2012 ~ the year of meditation ~

view of city from south loop/pilsen 2009

2011 was a good year.  It was a year of preparation and that is what happened.  Sara and I were able to pay off all of our debt and increase our charitable giving, I started graduate school, and we even managed to get 8 hrs of sleep a night most of the year ;-)

2012 looks to be a busy year--in 2 weeks I'll begin my second semester of grad school, move to working part-time at my current job, and begin the adventure of full-time grad school.  This summer I hope to road trip to visit PhD programs and in the fall I will begin my final year of grad school and my thesis.  I will also be applying to PhD programs.

With all that is on my plate, especially in the realm of study and plans for the future, it is imperative that the truth find a home DEEP in my heart.  To that end, this is the year of mediation.  My intellect is an important part of my life and my intimacy with God.  All the exercise it is going to be getting with a full-time grad school class load means that my heart needs to be kept fit as well.  Rather than reading through the Bible again, as I have in past years, it has become clear that I need to go deep and build strong habits.  I will be reading through the Bible with a program that has been recommended to me at least 2 years in a row, including by Doug (post linked to above).  If you decided to do this as well, please let me know and perhaps we can share some of our fruit.

This will be a busy, full year, but I am certain that it will also be a year like none other for growth in maturity and intimacy with Christ.

many thanks to Jason Clark and his wonderful photo skills for this fun pic!

a cruciform heart

Reading my blogroll at work might be a dangerous practice.  Lately there have been too many posts that pierce my heart.  Not sure if the piercing is from the pointedness of the posts, or the thinness of my heart skin.  

Ann writes heartbreakingly of being abandoned in the jungle and being broken in your affluence and I can barely take it in.  Her words dance past my walls and barriers, going straight for the softest places in my heart, never caring what my intellect wants to say to keep a safe distance.

And then another comments on this story, with her own chapter of heart-tearing, truth bearing reality and I wonder if I will ever be capable of such transparency.  When I think I am full up and there is no more room to hear hearts crying or truth piercing, the wonderful encourager at Gypsy Momma weighs in about the beauty and power of being free to not be fine.

Thanksgiving wells up that I have this silent Monday to reflect and be quiet.  Come, Lord Jesus.  Break me open to make me whole.

Fragile and Empty

Today has been a hard day.  I woke up to another day of unexplainable sinus unhappiness and an anxiety-inducing dream that left me craving a day wrapped in the comforter and burrowed away from life.  Talking out my dream with Sara led to some emotional conversation, tears, and a panicked rush into the shower so I could get to work close to on time.  Not even listening to some of my favorite Christmas music on the way in on the train could life my spirits.

Arriving to work 10 min late I found out that one of my co-workers will no longer be working here, effective immediately.  Minimal explanation is available, but it doesn't look positive.  When I talked to her supervisor about it she was noncommittal about reasons but did say that it was unexpected. 
 

one of the many doorways from our Edinburgh trip

In addition, it seems that my emotions are in a bit of a riot as I consider this next step in my work/school life.  My office would like me to stay on part-time in January at my current pay rate, pro-rated to an hourly wage.  They will hire a full-time receptionist to cover the front desk and I will only have my executive support duties 2.5 days a week.  It seems like an ideal situation.  But I've made too many leaps into commitment without taking the time to truly listen to what God is saying to me about it, so I am trying to take it slow.  

I can see many reasons why this could be His best provision for me, including the pay scale, the fact that I don't have to look for another job, and the comfort of not having to uproot myself.  The downside is that my tendency towards a peripatetic work life means that I am restless for change.  With almost 3.5 yrs logged in one location, change seems like a good idea.  Additionally, it would be great to be working in my neighborhood, or at least somewhere close by enough that I could commute via bicycle or walking, rather than taking the L all the way into the loop and back.  I've applied for a couple of positions in our neighborhood with no results, and searches for available positions haven't been very fruitful either. 


And on top of all of this, my heart is so restless for deep intimacy with God in prayer and Bible study.  I am so hungry.  My heart feels famished.  I know this is a good thing, to be encouraged and cultivated... an appetite that needs to grow.  But it is overwhelming in the rush and bustle of my life right now.  I find myself resenting my job, sitting at my desk for 7+ hrs a day and then rushing on to the next obligation.  I love the pieces of my life... classes, doing homework even, Sunday worship, working with the Children's Church kids, cooking dinner, helping Sara with her sewing projects, an occasional novel slipped into my academic reading...  But I haven't been making time for reflection, for deep listening, for soaking in the truth.

