i AM my Beloved's

I'm not sure really, where to begin. 


God is too good to me. I woke up this morning to a text from my mom asking me why my tuition was $500 less than it usually is. Naturally, I just assumed that there was a mistake and decided I would check it out later, so I went to sleep for two more hours. The next time I woke up I was a little more hopeful.


You see I needed 62 hours at work in Jan/Feb each to be able to pay for ALL of school on March 15th. I got the 62 in January easily but February has been miserable. There haven't been any events, so I got a 3 hour week, 6 hour week, and last week I finally hit 10. 


On February 10th, someone anonymously sent a $500 check to my school to pay for my next tuition bill. I was $500 short to pay for my tuition bill. 11 days later ( i love the number 11 ) I woke up to learn this. I still don't believe it. So I hope whoever sent the money is reading this. Thank you all so much for the support you've given me. I can't even express how I've felt the prayers surround me. I only hope I can bless others the way I've been blessed. 


Just a quick additional note. I'm currently reading Girl Meets GOD by Lauren F. Winner. It's funny how God's timing works. I bought this book early last summer and simply tucked it away in my bookshelf. This quarter two chapters from it were required for a class I'm taking. After the first chapter I couldn't stop and I'm almost done with it. I hope to be able to share some snippits from it that touched my heart (: The author reminds me so much of myself.


Also, if you are looking for an encouraging song please check out Kristene Mueller's song "Praise the Lord". The entire CD is good but this song is just so simple, and sometimes that just what we need.

I know I know I know. Stone me

I know. I've been HORRIBLE about this whole blog thing, and have almost fallen out of the world of Facebook.

I'll have you know that it's for good reason.

I'm in LOVE with school right now (: I literally was tearing up in class because how awesome my professors and classes are this quarter. Because of this I spend tons and tons and tons of time doing homework. I have 21 textbooks, so I'm literally in my room, at my desk, nose in book the majority of my time.

I sent out an email to a lot of you, and if you didn't get one it's because your email isn't listed on Facebook and because I got a new mac before school started and never transferred my address book.

Anyhow.. as a recap from the email for those who didn't receive it.

God answers prayers. Sometimes it's no, sometimes yes, and sometimes... wait. Everything was up in the air for me Fall quarter, and if know me... I like plans and back up plans, alternate plans and "if all fails" plans.

This quarter everything has fallen into place and seems to be for next quarter as well. By loving this quarter I had told myself I would make a commitment to SPU to finish out and get my bachelors degree. By doing this I would be taken on a lot of debt :/ but I told God... if Winter quarter is as bad as Fall I'll move in a new direction, but if I love it (: I'll stay.

As I was willing to take on the financial responsibility of staying at SPU, God blessed me even more. I'm moving in with my friend Marah next quarter and will be saving tons of money, because I don't have to have a meal plan and will be able to get a better job (more consistent & reliable hours). I'll be moving to Greenlake in 4 weeks (: to live in a cute little house.

Speaking of moving.. me and marah are in need of some household items that weren't previously necessary for dorm life. If you have & want to give away any of the following items feel free to email me (miss.chelsea.w@gmail.com) or call me (3604604018) as we are we would looooove some help furnishing our house. we are in dire need of:

vacuum
toaster
desk and desk chair
kitchen dining table & chairs
kitchen appliances/ utensils

& i'm sure a ton of other stuff that I'm not even thinking of :/

So as for some more details about my life lately.. since I've been so unfaithful with my blog.

My classes this quarter are: Reformation & Modern Christianity (Church History 101 basically), 4 Gospels & 1 Jesus (Scripture class focused on the gospel) and Human Development & the Christian Faith (lifespan psychology with a focus on spirituality)

Surprisingly my favorite is the church history class. It is so interesting to me to see and learn through the mistakes and triumphs of the early church. I also had so many stereotypes about different denominations, which now have all been stripped and.. well honestly repainted. I hope they continue to be stripped and repainted, because even so I have a more positive view of them.

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like as human beings we innately think we are right. Because of this, when we don't explore other people's faith or lifestyle we condemn it because we don't understand it, other than being different from our own.

My teacher said something interesting the other day.. being a scholar of the Scriptures makes one to be an uncomfortable Protestant.

It's not so much that I'm beginning to disagree with different Protestant views as  much as I disagree with their stronghold to differentiation from each other. I'm baptist because__________, I'm methodist because we believe ____________ not ____________, I'm non-denominational. I mean look at the name Protestant. Protest(ant). One thing I've learned this quarter is that catholic actually means universal/united. When my teacher said that Catholics even need to learn to be more catholic it hit me. Maybe it's not about denominational distinctions, but being united nonetheless.

The way I've justified denominations in my mind, recently, because I used to despise denominations is as follows. We are all very diverse. Some people are quiet some are loud, some are outwardly emotional, some tuck it all into themselves. This comes to what is being said in 1 Corinthians


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.

My point being that even though denominations are different and have different focuses, we need to realize that we are all one and need each other for different reasons. We need to learn from each other, support each other, pray for each other and above all LOVE each other. 

So I think this is enough catch up for now. I have TONS of quotes written down and lots of learning to share, so hopefully we can get caught up over spring break... during my painting breaks :P 


God Bless!!
 

"Christ is full of grace, life, and salvation. The soul is full of sins, death and damnation. Now let faith come between them, and sins, death and damnation will be Christ's, while grace, life and salvation will be the soul's; for if Christ is the bridegroom, he must take upon her the things that are his. If he gives her his body and very self, how shall he not give her all that is his? And if he takes the body of the bride, how shall he not take all that is hers?" -Luther