yay!

so, driving is one of the things that makes me panic and derealize. but lately i’ve had to do lots and lots and lots of driving— i’ve probably driven 100 miles in the last 2 days for work stuff. and though i’m not relaxed behind the wheel yet by any means, i’ve gotten to the point where i can sort of un-tense my shoulders and tell myself it’s gonna be okay, that i’m going to get wherever i’m going all right, Christ is in control and that i just need to hang tight. i haven’t derealized while driving in a couple weeks now! maybe i’m getting the hang of this again. :)

God is the one who has been giving me power over this… one of the verses that has been running through my head is psalm 34:4-5… might have written this before, but it says, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”

that’s such a good reminder.

kindness project, week 2: laura

so, this week, i’m picking co-worker Laura. she’s pretty awesome. i love the way she laughs, how her laugh bubbles up inside her and just overflows.

but i work in a sort of stressful place, and it makes me pretty tired every day after i come home. laura isn’t a Christian, and she seems like she’s sort of wandering (you know what i mean?) and her life really isn’t stress free either. in fact, she’s often really frustrated or angry cuz people will be rude to her or not call her back or whatever, and when you’re a reporter, believe me that’s super frustrating! people can be… interesting sometimes, and you get to see all sides of them in the newsroom profession.

that’s why i really want to look for ways to be kind to laura this week. the other day she was having an especially difficult time with a story, so i left a note on her desk to encourage her, and she was super blessed by that.

but the rest of the week is still ahead. any ideas?

kindness project, week 1 update!

results so far… I bought some tulips for my landlords and left them on the kitchen counter today. turns out, my landlord is Dutch, so tulips really hold a special meaning for her! she came down and asked if i had meant to leave the tulips on the counter, and i said, sure thing! that really brightened her day, and it brightened mine too.

so, any ideas for the rest of the week?

the kindness project, week 1.

so, here are the people i’m “targeting” with kindness, week 1. your ideas are welcome!

1. kind landlords.

i am living in a very spacious and beautiful basement apartment this summer, beneath a house that belongs to a family of four very gracious friends. they are letting me rent the apartment for a lot cheaper than comparable housing in the area, and having a safe and comfortable place to come home to means a lot to me! i have a separate entrance to the house, but sometimes i do have to use the common areas of the house, and i am trying really hard to give them family time and space. i really want to be a blessing and not a burden to them.

ideas:

- walk the dog. i have taken their great big loveable deerhound on runs a couple times, and it’s always a big help when i do. she has lots of energy, and i need motivation to run. so that is a big help to the family.

- make an extra effort to keep the basement common areas really clean this week. the dogs sleep in a separate part of the basement from me, so they have to come down to let them in and out, and they get to see my living room every day. when i’m tired from work it kinda tends to get messy.

- buy flowers to leave on the table (-$10; budget remaining: $5)

any more ideas? i’d love help here! :) message me if you think of something!

the kindness project.

hey everyone,

so today as I was cleaning my car I got this great idea.

fear, or at least my fear, happens a lot when i think and worry about myself. one of the best ways to get out of panic attacks is to serve other people. so i was thinking, why not take one or two people i know each week of my summer, and try to do something (or somethings) for them that week, something above and beyond. something that might just make them stop and smile, or have a better day.

my budget is $15 or less, so i’m gonna try to get as creative as i can. i’ll post a description of the person i’m trying to bless, and let you all reply with any ideas you might have!

let’s do this thing!

Life questions.

Have you ever wondered about life, or searched for some kind of purpose and came up wanting? Do you have questions that aren’t getting answered?

This link is a good place to start: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CGcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.tyndale.com%2Fthpdata%2FFirstChapters%2F978-1-4143-2627-6.pdf&ei=LtvKT—RD-WA6QHcmbj1Dw&usg=AFQjCNFNWftBDqDGF3KEKfzgWeWzPHsIgQ&sig2=Tz2GeohIAN_XvJ8utLHK_w

Does God exist?

You’re eventually going to have to answer that question. Does He, objectively, exist? He can’t just exist for some people— can’t just be in their minds, or something that “works for them.” If that’s true, than God doesn’t exist at all; He is just a figment of peoples’ imaginations, a crutch to make them feel good.

If you’ve convinced yourself God doesn’t exist, how do you know for sure He doesn’t? If God doesn’t exist, why are you having these questions, these longings? Why do you hope, deep down inside, that there is something more? Or fervently hope there isn’t, and fear that there is? Why do you know that there is injustice in the world, that when someone murders 6 million people, it’s wrong? Or why do people rejoice when the “good guys” win?

Nobody really talks openly about these questions in our society today. I think most people are afraid to admit that they have doubts. Doubting is a scary thing. We exalt surety, scientific knowledge, certainty, the eventual human ability to know everything. So when we encounter a question we can’t answer, we freeze.

But inside, almost everyone is wondering just the same things that you do.

You’re not alone that way.

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.” -John 3:16-21, the Message

Source: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3&version=MSG

But how can I know God is real? And what’s more, how can I know that God is who Christians say He is, and not Buddha or Allah or Apollo or Zeus? How can I know that God is Jesus Christ? If you’re really wondering, check this out: http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/myredeemer/Evidencep17.html

And please, message me. I’m not trying to “push my religion”; I desperately want to help you find truth, and I’m here to listen.