Nothing new to report

Yesterday I was walking back to my car after class in the rain. Two cats were waiting at home for me to curl up on the couch and snuggle with them, and I anticipated some folksy Sufjan Stevens to enhance the drizzly, sleepy atmosphere. As the water weighed down the bright red and yellow leaves still clinging to trees and little drops thumped against my umbrella I couldn't help but notice how poetic the atmosphere was behaving. In fact, if someone had attempted to capture the moment in a poem or song, the emotions of the setting would almost seem cheesy in their boldness. Just another beautiful unusual day one-of-a-kind day God sprung on me.

When caring for the helpless gives way to musing...

Three weeks ago, I drove my sister home from the Humane Society with two two-day old kittens in tow. The time between then and now has been filled with disrupted sleep, messy cleanups and LOTS of growing and cuddling as these little fluffpuffs have learned to feed, walk, and sense the world around them. What better analogy to the way that God tenderly guides us through our rocky lives can be found?

"... How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" (second part of Matthew 23:37). From the day these kittens first blindly stumbled across my lap to now as they lift their little tummies off of the ground to explore their surroundings, my sister has carefully watched their movements and gently corrected their direction when they have tottered near a drop or hovered close to dark gaps between furniture. They still know little about their surroundings, and as my sister observes them she frequently pulls them back to the safety of her lap. So does God long to guide us back to His arms, to safety, when we recklessly stumble through our lives, oblivious to the dangers that our own stubborn actions can lead us towards. There will be a time, though, when we have to let these kittens grow up and make their own decisions despite our desire to keep them safe under our supervision, just as God allows us to discover the consequences to our own actions before we finally relent and ask for help.

Living Fully, Loving Dangerously

I have almost finished reading a book called "Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle" by Kent Annan. Diving into this story of a young missionary couple's life in Haiti has been exhilarating and convicting at the same time. I am finishing (hopefully) my last year of college beginning this fall, and will soon have the opportunity to struggle and grow for God as this family describes in their story (probably not in the same way, but part of the excitement is reading their story and wondering how mine will turn out).

Honestly, I have needed a reminder of this. I have obviously never really been a regular blogger, but this semester has been particularly dry. The move from my beloved Wheaton to Purdue was very rough, especially after circumstances separated me from most of my new-found Purdue relationships, leaving me with one friend to pull me through the dark lonely winter semester. Returning from this dreary semester, I picked up work in my little grey cubicle surrounded by empty cubicles on all sides. I've been coming home in the evenings completely exhausted from the sheer lifelessness of my work. In short, I have desperately needed something to remind me of the future I'm working towards (I realize that might sound very dramatic, but it's very hard to describe in flat words how much I needed motivation to make things worthwhile again).

Anyways, I'm really excited now about the possibilities that God will provide, but I'm also very nervous about knowing which path to take. I guess that's all for now. :)

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1,2,3,4....I Declare A Book War!

I sometimes find it nice to create lists, and see how far I get along the list before I give it up. My list this time? SUMMER READING!!! I know, I'm really excited about it. So here's what I'm planning on reading. Perhaps I'll check off stuff as I read it. Who knows? I would also like suggestions, so if you have any good books you think I'd like, PLEASE let me know. I know I'm focusing on Christian religious material, but I generally have a vast array of interests when it comes to reading.

1. The End of Memory by Miroslav Volf
2. Body Politics by John Howard Yoder
3. The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder
4. Being Consumed by William Cavanough
5. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
   
6. Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
   
7. A Community of Character by Stanley Hauerwas
8. Watership Down by Richard Adams
   
9. Heresies and How to Avoid Them by Ben Quash and Michael Word
10. The Dangerous Act of Worship by Mark Labberton
    
11. The Great Giveaway by David Fitch
12. The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle
    
13. Justification by Andy Wright
14. That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
15. Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer (but only so I can make fun of all of the books)
    
16. Ethics by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
17. A Secular Age by Charles Taylor
18. Perelandria by C.S. Lewis
    

Murphy's Law

Down the Barrel of a Gun
Originally uploaded by Extra Medium

Last week my life was in order. My future was set in place, and I knew exactly where I was going. Life is always changing.

Thanks to Extra Medium from flickr.com for this photo.

My Birthday

My friends are living proof that you don't need to get plastered in order to have a good time. My twenty-first birthday was quiet, but so memorable and enjoyable because people that I love came to wish me well and spend time with me. It meant so much to me, much more than gifts or temporary rushes ever could.