Forget about yourself!

Philippians 2:4-8

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!


What a difficult challenge, but how attractive Christianity would look if we all ran to last place. May I live in such a manner.

currently listening to: Fireflies, Owl City

Savoring community and anticipating its loss.

This summer has been so up and down for me emotionally. It's been so hard to wait, and wait, and wait for a job. It's also been so hard to have moved from Greensboro back to Wake Forest because I had such a wonderful community of friends there. This past week, I had the privilege of coming out of the NLC office and getting to work kindercamp. It was so much fun and I have two weeks left. Funny as it might sound, some thing that I've enjoyed most is staff meeting. This is because we all sit together and talk about what to expect from the day, what we need to happen and we study God's word together. This is something that I have missed so greatly. And now I have a new fear to add to all mine that have racked up over the summer. I am so afraid for camp to end because all my camp friends to go back to their college campuses because I will be left here. I will be left here, without purpose and once again, without fellowship. And simultaneously,I am so aware that my dear friends from UNCG will be getting back together, IV will be kicking off and I won't be there to glory in the fellowship that I once had.

Graduating from college is so much harder than I ever anticipated.

Life is good, but it is hard and I feel as though I am constantly in a fight to stay positive and to trust in the Lord.

I'm a lightening bug!

Even though I've worked Day Camp for five summers, I am still super nervous about starting tomorrow. Really, really excited and super nervous.

A Prayer for the Church

Your eyes are closed when you’re praying
You sing right along with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There’s blood on your hands
You turned your back on the homeless
And the ones that don’t fit in your plan
Quit playing religion games
There’s blood on your hands

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show - Jon Foreman

I think sometimes it's really easy for Christians to say they care about the marginalized, but then they live in a bubble where they don't ever have to interact with such. It's classic: go to church, send your child to Christian school, live in the suburbs where you barely have to interact with your neighbors, listen to to the Christian radio. I think that a lot of times this stems from a spirit of fear, but I think that it is so vastly different than how we are to live. God compares his people to stars shining in the night sky. Stars don't stand out during the day because light is everywhere. Only when the sun sets do stars, small as they may seem to us, light up the sky. The same is to be with Christians. We are to be in places where we can show a difference and therefore point people to Christ.

I pray that the church will learn to live radically and passionately like this:

Isaiah 58:10-12

if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the LORD will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.

*This post was inspired by a conversation had with Kristi, a kindred spirit

Currently listening to: T.I. (feat. Justin Timberlake) Dead and Gone [I love Justin Timberlake just as much as the 5th grade me ever could have.]

In 3.5 weeks, I will no longer be employed...

"I'd like my life to count for something...more than just staying home in Asheville, getting married, having babies...Maybe the feeling comes from reading too much poetry- or just because I'm young. But I don't think so. I want my life to be full. I want to laugh - and love. Help others to the limit of my ability too. Those were the hopes that sent me on this wild fling into the mountains, weren't they? Yes, surely that was it." - Christy, pgs 61-62

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I get that quote. I feel it acutely. Only I haven't gone on any wild flings yet. I intensely hate this waiting period. Waiting to see what God will do. Waiting to see where he puts me. I am really struggling to believe that God has something good and purposeful planned for me. In fact right now, I feel rather forgotten and bitter. My heart is very frustrated currently. I am so barely trusting, I might not be at all.

I love the 4th of July.

I teared up as the National Anthem ended because I could hear everyone singing along. It was beautiful. And I was thrilled to find that I COULD in fact photograph fireworks.

Some days I feel very discouraged because I do not have a job. This is one of those days.

Trusting God is so much easier said than done, as is waiting patiently.

On a different note, a more fun note, here are some photos I took the other day when I went on a walk.

I love being outside, especially in the summertime.













and a not so wild creature: