running around right now! I often characterize my life as one which is always moving, always busy, never really at rest. But, this morning, as I became aware of the fact that I was calmly sitting and reading and sipping, it brought a slight smile to my face.

The life God has given me here at Biola is so incredibly beautiful. I love my job. I love my friends. I love (for the most part, hehe) my classes. I am blessed.

I love that I can sit in a coffee shop at 10:07 in the morning on a Thursday and hear Sufjan Stevens in the speakers, and look around at all of the happy coffee shop people reading and talking with their friends.

Amidst the things that I love are things that cause me pain. Sick grandparents, siblings going through hard times. It's sad. God is showing me the rightness of feeling two emotions simultaneously that seem contrary in nature: joy and sorrow. Isn't it interesting how we can both feel incandescently happy and detrimentally downcast at the same time? I think so. The good thing is, for us who have come to life in Christ, the knowledge of our salvation should be enough to cause a joy that puts our sorrow to shame.

All that to say, I'm happy. I'm resting. My day will be busy, don't doubt that. But it will be a day that began with rest. Thank you, Lord, for showing me the little things you love to show me.

Beautiful Music

A couple of nights ago, I watched a fantastic movie called "The Brothers Bloom". It is such a great movie, and I highly recommend it for everyone in the world to watch...right now. :)

One of the best things about this movie is the soundtrack. The music is so beautiful! It cuts at your heart. It makes you smile. It makes you want to cry. I've been listening to it all weekend, and it hasn't gotten old.

One of my favorite songs is titled Penelope's Theme, and it's just so darn beautiful. If someone were to write a song that describes me, I would want them to be inspired by this song.

The piece starts with just a piano. A consistent bass line. A jumping melody. Then enter the strings. Beautiful harmonies abound. Amazingly complex yet so beautifully simple. Just like Penelope.

This soundtrack makes me sway. It causes me to move with the rhythms. But not too much, since I'm sitting in a Starbucks right now as I write this and listen to the soundtrack. That would just be embarrassing.

God is a being of beauty. Music is a reflection of His goodness and absolute beauty.

Listen to this song. I mean, please, listen to this song. :)

I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

People

This week I am so incredibly thankful for the people God has surrounded me with here at Biola. 

In the midst of going to class, working, and doing homework, I am blessed to be with my friends. 

Never feel like you are too busy for friendship. You are cheating yourself and those around you when you do. 

Just Ask

Well, I've been back at Biola for exactly one week now.

And what a week is has been.

Making new friends. Seeing old ones. Laughing. Crying. Reading. Sleeping. Working, Resting. Praying. Praising.

I'm exhausted, but it is such a rich exhaustion, developed as a result of doing good things all week long with good people.

I've officially decided to change my 'policy' from posting everyday (which I became very poor at near the end of the summer anyways), to once a week. This blog helped me so much this summer; when I felt that there wasn't much to be thankful for amidst the pain, God showed His face, and taught me to praise Him every day for His blessings, both big and small.

So, what am I thankful for today? So many things.

Today, at church, the pastor preached on prayer. He summarized his sermon by saying this:

"In light of God's promises, ask big. Despite disappointments, keep asking."

God used this one-liner to convict me of my lack of prayer about the big things in my life, and really challenge me to faithfully pray for those who I have not prayed for as much as I should. The promises that the preacher was referring to are found in the Gospel According to John, when Jesus is giving His last words to His disciples before His death on the cross. Jesus says,

"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." - John 14:13-14 ESV

Did you catch that "anything"? I did. 'Anything' is a lot of things. This means that absolutely nothing is too big for God to handle, or too small. Sometimes, we don't want to 'bother' God with what we perceive to be trivial matters, but He cares for us and wants us to come to Him as a child goes to their father to ask them to open up the bottle they cannot. A simple request, yes, but an amazing picture of a child's dependence on their father, and our dependence on our Heavenly Father. The other side of the coin is true as well. Sometimes life's situations are so overwhelming, it's easy to not pray about them, because then you don't have to think about them. This is not what God wants. He wants us to take our problems to Him, tell Him we don't know what to do, and then wait for instructions. Today, the pastor shared a quote from his wife that said,

"Prayer is our declaration of dependence on God."

The 'power of prayer' isn't what is important. It's the power of the God who hears our prayers.

So, today I am thankful that I know and serve the God who not only created the universe, but sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sins, and allows me, by His amazing grace, to seek Him and His perfect will, day by day.

God listens to your prayers. All of them. Rest in that.

How to be Un-Dragoned

C.S. Lewis paints the most beautiful picture of the redeeming grace of Christ in his fifth installment of the Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, when the pessimistic and sometimes downright mean boy, Eustace, is led by Aslan, the Great Lion and Son of the Emperor Beyond the Sea, cleansed of his wickedness, and transformed into a new boy with a completely different outlook on life.

