My Big Fat American Yard Sale

You really should have been there. But some people were there at 5;45, which was quite unnecessary considering I had just put out a fire in my kitchen caused by an old pizza box being in the oven when the oven was turned on to make the mornings' muffins. It was a crazy day, to say the least.
But by 6:30 Kristin had arrived with a cardboard/bag thing filled with Panera coffee, and a shopping bag filled with some of today's hottest items. Individual chips and salsa plate things went within a minute of being put on the shelf. Capri jeans were bought on impulse. Even a free recipe book from Publix gathered 10 cents from a sweet old lady. But what didn't sell, and it was the strangest thing, were matching peach and lime green business suits with gold buttons. Why she would be getting rid of them in the first place was beyond my understanding, but then to watch as customer after customer overlooked this trendy sell blew us away.
By the time Seth arrived (about 7:30), we were ready for action. The sale had been a quiet one thus far, but we came to find that screaming "This is the worst yard sale ever" as loud as we could seemed to tear down the walls between ourselves and those hungry yard sale shoppers. Time after time our tactic worked so we actually reached a point where we controlled the flow of shoppers. Essentially, we became string masters.
During one of our down times, after having eaten all the muffins and the donated halloween cookies (which were totally good, thanks to Heather), listening to David Crowder and Nickel Creek on repeat, taking pictures of my Sigmund Freud action figure slam dunking in our old basketball goal and Seth's ugly doll squished in between two poles of our fence (see Seth's blog @ www.awakeland.blogspot.com), we had a brilliant idea. We put on the matching outfits.

The driveway changed from a parking lot into a runway and we could have put on a fashion show if we wanted. Instead, we didn't want. We just sat around rummaging through the items for sale and putting them to enterainment use. I won't elaborate on how both Seth and Kristin stole items right in front of my eyes.

Special thanks to Stacie and the apple cider, Stephen and the donation and teaching us how to talk to dogs, Linda Blough and the Swing's, Victory who had great timing at showing up when it was over (as did Stacey loo and her mom!!!), Jenn and Mike, and anyone else I've forgotten. But Kristin and Seth, you raised the friendship bar. You guys are awesome. I have such great friends.

And then, we cannot forget to share about my brother Mike.

He made sure all my friends got a tour of where my dead cat is buried. Thanks Mike! You are priceless!!!

So, that was my morning. I spent the afternoon sleeping and finishing a painting I've been working on.
See ya next week, when I will be trying to sell all the leftover crap. Just kidding. I won't be doing that again for a while.
Instead, I'll be working the early morning shift at It's A Grind (also known as The Elbow) with Seth. So essentially, we will be reinacting our purposeful early morning routine on a regular basis.

My Yard Sale

Ashley's YARD SALE
--a wide variety of stuff for you to buy--
All proceeds go to Missions!!!

Hey friends and family,
Please come to my yard sale this weekend and see if you find anything you want.
I'm selling lots of fun clothes, cd's, books, and random things from foreign countries!!!
Also, I'll have homebaked goodies donated by my great friends!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8th
6:30-1:00

Directions: Take 65 to Concord Road. Go west and turn Right on Lipscomb Drive. It's near Interstate 65. Our house is
1519 Lipscomb Drive, about 1.5 miles down the road.

The Holy Shadow

Did you know the word "shadow" has 18 definitions in the dictionary? I looked up stalker first, thinking Holy Stalker would have been a better name for this blog entry...but every definition for "stalker" included words like "stealthily" or "malice", which when used to define God as I was trying to do by giving him a name this morning, would sound as if I am suggesting God to be intentionally set on doing evil or harm. Clearly, that's not what I mean so I chose "shadow" simply because one of it's 18 definitions said "a constant presence". I guess this is the best way to describe who God showed Himself to be this morning.

