February 20

I know that I said that my next blog was going to be Sueño, part 2, but I just had to do a quick notice today because it is World Day of Social Justice. It's an international, globally accepted date that is focused on spreading awareness for social justice. I know that sometimes it may feel as if we can not do anything because it is such a huge, overwhelming problem, but we can! There are tons of organizations that want to make it accessible to us, no matter how much we can give - some even ask us to pray, and to devote our time if we have no money. There is always a way to help, and if you just can't, then please, please, spread the news and the resources!

• International Justice Mission - You can give any amount if you wish to help with money, and on the website, ijm.org, they have specific ways that you can raise awareness! This one is my favorite because they actually work with the political side of the issue, which makes them extra effective.


• The Mocha Club - The whole idea behind this is that 2 mochas a month ($7.00) can be effective. Check out all of the things that giving up 2 coffees can do at www.mochaclub.org. I mention them because they also deal in social injustices.


• Compassion International - This is such an amazing organization. A huge way to right an injustice is to personally support a child (or two, or three, or ten) by going to Compassion.com and ensuring that they receive a Godly education and love from you and the wonderful Compassion people who come in actual contact with the children. Through this, you see products of your effort, and it is amazing and rewarding.

Do what you can! Spread the word!

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Isaiah 58:6

P.S. - Read today's earlier post, Sueno, Part 1, and see how you can answer the question - I'm looking forward to sharing and hearing!

Sueño, part 1

In high school Spanish I had to do a project called "Sueño," which means dream. On a poster board, we had to list out some dreams we had in Spanish, of course. There must have been a certain amount of dreams that we had to list because I remember people including the most absurd things, places, celebrities, and activities on their boards. Needless to say, it was not really what anyone dreamed of, and we were all thinking of enough articles to place on our lists.

Well, this morning I was thinking and praying about my real dreams (in life, not in sleep) and I was reminded of that poster, and how if we had been asked to be truthful and serious, what I would have said. Honestly, the thought of putting my dreams out there scares me. I feel as if I either saying or writing them will do one of two things: one, that they would be plucked right out of my mouth and off of the page and taken away into some abyss forever and they will join all of the other proclaimed dreams that people have and never do - I take my dreams very seriously, and I think that if I share them, then you won't take them seriously; two, I think that if I put my dreams into word boxes and mark them somewhere, I will have to achieve them, and I'm terrified that I can't do them.

I always said that I didn't share all of myself with people because I was too deep thought of life in very strong, serious terms, and I could overwhelm them. And that is partially true. I remember a few times when I have sat down with a girlfriend and told her a dream that I had and she either glazes over, doesn't get it, or, just recently, I had someone say, "You know who would be really good at that?" and proceed to tell me who else would be better at accomplishing my own dream.

But, lately, I have had less and less of an excuse. For one, Billy has helped me tremendously. He takes me seriously and believes that everything God has placed on my heart can come to pass. I have also been meeting with an awesome girl that is a lot like me - very serious and 'overwhelming' at times, and she has really specific personal goals - and our commonalities have been inspiring because when I was younger, I truly felt as if I were the only person who took life this seriously, and that I needed to back down. Together, we are reading Beth Moore's So Long, Insecurity and that has been opening up my eyes to my own insecurities and how they have been holding me back from what I feel God wants me to do.

I can't help but think that I'm not the only one who feels this way. What are some of your dreams - the one's that you are scared to say out loud? or write down? or share with the www so that everyone might hold you accountable? I'd love to hear yours, because my next blog post will be mine. I'd like to be in good company.

Valentines Weekend and Date Night with Densons

1. Valentine's weekend was wonderful!  Billy surprised me and took me to a Bed & Breakfast downtown, which I have always wanted to do.  We ate at Fleet Landing, which is where we ate the night we got engaged!  And then, we went to Kaminsky's in the snow.  It was the best Valentine's ever.  We actually celebrated on Friday night, but I'm so glad that we did because it snowed!  I know that everyone in Charleston felt as if it were their gift, but that night, I felt as if it were mine.  We had such a fun time!  The Bed & Breakfast was really cute, and it had a community-ish feel that we weren't sure about, but ended up really liking it because we were together.  Being married is the best!


