Seeing

We like to see. When driving, we like to see what is ahead of us.



We like to go to high hills and see far off places unseen from the low ground. We vacation near the ocean or a lake where we can see far, often beyond the horizon. We like the known, we like seeing. I was recently visiting my friend and her ten-month-old baby. Even the baby likes seeing. Mom is her life and she likes when mom is in view.

But what happens when we can't see? What about when our windshield gets hit with snow? What about when we are walking through the woods, not knowing where the clearing will be? What happens when the baby can no longer see her mom? Often times, we get worried. We drive slower and more cautiously. We don't want to hit other cars. We wonder if we are walking in circles. The baby wonders what her future will be like without mom, where will she get her next meal, who will rock her to sleep? We like seeing, there is comfort in seeing, in the known.

Its similar to our relationship with God. When I can see the path He has laid out for me, when I can see His hand working in my life, I feel safe and comfortable. But when life is a mess and I feel like I can't catch a breath, I worry, I wander, I cry, I wonder where God is and if He's coming back. But it is in the times I can't see that my faith and trust grow stronger. They are beneficial times though I wouldn't always call them good.

Are you in a time of seeing or a time of blurry vision?

Church

There have been exciting things going on at my church. We started in September with an intense, regulars-focused series on the church's vision and raising money to build two new churches in the metro area. Money, money money! Its simply something every church needs if it is going to put on these type of services. But money is not what the church is all about, and they wanted to make that clear, so our next series (which we are currently wrapping up) was very seeker-friendly, designed to invite your friends who are far from God. Over the last few weeks, I have seen visitors nervously check in their children and hesitantly go to the service and the next week they do the same process with ease and joy! I've seen my own friends come not once but twice and say how they were just thinking of the sermon topic in the car on the way over! People are coming and our services are more packed than they've ever been. People, people, people! But still, that is not what this is about. Which brings me to this week...our Christmas Eve services. Our Christmas Eve service is a "Say YES" service in both the adult service and kids programming. This is the service where the pastor gives a very focused message and invitiation to say YES to Jesus. This is what church is about! The life change that Jesus brings into lives is key! Some might say, well, every service should be a YES service, and casually, if you look for it, they are, but every service is very strategic, pulling people in who have been hurt by the church or have had bad experiences with the church or simply have never been to the church. If every service was a blatant say YES service, people may be turned away or those who are Christians might not get a chance to grow in their faith. So, I'm excited for the "Say YES" service and I'm excited the church did not simply invite people to this one service, but invited them to a month of services which culminate this week in a powerful way!

Reaching My Building

A little over a year ago we had a fire in the apartment building I live in. You can read more about it in my original post. The most memorable part of the evacuation for me, was sitting on the lawn across the street with my neighbors when the fire trucks pulled up. Two huge ladder trucks parked in front of our building, lights strobing. After they stopped, they put up two huge flood lights which plunged our building into a daylight no darkness could easily penetrate. Every brick, every leaf could be seen clearly.



I am reminded of that light shining on my building everytime we sing "Mighty to Save" and we get to the lines:

"Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen king"

Shine your light! I think of my building with the huge lights illuminating it. How desperately I want God's light to shine that bright, to immerse the darkness in my neighbors lives!

So today I hosted a winter party. I put up a few signs and opened the door to my home. Six of my neighbors showed up, two families. We had a good conversation and decorated cookies while the kids played games and did crafts. I am so glad they came and so glad they felt welcomed. We are talking about having another party for our building and I can't wait!

Picnik

I have seen a lot of teenagers I know editing their photos using this website called Picnik so they come out really cool. I have a photo I took last week that I really like, so I edited it. I think this website is really cool!!! Check it out:


Original


Sepia


This is soooo cool! I really like this effect. This photo may have to be blown up and framed to go in my living room.


Black and white...my original thought

No Perfect People

This evening I skated round and round and round, meticulously doing my mohawk and 3-turn steps. I did a few pretty well, but was disappointed by the imperfections they contained. The tester passed me anyways and I almost felt bad, as if I didn't deserve to pass. She sent me off with a reminder that they don't have to be perfect and I'll have plenty of time to keep working on them in the next levels. While I'm not going to get bent out of shape about it, I like doing things perfect.

Last night, after class, I made a peach pie. As I sliced the peaches, I noticed they weren't as ripe and juicy as the first time I had made the pie. And upon filling it, I notices it was rather flat. I chucked it in the oven anyways and submitted it to our neighborhood's National Night Out bake off. I won! The pie was far from perfect, but sometimes Best if as good as Perfect.

With skating and pie baking in mind, I met up with my neighbors this evening for our party, and as we sat watching the police break up something at the park across the street, I was struck more and more about how imperfect we all are. AND ITS OK!!! I heard three sermons (yes, I know, I'm a nerd) this weekend, all proclaiming that GOD IS FOR IMPERFECT PEOPLE not against them. God is on our side...on my side, on your side. He is fighting for us and loves us.

What gets me about Jesus is that people didn't have to pretend around Him. The prostitutes were prostitutes, the tax collectors were tax collectors. Jesus was a party boy. He hung out with a crazy group of people! He went right up and hugged them. He went right into their homes. They didn't scurry around hiding their lives from Him. They didn't pretend to be something they weren't. They didn't clean up their act for him. They were just themselves. I think the church misses the mark on this one by a long shot. When people come to church, they feel they have to dress a certain way, act a certain way, say certain things. And, sadly, I think, if they were honest, a lot of church goers wouldn't want people coming in and messing up their comfortable services. Have you ever heard anyone say to the pastor, "hey, sorry I was a little late, I'm still a bit hung over from last night"? I think Jesus would be ok with this. Does He want us to live by His plan, well, yes, but first and foremost, He loves us, He already knows us, He wants us to be real with Him. So, two questions: how do people feel around you? Do they feel like they must pretend? Why? How can Christians and the church make people feel free to be themselves?

Life

I haven't posted in a while so thought I'd give out my two cents.
Life has been busy and fun. My brother and sister-in-law are visiting from Texas so I have been spending a lot of time with them and with my family up at the cabin. There is the never-ending cleaning that must be done and since it is the beginning of the month, bills must be paid. Plus I have weekly class and ice skating lessons (which will be cut this fall due to starting graduate school). I can not believe it is August. This summer has been chilly and has gone fast!

Tomorrow I start the MBA program and on Thursday night I have my final Statistics class! I have made great friends in that class so it will be hard to part ways. I am nervous and excited about starting the MBA.

I did a church visit this morning. I am happy with my current church but like to check out area churches every fall. I started this last fall and enjoyed seeing the worship of God take on various forms and flavors throughout the Twin Cities. This morning I visited Real Life Church and was thoroughly impressed. It was done with excellence and very real, as their name described. Between that church visit and my normal church attendance this week, I am struck by how much we can allow ourselves to live lives of mediocrity. It is very easy. How much courage life takes to life a full life as God intended! It is not easy.

Ken Ken Puzzles

I've done Sudokus for a while. They are similar to crossword puzzles but with numbers instead of letters. You have to order the numbers so there are the digits 1-9 in each 3x3 square, each row, and each column. Sounds easy, but its rather complex. There are also Monster Sudokus that have digits 0-9 and add letters A-F. However, I've been more delighted with the Ken Ken puzzles. They not only have numbers (which I love) but also incorporate math skills (which I love). If you like math or simply enjoy puzzles, give them a try. This is the best selection I've found: You can do these on the computer or print them. Enjoy!

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/crosswords/kenken.html