Edinburgh

I want to walk and keep walking until there is rest in my chaotic brain and overburdened heart.  Read this article on Art House America's blog yesterday and wanted to jump on a plane to anywhere where I could walk for a couple of weeks, stopping to sleep in a decent bed, eat pub food, and have a nice drink.  Fresh air, experiencing real weather, sleeping the sleep of the physically tired, and time to let my thoughts unbend.


Then I read something like Ann's post here about Ecuador and my heart breaks in a different direction.  The comfort and ease of my life often feels like a burden, a responsibility that I don't always handle well.  The beggars on the street are the most visible sign of the need that engulfs my life here in the city and I feel so inadequate to meet any of it.  My mind knows that rest and wholeness are found in Christ.  My emotions are often slow to find it.


Pray for me when you think of it.  Not sure what the Holy Spirit is doing in my heart, but I so desperately don't want to miss out on something beautiful because I am too busy or too blind.

MOVING!

Sara and I have taken a lease on a new apt just up the street from our current one. Our lease will start Oct 1st on this 2-bedroom third-floor walk-up and we are VERY excited. We were looking for a place where we could settle down for a few years and really get invested in our neighborhood. The apt is circled(?) in purple in the image above. All of those windows are ours and face west for some beautiful sunlight. After we move in and get things situated I'll try to get more pics up. One exciting development is that the additional space should give me a full-time sewing/creating space.

another thought for the apartment

If you are on Facebook you probably have already seen the pics of the updated apartment. Yippee! We are loving the new colors! However, we have also entered the season of much sun light and the dining room and kitchen can't get overwhelmingly hot with the west facing windows uncovered. I found a very simple tutorial online for Un-Curtains that I think might work. Will have to ask Sara about it....

photo courtesy of Jacquie at Tallgrass Prairie Studio

Spring to the Finish round-up

This was a productive time for me! We got our apartment painted on Saturday (pics to follow as soon as we take some!) The colors are gorgeous and we are very pleased all around.

Also dropped one of the projects--the green curtains. They were for the main room, but after we painted it turquoise and I didn't like the green fabric along side the paint, so they were tossed.

Also managed to sew 2 skirts for Sara and 1 reversible skirt for me. The projects, the projects!

Will try to post more pics this weekend or next week.

Thank you for your encouragement! Total UFOs: 14 Total finished: 6--including painting 3 rooms. Not bad if I may say so myself.

spring cleaning your stash inspiration

Jacquie from Tallgrass Prairie Studio had an interesting post on keeping your quilting going and had some lovely pictures of her organized studio. Very inspiring!

That led to a post on how to fold your fabric, also very inspiring. I recommend you check it out.

Can't wait to get back to spring cleaning!

Back on here again

I am back! :-) Tallgrass Prairie Studio is doing a Spring to Finish challenge to get UFOs (UnFinished Objects) out of the sewing room and into life. The challenge started yesterday and runs through May 31st. Since I have a long list of UFOs and a life that is in flux, this seemed like a good time to get things rolling. I've put my list in the sidebar and included the button to the challenge. You may notice that not all of them are sewing projects. That is in the spirit of inclusion and general "bringing orderliness to life."

If you are interested in bringing the same to your life, I encourage you to join the challenge. I will hopefully be posting pictures as projects get finished so you all can enjoy the thrill as well.

Where I've been

It has been some time since I last posted. There are several reasons that sound more like excuses, but there is one that I want to put out here in earnest.

As many of you who love me know, I can be a bit compulsive. Well, at the conviction of the Holy Spirit and a medical evaluation that said I was under too much stress I've decided to be ruthless in editing things out of my life that cause stress, exacerbate my stressed-out feelings or cause me to waste my already limited time. The internet was keeping me from most of my other hobbies and from reading... as well as frequently keeping me from sleeping! Therefore, the decision was made to NOT have internet access at the new apartment and to limit my time online at work.

Jon may be getting internet access at his apartment in the next month or two to enable him to work more from home. In the event that he chooses to do that, I may have more access when we get together, since our apartments are now just down the road from each other.

However, all told, I am not sure that I will be updating this blog much. I don't want to quit it completely, but I have been writing more in my journal and spending more time reading and talking with my immediate friends and family. It really doesn't leave a lot of time for online communication... even email and facebook.

Thank you for your understanding!