In the story, Eustace has been transformed into a dragon, which coincidentally reflects his greedy and ugly-like behavior and attitude. After being a dragon for a few days, he is absolutely miserable and lonely as a result of it. One night, as he is away from the camp, he suddenly sees a lion coming toward him. He describes the event to his cousin, Edmund, as such:

"Well, anyway, I looked up and saw the very last thing I expected: a huge lion coming slowly toward me. And one queer thing was that there was no moon last night, but there was moonlight where the lion was. So it came nearer and nearer. I was terribly afraid of it. You may think that, being a dragon, I could have knocked any lion out easily enough. But it wasn't that kind of fear. I wasn't afraid of it eating me, I was just afraid of it - if you can understand. Well, it came close up to me and looked straight into my eyes. And I shut my eyes tight. But that wasn't any good because it told me to follow it.”

There is just so much goodness in this one small quote! Aslan is producing light; He is  light to the dark and lonely Eustace. Also, Eustace recognizes the power of this lion, and even though he closes his eyes to try to ignore His presence, the voice of Aslan prevails.  Edmund and Eustace's conversation continues:

“You mean it spoke?" 

“I don't know. Now that you mention it, I don't think it did. But it told me all the same. And I knew I'd have to do what it told me, so I got up and followed it. And it led me a long way into the mountains. And there was always this moonlight over and round the lion wherever we went. So at last we came to the top of a mountain I'd never seen before and on the top of this mountain there was a garden - trees and fruit and everything. In the middle of it there was a well. 

“I knew it was a well because you could see the water bubbling up from the bottom of it: but it was a lot bigger than most wells - like a very big, round bath with marble steps going down into it. The water was as clear as anything and I thought if I could get in there and bathe it would ease the pain in my leg. But the lion told me I must undress first. Mind you, I don't know if he said any words out loud or not. 

“I was just going to say that I couldn't undress because I hadn't any clothes on when I suddenly thought that dragons are snaky sort of things and snakes can cast their skins. Oh, of course, thought I, that's what the lion means. So I started scratching myself and my scales began coming off all over the place. And then I scratched a little deeper and, instead of just scales coming off here and there, my whole skin started peeling off beautifully, like it does after an illness, or as if I was a banana. In a minute or two I just stepped out of it. I could see it lying there beside me, looking rather nasty. It was a most lovely feeling. So I started to go down into the well for my bathe."

Eustace tries his darnedest to rid himself of his yucky outer layer; that which causes his dragon-ness. What I interpret C.S. Lewis to be portraying here is man's attempt to make himself presentable before going to God; man trying to make himself good enough. What man (and Eustace) find out, though, is that it is impossible on his own. Eustace continues:

“But just as I was going to put my feet into the water I looked down and saw that they were all hard and rough and wrinkled and scaly just as they had been before. Oh, that's all right, said I, it only means I had another smaller suit on underneath the first one, and I'll have to get out of it too. So I scratched and tore again and this underskin peeled off beautifully and out I stepped and left it lying beside the other one and went down to the well for my bathe.
“Well, exactly the same thing happened again. And I thought to myself, oh dear, how ever many skins have I got to take off? For I was longing to bathe my leg. So I scratched away for the third time and got off a third skin, just like the two others, and stepped out of it. But as soon as I looked at myself in the water I knew it had been no good."

Hopelessness. This is what I imagine Eustace to be feeling right about now. He has taken off three layers of dead skin, and is still not clean enough for a bath. He's tired. He's lonely. He's trying with all of his might, but it's still not enough. This is what life must be like for those who don't know the grace of Jesus Christ. For those who work so hard each and every day to be 'good people', and constantly fall short. For those who want to believe in God, but can't bring themselves to do it because they can't bear to look at the sin in their life, let alone show it all to God. Amazingly enough, it isn't up to us, just like it wasn't up to Eustace, for he continues his story saying:

“Then the lion said - but I don't know if it spoke – ‘You will have to let me undress you.’ I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.
“The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know - if you've ever picked the scab off a sore place. It hurts like billy-oh but it is such fun to see it coming away.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” said Edmund.

I find this part to be absolutely and astonishingly beautiful. Here, Eustace makes himself completely vulnerable to the un-tame but good, Aslan, by laying down on his back and letting him peel off his filthy dragon skin. That is what we need to do with Jesus. We need to be vulnerable with Him and ourselves. We need to lay back and let Christ go down deep into our hearts and cleanse us, no matter how much it may hurt us. Like Eustace said, it's a good kind of pain. Eustace finishes up his story by saying:

“Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off - just as I thought I'd done it myself the other three times, only they hadn't hurt - and there it was lying on the grass: only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly-looking than the others had been. And there was I as smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been. Then he caught hold of me - I didn't like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I'd no skin on - and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I'd turned into a boy again. You'd think me simply phoney if I told you how I felt about my own arms. I know they've no muscle and are pretty mouldy compared with Caspian's, but I was so glad to see them.
“After a bit the lion took me out and dressed me –“
“Dressed you. With his paws?”
“Well, I don't exactly remember that bit. But he did somehow or other: in new clothes - the same I've got on now, as a matter of fact. And then suddenly I was back here. Which is what makes me think it must have been a dream.”
“No. It wasn't a dream,” said Edmund.
“Why not?”
“Well, there are the clothes, for one thing. And you have been - well, un-dragoned, for another.”
“What do you think it was, then?” asked Eustace.
“I think you've seen Aslan,” said Edmund.

