Do you know where you are?

Just read the intro to one of my creation textbooks... sobering. I really don't know a lot about the place I live sadly. I'm not too stressed about it, but I would like to be more present and thankful and I think understanding and appreciating you place would help.

What is your ecological perception of place? they ask


-What is the soil like?
-What are five agricultural plants in your region?
-What geological events or processes have influence the land where you live?
-What confluence of water and wind?
-What trees live where you do?
-What about birds, resident or migratory?
-What raptors roam the skies above your house?
-What flowers bloom where you live?
-What animals share your place?
-How many days until the moon is full?
-What kind of moon is it?
-Were the stars out last night?
-Which constellations can you see?
-From where you are, which way is north?
-From what direction do the prevailing winds blow?
-From where does your water come?
-To where does your garbage go?

King Asa (Ace-uh)

Somebody help me out with this.

So in 2nd Chronicles 14 we are introduced to King Asa, who is a king who gives more attention to God than most kings. He commands his people to follow God and tears down idols throughout his kingdom. When he is going to battled, King Asa knows he can't win so he trusts God, and God gives them victory.  We go on to see that King Asa "heart remained completely faithful throughout his life" to God (15:17), even though "the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel". Okay no big deal he left out one minor detail. Well wait, in chapter 15 we see that King Asa is attacked by the king of Aram, but instead of relying on God like he did before, he fortifies his walls. A prophet came to tell him he had messed up, and what does he do... he throws the guy in jail. Then he began to oppress some of his people. Soon after he developed a serious foot disease, and didn't seek God's help but relied only on doctors. Then he died.

So wait... how did his "heart remain completely faithful to God through his life". Is my idea of faithfulness as obedience missing the point. Thoughts? (:

Blessings,

Chelsea

"When I am present, I meet I AM, the very presence of a present God" (A thousand Gifts 70)

"Joy and pain, they are but two arteries of the one heart that pumps through all those who don't numb themselves to really living."

I've had a tough struggle with understanding joy, God's joy. I think i confuse it a lot with happiness, the world's standard of happiness. Disneyland.

One thousand gifts has shown me a lot, but most of all that it's okay to grapple, and to be honest about it.

Towards the middle of the book, the author states a sobering thought.

"Eventually, 

I am guaranteed 

to lose

every earthly thing

I have 

ever

possessed" 

(Voskamp 84)





"Every step I take forward in my life is a loss of something in my life and I live the waiting: How and of what will I be emptied today?" (Voskamp 85)


So how do we live fully present to the joy and pain that life offers. Giving thanks. Living in the moment. A lot easier said then done.

Looking for daily graces to give daily praises. I never look hard enough, but I pray my eyes are continually opened and the light becomes more apparent.




Blessings.

always dying and yet ever living

This is the latest and greatest read. David's mom bought it for me. Ann Voskamp has an interesting writing style, but I'm getting more comfortable with it. She talks about nature a LOT, which can get a little to feathery for me, but her points are well thought out and very inspiring. I know my friend Emily had written about this one in her blog too, and the cover had enticed me. Afterward, when I went home, the Good Book was reading it for book group. So this one has been dancing with me, and has finally made its way into my lap.


Tonight I sat down with my book, and told God he could speak to me if he'd like, because that'd be nice (: I read part of 2 Kings, and got a whole lot of this: ______ becomes King. He does what is evil in the Lord's sight, and doesn't repent. _______ gets assassinated and said assassin takes over. Said assassin does what is right in the Lord's sight, except he lets his people worship other gods. Then said assassin dies, and his son takes over. His son does what is evil in the Lord's sight, and we start over. Alright God, time to switch to my leisure reading... 2 Kings is depressing me and I may fall asleep. Just being honest, you want me to be honest right. If it's any consolation I really enjoyed from Joshua til right about now.


Anyhow I started reading in A Thousand Gifts, and came upon this really neat concept. The author references Luke 17:17-19

Luke 17:17-19

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

This is out of context, so might want to go into your bible, or hit up biblegateway.com to check out the entire chapter. However, this passage is right after Jesus heals 10 lepers. Only one comes back to thank him. What Ann notices, is that Jesus says (after he has already healed the man) that his faith has healed him. Why this reiteration of healing? Ann tells us that the greek word used her is actually Sozo which means salvation. This is a second healing, a more impacting healing. The healing that matters. Sure our lives can fall perfectly into place, we can be healed from struggles of all kinds. It seems though here, as Ann indicates, that thankfulness and praise of the God WHO heals leads to our salvation. Our salvation isn't the physical healing. Interesting. Thoughts?


Lord, please help us to be thankful for your presence in our lives and the lives of others. Whisper into our souls and stir up a thankful heart, ones that invokes songs of praise, smiles, and a humble perspective. 


Blessings.

I am trying to understand, how to walk this weary land...

"Make straight the paths that crooked lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine" - from the song posted below


"Your Hands." - JJ Heller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4gAoozKrMg


I feel like a child hiding in the closet with a cookie half way down my throat. The thing is, the cookie isn't even good. It's one of those Safeway cookies that is mushy and tastes like it was made with Splenda. However, I finished the cookie because I already feel bad about sneaking off with it, so why not? Well now, I'm going to throw up.

