Okay, seriously, I want to get married.
I'm tired of telling people that I'm "content with being single." Yes, I really am content & very at peace with where God has placed me in my life. I love being single! I love being able to spend my own money, do whatever I want on my day off, fly to So-Cal or Bora-Bora spontaneously & not have to "check" with someone first. It's all great!
But, here's the thing with being a single Christian in America today. When you're single, people expect you to say, "Yay! I'm single & I love it!" It's so taboo to be honest with people & say "I have a strong desire to get married someday & I want that day to come soon!" I don't want to kiss dating goodbye or be at ease with my singleness. It's healthy to be somewhat uncomfortable with singleness. It almost means that your desire didn't go away. With discomfort, apathy has no room to enter in. There's still emotion there. So, thank you Joshua Harris, I get the point. But, why do I have to compromise my desire for marriage in order to be a content Christian? I'm content! I'm at peace! I just want to be married. There's a difference here...
The difference is this: I want to get married someday. I'm not going to lower my expectations or standards for my future husband in order to achieve this desire right now. I'm willing to be patient. But, the want doesn't dissapear with waiting. In fact, waiting kind of makes the want even stronger.
So, my advice is this: For all of us who are single, we need to own it! Take pride in being this lost breed of content & at peace singles! There are so many discouraged, irritated, & uneasy single people who don't understand that marriage is like a fine wine or a stinky cheese. Reward comes from the waiting. It's okay to say "I want to get married". Because, it's better to be honest rather than lying to yourself.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Yep, I Grew Up in Phoenix!
Often times, my mornings are pretty mundane. I wake up, climb across the room to turn off my alarm clock, work out for about an hour & a half, then get to work. Of course, I stop at Starbucks on the way.
However, lately, my mornings have been crazy! From flooding my bathroom & apartment to passing out from giving too much blood (more on that story later), I've had some pretty eventful days.
This morning is the next story in my "Crazy Mornings" Saga.
Growing up in Phoenix, we don't get a whole lot of snow. Sure, I've been snowboarding & spent a year in Nebraska in college. But, I've never driven in the snow, owned a snow shovel, or had to worry about black ice on the road.
So, when I walked up to my car this morning in the freezing Sacramento air, I found ice caked on my windshield! Now, this absolutely baffled me. I've never really seen this before. Honestly, I kind of stood there in silence, thinking of what to do or who to call to come & help me. I actually contemplated calling AAA. After a minute or two of pondering my dilemma, I called my Mom. She grew up in Iowa. She'll know what to do.
No answer.
Dad? He was born in Alaska for crying out loud!
No answer.
Now, I'm thinking, "Okay, out of all my friends, who lives in the snow? Who would know how to handle this?" I thought about my best friend & college roommate, Kelly. But, she grew up in Los Angeles. Nope. Bad idea.
After listing off all my friends from Concordia & those who live up in Sacramento, I decided to call my friend, Daniel, who's from Denver. Perfect candidate for helping a girl from Phoenix scrape ice off of her car. Daniel picks up the phone & here's how the conversation went...
"Hello?"
"Daniel!!! You live in the snow, right?! Well, I need your help! There is a ton of ice stuck on my car from the cold weather & I don't know how to get it off!"
(Laughter in the background)
"Um, okay?...Just use your scraper."
"My what? What's that?"
"Oh yeah, you wouldn't own a scraper. You wouldn't know what that is."
"Haha, yeah, I grew up in Phoenix. Go figure."
"Okay, well this is what you do...Turn the heat up in your car really high & just wait for it to melt off."
"That's a good idea!"
(Call waiting beeps, it's my mom)
"That's my mom...gotta' go!"
(Hang up on Daniel)
Conversation with Mom
"Mom! I need help! There's tons of ice on my windshield & I don't have a scraper thingy to get it off. I turned on the heat in my car, but I need something to scrape the ice with. What should I do?"
"Go inside & get a kitchen spatula! Or, better yet, you can always use a Credit Card."
"Great, thanks! Love you, bye."
So, there I was, sitting in the parking lot of my apartment complex, polluting the air with all the exhaust coming out of my car from it being too hot inside, scraping the ice off my windshield with a tiny, plastic, Visa! My fingers froze to death, but it worked!
