Talk Saturday // What the Heezy?!

I just now realized that we didn't Talk Thursday it up this week. Shame on you for not reminding me! =)

Since it's now Talk Saturday and I've just returned from the Show-Me State and the Volunteer State and am wishing I was still there...

Where do you want to go on vacation? Do you get to vacation this summer? Pick your place and tell us your grand dreams of getting away. 

Families

Families are weird. But well worth the weirdness.

And that's all I have to say. 

Diary of a Traveler, Day 6

Well, we got Heather all graduated, Lydia married off, Emily's birthday celebrated and my Missouri fix. =)

After a 16-hour drive, it's Tennessee time and soon I'll be in the holler. Which means no phone signal, no internet. But at least I'll be with the fam. And where the blacktop ends, which has been on my mind as of late. 

So I hope you all are doing well and I'll let you know how things are going down here in the sticks when I can. Pictures to come!

Sincerely,

Sarah

This is Rachael and I about three hours into the road trip. Thank You God for Mac and Photo Booth to keep us entertained.

Talk Thursday // It's That Time of the Year Again

Today we went shopping for my youngest sister's prom dress. Finally, after looking through ball gowns, formals, and skanktastic eyesores, we hit the jackpot. Dillards, thank you very much. 

And it got me to reminiscing about my own prom experience. I went with my friend, Sara and our group of other friends, rather than go with a bunch of sweaty, spastic and easily excited senior high boys. I have heard of some prom experiences that were simply terrifying and some that were awkward. Luckily mine was just fun and friend-filled with very minimal drama. 

So I ask: what was your prom experience? Did you get to go to prom? Was it during a time of puffy sleeves (a la Pretty In Pink) or during a time of Fat Boy Slim (a la She's All That)? 

If you share, I promise to post pictures from my senior prom and from Rachael's. ;)

People Who Need People, Part 1

Animals fascinate me, as you well know. Very rarely do you see animals as isolated creatures; the majority of them live in packs or herds or schools or swarms. They are built relationally, communally. It is intrinsic to their very nature to be in groups, to be together. If they are separated from the group, they will die. This is understood for them. 

Interestingly enough, most people groups know this truth as well. They live in close-knit communities - tribes, clans, households. The identity of one person is bound up in the corporate identity. The two-thirds world (as the "third-world" is apparently now known as) understands the meaning, reality, and necessity of living communally and relationally. Almost every other people group in the world outside of North America and Western Europe live like this today. And even in America, hermits/reclusive people are seen as "social outcasts" - the weird ones. 

We are who we are only in relationship to others. No matter where I go, whether there are people around or I'm on a deserted island, I am and forever will be the daughter of Don and Juanita, the sister of Heather and Rachael, friend of Emily and Matt, college roommate of Adina. I am who I am in relationship to these people. We all are. 

Though community and relationality are seen all around us, why does the American mind refuse to see itself in terms of relationship? Why specifically does the American church fail to see itself as community? As the body of Christ? All too often, the American church is seen as "a church is often seen as a voluntary association made up of religious individuals whose allegiance lies elsewhere." (Drs. Brad Harper & Paul Metzger, Exploring Ecclesiology) Yet, that's not what we were designed for. 

We are designed and created for community, for relationship. It is who we are. 

How then do we live like it?

Talk Thursday // A Little Change

Is there anyone else out there who craves change? Who needs it to get by? I'm one of those crazy people who, in an attempt to stay sane, has to rearrange the furniture in her room at least once every two months or so. It happened all through college and has continued on. 

Some people are highly averse to change. They notice when a picture gets moved, shut down when job descriptions are modified, can't handle the new landscaping on the side of the highway. 

So I ask: are you a changer or a stability-type of person? Are you both? How do you stay sane? =)

Summer

It's my first day of summer. At least, according the Multnomah calendar. What am I doing? - laying in bed blogging. And it's raining. 

All of these things are not what I expected summer to be like. I expected SUNSHINE (is that too much to ask for? It IS summer...); I expected to have a job (still none on the horizon); I expected to have more of life together (nope - life is falling apart). 

But God quietly whispered, "AM I not still in control? Do I not have your best interests in mind? Don't you know I love you?" 

And to be honest, I don't remember. When things are falling apart around me and I just want to hide out, I fail to think of the promises of the Lord. 

Lord, help me to remember that You DO have my best interests in mind and that You ARE still in control. Cause I won't remember it if you don't help. 

In other news, I'll be in  Missouri next week. And Tennessee the week after. Praise Yah!

