I swear that this week has been nutso, one of the craziest ever! The Access Gala is next week Thursday, so that's my primary focus, but then there's the Hunger Walk and Food for Families and the Road Scholar Tour. Flipping back between events is turning my brain into jelly! Not to mention the fact that I've got school, a super-busy internship, church stuff, and a personal life all to keep in order on top of that. I can multi-task, but this is just NOT NORMAL! Yikes! I just really needed a venue to complain for a minute, but I feel a little better now.
So our house is also officially listed on the internet. Here's a link to the listing if you know anyone who's looking: 4579 Meadowlawn SE. No action to report yet, other than some drive-bys! Hopefully we'll get some showings within the next couple of weeks.
Shelly and I started a Beth Moore study on Paul a couple of weeks ago, and I have to admit, I've fallen off the wagon (sorry, Shel....) I did the first couple weeks, and I loved it. And I really do like the study, but with all the busyness that's been going on in my life, that's the last thing on my mind... which I know probably isn't the greatest thing. Same thing with running. I've been doing my long runs to train for the Riverbank, but the in-between runs have been forgotten. So this week I'm working on gathering up the motivation to make it to the gym or around the neighborhood a few times and spending some time with the Lord. Hopefully I'll have more positive things to report next time :)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
moving on
We are moving on this week! Yay! No, not graduating with my MSW or anything like that... at least not yet...
First off, I graduated from counseling today :) I feel like that's a momentous occasion that I can share about. I say it's momentous because I've made a lot of progress (and because it's expensive, and we no longer need to pay for it)! Over the last couple of months, I've learned a lot about myself and my take on the world, and it's been well worth it. My default mode is anxiety. When something's going on in my life, my first response is to get anxious... which starts snowballing into confidence issues and procrastination and inactivity and depression. And on down the list it goes!
Through working with Joan, I've been able to identify that whole process, and that's allowed me to start making changes in my life. First step of change = recognizing that there's a problem! And that's been the hardest part, is just recognizing how that "default mode" comes into play in different areas of my life. Now, I've learned that I have a choice, and I can choose not to give into that anxiety and react more constructively. I know it's going to take practice and that I'm not going to be perfect, but I'm excited to move forward.
Now, for the more exciting news... we're selling our house! It's officially "on the market" as of today. Eric and I have been talking about moving for a while, and we've just decided that now's the time for us. I'd say the biggest reason is that it's just not "our" house. Eric bought it before we had even met, so he had no clue where we'd be 5, 10 years down the road. We want to be able to pick something out together, that can be our own, and that we can be in for a long time.
So in talking about houses, we talk about our future... where do we want to be, when do we want to start a family, where will we be working, what area have we based our lives in, and what do we feel that God is calling us to do? Now that we've started to answer some of those questions, we wait. And we pray that the Lord brings us a buyer, that the finances work out, and that He puts us where He wants us to be.
:)
First off, I graduated from counseling today :) I feel like that's a momentous occasion that I can share about. I say it's momentous because I've made a lot of progress (and because it's expensive, and we no longer need to pay for it)! Over the last couple of months, I've learned a lot about myself and my take on the world, and it's been well worth it. My default mode is anxiety. When something's going on in my life, my first response is to get anxious... which starts snowballing into confidence issues and procrastination and inactivity and depression. And on down the list it goes!
Through working with Joan, I've been able to identify that whole process, and that's allowed me to start making changes in my life. First step of change = recognizing that there's a problem! And that's been the hardest part, is just recognizing how that "default mode" comes into play in different areas of my life. Now, I've learned that I have a choice, and I can choose not to give into that anxiety and react more constructively. I know it's going to take practice and that I'm not going to be perfect, but I'm excited to move forward.
Now, for the more exciting news... we're selling our house! It's officially "on the market" as of today. Eric and I have been talking about moving for a while, and we've just decided that now's the time for us. I'd say the biggest reason is that it's just not "our" house. Eric bought it before we had even met, so he had no clue where we'd be 5, 10 years down the road. We want to be able to pick something out together, that can be our own, and that we can be in for a long time.
So in talking about houses, we talk about our future... where do we want to be, when do we want to start a family, where will we be working, what area have we based our lives in, and what do we feel that God is calling us to do? Now that we've started to answer some of those questions, we wait. And we pray that the Lord brings us a buyer, that the finances work out, and that He puts us where He wants us to be.
:)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
summer loves
i just needed a tuesday pick-me-up, so i thought i'd share all of the things that make me excited for summer!
* This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." * jeremiah 29:10-11
- spending time at the cottages, enough said.
- i graduate on june 23, which is 12 weeks from now!
- reading. i love to sit out in the sun (especially by the lake) and just read all day. and i will no longer have homework to do or textbooks to read, so i can do what i want!
