let the good times roll

this past weekend was full of good times.

saturday i went and got my tattoo, and i am so happy with how it turned out. it took about 3 hours. a lot longer then expected, and afterward it hurt a lot more to walk on then expected.

saturday was also kats wedding shower. it was fun to get together and play games. lisa had fun game for us to play. its hard to explain but i put up a couple pictures. after the shower kristen and i had a halloween party to go to. that was SO much fun. colin showed up as dweight, he is so funny, and was pretty much the entertainment for the night when he started cry dancing (most have not had the joy of seeing this great form of dancing, and to those i pity) then rob and bryce started cry dancing along with him. basically then funniest thing i have ever seen! although kristen and i did dance to "thriller" or at least we tried.

sunday i slept, and watched heroes most of the day. then went to church, though i had to leave early for a "wyld life" meeting. at the meeting we learned about how to get our small group started. looks like i will be meeting with three or four 6th or 7th grade girls twice a month. and hopefully continue meeting with them through high school.

this week will be just as busy as last...(hence the reason it took me almost a week to post a blog about my weekend)

the most amazing game ever played at a wedding shower

The devil tried to tempt me, however i was not so easily tempted

sailor mandy and one of charlie's angels

it says refine me, (kind of hard to see in a picture) it is exactly what i wanted.

State of the Pulpit - Theology of Suffering

oh here comes the weekend

things i get to look forward to this weekend

• tonight, dinner at the macaroni grill, then movies at my house
• tattoo tomorrow at 12 (a little nervous)
• kats wedding shower tomorrow
• halloween party tomorrow, i am going to be a sailor, colin will be dwight from the office, kristen will be one of the charlies angels
  
• sunday sleep
  
• church
• crux meeting
  

can we be the remedy for the suffering?

this weekend i went to david crowder with my family and kristen. it was tons'o fun! i hadn't heard much of their new album, but they did perform quite a bit from it. i really enjoyed their new songs. one that struck me was called remedy.

here is a tid-bit from the song..

You are the one
who has saved us
You are the one
Who forgave us
You are the one who has come
And is coming again
To make it alright
Oh, to make it alright
You’re the remedy
Oh, in us
You’re the remedy
Let us be the remedy
Let us bring the remedy

can we be the remedy? what can we do here and now to change the suffering going on around us, and how can we stop ignoring what is going on right in front of us. i know that there is so much more i can do to be the remedy. it is the small things that matter. here is a story.

a couple of months ago while in line at safe way, there was an elderly lady in front of me. she only had about 4 items. after the clerk rang her items up the total came to about $15. the lady looked in her wallet, and started asking the clerk to remove items, until she was only able to purchase a $1 thing of tuna. her eyes teared up and she handed the lady her one and only dollar. at this point the line was grower and people behind me were getting frustrated, because the lady was still trying to scrounge some change. it broke my heart. i stepped forward and bought the lady's groceries. but what i remember most about this was that she thought i was going to ask her for something in return, or ask her to pay me back. she was afraid. i told her i didn't want anything. she hugged and thanked me. and she was crying.

i am not telling you this to say how great i am, because i am far from great. but why don't i think about doing more things like this? why is it not something i do on a daily basis? why don't i buy the homeless man i see daily on my way to peets a coffee? he asks me everyday for change so he can get a coffee ( i am not so comfortable giving money. i did once and then saw the man buying beer with the money i gave him) but why not just buy him the coffee he wants? this is something i am going to work on. i want to be the remedy!!

lets be more like shane claiborne, i heard him speak a few months back. he is amazing, his mission is amazing.

then on sunday mark preached about suffering. it was the most solemn i have see him in a while. no jokes, no stories. he just pored his heart out to his church, and yelled at us a little. the sermon was intense for me, and made me cry. there is so much suffering going on in the world. but we can easily turn off the radio or television and ignore it. not Jesus though. his eyes are seeing the suffering day in and day out. that is what really hit hard. think about how hard it is for a loving Father to watch His children endure so much. we watched complied news clips video about two minuets long of suffering. (i tried to find the video to post it, but i couldn't, if i do find it i will definitely post it) i had a hard time taking it all in and it was only two minuets long. think about never being able to turn away from the suffering.