Eustace is a boy again. But notice how he is not the same pessimistic and hate filled boy he was before. He has seen Aslan, and his whole life is changed. He is dressed in new clothes, and I like to think this represents our being covered with Christ's righteousness when we give our lives to Him and accept His free gift of salvation and redemption. Even Edmund notices the change Aslan has brought to Eustace.

There's just so much about this story that amazes and inspires me.
Aslan is Jesus.
Aslan redeemed Eustace.
Jesus redeemed me.
Both Eustace and I are new creations.
And you can be a new creation, too. You just need to be 'un-dragoned'.

Peace is Possible

I know that I haven't posted in a few days, and it's not that I can't find things to be thankful for, it's just that life gets crazy and exhausting and it's hard to sit down and write amidst it all.

But, here I am, sitting and writing. Life is still crazy and exhausting, but I'm writing.

This morning my dad, sister, and I went for a walk through a park near our apartment. The sun was shining, baseball teams composed of middle-aged men were playing, and the ducks were waddling. There was a park bench at the top of a grassy hill that you could sit on and see the tippy-top of the mountains in the distance. There was a playground with a tire swing that my dad swung my sister on, and swings that she and I competed to see who could swing the highest on.

I was at peace. Even in the midst of a crazy and exhausting life, this morning in the park was proof that peace is possible.

Blogging and Dancing

Right now, as I'm blogging, my sister is dancing.

I love how different we are, and how much we love, accept, and encourage each other, even in our differences.

I'm going to miss Colie so much when I go back to school. Thank you, Lord, so much, for this summer we have spent together. She is growing up into such a wonderful young lady.

Father Daughter Date

Tonight I went on a date...with my Dad. :)

We went down to  Edmonds and visited the Waterfront Coffee Company, got our delicious drinks (I ordered a Mexican Mocha and Dad had an Iced Coffee), talked with the Barista for a bit, and then headed down to the water to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Since my summer is about to close, I wanted to spend some quality time with my dad before I headed back to school. And quality time we had. We spoke of our summers, our thoughts on C.S. Lewis' many books, and more. We had great conversation, and I am just so so glad he is my dad, and not anyone else.

I wanted to take a picture of the two of us in front of the water, but lucky for us there was a nice man near us who was willing to take our picture, so it didn't have to be all 'myspace-ey' haha.

Thank you, Lord, for this fun time I had with my dad. Let us continue to grow in our relationship with each other and with You.

Jeep!

"Are you saying that I get to go test drive a Jeep, while getting paid to work, and   I get a gift card to the mall for driving the Jeep?" 

I asked this question to my manager after he told me I could do exactly what my question posed. 

"Yeah, I'll just say it was your ten", my manager responded. 

"OK! I'll be back, then!" I said with a smile. I was so excited! 

That's right, my friends. While I was at work today (I work at Brookstone), the Jeep company was doing a promo where people could test drive their vehicles, answer a couple of questions about the car they drove, and then receive a gift card to the mall where I work! I got to drive a super nice 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee around the block and have a great conversation with Chase, a pre-med student at the University of Washington, who was working at the promo event this weekend. He was there to make sure I didn't run away with the vehicle haha. It was so much fun!

It sure was nice to do something out of the ordinary and not stressful. Thank you, Lord, for this random excursion of fun. :)

Tonight's Plan

- I drink a delicious mug of hot cocoa
- Nicole drinks a delicious mug of chocolate milk
- We sit together and finish reading Lewis' Prince Caspian

Thank you, Lord, for this fun night of yummy drinks and great literature.

Support

This week has been beyond exhausting, which is reflected in my sparse and short posts.

But, amidst the madness, I am so thankful for the people God has put in my life to support me through it all.

What a Day

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. 2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV

My Daddy is alive. Satan tried to take him away, but Jesus reigns, and my Dad is alive. :)

As Easy as Breathing

Tonight was the first night of my church's Vacation Bible School (VBS, for short), and I am one of the teachers for the 5th and 6th grade class. I absolutely LOVE my students. :)

It's so much fun to teach kids about Jesus. Especially if the kid is receptive to what I'm saying. It's encouraging that my students like me and that teaching them comes naturally...just like breathing. I love teaching. I love helping people figure things out. I love it when the light bulb above their heads turns on...when they finally get it, and a big smile reaches across their face.

Thank you, Lord, for VBS. Thank you for my students. Thank you for giving me the gift of teaching.

You've Caught Me Deep in Thought...

Two years ago, I graduated from high school.

Two years from now, I will graduate from college.

As of right now, I'm stuck right smack dab in the middle of two milestones.

And it's weird.

I'm growing up, you see, and it's strange.

Today's post isn't necessarily an offering of praise; if anything, it's an offering of thought and reflection.