I was reading Genesis 32:22-32, Jacob wrestles with God. From some other resources I used, I saw that about 7 chapters earlier, God came to Jacob in a dream and promised him the Abraham covenant/blessing almost immediately after he'd just duped his father and older brother into giving him the firstborn inheritance belonging to his older brother Esau.
Before I go further, I need to say that I had spent most of the early morning outside, thinking about God in new ways, but I couldn't explain them to you now. What I realized was that the childhood God I've learned about growing up continues to be a less than accurate description of who God really is. Or maybe I just misconstrued it through life. Regardless, I'm learning things about God I should have known a long time ago, but for some reason I didn't...or didn't know them in a real way.
So I said, "Alright, Mr. Man in the sky. Just exactly who are you? Show me something about yourself today." And then I sat down to read my Bible.
That is where Holy Shadow/Stalker came in. In Genesis 25 and 32--as well as Luke 15, and not to mention the lives of myself, my Dad, my ex-boyfriend CJ, my friend Stephen, and on and on throughout the ages of us really rebellious and streets-of-new-york sinners who enjoyed addiction too much--GOD is a Holy Stalker. A Holy Shadow. He's there, waiting to rescue us. He's not approving of our sin, but he's letting it happen. He knows about it. He's up in the rafters observing every thought and attitude and behavior. And along the way, he's dropping subtle hints of His presence: love letters, business cards, flowers, etc. However, there's a catch. The catch depends on the state of our own heart. The catch is "Are we willing to be found? Are we willing to be gotten? Are we willing to be saved?" Until we can say "Heck yes I am", God's still up in the rafters of our lives.

So, I'm reading in Genesis about how God comes to Jacob in a dream and makes promises and bestows blessings, and I"m thinking "Ok, God. So you are telling me that even in my badness or rebellion, you are coming after me and even willing to go so far as bless me? That's not something I remember knowing about you before." It's sad, I know. But it's just today's lesson in my life.

I turned to Luke 15, probably one of my most favorite parts of the Gospels. The Big 3. The Lost Sheep. The Lost Silver Coin. The Lost Child. In all three stories, God is going after the 1...because there is more rejoicing in Heaven over the 1 coming back to God than the 99 who already have Him. A story about lost sheep will reach the majority of the world who lives off the land, barely getting by, recognizing the high value of one lost sheep. The Lost Coin speaks to the calloused souls of all of us, to the American capitalism, to the go-getters who are out for money. And the Lost Child...well that's my story. That's the parable Christ threw in at the end, with lots of detail (21 verses!) for people like me who don't care so much about sheep or coins, but whose hearts break in half over people and relationships.

God, in his grace, chases after sinners. Jacob, the prodigal child, Ashley...all of us I guess. But even the vilest of sinners in the middle of their sin can meet God. Because God chases us and meets us in our need. He loves saving us, for this is who He is--our salvation. Christ even said, "It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." That's why Christ always hung out with ragamuffins. They admitted they weren't perfect by their outward behavior.

So, in all these stories, God will most definately chase after you but when he finds you, you have to be willing to be taken. And if trials come after that or during that, it's because He loves you enough to let you learn from your mistakes so that grace is real to you. So that you too come to the point of admittance for help.

That's my sermon. I just wanted to share with you what I learned today. Maybe it will help 1 of you. From what I learned today, it's all about the 1.

Infoplease

www.infoplease.com

How does one find time to work, sleep, eat, and play when websites such as this exist in the .com world? I don't think I'm going to be able to remove my eyes from this for a longggggg time.

Sunscreen

ok, i know this is probably the supreme cheese to most of you, but this morning as iwas getting ready for my breakfast date with amy-jo, something inside my head broke down and the memorized parts of this speech came rushing back to my awareness. it put me in high spirits. reread this, just for fun. it's really pretty good. the part that i remembered this morning was "don't be reckless with other people's hearts. don't put up with people who are reckless with yours." that's good! it means something different to me now than it did then. in light of Christ and his example of forgiveness and acceptance, i think it just means that we are supposed to decide how we are going to treat someone and then do it, regardless of how our pride suddenly kicks in or our heart starts hurting or our "list of wrongs" that we are not supposed to keep comes popping up in our heads and we become the defense against all those around us who are reckless with our hearts. because the bottomline is that people are reckless and selfish but lots of us are trying to be different. it's hard to be different when our natural response is to protect ourselves or try to make our case clear to the world.
but sometimes, you just have to stop. just stop and do the thing that scares you, or the thing that doesn't feel natural, or the thing that hardens you to difficulties while not making you everyone's doormat. how do you love those who aren't being all that loveable? and how do you understand their side, so that you realize maybe they are doing all they can today and their best just won't be what we think it should be. their best might be crap to us and it might hurt us and we might take it personally, but it might just be all they have to give.
Amy Bryant once told me "God will promote you." Those words are so important to me. God will defend my case, uphold my cause. He will make it shine in His righteousness.

