27 Quotes/Phrases/Thoughts/Lyrics to live by: #22

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm allergic to numbers. They just swim in my head. I would love to be like  those people whom I consider to be human calculators.. I'm glad that my "Human Calculator" family and friends allow me to borrow them when situations needing numbers are involved :D
.
It's hard for me to appreciate money, when the value often doesn't compute..  in that context I find this quote comforting,
.
 "All we have comes from God and we give it out of His hand." 
- 1 Chronicles 29:14b, Dutch paraphrase
.
Now, when it comes to managing things for other people - I tend to do much better than with my own things. Which is a challenge in and of itself, for me to manage "my" things well. The quote reminds me of the better perspective to have about those things. They are not "mine" in the first place, they have been granted into my care for the time being. But I think it also allows me to be pretty fluid in what I do have. "What's mine is [most often] yours too" There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, I'll share! ;)
.
I still think it would be better to have "number sense" being that today most of our interactions revolve around 
these green papers with numbers on them, but I'll leave you with a comment I posted on my friends facebook wall the other day.
.
(PLEASE tell me someone notices the trend in the comment. I found it quite clever, but I think that just points all the more to my "linguistic/ artistic/ non-numbers brain")
.
Soli Deo Gloria
:D

27 Quotes/Phrases/Thoughts/Lyrics to live by: #23

I like to read books in.. um.. groups? clusters? slow-motion? *laughs* At any given time I am in the middle of 5 books.. ik, ik, that's just how I roll.. Max Lucado is a favorite author of mine, namely because he has a daughter named Jenna (means he's gotta be a great guy, right!). I feel he is also a gifted communicator, and a wordsmith who weaves his writing in such a way that it paints a vivid picture in my minds eye. As of late (well, started it last May actually), I've been reading through his book "Safe in the Shepherd's Arms: Hope and Encouragement from Psalm 23". Here's something that's been challenging me.. 

 "[In Psalm 23] David has found the pasture where discontent goes to die. It's as if he is saying "What I have in God is greater than what I don't have in life." - Max Lucado

I'm about to be 27. To me - it feels old, but in the grand scheme of life, I hope that my mission is not complete until 80 more years or so, and that those 80 years include a husband to do ministry with, and children to raise. However - I have to ask myself, "if all I have now is all I ever have, is what I have in God greater?" The obvious answer is "yes" - but daily, how do I practically live that out?  On the same page (21) of this book, Max tells a story about a man who had much in this life.. "When one of the wealthiest men in history, John D. Rockefeller, died, his accountant was asked, "How much did John D. leave?" The accountant's reply? "All of it." ..

No matter what I accumulate here in this life time, it is always and only going to stay here. My sisters car caught fire the other day. She is fine, but many "things" were ruined in the process. And it causes me to think - in a society that values things, status, "gain of _(insert next big thing here)__, can I find contentment in God alone? There are 3 things that last forever - God, His Word, and the souls of [hu]Man[s]. Do I prioritize accordingly?

Soli Deo Gloria

:D

27 Quotes/Phrases/Thoughts/Lyrics to live by: #24

Do you ever read DearBlankPleaseBlank(dot)com? I can get lost on that website.. 

In leui of all my quotes seeming super serious, here's a good jovial one:

.

Dear people who take the elevator down one floor,

Yes, I'm judging you...                    

Sincerely, it's really not that many stairs.

.

When ever I can, I tend to try to take the stairs. As my facebook cover photo says, "If you have the time, isn't everywhere in walking distance?" When I lived in Fulton (where I went to college), I would walk to wal-mart (a mile-ish away), I'd walk to church, to Westminster (the other college in town), to meet up with friends downtown, or to my friends houses that were on the other side of town (20-30 min walk).. or I'd ride my bike if time did not permit walking.. I miss being active out of necessity. Now, it's optional every day, all day.. *sad day* 
.
(don't get me wrong - I'm not dogging on people who need to use the elevator for medical/balance/I'm carrying 20 bags of groceries and it's easier reasons.. I just think we - as a society - are super lazy.. so next time you have the option, find the stairs! (unless it's a "fire escape only" - don't set off the alarm, most places frown on that!)
.
Soli Deo Gloria
:D

27 Quotes/Phrases/Thoughts/Lyrics to live by: #25

This quote has been one of my mainstay's for a while now. I find it quite timely tho, in light of recent events in my life. Last night, I was on-call for the evening emergency jobs, and wound up driving to the hospital at midnight:30.. As a terp, there are always those people that - it doesn't matter when you get the call - you'll be there. Then there are those people that you get the call and say, "really? there's no one else who can go?"..  That's when this quote resonates with me:


"Preach the gosple at all times, when necessary use words." - St. Francis of Assisi


And, to be fair, on the scale of: "ugh.. hmm.. eh?.. yup.. YAY" last night was between a "hmm" and an "eh?".. "ER" jobs tho are never timely, and after 2 hours at 2am, just about anyone turns into an "ugh" ;)

As I was driving home, thinking about this quote, I found it ironic that as I realized that my last 5 or 6 ER jobs have been at St. Francis Hospital.. *smile*

When I (as I'm not a night owl) am at my "worst", I'm always amazed how God gently chides me to "fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith.. so that [I] will not grow weary and loose heart.." as I make Christ-like-ness my aim. 