Bad computer news:-(

Earlier this week, right as I was planning to upgrade the RAM on my laptop, it quit working. Nothing. Just a black screen and the fan humming along. Because there was no great grinding or other scary noises I am hoping that the hard drive is OK. Not only that, but my best techie pal went out of town the next day and is not expected back until mid-week next week! So, this means I only have internet access at work. Sorry for the delay... although I wasn't getting things up here too quickly anyway.

Thanks for your patience!

Cool stuff: my version

Was wandering around the blogs I like to frequent and came across this post from Random Musings. I always enjoy what she has to say, and her name is Rebecca, so she must be cool ;-) It seems like I wrote just yesterday and it has already been almost 2 weeks... YIKES!

Cool stuff:

• Thunderstorms that crash so loudly they make me jump... even if I have my earphones in.
• Changing the hem on $0.80 pants from the thrift store and having cute office wear.
• A best friend who will sit and listen to me verbally process my relational experience without yawning once.
• Thumb-wrestling with an extremely intelligent man and considering it just as fun as deep conversation.
• The fragrance of clothes fresh from the clothesline.
• Anything that combines mushrooms, spinach and good cheese.
• Standing in front of A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat with someone who has never seen it before.
• Living over a year without a car.
• Working with interesting people at a job that really only requires 35 hrs a week from me and still pays me a livable wage.

There is always more that could be added. I am hoping to have a book list/review post in a few days. Just finished Chesterton's Orthodoxy and am in the midst of Till We Have Built Jerusalem by Philip Bess.... an interesting collection of essays on New Urbanism and its ties to the sacred. So much to think about (and write about)-- so little time!

Life likes to run away from me

Well, after so much time with no social life, no job and not much to do I am now enjoying getting to know a delightful physicist, working full-time in a challenging non-profit, and have had such a busy social whirl that I am running on a semi-constant state of sleep deprivation. Life is good.

There has been so much to thank God for recently.

• The ability to even have thoughts of gratitude for instance. Anxiety has definitely been higher on the mental to-do list than that.
• Renewed intimacy with God and an insatiable desire for more.
• The sharpening that comes from interacting with other strong Christians.
• Dynamic conversation that blows my mind.
• Longer walks than I've had in a long time.
  
• The opportunity to purchase really cute girl shoes.
• Adventures in moving a stove for my best friend. Go Girl Power!

In all honesty, I can't think of a time in the last few years when it has felt like life is both insanely good, and when I've had to dig so deep into Christ just to know how to think. I am not sure how to take it all. I covet your prayers....

Life in Kansas

There has not been an update in a number of days and now I am sitting on the couch in KS while Abigail and Hannah play in the basement, Issac and Joanna nap on their beds and Amy and Daniel have a little couple time in Wichita. In some ways it is Christmas in June, since this was my Christmas present to the family.

It is good to have some quality time with the munchkins. We've played hide-and-seek, watched cartoons, went to the park, painted on pasta and generally had a fun time. I am at that age when the biological clock as well as personal inclination make me eager to have children. Watching women make unwise decisions, though, helps me stay content as I wait and pray for the husband that God has chosen for me.

Currently I can't edit pictures on my laptop, so I will have to wait and see if DnA can get some for me to add here. I know you all like pictures and the Asher clan is quite photogenic:-)

One last note.... The job hunt is going well. I've had several preliminary interviews, one pretty major one at Moody last week, another one with a downtown non-profit after I get home, and have had some temp work in the meantime. I am hopeful that I will have full-time employment by the beginning of July. In general, the job hunt has been positive. It is always nice to hear people tell you how employable you are and how eager they are to help you find a good situation. Now it is just time to wait and prepare. Even if I have only been unemployed for a couple of weeks, I am totally ready to work again.

If you came to (my) house...

My friend TulipGirl tagged me and I usually don't get these things done... But this time I am going to do it! You can check out her list here.

Obviously, I just moved into a new apartment so a lot of this is subject to change... maybe I'll come back and do it again in 6 months.

If you came to our house. . .

You would see:
Several of my art quilts, piles of boxes and rubbermaid tubs, a bright blue living room with a big print of a DeGrazia ballerina above the mantle, the 3 kitties

We’d probably feed you:
Roast Beef from my parents' farm or Chicken Alfredo or Calico Beans for dinner if it is warm out

Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast

And offer you this to drink:

Homemade fruit smoothies

We’d undoubtedly ask if you’d read:
Whatever we’re currently reading

We’d want to play this music for you:
Astor Piazolla tangos, Ella Fitzgerald, whatever is on my laptop or ipod

We’d want to tell you the latest about:
What’s happening at church or school

We’d probably suggest a game of:
Word Thief, Canasta, Sequence

We might would definitely show off:
The latest projects we are working on… the cats

