~Falling Slowly (from "Once" - you should see it)
it's been a while. a LONG while. it would take days to recap what has transpired since my last post, but suffice to say, WOW. after deciding to return to SPU for my Master's in Teaching in the fall, i got a weird idea which involved forfeiting the tens of thousands of dollars i could have made all summer at my job in Bend and leaving a beautiful town early to be a camp counselor at the horse camp my brother Alan and I grew up attending.
a camp counselor, katie? isn't that a job for 19 year olds? in a word, yes. but, i went for it anyway. i figured i would just be the camp grandma...
i hadn't set foot at Cascades Camp in Yelm in 9 years when I arrived in mid june. and, having just moved from bend four days prior, my mind was reeling as i wondered what the hell i had just gotten myself into and what i had just left behind: friends, an amazing church and junior highers, a cool job, independence, and one of the most beautiful places to live in America. many things about camp have changed. many are the same. some of my anticipations were spot-on. others were painfully off.
i have just completed seven weeks here at camp. four cabins of girls have come and gone, three to go. one week of family camp, one week of kitchen duty, and one week of training have filled my other weeks. there have been wonderful highs and frustrating lows. i have cleaned bathrooms and cabins more times than i can count, eaten more chicken nuggets than i care to admit, seen more horses defacate than i wish to recall, worn dirty jeans for three weeks in a row, done a million lice checks it seems, still haven't gotten in the lake, and got bucked off of a horse when i was riding bareback on Thursday.
yet, you'll often find me with a smile on my face and a peace in my heart i have never before experienced. to be sure, i'm often exhausted, in desperate need of alone time, or craving adult conversation that will last more than five minutes. but when i came here, i asked the LORD to kick me in the butt - to teach me, challenge me and convict me about the way i will live my life from here on - and HE has been faithful to bring some serious ass-kicking in my general direction.
i started out the summer by learning some things about me -my personality, the ways i work well (and don't work well with others), what i need daily to survive, what energizes me, what brings me down, and what is important to me. "is that ALL i'm going to learn this summer, God??!" i asked two weeks ago, "can't you REALLY bring it and show up?"
it deserves a post of its own, but the nine wide-eyed, beautiful, energetic, passionate, and curious 9th graders that showed up at my door two sundays ago changed my life. God has and will continue to answer my prayers to work in and through me, and to show me what a life lived fully for Him can look like. i want it more than ever before, and that's both exciting and extremely scary. it's crazy to think that i asked Jesus to be in my life 16 years ago and i've only begun to realize what He is all about these past few years. sometimes, in the midst of several amazingly mature 19 year old 'kids" here at camp who are much closer to God that i am, i have the tendency to feel like i've been missing the proverbial boat. feelings of inadequacy and embarassment creep up.
but, i am determined to be thankful for these inspiring examples in my life, for the friends i have met, for the challenges i have faced, for the times my pride has been crushed, for the times the LORD has touched my heart with words from kids and coworkers, for the beautiful nature i am surrounded by daily, for the pure beauty of a child deciding to follow Jesus, for the conversations i have had, and for the realizations that no one but God is doing the real work here - it is my job to love, be obedient, listen and work with a humble and positive attitude while trusting He will do amazing things.
i choose my attitude, my priorities, my words and my actions every day. may i take this once sinking boat of a life and faith and point it towards the only ONE who lasts. my home. my strength. my endurance. my hope. my whole life.
5.07.2008
oh God, hold them now
~David Crowder Band
May 2nd: what were you doing?
May 2nd: what were you doing?
On the other side of the world, a cyclone hit Myanmar (Burma) with a force I still cannot fathom. Yesterday they estimated 22,500 dead and 41,000 missing. Two Million people are displaced. Today, sources say they believe the death toll will reach 100,000. One Hundred Thousand Human Beings. God cares about them and loves them just as much as you and me.
I think we, as Americans, who are still shaken by Hurricane Katrina (which killed 1,900 people), cannot begin to understand the horror of this situation. I am deeply saddened, but I know I'm nowhere near being able to grasp the suffering that is occuring and will continue to go on until Myanmar's government fully accepts international aid and the whole world comes together in this time of unbeliveable tragedy.