Time fascinates me. It moves quickly, yet so much can happen in such little time. I need to take advantage of the time God has given me, and use it to His advantage and not my own.

Sorry, you've caught me deep in thought...please leave a message after the beep. :)

TPW

Sometimes he drives me absolutely insane. But deep down, I know that I love him like a brother. Which would explain why sometimes he drives me absolutely insane; brothers do that.

I've known Truman since he was six years old. I was eight when we met. Our dad's knew each other from work, and our families moved to Washington from Kentucky together to plant a church. We have, for all intensive purposes, grown up together.

Why am I thankful for Truman? Great question. I'm thankful for him because I know that I can be myself around him. I can talk about the things in my life that cause me pain and those things which make me rejoice. I don't have to act like anyone but myself around him, and sometimes 'myself' can be tired and cranky. I'm sure, at times, I've bothered him with my attitude just as much as he has bothered me with his, but I know that we care for each other like family, and that bond can never break, no matter how annoying the other gets at times.

I feel very blessed to have the friendship God has given me with Truman. He is my oldest friend. Having moved around a lot growing up, I've never had friendships last longer than just a couple to few years. But, with Truman, we have been friends for 12 years, and for that I am truly thankful.

Thank you, Lord, for Truman P. Whitaker. Thank you that we are friends, and that even though through our friendship we have come to know each other's flaws, we have also come to truly know and appreciate the other's wonderful qualities. Truman loves his country (he recently enlisted himself for the United States Marine Corps), his family (even though sometimes he picks on his siblings haha), and God. Thank you for that.

My Short Trip Down Memory Lane

Tonight I had a splendid evening with one of my absolute favorite people and best friends from high school, Elena. We went to our favorite hang out spot, Cutters Point, grabbed some delicious beverages, sat down, and with our conversation traveled down memory lane together. 

After that, we mozied on over to Best Buy to just walk around and look at cameras. Little did we know that three people that we went to high school with worked there! So, we walk in, and the reunions begin. Slightly awkward at times, funny at others, but all around awesome to see how people are doing since high school. Not much time has passed, but a whole mess of life has happened in the past two years. 

So, that was my trek down memory lane. Thank you, Lord, for fun, awkward moments. :)

Cheryl

Today was a wonderful day with my wonderful friend, Cheryl Whitaker.

Cheryl has been a student of the New York Institute of Photography for the past couple of years, and today I was her model for her last photo project. We went all around Tacoma looking for rustic backgrounds to take pictures of with me in front of.

Brick walls. Graffiti. Ivy. Old barn. We felt so artsy.

I don't have pictures to put up yet from today (Cheryl is loading all 375 of them on her computer right now), but that's not what I am exceptionally thankful for today. Today, I am thankful for Cheryl and her friendship.

We are able to talk about life, love, and loss. We are able to laugh together, be sad together, and talk about God together. She's such a blessing to me.

Thank you, Lord, for Cheryl Whitaker. :)

My Favorite 5 Year Old

It was almost five years ago that my family and I went to the airport to meet the little baby we had been looking forward to meeting for months and months. 

That little baby was the lovely Miss Catherine Le Whitaker, and now she is five years old. 

Her family adopted her from China five years ago, this Sunday. They usually celebrate her Adoption Day with a cute little cake commemorating her becoming the part of their family. I am so excited to be with them this Sunday as they celebrate their 5th Adoption Day. 

Catherine is sweet, with a little bit of sass. She's funny, energetic, and loves to snuggle. I love her so much; she's like a little sister to me. 

Thank you, Lord, for Catherine. :) 

The Whitakers

Today has been the day that I have been looking forward to all summer long; the day I would go to my home away from home: DuPont, WA.

DuPont is home to the family I have known since I was eight years old. They are basically my second family. I feel at home when I am with them. I can be myself with them. And they can be themselves when they are with me. It's fantastic, and I wouldn't trade my relationship with the Whitaker family for the world.

I'll be with them for about a week, and I am just so excited about living life with them during this time. Playing imagination with five year old Catherine. Watching movies with my buddy, Truman. Sharing stories and playing card games with my good friend, Cheryl. Laughing with Andrew. Sharing the work of Christ in my life with Rich.

I am so incredibly thankful for the Whitaker family, and the immense blessing they are in my life.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with their love and friendship.

Fuel on the Flame

I just love Jesus...a lot.

Tonight I had a great conversation with a friend about how much we both love Jesus and how thankful we are for the amazing grace that comes with having a saving relationship with him. We both know people trapped in religion, bound by rules and regulations, trapped by man-made mandates, all which turn a personal relationship with Jesus into a regimented, rigid, and frankly, religious life. My friend and I were just so joyful about our relationship with Christ, and the freedom that comes with serving Him.

Now, yes, a life dedicated to Jesus has its hardships, of course. But when one thinks eternally, and of the amazing future one will have in heaven, praising God and having perpetual joy, the trials of this life pale in comparison.

