a quest of consistency

the past two weeks have been a little crazy, but good.

we had our big garage sale at new hope two last weekend. it was put together in hopes to bring the community behind a common goal to help families that lost everything in an arson apartment fire. it meant a super busy week for us as we drove all over picking up gracious donations and then organizing and pricing rooms full of clothes, furniture, kitchen supplies, etc. it was a blessing to see folks from area churches and the neighborhood come together. amazingly enough, the garage sale raised over $1800 and allowed for folks in the community to come out for food and games too. it was a great success! i'm excited to get together with the families and talk about how to use the money.

this past week was the justice revival and ignite greater works conference. the call to the churches and people of dallas was to get more support of public schools and create sustainable housing for the homeless. i had never been to a revival before, more the less a justice revival. but i can't even begin to say how encouraging it was to be in an auditorium of people, from all walks of life, from all denominations, from all types of backgrounds, coming together because they all believe that Jesus meant it when he said to care for the 'least of these.' and on top of that, i got to hear and MEET some amazing people/speakers/authors who have challenged me to love the 'unlovable'... people like jim wallis, john perkins, lauren winner.

and in all that excitement, i couldn't have been more ready for the weekend. with two weeks of a crazy, busy schedule, my life was lacking consistency. i hadn't been able to take care of myself like i would like. my eating habits were off, i wasn't able to exercise as much, my sleep schedule was messed up. but i would have to say this might have been one of my most productive weekends. on thursday night, lauren winner really challenged the idea of sabbath and what that looks like in a way that is intentional and honoring to God. this weekend allowed me to spend some time with friends, but also have some much needed alone time. i got to clean and get my room back in order. i spent time reading and writing. i returned some phone calls. i went for a bike ride and exercised. i went to a park and read a new book.

the more i learn about myself, i realize that i need consistency. i need structure. i need stability. maybe that's the control freak in me, but it also makes me more pleasant to be around and not to mention, much more healthy. i know there has to be balance and i guess that's why i'm on a quest...