Alaskan Adventure Part 1

So I made it. Nothing too eventful. 3 hour layover in Minne-haha. LONG plane ride to Anchorage. Met a girl who is interviewing with Providence on Friday. She had a pharmacy review book in her hand, so I made an assumption and introduced myself. I was right. Nice girl. What if I ended up working with her next year? Crazy.

Met some of the nicest people on the plane while were standing around stretching our legs. Pretty sure a lady who's husband works for Fedex knew the mother of one of my Briarcrest girls. Small world. Always. So far the tally is 1 connection made. I'm hopeful for more. Don't ask me why I play this game. I just enjoy it. Maybe I'm vain.

Had the nicest cab driver who's originally from Macedonia. Great story. The lady who owns the Bed and Breakfast I'm staying at is also great. She has a 4-year-old daughter who's precious.

It's -4 with a wind chill of -12 degrees here. Great times. Interview tomorrow. Beastly presentation. I'm a little nervous. We'll see how things go.

I'm tired...

of it. And disappointed too. Why does the Church (the people claiming to belong to Christ) in America look just like those who don't (belong to Him)? I can't figure it out. I know that society has been going to hell in a handbasket for decades now, but we weren't required to follow. Remember? We're DIFFERENT! We have been redeemed. We DON'T HAVE TO live in slave to sin anymore. So what are we doing?

I'm disgusted. And it starts with me. I've been spiritually lazy for over a month now, and the worst part is...NOBODY NOTICED. There are not many people near me who are challenging me and making me want to know Christ more. I do have a few, and for those I am eternally grateful. But when I'm slacking, it should cause issues in my close relationships. Sometimes it does, but someone should love me enough and be attentive to the Holy Spirit to know when I need a little spurring on.

What are we doing? I cried tonight for a while about my generation...and just the state of spiritual shallowness of too many Christians. I won't even get started on kids in high school now.

I expect lost people to act like lost people. Why would they be any different? But my pastor challenged us today by asking us what encounter did we last have with Jesus that defines how we now live. What's your answer? If it was your conversion however many years ago, what have you been doing? Why didn't you meet with Him this morning? Why don't I meet with Him multiple times every day? What are we thinking? That WE can do it? CAN we? Does that ever work out well?

Why do "Christians" not know enough about their faith to share with those they love? Why are they not trying to learn? Why are we rude, inconsiderate, impatient, dishonest, greedy, selfish, and mean? Why would "Christians" cuss? Is that a "freedom" you think you're entitled to in Christ? If you can explain to me how that directly brings God glory, I'll shut up about it. And don't even get me started on the "stumbling block" concept.

Why do we not want more out of our relationship with our Savior? He's the Lord of all that is. What better Person could you possibly have in your corner? I don't care where you are in this or if you've ever worked on your Walk with Him before, just GET STARTED. We are so running out of time. If He's not real and alive to you and you "know" Him, what hope does a lost world have of finding Him?

Ash Wednesday

Yep, that's today. So if you saw some people walking around with black dots on their forehead, they are probably Catholic, and they were showing reverence for the holiday. Once I was made aware of this beginning of Lent by a friend on MySpace, I decided to observe it.

The next step: what will I give up? I thought about the regular things: chocolate, cokes, coffee, or things like that. Then I thought about how improbable that would be for me. I've had at least two of the three already today. Then I decided on a couple of words that I would cut from my vocabulary for the 40 days.

This seemed simple enough. However, I counted a total of 6 times that one of them found its way to my lips. It is honestly disheartening that so little thought goes into what I let myself say. I had been convicted recently about words since the Bible talks so much about them and how not to use them frivolously. Ouch. Yeah, I'm feeling the sting on that one.

So I start this thing again tomorrow. And I'll keep trying until I finally break myself. I didn't realize how poorly disciplined I had become. Ugh. Spiritual out-of-shape-ness is uglier than physical. And way harder to fix.

This guy is honkin' hilarious. I think I've worn it out. It's on my myspace AND my facebook page. Seriously, this singer/songwriter Dave Barnes HAS to be one of the funniest kids I've ever seen. AND talented. Homeboy can sing and write as well! How come some get all the talent and the rest of us get very little? Shouldn't there be some rationing of this stuff?

I got to wear scrubs to rotation yesterday because I got to witness triple bypass open heart surgery, or a CABG (coronary artery bypass graft). It was really cool. I was never sick or even light-headed. I got a little nervous when they broke out the saw to crack open the sternum, but all went well. Neat stuff.

Then I flew to Chicago yesterday afternoon. Ugh, airlines. I'll stop there. Love this city. So much going on. And it was beautiful to get to see it all from the plane. It's huge. And freezing.

Currently the temp is -0.6 degrees with a windchill of -19. Lucky me. At least I'm getting a feel for what I would really be in for if I chose to work here. Please pray for my interview.

