Well, I know it's been a while since I've written, but unfortunately I have to use this time to vent. I've just been frustrated with a select group of inconsiderate Christians lately. For those of you that don't know, my fiance works in a local coffee shop as a barista and the night manager. In a college town, it's not uncommon to see students enjoying the great atmosphere at the Bistro and chatting with friends and/or studying. Occasionally, these people will not understand that the place they are using to study or check their email is not a public place. And most of the time, these people have Bibles open in front of them and no coffee or scone or iced tea in hand. A few days ago, I had reached my limit and decided to take a stand. Well, a small one, but I took a stand. I approached a group of about eight women sitting on the patio with Bibles open and no Bistro goodies on the table. I told them that it would be the right thing to support the business that was allowing them to enjoy community and fellowship. They looked at me like dear in the headlights as I walked away. My fiance told me later that three of them bought drinks on their way out. Three.

A little tribute to my favorite holiday candy. . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/04/10/GA2009041001969.html?sid=ST2009041001087

I am a very blessed young woman. I have decided to count my blessings today, and you get to count them with me.

1. My family is wonderful. My brothers are hilarious, my parents are supportive, and they know me well.
2. I have a good job. It may not be what I want to be doing for the rest of my life, but it pays well and keeps me happy for the most part.
3. Not to be cheesy, but I have THE most amazing, encouraging, hilarious, handsome boyfriend ever. Not to brag or anything.
4. I am addicted to coffee. You might think this is a bad thing, but I consider it a good thing. Coffee gets me going in the morning and keeps me sane in the evenings. It is quite possibly the most beautiful beverage in existence.
5. My life has slowed down to the point that I actually have time to read for fun. I got a new Manhattan Public Library card the other day and I am so psyched about reading a lot this summer.
6. Even though they may be spread all around the country, I have some of the best friends a girl could ask for.

I could keep going, but I don't want to bore y'all with the goodness of my life. I just thought you might want to know some stuff happening around me.

Jesus For President

I've been thinking lately about our society, our churches, people in general. I've definitely been influenced by this book by Shane Claiborne and my boyfriend, who doesn't live life the way people would expect, nor does he fit into the "normal" Christian society. But is the "normal" Christian society what Jesus would have wanted for us? Church buildings, dismissal of church officials or leaders because of confessed sin, separation of possessions, a reliance on the government; is this what Jesus would have encouraged? I think this church does it right.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/features-reviews/god/16569-bridges-and-trolls-the-church-under-the-bridge

bouquets of sharpened pencils (uh, flowers, i mean)

I've been listening to Charlie Hall's album Flying Into Daybreak these last few weeks, and it is definitely bringing back good memories. Sunday afternoons, coming home from church with Jennifer, making coffee, changing into comfy clothes and working on homework or watching movies with her and Yuuki. It's amazing to think about how much has happened since then, things I never thought possible. Things I never wanted to happen. Things that will affect my entire life. Yuuki has been living in Japan for a while now, which obviously means that I don't get to see her, ever. She is a dear friend who taught me a lot about love and culture, friendship and vulnerability. I was talking with another friend last night about how we go through stages of friendship in our life and my friend had a good analogy for it. She said that at the end of life, we end up with a mix of friends similar to a bouquet with different flowers. We don't always need roses or daisies, but sometimes we need a lily or a tulip. I'm at an interesting place in my life, making new friends and trying to deepen those relationships while missing friends that know me so well but aren't close by. It's a hard transition, learning to be vulnerable again.

Some of my current favorite songs. . .
I Will Not Take My Love Away - Matt Wertz
Where I Stood - Missy Higgins
Christmas Song - Dave Matthews Band
Blindsided - Bon Iver
Never Let Go - David Crowder Band
Hosanna - Hillsong United
Lies - Glen Hansard and Market Irglova
Play Crack the Sky - Brand New
By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North
A Dark Congregation - The Hush Sound

Reflections

Looking back over my reading list of 2008, I find it interesting the variety of books that I read. Maybe not a huge variety, but some of the choices don't seem to fit with the others. So I decided to pick out a few and explain their importance in my life and what it had to do with the year 2008.

Mountains of the Mind: This was a required reading for my Mountain Geography class for the spring semester. As my last geography class to be taken at K State, I found this class to be extremely important. I also got to take it from one of my favorite professors at KSU and it was one of my favorite geography classes. I remember staying up until about 3am to finish my big project for the class and being so excited when I found out that I got a 100% with raving reviews from my professor. Even though I'm not using my degree at all right now, I still love the subject. I had forgotten this fact until yesterday when I was talking to my boyfriend about arroyos and weather and hills. . . amazing stuff.

Elsie Dinsmore: I was a middle school intern for a church in Wichita this summer and read a few books to understand where my students were and what they cared about. This was one of them. A couple of my seventh grade girlies love the Elsie books so I thought I'd give them a try. Honestly, I was disgusted by the book. The main character is supposed to be some kind of saint who never does anything wrong and is always really sweet to the people around her, which seems to be true. But anytime she does something "wrong," she basically freaks out and repents right away and begs for forgiveness. While I understand the thought behind the creation of the character, this is not something that I would want my seventh grade girls reading, thinking that this is how it's supposed to be following Christ. Of course, we should be striving for holiness but another important thing to understand is our freedom in Christ. We don't have to go into mourning every time we sin. He offers grace freely and is patient with us as we strive for change.

Desire by John Eldredge: My friend bought this for me for my birthday and it was perfect timing that he did. Reading this book helped me understand why my heart yearned so much for relationships and affirmation and how that relates to God. This book was crucial in the healing process that I went through this past fall.