I'm a bad blogger. But let me make it up by posting a link to one of the best articles I have ever read, to date! It is written by Shane Claiborne, whom you may be familiar with from his books Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President. He pretty much speaks verbatim my attitude in regards to my Christian faith, but much more eloquently. Damn he's good! Hope you enjoy! :)
What If Jesus Meant All That Stuff? Letter to Non-Believers
Friday, December 4, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Divine Greeting
I was at church last night and while waiting for the praise team to lead off the service looked through the church's bulletin. After reading through I randomly sleeved it in the Bible I had (one that they provide). Still waiting I then opened that Bible and turned to the next page after the one I sleeved. It was Psalm 63 that my eyes rested and soul rejoiced in.
I finished reading the passage as the band began to play. Two or three songs down, they prefaced the last with a verse from the Bible. That verse just happened to be the whole Psalm 63 passage. I smiled and inwardly shook my head in wonder. I feel this was God's way of saying Hi. :)
I finished reading the passage as the band began to play. Two or three songs down, they prefaced the last with a verse from the Bible. That verse just happened to be the whole Psalm 63 passage. I smiled and inwardly shook my head in wonder. I feel this was God's way of saying Hi. :)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Current Interests
Writing: Anything that comes to mind. Whether it flows or not. Observing and recording. And by "writing" I literally mean just that, pen and paper. It feels good and I like the results; they turn out despite not having any intention to produce them.
Music: Muse and Hanson (getting back to my middle school roots! haha) Just downloaded the new Muse album and will probably be absorbed in it for weeks. They're such a hypnotic band. I'd like to apologize to my sister who discovered them while we were in high school and I shot both her and the band down. I'm ashamed. :\ And Hanson? Yes, I decided to pop them into my cd player while cruising up to Stevens Point for the weekend and am now rehashing old, embarrassing, braces-filled, pre-teen years. The absence has made this heart grow fonder. I think the clean break I gave Hanson in highschool & college was fate, because it allowed me to not only discover and appreciate less squeaky-clean pop music (which they were in the beginning) and appreciate the more artistic musicians under the radar (which is what Hanson has become). Kudos to three brothers who were no "boy band" in the traditional sense ("They play their own instruments! The only measures they count are to their own beats, not some fabricated piece written by someone else that they prance around on stage to!" <--A taste of my stellar lines of defense against the mean kids at school who made fun of me) and who the Jonas Brothers so wish they were but can never be! :P Oh, and let me not forget the band Tenth Avenue North. Their music is the soundtrack of my heart. Literally I think they jumped inside my beating heart, surveyed, and wrote what they saw. Don't ask me how they did it, but the healing is beginning.
Reading: Still engrossed in Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz (second time around) and also some fantastic poetry believe it or not (I know I can't!) Rumi and Elizabeth Barrett Browning are tugging at my heart and mind and I just want to copy down everything they wrote and plaster my walls. I'd probably end up covering all of my walls with a book or two of each. Which could be cool but then be really awful come move out time! Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace is also a big learning experience and a sigh of relief. My blood pressure has significantly decreased upon reading his book!
Blogs and Websites: http://burnsidewriters.com Okay I guess that's really the only one I feel is significant enough to share for now.
Lifeline: Coffee. I took a senseless break. Silly Jen. No more of that nonsense!
Speaking of coffee...
I recently visited this lovely girl to my left (aka old college Roomie/one of the best and funniest friends a gal like me could have/fellow coffee addict) to have fun and see her perform in the show Oklahoma! The cutest Ado Annie was she! :)
And oh yeah.....
Still living with the one to my right. Haven't killed each other yet (a few close calls, but the cats broke it up before things got ugly) despite the fact that we even now work together! This astounds many who are told, even fellow co-workers, but feels pretty natural to me, honestly. We were taught from an early age to get along and somehow listened. See?
And for kicks and melting hearts (mine anyway)....
Mom and Me. There is nothing I don't like about this picture. The way I'm holding her face. How I'm looking at the camera while she's looking at me. The sunny fall day that you can see through the classic black and white color. It's just precious.
Music: Muse and Hanson (getting back to my middle school roots! haha) Just downloaded the new Muse album and will probably be absorbed in it for weeks. They're such a hypnotic band. I'd like to apologize to my sister who discovered them while we were in high school and I shot both her and the band down. I'm ashamed. :\ And Hanson? Yes, I decided to pop them into my cd player while cruising up to Stevens Point for the weekend and am now rehashing old, embarrassing, braces-filled, pre-teen years. The absence has made this heart grow fonder. I think the clean break I gave Hanson in highschool & college was fate, because it allowed me to not only discover and appreciate less squeaky-clean pop music (which they were in the beginning) and appreciate the more artistic musicians under the radar (which is what Hanson has become). Kudos to three brothers who were no "boy band" in the traditional sense ("They play their own instruments! The only measures they count are to their own beats, not some fabricated piece written by someone else that they prance around on stage to!" <--A taste of my stellar lines of defense against the mean kids at school who made fun of me) and who the Jonas Brothers so wish they were but can never be! :P Oh, and let me not forget the band Tenth Avenue North. Their music is the soundtrack of my heart. Literally I think they jumped inside my beating heart, surveyed, and wrote what they saw. Don't ask me how they did it, but the healing is beginning.
