More than Occupation

Six months ago today, I began another chapter in my life - Graduate School. I was accepted into the Occupational Therapy Program at Ohio State University, a profession I've desired to pursue since I was a teenager. While the dream has faded at times, I felt that being accepted into this program was God opening the door to a new opportunity that would direct my life's goals and desires.

Over the past ten years, I've learned and experienced occupational therapy in a variety of settings. My desire to learn this job and make it my own has grown. There's a great deal of excitement in helping someone regain independence in functional areas of his or her life. And helping people in that way has been the main motivating factor for me in pursuing this degree.

That is, until the last six months or so.

While I still find excitement in the thought of helping people with their daily occupations, I've been captured by new desires. I've started to realize that God might have much bigger plans in store than I had for myself. It all began when I was told about a website of an OT who works in Niger, Africa. I began following her blog, captured by her stories of life, therapy, and faith. A few months later, an OT in my church shared that he would be going on a missions trip to El Salvador with Joni Erickson Tada's Wheels for the World. He would have the opportunity to use his skills as a therapist to fit wheelchairs for people there, many of whom have never had a wheelchair before. During that trip, 145 individuals were given custom designed wheelchairs. And on top of that, 33 people not only experienced new physical opportunities with their wheelchairs, but they began a new life in Christ by accepting Him as their Savior.

I'm starting to realize that there are going to more opportunities to use this degree than I had realized when I began. Big opportunities. Ones that are life changing. Eternal life changing. When the studying gets tiring, when I'm feeling no motivation, this is what is keeping me going. Knowing that God has placed me here, this time and this place, because He has something planned for me. And I'm eager and excited to see what He's going to do through me in the years to come.

Winter Jam Rejects

Tonight we took some students from our youth group down to Cincinnati for Winter Jam, a huge Christian music tour of ten bands. It only costs $10 to get in at the door, and you can't buy tickets ahead of time. A bunch of other people from our youth group were down there earlier than us hoping to buy tickets for all of us, but apparently you actually don't buy tickets. You just pay when you go into the concert.

We arrived a little bit before the show was supposed to start, and the line to get in was massive. We started to realize pretty quickly that the chance that we would get into the concert was not very good. And we were right.

However, some of the artists decided to be awesome. They set up some sound equipment outside and put on a mini concert for the Winter Jam Rejects, as we were dubbed. Mr. Talkbox from Toby Mac was our host, and we enjoyed music from OBB, Red, Royal Tailor, and Matthew West with special guest Mark Hall from Casting Crowns. The night's speaker, Nick Hall, also spoke for a little while.

Oh and did I mention we were standing about ten feet away from all these guys?

Yeah, it was pretty cool. And these people can SING. Wow. To hear them without all the loud instrumentals and without any editing to their music was pretty incredible. Very talented. Our girls fell in love with the boys from OBB, and they got to meet them and got a picture with them afterwards.

That ended quite a bit before the main concert would have finished, so we headed back to the car and made a stop at Bill's Donuts. We hung out there for awhile and then took the students home.

So our evening didn't go quite as planned. But sometimes you realize that what you were able to experience instead was even better. And we got to spend some good time with three awesome students in a way that we wouldn't have gotten to had we just been in the concert.

So tonight, I'm grateful to be a Winter Jam Reject.

NASCAR and Father's Day

Today, we traveled up to Brooklyn, MI with my dad for the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway. It was our birthday/father's day gift for him! This was the view from our seats in turn 3.

My favorite driver, Jimmie Johnson #48, had a decent day after starting near the back. He finished 5th! There were some good wrecks, and Joey Logano #20, was one of the unfortunate participants.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. broke his long losing streak and won exactly four years after his last win! Everyone was quite excited for him!

We had a great day spending time with my dad and enjoying a great race!

Zoo!

Today I took a day off work. I needed a break! I hadn't taken a day off since our trip home at Thanksgiving, so a personal day was in order! Thanks to a good friend whose husband works at Dallas Zoo, we had some free tickets to use! And the weather was PERFECT!

We'd visited there about two years ago, but much has changed since then. They've added the Giants of Africa exhibit, which was awesome! The elephants were fun to watch.

