What Being One is Like...

Tonight

I am tired...

Exhausted...

drained...

and yet happy...

oh so happy...

because today...

today was a great day!

I think I should dub this week

the week of the "hangout"

since it's seems

since this past Sunday

and continuing through to this Sunday

I have had or will have

Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

everyday with one of my friends

(Some twice...friends and/or meals)!

I LOVE THIS!!!

I truly do!

There's something so 

rich 

and 

engaging

about doing life

with others...

about getting to know people

and allowing them to know you!

It's part of what makes life

ABUNDANT

and why tonight

I can sit here

tired and yet

happy...

Today I spent my day (like 8 hours!)

hanging out with some amazing women

from my church family.

Woman who

six months ago

I didn't even know

but who now

I would love nothing more

than to spend more time with!

These woman are

smart 

funny

caring

insightful

wise

self-less

humble

loving

and

completely Human...

(aka they have faults too)

And yet...

they opened themselves up to me

and allowed me to opened myself

up to them

and it was glorious!

As we all hung out 

sharing our 

stories...

hearts...

questions...

ideas...

And a lot of

LAUGHS

I couldn't help but think...

THIS is the joy that can come

from COMMUNITY

THIS is what being a

BODY is like

THIS is the Heart of

the Father

(that we would be ONE)!

How grateful I am

to be a part of this...

to witness God

binding heart and lives!

All I can do is thank Him

and praise Him...

I am in awe of the 

work of His hand!   

What Effects Healthy Choices Have....

So this year I did not 

make a resolution

to lose weight.

I decided that

while I want to be 

healthier in the new year,

I didn't want 

my healthy lifestyle

to be only 

a one year thing.

So instead I decided

to focus on small goals

to make each week 

healthier than the week before.

Last week my goal was

to eat at least

three veggies

and three fruits

per day.

I know that doesn't sound

like a lot, but considering

I wasn't really eating any

(except here and there)

it seemed like a manageable goal

and it was one I stuck too

(And have continued

into this week).

I also decided that it was time

to stop drinking soda again.

I had gone over a year

without drinking it,

but then one day I had one sip

and well...

the rest is history!

To be honest I've only really

craved having it twice

(both times when I was

surrounded by family

drinking it)

since stopping cold turkey

on the first

and while the "withdrawal"

has left me with a

never-ending dull headache,

I'm doing just fine without it.

And between my two "goals"

for the week

and just a general decision

to make better choices

for myself and my body,

I ended the first week of the new year

having lost 4.5lbs.

And that wasn't even my focus! 

But what's strange is that 

while I am happy to see

I've lost weight

the number doesn't really 

seem to matter to me

as much as

knowing

I am consistently 

choosing better

for myself.

I think that's what 

a healthy lifestyle

is all about

and I'm happy to see

I've started the new year

off on the right foot!

What It Feels Like to Know You've Really Been Changed...

About 5 months ago now

(WOW!  I can't believe 

it's been THAT long!)

I ventured to Ecuador

with an organization 

called Visiting Orphans

and for a little over a week,

that is exactly what we did...

We visited

and loved

and held

and prayed over

and played with

and fed

a bunch of really amazing kids

who happen to also be orphans.

During that trip

God changed me.

He broken my heart 

with the things that break His

and opened my eyes

to the reality of the world around me.

God pursued me

and stretched me

and forced me out 

of my comfort zone

in order to 

meet with Him.

Ever since..

I'm changed.

Different.

What matters to me

is different...

What I think about

is different...

How I view things

is different...

I had a mountain top experience

and something inside me

fundamentally shifted....

and yet...I have to admit,

I worried coming back

that this change would be fleeting

and that after a week or a month

I would forget what I learned

and go back to and old way

of life and thinking.

Today I received a letter in the mail

from myself

that I wrote

the last night

of this trip.

In it were 5 things

I learned and didn't want to forget

when I got back home.

Things about 

stepping out in faith

and what life's really about.

Things like using what God's given me

and not wasting it

and really just pressing into God.

As I read the letter

and thought over just the past few days

I realised...