We might get on the computer and show you:
My sister’s children, pics from my travels

If it was a long enough visit, we might watch:
Not sure… don’t have a TV;-)

Thoughts on Hospitality

So, I have decided that everyone deserves a real blog post and here I am go give it to you:-) Domestic issues have been neglected recently, so they are on the menu today. Many of you know that I think hospitality is one of the foremost gifts my family has passed down to me. I grew up with a mother and grandmother who fed the orphan and the widow, who did not hesitate to fill their home with people at every opportunity and considered it a privilege to feed and host family, friends and strangers.This is my Berea "family." Bobby, Brandie, Marlon and Michael spent a lot of time in Sara and my living room/kitchen eating homecooked food, watching movies when our brains had turned to mush and having good (and sometimes even bad) conversation about whatever topic occurred to us at the moment. They brought friends, played games, did homework and made our house their home. Neither Sara nor I would have it any other way. We had the Logan Court Stargazers, and we all piled onto our tiny back deck and watched the sky whenever the weather was good enough to be out. Sometimes it took every blanket in the house to keep us warm, but it was worth it.

Now I live in "the city," which is notorious for its impersonality and loneliness. I would be lying if I said my life has not been touched by those, but the city has also offered me unsurpassed opportunities for hospitality.

First, there are the couchsurfers. This website has been a lot of fun for me and seems to fit well with my travel personality. This past summer I met two very interesting women this way. Stephanie came from Atlanta and just needed a bed for one night before her business trip to the city kicked in for housing. She was a great sport and hung with Sara, Jud and I as we ran around the city with some of Sara's friends who were in town for a few days. The next visitor was Chloe, a beautiful French woman traveling in the US after an extended stay in Canada. She slept on our couch for a week, visiting all over the city. She was neat, gracious and fun to be around. She accompanied Sara, Jud and me to Ravinia and came along to a concert in Millennium Park. Now that she is back in Paris she has invited me to stay on her couch any time I am in that city. Honestly, I can't wait to go back, so this offer makes me really happy!
I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything and I look forward to making more memories this way. As long as I live in Chicago, I don't think it should be too difficult.

But it is more than just hosting strangers. I've watched strangers become friends as we sit around the table eating, laughing and talking. The food is served, the beverages flowing freely and someone brings up the last election, the sermon from Sunday, a recently published novel or a new movie and we are off on the adventure of knowing each other. Hospitality makes all of this possible for even the most cash-strapped of my friends, for whom restaurants, coffee shops or pubs are often out of the question.

I recently read a blog post that lays out some essentials to successful hospitality. I encourage you to read the entire post, from The Purple Cellar, but if you can't, here are some highlights:

The four "rules" of hospitality:

1) Hospitality isn't based on having the "right" house.
2) Hospitality isn't always convenient.
3) Hospitality isn't always comfortable.
4) Hospitality is always about serving others.

Followed by four "habits" that make hospitality happen:

1. Decide to get organized.
2. Alter your attitude about your home.
3. Get fixed with food.
4. Prioritize people.

This isn't exhaustive, and there is A LOT more on the blog post, but I would agree with all of these things. No one I have ever invited into my home, either in Berea or here in Chicago has ever said, "I wish your house was bigger." Or "Don't you think you should be more together before you had us over?" or anything even remotely close. If dinner wasn't perfect we laughed and ate extra dessert. If it was crowded people bumped knees with plates on their laps and talked to someone they hadn't had a chance to meet yet.

Right now I am working to have people in every week. I need to feed people, and I want to make the best use of the time and space God has blessed me with. I've had several of my co-workers over for dinner in the last few weeks, a marriage Bible study with about 20 people meets in my apartment on Sunday afternoons and I have had several dinner parties for various groups of friends in the last 3-4 months. It is great when people who know me, but not each other, sit around a table with some wine or coffee, "happy tummies" and the time to relax and talk. This is where life happens. It wouldn't happen if I didn't open my doors.

Sometimes the dishes don't get done right away. Sometimes my grocery bill almost makes me dizzy. Sometimes I am rushing to wipe down the bathroom 20 minutes before people arrive. But it is always worth it.

If you don't practice some form of hospitality, whether you are single, married or have a family, you need to start now. It is never too early or too late. There are lots of Bible verses and experiences that I could throw at you, but I don't have the time or the inclination. If you don't want to take my word for it, check out these two books: Open Heart, Open Home by Karen Burton Maines and Hospitality Commands by Alexander Strauch. Both are firmly grounded in the Bible and are practical as well as theoretical.

