7 Quick Takes #1

I am starting to do these again and this is my first one of the new year!

#1

I should be studying for my New Testament and Problem of Evil exams but instead I am blogging because somehow that seems like more fun.

#2

I seriously love every one of my classes and professors. Whenever something goes wrong I want to ask "WWHTD?" or "WWJED?" (what would Heath Thomas do? or What would Jeremy Evans do?).... I have more what would ____ do? but those are the top two at the moment.

#3

It has snowed a couple of times since I moved back the states and I have found myself wondering why in the world would I ever want to live in a place where in snows? I mean honestly, snow is cold. Cold is depressing. It's pretty when you are inside with wool socks and hot chocolate but then when you go out the next day and your car is stuck- thats when you realize snow is uncool. Give me sunny warm weather any day.

#4

It's that time of year when Lent is happening. This year I have given up Facebook again. I am trying to add new and better things to my life- like eating better and more scripture memory. This past week though I have failed. But I am learning more and more about grace and the fact that it really covers all of my mistakes. I am also trying to branch out a bit more from only being in Wake Forest. I work and watch kids in the greater Raleigh- Durham area so I am trying to find places that I can go frequently to build relationships and live out a godly life.... without killing myself wasting gas money.

#5

For Valentines day, I went to a fondue party. LOVED IT! Letha is a such an amazing person. We have lunch together on Tuesdays and I seriously think that Tuesdays may become my favorite days this semester. She is writing up list in honor of her turning.... ahem 19 this year. you can find it at lethadiane.blogspot.com. I have helped her with her most recent one which turned out pretty stinkin great!

#6

I may be starting to help out with the youth group at the Summit where I go to church. I never really thought of working with youth- I prefer college students- but thats where they need people. I am going to an intro meeting to see what I can do and how to be used.

#7

I love coupons and plan to start using them more frequently. No joke. I recently bought a half gallon of Edy's No Sugar Mint Chocolate ice cream from Harris Teeter. On sale= 2.97. Coupon= 1.00. VIC (Harris Teeters MVP card)= 1.00. 97 cents for a half gallon of ice cream. HECK YEAH!

Direction

I use to play the paino- play being used loosely. My younger brother and I would fight over whoever went first because neither of us had practice and neither wanted to play for Mr. Turner. I had a bad habit of not watching the music (or the director) when I should have. Instead I would watch my figures, which were no help at all.

In the 15 plus years I looked at music, two of the biggest issues in music are the rest and the counting. For some reason, people like to stop counting when they get to a rest. They (okay I) didn't always understand that the rest sometimes help the drama of the next notes or that there is still music being made.

This week has been a challenging one at best. I have been wondering what I am doing and why I feel like God is pausing. I want to rush ahead, skip the counting and start playing again. I want to figure out my role and do it well. However, I am at a rest.

The biggest part of the rest is watching the director for when to come in again. I guess this is what I have to learn. I rush ahead, stop counting, look at my figures, start to play when I am suppose to be silent and then look down, knowing that I have failed to practice. But the God comes over, lefts my head and looks at me with love. He says "Watch Me. I am directing your life. Keep counting. You may not hear music in the rest- but there is music being made and it pleasing Me."

All Done

In an effort to update people, I would like to say I am finished with first semester. I took my last exam a couple of minutes ago online.

No more:

-Thursday nights with Rebecca and philosophy discussions.
-Chapel to Evangelism to Philsophy and not catching my breath in between.
-Hebrew ridiculous Wednesdays that I never was really sure why I was going.
-Hermuentics and the haunting of Wake Forest Coffee Cups- although Dr. Thomas will be brought to mind each time I see one.
-Library days with people stealing the book I was using.
-Being loud in the library with Kelly, Stacey, Michelle, Alex, Emily and Rachel.
- Sitting in Barnes and Noble talking about important life issues with Kelly and Emily.


It's over. I am sure the next few months and years will hold many more great memories but for now-

It's time to celebrate.

Being Thankful

Brrr.Coldness has come.
1st semester is almost done.
Thanksgiving and Christmas to be celebrated in the states.
Learning to love new people without a language barrier.


I have mixed emotions about it all.

So today I will celebrate being thankful.

I am thankful for:
Jesus.
My family.
My friends (Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, China, Austria, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia... and the many places I am missing. Come visit).
My roommates.
A dryer.
My job (I love the Neffs. When/ If I leave North Carolina I will miss them like crazy!)
Christmas in the states this year.
My church and the way they have allowed me to get involved.
My lovely little car.

This year my list may not be that long but every single thing listed is important and special to me. I have mixed emotions about celebrating Thankgiving this year.... but I can be thankful the One I serve has provided beyond my imagination.

Changes

It's fall. Almost winter. The leaves are beautiful and my jacket/ sweater collection has been expanding. With this weather comes papers, finals and the general feeling of warmth that Thanksgiving and Christmas brings.

It's my first Thanksgiving and Christmas in the states since coming back from China. I will admit that I have been missing China more than usual. I miss my students, my friends, my family there. A lot of things changed when I left. My New Zealand friends were moving to a new city, my roommate moved back to her hometown, a new mall was being built. I try to picture it in my head- but then I remember it was China and nothing stayed the same for long.