I haven't forgotten

and the good work God began in me

on that mountain top in Quito

He's continued ever since 

I've arrived Home...

and I believe

He'll continue that good work

until it's completed!

That's pretty Exciting!

What's Love Got to Do With It?!?!....

You know when

you read a really great book

or watch a good movie

or even hear an amazing story

and all you want to do

is tell everyone about it?!

Yeah,

that's pretty much how I felt

after church this morning!

Seems awfully fitting it

doesn't it?!

Our Pastor is a great preacher...

always has been...

But today's message was...

I don't know

shall I say

more passionate

more heartfelt

more sacrificial

and delivered

with such care 

that it truly spoke volumes.

I know I would  not  do it justice

to try and summarize it all in a few paragraphs

(So I'll just wait to share the whole thing

when it's posted to our church website

and I can just share the link),

But of the many things that really spoke to me

was the concept of just how much God loves us!

Maybe it's because I was already so

blown away and in awe of the idea

of His love for us

from a conversation I had with my friend

the other day,

But to think that not only does God

long for us....deeply...

to come to be with HIM

But that when we do He also

Loves us with the same Love

the Father has for the Son

and the Son has for the Father

is just....

overwhelming!

And I know I am going to quote it wrong,

but another really awesome thing

that really stuck out to me this morning in service

was that 

When we find everything we need in God...

That Love

Acceptance

Forgiveness

Justification

(ETC...)

Then we can go out into the world

NOT seeking those things

from the world

But INSTEAD

SHOWING the world how they too

can receive all those things

in Christ!!

That's the heart of the great commission right there...

It's why we go out and serve, and give and love...

That's how you walk out the prayer of St. Francis

Through the LOVE of God!

It's such a fundamental truth...

and yet...

When you truly think about it...

understand it

accept it

walk it out...

it changes everything!

The gospel is THAT POWERFUL!

What it's like to Celebrate a 9 year olds birthday....

Nine years ago today

I had tried desperately

to change my flight

back to California

but with no such luck

at 5:31pm (EST)

I found myself mid air

While my niece Madison

was coming into the world!

I remember getting off the plane

looking a my phone

and seeing one missed message

and I knew

she must have been born!

How I wished I could of been there!

Fast forward to today

Where I started the day

jumping into Mad's bed

with my sister and other niece

in order to wake her up 

by singing happy birthday.

And then following it up

with a morning adventure

with her to get

birthday balloons

and a pre-party smoothie!

Then we had not one

but two parties...

a friend party

(fifteen 3rd grade girls

sugar high and super excited...

My sister and I are officially

C-R-A-Z-Y!!!)

and a family party...

to celebrate her life!

I have to say

Spending the day here

as opposed to 

on a plane far away

was a much better way to celebrate!!!

Happy Birthday Mad!!!

What Happens When God shows Himself through Our Words....

This morning I had the chance

to meet my friend Christina

for breakfast

at Cosmic Omelet

(Which is amazing

and cheap by the way)!

She's another person 

I love to hang out with

(I'm so blessed to have

so many great friends)!

Today she gave me

the most amazing picture

of God's love for us...

and honestly

it's blown me away

all

day

long.

We were talking about

our friends and family...

the people in our lives

who are hard to love

and the ones we would love

no matter what

completely unconditionally...

and Christina said 

the most awesome thing...

After we had just finished discussing

unconditional love

and that longing to

want to be with someone

to know them

to spend time with them

to love them 

no matter

what they've done

what they will do

What they've said

what's been said about them...

no matter what happens

you just always 

Love them

deeply...

and

then she said...

kind of in passing

but it totally hit me like a ton of bricks...

Now isn't that exactly how

God loves us!!!

It's so true...

whether we believe in God or not

He longs to be with us

whether we come to Him or not

He still loves us!

No matter what we say

No matter what we do

God loves us...

with an unconditional love...

HE

LOVES

US!

Just soak in that for a bit...

Cause it's pretty amazing

if you think about it!

What Comes from Being Silent....

So my Pastor does this thing
where he'll ask you a question
and then after you answer
he'll sit there
silent
either soaking it all in
or waiting for you to say more
(I'm never quiet sure).