Talk Thursday // No Idea

My brain is fried. Simply fried. I've been (unsuccessfully) working on a paper for the last three days. After cramming for finals. I just want to go home and this semester to be done with....

So, I'm leaving today's Talk Thursday up to you. 

Tell us something about yourself.

Anything. We won't judge. Probably. =) 

So, c'mon, what's on your mind? 

Game of Non-Sequiters

I stole this idea off Alli Rogers' blog. Who is awesome. And who I hope doesn't mind if I steal from her. But she just had her baby. So maybe she's in a pretty not-wrathful mood. =)

Here we go!

3 things that are always in my fridge: Orange juice, eggs and bacon (apparently I love breakfast foods...)

Most recent guilty pleasure song: "4 Minutes" by Madonna and Justin Timberlake. It's old, but I like it. 

Favorite class from high school: Anatomy (yeah, it was... ;) )

If I could grow anything perfectly in my backyard it would be: corn. I mean, seriously, how cool would THAT be?! Stalks all tall and whatnot, in the middle of the 'burbs.

Talent I wish I was born with: playing the guitar. Then I could be the chick-version of this guy.

Color I would paint my fingernails if I didn't care what people thought of me: Orange. 

Moments from my most recent dream: This was from last night. I dreamt I was at some college, doing something and someone wanted to take some pictures of me for the school bulletin-thing. But then some girl told me I was too fat to be in the pictures. So I threw my Snickers Sonic Blast in her face. It was awesome. 

Favorite thing to find in your lunchbox as a child: A PB&J with BBQ chips in the middle (yum!)

Age you would not like to revisit: 13

Age you would like to revisit: 19

Book I still haven't finished but is on the top of my finish list: "The Life of Pi" by Yann Matel

Thing I'm most excited about today: The Veritas church BBQ tonight. And Dr. Pepper. And the sunshine. Ok, ok, I know that's three, but eh.... =)

So you can paste this into the comments and let us know what you're randomly all about. =)

P.S. Thanks to Shari's Restaurant for letting me steal wi-fi. Wow... I am such a klepto...

Talk Thursday // Life, Love, and Other Mysteries

Sometimes we ask questions that have no answers. 

"Why is the sky blue?" 

"Why are there mosquitos?"

"Which came first - the chicken or the egg?"

Those questions aren't terribly pressing for most of us. But this one... this one is.

"Why does God let bad things happen to good people?" 

You know, Job asked this same question. Well, maybe not Job himself, but the author of the book of Job. He wondered this very thing. 

And God didn't answer it. He confronted Job and said, "I made everything. I made the rain fall and the grass grow and the eagle fly. Have you seen those mountains? I AM bigger than those mountains. I AM bigger than your mind can comprehend. I AM GOD."

But He goes on remind us, "I AM GOD. And I love you. I loved you so much and wanted  a relationship with you so much that I sent My Son to die for you. So we could be together. That's how much you mean to Me."

In the midst of that, He doesn't explicitly answer the question of justice, of right or wrong, good or bad. 

But He said He loves us. He loves you. He loves me. 

And in the end, He going to make it alright. Justice will prevail. This life sucks. But the future... that's going to be one kick-ass party. 

My question has never been "Why do bad things happen to good people?" 

Until now. 

So what's your question? What weighs on your mind as you contemplate life, love, and other mysteries?

And check out this blog; it just happened to come at the right time. 

The Problem With Seminary Is...

...that I am learning so much and have so much I feel the Lord calling me to, but have no outlet to carry it out. It just stays in my head until it gets forgotten and dust-covered like so many other things.  

Talk Thursday // Pet-Peeves

Grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. 

For some reason, when I see those things, I automatically assume people are 87% dumber than they probably are. This is a personal flaw; Jesus and I are working on it. 

Therefore I ask: what's your biggest pet-peeve? Do you have any? Do you have several? When they occur, do you have the irresistible urge to punch someone in the face? Slam your head against the wall? Scream violently for several minutes? Or are you much calmer and less prone to dramatic responses?