Jesus suffers with me. that is something i never thought about until sunday. i will never suffer alone. and i will never go through something that He hasn't already endured. that to me is love beyond my comprehension.

a verse i found this past week from romans 8 (esv)

35who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine. or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 as it is written,

"for your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

37 no, in all these things we are more then conquerors through him who loved us. 38 for i am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor depth, nor anything in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of go in Christ out lord.

beautiful.

iam puttin on my boxin gloves - the "don't mess" attitude is comin out.

in january pastor mark is preaching about anything we ask. basically ask anything, vote on your favorites and we choose the sermon. i think this is great, and am really excited. however when going the the "ask anything board" today i was quite disgusted with some of the questions people have come up with. some of the questions are just attacks on mark and the church. the attacks seem to be coming from people who don't come to the church and only hear bits and pieces of what marks preaches. if someone actually listens to the WHOLE sermon preached maybe they will see that they completely take his words out of context. i feel like i am always standing up for my church. which is fine. i love my church and will stand up for our doctrine. but honestly what does attacking a church you know nothing about do to help the mission of Jesus? it doesn't! in fact who are they to be attacking some one they don't know. doesn't 1 corinthians 4:5 (esv) state: therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in the darkness and will disclose the purpose of th heart. then each one will receive the condemnation of god. so who are you to judge. it really infuriates me, that as a member (or as a soon to be) of mars hill that there are even people with in our church that stir up problems. why go to a church you have so much resentment towards? if the music is to loud for you, get over it or go somewhere else. if you can't handle the jokes that marks uses as REFERENCE, he doesn't say all things in literal term. then go somewhere else. and DO NOT take what he says out of context. if you want to throw fire on mars hill or mark then listen to the whole sermon. read our doctrine. then maybe, you can feel better about yourself.

is this the righteous anger? i feel like i am not only standing up for mars hill but for jesus. i believe mars hill is a church that is ALL about JESUS. so standing up and fighting for mars hill is fighting for jesus.

here are some commendable questions that i think would be interesting to hear about. thank you for the people who really care, and take this seriously.

• How far off can you be with your theology and still be saved? People believe in Jesus,and the resurrection but don't believe in exclusivity, hell, etc.etc.What doctrine is essential to be saved.

• it is hard to come to terms with the fact that God's will is not always clear to us. what is the best way to accurately determine God's will and our calling? why doesn't God make it more accessible?
  

• many men within the church struggle with "homosexuality". my bible study for instance, about half the men struggle with such desires. could you address this issue "homosexuality within the church?"
  

• how can we have free will if God is all powerful and knows our actions in advance?

• as a female who hasn't always been a Christian and has had sexual relations.how do i come to terms with the fact that in Jesus i am made clean & pure.when for the most part i don't feel pure.

because i can't sleep

i think i will copy my dear friend sara hansen and focus on the good things that happened today. it is always good to focus on the here and now...

i got to sleep in until 9, that was fantastic

i got to go for a walk with parker

i had lunch with my friend kristin (not to be confused with kris10)

we had lunch at paseo (best sandwich i have ever had)

i had time before work so i went to peets coffee

read my new bible (which is the new journaling bible, so i can take notes in the columns, i love it) for a good solid hour

i talked to my friend colin

it was a classic fall day, which i am loving these days

every one at work was nice to me, (trust me this is always a major plus)

i met up with my friend kelsey after work to go shopping, i found some great deals, and had a good shopping day

we went to red robbin for dinner

grey's anatomy was on tonight (my new guilty pleasure)

i think that sums all the goodness of the day. tomorrow is going to be hectic...i think i am anxious about tomorrow, which could be why i can't sleep.

sons of thunder

this past sunday mars hill introduced a new band called "sons of thunder" they were amazing! the harmonies and lyrics were beautiful. i can't wait until their music is available in itunes! my favorite song was "author and perfector".

as i have mentioned in my other posts i am taking the gospel classes at mars hill. the first class was last wednesday. I was able to find my friend lindsey who is also taking the class, and we sat together. (i am glad she was there, i was a little bit nervous) the first class was all about scripture and the importance it holds in your personal relationship with Jesus. even though i have heard this before, it is nice to be reassured i am apart of a church that holds the word of God as the final and last authority.

pastor mark preached on this a couple of weeks ago, how one needs to be careful that just because it is in the christian book store, on the christian radio station ect. does not mean it is right and from God.



also i was talking with mike johnson the crux leader at mars hill and he said this might be the last live gospel class, from here on out they might be on dvd. which i find interesting because just this past sunday mark did a sermon on how our sociality is lonely and doesn't have community. we sit alone, we don't know our neighbors, and most humans are lonely craving a relationship with someone. therefore i am not sure i like the idea of the gospel classes being on dvd. it takes away even more human contact, and isolates people even more then they already are. making it easy for them to again not put themselves out there to meet people.