But I must bring this to a close so I can get things ready for Sara, my delightful, albeit stressed-out roommate who deserves my hospitality more than anyone else right now.

What do you think of all this?

Updates

Thought it was time for a few updates:

Work: Yesterday I had a phone interview with Teach for America yesterday afternoon and I felt it went well. I will find out on the 19th whether or not I made it to the next round of interviews. My goal currently is to find a full-time teaching position by next fall. I have had some interesting work experience since graduating from school, but it would be nice to have full-time work and full-time income!

Neighbors: In addition to having my TFA interview yesterday, I arrived home to a strange man standing in my apartment. It turns out that he is Ramon, the man who owns 619, and he was in the building because he had a meeting with Jack regarding his tenants and a noise violation. They were partying LOUD on Saturday night... all the way until 4:00am! The tenants were not home when he arrived, but he entered the apartment and apparently found the place trashed and marijuana paraphanelia all over the place. He was about as angry as he could be in front of strangers. He brought a friend who is a Chicago cop (as a witness or in case things got ugly, I believe).

Ramon was very apologetic and said that he would be dealing severly with the tenants. Turns out they are 3 18-19 yr olds that are students at Columbia College Chicago. One is the son of Ramon's wife's best-friend. Presumably he fell in with bad company and they in turn have trashed Ramon's apartment, including all the furniture and appliances that he so kindly left for them. After our conversation, which also included Jack--the building engineer--he went back home to Oak Park. Later that evening he emailed Sara and said that he was coming back to confront the kids with parents in tow (parents are on the lease as well as the boys). I heard a little of the LOUD conversation and I don't think it is going so well for them. I can't say that I feel to badly about it. They were acting like spoiled frat boys, so they belong somewhere else. I will try to keep you updated on what is going on there.

My Birthday: I have been celebrating my birthday month with great joy! It started with a David Crowder band concert on the 1st at House of Blues with some friends from Church. Then Sara and I went out for dinner on my birthday, I had a little celebration with my small group from church on the 8th and tomorrow night I am having some friends over for a birthday dinner party. I will try to take some pictures and post them soon:-) In addition to some lovely gifts from friends and family, I would like to post a special thank you here--Jud subsidized a much-needed haircut as my birthday present. I went to Ashley, she gave me a great new winter cut and I will try to get pics up soon. It is shorter and a bit more funky and I LOVE IT!

That will have to do it for now. I will try and get more up on a regular basis--please leave comments... I love to hear from you!

Neighbor update

After the whole stink business I was minding my own business. (Thanks for the ideas, though). Then on Saturday night, around 11 I decided to go to bed. I had some music playing quietly to cover street noises, but when I lay down I FELT a baseline vibrating through my bedframe. I looked outside, but there wasn't any booming traffic. Ends up it was the lovely people in 619 having a party. Standing inside my door I could hear conversation and some of the melody line of the music. But I could still feel the music in my bedroom which is on the opposite side of the apartment from the door.

I do know that our condo association as strict noise policies, so after checking to make sure that is was coming from their apartment, I called and left a message with the building manager. A short time later I heard someone in the hall and it ends up it was the neighbors to our south, Don and Allison, who we are quite friendly with. They are both flight attendents, so we don't see a whole lot of them.

Don mentioned that the guys from 619 are very pesky to the neighbor directly across from them in 618. He also said that they have smelled pot when they walked into the building and have seen individuals from 619 smoking in the hall. He said he would call Jack (building manager) and complain as well. I am not sure that he did, but it was nice to know that I wasn't hallucinating or just being grumpy.

So we will see how it goes. Jack returned my call today, got a few details and said that the first step is that 619 will get a general letter stating that there have been complaints about noise. After that comes fines. That doesn't take into account the smells, but if it gets bad I am going to contact the owners.

Enough of that saga.... Hopefully I will post something more intelligent soon!

Airing a Grievance

I do not, normally, like to complain in a public forum, but this is driving me nuts. In August we had new neighbors move in across the hall. It looks like they are 2-4 male college students. I am not sure about the number, because I am not sure who exactly lives there, and who just visits a lot. I don't know that the number really matters.

The issue is the smells that come from their unit and directly infiltrate ours. Our doors are directly across from each other and I found out, rather unpleasantly, that if our windows are open we draft in anything that is in the hallway. It used to be the occasional cooking smell, and usually it wasn't bad.