Ok, go read the sunscreen song...pick one sentence and do it today.

Baz Luhrman - Sunscreen Speech
================================

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ?9...Wear sunscreen


If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years youll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked...Youre not as fat as you imagine.

Dont worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Dont be reckless with other peoples hearts, dont put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Dont waste your time on jealousy; sometimes youre ahead, sometimes youre behind...the race is long, and in the end its only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Dont feel guilty if you dont know what to do with your life...the most interesting people I know didnt know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still dont.

Get plenty of calcium

Be kind to your knees, youll miss them when theyre gone.

Maybe youll marry, maybe you wont, maybe youll have children, maybe you wont, maybe youll divorce at 40, maybe youll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary...what ever you do, dont congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody elses.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can...dont be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, its the greatest instrument youll ever own.

Dance...even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you dont follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

49 second break in speech -- Quindon singing

Get to know your parents, youll never know when theyll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, price will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do youll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Dont expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Dont mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.

Be careful who advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than its worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen...

I'm encouraged!

So many of you have recently emailed me about the Uganda blog a few days ago. Your support and common interest in the betterment of mankind is so encouraging. God is clearly moving in the lives and hearts of his people, and I"m thankful for those of you who are connecting with me in that way.

To Andrew and April Crouch, thank you for loving Africa and trying to find a way to show that. You have done something remarkable in the short time you have been married. You've shown me two people who are knit together for the common good.

To Sarah Bedenbaugh/Jenkins and her family over on the East Coast, thank you for your kind words and your email about the work in Liberia. I'm encouraged by the work of our forefathers around the world. You've inspired me to dig deeper into those interests I have and to share what I"m learning. And thanks for the 50 pound package a few years ago!!!

To Gandyland, who triumphed over the dark forces of poorness and found a way to move to Moldova. God's rallying his troops for that land. Way to join in!!!

To Liz down in law school in Texas. So let me get this right? You're a second year law student who is already debating cases, you just got trained to be a Red Cross chaplain, you spent the summer working in a law firm in India, you did Disaster Relief work...and you have a boy treating you like poop? Do I or anyone else need to tell you what to do with him? You are amazing and I love you and admire you more than I can express. You deserve the best.

To my sweet monk father in Asia who emailed me today to say he's unhappily miserable in Asia today and wants out. That he seeks peace through himself while I seek it through God, and he's not finding it. Oh how I love you. If I could get on a plane this second I'd do it. My heart feels like its tearing apart all over again at the thought of not seeing you in a month. I"m so sorry. I pray for you every second. God has found you, my friend.

To Amy Bryant and her little man down in Birmingham. Thank you for the great tour of your hometown today. For encouraging me through your questions, through promoting Beeson Divinity School, through your husband's Africa reflections, and through your constant encouragement of me as a woman of the Lord. I love you and your family.

To Arley, who let me sleep in her bed last night while the night thief robbed us of a "real night". It was a fake, plastic night. Thank you for spilling the contents of your heart. FOr your creative talents that you are now using to brighten the world. "This", too, shall pass and you will be able to express it through that talent. I love you Arley Warley.

And to your boy Seth. Thanks for dinner...again. And the honey mustard. And the hippy night looking at stars and for loving your girlfriend so flippin' much in front of me that you give me hope for that in my own life, or just hope. You are awesome and whatever real job you do or don't get doesn't matter in comparison to the light you are in the off hours. You don't need to know how bright you shine, b/c you wouldn't believe it anyways. And it's not in the ways you think. To you, I know that is refreshing.

To Amy Jacobs, who feeds me Cracker Barrel and pumps me full of coffee, then let's me sit back and do what I love to do most--listen to her heart. It's an honor, really. You are a strong lady.

To Kristin Bedi...thanks for chili and cookies. For so much laughter that my sides hurt. For your sweet, innocent spirit that reminds me of days when life was way easier and quaint. Thanks for your parents and their work, your sister and her work, and you and your work...both now and in the future. You will go to India!

To AmyJo Girearererrrrrr, for pursuing a friendship and allowing me to be a fast talker and a new favorite. Back at ya. Thanks for working with those younguns and for making as their model--Christ and those who followed him.