 

But my favorite was the giraffes! They have a feeding station where you can buy lettuce and hand feed the giraffes. So cool! I'd never pet a giraffe before! Definitely an awesome addition!

We also really enjoyed the aviary that houses a lot of unique birds from Africa. Seeing as we love birds, this was also a favorite! It's so neat to stand among them and not have to view them behind glass. 

Another new addition is the koala walkabout. They are one of ten zoos in the country to exhibit koalas. So cute! We arrived just in time to watch them wake up, wander about their habitats, and eat some eucalyptus leaves! 

Bluebonnets

Today we went to Ennis with some friends to enjoy the bluebonnets. They were so beautiful! Some of the hills looked as if they were covered in a blanket of blue. The weather was perfect, too! I love the beauty and creativity of God's creation. It was a wonderful way to spend the day between Good Friday and Easter.

 We also enjoyed the farm animals, especially the horses! They were skittish at first, but eventually gave in to some affection. 

 We had a great time with our friends. Thank you David and Lindsay for going with us!

Jewelry Board and Magazine Cross

After finally giving in and taking a peek at Pinterest, my creative juices have been flowing like crazy! I was given several new necklaces for Christmas and my birthday, so I decided I needed a better way to organize them than my little jewelry box. I found a $5 cork board at Target. It already had a black frame. I covered it with some scrapbook paper (stapled on so I can change it if I want to!), and I made some felt flowers for the corners. A box of black and white push pins, and I was set! Functional and decorative!

I had seen on picture of a cross made from rolled magazines, and I decided to try one of my own!  It turned out really fun! I love all the colors! It is placed on the wall outside of our door, a good reminder to me to both be crafty and, more importantly, of my Jesus. 

Merry Christmas!

Perfect Provision

One of the many reasons I love being at DTS...

Free Christmas Dinner!

Saturday morning, I walked over to the dining commons to pick up our humongous box of food! Each year, anyone at DTS can sign up to receive a free Christmas dinner. It's incredible! There were tons of volunteers offering their time to pack the boxes and carry them for you. I tried to convince them that I could carry the box back to our apartment myself, but a member of the President's Council told me that he couldn't get fired on his first turkey. So I obliged!

The box contained a precooked, smoked turkey, a box of stuffing, a dozen dinner rolls, a bag of amazing tortilla chips (even red and green for Christmas!), four potatoes, four apples, four bananas, four oranges, a bag of carrots, two cans of corn, two cans of green beans, a can of cranberry sauce, and a HUGE pumpkin pie!

As I began to unload the box, I noticed a lime green envelope that had slipped down to the bottom of the box. I figured it was a note to say Merry Christmas, and I pulled it out to read it. The envelope read, 

"The President's Council hopes that you are greatly blessed this Christmas season with this extra gift."

Extra gift??? I don't remember them including this last year... hmm. I opened the envelope to find a $40 gift card to Walmart!!! I don't know if someone donated them or what, but what a blessing! Christmas dinner, extra food, and $40 to Walmart!

God has continued to provide for us during our time here in ways we never would have imagined. He's made Matthew 6.25-33 real to me over the last two and a half years.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? ... Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

God is faithful to keep His word. This Christmas season, I'm so grateful to Him for all the ways He provides for my needs. Most of all, I'm thankful for how He's provided for my spiritual need through sending Jesus to pay the penalty for my sins and that he rose again that I may live with Him forever.

Pennsylvania

Our first day in Pennsylvania, we went to Peace Valley Park to walk around the lake and enjoy the beautiful weather. It was so nice to see trees with color! The majority of the trees had lost their leaves, but the few that had held on were beautiful. 

We also got our first taste of geocaching, which was fun! Some of those are definitely a challenge though. I think I'll stick with birds - they move and make noise!

Other than the trees, my favorite part was the nature center's bird blind. They had lots of feeders and fun birds to watch!

San Antonio Getaway

Due to our anniversary being during the heat of the summer, we decided to postpone doing anything until cooler weather came around. So last Thursday, I left work early, and Roy and I drove down to San Antonio for a long weekend vacation! We stopped in San Marcos on the way down to have dinner at our favorite fast food establishment - Fazoli's! We were especially excited as we don't have Fazoli's in Dallas. After checking into our hotel, we drove downtown and enjoyed strolling around the River Walk.