Here in Wake Forest, it feels the same. New business are being built, a new semester will start and the overall look of North Carolina starts to dim as winter comes. I keep wanting to go back. Go back to the warm weather. Go back to when things where nice and beautiful Go back to when the days invited me to be lazy and celebrating in the sunshine.

But in my heart I know- I understand- I can't go back. I can't turn around and run to my small apartment with the small dilapidated bed and my space heater and my comforting $.25 cent movies. I have to move forward. It's painful and hard- especially when I feel like I am failing at juggling my life.

Nevertheless, I am here. And changes are good. I love the fall colors although I hate the cold. I love the pumpkin spice lattes, but I hate the frost on my windshield in the mornings. I love the fact that God is changing my heart into one that is more like His, but I hate the painful process it becomes and the feelings of failure it brings.

The thing about changes- they bring hope. Hope for something better, something greater, something lovelier. Fall and winter give way to spring and summer.

So while I sit and enjoy the small coffee and try to finish up my papers and online quizzes- I can be hopeful because with change there is newness. So I am coping with the change believing that something beautiful will come from it.

New People Have Entered My Life

I have thought all week about something to write about. I came up with nothing. So I decided to write about the people that 3 months ago I would have thought were crazy.

1. Kelly. I met her at matriculation. And then again in chapel. And then finally learned her name at the dumpster. Kelly has probably become one of my best friends here at Southeastern and I am sure that she would disagree saying she has no best friend currently. We have both spent time overseas and share and addiction to coffee ever though I enjoy mine with more milk than she does. Kelly was been one of those people that I prayed for while I was in China. I knew I needed people in my life who were relaxed and loved to laugh. People who encouraged me and saw the sunny side of life no matter how dark things have gotten. She has been willing to talk about anything and I have kept her awake until the wee hours of the morning on more than one occasion.

2. Rebecca. My Thursday Philosophy partner. My Tuesday night study buddy. My recently addicted to Dollhouse friend. I am not quite sure what I would be doing on any given day without receiving a text from her. We met through a Bible study that neither of us attend anymore. She has read through papers and joined me on random outings to Wal-Mart and Chick-Fil-A. She was another person who I prayed for in while in China. I knew I would need someone to challenge my way of thinking and offer me a different view on things.

3. Emily. My quiet friend. I think she is the one that I text versus actually talk to. We share a love of similar movies, TV Shows and music. She reminds me of Cara, my American friend in China. Quiet and thoughtful but with an interesting past that I could not even begin to imagine. She hates coffee but is still gracious and easy to laugh with.

4. My roommates, Seintje and Erin. These two are much older than I am.... and MUCH quieter than I am. I think that its good that we were thrown together. Seintje and I don't have much in common but I feel like I can learn from them.... and maybe they don't always think that way but something about them makes me wonder if God didn't put us together because we needed each other this year.

5. Alex. Alex and I are not good friends- yet. In fact, Alex talks about his dreams for the future more than anyone else I know.... Alex is one of those people who I am not sure about yet. He lives downstairs and next door to 2 of my good friends. I met him through my roomate and this is what I know: I know he wants to be a pastor/ biblical teacher. I know he is a neat freak. And I know that for some reason. until God tells me not too, I am to pray for him.

6. Lane. Lane is a non-christian Starbucks barista. 18-years-old, musician and a seeker. Lane and I had a very interesting conversation today at Starbucks while he was working. He writes songs and wants to be back in a band. He lives in Youngsville and does not go to church- but in interested in spiritual things.

7. The Launch team of Essentials. I still don't know this group as well as I should. And quite honestly with all the other churches (with semi-okay singles programs) in the area, I am not exactly sure what drew me to Essentials. Even though it's hard to see the why- I am confident that this church is going to do great things in Wake Forest, Raleigh, North Carolina, America and the world.... and all I know is I needed to be a part of it.


These are the people that God has put in my life at the moment. The people who I am to serve with, laugh with, love with, pray with. The people I am to serve, love and intercede for. My heart is burden for these people on a daily bases- I want them to succeed- to see their love abound more and more until Jesus comes. I still am vague on why some of our lives have started to become interconnected. Nevertheless, these are the new students and people that God has chosen to intertwine my life with. There is no going back to China or Suffolk or Lynchburg. I miss and love my friends in all of those places (and I look forward to catching up with EVERYBODY)- but

I am here. And I love my new friends.

Essentials

Water. Food. Sleep. Family. For Grad students, Coffee.

Those are the essentials of life.

My church- a wonderfully small church plant right in the heart of Wake Forest a wonderfully small town- is called Essentials.

I will be honest. I like stuff. I like the extras. The things I don't actually need. I like the new shoes that I will only wear once. The new book that I bought that I could have checked out from the Library.
When I lived in China- there were things that I always felt I needed. Comfort foods, a space heater (turns out I need it more here in Wake Forest than I did in China), younger, single friends. I still feel like I need stuff in Wake Forest. Comfort foods (which are more abundant), a space heater and younger, single friends.

Tenth Avenue North has a new (or new-to-me song) called By Your Side. One of the lines in that song is "Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?"
If I were honest with myself, I would have to admit that I am constantly looking for things to fill me and truthfully, most of these things are material.

So maybe going to this church is a good thing because it reminds me that the only thing I will ever need is Jesus. The most essential part of my day is Him. I can't keep searching other things because He is enough.

Personally, I think that everyone should have the Essentials.