If you didn't notice. I didn't start my rule of life. The first week of my summer was well, miserable. Waking up at 5:45 M-F nearly killed me. So much for sticking to the rhythm of my life. I worked close to 45 hours last week, and felt like all I did was eat, sleep, and work.. and work some more. I collapsed into the weekend, thinking I would have time to draw together and plan, but I ended up being a taxi cab for my siblings, and staying up late watching movies with the boyfriend.

Like I said, crappy cookie.

And here I am... the next Tuesday after I was supposed to start, feeling spiritually dry and hung over on smoothies.

Today, however, I was blessed to be able to come home from work WAY early. I ate a wonderful dinner with Mere, and headed down to the lake with my Bible and the new book David got me, "Mudhouse Sabbath" by Lauren Winner.

So better late than never, ya?

I've successfully shifted my schedule so I now only have to wake up at 5:45 on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. So Monday and Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday I have a long morning (minus tomorrow, because I got hired to help with an estate sale). My schedule is going to continue to change, but what's new?

So here's the plan.

Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday I'm going to wake up and spend 15 minutes with God. Now this isn't a limit, this is a minimum. That's like my "if it's dark, pouring down rain, and late speed limit adjustment". It's not ideal, but it's enough to make sure something happens at LEAST. I'm On Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday night I'm going to strive to also spend 15 minutes with God, at least. Of course there will also be my sporadic coffee dates with God, and midnight milk check ins, but I want poles to hang up the clothes line of my spirituality (I've never used a clothesline in my life, I don't even think they use poles).

Also. Once a week I want to spend one hour in silence. No talking, no phone, no laptop, no music, nothing to distract me. Scary. But I really need to work on reflecting, remembering, and listening.


Here comes the tricky part. I want to observe Sabbath.
I don't really know what this entails. But here are some quotes that I've found to be inspiring.

"What happens when we stop working and controlling nature? When we don't operate machines, or pick flowers, or pluck fish from the sea?... When we cease interfering in the world we are acknowledging that it's God's world" ( Winner qtd. Moishe Konigsberg 7).

Sabbath "was an add on to a busy week, not the fundamental unit around which I organized my life. The Hebrew word for holy means, literally, "set apart." In failing to live a Sabbath truly distinct from weekly time, I had violated the most basic command: to keep the Sabbath holy." (Winner 9).

"The Bible suggests something different. In observing the Sabbath, one is both giving a gift to God and imitating Him" (Winner 11).

I'll keep you posted, but this is where I am at. Prayers greatly appreciated.

Blessings,

Chelsea

"I am so unworthy, and still He loves me"

15 weeks.

So here I am, sitting on the floor of my room with a banana dipped in fudge celebrating the fact that I am done with my third year of college. I don't know what my life holds after SPU, but this summer is going to to be interesting. It's my first summer not with my family, my first summer on my own. My best friend, Meredith, is living with me and I'll be working two jobs (40-50 hours a week). I am committed to a houseboat trip at the beginning of August with my family, and a trip to Southern California to visit my boyfriend's school and SeaWorld hopefully, that will end with a roadtrip back to Seattle with my lovely friend Emily.

I was telling Meredith last night while I was doing dishes, that sometimes it hits me that my family is 200 miles away eating dinner without me every night. They are going on in their normal routine, of which I used to be a part of. Now I'm more than, but just about a tuition check a month, a visit every once and a while, a phone call for a recipe, and a housesitter. I'm not being negative, I still totally feel a part of the family, love and cherished. I'm just a different dynamic of the family now.

Anyhow, this summer I want to try to establish a "rule of life".

"A rule of life is not about observing a set of rules in order to make ourselves good and acceptable before God- that would be legalism. Rather, it is about living under a certain pattern of discipline in order to achieve ascetic proficiency." (Chan 190)

The idea is that everyone has a rule of life. It includes anything that makes up your general routine. Unfortunately most people have developed poorly prioritized rules, and I know that I am among them. My rule of life has more facebook than prayer, more food than fast, more work than rest, and more laziness than service.


A "rule of life maintains the basic orientation of our lives as Christians. As Christians, we need to fit secular work into our rule rather than the other way around... Our work comes first, and then we try to work a small religious component into a basically secular existence" (Chan 190).


"A rule of life does not mean that a great part of our time is taken up with performing religious duties. Rather, the rhythm that a good rule establishes helps us maintain our spiritual focus" (Chan 191).

Luckily this author expects us to mess up. I have three months. I'm excited to track my progress, but I'm sure it will be more of a battle than anything.

"Rules can make us or breaks us. They break us if we pursue them as ends in themselves, and they make us if we see them as a means to an end." (191)

I only hope that I can humbly approach this, and move closer towards the heart of God in this expedition.

"One indication of reaching proficiency is observing the rule without thinking too much about it. It becomes second nature. It fits like a pair of comfortable shoes."

We shall see!