The next day, we visited the Japanese Tea Garden just outside of downtown. It was free to visit, and the weather provided occasional sprinkling rain to keep us cool. The garden felt like a secluded hideaway. Next we visited the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. We enjoyed meandering through the rose garden, finding some new birds, enjoying some old favorites, and seeing a beautiful view of the downtown skyline.

 

 

 

 

That evening, we visited the lounge in the Tower of the Americas. They had half-price appetizers, so we enjoyed some food and watched the sunset from over 700 feet above ground. 

 

The rest of the weekend was spent walking around the River Walk and browsing shops in La Villita...

Learning a bit about Texas history at the Alamo...

Seeing the largest cowboy boots in the world, bowling, enjoying some delicious food (see first pictures) and enjoying some interesting (and very entertaining!) music at the International Accordion Festival!

San Antonio was definitely worth the visit!

Calm My Anxious Heart, Part IV

This is the fourth and final part of my thoughts from Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. The final three chapters deal with Trusting God with the What Ifs, the If Onlys, and the Whys.

The first two chapters deal with two diseases: the “what if” disease and the “if only” disease. The “what if” disease focuses on the future, leading to anxiety. The “if only” disease looks to the past, leading to anger.

I hate the “what if” game… but I’m really good at playing it. It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking about possible outcomes of the future. And while sometimes I enjoy daydreaming about what could be in all its glory, all too often the thoughts take a turn for the worse. Dillow quotes a lady who was imprisoned under Stalin for thirteen years. She says, “Waiting for an inevitable disaster is worse than the disaster itself.”

Check out this passage from Jeremiah 17.5-8:

Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the Lord. For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.

Trusting in myself will only result in disaster. But trusting in the Lord will result in fruitfulness.

A method to deal with the “what if” disease was given:

- First, ask yourself what is the worst that can possibly happen.

- Then, prepare to accept it if you have to.

- Finally, calmly proceed to improve on the worst.

Dillow found this process to be a biblical method as seen in the lives of Paul and Esther, both of whom accepted the worst possible outcome (death), accepted that possibility, and made the most of their circumstances.

The “if only” disease.

Dillow writes, “There’s an if in every life – something God could have done differently if He had chosen to do so. He has all power, yet He often allows that if to be there.”

Our “if onlys” usually stem from real problems, but instead of focusing on God, we focus on the problem. We saw this occur when Israel was facing difficulties in the wilderness. Instead of going to God and trusting Him, they just wanted to head back to Egypt.

Whatever occurs in my life and whatever if onlys I may be facing, I must remember that I am here by God’s appointment in His keeping under His training for His time.

The last chapter is Trusting God with the Whys. This chapter focused on the uncommonly discussed book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk asked of God, “How long, O Lord? Why do you allow all this to happen?” God’s answer to him was less than satisfactory from our perspective, but he was to trust God anyway. 

Here was Habakkuk’s response:

Though the fig tree should not blossom,

And there be no fruit on the vines,

Though the yield of the olive should fail,

And the fields produce no food,

Though the flock should be cut off from the fold,

And there be no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will exult in the Lord,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength,

And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,

And makes me walk on my high places.

Hab. 3.17-19

This book ended challenging me to say, “Though (fill in the blank with whatever circumstance or difficulty I am facing), Yet I will exult in the Lord!

Ramblings on College

[WARNING: This is me "thinking out loud" as it were. I hadn't planned this post. I just started typing and this is what came out.]

So it looks like the 100 degree days are coming to an end.

YES!

I think this has been the longest summer ever, which sounds like a good thing doesn't it? How I miss the days of summer where all you had to do was play in the sprinklers and eat popsicles. Now people ask, "How was your summer?" and I don't really know what to say. My day during the summer looks like any other day now that I'm a "grown-up."

I've been thinking a lot about college lately... how I miss so many things about that time in my life. Here are a few of those things...