So, what can you do? PRAY. GIVE to the fullest extent possible, then give more. And, please, don't turn your back just because it's overwhelming or because you have no idea where Burma is - these people need our help NOW.
A few organizations to choose from:
Save the Children
Quest Church
World Aid in Seattle (no website)
Global Giving
Check out:
BBC
Associated Press
"Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray...You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil...spread your protection over them..." excerpts from Psalm 5
3.11.2008
it's the dawn of our age, it's the birth of courage, now's the time to flourish
~malbec ("dawn of our age")
It is time to plug a very important conference going on in Portland, Oregon on April 12th. If you're anywhere within traveling distance, PLEASE come. Bound: The Global Slave Trade.
The global slave trade is an issue that is now receiving more attention than it has in the past, which is encouraging. Yet, very few can actually grasp how horrible things are in all parts of the world - the US included. This is a huge issue that I can't even begin to explain on my blog, but it is well worth your time to do some research and figure out how you can help the thousands of innocents daily forced to provide goods, sex, labor, et cetera to a world that simply turns its head and fails to acknowledge how evil these deeds are.
Take time. Inform yourself. Pray. Get involved. Don't ignore this immensely serious issue. Join me at the conference on April 12th if you possibly can.
A few websites to check out:
Garden of Hope
International Justice Mission
Oasis
Stop the Traffik
World Vision
Viva Network
Amnesty International
Please comment and add more helpful links!
It is time to plug a very important conference going on in Portland, Oregon on April 12th. If you're anywhere within traveling distance, PLEASE come. Bound: The Global Slave Trade.
The global slave trade is an issue that is now receiving more attention than it has in the past, which is encouraging. Yet, very few can actually grasp how horrible things are in all parts of the world - the US included. This is a huge issue that I can't even begin to explain on my blog, but it is well worth your time to do some research and figure out how you can help the thousands of innocents daily forced to provide goods, sex, labor, et cetera to a world that simply turns its head and fails to acknowledge how evil these deeds are.Take time. Inform yourself. Pray. Get involved. Don't ignore this immensely serious issue. Join me at the conference on April 12th if you possibly can.
A few websites to check out:
Garden of Hope
International Justice Mission
Oasis
Stop the Traffik
World Vision
Viva Network
Amnesty International
Please comment and add more helpful links!
3.04.2008
maybe we can see a movie or maybe we can see a play, on saturday
~Jill Scott ("A long walk")
On a daily basis, when I sign out of hotmail, I'm redirected to MSN, which offers all sorts of dating/singles articles about how to land a date with your crush in the office, or once you've secured said date, how you might not act like a complete imbecile in order to ensure a second.
Today, I found the article more amusing than usual. Decently wise (especially the parts about cologne and texting) and very witty even. Too bad the advice is for dudes... The lists of "to dos" and "to don'ts" always makes me wonder if the traditional pressures of A [perfect] DATE causes guys to ask girls out less these days...maybe so. Or maybe there are a host of reasons, including the fact that girls need to do some of the work, too.
What ever happened to arranged marriages? They really cut out all the stress.
On a daily basis, when I sign out of hotmail, I'm redirected to MSN, which offers all sorts of dating/singles articles about how to land a date with your crush in the office, or once you've secured said date, how you might not act like a complete imbecile in order to ensure a second.
Today, I found the article more amusing than usual. Decently wise (especially the parts about cologne and texting) and very witty even. Too bad the advice is for dudes... The lists of "to dos" and "to don'ts" always makes me wonder if the traditional pressures of A [perfect] DATE causes guys to ask girls out less these days...maybe so. Or maybe there are a host of reasons, including the fact that girls need to do some of the work, too.
What ever happened to arranged marriages? They really cut out all the stress.
2.25.2008
it's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight
~Survivor ("Eye of the Tiger")
three of my absolute-favorite funny-men in one clip...can't go wrong. i needed this tonight!
three of my absolute-favorite funny-men in one clip...can't go wrong. i needed this tonight!
