Loving My Coworkers

I am making it my personal mission to show my coworkers the love of Christ, and one way in particular that I hope to accomplish this is through small acts of kindness... starting with halloween s'mores! Even little treats can brighten someone's day! How are you loving those around you? 

Before the Throne

Last night I attended the Shane & Shane CD release concert in Wake Forest.  It was an amazing show saturated in Gospel truth and made for a wonderful end to an amazing weekend spent in the mountains at the Summit Students fall retreat.  There were many great songs played, but “Before the Throne” really touched my heart.  I’ve copied the lyrics below.  It is my hope that these words help you draw closer to God this morning!

Before the Throne

By:  Shane & Shane

Before the throne of God above

I have a strong and perfect plea

A great high Priest whose name is Love

Whoever lives and pleads for me

My name is graven on His hand

My name is written on His heart

I know that while in heaven He stands

No tongue can bid me thence depart

When Satan tempts me to despair

and tells me of the guilt within

upward I look and see Him there

Who made an end of all my sin

Because a sinless Savior died

my sinful soul is counted free

For God the just is satisfied

to look on Him and pardon me

Hallelujah

Praise the One Risen Son of God.

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb

My perfect spotless righteousness

The great unchangeable I AM

The King of Glory and of grace

One in Himself, I cannot die

My soul is purchased by His blood

My life is hid with Christ on high

With Christ my Savior and my God

 "Before the Throne" on Youtube

October

I wrote this poem on October 1, 2009, inspired by the autumn season.  I hope you enjoy it!

October

Autumn leaves—

goldenrod, copper, pumpkin.

Cool, crisp air—

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Sweater sleeves.

And so comes October.

Harvest wind—

ushers in the changing season.

Cello strings.

Warm, radiant sunshine

clings to the trees,

not yet ready for hibernation.

Blushing summer leaves—

rustle, tremble, hold tight,

relinquish, let go, fall—

tumble in the twilight.

And so comes October.

Happiness?

"So I've been thinking about this whole being happy thing... and I feel like people get lost when they think of happiness as a destination. Someday we'll be happy, when I get that car or that job or that person in our life that will fix anything.  But happiness is a mood.  It's a condition, not a destination.  It's like being tired or hungry; it's not permanent.  It comes and goes and that's ok.  I feel like if people thought about it that way, we'd find happiness more often." --Julian, One Tree Hill

I was watching TV tonight and heard one of the characters on One Tree Hill say this quote about happiness.  At first, I thought how beautiful of a sentiment it was, but as I stopped to examine his words, I realized that there is a deep sadness that accompanies this outlook.  Julian started out on the right track when he voiced that happiness is not a destination.  Truth.  Because of Christ, we have happiness that flows from inside.  It is not something we aspire to achieve, but rather something that we are given and a response to the love that we have been shown.  I understand that things happen and it is natural to be sad, but thinking about happiness as something that "comes and goes" seems so depressing.  I agree that happiness is not found in possessions or achievements, but if happiness, as defined by Julian, is transient, then what then is depriving us of the emotion? What is the source of our happiness if we can so easily lose it?  Are we putting our hopes upon something that is temporary or something that is eternal? Something empty of fulfilling? Something imperfect or something perfect? You see, when you move from the temporary to the eternal, the empty to the fulfilling, the imperfect to the perfect, you find a never ending source of happiness, comfort, love, tenderness, and joy.  Life is not perfect, and God made us to experience all range of emotions, but think about that next time you catch yourself slipping into a sour mood.... what defines your happiness?  What has the right to deprive you of the joy God created you to experience?  Happiness is a destination.  It is not achieving the American dream.  Happiness, true joy, is found in Jesus Christ. Knowing how deep and wide his love is for me, his unfailing provision, his enduring promises, his grace and mercy that know no bounds... my happy place is in God.

I'd love to know your thoughts.

A Modge Podge of Thoughts

Sorry for the absence of blogging...  After I finished grad school, I spent a month traveling (most of which was spent in SE Asia! - more to come about this later), and then came back to a brand new job.  Well, things are under way and I'm adjusting to a non-student life again.  I'm loving all of this new free time! It's fantastic! I'm looking at an exciting move around the corner (which means many chances to decorate!), free time, no school, new volunteer opportunities, and just generally catching up on all of the things I have neglected this past year while I was slaving away (maybe not slaving away) in grad school.  It's crazy because yet again things in my life have fallen perfectly into place. There are still some decisions I need to make, but the great thing is that I have the time and peace in my life to think through them. I love the possibilities that accompany free time.  I'm excited for what God is going to do in my life this year.  I'm always amazed at his perfect timing and the way his blessings provide more than enough.

Today at work I learned about a community partnership Duke has with the city of Durham... needless to say I am quite excited about new opportunities to volunteer! Anyone else out there work for Duke and want to be a part of this with me??? https://community.duke.edu/ddnp/volunteer/index.php Let me know!

Also, I'm looking for a book of the Bible to take my ninth grade girls through this fall. Think New Testament.... they're still at the age where the OT puts them to sleep. I'd love feedback and opinions! I have a few ideas, but there is so much good stuff in each book that it is hard for me to choose.  Last year we focused a lot on foundational elements, things that would help them really begin to put down deep roots in the gospel.  This year, we are going to focus on learning to really dig into the Word: how to understand scripture, pray through a passage, draw out the meaning, place the events within Biblical history, and so forth. Basically, it is my hope to help my girls learn how to abide with Christ, and reading his living, breathing Word is one way to do that!

Mr. Darcy and Me

Here is the blog post that I wrote for Independent Animal Rescue out of Durham, NC, which is the adoption agency that I adopted Darcy from almost a year ago.  If you haven't ever considered adopting a pet, now's a good time to do it! 

Growing up, I was always a dog person.  We had a wonderful yellow lab named Sandy who was a beloved member of our family, and to me, cats were just those other pets crazy old ladies had.  After graduating from college, I wanted a pet, but was not ready to be tied down by a dog.  My Mom suggested adopting a cat, and after doing copious amounts of research, I decided on a Russian Blue because of their temperament and hypoallergenic qualities (which turned out to all be true!). I can tell you, without a doubt, that I'm in love with my cat. Yep, I'm one of those crazy cat ladies.  I never saw it coming, but it happened.  From the first time I saw Darcy (formerly "Hutch") at his foster home, I loved him.  I sat on the floor of the foster mom's living room and he crawled in my lap and purred and purred.  I knew from that moment that I wanted to bring him home.  Darcy quickly became my "fur baby" and a favorite among my friends and family.  He is tirelessly playful, extremely curious, and sweet as can be.  He runs to greet me at the door when I get home and immediately begins talking to me in a series of meow's as he leads me to play with his favorite toys.  He loves to watch the birds and hunt for bugs on the front porch.  That's how he got his nickname "Bug", because any bug that gets anywhere near Darcy meets an unfortunate end (which is great for his Mama who hates bugs). Named after Jane Austen's brooding Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, Darcy fits the personality of Austen's character perfectly: refined, intelligent, loyal, and extremely affectionate. I picked the name long before I met Darcy, but it suits him like a glove. I wasn't sure what to expect when I adopted Darcy from IAR, having heard horror stories of adopted pets gone wild.  However, I could not be happier (ecstatic, really) with this new addition to my family.  I spoil him rotten and he loves me unconditionally.  It's a perfect match: Mr. Darcy and me. 


And, just for fun, here's Darcy eating/attacking water this past Christmas:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=927632953988