This has become a thank you list, which was not the original intent. But that's ok. It's ok because life is good today. Lynrd Skynrd made me smile as I drove home from Alabama this evening. Sweet Home Alabama, or Tennessee, or wherever. It's all sweet. And it's home. Today that was more than enough for my heart. It was a wonderful day from God of a new adventure, of forgiving others and remembering the past in a new way...a healthy way. Clarity keeps coming in it's quiet ways and I'm just taking it all in.
And even tonight as my heart felt like it was ripping out of my chest as I talked to my parents about Burma, and the streets and the faces and the places and the things going on and all that I am not going back to be a part of...even when that felt like Chinese water torture and I nearly hijacked a plane to Asia ( a oneway one), I still feel ok. Peace hasn't left me. The cloud hasn't moved.

Thank you, Supreme Cloud. Thank you for this life. And for whatever it is or is not...those things you protect me from that I don't even know about. Thank you.

Happy Birthday Gretchen!!!!!

endangered animals. a short story by arley and me.

Over the River and through the Woods. This is where we found ourselves. The treetops danced as the wind whistled in and out of the colored leaves, for the sun was just beginning its habitual descent behind the blushing mountains. Quietness had entered into our wooded haven, and for once we knew that the next few moments would usher into our lives something unseen and yet welcomed.

Ashley and Arley looked away from the disappearing sun and caught one another's gazes. The time had come. We jointly mounted our loyal friend, Windwhister. As we began our exit from the woods which had once held us in innocence and purity, we silently mourned our loss. But life was moving forward and we could not stop it. Times were changing.

Arley looked around the shaved mane of Windwhistler and thanked him, for he was like the only one she could talk to. He gave a "neeeeeeehhhhhhh" and we all smiled.
Ashley spoke first. "Arley, what did we do before we found our joy in skates and horses?"
Arley replied,"Well, I cannot recall, but I can say that I cannot now imagine my life out of skates or off the horse."
So then they strapped on their skates and glided into the theatre to see a PJ movie.

But before they could reach the city gates, a greasy haired blonde man went streaking across the hills.
"Who was that?" Ashley asked.
Arley knew. She had spent many years as a child picking up the pieces of her love dead heart. She knew this man. And she was speechless before him.
"Arley, what is it?" Ashley begged for a reply.
"That? That is Zach-B."
"you act as if you know this man."
Arley slowly explained that he was her first and only love.
We began chasing Zach-B, for he had something we needed, but we didn't know what.

Ashley reached into her satchel but couldn't find her plugs. "Arley, do you have your plugs with you?"
"well, kinda" she said.
Suddenly, Braxton Hicks dashed by with Ashley's plugs!!! And then, soon after came Zach-B riding Windwhistler. He was after her missing plugs.

Resumes and Rivers

"A brutal rebel group responsible for countless atrocities, the Lord's Resistance Army continues to wage war against the Ugandan government, whose undisciplined army has committed crimes against civilians, the very people they are supposed to protect, with near-total impunity. Today, as the war continues into its 19th year, 1.9 million displaced civilians in northern Uganda remain isolated, ignored and unprotected, vulnerable to abuses by both rebel and army forces."

The UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland describes northern Uganda as one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters—and least known. While certain aspects of the war such as the LRA’s mutilations and abductions of children have received occasional media coverage, comparatively little has been done by the Ugandan government and the international community to alleviate the suffering of the more than 1.9 million people forced from their homes in northern Uganda to a precarious existence in government displaced persons camps.

OK, so basically for 4/5 of my life, a war has been continuing in Uganda, and kids my age are now leaders of a rebel army that sneaks in late at night and kidnaps 7 year olds in order them to train them into murderers.
How do we live day in and day out without knowing these kinds of stories? Do you know how much it took for me to hear about this. Why do I feel like I'm living in a bubble. To quote Kevin, "I'm so tired of it."
I mean, why not me? Why wasn't I taken hostage at 7 and handed a gun and forced to shoot someone or die myself? And since it's not me in that position, why am I just sitting here?
"How long, O LORD, have I cried to thee, unanswered? I cry, 'VIOLENCE!', but thou dost not save. Why dost thou let me see such misery, why dost thou let me see wrongdoing? Devastation and violence confront me; strife breaks out, discord raises its head, and so law grows effete; justice does not come forth victorious; for hte wicked outwit the righteous, and so justice comes out perverted." (Hab1.2-4)

Why am I making a stupid resume for a stupid job I don't want--spending all my free time reading about genocide and injustice and wishing for a chance to do something? This is my dilemma today...put forth effort for something i don't want to do, or sit and read about something i can't get enough of (not suggesting that injustice must continue so that i have something to do...don't misunderstand me).

