i like.

"there is no use trying," said alice;

"one can't believe impossible things."

"i dare say you haven't had much practice," said the queen. "when i was your age, i always did it for half an hour a day. why, sometimes i've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." -lewis carroll

putting things into perspective.

ok. yesterday's post was a rant & rave. sometimes that happens, and if i don't get it out, i explode.

however, it is really sad what has happened in haiti. i am mourning with those who have lost loved ones, or still haven't heard. there is a little girl on one of the skating teams i coach who has family there. her parents still haven't heard from the family. man, does that put things in perspective. let's pray for her and her family. and stand along side with them, and others who haven't heard from loved ones.

in the mean time, i have been SO BUSY the last few days :) i love being busy and having a zillion things to do. hooray!

pat robertson, you infuriate me.

i am angry. and i know i posted a little something on my facebook, but i wasn't going into detail.

pat robertson-you are a JERK. if this wasn't on the internet, i'd post more.

if you don't know what happened, he said that haiti had made a 'pact with the devil'.

you are the reason so many people only see the 'religious right' and want nothing to do with christianity. there are people who think otherwise. smarter people who actually believe that god is loving (WOW WHAT AN IDEA). our god is not a wrathful, hateful god who puts people through situations like this to "teach them a lesson". no, not my god. god loves those who are suffering and suffers with them. he didn't just send jesus to be 'wrathful'. sorry, no way. saying that haiti deserved this is WRONG. it's like the same people who said hurricane katrina was because new orleans is a city of homosexuals. NO. WRONG AGAIN.

that is not my gospel. my gospel is about god helping those on the margins of society. what happened to "loving our neighbor"? the people in haiti are our neighbors. this is NOT justice. justice is helping these people out after this disaster. our god is a god of grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. not of wrath and judgment.

ok. that's the end of my rant, i think. thanks for listening.

take this and apply it to the current situation:

Some tell us that following Jesus is a simple matter of inviting him into our hearts. But when we do that, Jesus always asks, "May I bring my friends?" And when we look at them, we see that they are not the kind of company we like to keep. The friends of Jesus are the outcasts, the marginalized, the poor, the homeless, the rejected - the lepers of life.

We hesitate and ask, "Jesus, must we really have them too?"

Jesus replies, "Love me, love my friends!"

From Listening at Golgotha: Jesus' Words from the Cross, by Peter Storey, Bishop in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.

my experiences thus far

ok, so let's count the things that have gone wrong in the past few days with seminary. i start in 2 weeks, so good thing i caught them early.

1. IT thought i was starting in fall 2010, so forgot to assign me an email address. don't worry, they emailed admissions, who fixed it.

2. they told me my meningitis shot was not up to date. fail, because i totally had to have one for undergrad.

3. however, this was only a big deal because they think i'm living on campus. which i am not. so, now i have to deal with that. i didn't even send in the housing sheet! how does that happen?

4. because they thought that, i was charged an extra $3,500 dollars in my account due to "housing charges".

5. THEN, i look at my account again and realize that my financial aid hasn't come through. and i start getting frantic because I wasn't sure if maybe I forgot to send in forms. Let's pray that my scholarship comes through.

6. in all the scholarship mess, i realize that wait--i only registered for 7.5 credits, which is part time. AND i never had the dean switch me over to extended track (which means i keep my scholarship and go part time). however, dean saved the day and fixed that.

so, an update: i was switched to commuter status, the redlight went away on the meningitis, waiting on the business people to change my billing status. and waiting on silly financial aid people to call/email me back. that's what i'm most worried about.

GOOD THINGS:

1. registration went SO EASILY! it took 2 minutes, which was so much better than all the crap i put up with at bsc trying to register for classes all the time.

2. i know what classes i'm taking :) want to know? i'll tell you!

• biblical literature 2: gospels, epistles, and apocalypse. pretty much new testament.
• church history 2: protestant reformation-21st century
• pastoral formation: exploring different vocations? i have no idea. there's no description really.

i'm really excited!!! i start on the 26th. orientation is the week before (21/22). let's just pray that things work out in terms of financial aid. i know they will, but it's just making me crazy.

ok, back to work.

2009.

so. i don't believe in resolutions, because i believe we should always work on becoming better people. whether that means physically, emotionally, or what have you. my best friend, did a post about what she learned in 2009. i'm going to copy her and do one as well. some are funny, others are serious.

1. virginia is a really boring state to drive through.

2. if you put "national archives" in a gps and try to walk there, you get to an alleyway.

3. burger king's medium size drinks are more like extra-larges.

4. helping out a church secretary during christmas is a present to her.

5. i figured out what i'm doing with my life.

6. working hard in college paid off by getting a full ride to seminary.

