Monday, March 29, 2010

Fuzz

I'm not talking about the police or a bear, but the continuing season of Lent. Clever, I know!

It's late, but I haven't blogged in a long while and it seems time. I have come to write something a few times since the last post, but really wasn't sure what to write since it didn't seem much had changed. Life is still pretty much a tornado with constant goings on. My Greatest Great Uncle D would've loved to hear all the silly crazy fast paced things I've been reading and writing about these days. He and I used to always write to each other, me about my crazy fast paced adventures and him about the times he'd been to where I was or jokes he heard about the places. I digress.

This Lent I challenged Zack to give up sweets with me. Now sweets ended up being more defined by desserts. With him having a meal plan though and constant desserts being served in the cafeteria, plus he's got a giant cavern of a sweet tooth or three, this was a big challenge. I personally don't like chocolate all that much and am more of a fruit person so I didn't think it would be too hard. However, as the weeks have passed on and Girl Scout cookies have been bought, chocolate easter eggs have been gifted, I feel as if I have a heaping pile of goodies waiting for us on Sunday. This is exciting, but at the same time it's been a really good challenge. Being Lutherans we don't always give something up for Lent and in recent years it has been a trend within many of my circles of friends to take something on. I've been thinking more lately about where God wants me to be used and where I'd be happy as far as careers go. I have had several interviews and nothing has come of them. However, for the most part, I know that it's been right for nothing to come of them. The challenge I've focused on during Lent has been more on how to slow down a bit and focus on the face of Jesus in my everyday life so that I can learn to be more like Jesus in my everyday walk. Don't get me wrong, I'm really lookin' forward to the Somoa cookies and the freedom of eating whatever I want (within reason of course), but I hope to continue reflecting on the face of Jesus and his ways of teaching me to be in the moment.

The Holy Spirit is here, there, and everywhere with us, but Jesus meets us in the moment.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

You got some lent on you there

Joy sun! Good morning! Boker Tov!

I cannot tell you the last time I was up this early on a Saturday morning. I know you're thinking "poor you." As much as I'm not always a morning person I really enjoy mornings. I enjoy the freshness of the day with the sun rising & slowly heating up the air. Each day I try & start my day, usually before I even get out of bed with telling God g'morning. This may seem silly to some, but even though I like things about the morning I usually am a little grumpy when I first wake up. My family would say I'm a lot grumpy when I first wake up. By greeting & acknowledging God it helps me to attempt to start focusing my day around the works of the Trinity in my life.

Recently life has just been a whirlwind of fun school projects, meeting up with friends from outside of seminary, & making time to hang out with friends from seminary. I've been getting involved with an emergent church called Jacob's Well and feel called & pushed by the Spirit to be involved there. Most of my time is spent with seminary somethings as there is always pages of reading to be done so that words can be written & papers turned in. Most days I feel like I am not taking enough time to focus on the Trinity even though I start my days with an attempt to center around the Trinity. However, the Spirit, specifically this past week has been so present that it gave me the jitters. I told one friend, when relaying a story about Zack & I, that this year the Spirit has completely knocked me off my feet while Zack swept me off my feet.

Since the beginning of 2010 I have known of 5 deaths, 6 births, and this next Saturday will be attending my first of nearly 12 weddings for the year. I don't even know how to move past that reality of the sadness & rejoicing & all the other mixed emotions that come with these life happenings. Maybe that's the Spirit's point, maybe that's Jesus' point, to keep focusing on the incredible fact of the empty cross. Thus be my Lenten journey, it just started a little earlier than Ash Wednesday.