To Be Fully Alive

shannonicole: I think that everyone, at multiple times in one’s life, needs to practice and fully...

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:39:12 -0600

I think that everyone, at multiple times in one’s life, needs to practice and fully embrace the discipline of individual passion. This means learning what makes you come alive apart from anyone else. Taking quiet walks and long drives and letting your mind roam to the things you find beautiful. Trying new hobbies and reading new books and paying attention to the moments your heart beats faster than others. Because when you find the things God molded your heart to wrap specifically around, it’s like turning on a switch inside of you that radiates a light that others long to have. They draw near to the truth growing within you that you’re being filled by things that no one else can take, and that you’re living up to the potential you were born with.

So love what you love because it was what you were created for. Imagine that popular culture doesn’t exist and the pressure to fit in or be hip was stomped into the ground the day you asked to live more like your King.

This is so beautiful. compassioninternational: Acting out Palm...

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0600

This is so beautiful.

compassioninternational:

Acting out Palm Sunday

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis by Lauren Winner “Later that night, I find myself...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:25:00 -0600

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis by Lauren Winner

“Later that night, I find myself thinking, maybe this is a way of inhabiting faith that is, indeed, faithful; that is generative. Maybe God has given some people belief like a pier, to stand on (and God has given those people’s steadiness to the church, to me, as a reminder, as an aid), and maybe God has given others something else: maybe God has given to some this humming sense that we know nothing, this belief and disbelief a hundred times an hour, this training in nimbleness (and maybe that is a gift to the church, too).” - Lauren Winner

This book is filled with grief, faith, doubt, community, loneliness and hope. It is many things, a collection of “notes” in which the author’s crisis of faith began following the death of her mother and unhappy marriage resulting in divorce. She writes an authentic and compelling memoir about the hardship of “middles,” where God is distant and far away. She captures what is raw and honest in a few spare lines.

This book is challenging me in my struggle with faith. I like tidy conclusions and wrapped up conversations. I am learning that faith does not provide a tidy conclusion. In the same way this book is not a linear narrative. It doesn’t give a lot of comfort, at least not the kind of comfort I sometimes expect. It doesn’t sanctimoniously conclude that God was always present even when he cannot be felt. It doesn’t proclaim victory over doubt and despair. Instead, it attempts to rekindle faith, to reconnect with humanity and to tell our story. That we would reflect on our glimpses of God through our fragment experience of moving forward.

Orlando, FL

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:22:37 -0700

Orlando, FL

My cousin married the most wonderful girl!

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

My cousin married the most wonderful girl!

Intentional Life: Taking a Vacation

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:13:00 -0700

The day is almost here!

I’ve been literally counting down the days to go on a vacation with Danny ever since we said we made a goal last year to take at least one vacation this year. Between last year’s job change, new puppy, weddings and work travel, we are primed and ready to go. We love to take vacations and even better, love that we are fully prepared to take one and enjoy it.

This year we’re going to Orlando (surprise, yes) because my parents have a timeshare in Disney World that we gladly get to take advantage of as well as have some overlap time with my family. We’re staying in a resort villa and have tickets to the parks for an entire week.

We’ve never taken a vacation on a budget before, and it’s a little stressful to plan ahead for expenses that can vary by each day.

Here are a couple of things we did to make sure this vacation is as stress-free and relaxing as possible:

1. Agree and establish your priorities. I’ve heard someone say, ”You can afford anything but not everything. You can pay for anything as long as you plan for it.” This rang true for us. If taking time away to rejuvenate is important to you, spend money in a way that reflects your priorities.

2. Save money early. This was the easy part. We put a little aside each month and bought our plane tickets early (paid by applying for a Southwest credit card promotion. Yikes, it was just too good of a deal to pass up $1,000 in free flights). We also plan to keep saving for holiday travel throughout the year.

3. Estimate your costs. You can find many deal sites and planning tools online. We used Disney forums, past experience, and online menus to get a per-day ballpark estimate. I’m also setting aside extra padding to be as realistic as possible.

4. Track your trip. We downloaded the Undercover Tourist and Travel Budget Tracker apps for iPhone and Android. The Undercover Tourist works for Disney World specifically to provide menus and line wait times from our phones. We’ll use the Travel Budget Tracker app to organize our spending while there so we know how to better plan for the next time.

We’re willing to be a little crazy about planning beforehand so that we can take the time to fully enjoy ourselves in the long run. This next week in sunny Florida, I am going to love you.

Weekend Links

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:57:00 -0700

25 Fonts for Font Snobs (p.s. they are free) | The Handmade Home

How to Create a Life-Changing Presentation | Michael Hyatt

Driscoll, “Real Marriage,” and Why Being a Pastor Doesn’t Automatically Make You a Sex Therapist | Rachel Held Evans

23 Painfully Honest Valentine’s Day Cards | Cracked

Playlist: Love Songs for Everyone | Hello Giggles

Adele - I Can’t Make You Love Me(Bonnie Raitt cover performed...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:49:06 -0700

Adele - I Can’t Make You Love Me
(Bonnie Raitt cover performed Live at the Royal Albert Hall)

Photo

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:09:31 -0700

Getting House Fever

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:05:10 -0700

My husband and I are twenty-somethings who rent.

For the most part, we are okay with that. There are times like the present as home prices continue to fall and rentals start to climb, where we wonder if we are the only young couple still “throwing our money” away on rent. It’s hard to make a plan and mentally stick with it when we know we aren’t ready to buy a home yet.

Not very long ago, the thought of purchasing a home wasn’t on our minds. It was the norm in Chicago to rent or purchase a condo, maybe a row home if you had millions. Now that we live in a metro-suburb of Denver, the idea of purchasing a home is more attainable. And being out of school, making a bit more money with no loans or debt makes the thought of home ownership enticing. With the market the way it is, several of our friends are buying homes and getting great deals on property and mortgage interest rates.