2.22.2008
we're ONE, but we're not the same, we get to carry each other
~U2 "One"
"A lot of people are happy with pie in the sky when they die, but I don't think that's our purpose. Our purpose is to bring Heaven to earth...in the macro as well as the micro. In every detail of our lives we should be trying to bring Heaven to earth. Have the peace that passes understanding, but DO NOT be at peace with the world, because it is not a happy place for most of the people who live in it." - Bono
Lately, I've become a YouTube junkie. Mostly to see live performances from my favorite bands, but the other day, after watching a myriad of U2 videos (I'm seeing U2 3D tonight...why, God, WHY can't we have an IMAX in Bend?!?!), I ran across Bill Hybels' interview with Bono for his 2006 leadership summit. My mom has been to a couple of these things via videocasts in the past, but basically this summit is 70,000+ pastors/church leaders all gathered to learn, challenge and grow. Pretty amazing. Anyhow, this interview is 8 parts on YouTube, but well worth the hour it'll take you to watch.
Why? Well, let me tell you. If you have any musical taste at all, you're at least willing to admit U2's epic run has been (and still is) one of a kind, and that they can still rock. Hard. I can take it further and say that I really love their music, especially the earlier stuff. But, I've always been interested in their technique of marrying faith, secular music and social justice. It seems a lot of their songs can be interpreted "religiously" or "romantically," which makes figuring out how serious they are about Jesus difficult (as if that's MY job somehow). Watching this interview between Bill and Bono changed my mind about him, and even got me a little fired up. If I had to choose a "type" of Christian I like, Bono fits the bill quite well. He was wary at first of Christians, which is why it took him a while to buy into the whole deal, even though he liked Jesus from the start. He also started and shares his passion very effectively about the ONE organization, which is doing astonishingly cool things. It is so refreshing to see notable individuals using their celebrity for good and global change.
The quote from the interview I posted above makes a LOT of sense to me, and is right in line with my current passions, but interestingly, I've heard that this week from more than one source, which always gives me cause for reflection. Bringing the Kingdom of God here to earth right now and doing all we can to combat human suffering, injustice, poverty (and I'll throw in my personal love of saving the environment in the list too, even though people are the first priority, definitely), et cetera should be a main concern of those who call themselves followers of Jesus' example. Chrissi, my friend, fellow youth leader and also the pastor's wife at my church, put it well this morning at our women's Bible study: "if we aren't trying to make this world a better place in Jesus' name right now, we all may as well go straight to heaven so I can stop getting up at 5am for this!" (that's a paraphrase, but hopefully you get my drift)
We're working on 2 Timothy 3 right now, which discusses the "end times," and how horrible people will be then. We've all heard the view that the end times are far in the future and that the level of depravity at that time will be unfathomable even to us in this day, BUT that we should just let it happen, because in order for Jesus to come back, scripture has to be fulfilled. WRONG. The end times started the minute Jesus ascended to Heaven, and even though there's plenty of evil right now and we can't fix it all, I'm willing to guess if everyone who was in line with Jesus' mission actively loved, advocated for and served others sacrifically, Heaven would be a lot closer to earth than it is now.
So, let's DO it!
"A lot of people are happy with pie in the sky when they die, but I don't think that's our purpose. Our purpose is to bring Heaven to earth...in the macro as well as the micro. In every detail of our lives we should be trying to bring Heaven to earth. Have the peace that passes understanding, but DO NOT be at peace with the world, because it is not a happy place for most of the people who live in it." - Bono
Lately, I've become a YouTube junkie. Mostly to see live performances from my favorite bands, but the other day, after watching a myriad of U2 videos (I'm seeing U2 3D tonight...why, God, WHY can't we have an IMAX in Bend?!?!), I ran across Bill Hybels' interview with Bono for his 2006 leadership summit. My mom has been to a couple of these things via videocasts in the past, but basically this summit is 70,000+ pastors/church leaders all gathered to learn, challenge and grow. Pretty amazing. Anyhow, this interview is 8 parts on YouTube, but well worth the hour it'll take you to watch.