- Learning. In college, I was always learning something new. I love to learn! It excites me to be challenged, to fill my brain with new information, to actually to have think! And the new things changed with each semester... sometimes with each week and each class. There was a great amount of variety in the subjects, so it wasn't mundane. (Now let me clearly state that I don't miss having all of the homework!)

- Profs. I was that weird student who would ask my profs to get coffee so I could get to know them better and perhaps have them impart some of their wisdom to me :) Really, I just like hanging out with people who are mature and can help me grow. I had several who really helped me to grow over my four years in college. Now, I don't really have anyone pouring into me. I've been the leader in many of the church activities that I've been involved in, and I don't have frequent contact with many older and wiser believers. I am only 24... still a youngin'. I'd really like to be mentored and discipled by someone who has been there and can make me more like Christ.

- Friends. I think this may have been the best part of college. There was always someone free to hang out if you wanted to hang out. And even if people weren't free... eh, that paper could wait til later! Life outside of college is busy. Really busy. Everyone is involved in a ton of stuff. Trying to get together spontaneously with someone is difficult to do anymore. And if you're married, that's another dynamic to consider. Throw kids into the mix and that makes it even more interesting! So I go from living, eating, laughing, playing, and doing pretty much everything with my friends every day to seeing some people every now and then. What's up with that?

- Affirmation. Being a student who put a lot of stock in my grades, I loved getting back those tests and papers. Seeing the letters or numbers at the top gave me satisfaction in myself and in a job well done. They made me feel good about myself. I realized how I put too much worth in them, however, needing to be the best in order to feel good about myself. Well, hello real world! No grades here! Oh sure, you'll get a yearly review where they'll tell you if you're doing anything wrong. Nope? Ok great. Keep it up and we'll give you another $.40 raise next year! So I've learned how much I was depending on affirmation from various sources to spur me on.

- Food. Ok, I love to cook. I would love to cook waaay better than I do now! Cooking excites me. Probably because I also love food. :) And while having my own kitchen and being able to cook is awesome, sometimes it is the last thing I feel like doing when I get home from a long day at work. And then I think of Chucks (our cafeteria, for you non-CU people). Now I was never one of the big Chucks complainers. I know some people hated it, thought the food was dreadful, and said we never had enough options. There were times that nothing particular tickled my fancy for dinner that night, but overall, I thought it was a pretty decent spread. And now? Ha! How I would LOVE to just scan a little card and walk in to an all you can eat buffet palace! Ok so that's a slight exaggeration. But c'mon. Waffles. Ice Cream. Mexican Bar. Omelets. Sandwich smashers. All at my fingertips, and all I had to do was put it on my plate! Yes, some days, I really miss Chucks.


So what do we learn from all of this? Become a professional student! While that would be fun, the loans would not. But how can I still have these things that I loved so much in this stage of my life?

Learning - I know that it's up to me if I want to learn. There is so much to be learned, if I only go after it! It is easy to be lulled into the monotony of the same thing day in and day out. But I need to take each day and see what God has in it for me to learn - about Him, about myself, about Roy, about something new!

Profs - While I may not be in school, that doesn't mean there aren't wise individuals willing to spend time with me. But as I did in college, I must seek them out! It's easy to think, oh we only have nine months left here. That's so little time to get to know someone. Did it stop me in college? Nope!

Friends - This is a bit harder because making friends takes time. But I need to be more intentional about hanging out with people and keeping in touch with them through the week to build those friendships.

Affirmation - I'm glad God is teaching me that this is a struggle area for me. Not having grades is helping me to find my worth in Him. My boss has also recently started to make more of an effort to thank us for working hard, which has been appreciated. It's nice to be appreciated without having to place all of your self worth on it.

Food - Ok, so this is probably the only one that I can't do much about. But I can continue to develop my skills at cooking (which goes back to the first area of learning!), and find enjoyment in that.

So I need to:

• find something to learn each day
• ask someone I see as a wise and mature believer to coffee
• contact some of my newer friends to keep building those relationships
• trust God that my worth is totally encompassed in Him and that He will provide in all of these areas!

Draw Me Nearer...

You know how we say, "Today is just one of those days..."? One of those days where stuff just doesn't seem to go right. Days where you just don't really care. Days where you know deep down that this is not our home, but you just can get past that to the joy of the home that awaits.

