at long last

well i made it. i feel like i've been talking about it forever and now i'm finally here in nashville. or brentwood rather. i am staying with the most wonderful gillem family. they have already been such a blessing, and i am overwhelmed by God's faithfulness once again. He has reminded me that their hospitality and kindness is simply an extension of His love toward me. and i am so grateful.
also got a tour of downtown nashville last night... mr. gillem wanted me to be able to make it to work tomorrow with no problems. it looks so fun and there seems to be plenty to do. now the trick is finding people to have fun with!
He has promised great things. i know He will be faithful. He showed me that He wants me to take iniative and take risks, not trusting in myself, but in who i know Him to be.

time at home

so i've basically been a slacker and haven't posted in a really long time. probably because there hasn't been much happening in my life. not that i'm complaining. i have loved my time of resting here at home.
i did get to go visit Misty last week, and one thing she was talking about really struck a chord with me: we go deeper and progress more with God when we come to Him as a child. we must recognize how we have nothing without Him. this also ties in with a book i'm reading (yes, i've lifted my ban) called The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee. he speaks of how the only ground by which we can draw near to God is the precious Blood of Christ. nothing else works. it made sense. if i feel like i've done a better job or done more for the Lord, my conscience is clear and i feel as though i can approach Him freely. but if not... if i know i have messed up... sometimes i tend to avoid Him. but in both cases, the only way i can draw near is to come by the Blood, for that is what makes me righteous, not my actions.
so i'm moving to nashville in less than a week! i'm so excited! the Lord has promised amazing things for my ten weeks there. if you are from nashville or are just there hanging out, give me a call!

where does the time go?

unbelievable how quickly this year has gone. i remember my first-ever blog post (january) was when i was studying for my first test in public administration. i was procrastinating, of course. so tomorrow is my final in the same class, and i thought it only appropriate to end the semester by procrastinating and posting on my blog again.
lots of thoughts run through my head at the end of every spring. what adventure lies ahead for the summer is always at the forefront... but not quite so much as a certain sadness i feel. like i can't stop time from going so fast... or really even slow it down. this year the sadness isn't quite as strong, probably because i'm a little more burned out than usual (all the spiritual activity-ha!). each year at auburn gets a little better... each year i grow a little closer to my sweet Jesus. He's so faithful. i'm reflecting over this year and can't help but recognize how much He's done. but also can't help but think of how much He has to do in me. oh that He would make me more like Him.
(side note: i love the little things He does too... like the sovereignty over my class schedule. it's all too perfect how all my classes fit together--i received some kind of spiritual truth out of each of them. but even more, i learned some things from some classes that linked to other ones.)
but another end of the year just makes me want to go back and relive some of the times... maybe skip over some of the other ones. but i know He's been there with me the whole time. even when i couldn't see it or feel it. He asked me the other day if i believed He was working in and through me even though i couldn't tell... my answer, truthfully was no. and that's wrong. feelings aren't truth, and He certainly isn't limited by them!
anyway... to wrap these ramblings up... the time issue always troubles me around this time of year, so i thought i'd share this little analogy courtesy of c.s. lewis (i can't take credit for this one unfortunately):
isn't it funny how we're always so surprised by time? it is the very dimension in which we live, and still, we're shocked by it. "where did the time go?" or "my how time flies!"... like it's a complete novelty EACH TIME. isn't that strange? it would be like a fish constantly commenting in surprise that water is actually wet. and wouldn't we think that was strange. we would, unless we knew that the fish was destined to one day become a land animal.
we live in time, but were not created for it. we were created for a greater purpose: eternity.
"He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart..."
ecclesiastes 3:11