Suggestions given for establishing a rule:
Daily Devotion
Cultivating Spiritual Friendship
Participation in the life and worship of the church
Social Inovlement
Prayer

Suggestions for suggested practices:
Follow your bodies rhythm. Don't try to make yourself into a morning person if you aren't.
Be realistic.
Devise a plan that fits with your normal routine
Be flexible in the beginning, persevere once you find your rhythm
Simplicity


"A rule should be such that it is invariably kept without strain but occasionally make a definite demand on the will. It would should normally be kept with no fault occasionally, a few faults frequently, and if it all goes to pieces very rarely there is little worry about." (Thornton)

For my rule of life I know I want to push for more prayer. I always feel so refreshed after I pray, but for some reason prayer is like Ritz crackers for me. They don't ever sound good, but once I have a bite I eat the whole box.

I also want to incorporate daily reading into my life. I think too much. I need God's Word in my head, and I need the community of other believers via their writing to accompany in my spiritual journey.

I really want to join a community group, and start serving as well.

I also really want to exercise and eat well.........

So now that most of this is NOT in my regular routine, I suppose I have some prayerful consideration to undergo. I plan to start next Monday, giving me 15 weeks of summer to do this.

Your prayer and encouragement is welcome (:

Blessings,

Chelsea

to be an Anomie and avoid ersatz parentingno

One of my biggest fears in life, is the inevitable state of me being a parent. Not only will I be responsible for another life, I'll have the responsibility of sharing God with them. As you all know.. I didn't grow up in the church. Didn't do Sunday School, Christmas plays, "felt pin up theme boards" or whatever they're called. Nothing like that. I watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch after school ( I even had a spell book from Costco that showed me how to make potions and read palms) , I sang Shania Twain's -

"don't want you for the weekend, don't want you for a night, i'm only interested if i can have you for life. i know i sound serious, and baby i am. you're a fine piece real estate and i'm going to get me some land. don't try to run, honey. love can fun, honey. ..i'm going to get  you while i got you inside. i'm going to get you if it takes all night. you can betcha by the time i say go, you'll never say no. i'm going to get you it's a matter of fact, i'm going to get you don't worry about that. just like i should... i'll getcha good. "

first CD ever.

yep. my childhood role model. i literally know all her songs. still.

at age 11 (mom was i 11? can't remember. I just remember dad's face when he figured out what song I had picked out) for a little league fundraiser.
 I played with Barbie, and in 5th grade me and my three best friends would cuss when no one could hear us because we thought we were so cool. I had a tooth fairy, an easter bunny, a santa clause, i went trick or treating and I grew up on Snow White and the Sword in the Stone (gravity).

Looking back. My childhood was spectacular. I want to give that to my child. I've encountered many odd rules and strange sheltering from Christian parents (ever heard of pluggedin.com? ). The heart-breaker however, is the many broken relationships between Christian kids and their parents. This saddens me. I love my parents. You can probably tell. I'm always holding daddy's hand, always hugging my mom. I can talk to them about anything and always feel supported. Their love is unconditional, and I know it.

So where's the balance. How can I share the precious treasure of faith with my children in an authentic loving way and still give them room to grow on their own. How can I love my child unconditionally and stand up for my beliefs? Where do I draw the line between secular doom and bringing glory back to God for the things he has given us? How do I let my children be a light in their world, and protect them? How do I be a parent and a friend? Do we bar up our chimney at Christmas? Are we going to have grandma create elaborate princess and pirate costumes and parade down the street?

look at my evil family :P dad's a wizard. mom's a witch. i'm a princess of course.

mom made all our costumes when I was little.

Honestly, this has been a huge part of my degree at school. I've been on this quest. How to teach my someday kids. A lot of you know I want to be a stay at home mom. Well I'm doing the stay at home mom degree. And learning lots! I still don't have all the answers... I won't. I'm not going to do parenting right. No one does. But I'm going to give it all I've got. Dad wants me to have 5 kids... so I better have a lot to give :P


So anyways. That was a huge intro. I got carried away with Shania Twain. As I've been learning, I've wondered what the first methods for parenting were. How did the Israelites do it? How would I even figure that out? Would it be a good model.. considering they didn't have "Halloween" or Shania?

Well this quarter I've been learning a TON about this. In the book "The Creative Word" by Walter (great name) Bruggemann we see the OT split up in three parts. Torah from the scribes, Counsel from the wise, and Word from the prophets. We can see a general pattern of:

conservative persons/church traditions being inclined to the Torah as their focus (law)
social critics, radicals and revolutionaries being inclined to the prophecies and "new truth"
humanistic psychologists and their like being inclined to the counsel of the wise

We need to work with each other a bit on that. I don't think we will ever get a 1 to 1 to 1 ratio in any church today (God will take care of that later), but I do know what we can try to be more open to. Each other. I used to really struggle because my best friend was very charismatic about faith, and I am much more conservative. I thought I was missing out on the Holy Spirit. After having a conversation with my Godfather, I understood that I wasn't missing something. I was a part of something bigger than me. We are the church, a body. We need all the parts, and can't function alone. I might be a hand ( I really like to help people) but a hand on its own can't do anything. I need an eye, a mouth, a torso, legs, arms etc.


1 Corinthians 12

 ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
 ¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
 ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
 ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^[d]? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.