Dear to Me

I celebrated my birthday with four girls who I love very much tonight! They all out-did themselves in celebrating my birthday and it was fun to have everybody together and enjoy some sketchy (but delicious!) Mexican food together. I am thankful and will miss them when I leave South Carolina. Oh dear...the nostalgia begins. :)

He Met Me!

If I had to name two of my biggest pet peeves about Christians, I would say carrying your Bible to church in the box it came in and over-spiritualizing lame experiences. That said, I think I'm about to do the second. I am finding that God is just totally meeting me where I'm at...even when I'm in that whole wallowing spot that accomplishes just about nothing for Him and adds nothing to His glory.

Last night I was bummed. I had just torn a link off of my paper chain and counted how many I had left. 40 days. I wrote a post about that, so, if you read it, you can see that I was just feeling really discouraged. I opened my Bible afterwards to do my quiet time and God just absolutely met me. I began recalling all of the things in the Bible that took forty days: Jesus' temptation, Moses going up on the mountain to be in God's presence and get the 10 commandments, Noah's time in the ark... Then God brought one to mind that I hadn't thought of before...Jesus' time here after his resurrection. I started thinking about it. Jesus died, went to be with his Father in heaven for 3 days, then CAME BACK here and stayed for 40 days. Can you even imagine? I mean, I want to go home...and that is a place filled with sin, hopelessness, sinful people (me included!), and uncertainty. I love it, but it is all of those things. Jesus' home was perfect in every sense of the word but he CAME BACK for 40 days.

I have to confess: I'm a bit of cynic. (Knew that already?! Sorry, I don't do much to hide it!) I have heard people say that Jesus has had any experience that I have ever had and that he can relate to me in every sense of my life. But, honestly, I had not really, personally encountered this to be true until last night.

To use a junior high youth retreat term, God has been "rocking my face off" this semester by teaching me to trust him and drawing me into a deeper and deeper relationship with him. I am more aware of his intimacy now than any other point in my life as a believer. Weird thing is, ever since about 5 days ago, I've been feeling a rift. I was trying to think if there was some kind of sin pattern that was unconfessed or unresolved relationship stuff or what when my memory verse from last month hit me: "Let us go right into the presence of God, with hearts fully trusting him..." That's it! I had quit trusting him, quit believing him for what he said he would do. My heart was divided. How could I expect to be in his presence?!

Well, those are just a few reflections for tonight. Let's just say 39 days seems a whole lot more do-able now and (as usual!) my "problems" are becoming more and more microscopic as I consider this God who holds the span of all of creation between his thumb and forefinger! Praise Him, for He is bigger than us and He has overcome the world!

40 Days

I miss my friends.

40 days until I graduate. It's hard not to wish it away. I know I never get it back, but right now, I don't even want it! I just want to be back with my dear Rentel sisters and sit around and talk for hours, take forever to make a simple decision, shorten words unnecessarily, have sleep over after sleep over, eat dinner three hours later than anyone else and laugh endlessly. I'm so excited for the day that I don't have to say goodbye for a long time like this anymore.

Six Little Letters

Yesterday I passed my LEED exam. I'm a LEED AP!!! These six little letters represent more than 100 hours of studying, a goal accomplished, and the faithfullness of my God! He did this!

I've been studying for the exam since January, studying for a total of 2 months before taking the exam. Passing it means I'll be able to work on sustainable interior design projects to help achieve LEED certification. Every single day of studying has been a struggle--to be motivated to do it, to understand what I'm learning, and to remember it. I've been asking God almost every day to help me to be committed to this and to help improve my recall. Last weekend, I finished all of my studying and took a practice test. I got a 45%. I was so discouraged. I kept studying and I kept taking practice tests. I got a 46%, 51%, 90% (yay!), and then on the last night before my exam...a 39%. I was so discouraged. I knew that I couldn't pass this test. I prayed about it and it was like the Lord spoke directly to me telling me that (once again!) I needed to trust Him and that He would come through and that HE (not me!) would receive the glory for it. So, I trusted.

My test was at 2:30 yesterday in Greenville off of exit 48. I live at exit 27, so I left with an hour and 45 minutes to get there. That is more than enough time. As I was leaving, I was amazed that I didn't feel nervous at all, I felt an overwhelming peace. At exit 40, I hit stand still traffic and I sat at this exit for an hour and fifteen minutes. There had been a big accident and I didn't even get to start moving from this exit until 2:35. I made it to the test site at 3:00 and asked if they would please let me take the exam. The lady said I could, but I'd have to finish at the same time I was originally scheduled to, 4:30. That shaved an hour off of my allotted test time, and my practice tests told me I needed the full time. I took it anyway. When I finished the exam, I was amazed. I had passed. Glory be to God! I am experiencing what it means to trust Him in a whole new way. I am learning that he cares about these little things in my life!

Headed back to Colorado today for spring break! Please pray for this family.