I don’t consider myself to have this financial thing anywhere close to being down, but I do want to do things right the first time. I can’t wait to own a home when I’m ready for it, even if it means delayed gratification and house fever right now.

Here are some things that are helping me get over house fever:

Own your priorities and choices. There are many things in life that matter to us, and we put our money into those things. We decide where the money is going, even when things happen out of our control.

Make a budget and a plan. We’re making room for savings and focusing on the long-term. I manage the finances in our home, and we probably talk more times than my husband enjoys. I, of course, get a thrill out of spreadsheets.

Take a class, read a book, or watch a program on how to manage your finances. I love doing this. If you can take a class locally or online, FPU is a good place to start, especially because they advocate being debt free before making a home purchase. It also helps to turn on Netflix and take your mind off of money.

Pray. God will give you contentment.

Make a list of things you’re thankful for. I keep a running list on my phone so I can add to it, and in the morning it is the first thing I see.

Remember how the rest of the world lives. Feverish thoughts and worry over any kind of purchase worth thousands and thousands of dollars is really a first world problem. I have a roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in, and much more.

Does anyone else ever get house fever? If you do, how do you handle it?

Headed to El Salvador in August! This morning I had this request...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:33:00 -0700

Headed to El Salvador in August! This morning I had this request in my inbox. I’m so excited I could cry.

Weekend Links

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:16:00 -0700

50 Really Useful IPad Tips and Tricks | Tech Radar

How to Live Well on Less - Money Saving Tips for Women | Marie Claire

H&M Home Launching in the US | Apartment Therapy

You Never Marry the Right Person | Relevant

Free January Playlist for Stream and Download by Madewell | RCRD LBL

God Is the Strength of Your Heart

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:44:14 -0700

Spiritual disciplines are becoming more of a theme in my life these days, and I’m making more time to think about what it means to surrender control to God. Being still for me is often more of a struggle than serenity. The practice of being still wears on me, and I get distracted and can’t focus. I enjoy being challenged to cultivate silence and solitude so that I can continually be open to God in fresh ways, but it’s hard to think about setting goals when all my soul needs is rest.

I read this in the Psalms this morning, and I believe it is one of the most beautiful and comforting passages I have ever read.

“Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:23-26

Memoirs On My List Now

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:30:42 -0700

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe
All Is Grace by Brennan Manning

If you have any well-written, gutsy and fascinating reads, send them my way please.

Weekend Links

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:43:00 -0700

Paul Kitti’s Conversations. His latest delightful music reviews: Washed Out, Chris Bathgate, Drake, Cults, Real Estate and more.

Asian Chicken Lettuce wraps at Skinnytaste. These are my weakness at P.F. Changs, and these are more flavorful than anything I’ve come up with.

10 Things Not To Say to Your Childless Friends I had to laugh reading this article from Parents.com. These lists are entirely too true.

How Our Litanies Shape Us - Steph In Dialogue. Thoughtful and good.

Currently Reading

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:14:16 -0700

"The author from whom you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn’t know..."

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:58:19 -0700

““The author from whom you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn’t know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly struggled and give it expression.””

- Oswald Chambers. This inspires me.

Violet Hill.Coldplay cover by Brooke Fraser.

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:23:00 -0700

Violet Hill.
Coldplay cover by Brooke Fraser.

Living On Enough

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:27:00 -0700

At Compassion, we say that the opposite of poverty is not wealth, it’s enough. In light of children in extreme poverty who live on less than $1.25 a day, I have more than “enough” in comparison. I live in Colorado, and I make more than the average American family household.

Before I went to Ecuador three months ago with Compassion, I absolutely dreaded going because I knew a part of me would feel guilty for having plenty more than a comfortable bed and a room to myself. As I crouched into their damp and windowless homes, my most piercing thought was, “Do they know what I will come home to when I leave from here? Do they have any idea?” They don’t.

I saw firsthand what Ecuadorean children receive on Compassion’s child sponsor program for $38 a month. It is a measly amount to Danny and me, but to these children, it is their daily physical and spiritual food. Handmade paper cut-outs of their sponsor’s name hang around the classroom as visual reminder of the sponsors who make a world of difference in their lives.

When I returned home, I realized why I was so freaked out about the trip. I was spending my life letting my work rule me, even though I worked hard, for the goal of having more stuff. When we got married, we filled our lives with a big screen tv, a new closet and a beautiful, spacious apartment. If I worked hard for it, I sure earned it. By my comparisons to people I thought were doing better than I was, I had become numb to answering my own question.

How much is enough? Compassion children are holistically developed when they receive food, medicine, education, freedom, and the opportunity to hear about Jesus. Their souls and bellies are filled. The goal of enough is fulfilled for them.

Every person and culture is different. For my husband and I, that means things like not dreaming of a second big screen tv for our bedroom, a new closet every season, and taking on an out-of-control mortgage. Even after committing to give more than 10% and saving most of everything we have this past year, it is a struggle to be driven by the thought of wealth. I want God to be enough.

I say this to remind myself how easily I forget. I also say this because I want it to be true in my life. I want to be able to say this from Proverbs 30, “Give me neither wealth nor poverty. But give me only my daily bread.” I love working hard and the idea of being financially secure, but I don’t want to miss out on a life of tremendous fulfillment where God is enough.

The Joy of Books After organizing our bookshelf almost a year...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:01:00 -0700

The Joy of Books

After organizing our bookshelf almost a year ago (http://youtu.be/zhRT-PM7vpA), my wife and I (Sean Ohlenkamp) decided to take it to the next level.

As seen on: Open Culture