7. graduating college is scary.

8. distance is a bitch.

9. working in a lab with yeast can be boring. and smelly.

10. that i care about politics.

11. talking about health insurance to parents can be really stressful.

12. my parents love me, even if i was impossible to deal with this summer.

13. living alone gets lonely.

14. praying is so much more than just words out loud.

15. i gave up soda for lent. it was freeing.

16. i tend not to listen to things if i'm not interested, or if it's irrelevant. i need to get better at that.

17. learning about the bible in my christian scriptures class was neat. i learned so much.

18. bono is an awesome person.

19. the #1 thing white people like is coffee.

20. the little things in life make me happy.

21. wall-e is an amazing movie, and can make me happy.

22. so is 27 dresses. and music and lyrics.

23. friday nights can be fun, even when you stay in, watch "say yes to the dress" and bake cookies.

24. electric blankets might be one of the best inventions ever.

25. during winters in nj, one should own an ice scraper for their car.

26. youth ministry is so much fun!

27. salvation is a really big word to try and dissect.

28. coaching with your mom can be difficult, but also really rewarding when you figure out what works.

29. i judge people, even though i shouldn't.

30. i get excited about things and take action. i should really wait and process before i do that.

31. going to concerts alone is pretty cool. you meet neat people!

32. going to movies alone is similar.

33. i can be an independent woman.

34. so many people are getting engaged young. i'm not. matt and i have a while.

35. taking a three month break from a serious relationship can sometimes be a great thing.

36. sitting home and doing nothing from may-august sucks. you might get depressed, and fight with your parents a lot.

37. i have incredible friends, who despite the distance, do their best to care about me and make me happy :)

38. cars have flywheels. i know, cuz mine broke.

that's all!

happy christmas!

well, christmas is in three days! i can't believe that it's already christmas. this also marks my four month mark of being here as a youth pastor. super exciting, right?

i love the christmas season and the joy it brings. i think this is the first christmas i've actually thought about the meaning of advent, and what it means that this baby was born in a manger in bethlehem. i've done a lot of reflecting on mary, and what it must have been like for her at this time. i mean, to just say, "'i am the lord's servant,' mary answered. 'may it be to me as you have said'" (luke 1:38). she's pretty hardcore. to just SAY that--that takes courage. and she was a teenager. wow. i hope to someday have the courage to say that.

i have many favorite christmas songs. but they are pretty non-standard. i'm going to share them with you! also, they are in no particular order, just what i think of.

1. breath of heaven-amy grant. ok, so your typical christian song. but seriously? i sang this song in church for years and years, never really paying close attention to the words--however, they are pretty cool--and to think that as a young kid i was singing those words and praying that prayer--AWESOME. "breath of heaven, hold me together, be forever with me, breath of heaven"

2. i celebrate the day-relient k-i love the words in this song. it's just great talking about the real meaning of christmas and how jesus changes our lives "and the first time that you opened your eyes, did you realize that you would be my savior? and the first breath that left your lips, did you know that it would change this world forever?"

3. a new york christmas-rob thomas great song that talks about how much we need peace in the world. "i'm sending you a merry ny christmas. and a prayer for peace on earth within our time. and the sidewalk angels echo hallelujah. and we understand them now more than ever..."

4. merry christmas, happy holidays-n*sync-a classic for all of us that grew up with n'sync. great music video as well. "it's a wonderful feeling, feel the love in the room from the floor to the ceiling-it's that time of year-christmastime is here!"

5. christmas song-dave matthews band-talks about jesus' entire life. "love love love-love is all around"

6. what christmas means to me-hanson-i love hanson's christmas album, snowed in. "see your smiling face, like i've never seen before"

7. merry christmas, baby-hanson-ok, i'm a loser. but i love this song too. "all these pretty presents for my baby and for me"

8. believe-josh groban really beautiful....touches the heart. "believe in what your heart is saying, hear the melody that's playing. there's no time to wait-there's so much to celebrate"

9. better days-goo goo dolls at first listen, you might not think this is a christmas song, but it is. and i love it "so take these words, and sing out loud-because everyone's forgiven now...and tonight's the night the world begins again."

10. do you hear what i hear-kristin chenoweth i love this song. and her voice. and her bubbly personality "a star, a star, dancing in the night with a tail as big as a kite..."

and that's a wrap :)

happy christmas, everyone!

"music is the vehicle for expression, for hope. it's not a possession. you can't own it. it is believing in a world that does not exist yet. it is seeing things, as they are not. it is not illogical; it is a dream, but it will come to pass. in the mean time, welcome to the rest of your life. welcome to everything that doesn't make sense tonight. welcome back to the things that will tear your core. welcome to the fallout"-Jon Foreman