I just feel like a fish out of water right now. I feel stagnant. I believe God is doing things I cannot sense or see right now. Job talks about this when he says that God comes in during the night and basically rearranges his thoughts so that Job wakes up a more Godly man and so that he won't just walk straight into the pit of hell each day. I guess this is what Christ meant when he told us to pray to be delivered from temptation. Because we naturally drift toward evil, much like a piece of wood caught up in the current drifts toward a bigger body of moving water.

But I feel like one of those pieces of wood that gets caught on the brush from the bank, and the water is rushing all around me, and some nights there are big rain storms and I get beat by the wind and water, and some days I'm ok just being idle.

The woman in Proverbs 31 "does not eat the bread of idleness." I feel like I'm dining on it three meals a day. This is not a good feeling. But it's allowing my zeal to grow. Jim Elliot says that a busy schedule filled with mundane tasks is death for the zeal of the Lord. I agree...so I guess I should enjoy this time and nurture my zeal rather than beat it to death with menial tasks.

Therefore, why am I making a resume again? Maybe one day this resume will get me a job where I can sit and know about the pain in the world and have the means to do something about it. Maybe that's what this resume is for...it's like that stream leading to the bigger body of water.

Some of my Favorite Non-Nashville People (not and exhaustive list)

Names will be changed to protect the innocent.

Dietrich B.


Dr. Hoot


Miranda (me...which makes the title of this blog a big fat lie)


Mouth


Criminal Mind


i sure do miss you friends. stay out of jail. and God bless you a million times a minute. Thanks for the going-away fun!

Hello, my name is Simon.

This is my friend Simon. He works at a Buddhist orphanage in Malawi, Africa. He was a Buddhist monk in Myanmar, and I met him when I used to teach his friends at their monastery. Simon and I had really long conversations about life and the world and God. Every tuesday I would go to his monastery and he would teach me how to play chess while we listened to Bob Marley cds. We would cook vegetarian meals together and we'd get lots of cups of coffee together.
He loved me very much. He is like my brother and he always treated me like a sister. Even to this day he calls me sister in emails.
About 10 months into my time there, Simon got sad. He stopped being a monk and we went shopping for normal clothes, not monk robes. He ate dinner with me every night and we'd sit around watching Lauryn Hill concerts.

I love this man so much. He is priceless. He loves the Bible. He was named after Simon Peter. His mom was a Christian.
When I found his picture on the website (www.whfm.org), I cried. He is trying to get involved with the blood:water mission work in Malawi. He's got the biggest heart in Africa.

Today is BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY day.

So i took the scenic route today. I had the absolutely brilliant idea of driving all the way from waynesboro virginia to asheville north carolina via the blue ridge parkway. I'm a loyal visitor of the Natchez Trace, so I figured I should pay my respects to the fellow national parks.
It was so gorgeous. For 10 hours I drove alone down this thing. It took me 3 hours to go 100 miles!!! But 400 miles later, I found myself refreshed and at peace. I laughed. I cried. I screamed at Satan. I screamed to God. I sat in silence. I listened to loud scottish music. I drank infinite cups of bad gas station coffee. I stopped no less that 20 times to go to the potty, and another 20 times for pictures. No wonder it took me 10 hours!
At one point a cricket just hopped into my car through my sun roof. I should have taken his picture.
I found out that colonial reinactments freak me out. Like Williamsburg. It's a cool idea, but I think I'm in a wierd place when it comes to old timey stuff. It makes me feel very lonely.
Speaking of lonely, I was dining at Cracker Barrel, tracing my way down my BRP map. In walks an old couple. You know me with single old men, my heart just breaks. Well today I found something that breaks my heart even more. And that is a old couple who sit and don't even talk to one another. This couple sat down and the wife started saying something to her husband. He totally snapped at her in his broken Virginiain hick english. I looked over in astonishment and caught her embarassed expression coming my way. It was the "my husband sure does suck" look. And he's just sitting there trying to beat himself in the peg game. She should have called him an Eggnoramous. I couldn't take it. I literally wrapped my sausages in my napkin, stuffed it in my purse, and left. After a month of lots of solitude, plus a 10 hour drive down a road where I passed MAYBE 20 cars the whole day, the last thing I wanted to see was this miserable old couple living together in isolation. I'd rather be alone the rest of my life than live with someone who I don't even talk to. Yuck.