My lesson was learned. I need to buy a scraper thingy right away. Maybe Santa will give me one for Christmas? Haha! This is just so ridiculous, but it was quite entertaining. Maybe not at the moment, but hindsight is always hilarious.
Hope you "laughed out loud" from this story as much as I did!
However, lately, my mornings have been crazy! From flooding my bathroom & apartment to passing out from giving too much blood (more on that story later), I've had some pretty eventful days.
This morning is the next story in my "Crazy Mornings" Saga.
Growing up in Phoenix, we don't get a whole lot of snow. Sure, I've been snowboarding & spent a year in Nebraska in college. But, I've never driven in the snow, owned a snow shovel, or had to worry about black ice on the road.
So, when I walked up to my car this morning in the freezing Sacramento air, I found ice caked on my windshield! Now, this absolutely baffled me. I've never really seen this before. Honestly, I kind of stood there in silence, thinking of what to do or who to call to come & help me. I actually contemplated calling AAA. After a minute or two of pondering my dilemma, I called my Mom. She grew up in Iowa. She'll know what to do.
No answer.
Dad? He was born in Alaska for crying out loud!
No answer.
Now, I'm thinking, "Okay, out of all my friends, who lives in the snow? Who would know how to handle this?" I thought about my best friend & college roommate, Kelly. But, she grew up in Los Angeles. Nope. Bad idea.
After listing off all my friends from Concordia & those who live up in Sacramento, I decided to call my friend, Daniel, who's from Denver. Perfect candidate for helping a girl from Phoenix scrape ice off of her car. Daniel picks up the phone & here's how the conversation went...
"Hello?"
"Daniel!!! You live in the snow, right?! Well, I need your help! There is a ton of ice stuck on my car from the cold weather & I don't know how to get it off!"
(Laughter in the background)
"Um, okay?...Just use your scraper."
"My what? What's that?"
"Oh yeah, you wouldn't own a scraper. You wouldn't know what that is."
"Haha, yeah, I grew up in Phoenix. Go figure."
"Okay, well this is what you do...Turn the heat up in your car really high & just wait for it to melt off."
"That's a good idea!"
(Call waiting beeps, it's my mom)
"That's my mom...gotta' go!"
(Hang up on Daniel)
Conversation with Mom
"Mom! I need help! There's tons of ice on my windshield & I don't have a scraper thingy to get it off. I turned on the heat in my car, but I need something to scrape the ice with. What should I do?"
"Go inside & get a kitchen spatula! Or, better yet, you can always use a Credit Card."
"Great, thanks! Love you, bye."
So, there I was, sitting in the parking lot of my apartment complex, polluting the air with all the exhaust coming out of my car from it being too hot inside, scraping the ice off my windshield with a tiny, plastic, Visa! My fingers froze to death, but it worked!
My lesson was learned. I need to buy a scraper thingy right away. Maybe Santa will give me one for Christmas? Haha! This is just so ridiculous, but it was quite entertaining. Maybe not at the moment, but hindsight is always hilarious.
Hope you "laughed out loud" from this story as much as I did!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
An Anecdote for My Friend, the "Professional Christian"
Next time you turn your back
On the beggar asking for money
Don't assume he needs it for
Illegality
You don't know his story
Those who annoy you
Obviously crying out for attention
"Oh, I can't stand her!"
Yes, but did she ever mention
Her insecurities
In confidentiality
Of friendly
Conversation
Simply put,
She's loud, she's rude, obnoxious
This covers her pain and fear
But, didn't you hear?
Dad has cancer
God's not giving her an answer
He's not listening
Daddy's little girl is crying
Inside, she's dying
Trying
To fool them with her laughing
Smiling
Emotionally, she's running
Stunning those who don't know
Pushing them away
Rushing out the door
Who will notice?
What about the student leader?
The preacher?
He smiles at the others
But never bothers
With those who leave a bad taste in his mouth
He has his inner sanctum
No one unauthorized can enter in
Clearance is for the pretty and the pretty only
So, where is she?
Sitting on the outside, lonely
Nobody
To talk to or see
She is the plague, the ugly
A four letter word.