I'm just so thankful that God called me into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm also very thankful for my friend who put fuel on the flame of my love for Jesus tonight.

Fun in Seattle

For those of you who live and breathe this blog, and become very sad when I don't post everyday, I'm sorry. (Actually, I doubt any such person exists haha). But, I do apologize for not posting yesterday; I was at a place with no internet service, so blogging was not a viable option.

This is what I did last night, instead of blogging:

Yogurtland at Capitol Hill in Seattle! :)

Foot-popping with Atia.

standing in front of vandalized property. :)

sitting in Pikes Place Market...after hours. :)

Ah! Elena and I! And Atia took the picture! Fun!

So, yeah, I had a fun time with my lovely friends in Seattle. Thank you, Lord, for the adventure you gave us. :)

Icecream

Cookies and Cream.

I had some when I got home from a Bible Study I went to tonight. I got out a small, red, Christmas coffee mug  with a happy penguin on it (my select choice for holding ice cream instead of a bowl), got a couple of scoops of delicious ice cream, added some crunchy peanut butter (my staple mix-in for most flavors of ice cream), and then stirred away.

It was yummy. Sweet and yummy.

Now I'm watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on the t.v. It's awesome. I'm so excited to go see the last movie when it comes out!

So, thank you, Lord, for the yummy ice cream. :)

Nerves and Expectations

I was so nervous.

Why, you ask?

Oh, I was only going to a brand new place full of people I have never met...all by myself.

Granted, it was a church, so I shouldn't have been as nervous as I actually was.

On my way there, I got semi-lost. Go figure.

But then I found the place and was welcomed by the most kind and welcoming people a nervous stranger could ever hope to encounter.

I talked with people my own age, which hasn't happened in a long time since coming home for the summer. I worshipped God with my new friends. I heard a sermon on 1 John 5. I went to  fro-yo afterwards with my new friends. It was fantastic.

I met people I wouldn't have had the chance to meet otherwise. God took my expectations and blew them out of the water. He has a way of doing that sometimes.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me the courage to go to a new place tonight. Thank you for blessing me with wonderful conversation, worship, and fellowship. I love you.

As the Sun Sets

"As the Sun Sets"

waves crashing. children laughing.

wind is chilling. the ferry is docking.

cars are parking. cameras are capturing.

couples are cuddling. families are gathering.

the sky is purple. then red. orange. yellow.

beauty abounds

as the sun

sets.

Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful sunset, and for inspiring me to write a poem about it. 

Gangs and Jesus

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility." - Ephesians 2:13-14 ESV

Last night, my brother, dad, and I watched Martin Scorsese's film, Gangs of New York , a movie about the early beginnings of New York City and the violent relationship between the Irish immigrants and the "Natives" (those born and raised on American soil).

As I was watching the movie, the passage from Ephesians that I quoted above kept coming to my mind. Christ came to bring reconciliation between enemies, and the Irish-Americans and the native born Americans were definitely enemies. It was unbelievable that so much blood was shed between fellow Americans for the sake of just a little land and power. The inhumanity of it all was astounding; racism was overpowering the culture, and the Natives wanted nothing more than to kill every single Irish immigrant who came off the boat and onto American soil.

If only these men, women, and children of New York knew and applied the above passage to their daily lives and relationships. If only the truth of the Gospel permeated everything these people did. Different cultures would be welcomed instead of abused. Racism would cease. The wall of hostility would indeed be broken down.

Thank you, Jesus, for breaking down that wall of hostility, in order that those who follow you can enjoy reconciliation because of your finished work on the cross.

Seven Words

You

did

a

great

job

today,

Rebecca. 

After feeling like I was drowning in my work, and barely having enough energy to come up for air, my manager, Vincent, tells me this as I head out to go home.

Thank you, Lord, for these small words of encouragement and affirmation.

Serenity

Tonight, I am treating myself to a movie and popcorn. 

Cost: Free 

(Blockbuster has an awesome deal where I can get one-night rentals for FREE - needless to say I've become quite the Blockbuster addict) 

I'm excited to pop my popcorn, put the movie into my laptop, insert my headphones, and enjoy the wonderful cooking of Julie and Julia.

Thanks, Lord, for the simple things. Thank you for this simple and relaxing fun. :)

Funny Accents

 "'...It was a bright, secret, quiet place, and rather sad; and all four stepped out into the middle of it, glad to be able to straighten their backs and move their limbs freely.'" I closed the book, and looked up. "Nicole, that's the end of chapter one; do you want to read chapter two?"

"Sure", she says, as she grabs C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian  from my hands. It's summer time, and that means it's Narnia time. Our goal is to finish the entire series before the summer closes. We are sitting outside on our porch; the sun is shining, a rarity in Washington. Nevertheless, it's still chilly enough to drink our delicious mugs of homemade hot cocoa as we read to each other.

"OK, chapter two. 'The Ancient Treasure House' Oooh."

I roll my eyes. "Keep reading, Colie".