It drives me crazy...

And yet
Tonight
I found myself
doing the 
same 
exact 
thing.

You see, tonight
I met with my friend Laura
for coffee and God talk...
something we normally do
but haven't had a chance to do
for the past several weeks...
And as we were catching up
I asked her about church...
where she's been going
or even if she's been going.


Honestly I didn't say a lot.
Just asked a few questions like...
Why do you think that is?...
How come?...
and
What do you mean by that?

And then I listened...
even after she gave her
initial answer...
I just sat there...
soaking it in
and 
waiting to see
if she had more to say.

And what I discovered is that
It's pretty amazing what conclusions
people can come to for themselves
When you just let them think out loud
to you, but ultimately 
to themselves.

And so even though it will 
probably still bother me
the next time 
I'm asked a question
and am confronted 
by silence after
I give my answer...
In a way
I'll have to admit
I get it
and I'm thankful for it.

What "Craiglist Joe" Showed Me...

Today I hung out with my friend Alicia.

She's one of the most inspiring people I know.

Hanging out with her

I always leave feeling

encouraged,

challenged

and 

desiring to live more like 

the follower of Christ

that I say I am.

Today was no different.

After we made cookies 

(from Scratch by the way)

for Carmela 

(who we met at the soup kitchen 

a few weeks ago)

Alicia introduced me to the movie

"Craiglist Joe".

I'm not good at explaining things

so here's the trailer for the movie...

 

It's one of those movies (well documentaries really)

that leave you wanting to 

connect with people,

step outside yourself

and step out of the normal

way of life

to experience something

greater.

As I sat there watching

I was so intrigued by "Joe's"

Character,

Heart,

and 

seemingly genuine

Love 

for people.

There's a scene

(here I go trying to explain something

so bare with me)

Where "Joe" responds to an ad

to help a woman with cancer,

whose pretty much a hoarder,

clean a portion of her house.

This woman use to be an actress

now she has cancer

which she's treating holistically

instead of the traditional way

with surgery and chemo.

As you listen to her talk

you see her struggle

not just with her sickness

but with life.

She even says how she use to think

she was insane,

but now she doesn't

because it takes being sane

to even question if

you might be insane.

As I was listening to her talk

My heart was breaking for her

And yet...

there was a part of me thinking...

"I don't know if I would be able

to love her

so fully and selflessly

as Joe does".

 I want to believe that I would

but even in just watching

I was thinking...

clearly she's insane

(and by that I just mean

not in her right mind)

and

It's hard to watch

let alone be around.

Yet here's a man

a complete stranger

loving her,

listening to her story,

being touched by her words,

crying over her experiences,

and stepping out

to help her

even if just for the moment

in a small way.

And I feel like...

I have so much left to learn!

So much more growing to do!

God help me!

 

What Today Might Tell Me about Tomorrow...and the Next day...and the Next Day...

Happy New Year!

I'm so excited to get this year off and running!

My Friend and Spanish teacher Elisa 

Told me yesterday that when the new year starts

at exactly the stroke of Midnight

I should jump

that way I start the year on a high!

I liked that

So I did!

She also told me that I should make sure

the first person I hug in the new year

is a member of the opposite sex,

that way this year I would be lucky in love.

Clearly this is not my year for that considering

I was in a house full of girls at midnight

and my niece flew off the couch

and into my arms

as her "midnight jump".

Oh well....

I've got much more important things

to look forward to this year!

I don't know why

but for some reason

this year I am way more excited

for the new year

than I normally am.

Normally I'm happy to have a new start

but I'm not really "excited"

this year I am...

I'm really excited!

If today was any indication 

of what the next year holds for me

though, then

I better prepare 

to be insanely busy

to work hard

to have lots of fun

to be giving of myself to others

to get over myself continually

to let things go quickly

to stop stressing for no reason

and to be sure

to spend my mornings with God.

I guess that's not a bad way to live anyway

No wonder I'm excited about this new year!

How about you?!  How's 2013 treated you so far?!?