- sunshine. it just puts me in such a good mood.
- watching eric barefoot. i love it when he has fun!
- britley & jason are getting married on july 9! and we're going to throw such a fun bachelorette party for her; i can't wait!
- kelsey & joel are getting married on june 17! it's going to be a fun wedding :)
- emily & anthony are getting married on july 30! we love hanging out with those two and can't wait to have "married people" double dates!
- trevor & michelle are getting married in august, and shelly is standing up for michelle! i think that's so fun that i'll get to see her all fancied up!
- enough about the weddings... i'm getting my two-days-a-week-off back!
- flowers in the yard.
- using eric's new fire pit!
- watermelon (and other fresh fruit)...
- grilling out. mmmm!
- having some color in my cheeks.
- riding bikes.
- playing church softball.
- ice cream!!
- the access office is moving to the crc building at 28th and k-zoo sometime in june/july. i'm really excited to be so close to home! no more half-hour morning commute :)
- green grass & leaves on the trees.
- wearing skirts and dresses to work.
- flip flops.
- not having to run at the gym.
- my parents bought a pair of kayaks, and i am so pumped to use them!
- fireflies.
- opening up the windows in the house.
- my planner ends in june, so i'll buy a new one! i love planners :)
* This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." * jeremiah 29:10-11
Monday, April 4, 2011
questions
this weekend i went to visit shelly in ann arbor! it was so much fun, even though we really just hung out all weekend. we did the usual shopping, because that's just what we do ;) we found a borders' closing sale and had to go in, and we found a beth moore bible study on paul that we both bought. i'm really excited to work through it; i took a class at calvin on paul's letters and really learned a lot. and i've been struggling in my own devotions lately, so i think it'll help to have somebody else going through the same thing at the same time!
i feel like the older i get, the harder it is for me to connect with God. there are so many things cluttering my life that just seem to edge him out. eventually i'll realize it, and i'll get frustrated about that distance, but i never really make dramatic changes. how do you work on your relationship with the Lord? how do you keep that connection strong amidst your busyness?
and is it bad that i think reading the bible can be so boring?
shelly also bought rob bell's new book, love wins. i've heard people talking about the controversy over it, and i've heard some say that he takes things out of their biblical context and also that he misuses some of the greek. one of my coworkers mentioned that she didn't see why it was such a big deal; she believes that everyone who believes in "God" will have salvation... whether they see God as being the Christian God, or as Allah or whatever... that was interesting to hear. shelly and i were talking about it, and we were struggling with the idea that people grow up in Christian homes and communities and maintain those beliefs... but what about people around the world who grow up in other religions and traditions? do we receive salvation because of the families and culture that we grew up in? what about others who never get to hear about jesus? even if they believe in a "higher power," are they damned because they don't "know" him?
and then i look at the bible passages talking about people's sins being punished for generations and generations, and i wonder if this is why so many people have never heard the gospel?
i'm not much of a philosopher, nor am i all that knowledgable about the bible and its teachings, but i'd love to talk more about this! maybe my disconnectedness as i'm getting older is a result of my increasing questions. i don't have doubts; i just have lots and lots of things i'm curious about. i hate never having concrete answers. but going back to john 3.16 is a great reminder...
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
i feel like the older i get, the harder it is for me to connect with God. there are so many things cluttering my life that just seem to edge him out. eventually i'll realize it, and i'll get frustrated about that distance, but i never really make dramatic changes. how do you work on your relationship with the Lord? how do you keep that connection strong amidst your busyness?
and is it bad that i think reading the bible can be so boring?
shelly also bought rob bell's new book, love wins. i've heard people talking about the controversy over it, and i've heard some say that he takes things out of their biblical context and also that he misuses some of the greek. one of my coworkers mentioned that she didn't see why it was such a big deal; she believes that everyone who believes in "God" will have salvation... whether they see God as being the Christian God, or as Allah or whatever... that was interesting to hear. shelly and i were talking about it, and we were struggling with the idea that people grow up in Christian homes and communities and maintain those beliefs... but what about people around the world who grow up in other religions and traditions? do we receive salvation because of the families and culture that we grew up in? what about others who never get to hear about jesus? even if they believe in a "higher power," are they damned because they don't "know" him?
and then i look at the bible passages talking about people's sins being punished for generations and generations, and i wonder if this is why so many people have never heard the gospel?
i'm not much of a philosopher, nor am i all that knowledgable about the bible and its teachings, but i'd love to talk more about this! maybe my disconnectedness as i'm getting older is a result of my increasing questions. i don't have doubts; i just have lots and lots of things i'm curious about. i hate never having concrete answers. but going back to john 3.16 is a great reminder...
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
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