She smiles, and continues. "''This wasn't a garden,' said Susan presently. 'It was a castle and this must have been the courtyard.''" Colie read in a deep Southern accent.

"Colie! They are from England! They aren't southern!" I laughed as I spoke.

"Hahaha, oh yeah, that's right", Colie said with a laugh.



Thank you, Lord, for a hilarious time with the southern children from Narnia.

Laughing

Today I laughed with my co-workers.

It was real fun.

I enjoy laughing with people. You, whoever you are, that is reading this, should find a group of people to laugh with.

And since I know that this post is beyond boring, here is a hilarious video by Dorm Series titled, "LOL". It's almost like what happened with my co-workers today. Ok, not really. But, please, enjoy this video.

Thank you, Lord, for laughter.

Anticipation

Tonight, actually in just a few minutes, my Dad and I are going to be watching....

...and I'm so excited!

Thanks, Lord, for the upcoming entertainment.

I've always wanted to do this...

If you were to ask me what one of my favorite shows was when I was a kid, I would say, without hesitation, Blue's Clues. That show was BRILLIANT. I loved it. 

You know the part where Steve gets mail and sings the "We've Just Got a Letter Song"? Well, I do. And I love that song. So, today, when I got a fantastic letter from my funtastic friend, Lydia Heulskamp, I knew that this would be how I would blog about it. Please enjoy the short video I've made below: 

I admit, I'm sitting alone in my bedroom as I write this post, because it took me a few takes to finally get a video I liked enough to share with the world. If you are a close friend of mine, and would enjoy the opportunity to laugh both at me and with me, let me know, and we can watch all of the videos together. :)

Silliness aside, when my dad handed me this envelope with a page long letter from Lydia inside, I was so happy! Letters are such a lost art, and let me tell you, it needs to be found! Reading the actual handwriting of a friend, and not what Microsoft Word has to offer, is so amazing. I could literally (ok, not literally) hear Lydia's voice through the letter; hearing about how good God is and how much she is loving her summer in Colorado made my day brighter.

So, Lord, thank you. Thank you for Lydia. Thank you for her letter. And thank you for Steve and his song that I could enjoy today, since that's something I've always wanted to do. :)

Baker's Therapy

Baking is therapeutic for me. 

When I need some constancy and a sense of control in my life, I usually find myself in the kitchen, baking for my family. 

Tonight, it was chocolate chip cookies. I asked Nicole to take some pictures of me because I knew this is what I would end up blogging about tonight. :) 

Pouring brown sugar. 

Look! Chocolate chips! :)

Insert caption here. haha.

Don't worry, Nicole didn't take this picture. Our dad did. Yay, cookie dough! 

When I'm baking, I'm in control. It's up to me how much of each ingredient I put in. It's up to me how hot I make the oven. It's up to me how long I put the cookies in the oven for. That's part of the reason I love baking so much; it's all up to me. 

Now, I know that this actually reveals a deep psychological flaw in myself that I needn't ignore. Baking is coping. Coping with stress which needs to be addressed head on. And, in time, I will address it. In time. 

But, for now, baking is also joyful. I love it when my entire family comes in the kitchen and grabs a spoonful of delicious dough and says how yummy it is. I love it when the cookies are fresh out of the oven, and people are waiting to snatch one up while they're hot. I love the feeling of contributing something to my family which brings us all together and makes us happy. 

So, whether it's coping with stress or just trying to bless my family, I thank you, Lord, for baking, and it's therapeutic effects on me. 

On my drive home...

I'm driving home, and this is what I see: 

Now, granted, I was driving, so this is what Google images gave me after the fact. Nevertheless, this is what I saw! It was beautiful! I was suddenly exponentially more grateful for living in the Pacific Northwest, where I can see the beautiful Cascade mountains on my drive home.

Snow capped mountains. Blue skies. Evergreen trees. I love it.

Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful scene on my way home.

Mission Accomplished!

The Mission Statement of Biola University goes like this:

"The mission of Biola University is biblically centered education, scholarship and service—equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ."

Today, at work, my manager and I got into a discussion about the existence of God and the validity of Christianity. He's a self-proclaimed Atheist, and asked me the oh-so-graceful question:

"Who created f***ing God??"

With that, I was able to tell him that no one created God; rather, God created time itself, and has been living for eternity's past. I told him that, yes, this is confusing, and that it's hard for our finite minds to understand the infinite God. We then proceeded to talk about some other things, but he wasn't looking for a dialogue, only a debate.

As I was driving home, I was just so grateful for the education I am receiving at Biola, where I am honestly being equipped in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Lord, for the education you are blessing me with. Also, thank you for giving me times of challenging dialogues with people who don't believe in you, so that I may use what I am learning for the advance of your Kingdom.

Kalena

What a day. It's a good thing I have the self-imposed challenge to post something new every day or I would be fast asleep in bed now.