Why? Well, let me tell you. If you have any musical taste at all, you're at least willing to admit U2's epic run has been (and still is) one of a kind, and that they can still rock. Hard. I can take it further and say that I really love their music, especially the earlier stuff. But, I've always been interested in their technique of marrying faith, secular music and social justice. It seems a lot of their songs can be interpreted "religiously" or "romantically," which makes figuring out how serious they are about Jesus difficult (as if that's MY job somehow). Watching this interview between Bill and Bono changed my mind about him, and even got me a little fired up. If I had to choose a "type" of Christian I like, Bono fits the bill quite well. He was wary at first of Christians, which is why it took him a while to buy into the whole deal, even though he liked Jesus from the start. He also started and shares his passion very effectively about the ONE organization, which is doing astonishingly cool things. It is so refreshing to see notable individuals using their celebrity for good and global change.
The quote from the interview I posted above makes a LOT of sense to me, and is right in line with my current passions, but interestingly, I've heard that this week from more than one source, which always gives me cause for reflection. Bringing the Kingdom of God here to earth right now and doing all we can to combat human suffering, injustice, poverty (and I'll throw in my personal love of saving the environment in the list too, even though people are the first priority, definitely), et cetera should be a main concern of those who call themselves followers of Jesus' example. Chrissi, my friend, fellow youth leader and also the pastor's wife at my church, put it well this morning at our women's Bible study: "if we aren't trying to make this world a better place in Jesus' name right now, we all may as well go straight to heaven so I can stop getting up at 5am for this!" (that's a paraphrase, but hopefully you get my drift)
We're working on 2 Timothy 3 right now, which discusses the "end times," and how horrible people will be then. We've all heard the view that the end times are far in the future and that the level of depravity at that time will be unfathomable even to us in this day, BUT that we should just let it happen, because in order for Jesus to come back, scripture has to be fulfilled. WRONG. The end times started the minute Jesus ascended to Heaven, and even though there's plenty of evil right now and we can't fix it all, I'm willing to guess if everyone who was in line with Jesus' mission actively loved, advocated for and served others sacrifically, Heaven would be a lot closer to earth than it is now.
So, let's DO it!
1.18.2008
i've no idea what i am talking about
~Radiohead ("bodysnatchers"...NOTE: the new album is AMAZING!)
As if this day needed more stress or negativity...
i returned home from a rough work week to open an envelope detailing my first quarter investment returns, since i just started my first 401K in October. i know, i know....i'm an adult now! Apparently one who is totally screwed when it comes to investment....
i saw $(6.55) on my returns, and for some reason thought that because i didn't see a negative sign, i was in the clear. Oh, innocence. Okay, losing 6 bucks isn't too bad, but because each and every one of my directives cost me money except for my 30% in interest, this was a good incentive to get online and take a look at what i'm doing with my large chunk of change i'm setting aside each month for retirement.
Then, the shit hit the veritable fan. Apparently, for those of you who follow the stock market as little as i do, the market is a complete disaster right now. According to my dad, whom (i have to admit) i called immediately, our country is heading towards this little thing some call a "recession." i thought $6.55 was bad? Try $90.96 in the hole now. Blast. That means i've lost almost $85 in TWO FREAKING WEEKS.
What a way to start 2008. i ended up changing everything, in a move my dad defined as "chasing gains." Hopefully this quarter, i won't be seeing the evil parentheses. If i do, at least i know where i keep my beer.
As if this day needed more stress or negativity...
i returned home from a rough work week to open an envelope detailing my first quarter investment returns, since i just started my first 401K in October. i know, i know....i'm an adult now! Apparently one who is totally screwed when it comes to investment....
i saw $(6.55) on my returns, and for some reason thought that because i didn't see a negative sign, i was in the clear. Oh, innocence. Okay, losing 6 bucks isn't too bad, but because each and every one of my directives cost me money except for my 30% in interest, this was a good incentive to get online and take a look at what i'm doing with my large chunk of change i'm setting aside each month for retirement.
Then, the shit hit the veritable fan. Apparently, for those of you who follow the stock market as little as i do, the market is a complete disaster right now. According to my dad, whom (i have to admit) i called immediately, our country is heading towards this little thing some call a "recession." i thought $6.55 was bad? Try $90.96 in the hole now. Blast. That means i've lost almost $85 in TWO FREAKING WEEKS.
What a way to start 2008. i ended up changing everything, in a move my dad defined as "chasing gains." Hopefully this quarter, i won't be seeing the evil parentheses. If i do, at least i know where i keep my beer.
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