interests.

Isn’t it funny how interests can change so much as one ages and goes throughout the different stages of life?

I was just thinking about this recently so here it ended up online.

current interests of mine:

cooking, baking, sewing, composing handbell music, sleeping, fellowshipping, corresponding, knitting, the list goes on…

some of these interests are newer and some I’ve taken part in for many years and hopefully many years to come.

you know those days…

You know those days where you lose something and you tear up the room trying to find it until you finally track the item down? Yeah. I had one of those days. It happened to me with two items. My flash drive and my student ID. I found the first and I’ve yet to find the latter and that’s going to be annoying for quite some time….until I finally find it.

Composing the hand bell piece is going slow tonight. Boo. Oh well. Hopefully it’ll pick up sooner than later.

Also…Haiti is on my mind. Ever more so than before. Praying things will fall through. It’s been a good couple of last days. Ran into Gary Thies on campus today and also Pastor Dunbar.

Really looking forward to the coming weekend…..and it’s only Monday night. geez.

Lord, please give me the strength and energy to get through all that’s on my plate.

practice.

the weekend….was a ministry in practice weekend. so good to give the love of Christ to others. more on this later. promise. if and whenever I get caught up on the lack of me not doing much homework this weekend! All praise, honor, and glory to my risen Savior, Jesus Christ for providing me with his strength to get through the days ahead!

incredibly blessed & to have quiet ambition.

            I believe that God has made me and all creatures.

Teach me, O my maker, to look upon my person and my abilities as your gifts,
So that I may trust your care for me. So that I may be delivered from jealousy and envy, So that I may see you hidden in my neighbor and there serve you with gladness.

Tonight, I open with an excerpt from the Deaconess litany. It is so comforting to me and I find it especially appropriate after the day’s events.

It was a wonderful start to the week, especially considering it was Labor day and a day I did indeed labor. However, I do not share this as a complaint, it was wonderful to labor in the way of learning. I enjoyed giving Dr. Ore a hard time and he said, “Well, it’s Labor day and on this day we labor; if they wanted no labor on the day they should’ve called it No Labor day.” Ha. Fun accompanying lesson.

Comm. Theory was great too. We discussed about meeting with our elders and part of me got nervous but I calmly reminded myself that my situation was not going to be like any one else’s in the class. I’m terribly excited to meet with a woman who deals with Huntington’s disease. A sad neurological disease but I’m looking forward to the growth that will come in this process of my educational learning. I’ve heard great things about this woman and I pray God will provide me the words to know what and when to speak and the patience I need to have in order to understand her.

Found the sheets I wanted to find for sharing in Doctrine II and ran into Prof. Reek before class. I actually ended up almost being late to Doc because I saw Prof. Groth and told him I may be in touch with his wife about my interaction with the interviewee. We chatted, a rushed conversation, due to my upcoming class, but it was wonderful. My heart melted. Literally. Prof. Groth told me I’m already doing the work and serving as a Deaconess, I just don’t have the office yet. Wow. Another specific point God has spoken through people around me to reaffirm me in this vocational choice I’ve taken to pursuing.

In another conversation I had with Prof. Holtorf, I described a friend of mine as having “quiet ambition.” My professor had prefaced by saying that this friend and I are similar and was looking to call it something specific and I blurted out us both having quiet ambition and he agreed with that. What led to that conversation and arrival of that description? I was kind of upset by a comment made in Doctrine class with hearing that for a person to go into ministry he or she needed to have a big ego. In my opinion ego is not necessarily a friendly word so I spoke up to say that wasn’t the most fitting choice of words to use. The professor then said a person needed to have lots of self confidence, which I agree about so much. If a person lacks self confidence, it could be much harder for the person to be able to do as much as they could be doing while serving in a ministry setting. My prof then asked if I was headed to be a teacher or DCE and I reminded him I was pre-Deaconess and he realized why I was not okay with the word ego being used. So that being said, I have no idea where I decided to put together quiet ambition but I did and my only explanation is God speaking through me. It’s my prayer that I’m able to have the patience and remember the times I need to have quiet ambition. Can’t wait to share this with my friend.

There are many other wonderful moments that occurred in this day…but alas I’ve run out of allotted time to type any more.