Sure, you can't stand her, but where is the love of Christ you preach everyday?
What kind of preacher
Teacher
Ignores the unloved?
Or, rather creates is?
Pot or kettle
The blackness of sin
Enters in
Everyone
So, don't think you are holy
High and mighty
Because you have a Christian degree
In something churchy
If anything
You should be reaching
To those who are hurting
Fighting
Drowning
Dying
Spiritually
To the Professional Christian,
Bring this to an end
Show Jesus, the friend
Not the enemy
Show them visually
The love for eternity
The Christ who is holy
Sacrificing and Priestly
Who died for you and me
On the cross, you see
That piece of wood was the altar
For every son and daughter
That they may know the everlasting
Truth that is My Jesus.
Show them the love that is not
Judging
Condemning
Killing
Because, ultimately, God is the only One who knows where they will spend their life eternally.
Open arms
Open hearts
Open the doors to the Church that has been locked indefinitely
See the beggars and the poor
Worship like family
To the Professional Christian
I challenge you to smile at the unloved
And mean it
A hug would be nice too.
On the beggar asking for money
Don't assume he needs it for
Illegality
You don't know his story
Those who annoy you
Obviously crying out for attention
"Oh, I can't stand her!"
Yes, but did she ever mention
Her insecurities
In confidentiality
Of friendly
Conversation
Simply put,
She's loud, she's rude, obnoxious
This covers her pain and fear
But, didn't you hear?
Dad has cancer
God's not giving her an answer
He's not listening
Daddy's little girl is crying
Inside, she's dying
Trying
To fool them with her laughing
Smiling
Emotionally, she's running
Stunning those who don't know
Pushing them away
Rushing out the door
Who will notice?
What about the student leader?
The preacher?
He smiles at the others
But never bothers
With those who leave a bad taste in his mouth
He has his inner sanctum
No one unauthorized can enter in
Clearance is for the pretty and the pretty only
So, where is she?
Sitting on the outside, lonely
Nobody
To talk to or see
She is the plague, the ugly
A four letter word.
Sure, you can't stand her, but where is the love of Christ you preach everyday?
What kind of preacher
Teacher
Ignores the unloved?
Or, rather creates is?
Pot or kettle
The blackness of sin
Enters in
Everyone
So, don't think you are holy
High and mighty
Because you have a Christian degree
In something churchy
If anything
You should be reaching
To those who are hurting
Fighting
Drowning
Dying
Spiritually
To the Professional Christian,
Bring this to an end
Show Jesus, the friend
Not the enemy
Show them visually
The love for eternity
The Christ who is holy
Sacrificing and Priestly
Who died for you and me
On the cross, you see
That piece of wood was the altar
For every son and daughter
That they may know the everlasting
Truth that is My Jesus.
Show them the love that is not
Judging
Condemning
Killing
Because, ultimately, God is the only One who knows where they will spend their life eternally.
Open arms
Open hearts
Open the doors to the Church that has been locked indefinitely
See the beggars and the poor
Worship like family
To the Professional Christian
I challenge you to smile at the unloved
And mean it
A hug would be nice too.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Just an Update
So, my church has been debating whether or not they want to put me as a Called Worked in the Budget for 2009. Here's an update of what's been happening...
This past weekend, I've been in OC hanging out with friends & my family. This past Sunday, my church had a voter's meeting as to what they want to do: put me in the Budget for a potential Call or not put me in the Budget & see what tithing looks like. If they put me in the Budget, it's awesome! Basically, it says that the church is going to look into Calling me as a full-time DCE. If they don't put me in the Budget, that means that they don't know what they want to do & they might not have enough money for me. Obviously, I've been hoping for the former.
Well, when I got back from OC yesterday, I was informed that I was not put in the Budget. I guess the people who were there were very concerned with the economy factoring into tithing & were scared to approve me. However, the people who I do ministry with (parents of my youth, volunteers, etc.) weren't even at the meeting. Nobody let the congregation know that this Voter's Meeting would be approving me as a Called worker in the Budget.
So, now I'm not in the Budget, but my Pastor is possibly working on getting a re-vote at an "Emergency Voter's Meeting" within the next few weeks or something like that. If we can get a better mix of people at the meeting & involve my volunteers & those effected at this next voter's assembly, then I think I'll be okay.