Today was the last day of school for the Edmonds School District, the district in which my church is located. My church, ONE Church (which has an amazing story behind it, but that's for another day), hosted a huge Summer Fun Kick-Off Party, with a bounce house, inflatable slide, face painting, popcorn, etc. It was fun, but for us who worked behind the scenes and on the front line during the event, it was also exhausting. That's why I should be in bed right now, fast asleep, resting. But, for some reason, I just keep on typing.

Families came. Children laughed. Frisbees were thrown. It was a jolly good time.

God answered our prayers for the downpour of rain to stop. It stopped raining right when the event started and started raining again right when it ended. That's pretty darn cool if you ask me.

But, the HIGHLIGHT of my day, amongst all of the things to be thankful for, was a conversation I had with a ten year old girl named Kalena. God is working a great work in her, I can tell. She saw me praying with some of the workers from the event, and afterwards came up to me and said,

"I saw that you were praying. I pray, too." 

That opened up a whole conversation between the two of us about God, Jesus, sin, salvation, grace, scripture, heaven, forgiveness, and so much more. She had so many insightful questions and comments, and God used me to both answer and respond to her. We talked for at least an hour and a half, and by the end of our conversation, I was able to give her a Bible with some verses she could read and think about, and she was SO excited to read them.

That's what I am so thankful for today. Thank you, Lord, for Kalena. Thank you for her honest seeking after you. Thank you for giving us time together to talk about you. Thank you for giving me the right words to share you with her. Thank you that she understood what I was telling her. Thank you thank you thank you.

Please be praying for Kalena, as she goes home and reads her Bible. Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead her into truth and righteousness, and that she will give her life to Christ and be forevermore my sister in Christ.

Creativity

Today I am so thankful for the creativity God has blessed my family with.

My little sister and I are about to make posters for a Summer Fun Kick Off-Party our church is throwing tomorrow for the whole community (so, please be praying that God will bless all of our hard work and bring many people to know the Lord), and Nicole is going to be the main artist for these posters. My dad designed them. I just have a really artistic and creative family.

Thanks, God, for not making your children boring. Thank you, Lord, for giving us all unique gifts to serve you with.

Eleven Years Ago.

June 22, 2000.

1:28am.

8 pounds six and a half ounces.

21 inches long.

These are just some facts about my favorite (and only) little sister, Nicole, from when she was born.

As you might have figured out from reading the first line, her birthday is today.

She is eleven years old.

And I love her very much.

You may also remember a video she and I made the other day when I surprised her with the question, "Do you love Jesus?". You should watch it. It's great.

There are just so many reasons why I am so thankful for God putting Colie in my life. Nicole loves Jesus so much. Earlier she was telling me about a song that she wrote about Jesus and how she wants him to hold her in his hands. And that he does. Thank you, Lord, that she loves you. Please keep her loving you.

Today Nicole got everything she wanted for her birthday.

She got a journal that has plain, lined, and graph paper. She's an aspiring artist, and is very excited to draw and write down her thoughts in this journal.













She also loves pigs. A lot. Which I personally do not get, but I think it's great that she loves them. So she got a pig hat today. It's rather cute, I must confess. She also loves this strange little animal called a Chupacabra (it's like a super skinny dog-like-thing), so she got a t-shirt with a cartoon drawing of one that said "Be Kind to Chupacabras". She's a unique girl, and that's why I love her.


She's just so darn cool.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving my sister, and for giving her life.

I love this poem.

Prayer (I)

BY GEORGE HERBERT

Prayer the church's banquet, angel's age,

         God's breath in man returning to his birth,

         The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,

The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth

Engine against th' Almighty, sinner's tow'r,

         Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,

         The six-days world transposing in an hour,

A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;

Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,

         Exalted manna, gladness of the best,

         Heaven in ordinary, man well drest,

The milky way, the bird of Paradise,

         Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul's blood,

         The land of spices; something understood.

I love this poem because it shows the many facets of prayer. It is the "heart in pilgrimage"  because it is when man and God connect. It is the "sinner's tow'r" because we are all sinners reaching upward for the divine. I love the imagery.

This was one of the almost forty poems I read by Herbert last semester for Torrey, and my Pull Question for this text was to memorize one of his poems; this was the one I picked. To pray is to instantly and intimately commune with the living God, and I feel that this poem captures the essence of that amazing truth.

Thank you, Lord, for this poem.

Friendy Friends!

It's been a year and a half since we've met.

We have been in the same Torrey group for that entire year and a half. As a result, she has challenged me to grow in so many areas of my life just by my listening to what she has to say.

We've gone to the Mosaic Masquerade together and eaten fancy strawberries in chocolate tuxedos.

We've got caught by Campus Safety for....well....something about climbing into Flour Fountain in fancy clothes or something... ;P

We've eaten candy at ungodly hours of the night to celebrate my birthday.

We've microwaved marshmallows until they explode. And then proceeded to eat them.

We've buckled down and got some serious homework done. Good study buddies are hard to find.

We've tried to open a can of blueberries with a hammer. It didn't work.

I've called her on the phone when I desperately needed someone to talk to. And she came to my side. :)

Also, who are we kidding: she has fantastic hair. :)

And, last but not least, she sent me a birthday card that I got in the mail today, a day when I was feeling real down in the dumps and was struggling to find joy. Her card lifted my spirits and brought joy to my day and life in general.