Thanks be to God for one of my favorite gifts to enjoy: fellowship. I enjoyed surprise calling Ellie and skyping with Grace. It was a beautiful end to a beautiful day.

one more thought…

I’m going to bed much later than I anticipated tonight. oh well. Hope I don’t pay for that tomorrow. There’s always room for naps!

While biking around town today, I decided it would be nice to retire to Seward, NE. I hope by that time in my life my legs will still be energized and able to ride a bike around this wonderful hidden treasure of a town.

Sunday. Sunday. Sunday.

Oh what a beautiful Sunday it’s been. I think it’s all due to the start of my morning…I read from my “Treasury of Daily Prayer” book and was delighted with God’s words he shared with me in today’s Psalm. It was an excerpt from Psalm 56…verses 10, 11, and 13 especially stuck out to me:

“In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? …For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”

How comforting to read a reminder of why I am so amazed and daily filled by God’s word. This is one way God reminds me I am not to be afraid of the little things in life. I think this is one reason why I find joy in the littlest things of life. I know where everything comes from and I desire to be grateful for everything God continues to share with me. I know my identity is in Christ and it is secure through the waters of baptism. Christ saved me then and because of his death and resurrection from the dead I am able to walk before God the Father and he sees me as his redeemed child of his.

Church was so filling as well today. The sermon entitled, “The MUST of Christ’s Love” based on Philemon 8-9 preached by Pastor Paulson. I took notes feverishly and look forward to marking them and rereading them in my Bible later this week (tomorrow hopefully). I especially enjoyed the choir music chosen for today with stanza 6 of “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing” arrangement by Charles Ore.

I ran into a pastor I know from Iowa District West at the 8:30 service. Asked him what he was up to only to be reminded he was being installed to the Nebraska District later today. I chatted with him after the service and learned his installation was to be tonight and so I was able to attend. It was a wonderful service and the way God spoke through the many pastors that gathered was just so beautiful and comforting. I’m thankful to have a familiar face in the neighborhood area of Seward. I met some neat people after the service and stayed for the potluck (ate way to much, but the fellowship was so worth it)!

After returning from Utica, I changed my clothes quickly at the house and headed to play a pick up game of softball. It was fun but I wasn’t feeling too good about running after eating a ton. I didn’t last too long but still enjoyed myself.

Got home and hoped to do some more homework to be ahead for this coming week but that didn’t actually happen either. That’s okay though…I’ve worked ahead in many ways this weekend I am looking forward to the coming week.

and to end this blog: my good friend in law school is engaged as of today!!!!! i’m so happy for her and her fiance! and i’m so blessed to say…i was asked to be her bridesmaid! :)

good night world.

wow….

wow. i really have neglected blogging for quite a while. i didn’t think more than a few weeks had passed. but yeah, it’s been a couple months. guess i’ll have to put it on the to-do list to update my cyber space rambling of thoughts. life is beautiful and i’m very thankful for all that’s going on currently. God continues to bless me immensely and teach me so much in both the joys and struggles i endure each day of my life.

next post…will be longer. promise. for now, it’s time to do form hw. hope i don’t extremely dislike it or become frustrated. the latter is bound to happen sooner or later with homework for this class. thankfully, the amazing prof that teaches it makes up for my dislike of the subject.

behind.

ooh boy, I’m already falling behind on this challenge thing. My time at home has been good. I feel as though I’ve not got much completed other than sleeping a whole ton and some homework and a little practicing of my guitar. Today, “Jesus Loves Me” actually was coming through. With time, it’ll be sounding smooth I’m sure.

Day 3: “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 29:11

In everything, I know and trust God has a plan for all that I experience in my life in this place. Granted, I may not always understand His plan, I cling to Christ, my Savior, to teach me and show me His plan.

Day 4: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

How appropriate for these verses to be chosen on Easter Sunday! This is on my heart: I pray that by remembering and reflecting all the pain and hurt Christ suffered for me I may be able to behold and realize the amazing power of what His resurrection means for me and all believers. I am rejoicing in knowing that I have the promise of eternal life because of Christ dying on the cross, overcoming the power of the Devil, and raising from the dead - to save me, I’m nothing without Christ.

Well, last night at home before summer (wow - can’t believe I just typed that ‘S’ word). I’ve got lots to do to get ready to drive back to Seward tomorrow…I hope I’m able to get things organized and pray and hope my van is done at the shop by noon. I’m Seward bound for a date at Link Library to finish homework for the coming week. Gross. Well, such is life.