Reading: Still engrossed in Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz (second time around) and also some fantastic poetry believe it or not (I know I can't!) Rumi and Elizabeth Barrett Browning are tugging at my heart and mind and I just want to copy down everything they wrote and plaster my walls. I'd probably end up covering all of my walls with a book or two of each. Which could be cool but then be really awful come move out time! Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace is also a big learning experience and a sigh of relief. My blood pressure has significantly decreased upon reading his book!
Blogs and Websites: http://burnsidewriters.com Okay I guess that's really the only one I feel is significant enough to share for now.
Lifeline: Coffee. I took a senseless break. Silly Jen. No more of that nonsense!
Speaking of coffee...
I recently visited this lovely girl to my left (aka old college Roomie/one of the best and funniest friends a gal like me could have/fellow coffee addict) to have fun and see her perform in the show Oklahoma! The cutest Ado Annie was she! :)
And oh yeah.....
Still living with the one to my right. Haven't killed each other yet (a few close calls, but the cats broke it up before things got ugly) despite the fact that we even now work together! This astounds many who are told, even fellow co-workers, but feels pretty natural to me, honestly. We were taught from an early age to get along and somehow listened. See?
And for kicks and melting hearts (mine anyway)....
Mom and Me. There is nothing I don't like about this picture. The way I'm holding her face. How I'm looking at the camera while she's looking at me. The sunny fall day that you can see through the classic black and white color. It's just precious.
Monday, September 28, 2009
To Get Me Through...
"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion." -Mark Batterson
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Happy Place
Love
Dapper
Rock
Summer
Tragic
Strange :)
Cool
This Happy Place post brought to you by The Sheila Variation blog. The one who gave me the idea for such a rad post. More of these are surely comin'!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Yes I want you to know...
"I Dig Love" George Harrison
Can YOU dig it?
Had a looong day at work yesterday, but ended on a high note with friends and dance. Sweet memories!
Happy Saturday!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
theme of life these days...
Learning to Breathe by Switchfoot
Hello, good morning, how ya do?
What makes your rising sun so new?
I could use a fresh beginning too
All of my regrets are nothing new
So this is the way
that I say that I need You
This is the way
This is the way
That I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
Hello, good morning, how ya been?
Yesterday left my head kicked in
I never thought I could fall like that
Never knew that I could hurt this bad
I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
So this is the way
that I say that I need You
This is the way
That I say I love You
This is the way
That I say I'm Yours
This is the way
This is the way
Hello, good morning, how ya do?
What makes your rising sun so new?
I could use a fresh beginning too
All of my regrets are nothing new
So this is the way
that I say that I need You
This is the way
This is the way
That I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
Hello, good morning, how ya been?
Yesterday left my head kicked in
I never thought I could fall like that
Never knew that I could hurt this bad
I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies
So this is the way
that I say that I need You
This is the way
That I say I love You
This is the way
That I say I'm Yours
This is the way
This is the way
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Jen=Contest Winner?
Ooh! Ooh! I just entered a contest at The Pioneer Woman's blog to win a Nikon D90 camera! I never, ever enter anything because I hate getting my hopes up but I had to give this one a shot (ha! No pun intended, really!) How cool would that be to win?? I could start number 2 and 34 on my Life List!
Come on, come on, Nikon D90, no wammies!!
Come on, come on, Nikon D90, no wammies!!
Life List
The one's bolded have been accomplished!