Soli Deo Gloria
:D





 

27 Quotes/Phrases/Thoughts/Lyrics to live by: #26

This is one of my absolute favorite quotes..

"Until your mission is complete, you are  bulletproof." - Jim Elliott

 

There are many things in life that I think I choose not to do for fear of it turning into a fatal decision. There are many times I find myself worrying about a friend or a family member who is away on a trip, or out of the country - or really just out of my sight for the moment. 

I have a dear friend living in Honduras right now. One of my Dad's first comments (when talking abt my friend) is "it's dangerous over there".. *laughs* .. yes, it is dangerous. but when you think about it, really - so is everywhere else. It's just a matter of whether the danger is seen or unseen.. ;)

I also have a grandfather who, while he's not on his death bed, his health is failing. And my dad mentors a doctor/missionary from Egypt. The updates we hear abt the situation over there would cause most people to flee in fear. Then there's my "adopted kids" that I hope one day to know their names and hug their bodies and kiss their faces, that I often wonder about where they are now, and what they are doing/is being done to them.. 
 

And so, while I often find myself praying for my friends safety, for comfort for my grandpa, for peace and wisdom for those living in Egypt, and for my kids wherever they are, I must choose to trust that God knows the number of each persons days, and will keep each one of them here until that time. What Psalms 90 says in verse 12 "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.." rings so true to me.. and it's echoed again in Psalm 39:4,"Show me, O LORD, my life's end, and the number of my days.."

I don't say this to be morbid, but to affirm that I trust beyond a shadow of a doubt that God knows - down to the second - how much time we have here on earth. And until that "mission" is complete - nothing will keep us from accomplishing it. His Sovereignty is the greatest comfort I can imagine.

Soli Deo Gloria

:D 

27 Quotes/Phrases/Thoughts/Lyrics to live by: #27

So, in keeping with the annual FB posts of "# [how old I will be] things to list and tell abt myself" I've decided to post a quote that I like, or a phrase that I really support, or maybe even a song lyric or two each day and then expound upon that quote/phrase/thought/lyric as to why I like it/find it compelling/what imagery it conjures up in my mind this year. With the new FB settings tho, and being that some friends don't have FB, but now have G+, it seems to be a better idea to post here, then link it to my FB/G+.. I'm not sure I want the world (a.k.a FB and G+) to know I have this blog, but I think I've almost gotten use to the idea that it's on the web, so really anyone can find it.. and I'm not as anonymous as I like to think ;)
Hence, without further ado, here's the first Quote/Phrase/Thought/Lyric:


"Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that really don't matter." Tim Kizziar

Being that I live in the Bible belt, I often run into situations in which I think "is that really something you (as a Christian, or as the Church) should be bragging about? 

To me, this quote reminds me that God is in the business of changing lives - whether it's publicly on T.V. through ppl like Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin, or whether it's super private, in a church of 20 people - and our aim should be "Christ-like-ness", not whether or not we've met our "goal" of having so many new people visit the church, or raising so much money for a new worship center or _(whatever)_. Not that those things are bad - as long as our PRIORITY is experiencing life change by-thru-and-from the person of Jesus Christ. 

It's also a reminder to me when I'm feeling competitive - "is this something that will last forever?" (There are 2 things that I know that will last forever: God's word, and the souls of humans).. I'm reminded that it's great to be good at what you do.. just make sure to have perspective of the bigger picture.. :)

Soli Deo Gloria

:D

"Let the blessing You've poured out on me.."

Well.. it's been a whirlwind last five days.. scratch that 10 days? since July 30th.. however long ago that was. 