Lord, thank so SO much for my friend, Janine Marderian.

My Little Sister Loves....

I admit, today has been a hard day. It's days like this when I struggle with finding something to be thankful for to post here. But, this morning, my sister gave our dad a Father's Day card that looked like the Bible (she made it), and she shared her love for Christ with him. Since I already thanked God for my dad the other day (and I have a rule where I can't thank Him for the same thing twice on this blog), I couldn't go with the obvious "thank God for my dad because it's Father's Day" post. 

So, this is my "thank you, Lord, for putting the love of Christ in my sister" post. I asked my sister, Cole, if she loved Jesus in the video below. See what she said...

Domino Effect

Short post today.

I love it when you make a decision to do something, and it leads to so many great conversations with people you wouldn't have met unless you made that one initial decision.

That happened a lot this evening when my sister, dad, and I went to the Edmonds Art Festival to celebrate our daddy's birthday. We met a couple incredible people and had enriching conversations with folks we might not have had the pleasure of meeting otherwise.

Thank you, Lord, for orchestrating wonderful conversations in this domino effect we call life.

I wrote a poem!

I did! I wrote one of my very own! Here's why I'm excited about this small accomplishment of mine: Until this summer, I was never really interested in poetry. So, a couple of days ago, I went to the library to check out some books that would teach me how to both read and write poetry. One of the books, Poetry as a Spiritual Practice, by Robert McDowell, has different exercises for writing poetry. 

One of the exercises was to go to a public place, like a coffee shop or shopping mall, listen to the conversations around me, and then write a poem reflecting on a conversation I heard. As a person who loves to listen to the lives of other people, this task was very fun to complete. 

I listened. I reflected. I wrote. 

Eavesdropping 

I admit, I was eavesdropping

on a conversation between two men,

about how the upcoming family funeral would be different,

because with it joy and celebration would begin. 

This got me to thinking, 

"What could have changed?

What happened to this family

that their worldview was rearranged?"

Was it religion? Philosophy?

Just plain tired of being sad?

The truth is I'll never know,

I'll just always wish I had. 

Thank you, Lord, for poetry. Thank you for letting me into this small little world of writing. 

Our Father, who art in Heaven

Today I listened to a sermon given by Mark Driscoll titled: "Pray Like Jesus: The Lord's Prayer".



Here is an excerpt from the sermon that stuck out to me:

Jesus taught us to pray to God as Father. 

Now the reason some of you are gonna struggle with this is because of your dad. Okay? Last week after I preached on praying to God as Father, after every service I was praying for people. And I had multiple people, particularly young women in their late teens and twenties saying, “I have a really hard time understanding God as Father. My dad left. He abused. He abandoned. He raped. He beat. He divorced my mom. He walked out on us. He won’t return my phone calls. He won’t have any contact with me. He’s just a horrible man.” What I would say is this, do not judge God by your earthly father, judge your earthly father by your Heavenly Father.

 With every terrible attribute Pastor Driscoll listed about bad fathers, I grew more and more thankful and aware of how wonderful of a father God has blessed me with in my dad. He hasn't left. He hasn't abused. He will never abandon. He will never rape. He is faithful to my mom. He will never leave his family. He calls me back. He's a good man. And because of this, my relationship with my Heavenly Father is good.

Lord, thank you for my dad. Thank you for being my Heavenly Father who loves me and listens to me.

Homer and Hazelnuts

It’s almost 6:00pm, and I’ve been sitting here at the Waterfront Coffee Company in Edmonds for the past three hours. It has become a new favorite reading place for me. The baristas are nice and conversational. The atmosphere is relaxed and open to all walks of life that enter through the door. The songs playing through the speakers are upbeat, and I oftentimes find my foot tapping to the tunes as I read and write. The books I brought with me today are Homer’s Iliad and Robert McDowell’s Poetry as Spiritual Practice. For the sake of being disciplined, I denied myself the pleasure of learning about the spiritual practice of poetry until I had read two books of the Iliad, which I realize, ironically, is poetry itself.

After staring at the menu for a minute or so, I went ahead and ordered the default drink I order at every coffee shop I visit; a tall hazelnut latte. I was even able to get my drink in a mug! The drink was made, and the foam on top was all swirly and delightful, I did not want to disturb it. I took a cautious first sip. Yep, it was delicious. Now I could read Homer and really enjoy it.

I sipped away at my hazelnut latte, all the while reading about the various battles between the “flowing haired Achaians” and the Trojans, turning page after page, and found myself quite thankful for each sip of hazelnut latte I would treat myself to after each page I completed.

This got me thinking: “God, you didn’t have to create hazelnuts. You didn’t even have to create milk, or espresso, or the human capacity to know what to do with all of these individual ingredients. But you did. 

Thank you for that. Thank you, Lord, for giving me a pleasant afternoon of Homer and Hazelnuts.