Here are some pictures for you of my day!!! Enjoy them. Roll your windows down while the weather is nice!!!

today's sun setting in north carolina. i felt like i was in lord of the rings.


paths cross.


is this wierd to anyone else? it totally caught my attention as i drove by. it looks like this man is falling backward off the rainbow. what a rough way to go! you better believe i took that curve carefully.
and is anyone else wondering why he took his bike? this man was not very smart. too much peg game at cracker barrel.


this was an accident picture but it's kinda cool.

26 in DC

I spent all day Saturday in Washington. My friends took my for a belated birthday gift! It was so fun!!! I think it's maybe one of the coolest cities I've visited. At one point, we saw a game of kickball in front of the Washington Monument! I love kickball!!

Here are some pictures for you of my Happy 26 day for September!


Walking through National Mall towards the capitol building


Me at the capitol

Lincoln is there, even in the

darkWhat a picture! The Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where MLK gave his "I have a dream"
speechAs we drove to DC, we kept saying "DC is where it's at". Naturally, 2 turntables and a microphone were in order. Check the elbows!

My birthday cake in a smores form!

My reflection in one of the walls of the Vietnam Memorial

Waiting for the Metro to arrive

I have really fun friends who do spontaneous things. You know who you are!
Thank you all for these memories. I know you must really love me, and I am forever thankful to God for such a gift. I'm going to miss you all so much. I'll pray for you constantly and I'll see you again someday!

"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:20
"But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these tihngs will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33
"Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." Psalm 34:5

Today

Please pray for me. Today is a big day and I feel a little sick to my stomach.

Old Blind Dogs bring sight to my eyes

Last night myself and 4 friends all drove down to D.C. for an Old Blind Dogs concert. It was held at Jammin' Java coffee shop, almost as bad a name as the Elbow's maiden name--the one that I refuse to say.
We had a blast. Amanda was there, but she's not in the picture below. The music was incredible. If you don't know the Old Blind Dogs, please find a way to hear them. They are so talented. Originally from Scotland, their music includes pipes of all sorts, a bass and acoustic guitar, fiddle and violin, harmonica, turkish drum and jimbay, cymbals, etc etc etc on the drums (see below). An article written about the event said "An enthusiastic audience made it a fun night for the boys..." Probably all those giddy Jesus girls in the crowd, bopping up and down to each song.

If there's one thing I love without end, it's live music. I've kept a varied musical interest most of my life, and it's always so fun to go with a group of friends to a live show. With my soy latte in hand last night, in the dead middle of 4 amazing friends, I couldn't have been happier.

I naturally started thinking about Christ (don't we all when are hanging out with talented, intoxicated Scottish artists?!). There was a "J" emblem on the wall behind the band and I used that to really focus on the presence of Jesus. I imagined him there with us, clapping or closing his eyes. I really did. I think he would have loved it. The reason I think this is because of what God revealed to my own heart last night: Christ was "with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:2-3). "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible...He is before all things and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:15-17). "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36).

Christ is the Great Composer, the Leader of the Orchestra, the Symphony Conductor, the Master of all Music. He created music. He created song. He created fingers and lips that make instruments work. He designed the minds that designed the violin, the guitar, the percussion. He authored thoughts about treble clefs and bass notes and pitch and tone and range and half notes and quarter notes and whole notes and staffs and melodies. He is in all these and BY HIM they hold together. If he wanted, he could silence these instruments, these minds, these magical fingers that we praise and covet.Christ was most definately there last night, enjoying his creation, leading me to pray that one day it would praise HIM rather than a bottle of whiskey or a historical victory for Scotland.

Later today I was sitting at lunch with one of the girls who went. She started sharing how God had finally broken her heart last night for someone: the Old Blind Dogs. She said all she thought about was how they didn't know what she knew and she knew Christ wanted to have their lives and talents much like he has her own. She said, "Ashley I don't usually think about that. I don't usually feel heartbroken if someone doesn't know Christ. But last night I did. And i realized, if I love and care for someone or something, I want that person or thing to be intertwined with Jesus." God was most definately there. And as you can see, He authors thoughts in our heads that lead us to think of Him. Last night he did this to both me and my friend at the same time!!