Being, Not Doing

"...mission is not primarily about going. Nor is mission primarily about doing anything. Mission is aboutbeing. It is about being a distinctive kind of people, a countercultural, multinational community among the nations. It is modeling before a skeptical world what the living God of the BIble is really like. Whether we remain all our lives in the towns of our birth or travel to the slums of Calcutta or the wastelands of Madison Avenue, we are all called to mission. For mission is to put our lives on the cutting edge where God is at work. And we have seen in this passage that God is at work challenging the false gods of culture, religion, and the marketplace; God is at work seeking justice for the widow, the orphan and the alien; and God is at work freeing men and women, giving them new identities that transcend those of class and tribe and nation. What was true to Israel's calling is also true for our calling as the church of Jesus Christ: "They are to be a people set apart, different from all other people by what they are and what they are becoming - a display people, a show-case to the world of how being in covenant with Yahweh changes a people."'

- The Message of Mission, by Howard Peskett and Vinoth Ramachandra

Birthday Week!!

**Monday of Birthday Week, Update**

Awesome things that happened today:

- I found a frozen custard place in Vancouver. So happy birthday to me with an Oreo concrete!

- I got to catch up with my girl, Jenny. 

- An old friend sent me an iTunes gift card! So now I'm jammin' to some Lady Antebellum. (Thanks, Kim!)

- I got to wear flip-flops. 

- It was in the 80's today in Portland. Praise You, Jesus!

- Nicky made me pizza for dinner. Rock on. =)

- I made a new friend. 

I love birthday week!

********************************************

I don't know if you know this, but I love my birthday. I LOVE IT! And since I have to be at a conference all. day. long. on Saturday (April 25th), this week here at Hephzibah will be Sarah's Birthday Week. And I am so ok with that. ;)


Therefore, if you want to say kind words, please feel free. If you want to send Dr. Pepper or cheesecake, please.... feel free. If you want to hook me up with a major hottie who will buy me a hamburger, PLEASE.... feel free. =)


How's your week shaping up?


In other news, the 2,500 word paper is done. Only three more papers to go and about 10 assignments. Woot. Woot .

Talk Thursday // Deal-Breakers

Some people have those things that just aren't ok in a relationship, things that would be an automatic "no" from Day 1.

Do you have those things? If you're married, did your spouse have them? What are those things that you are just unwilling to bend on for a relationship? (Other than the whole "unequally yoked" thing... =) )

Mmmmmm.... So Good....

Dr. Pepper and I were reunited this morning. At 12.02 am. And let me just say it was glorious....

DURING Febarple...

REALLY excited for the first drink... 

Not being able to stop drinking....

This is me now...

Oh sweet elixir from heaven... how I have missed you. Welcome home. =)

You may want to take the kids out of the room first...

You thought robots were harmless.

You thought wrong.

And on Easter too.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

This is what happens when you want to procrastinate a history paper....

Christ Is Risen...

I know you know the tag line...

C'mon... say it all together now....

=)

Today is Easter. Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But today isn't the only day to celebrate this. EVERY day we should celebrate Easter. Early Christians began meeting on Sundays as a way to remember the resurrection - Jesus rose on a Sunday morning, therefore corporate Christian worship was to be on Sunday morning. Easter is not the only Resurrection Sunday. Every Sunday, every DAY is Resurrection Day. Because Jesus is forever resurrected. And every day we need to celebrate that awesome truth. 

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, then men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen." (Luke 24.1-6a)

I know I don't celebrate or remember the resurrection of Jesus everyday. But everyday I need to. In the words of Bill and Gloria (oh yes, I went there...): "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know Who holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives." That's why we celebrate today, this Easter Sunday. And hopefully tomorrow I will wake up remembering what the resurrection means again. 

Happy Easter, friends. 

Talk Thursday // Top Five

So this will sound like a Facebook quiz note, but I'm curious...

What's the Top 5 Most Played songs on your music player? We all have such eclectic tastes, so let's share... it is Talk Thursday, after all. =)

Whatcha listenin' to?

PS: This is a Happy Birthday shout-out to my sis who turns 17 today! (See Midge, I DO talk about you on my blog....) Happy Birthday!

Where The Blacktop Ends

The longer I live here, the more I realize JUST how much my heart longs to be in the South.

I've never lived there, you know. My parents are born-and-raised Tennesseans. Us girls are all West Coast primadonnas. Our whole family (minus a couple) are still in that general area.

Sweet tea, "yes sir, yes ma'am", barbeque, college football, cicadas and crickets, hot muggy nights, fireflies, "All ya'll!"

Likely it's not as picturesque as I dream it to be. I have many friends who are longing to get out of the South or have already done it. They know the good, the bad and the ugly.

I think I may need to know it for myself.

So... Tennessee - I think you and I will have a date sometime in the future. Hope that's cool with you.



Are you living where you want to? If God said "GO!" and you got to pick, where would you head? Let's chat. =)