1) Read the Bible everyday
2) Learn photography
3) Budget (read books by Dave Ramsey)
4) Walk/Run at LEAST 30 min. everyday
5) Make weekly menus
6) Meditate every morning (or evening, or both)
7) Do at least one nice thing for a stranger everyday
8) Grow a vegetable garden
9) Learn to play the piano
10) Learn to play the guitar
11) Watch a a sunrise/sunset
12) Attend a music festival
13) Learn how to knit and sew
14) Go on a mission trip overseas
15) Start yoga
16) Dance away stress
17) Find my voice and use it
18) Learn how to repair my car
19) Take a kickboxing class
20) See a waterfall
21) Send random cards to loved ones (leave nice, random notes in people's mailboxes)
22) Mudslide in the rain
23) Swim with dolphins
24) Send flowers
25) Start a game collection (1 every year)
26) Learn how to waterski/snowboard
27) Go horseback riding
28) Go canoeing/kayaking
29) Write a snail mail letter
30) Walk Abbey road
31) Being each morning w/ a good stretch, meditation (Bible reading), & cup of tea (And/or: Dance/walk)
32) Throw a party
33) More bowling nights
34) Start recording life (blog, pictures, video)
35) Learn feng shui
36) Have a piece of writing published
37) Give a speech
38) Invent a holiday
39) Give my lover 1,000 Hershey Kisses
40) Join my neighbors in an impromptu Christmas caroling procession
41) Stop craving material things
42) Finish paying off my college loans
43) Stand on the shore and roar back at the ocean as loud as I can
44) Look in the mirror and like what I see
45) Play the lead in a community theater production
46) Vacation in Italy and Greece
47) Skydive
48) Choose how to live the last year of my life
49) Tell those I love how much I appreciate them
50) Start every year with a clean house
51) Clean my place at least once a week
52) Look good without makeup
53) Sing with a band in a nightclub
54)Spend a rainy day listening to opera on the radio
55) Add a screened porch to my house and sleep there all summer
56) Marry in a candlelight ceremony
57) Possess the newspaper from the day of my child's birth
58) Put a message in a bottle and float it out to sea
59) Plan an annual girl's vacation
60) Keep/grow fresh flowers
61) Take an acting class
62) Find a church and get involved
63) Devote myself to a cause
64) Walk for a cure
65) Treat my parents to an anniversary get-away
66) Teach a class
67) Road trip the Pacific coast
68) Get married to a faithful, God-loving man
69) Have children
70) Meet a nice, down-to-earth famous person (like Sandra Bullock, not Paris Hilton)
71) Find that creative, satisfying, meaningful career
72) Live more resourcefully ("green" if you will)
73) Learn how to make jewelry
74) Take a ceramics class
75) Visit America's famous landmarks (Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yosemite National Park, Mt. Rushmore)
76) Visit stonehenge
77) Ride a motorcycle
78) Go to a Muse concert
79) Go to a Jason Mraz concert
80) Learn how to really give it all to God
81) Stop worrying
82) Travel out of the country (Jamaica! Will post about at a later date)
82)Stand up for myself more
83) Eat my fruits and veggies everyday
84) Visit Macchu Picchu
85) Ride in a hot air balloon
86) Meet the band
87) Take salsa lessons
88) Find my style and be comfortable in my clothing
89) Be more free-spirited
90) Fill my kids lives with more books, love, God, family dinners, family vacations, and LESS TV
91) Start and project and see it through
92) Take a multi-vitamin and fish oil everyday
93) Stay in shape and eat healthy when I'm pregnant
94) Cut out the negative in my life
95) Send birthday cards to loved ones (no more Facebook Happy Birthdays)
96) Live by the ocean
97) Be more patient
98) Spend more time outdoors
99) Pay ALL my bills online (yep, still doing it the "old-fashioned" way by check)
100) Have a home that is warm, comfortable, inviting and always has visitors.
101) Read this list at least once a month
Yeehaw! :)
1) Read the Bible everyday
2) Learn photography
3) Budget (read books by Dave Ramsey)
4) Walk/Run at LEAST 30 min. everyday
5) Make weekly menus
6) Meditate every morning (or evening, or both)
7) Do at least one nice thing for a stranger everyday
8) Grow a vegetable garden
9) Learn to play the piano
10) Learn to play the guitar
11) Watch a a sunrise/sunset
12) Attend a music festival
13) Learn how to knit and sew
14) Go on a mission trip overseas
15) Start yoga
16) Dance away stress
17) Find my voice and use it
18) Learn how to repair my car
19) Take a kickboxing class
20) See a waterfall
21) Send random cards to loved ones (leave nice, random notes in people's mailboxes)
22) Mudslide in the rain
23) Swim with dolphins
24) Send flowers
25) Start a game collection (1 every year)
26) Learn how to waterski/snowboard
27) Go horseback riding
28) Go canoeing/kayaking
29) Write a snail mail letter
30) Walk Abbey road
31) Being each morning w/ a good stretch, meditation (Bible reading), & cup of tea (And/or: Dance/walk)
32) Throw a party
33) More bowling nights
34) Start recording life (blog, pictures, video)
35) Learn feng shui
36) Have a piece of writing published
37) Give a speech
38) Invent a holiday
39) Give my lover 1,000 Hershey Kisses
40) Join my neighbors in an impromptu Christmas caroling procession