So we concluded that relationships are one key way God works in our day. Through knowing someone, we come to love them. And through loving them, we desire them to know God. It's not in-your-face and it's not hellfire talk, it's just the witness of Jesus and his importance from one sinner to another. It was a cool revelation!!!

Go dance the jig with your grandmother!!!
(www.oldblinddogs.co.uk)

African Worship. And Trees. And New Coffee Shops.

Here's our prized find: a cool, independent coffee shop in Richmond. It may take us 40 minutes to get to it, but it's got Soy milk and good music. And it's in a cool part of Richmond.


This is me in front of the South African flag. I really want to go to South Africa. More and more each day.



I drew this on Amanda's journal the other day when I was bored out of my mind. We had been in session after session. I spent a whole day in Anthropology class. Then the next day in Buddhism class. Then three days of memorizing Bible stories and learning how to tell them without the Bible in front of you. Then a class about prayer. I was so braindead. I wanted to climb a tree.

Then we had African worship tonight and I spent the last 10 minutes staring at this tree, trying to see how I could best climb it. I think it can be done. Or at least I could draw it and climb it sometime in the future.


These are "my little friends" playing the jimbay tonight at African worship. It was all outside, barefoot, screaming and hollering and dancing and singing. I wish I could do this everyday!!!

We spent the evening outside, learning worship songs from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Then we had a preacher from Ethiopia tell us Bible stories. We got to dance around on each other's blankets and say "Holla" alot. It was so cool.

And here is me this afternoon at the Daily Grind, taking pictures with my fun new camera. I just thought this was a cool picture. There is no spiritual significane behind it, although I'm sure I could think of something! How about 1 Corinthians 13: Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror...then, we shall see face to face.
I wish I could see all of you face to face. But believe, me God is working and coming to take us home. I'm not prophesying or anything, I just know what the Word says.
Make sure you reflect the right person.

Silent before Him

I've been quiet all day, locked up in my room:
resting and reading and praying and writing.

I miss everything. I miss them because I know God is removing them all from my life.
He's evidently taking them out, like a surgery.
Not that they were toxic. Many were his blessings.
But I refused to leave them as such.
And now they provide me too much of what God alone should.

Goodbye!! I'm doing this, If I am wrong, God is bigger than my screw up.
Goodbye!!

But, with a smile I scream, "He's knows what he's doing!!"

More joy later. Today is God' day to talk. Not mine.
Speak, O Lord

I'm Smiling Because......

acts 9.29 "He (paul) talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him."
This sentence makes me smile.



Jim Elliot makes me smile.



Chris and Miller, 2 friends who've stepped out in faith, make me smile.



Martin Luther King Jr and his writings make me smile. So does his voice.



Baldie Gandhi makes me smile.



This woman of faith and her small boy have impacted my life in indescribable ways. I smile when I think of them.



The smile on my face right now is HUGE. Mike's walked through a dry place requiring faith--and assurance of something hoped for but unseen. Mike tends to make me smile.


The list of people who make me smile would take 80 blog sites.

But because of the example of these two people, I know what it means to be joyful in your suffering and to love your enemies. If there was one thing I never lacked in my life, it was their faces, dressed in a smile.



Go make someone smile. You never know, you might end up on their blog page!
(ps--arls, victory, amy jacobs and becca the conqueror...you kept coming to mind as I did this. Beauty is defined by your faces when you smile.)

Invisible Children of Uganda

Two of my friends here are Marlee and Amanda. Both have just graduated from Golden Gate Seminary with a dual degree in theology/intercultural studies. This is the program I was applying to before I decided to move to Asia. However, I've been spending lots of time with these girls and they have me ready to move to go there one day. This program is like that dream program you live your life wondering about, thinking "how would i ever find a school with a program that is exactly what I want." Well, I've found my match.
They teach you how to set up a refugee camp! Seriously, could there be a cooler education than that?