However, things have taken a seriously negative downturn. It seems that they like to smoke. A LOT. And the minute they light up, it smells like a stale ashtray in OUR apartment. One evening, when Sara was suffering from a particularly bad headache I went across, knocked on the door and asked if they would put something at the bottom of the door. Our windows were closed but it was still drafting into our apartment. That time I talked to the blond roommate.

Nothing resulted from that interaction but the installation of a rolled blanket at our door. It didn't seem too bad and we didn't want a conflict, so we let it go. Last night it smelled like bad cooked fish, or something worse that I don't want to mention on this blog, and Sara and I lit 6 scented candle in front of our door and hoped that it would either dissipate or be covered enough for us to fall asleep. We were not home all day, therefore the blanket was not at the door to do its work.

Tonight required another confrontation. I was sitting on the couch, blogging and minding my own business when what should I smell but stale ashtray. As many of you know, I grew up with smoking parents who quit when I was about 13. This led to an abhorrence of all things smoking related, but especially of stale cigarette smoke. The LAST thing I want to smell in my home--which is supposed to my refuge--is ashtray! Unfortunately, this smell was making it past my rolled blanket and my fragrant tart burner by the door.

So I went to talk to the neighbors. Again. This time it sounded like they were having a party and they didn't hear my first knock. A youngish dark-haired guy answered the door. As politely as possible I asked him if he would mind putting something under his door, as I could smell his smoking or cooking in my apartment. He was very polite, but I don't have very high hopes.

After the first incident, when I wasn't sure it was our neighbors, I called the building supervisor and left a message. That day, I could smell stale smoke all the way to elevators. He never contacted me again, but the hallway smelled better for quite awhile and so we didn't bother. However, if it happens again, I am going to contact him.

You see, this building is individually owned condos. Many of them are rented by their owners and I am fine with that, because I am reaping the benefits of that situation. The issue is, I seriously doubt they have permission to smoke in the apartment. This building is just over a year old and everything is new, including the carpets. A couple with young children had the unit before these guys, and I would bet they own the unit. Even if they don't whoever does is not going to want it stunk up so quickly. If our apartment smells bad, I can only imagine what it smells like in there.

Along with the smells we have been subject to an occasionally middle of the night guest or loud party but that hasn't been too bad. Sara usually sleeps through it, and since I wake up during the night regularly it isn't as disruptive as it could be.

So, do you have any advice? Should I try to contact the owner of the unit and complain? I don't think the building manager will do anything about it, and don't know that he could, unless there was a clause about smoking in the condo association contract. I don't really want to "just live with it" since we have 6 months left on our lease and I HATE being in a smelly apartment.

Well, that is enough of that.

Things are getting better!

Thought I should let you all know that things are definitely getting better. I have begun to put first things first, and that always helps. Having a quiet time for almost a week straight managed to pull me out of a bit of a slump. In addition, I had a FABULOUS Sunday this past weekend. Church was wonderful, the sermon honest and convicting, my Bible study/Sunday school class was right on where I am at, and we had a church picnic afterwards where I was able to get to know several people much better. God has been so gracious to me in leading me to such a wonderful church! I just can't thank him enough!

Also, just wanted to give you a brief update on the blog. I added a new section, random links and thought I should introduce them.... briefly.... The Amazon link is not to prompt you all to buy me new books and music (although that would be nice) but to let you know what is on my "To Read" list. I don't have the money or time to buy most of what is on that list, but I do use it as a reference when I go to the library, or when someone is interested in a possible new read.

The second link is to the Boundless Webzine. I have benefited many times from Boundless. Their articles are often thought-provoking and challenging. I am also learning that many people have never heard of it. So here is the link.... Try it, you might like it;-)

Finally, I had an interview last week with Moody Bible Institute last week for a full-time position that I am VERY interested in! It was my second interview, and it sounds like they may have it down to just myself and another person who will be interviewing on Wednesday. Please pray that whatever comes of this, I will be willing for God's will. The job seems ideal to me, the pay is what I need right now, the benefits excellent, commuting location just right, and it would allow me to work for an organization that I can support with all my heart. I should find out sometime after the 1st what they have decided, and if I get the job should start as soon as this one ends.

Guess that is it for now..... Now I must go to bed!

A bit of "family" news

Thought I should give a little notice to all of you dear people who love my roommate Sara almost as much as you love me: she has now formally entered into a dating relationship with one of my good friends, Jud. I think this will be a wonderful enterprise for both of them and I am excited to see how it works out. In the meantime, I am still very single and learning to joyfully embrace my singleness in a the midst of hectic city life:-)