41) Stop craving material things
42) Finish paying off my college loans
43) Stand on the shore and roar back at the ocean as loud as I can
44) Look in the mirror and like what I see
45) Play the lead in a community theater production
46) Vacation in Italy and Greece
47) Skydive
48) Choose how to live the last year of my life
49) Tell those I love how much I appreciate them
50) Start every year with a clean house
51) Clean my place at least once a week
52) Look good without makeup
53) Sing with a band in a nightclub
54)Spend a rainy day listening to opera on the radio
55) Add a screened porch to my house and sleep there all summer
56) Marry in a candlelight ceremony
57) Possess the newspaper from the day of my child's birth
58) Put a message in a bottle and float it out to sea
59) Plan an annual girl's vacation
60) Keep/grow fresh flowers
61) Take an acting class
62) Find a church and get involved
63) Devote myself to a cause
64) Walk for a cure
65) Treat my parents to an anniversary get-away
66) Teach a class
67) Road trip the Pacific coast
68) Get married to a faithful, God-loving man
69) Have children
70) Meet a nice, down-to-earth famous person (like Sandra Bullock, not Paris Hilton)
71) Find that creative, satisfying, meaningful career
72) Live more resourcefully ("green" if you will)
73) Learn how to make jewelry
74) Take a ceramics class
75) Visit America's famous landmarks (Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yosemite National Park, Mt. Rushmore)
76) Visit stonehenge
77) Ride a motorcycle
78) Go to a Muse concert
79) Go to a Jason Mraz concert
80) Learn how to really give it all to God
81) Stop worrying
82) Travel out of the country (Jamaica! Will post about at a later date)
82)Stand up for myself more
83) Eat my fruits and veggies everyday
84) Visit Macchu Picchu
85) Ride in a hot air balloon
86) Meet the band
87) Take salsa lessons
88) Find my style and be comfortable in my clothing
89) Be more free-spirited
90) Fill my kids lives with more books, love, God, family dinners, family vacations, and LESS TV
91) Start and project and see it through
92) Take a multi-vitamin and fish oil everyday
93) Stay in shape and eat healthy when I'm pregnant
94) Cut out the negative in my life
95) Send birthday cards to loved ones (no more Facebook Happy Birthdays)
96) Live by the ocean
97) Be more patient
98) Spend more time outdoors
99) Pay ALL my bills online (yep, still doing it the "old-fashioned" way by check)
100) Have a home that is warm, comfortable, inviting and always has visitors.
101) Read this list at least once a month
Yeehaw! :)
Back in the Saddle
I made this blog and then neglected it for months. So now I'm hopefully back to a regular posting basis! I totally believe in the power of making goals and seeing them through. As of late I have neglected to do this and it has resulted in some serious laziness. No more! Here are some of the goals I have set recently:
1) Find a cheaper apartment
2) Cut cable
3) Shop Aldi's/Woodman's ($40-$45 max)
4) Walk 30 min., take a multi-vitamin, and drink a ton of water everyday
5) Save for a camera
Well number one is getting under way here and we (sister and I) are pretty excited! We'll be saving about $200 a month just by moving, that's pretty crazy (crazy-dumb that we lived so expensively this past year!). I'm actually really anxious to get rid of cable too, it definitely breeds a ridiculous amount of laziness. Plus everything is on line these days, so I can still be caught up on shows (not that I really have any at the moment. Maybe Deadliest Catch, but this season isn't as good as past ones). Number four is a constant work in progress and number five, well, we'll see how long that takes! I just got through paying this month's portion of school loans and am a little sore to say the least. It takes a lot out of me, I need to focus on something else here. I made one of those life lists last night, 100 Things To Accomplish, so maybe I'll post that now.
Ahh the good ol' college days...before the loans kicked in!
1) Find a cheaper apartment
2) Cut cable
3) Shop Aldi's/Woodman's ($40-$45 max)
4) Walk 30 min., take a multi-vitamin, and drink a ton of water everyday
5) Save for a camera
Well number one is getting under way here and we (sister and I) are pretty excited! We'll be saving about $200 a month just by moving, that's pretty crazy (crazy-dumb that we lived so expensively this past year!). I'm actually really anxious to get rid of cable too, it definitely breeds a ridiculous amount of laziness. Plus everything is on line these days, so I can still be caught up on shows (not that I really have any at the moment. Maybe Deadliest Catch, but this season isn't as good as past ones). Number four is a constant work in progress and number five, well, we'll see how long that takes! I just got through paying this month's portion of school loans and am a little sore to say the least. It takes a lot out of me, I need to focus on something else here. I made one of those life lists last night, 100 Things To Accomplish, so maybe I'll post that now.
Ahh the good ol' college days...before the loans kicked in!
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