Anyways, these two girls are starting a nongovernment organization (NGO) in Uganda in a few years...a development from the ethnographic research they did in school, and the inspiration which would naturally come from such an academic pursuit. Marlee has been spreading the word about this documentary on the child soldiers in Uganda called "Invisible Children". We just finished watching it. OH MY GOSH! Find a way to view this film. It will change your life.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world, indeed its the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Love in Every Language

" "Let the earth keep silence before Him," rather than He keep silent at all the wrong of earth. Let the Word run and be glorified, Lord." --Jonathan Edwards, Journals.
My new friends, who will soon run alongside the Word of God to the ends of the earth, each wrote "love" in their new language on my forearms today at house church.


and I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (english)

y que arraigados y cimentados en amor, seáis capaces de comprender con todos los santos cuál es la anchura, la longitud, la altura y la profundidad y de conocer el amor de Cristo que sobrepasa el conocimiento, para que seáis llenos hasta la medida de toda la plenitud de Dios (spanish)

pentruca, avînd rădăcina şi temelia pusă în dragoste, să puteţi pricepe împreună cu toţi sfinţii, care este lărgimea, lungimea, adîncimea şi înălţimea; şi să cunoaşteţi dragostea lui Hristos, care întrece orice cunoştinţă, ca să ajungeţi plini de toată plinătatea lui Dumnezeu (romanian)

Kristo aendelee kuishi ndani ya mioyo yenu, ili mkiwa mmesimama imara na kujengwa katika upendo, mpate uwezo wa kuelewa, pamoja na watu wote wa Mungu, upana na urefu na kimo na kina cha upendo wa Kristo; na mpate kufa hamu upendo huu, ingawa unapita upeo wa maarifa, na hivyo mpate kujazwa kabisa na ukamilifu wa Mungu mwenyewe (swahili)

使 基 督 因 你 们 的 信 ， 住 在 你 们 心 里 ， 叫 你 们 的 爱 心 有 根 有 基 ，
能 以 和 众 圣 徒 一 同 明 白 基 督 的 爱 是 何 等 长 阔 高 深 ，
并 知 道 这 爱 是 过 於 人 所 能 测 度 的 ， 便 叫 神 一 切 所 充 满 的 ， 充 满 了 你 们 (chinese)

đến nỗi Đấng Christ nhơn đức tin mà ngự trong lòng anh em; để anh em khi đã đâm rễ vững nền trong sự yêu thương, được hiệp cùng các thánh đồ mà hiểu thấu bề rộng, bề dài, bề cao, bề sâu của nó là thể nào và được biết sự yêu thương của Đấng Christ, là sự trổi hơn mọi sự thông biết, hầu cho anh em được đầy dẫy mọi sự dư dật của Đức Chúa Trời (vietnamese)

e oro para que vocês, estando arraigados e alicerçados em amor, tenham poder, juntamente com todos os santos, para compreender a largura, o comprimento, a altura e a profundidade, e conhecer o amor de Cristo que excede todo conhecimento, para que vocês sejam cheios de toda a plenitude de Deus (portugese)

لِيَسْكُنَ الْمَسِيحُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ بِالإِيمَانِ؛ حَتَّى إِذَا تَأَصَّلْتُمْ وَتَأَسَّسْتُمْ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ، تَصِيرُونَ قَادِرِينَ تَمَاماً أَنْ تُدْرِكُوا، مَعَ الْقِدِّيسِينَ جَمِيعاً، مَا هُوَ الْعَرْضُ وَالطُّولُ وَالْعُلْوُ وَالْعُمْقُ، وَتَعْرِفُوا مَحَبَّةَ الْمَسِيحِ الَّتِي تَفُوقُ الْمَعْرِفَةَ، فَتَمْتَلِئُوا حَتَّى تَبْلُغُوا مِلْءَ اللهِ كُلَّ
(arabic)

Don't Take me Out.

Tea Cake may have gotten rabies, but not us. We're protected by the Shrek bandaids.

Much like Peter Pan, we eat invisible hamburgers and hang out with "lost boys". Brilliant!!!

Cartoon Amanda must have seen Seths' Kairos video.

Plastic plate faces make eating hard, but we do all things with joy!

He's ALIVE!!!!!!



We have many things to learn. God, teach us.
We have many fights yet to loose. God, be our conqueror.
We have many questions left to ask and answers to never find. God, be the thief of the answers which will unknowingly hinder us from you.
We have many moments left to realize that doubts never die. God, be the hand of time which ushers false assurance away.

In all things, at all times, we are given and we are removed from things of joy or pain.
We are in constant motion, swaying with the vulnerability of faith.
God, give us faith to commit to something we don't see the fullness of, and give us the complete loyalty to what you've called us to do.
God, continue tomorrow the strength with which you have infused me today.

Praise you. You are all that we have.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills--
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.
He will not let your foot slip--
he who watches over you will net slumber; indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you--
The LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm--
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
(psalm 121)