God is using the paraphrase of 2 Cor 5: 14-21 in a powerful way right now! I think this is the verse he is showing me to memorize for the second half of this month. It is incredible, I am seeing that Christ is placing scripture in my life through music, chapel, church, and my quiet times. He is persistently placing the same scriptures before me, over, and over again. I have so much to learn. Here are the verses he's using now:

14-15Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.
16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.
21How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God. -2 Cor 5:14-21 The Message

Aren't We Resourceful?

Mary Chath had an interview this morning. She has a sweating problem and she was worried that her pit stains would show through her blazer by the time she arrived at her interview. Well...I decided to fix this problem by affixing a couple of trusty pantiliners to her top and to the arms of her blazer. Perfect. :)
Mary Chath thinks that I need to have a section of my blog called "I Lack Discretion" for times like this. Puh-lease. Blogs are about real life...and this is it.

And look, she's all ready to go...and no one will know about our secret little helper! :-)

Don't worry, the sporty little t-shirt watch she has on this picture was wrestled away from her before she made it out the door. ;-) Good luck, Mary Kathryn!

So This is College, Part 1.1

Shoot. My right arm is burned really bad. Nothing else is though. Looking forward to a pretty awkward tan, meanwhile, it's on fire.

So This is College, Part 1

As I approach graduation, I've begun to get a little bit nostalgic. As I've walked this campus, I've thought of so many memories I cherish of college, but I've also thought of a lot of things that I thought I would do in college, but haven't. I'm on a mission to do these things before it's too late! ;) So,

#1. Sunbathe on the roof.
Since Anderson is a Christian college, they have a designated area where girls are permitted to lay out, and it's on top of our administration building and dining hall. Of course, girls lay out all over, but I really wanted to try out the roof. What a little sanctuary! It's the only place you can be alone on the whole campus. I plan to frequent it 'til I graduate. :)

It took some convincing to get Mary Chath on the roof, but she finally did it!
Unfortunately, I had to study while I was up there...my LEED exam is on Thursday. That's my dorm you see in the background.
#2 is clearly "Grow Mary Chath some facial hair." I laughed for quite awhile about this one!

Beyond the Veil

I'm going through a Bible study this year that is about the New Testament fullfillment of the Tabernacle and how the Old Testament tabernacle gains it's fullness through the New Covenant through Christ. It is SO neat and I am learning so much. I am seeing how very true God's Word is and how he has carefully planned the redemption of his people. I've been progressing through each part of the tabernacle, the alter, the Holy Place, and now the Holy of Holies. As I stepped for the first time into studying the Holy of Holies today, here were some thoughts:

• "Perhaps you will wonder as you complete this week's study how a God so holy could be so committed to reconciling sinful humanity to Himself. Our God is both terrifying and tender, universal and personal."
• "So great was God's glory that entrance behind the veil for the masses had to be withheld, or they would die. The veil not only protected God's dwelling place, but also protected the people yet unprepared to stand in His presence.
• "We can never partake of God's glory without His presence evoking a change in us. This is exactly why we avoid His presence."
• "This is the marvelous two edged sword of intimacy. We see Him more clearly and we see ourselves more clearly. It is the perfect safeguard against pride. You can mark His word on this: true intimacy breeds humility."
• When Christ died on the cross, the curtain tore! "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook and rocks split." (Matt. 27:51)

Woo Hoo!

I have an interview scheduled for March 17, while I'm home for spring break!

Snow Day!

What a beautiful day! We got about 4 inches of snow in Anderson last night and had no school today. Last night I tried to go sledding with one of my Rubbermaid tub lids. I got a really big bruise on my leg and didn't go very far. Dangit. :) Today, was more successful. We took a walk around the historical district and campus and snapped some fun snow pictures. Then we went to the coffee shop (surprisingly open) and had coffee. It's fun to have an unexpected day off and to enjoy fun time with my roommates.

I went on a little snow man hunt. This one was at one of the ministry houses...really cute!

Very festive, I thought...but why does the mouth look bloody?
"What if your husband were this tall? It'd be like..." Thanks for that, Lauren.
Look carefully, I'm in there!

Getting on this big snowball was a challenge! We had to get a running start. Our jeans were all soaked after this!
Look at that snow fort. Wish we had made it!
I hate it when I smile like a muppet. Weird.

20 Simple Design-y Things I Can't Do Without

Ever since this post, I've been itching to do a post about one of my loves, interior design. When people find out that I'm an interior design major, they always want me to come and give them ideas. In truth, I'm primarily interested in promoting health, safety, and welfare in public spaces, so houses don't interest me that much. That said, here are 20 things I think are always worth doing:
1. Attractive concealed storage

One of the things I hear people saying is that they don't want their homes to look like a showhome or a musuem, because then it isn't personal or their own. At the same time, though, people only spend money and energy doing the parts of their homes that other people see first. Ever notice that the master bedroom gets done last and the kitchen and living area are first? If people are to really enjoy their homes as their own, I think that the things that only they see should have just as much design quality as the public spaces in their homes. So, things like drawer organizers, closets, and drawer liner paper are some things worth selecting carefully.

2. Subway Tile

I love it applied on the floor or vertically, in a kitchen, bathroom, foyer... It is so classy.