Now, I'm totally frustrated & concerned...I'm obviously still processing.
Basically, the plan is the church is going to wait until March 2009 or so to decide if we will have enough money from tithing, etc. to Call me. So, I'm kind of in "Limbo" right now. I don't know if I'm staying or going. But, the nice thing is that this doesn't affect my ministry. If they choose to keep me, I keep plugging away at the future. If they decide they can't keep me because of money issues, then I recruit & empower amazing volunteers & move on.
I have full confidence that God is going to do amazing things here. What that is, I have NO idea! But, I will keep everyone posted.
<><
This past weekend, I've been in OC hanging out with friends & my family. This past Sunday, my church had a voter's meeting as to what they want to do: put me in the Budget for a potential Call or not put me in the Budget & see what tithing looks like. If they put me in the Budget, it's awesome! Basically, it says that the church is going to look into Calling me as a full-time DCE. If they don't put me in the Budget, that means that they don't know what they want to do & they might not have enough money for me. Obviously, I've been hoping for the former.
Well, when I got back from OC yesterday, I was informed that I was not put in the Budget. I guess the people who were there were very concerned with the economy factoring into tithing & were scared to approve me. However, the people who I do ministry with (parents of my youth, volunteers, etc.) weren't even at the meeting. Nobody let the congregation know that this Voter's Meeting would be approving me as a Called worker in the Budget.
So, now I'm not in the Budget, but my Pastor is possibly working on getting a re-vote at an "Emergency Voter's Meeting" within the next few weeks or something like that. If we can get a better mix of people at the meeting & involve my volunteers & those effected at this next voter's assembly, then I think I'll be okay.
Now, I'm totally frustrated & concerned...I'm obviously still processing.
Basically, the plan is the church is going to wait until March 2009 or so to decide if we will have enough money from tithing, etc. to Call me. So, I'm kind of in "Limbo" right now. I don't know if I'm staying or going. But, the nice thing is that this doesn't affect my ministry. If they choose to keep me, I keep plugging away at the future. If they decide they can't keep me because of money issues, then I recruit & empower amazing volunteers & move on.
I have full confidence that God is going to do amazing things here. What that is, I have NO idea! But, I will keep everyone posted.
<><
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Yay, it's Advent!
Tonight is the first night of my first Advent as a DCE! Well, technically, I'm an Intern. But, it's okay to call it the first.
"Why is it okay?" you may ask.
Well, because I said so.
Moving on...
Christmas is almost here & with the coming of our Savior's birth, I've decided to go all out! Yes, nothing says "I love Christmas" like changing the colors of your blog. Nonetheless, I've decided to fully celebrate Christmas & Advent this year. I bought an Advent Calendar & I even have an Advent wreath in my office!
For those of you who remember Christmas 2005 (lighting my bulletin on fire at CUI's Lessons & Carols Service), I will not actually be lighting any candles. However, the thought is completely there. I'm sure the Building Committee at church will appreciate this.
Tonight, I will eat my first traditional Lutheran meal of soup & bread before the traditional Lutheran Advent service. I'm sure this ritual goes back to Martin Luther himself. I read it somewhere...maybe on the internet.
Oh, I cannot wait for Christmas to come!
Happy Advent to you all!
<><
"Why is it okay?" you may ask.
Well, because I said so.
Moving on...
Christmas is almost here & with the coming of our Savior's birth, I've decided to go all out! Yes, nothing says "I love Christmas" like changing the colors of your blog. Nonetheless, I've decided to fully celebrate Christmas & Advent this year. I bought an Advent Calendar & I even have an Advent wreath in my office!
For those of you who remember Christmas 2005 (lighting my bulletin on fire at CUI's Lessons & Carols Service), I will not actually be lighting any candles. However, the thought is completely there. I'm sure the Building Committee at church will appreciate this.
Tonight, I will eat my first traditional Lutheran meal of soup & bread before the traditional Lutheran Advent service. I'm sure this ritual goes back to Martin Luther himself. I read it somewhere...maybe on the internet.
Oh, I cannot wait for Christmas to come!
Happy Advent to you all!
<><
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