my ride with the bus driver

so today as i am leaving for work, i get in my car, and try head out of the garage. however as i proceed to push the open button nothing happens. our garage door was broken. so i take the bus to work. thankfully the 28 line runs right to fremont, and i can catch it right outside my apartment. so i walk to the bus stop just as the driver was just getting off his break, meaning i was the first stop and the only one on the bus. here is how our conversation goes.

driver; you look like you are dressed for work, where you going?
me; (i remove my head phones) yep, i am on my way to work, in fremont
driver; do you go to school too, i bet you go to the UW.
me; (again removing my head phones) nope, i work full time
driver; you know you should really go to school, i mean even if you don't know what you want to do, the first two years are all math, and english anyway. what year did you graduate anyway?
me; '05.
driver; you are just a baby, i couldn't even take you out for a drink.

i pretend i didn't hear that comment, put my head phones back on, and pull out my book. keep in mind i am toward the back of the bus, so he is yelling the whole time.

driver; well what do you do? i bet you work at getty, everyone who works in fremont works at getty.
me; nope, actually i work for a chiropractor
driver; oh! how much for a crackin' (a crackin'? really? chiropractors didn't go to school for 6 years to give people a good crackin'. that word drives me crazy)

i don't really want to get into the specifics with him so i give him the simple answer

me; $45
driver; oh, how much you make down there, don't give me the exact number just an average.
me; $15

so that ends the converstation for a few min. i put my head phones back on and continue reading my book. then...

driver; what'cha listening' to?
me; derek webb
driver; who is that, whats he like?
me; a bit mellow. but good (i don't know how to explain music)
driver; i took you for a heavy medal type.

(ok? seriously? how did he come to that conclusion?)

luckily at this time more people start to get on the bus, and our conversation comes to an end. as we get closer to fremont i notice the driver yell "FREMONT" and look in his rear view mirror and point to me..(yes dear bus driver i know i have to get off soon, but thank you for that) so i pull the stop line. and as i get off the bus he puts out his hand as if wanting my hand. this caught me off guard so not thinking i give him my hand. (idiot me) he grabs my hand says "thanks sweetie", (thanks for what?) and squeezes it.

in conclusion i am not sure if this is just some friendly bus driver who just wants some conversation, or if i should be leery of ever riding the 28 line again. i decided not to take the bus back. thanks kristen for the ride home!

i went rock climbing

this past weekend my friend colin and i were supposed to go hiking to these water falls with a couple other friends, however we got rained out. so we did the next best thing. rock climbing (inside)

colin was telling me the other day about how he likes to rock climb. and i thought to myself "how fun, and why have i not tried something like that?" and so sunday afternoon i did.

we went to vertical world in ballard, and i learned a few things.

1) i am not so good
2) i am not as afraid of heights as i thought i was
3) it is A LOT harder then it looks
4) i am not as in shape as i thought i was
5) it is fun and i will do it again

i think a couple times i scared colin. he said i was a bit to daring and he was sure i was going to fall and break something. all in all it was a great time, and i am glad i tried something new. maybe next time i will try rock climbing outside....maybe.

after rock climbing, i went to starbucks (sin i know, but the pumpkin spice latte has me hooked) and read for a few hours. then me and kristen and colin went to the 630 service at mars hill. when we got there we ran in to everyone from our community group, so we took up two rows. that was fun.

during the series of phillipians, mars hill is going to give back ground history of the people who wrote different hymns. this sunday they did a piece on come thou fount written by robert robinson. it was interesting to hear about his life and how he came to love jesus. learn more, and see the video here. i hope they do a piece on come ye sinners .

one year in the books

as of today i have lived in seattle for one year.

the past year has been filled with ups and downs, as any year in life does. but i am so excited for what my second year in seattle will hold...

i love my emerald city (it took me a while) but i can't see myself living any where else at this point in my life. i am glad the couple times i almost gave up and moved back, people talked me out of it.

i love about seattle, here are some reasons why

gas works
greenlake
fremont
capital hill (i have spent a lot more time up there latley)
mars hill
community group
thai toms
sushi
cafe belle
peetes coffee
trader joes
the metro (who knew?)
the bike trails
fremont outdoor movies
SAM sculpture park
golden gardens
the crazy street fairs
off leash dog parks
trabant chai