3. Collections of Art, Tightly Clustered in Stairwells

I love this. Stairwells are such wasted space if you don't do something with them. You can interject an incredible amount of design quality into what is otherwise a meaningless space by hanging a bunch of artwork, photographs, etc. Obviously, something has to be unifying about the arrangement, or it will look amatuer. Go for all black frames in several styles, use all square frames, use all black and white photographs, for example.

4. Apothocary Jars

I'm a huge fan of these to replace the blah canister set on the kitchen counter or in the bathroom to hold bath salts, sea sponges, or cotton balls.

5. Coral

Coral is one of those cliche design things that I just can't get over. I love it on the bottom shelf of a night stand, clustered with books on a bookshelf, or combined with several other coral species in a rough hewn wooden bowl. Of course, use faux (cheaper and eco-friendly).

6. Lamps (in Bathrooms and on Bookshelves)

I love small lamps in unexpected places, like on bookshelves and on bathroom vanities.

7. Glass Lamps

Something about a glass lamp just gets me every time. It is such a nice texture, does great things with the light, and looks classy. My favorites are the stacked glass ball lamps.

8. Wallpaper in Closets

Yes, please. As a general rule of thumb, I don't think that wallpaper is very practical or attractive in large amounts. But, in a small space, like a closet, it's a show-stopper.

9. Euro Shams

These are large, square pillows for a bed. I like them because they pack a lot of punch so you don't have to inundate your bed with throw pillows (so impractical!). I like three on a queen and four on a king.

10. Juxtaposition

I love old with new, like putting antiques with more contemporary pieces. I also love juxtaposition of textures, like linen with velvet. Beautiful.

11. Famous Designer Pieces

Maybe it is just because I've memorized so many chairs, their designers, and the movements they represent in design school, but I love a famous piece here and there. Not practical for most people, probably, but I love it. I'm a big fan of the womb chair and think it'd be cute in a nursery in place of a rocker.

12. Bold Pops of Color on Small Casepieces

If you can use small splashes of color on things like nightstands, small consoles or demilunes, it can look really nice amidst traditional wood or neutral paint finishes.

13. Drum Shades

14. Beautiful Bathroom Mirrors

The architectural standard rectangle hanging in the bathroom has got to go. Get a beautiful framed mirror and hang it in it's place.

15. Patterned Sheets

I think patterned sheets are adorable, and even think you can do cute things with mismatched fitted and flat patterned sheets if you have some unifying element (color, for example).

16. Mismatched Chairs Around a Dining Table


This is fun and practical. You can get new dining chairs on the cheap that are the last in a set or you can antique or junk for them. Be careful, they need to be all about the same scale and have some unifying element (heard that three times now?!).

17. Rounding Dining Tables

They're practical and they look really nice. Round dining tables make conversation happen more naturally and you can squeeze more people in if you need to add seats. They look great with chairs around them or without if you need to set up a buffet on your table. A round dining table looks great draped with a table cloth or naked.

18. Sideboards in Dining Rooms

This is kind of a lost piece of furniture in a lot of homes. People get too large of dining tables for their dining rooms and then can't fit a low, wide console storage piece called a sideboard. They are great because you can store your china, flatware, and your linens in the closed storage and dress up the top with attractive accessories. When you have people over, everything is in the room you need it and you can arrange platters and serving dishes on it and serve food buffet style off of it.

19. Children's Art Work, Hung Gallery Style

There is no better way to inspire a young artist than to give it the respect it deserves. You can make the art more easily replaced by forgoing the glass of the frames and putting in cork. Just tack up the artwork and the cork can serve as an attractive mat that easily adjusts to the size of the art.

20. Proper Lightbulbs and Lighting

I'm a huge fan of CFCs for their longevity and their eco-friendliness, but I much prefer the look of soft white incandescants. In bathrooms or above mirrors, I love pink bulbs. I think as many lights as possible should be on 3-way switches or dimmers. People look most attractive when they are uplighted instead of downlighted, so for a table, I love candles only. For the most part, I could do without overhead fixtures in favor of lots and lots of task lighting.

Esodus

I've talked on here about my use of a set of spiral bound index cards to keep verses full of Truth at my finger tips. I have been amazed at how God has shown himself faithful to use this to replace lies and strongholds in my life and to propel my prayer life. Recently, I was inspired to take this to the next level with Beth Moore's post here. In her post, she challenges her readers to join with her and commit to memorizing a verse on the 1st and 15th of each month and to pray that God would lead you to memorize specific scriptures that He would want to prioritize in your life. So, I'm a little late in getting on this band wagon, but I'm planning to memorize this verse for the next 15 days:

"Let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting Him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." Hebrews 10:22-23 (NLT)

Boy, is God working on my heart to trust Him right now! No real prospects as far as jobs go, but God has been reminding me day after day of just how faithful He is, and His peace has not left me that He WILL provide. Today we start a new series for the 2s and 3s at church on trusting God. Timely for me too! Faith like a child, right?! More on this journey later...

Hoping for snow tonight!