2. On Thursday night (Feb. 18) we had Robbie and Chelsie Denson over.  Chelsie came over early while Robbie and Billy went to a meeting at church.  Chelsie and I cooked our wonderful, semi-gourmet meal, and almost everything turned out beautifully!  The guys loved it, and that made it even better!  We made zucchini, which wasn't wonderful, but alright; honey-orange chicken breasts, which were so good; twice-baked potatoes, which took forever to cook, but were so worth it; and a chocolate chess pie, which ended up looking like a chocolate mess pie, but Chelsie and I still blame it on the pan, and maybe the fact that we forgot an ingredient!  Either way, it was so fun.  Also, after our meal, Billy and Robbie worked on de-clogging our sink (that I clogged - oops!), and they did it! It was so gross, and they were so proud of themselves, as were we.  It was great to have them over and to get to cook with Chelsie, and even greater that the guys cleaned up after we cooked![gallery link="file" columns="2"]

Shakespeare, Valentines, and Small Group

It's been forever since I've posted a blog, but with such good reason!  I am taking a pretty hefty load this semester and I think my writing brain gets bogged down with all of my Shakespeare essays.  Actually, though, I do enjoy reading Willy a lot more than I thought I would.  I'm such a nerd - but so thankful to have this chance to learn.

Speaking of learning, I have really been doing a lot of it.  And yes, I mean scholastically.  I love my major and I feel like a sponge.  In fact, I have been working on writing some articles for a teen girls magazine.  I'm pretty nervous about it and have been seeking God about what I should write on, but really, I'm more excited and motivated than anything.

In the same vein, I've been learning a lot about God.  I have been humbled by my small group this semester - all of the girls are awesome and we've really been challenging each other.  Also, doing this adopt-a-block stuff is really teaching Billy and me what kind of things we want to do.  It is amazing to know that you are where God wants you and the peace you get when you are doing what he's placed on your heart.  For us, it's outreach, and the ministry we've been allowed a small part in is humbling us and teaching us so much.

Speaking of Billy, I am learning SO much about being a wife.  Sometimes it's not easy, but it is so worth it.  He brings out the best in me and he challenges me in so many ways.  And tonight, he told me our valentines day plans - I'm super excited!  He's romantic and I love him and I love being married to a total sap :) It's what I've always dreamed of.

Ok, so I will be trying to blog more often - but if you have any comments, especially ideas for a teen girl's magazine article, please leave them!

Gravity

I'm not writing about John Mayer; just a disclaimer.

I'm writing about prayer.  Lately, I have had some pretty big things on my heart and my mind and spirit.  And when I say big, I don't mean in an exciting way.  Lately, I have been driven to my knees as a result of the new reality I have become aware of.  In this new reality, there are problems that are so much bigger than me and I have no control or say over them, and I'm really bad at dealing with being out of control.  Because of this, I have been seeking God more than ever before.  I have been addicted to the Word because it is actually equipping my Spirit and I have been addicted to prayer because I have nowhere else to go, and I have been going to God because I could see how clearly he was needed in this.  And you know what I found?  Nope, there was no assurance that this problem would just go away.  In fact, I felt the 'gravity' of this situation, and of so many other situations that I had ignored so easily before.  I feel like my eyes have been open to the smallest glimpse of how God sees these things.  So many things that I just pass by are so much bigger to God.  He cares about each person and each sin, and his heart breaks over every single thing that separates him from the ones he loves.  And even more, he wants us to care too.  He desires to open our eyes and communicate with us as we seek him.  This overwhelmed me and sometimes I felt myself just wanting to cry.  The most amazing thing about this realization, though, is that it came with peace as I continued to pray (and I mean pray and pray and pray - I was really overwhelmed).  The peace overcame me because as I saw how big things were to God, I say how much he wanted to equip us to be his hands or his feet or his voice.  And even though it should make me nervous, it doesn't, because I know he really wants healing and truth for his own and I know he wants to use those who are willing.  And, of course, this drives me to more prayer because I want to know what exactly he wants to me do.... It's a vicious cycle - a wonderful, happy, redeeming cycle.