"Consider the Ravens..."

      This time of year brings up lots of memories and emotions for seemingly all of humanity.  Parties, family gatherings, and favorite faith traditions dominate our calendars, and with them, an unusual amount of socializing...  It's in these moments we attempt to catch up with people we don't see as often as we would like or family that doesn't live nearby.  And it's these moments where the inevitable annual questions are asked: "So, how's work?" "Are you still living in the same place?" "How is your family doing?" And if you're single: "Are you... seeing anyone? (insert elbow jab here)" This year, my goal was to get both feet in the door and both shoes off before Grandma hit me with that last one.  Goal: achieved.  My second goal was to not roll my eyes when she finally asked.  Goal: failed.  Maybe next year. Truthfully, in the last 6 months, I've come to really appreciate the gift of my singleness.  I...

Last Fall, I landed a 30-hr/week job as a Kindergarten teaching assistant with one of the large metro schools here.  I had worked in the neighborhood of my assigned school a few years back and was aware of the demographics and what that might mean for the students I would interact with daily.  I knew, or at least assumed based on past experience, that this job would be a place that stretches me because this side of town was so different than my upbringing.  I knew I wouldn't fit in, even if I didn't mean to stand out.  But I was excited to do this job well, regardless of the challenges I might face. My students, for the most part, were from low-income families, often with just one parent, and in many cases, they were already considered to be at-risk children.  Almost all my students were people of color (non-white).  The school itself had been reinforced with community programming, services, and intervention programs to help support families with whatever...

I recently finished reading Lysa Terkeurst's book "The Best Yes."  In this real-life book about making better decisions in today's culture, she details hilariously relatable stories and moments that God used to refine her pace of life.  I initially started reading it because I'm a recovering perfectionist, and by association, a recovering workaholic (read: people-pleaser).  I kept reading it because she had a lot of great things to say past, "Stop over-scheduling yourself."  I finished it because I needed the answer to one of the heaviest questions in my life: What is my Best Yes for singleness?  What does it look like for a young woman, such as myself, to live a life that is undoubtedly following the Lord, but not in a position to pursue some of my longest-held dreams: marriage and a family? Disclaimer: at no point in this post will you find the ultimate answer to dating, finding your spouse, or a happy marriage.  These are just my reflections from ex...

I re-listened to a sermon yesterday on the theology of suffering from a pastor (Levi Lusko) who suffered immense pain after losing his daughter to an asthma attack in 2012.  The following quotation has caused me to stop and think so many times since initially hearing it that I couldn't help but share it and relate it to my new career endeavor. "If we take away suffering altogether, we take away the ministry. The Bible tells us that we're a royal priesthood and holy nation and we like that!  But most of us forget that Kings and Priests have to be anointed.  What are they anointed with? Oil.  Where does oil come from?  Olives-- olives that have been pressed and crushed and broken down so that the goodness can be drawn out from it.  Who was crushed in order to be anointed?  Jesus.  He was crushed at Gethsemane (literally meaning "oil press") so we could take His anointing as kings and priests of God's kingdom. In return, we sometimes feel crushed b...

Last January, I listened to a sermon by Christine Caine (one of my present day heroes) who was speaking to 40,000 college students about their life purpose.  She read the story of Elisha and how God basically plucked him out of the field from behind an ox to serve in one of the biggest and most intense jobs of his time.  She admonished the students to never shy away from hard and less-than-glamorous work but rather, to get behind the plow and work hard and trust that God is using your today to shape your tomorrow.  She told her own story and ways that God plucked her from the "plow" with jobs she never thought she'd do.  She challenged us to be okay with where God has us now. One of the most beautiful and terrifying things about living a life of faith is God's ability and propensity to change directions in our lives with hardly any notice.  There have been a few seasons where I sensed God might move, but rarely have I known how, when, or why.  For the pas...