I have been having a lot of those days lately.

Nothing feels quite right. And I'm struggling to care. Where's my joy? Where's my passion? What is this thing welling up inside me called apathy... and how can I make it go away? These are a few questions I've been wrestling with over the past weeks.

I'm longing for God to move in my heart, to change the way I feel. And yet I keep wondering if I am the problem here. What am I missing? What needs to change?

This morning I pulled into the parking lot at work eight minutes before 8:00. I liked the song on the radio, so I sat and listened, attempting to let its truth wash over me and impact my heart. As the notes faded, a simple piano line began, and I continued to sit in my car. The song that came on was new to me, although it was released several years ago. The words touched my heart and became my prayer for the day:

Draw Me Nearer

For your nearness Lord I hunger
For your nearness Lord I wait
Hold me ever closer Father
Such a love I can't escape

For your nearness I am hoping
For your nearness Lord I long
Have no need of any other
I have found where I belong
Yes, I have found where I belong

So draw me nearer Lord
Never let me go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord

In your nearness there is healing
What was broken now made whole
Restoration in it's fullness
Lasting hope for all who come

In your nearness I take shelter
Where you are is where I'm home
I have need of only one thing
To be here before your throne
To be here before your throne

So draw me nearer Lord
Never let me go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord

And keep me here, keep me here
There's nowhere else I rather be
So keep me here, keep me here
There's nowhere else I rather be
There's nowhere else I rather be

So draw me nearer Lord
Never let me go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord
Draw me nearer Lord
Draw me nearer my Lord

song by Meredith Andrews

Listen to the song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqoIk-jj0uQ&feature=related

I pray that this song touches your heart as it did mine.

Calm My Anxious Heart, Part III

Greed. Purpose. Worry. Faith.

Greed.

It’s a thriving disease in our culture today. It is easy to become so focused on material things that we lose sight of our eternal perspective.

A lady in Poland who had very little was asked about how she felt about her seemingly difficult life compared to those who had all the modern conveniences. Her response:

Western women have so many things that they don’t need God.

I pray that it is never said of me that I have so many things that I don’t need God! Henry Kissinger said, “To Americans, usually a tragedy is wanting something very badly and not getting it.” Greed is a downward spiral that leads to envy. Envy leads to debt. All lead to discontentment.

To combat the trap of greed, these four scriptural principles can be applied:

• Everything belongs to God.

• Heart attitude is the issue.

• God comes first and possessions come second.

• Possessions are to be used, not loved.

Purpose.

We all want to have one. Too often we live shortsighted lives, never seeing the horizon in the distance. We live a dot-to-dot life, never seeing the big picture but only the next dot. We also often live on hold, waiting for the next thing. Something. Anything to give our lives meaning.

A way to combat a purposeless life is to create a life purpose statement. This is something I’m in the process of right now, but I haven’t completed it yet. Hopefully it will give me a greater focus as I make decisions and continue forward in my walk with the Lord.

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” - Goethe

Worry.

It’s like a rocking chair. It will give you something to do but it won’t get you anywhere!

Worry is something that I’ve struggled with greatly over the years. It is so easy to focus on my circumstances and not focus on God. Thankfully He has grown me a LOT in this area over the last six years, and He has been faithful in teaching me how to rely on Him in my times of worry. A big part of letting go of worry is recognizing that worry is sin. When I worry, I’m saying “God can’t” in my situation.

George MacDonald said,

"It has been well said that no man ever sank under the burden of the day. It’s when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the future to Him and to mind the present.”

Faith.

Faith cannot be based on our feelings. Rather, faith is based on God’s Word and rooted in God’s character.

So often we pray for faith, but what we really want is sight. We don’t just want the ability to trust God for the next step, we want to see the next step – and several steps further would be great too! Sight sees ahead and says, “I see that it’s good for me, so God must have sent it,” but faith says, “God sent it, so it must be good for me.”

Lord, keep me from greed that so permeates our culture. Give me purpose in my life that glorifies You. Help me not to worry but to have faith, basing my trust Your Word and Your character.