An Ambitious List

I have a good handful of goals/resolutions for this new year.

-Write a song

-Drive no more than 5 mph over the speed limit

-Pray more... A LOT more

-Budget and only spend $40 cash per week (minus gas... because gas prices are ridiculous)

-Write a good short story

-Swear less

-Learn how to take a solo on my electric guitar

-Make a short video with sweet footage

-Read more

-Sing better... and higher :p


This is all off the top of my head/ list I've written out. There will always be room to add to that list... there's a whole year!

Sweetest Image EVER

I was driving home one night and had the coolest image pop in to my head. It was sparked by hearing the lyrics "pick the locks" playing in my car.

The image goes like this-

When Jesus died, he didn't go down to Hell just to pick the locks and sneak out when nobody was watching. Nope! Instead, Jesus went down to Hell like a one-man SWAT team to bust down the doors and claim back what was His.

That was a fun image to play out. I definitely laughed a little bit when I pulled into the garage.

Oh my GOODNESS!

God is pretty sweet. He's especially awesome when I'm obedient to what He's telling me to do. It all started when I bought my momma some flowers. That's not something I do all the time unless it's her birthday. It was like God put this weight on me that could only be relieved by spending a couple bucks and getting my mom something she enjoys. It's been over three weeks and the flowers are still alive and kickin :)

Since then, God has just been really good. I can't think of any specific example... just that He's been present everywhere. Man, obedience really pays off!

Newsvine

So I have a lot of time on my hands at work. Working in a store that is filled with more "wants" than "needs," not many people come in later in the evening.

In my excessive down time, I've been jumping on an article discussion site, Newsvine. It's just an extension of msnbc.com and a place to hear other user's thoughts and opinions. As of right now, there are many heated discussions regarding politics for very obvious reasons... I tend to skip those discussions since it just turns into name calling.

What I've been searching for and commenting on have been in regards to faith. There are many atheists and agnostics posting articles and opinions online with many christians trying to counter and convert them. I see both views cherry picking verses from the Bible to reference. Honestly, it's a big set-up for failure. How can you "win" via text on a computer screen? From the non-believers, there is a lack of respect for those that believe. From the believers, there is no love for those who don't believe.

It really saddens me to watch all of the selfish debate unfold. I don't have much more thought on the subject... at least not that I can properly type out without misunderstanding. I just have this childish but honest thought that constantly runs through my head- why can't we all just get along... or at the very least respect each other?

A title here?

I had no sweet title for this post. To be honest, I'm writing this post because I haven't posted anything in a while and not because I have something to share.

There's a lot of stuff brewing inside of me and I'm still processing. I'm definitely not ready to share... and that's okay! Even if you ask me, I probably won't share... and that's okay too!

Other than that, I'm looking for another job. I had a temporary one removing mold from a local elementary school and it was a very nice paying job. Now that that's done, it's hard to settle for the part-time, minimum wage, boring job I currently have. Too bad any jobs I'm even remotely interested in are also minimum wage.

Oh well! Blog to ya later!

Storms

If you don't know, I'm a really light sleeper. Good luck playing pranks on me while I'm sleeping!

The past week or so, Eau Claire has gotten a bazillion severe thunderstorms. Most of them have been overnight while the vast majority of the EC population is getting some shut eye. But not me, no. Every thunder clap I hear is a jolt to my body. I'm half anxiety filled, half exhilarated by the storms. Reason being- lightning is really bright and thunder is really loud! Living downtown means I see and hear everything. The brighter the light, the louder the boom.

Last night, I woke up to the emergency sirens going off and a storm brewing around the city. For some odd reason, I didn't mind at all. I wasn't frustrated that I was losing sleep. I wasn't scared by the size of the storm. I wasn't worried that something bad would happen. On the contrary, I saw an opportunity.

I started praying. What else am I going to do at 4am? I prayed for my church. I prayed for my friends. I prayed for confidence in myself. I prayed for anything and anyone I could think of. On top of that, I prayed for two hours until the storm finally went away and the weather was peaceful once more. I was amazed by how effortless prayer was.

Even though I know in the back of my head that God isn't looking for perfect prayers, I still sometimes feel like I need to find the right words to pray. Last night was not the case at all. In some instances, I felt like I was praying like a 3 year old... but it felt so right! I knew God understood and I know He's answering/going to answer prayer.

Yay God!

Spare a little change?

I think change and transition is the most difficult part of life. Okay, maybe not the most difficult, but it definitely ranks in the top 5. I'll be honest- I can be very resistant. I don't like getting my cozy little world rocked. I like knowing what comes next. I like predictable. I like safe. By introducing change to my little world, I tend to go from happy to not so happy (use your own words to replace "not so happy")

Then I remember a few choice words from one of my favoritest girls ever, "If you're not changing, you're not growing."

I look back over the last 4 years since she so boldly said that to me and realize how much I've changed and how much everybody and everything around me has changed. Praise God for change! Because of it, the way I interact with my family, though still very imperfect, differently. Because of change, I can lead my students into territories I couldn't have before. Because of change, my patience with other people's inexperience in my areas of "expertise" has increased.

Without a doubt, I am a very imperfect human with tendencies to be a major screw up. But hey, God is really good at doing His supernatural thing.

I guess where all of this is coming from is the change and transition the youth group is currently in the middle of. The Clymer family is obediently following God's call to move back to Michigan. Ask me a few years ago and I would've said it was like the world was imploding and getting swallowed up by the sun while simultaneously getting struck by a meteor shower. Yeah, I like to think in dramatic form.

But now if you ask me what I think, my answer is very different. I am so excited for the next chapter/season/whatever you want to call it. I'm so happy for the Clymers and the next big God thing that's happening. I'm so excited to see what happens next at the youth group and who will step up and be a leader. And I am definitely looking forward to see what stirs in my heart personally.

I feel like my heart could explode in anticipation for all the transition and change. I know it's going to be messy. What transition isn't? But I've noticed (took me long enough) that God works best in the mess. It's a sure sign that I have zero control and He has all of it.