Now There's a Good Question

"There is a pent up aggression that has exploded in this country and is manifest in an ongoing collision of faith and culture. Some have joined the fray out of deep-seated religious beliefs, some out of political convictions; for some it's good business, and some...have good old-fashioned agendas such as the quest for power and money. All of that is as American as a McDonald's hot apple pie and baseball's free agency, but there is some question in my mind where Jesus fits into this whole thing. That seems like a good place to start: Are we trying to fit Jesus into what we're doing as people, as a country? Or are we trying to fit into what Jesus is doing?"

From "Lord, save us from your followers" by Dan Merchant

Images from the South

Because it has been cold and damp today in Seattle, I've been thinking back on warmer days (a.k.a. my trip to the South).

This was my first trip to Chick-fil-a in over a year. It was soooo good :)

My cousin turned 3 years old while I was in Tennessee.

I got to go to another cousin's marching band competition. Being in the hot, humid weather made me remember why marching wasn't always my favorite thing to do.

My cousins and I at my aunt's wedding. I proudly claim most of them.

My aunt and her new husband.

The guest house I stayed at in North Carolina.

Part of the chapel at the seminary I visited. The entire campus was beautiful.

And Two Weeks Later...

Has it really been two weeks since my last blog post? Wow! Well, here's what's been going on in my life...

A couple Friday nights ago, I went to First Friday Fun Night at a friend's apartment complex. I got to meet some cool people and eat really great food. Since that night, I've been thinking about ways that I can integrate this kind of stuff in my current and future ministry. Also, I think that if more Christians opened up their homes once a month to neighbors for no-strings-attached food and fun, we may start to gain some favor in our communities. Just a thought.

Last Thursday, I flew back to the South for a crazy week of events. Friday, I went to my cousin's 3rd birthday party. I got to see my mom's side of the family at the party, which made me really happy. I was kinda sad though because I realized that my cousin had no idea who I was because I'm never around.

Saturday, I went to another cousin's marching band competition in Mississippi. When my mom and I looked at the program, we realized that my old marching band had competed earlier in the day. I looked around and found my old band director and got to talk to him for a few minutes before my cousin's band took the field. He didn't recognize me at first, but once it hit him who I was we had a good conversation.

On Sunday, I went to my aunt's wedding. It was a small, outdoor wedding that was soooo beautiful. My aunt made a gorgeous bride. I have to admit that my eyes misted up during the ceremony. I just keep praying that I will fall in love with someone one day that I can promise to be with for the rest of my life.

Monday through Wednesday was a big blur of events at a seminary that I'm looking at in North Carolina. I didn't expect to actually like the school, but now I realize that I have a hard decision to make. Do I go to a good school in North Carolina that is closer to my family and cheaper, or do I go to a good school in California that is 3,000 miles from home and expensive? There's more to it than proximity to home and the cost of the school (God will provide), but those are the big things in my mind right now. I want my cousin to know who I am, I want to spend more time with the people I love, and I ultimately want to do what God has for me. Do those things have to be mutually exclusive?

Tonight, I'm going to a ladies' night at my church. Bring on the fondue fun!

Top Three Thursday

...even though I think it's technically Friday now.

1. Molly Moon's. This high-end ice cream shop makes the most splendiferous milkshakes out of unusual flavors. Their ice cream is also mostly made out of local, organic products which just makes me feel better about eating it :)

2. Sunny days. The last few days have been relatively warm and sunny. I'm pretty sure it's been Seattle's last hoorah for the year though. Hopefully, I've stored up enough vitamin D to last me the next nine months.

3. PlayPumps International. My supervisor told me about this company while I was doing research for a future social experiment on clean water. PlayPumps installs water pumps in Africa. The great thing about these pumps is that they are powered by kids playing on a merry-go-round. How awesome is that! Now if only we could come up with more inexpensive, fun solutions to the world's problems...

Toodles!