This Is Home

Disclaimer: I don't have all the answers. The contents of this post are merely the result of some tough questions that I have been wrestling through with God over the course of the last few months. I, in no way, wish to debate. I am, however, open for discussion. While digging through some rather muddy waters, the thought that I keep coming back to is, "something's not right." I am no theologian - I don't even have my college degree yet, but it doesn't take a genius to recognize the inconsistencies within the claims of the Church and the actions that follow those claims. For example, we fight tooth and nail for the "sanctity of life," yet this doctrine seems to be nulled when homosexuality is thrown in the mix. We preach on the practices of forgiveness and reconciliation on Sunday, but come Monday continue to burn bridges in the name of "righteousness." To be honest, I am surprised that my jaw has not immediately dropped in response to...

Let me start out with a journal excerpt from November 4, 2009: They say things will get easier with time. They're wrong. 793 days later and my heart still aches the same. But what scares me the most is that I'm beginning to forget... I'm beginning to forget what your voice sounds like. I'm beginning to forget the feeling of your embrace. I'm beginning to forget. Memories of you are becoming distant. My fists grow weak as I cling to fading memories. It has now been 1,654 since my dad passed away. The past few days have been pretty rough. Four and a half years later and I am beginning to fully face the realities of life without my daddy. It's strange, but my dad is always still in my dreams. It's like a part of me still hasn't fully grasped the fact that he is gone. Honestly, I cling to the fact that he is still in my dreams. It assures me that I haven't forgotten him (I know, it seems silly. Who would ever forget their dad, right?). What sparked this ...

You know those days/weeks/months that you are constantly on the go and when you finally sit down you feel like you never want to move again? Well, I'm experiencing that right now. I have been debating for the past 15 minutes or so whether or not I should muster up the energy required to make coffee--pathetic, I know. Honestly, I wouldn't mind snuggling up with my penguin pillow pet and resting my eyes for a bit. Unfortunately, "resting my eyes" has a high potential of turning into a 12 hour nap :P What's even worse is that I haven't started studying for my 2 midterms that I have tomorrow morning. You may be wondering why I am writing a blog instead of studying. My answer: because I feel like it. Yes, I recognize that my logic is flawed. Don't you worry--I'll study...eventually.

One theme that God has been placing in my life over the past few years is one of vulnerability. Merriam-Webster online Dictionary defines "vulnerable" as: 1. capable of being physically or emotionally wounded 2. open to attack or damage My gut reaction to the idea of vulnerability is "No way!" But when God continues to whisper something over and over and over and over and OVER in your life, it becomes difficult to ignore after some time. Opening yourself up to the possibility of being hurt is terrifying, but it is out of vulnerability that some of the most amazingly beautiful moments are created.

Today is a good day! Scratch that--today is a WONDERFUL day! Today, I broke my long streak of "Hot Mess Mondays." I got up early and had breakfast with Courtney. She's legit. So thankful for her! My environment & society class consisted of watching a movie about corn and making dirt pudding. THE SUN IS SHINING!!! A girl in my Philosophy class moved in her chair and it made a sound that almost exactly resembled a Wookiee from Star Wars. We sang "Lean on Me" in chapel. THE SUN IS SHINING!!! We went to a cemetery in my lab today, which sounds morbid, but it was rather fascinating. I was able to continue to enjoy the beautiful weather by walking with Marcy (she be cool, real cool) to Elder. Have I mentioned that THE SUN IS SHINING?!!! Today is just a delightful day :) Recently I have been left in a state of awe and gratitude in light of God's faithfulness. I could write a whole book about it! Hmm...maybe I will ;)

It has been 7 days since I indefinitely deactivated my Facebook, and I couldn't be more at peace about taking a break from the numerous status updates, engagement announcements, relationship changes, notifications, event invites, etc. As sad as it may seem, I find myself sitting in my room at times when I would normally be on Facebook and wondering what in the world I should do with all of my extra time. A few things I am doing: Devotions (I am determined to do this whole One Year Bible thing) Focusing more on intentionality in my friendships Homework (Say whaaaatttt?!?! Yep, you heard me right) Keeping up-to-date on current events Training for a 5k Embracing the opportunities found in each and every day The first few Facebook-less days were quite a challenge for me. I found myself opening my computer and immediately typing "www.facebook.com" It was ridiculous and somewhat disgusting how I was in a sort of auto-pilot--automatically going to Facebook before doing anything ...