I am learning that it takes time to see God's glory. It is always there, but when I write I tend to look for it more. And so I write this blog. It's simple, thoughtful and a glimpse of the journey I'm on. I enjoy hearing your ideas, so comment freely. Love, Lindsay
Thomas Moore : To live ordinary life artfully is to have this sensibility about the things in daily life, to live more intuitively and to be willing to surrender a measure of our rationality and control in return for gifts of the soul.
Today at the Austin Stone where I've been able to fellowship with the body of Christ here in Austin, we saw this video. I've thought about this stuff before. Why do I feel the need to buy so much stuff? Don't know.
If you need a Christmas shopping idea, the items you order on the Trade as One website by Wednesday night are guaranteed to be shipped free and will arrive before Christmas.
Merry Christmas. Can you believe God is so accessible? Can you believe that the very God that created the universe, sent His Son to live among us? Beautiful!
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Hi friends! I'm so excited to take a moment to share some life this morning! I've missed posting while I've been here in Austin working on my first Physical Therapy rotation. So much has happened! Namely, I am now engaged to a wonderful man named Kenneth Kennedy! The picture above was taken right after we got engaged on the steps of the Capital. I'll save the engagement story for another post. Now, I'm so excited to share yet another lesson from Mr. Oswald Chambers.
Does individuality honor God? I've been thinking about this more lately since the engagement. What about my dreams, my plans, my friendships, my family. Me...me...me. I sound like I'm warming up for a production of The Sound of Music. Did God design us to be concerned with our own ambitions in the context of a healthy marriage. Or does He challenge us repeatedly in scripture to cast all our cares on Him and He will direct our paths?
Mr. Chambers shares, "Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes." But what does this actually mean? How do I lay my 'individuality' in exchange for more authentic spiritual growth that honors my Creator?
The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-will. We hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. If you say, "I can’t believe," it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe. But our spirit cannot help believing. Watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made. The choice is either to say, "I will not surrender," or to surrender, breaking the hard shell of individuality, which allows the spiritual life to emerge.
Today I leave you with no concrete answers. I honestly don't know what this means for everyday life. I suppose it is a matter of considering others before I consider my own needs and desires. Something to ponder. Miss you friends. Drop me a line when you get a chance.
Good morning friends. Here is a photo of my latest project. Surprisingly enough, I've figured out that knitting can help me stay focused for hours of studying. It helps me with the memorizing process. Anywho, I also thought I'd share an exerpt from My Utmost for His Highest this morning.
If a man or woman is called of God, it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be. God orchestrates every force at work for His purpose in the end. If you will agree with God’s purpose, He will bring not only your conscious level but also all the deeper levels of your life, which you yourself cannot reach, into perfect harmony.
Now that is comforting. Watch for God's orchestration today.
This week happens to be banned books week. Reading a bit about it made me think about the tension between intellectual freedom and propriety for children and young adult literature. Nevertheless, I thought the top 20 list of classics that have been challeged or banned was astounding.
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker 6. Ulysses by James Joyce 7. Beloved by Toni Morrison 8. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding 9. 1984 by George Orwell 10. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner 11. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov 12. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 13. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White 14. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 16. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 17. Animal Farm by George Orwell 18. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 19. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 20. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Maybe some of your favorites appear here. Aren't you glad they weren't banned so you could learn to think in a new way. Hmmm, thoughts are powerful.
Have a lovely week friends. I'm going to get back to studying for midterms. If you'd like to read more, you can check out the American Library Association Website.
Good morning friends. This morning on my commute into the big city, I heard a really wonderful essay from an NPR series entitled, "This I believe." I think it really struck a cord with me because I am spending most of my waking hours in the education system.
Kristie Bradford, a professor at Lonestar College shares;
Albert Einstein once said 'Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.' I, too, believe that imagination is more important than knowledge. As a geology professor, I am often under pressure to measure the success of my students by a very limited yard stick: how much knowledge they have obtained under my tutelage. Imagination and creativity are difficult to assess and therefore it is rarely attempted. If the purpose of a college education is to produce, thinking, imaginative, problem solving individuals for our future workforce, I believe that we are missing opportunities by emphasizing knowledge over imagination and creativity.
I thought she shared an interesting point in that, so often we become frustrated with the yardstick that is designed to make us 'educated.' What if the majority of my attentions went to putting the knowledge I'm handed everyday into some form of creative output. Instead of knowing, what if I looked at studying as doing, creating, imagining. What if I become a Physical Therapist who can dream and labor to see people do things that just don't seem possible with knowledge alone. So many thoughts. I'll leave you with one of my favorites...
As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. Romans 4:17
God used a very old man to be the father of many nations. Abraham was a 'thing that was not,' but God saw Abraham for what he could be. Would anyone like to believe that the impossibities are possible? Let's learn from Albert and Abraham today. I suppose God has the best imagination of us all.
Here's a YouTube video my sister shared with me today. Let your heart feel the love and life He has for you...
Lifehouse Everything Lyrics
Find Me Here Speak To Me I want to feel you I need to hear you You are the light That's leading me To the place where I find peace again.
You are the strength, that keeps me walking. You are the hope, that keeps me trusting. You are the light to my soul. You are my purpose...you're everything.
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
You calm the storms, and you give me rest. You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall. You steal my heart, and you take my breath away. Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be any better than this? And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
Cause you're all I want, You're all I need You're everything,everything You're all I want your all I need You're everything, everything. You're all I want you're all I need. You're everything, everything You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything, everything.
Sometimes all you need is a little art therapy. One Sunday afternoon, some friends piled into the gameroom with all of the art supplies a childhood of creativity can accumulate. We were a little overzealous with the materials, but we sorted through...found our medium of choice and got to work. There is something about making something that you don't have to make. Finishing something you don't have to finish. I can't put my finger on it, but it's a good feeling. This afternoon brought back memories of high school art class when we would feed off of each other in our creativity. It's easy to lose your momentum alone. It's easy to start getting logical and tell yourself that you're wasting time. But when we were all together, everyone was so interested in seeing the finished product that I couldn't help but finish. So after this little adventure, I would encourage you to be creative. Maybe in a small way with a box of crayolas and a Disney coloring book. Or maybe you will get inspired to quit your day job and apply to art school like Pam Beesley. Either way, take a step in the 'don't have to' direction.