The first 2 days of the road trip home were fairly tolerable. Saturday, July 30th, I made it to DC by 4pm, was able to go to church with my friend, and ran into another friend I've not seen in a while.. YAY for the Lord's providence to catch up with sweet friends :)
Sunday, I drove 8 hours to Ohio, and made it to my friends' place in pretty good time. Made a few pit stops, and wasn't too stir crazy nor in too much pain by the time the drive was over. Listened to some random radio shows, and time went on by rather smoothly.
Monday I caught up with my friend, got to see where she worked, and just chill - good time of rest and refreshing conversation. When I am interpreting, I tend to have this filter that I wear - that "masks" who I am most of the time. And it's not intended to be in a "hypocritical" way, it's just the nature of the job.. I am there to make the Deaf individual known.. and not for myself. Thus I often don't share my opinion, give my perspective or add my ideas - and if I do, it is always a "tone'd down suggestion" kind of way, not really me - if that makes sense? During my time interpreting, I get to a place that I forget I have the filter up. It just becomes who I exist as - and I am ok with that. However, when Project is over, and I get to just be me.. there is a refreshing release that comes with that transition. Being able to process things with life giving friends only doubles the blessings. My friend Kari, in D.C. and my friend Courtney in Ohio are two people that I am constantly grateful for their desire to point me to Christ in our conversations, and to remind me of the reason we do what we do - and the privilege it is to be a "Christ-bearer".. *grins* so very grateful for them!
Tuesday I drove from Ohio to Missouri.. and that drive just near committed me to the "old skool" insane asylum.. Time felt like it stood still, things took wayyy longer than expected, and I missed my "Chauffeurs" greatly! (Cory, Daron - 2 interpreters who often drove my car when we were together, Auzy, and Courtney - friend from High School who drove out with me back in May to be precise). My body ached, and I was pretty cranky on the inside.. I did have a fun g-mail chat with a friend tho, while I ate lunch at Panera, waiting for some videos to upload that my replacement interpreters needed.. so that was a bright spot in the middle of a dreary day.. OH - annd, I did have to laugh at God's "make me giggle" gift.. About 100 miles outside of St.Louis, I noticed one particular car and I kept leap frogging.. and both passengers had Cochlear Implants.. when they passed me for the 6th time, I asked if they were deaf (in sign language, ofc) and they both, looked startled, but said yes.. we continued our "one liner questions/leap frog game for 30 mins or so.. Sign Language FOR THE WIN~! 
Wednesday got to catch up with 3 friends from college - more "breath of fresh air" kind of conversations. I am grateful for my college mentor, Tessi, (who I stayed with those 2 days) and her godly insight/relevant wisdom about life. I always leave her house feeling rejuvenated, and joyfully exuberant (if those are not synonyms.. I think it can mean what I want it too.. *shrug* eh).. had great conversations with Sherry, Cassie and Rebecca too before jettisoning off to OklaHOMEa :)
The drive on Thursday I was somewhat dreading, however, I was pleasantly surprized by 2 new BY-PASS's and  this super cool new idea to have a "3 lane" high way that alternates passing lanes every 2 to 3 miles with an intermittent turn lane.. my typical 6 hour drive home turned into 5hrs15mins! that was MarVeLoUs! So, I came home to lotsa ppls, as the brothers wedding was set to go down on Saturday, and prep was in FULL-swing. I didn't unpack my car, as there was wedding stuff all over the place, and my younger sister decided to pull a "Coming of Age" prank on me, and empty my room of all my things.. thus I didn't have a book case to bring my books to, or shelves to put clothes back on, ect.. soo I just left everything in my car..
Friday, we went up to the church around 9am.. then I came home at 9:30pm, only to leave again at 11, to go to the sleepover for my sister-in-law-to-be.. then was home Saturday morning for an hour (if that?) to shower, get together the last minute things for the wedding.. Was a great-fun wedding, yay for bro-ha and new sis-in-law.. the only one I'll ever have, on my side anyways :D
Sunday, went to church, then played "where does it go" with alllllll the things from the wedding.. said farewell to family/friends who came in for the wedding, and tried to regain consciousness ;)
Monday - um, mtg, go see Pa-Pa, mtg, catch up with a friend, planned to unpack car - but the day was toooo HOT.. so waited til evening.. then it started raining.. so, I worked on an update video some, before hitting the hay..
TUES-DAY (To-DAY) finally brought in my "closet" from my car, and unpacked the rest of the things I carted around with me from the summer.. annnd now, I'm updating my virtual world on life post-project. :)  *whew*


It's hard to summarize Project in a nut-shell.. 
I guess the best thing to say would be to tell you of the plans of Kinna, the Deaf female student who participated in Project this summer. 
Coming into the summer, she was low on support and doubting if God really wanted her to be there, and not super "on board" with Cru as a whole. She was on the leadership team of her campus's "movement", but not very involved, entering her Senior year, and planning to live off-campus.
 Leaving project, she had her summer expenses paid off. She is anticipating extending her time at college a full year (instead of cramming 20+ hours a semester, she can take 12 hours, and complete it in 2 years), so that she can have 2 more years of ministering to her peers in a relational setting. She is now going to be an RA in a freshman dorm, in order to model a Christ-like attitude for them, and to build relationships with them. She is planning to lead a small group, and re-evaluating what truly being involved in Cru's campus movement means. 


If that is not the work of the Holy Spirit capturing a vision to glorify God and make Christ known among those you are in everyday contact with, then I don't know what is. 
I was blessed to be a part of her journey to this point, and am excited to see what our Adonai will start with her open hands, and her heart that says "Here I am Lord, send me".. 


As for my funds, it seems that we broke even! YAY! Thanks to some last minute donors, I was able to cover all the expenses that I needed, and still be able to put gas in my car to make it home :)
I am exponentially grateful for those of you who gave through out the summer. It would not have been possible without your generosity, and for that I can not thank you enough. I pray I am a conduit of your "worth-ship" to our Father, a means for you to be blessed as you bless others with the gifts Abba has given you. 


Soli Deo Gloria
:D

"..not be spent on me in vain. Let this life be used for change.. I will go. I will go, Send me.."