i'm a slacker

well it is safe to safe that i am a slacker when it comes to the blogging lifestyle. i have been trying to get better at journaling, and therefore, my writing here has suffered. but i feel obligated to write about how life has been semi-recently.

CRAZY

that is how life is and will probably be for awhile. as my internship is coming to an end, i'm looking at options, calls and jobs for august. my current employer is going to be offering me a call in the next few days, so i will have a big decision to make soon. there are definitely pros and cons to staying in the dfw area. hopefully, i will be able to figure that all out.

in super exciting news, i will be going to kenya in august. i will be going with a group from for africa's future. we will be checking in our students and schools, as they run a student sponsorship program. i get to meet my student, phanice, who is 17 years old. it will be so neat to actually get to meet the kid i'm helping put through school and such. our group will also be working with some photographers to capture the lives of these students for publicity as the organization grows. God has really opened my eyes to the poor, locally and globally, this year. i'm humbled that i am even getting the opportunity to see and be a part of this community.

i've been helping out a lot with new hope, our community center in east dallas. i get to tutor and teach bible class to kinder/first graders. it has been a lot of fun to get to know the kids from the neighborhood and build relationships with them. yesterday was a little nuts. it involved two girls crying, a run-a-way, the f word, a beach ball and making an altar of thanks. there are no normal days at new hope, but yesterday i definitely felt like i needed a beer by the end.

most importantly, the spurs play the mavs tonight and will hopefully finish off the series. we had a bet in the apartment during march madness which ended with b and b buy me and drew ice cream. this time, however, they are all against me. but i plan on collecting a pretty healthy prize this evening, once the spurs are victorious: bell peppers, pineapples, and strawberries! in the 4% chance that i don't win, i'll owe ice cream to brandy and brandon and some sort of berries to drew. all i have to say is: GO SPURS GO!

2010

i'm not sure how to say it. i've heard a few options:

-two thousand and ten (2010)

-oh ten ('010)

-twenty ten (20-10)

-two oh one oh (2-0-1-0)

i'll take any other suggestions, but even with those, i'm still undecided.

and so it is a new year hopefully full of new adventures and new possibilities. being in dallas for a little over four months, i'm finally starting to settle a bit and get into a rhythm of life. life outside of school is so different. trying to balance work, no more cafeteria, evenings with no homework, making new friends. living the dorm life for so long allowed me to get comfortable with so many things right at my fingertips. now, adjusting is taking longer than i would have liked, but its coming along.

i feel like i just have so much to learn about life and relationships and myself. right when i think i am getting the grasp of a new lesson, God has a way of throwing something else out there for me to grapple with. but i'm determined and i've even started journaling again. it's a good feeling to be writing and crafting, getting my thoughts and prayers out on to paper. it is amazing to be able to look back and see how God has been working and i look forward to being able to do that for 2010.

so here is to a new year, whatever you want to call it.

may it be one of direction and growing,

peace and justice,

mercy and love.

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...

some days you can't win

i am attempting to get involved more in my community. some days it works better than others. and some days i just shouldn't tell anyone about it. good ol' facebook can often post things that you 'attend' or 'like' or whatever, leaving you wide open for other people's opinions on your involvement. and i am not exempt from this... two examples:

I Am Second - Colt and Sam

the dallas/ft. worth area has an interesting movement of about 21 churches who are teaming together to encourage people to consider not thinking of themselves first, hence "i am second" to Christ. i'm a huge college football fan and to see these two guys make such a statement of faith, i was really encouraged. maybe someone who wouldn't consider Christianity before might just listen because of these guys and the many others who have share their life stories. anywho, i got this response to the post:

"Too bad it's a theology of glory. We aren't called to be "second" we are called to be last - to be the servant of all. God uses the foolish things of this world to shame the wise, the weak to shame the mighty, the poor starving child to shame the gloried football player."

now, i don't disagree with this person's comment, but still i believe it's a start. i want to hope and pray that even a testimony such as this can be used to God's glory that more people would know the hope and salvation that comes from Christ alone.

Justice Revival - Nov. 10-12

this is another collaborative movement of area churches that are calling this city to care for the orphaned and widowed, the homeless and poor. if i am learning anything this year in dallas, it is the importance of collaboration, even across denominational lines. and it is a beautiful thing to be a part of. and here is the comment i got when it posted that i would be attending:

"We need to love and serve the poor; we need to thirst for social justice - and we need to remember that the poorest of the poor is the unborn child who cries out for protection. There can be no social justice while the weakest and most innocent among us are legally killed." - Archbishop of Denver Charles Chaput O.F.M.

again, i don't necessarily disagree with the quote, but i think we are missing the point. why do we have to make being a follower of Christ about something else. i'm slowly figuring out we all have 'our thing.' i'm excited to be part of hundreds of churches and thousands of people who are teaming together to create housing for the homeless and mentor kids in schools. maybe that will cut down on abortion. there is more than one way to fight and defend the voiceless. i'll start by talking to the mothers in the first place.

my first month

so i've been in dallas for a little over a month now and i finally feel like i am beginning to settle in. this is the linc team. after over a week of training away from the team, i have been in the office for about three weeks now. i have to say i laugh more with this group of people than i have with any group in a long time. it is amazingly refreshing to be around young, passionate people. i know i have a lot to learn about ministry from them and what it truly means to serve the least of these.

last weekend i got to go to christine and rylan's wedding. it had to be one of the most fun and Christ-centered weddings i've ever been blessed to be a part of. for one, the music in the ceremony was phenomenal and it truly told the story of their love for each other and for their Lord. the reception was a blast. i was glad to put my 'single ladies' dance skills to work but also to laugh and dance with everyone. there is nothing better than mini camp reunions.

sunday, we took m to his first baseball game. we know m from the new hope area and the community meetings that are going on in his neighborhood. al had some free ranger tickets, so we went and had so much fun. nothing like a hot afternoon, watching baseball, eating pretzels and lemon freezes, and watching m run the bases at the end. it was a good day.

it's been a month of processing and figuring out this new area, new friends, new life. i'm blessed beyond belief by the friends i have here already and the new friendships that have been forming. it is incredible to look at where i have been and how i have grown in the past few years. stepping into a new environment really has allowed me to see those changes. i love being able to read and think through issues that have been on the back burner for awhile. it is exciting to make new and healthy decisions for life here. all in all, it has been a good first month.

where to start...

well summer is over and i realize i haven't written in over four months. so at this point, i just wonder to myself, where do i even start... and my thought is bullet points. short, simple, and not quite as overwhelm for me the writer and you the reader. so here we go!

• took my MA exam in Christian education and PASSED!
• said goodbye to all my dear friends at the group home
• left my friends and school in stl for the last time
• worked my seventh summer at camp
• camp is obviously its own post, but it was small and much less drama than last year
• still process over the fact that my time at camp is done
• moved to dallas, tx
• found an apartment
• started my internship with LINC north texas
• spent five days in new mexico and two days in downtown dallas training
• figuring out what it means to be an americorp vista
• perpetually trying to catch up with friends i neglected over the summer

so yeah, it's a lot and i don't really know what to say about it all. i will try to start writing again more regularly. i think my time at LINC and dallas will lend itself to many stories.