Have a great day.

My Valentine

Okay, I don't really have one, but I did receive gifts. My dad and my stepmom came up to drop off a car for me to drive since my policy on the rental ran out today. In the car they had left a gift bag of candy and a gift card, along with some food from MamaJo. They're consistently thoughtful like that.

Then I came home to see this...

from my awesome roommate. Why do I have all these amazing people in my life? I have no idea, but I'm thankful. See? No bitter single here on Single's Awareness Day. I had a great one, and I knew that I would. Happy Valentine's to you!

Not again...

I walked into Sunday School today to see a tv/vcr set up at the front of the room. Immediately, I groaned internally. I had an idea of what was about to take place. And sure enough, it was announced that we would be going through Tommy Nelson's study of the Song of Solomon. I winced as my dread was affirmed.

Don't get me wrong; this is a great study. I went to a conference of his live in Memphis, TN when I was a sophomore in college and have heard the tapes many times since then. He's the real deal. And he brings it.

However, as a Christian single, I get this sense that people, or better yet the Church, feel they need to address this issue that's lacking in my life. They act like, or I get the feeling that if I just learned the right Truth, or prayed the right prayer, or memorized the right verses, then God would bless me with a mate. I know that's not what they're saying, but it makes me feel like that sometimes.

I don't feel a sense of lacking...anything. And I'm very aware that whatever I may be lacking, there sure isn't any guy that's gonna bring it to me. The only thing I need is to be more like Christ, and I need that guidance in abundance.

I'm just tired of feeling like people see me as incomplete or immature or not having crossed some threshold of life because I'm not dating or immediately headed towards marriage. I'm not against any of those things, but they are just not in my life right now. And I'm okay with it! I like my life right now. I'm finishing up a doctorate program and about to move to some cool state north of here. I'm so pumped about the adventures that God has in store for me there.

And I tend to get into it with my family about my theories on the subject. I know I have high standards. NO, contrary to my family's belief, I'm not waiting to marry Jesus. But if my requirement that they love Jesus more than anything else, be taller than me, not able to be beaten up by me, have a level of intelligence that I can respect rules them out, it's not my problem! I'll stay single before I just settle for what I can see. I won't apologize.

I'm not harsh or scary or wierd about this stuff; I promise. I, like any other girl, can't wait to be pursued and romanced and appreciated. I look forward to serving and respecting and learning from and with a guy in the future. But there are only certain ways I will enter into that. And that's all I have to say about that.

Headed to Chicago on Thursday for another interview. I get to see my cousin Murray and his wife while I'm there. I'm excited.

In the Dub

Washington, that is. I apologize up front that this post may be a little random. I plan on touching on the shallow, not-important things then wrapping up with things that matter. So here goes...

The first leg went fine. Got on the plane in Nashville and got off at Denver. Had some time to kill. Ate supper. Called a few folks. Walked to the gate for my flight to SeaTac. There had been a medical emergency of some sort that I never figured out that caused the boarding to be delayed. But no big deal. I got put by a young guy who played the drums in a band and who I thought was going to beat the armrests off the row before the flight was over. But he was nice.

We landed about 10 minutes behind schedule, then it took them 20 to get our luggage off. Then I'm off to find the rental car. Well, because it's 11:00 p.m. now, the office inside the baggage claim is closed. Now I have to lug everything downstairs to the parking garage...which is where I find out that the company I chose has its office off-site, and I will have to catch a shuttle. So I walk over to the courtesy phone, dial my people, and let the guy on the other end tell me that they don't have any cars but to come on. I was ticked at this point. So I get on this shuttle and make the driver tell me that they do in fact have a car for me before I leave the premises. Otherwise, reservation or not, I was bout to be hitting up the places on site.

So this nice driver who unfortunately gets caught in this mess takes me over and I encounter the manager who doesn't care about and is in no hurry. And customer service is not a concept that has dawned upon these people, but they're generally nice, so we proceed.

All he had left was a black Jeep Commander. So I ended up with a way more expensive car for my same cheap rate. And this thing is G'd. Leather interior, huge interior. I really like it. I had forgotten what it was like to drive an SUV. I kinda missed it for a second. So I drove down to my hotel and things get way uneventful from here.

Interview today. Interview tomorrow. Now for the good stuff...

I was reading in Psalm 69 today at breakfast, and I realized that David was such a great pray-er. Prayer is something I've been wanting to become more effective at, and he's such a great one to learn from: so passionate, so real, and even though I know it's translated, his articulation moves me.

I find myself wanting to pray exactly what he did. Verses 5-6:

O God, You know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden
from You. Let not those who hope in You be put to shame through me, O Lord
God of hosts; let not those who seek You be brought to dishonor through
me, O God of Israel.

Then in verse 13, he absolutely nails it:

But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of Your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.