I made a surprise visit home to visit the rents today. Home, so great. On the ferry ride back I couldn't help but take some pics...one month down on photo of the day project.

Also, had some time to read Chapter 3 in Celebration of Discipline, the book my Bible study is currently in to. The discipline of focus - prayer. Loved it. Realizing that in order to go deeper in this adventure I need to devote more time and focus listening to God. Yes, you heard right, listening. My "best" prayers, prayers where I feel a deep connection, a link, a presence with God are the ones that stem from me sitting quiet, calming my thoughts and just listening. Foster has some great things to say on the subject...some I would love to share.

"To pray is to change."

If my spiritual goal is transformation, I don't want to be stagnant. I want change. I want to constantly be moving deeper into relationship, deeper into knowing and understanding God and his Kingdom. I want to see things from God's perspective, not my own.

"We are to change the world by prayer."

I like this. So often I think of God in his omniscience knowing all that is to come has already made up his mind...that everything is set. But why pray if things cannot change? God wouldn't ask us to pray if he didn't want us to work with him in determining the future.

"We must hear, know, and obey the will of God before we pray it into the lives of others."

God's guidance precedes intercession.

"If we genuinely love people, we desire for them far more than it is within our power to give, and that will cause us to pray."

Compassion moves us to pray. It is those times of listening, of silence, when you know God is moving through a change in the heart, a compulsion, a flow of his Spirit leading you to intercede.

I agree with Archbishop Tait when he says, "I want a life of greater, deeper, truer prayer."

In a world where we are defined by what we produce, it was a good reminder to meditate on the words of Paul to the Romans...

"This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, "What's next, Papa?" God's spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children."

Romans 8:15-16 (The Message)

"God's spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are." I would rather hear who I am from God than from the world. A child of God with an inheritance of eternal life starting now, here on earth laboring and reaping the blessings of Christ's work is more hopeful and promising to me than the busy and consumer lifestyle of the world.

Our Bible study is reading through Richard Foster's book "Celebration of Discipline." I hope that through the study I am able to move into intimacy with God by practicing the disciplines that set up the groundwork for God to transform me and use me as his disciple. It means sacrificing time each day that would be spent on the computer, reading my latest library book, or being with friends, but in the end will bring far more joy and life than any of these other activities. This week's discipline...meditation.

girls day

Woke up this a.m. to a fuschia sunrise streaming through my window. I quickly made my way to the lake and walked around grabbing this shot from the west side. This afternoon Kendra, Jennie and I were in the Village trying on maternity clothes and looking at cribs...I can't wait for the little guy to get here already!

we couldn't resist...

in our dreams :)

mermaids

I'm trying to finish up this project so I can justify moving onto another. My friend Emily has been an inspiration with all the quilting she is doing :) So this morning I finally sewed all the sashing to the blocks and now have to press and then so the border. And then I get to pick out binding and fabric for the back of the quilt. I'm thinking of doing a dark color for the binding and then maybe a pink back? maybe even flannel? I'm not sure...but I do know someday it will be the cutest quilt for a little girl!

refresh

2:15pm and it still hasn't rained in Seattle today! PTL! This freak of nature led to a walk around gL with rach and an hour and a half run by gL, lake union, UW and ravenna park. I needed a good dose of exercise, sun(ish), warm(ish) wind and nature.

a bit of inspiration on corliss

pasta salady lunch...yummy

I made a recipe from my favorite...Giada...today for lunch. It's super easy and filling, getting a mix of greens and carbs. I boiled some pasta and threw some mixed greens in a bowl. Tossed the pasta with the greens with a bit of reserved water and then added some basil, parmesan, goat cheese and sundried tomatoes, and salt and pepper. It's ridiculously easy and fresh. I've also been on this kick of baking my own bread and had some leftover whole wheat challah from a small get together yesterday that I heated up with some butter. yummy. I have more dough that I am going to bake today...one loaf with cinnamon and raisins. I found the recipe from the website for the book Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day I plan on experimenting with more online recipes. On my run today I was thinking about how it would be fun to sell my bread to friends...not sure how profitable it would be??? hmmm.

“Beni Swa Leternel,” they sang. “Blessed be the Lord.”

I read this article today in the NY Times. It paints a picture of the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The chaos, confusion, agony and death, but admist the ruin people in the streets are heard singing, "Beni Swa Leternel," "Blessed be the Lord."

rainy day

It was another off and on rainy day in Seattle. So, I took some time to make a honey whole wheat bread. I thought it would be a great way to save a bit of money and enjoy the smells of fresh bread in the kitchen. I also picked up a great book at the library today called "The Invisible Cure" by Helen Epstein. It is about the fight of AIDS in Africa and the West. I'm already a significant chunk into the book and she is tackling questions such as the origins of the virus, why HIV rates are so high in Africa and the theory of concurrency in the spread of infection. She started out in Uganda working independently on a vaccine with Chiron for HIV in Africa, but stopped when Chiron's vaccine proved useless against wildtype virus particles in the US. Anyway...admist reading I made 3 loaves of bread, 2 of which I'm giving away, and some risotto for lunch. Now I'm off to the gym to try to get the endorphins flowing :)

drizzly seattle

homemade hot pad I am finally putting to use

mmm...fresh bread

simple packaging

baby season

So, two of my girl cousins AND sister-in-law are pregnant! meaning I get to explore the blogosphere for cute baby gifts/projects. This afternoon I am going to my cousin Kara's shower and I just finished up these cute burp cloths from a tutorial I found at A Chelsea Morning. I already had the fabric stored away and bought some orange ribbon to compliment the colors. So cute and easy to make and everyone says they are so practical!

random smile

hmmm...showed up on our doorstep today. what a random surprise!

chaos

Today started and ended well. The in between...that wasn't so great. Most of my not so great is because I don't have a job. I'm looking and applying, but haven't heard any good news yet. So, what to do with no money and free time...hmmm. The morning started off with a text from Sarah (who lives downstairs) "I heard the chirping (my alarm) do you want to run in 10 min?" Yes! of course! Great start to the day with a friend and exercise. After, breakfast I applied for two more jobs online and then studied a bit, ate a little lunch, read a bit more, to a 20 min power nap, and then just sat thinking about the fact that I have no job. Luckily, I made it to the grocery store to buy food for dinner and then decided to organize my pictures from last year in an album. This is where the day gets better. As I filed away pictures from last year I was reminded of all of the weddings, showers, parties, birthdays, vacations with friends and family...and I only made it to April. And then, I went even further back and was looking at pictures from college, cards and other mementos that you hold onto for way too long...but I'm so glad I held on to them. Rereading the kind and encouraging words from friends about who I am gave me so much purpose when right now I feel so useless. It's not about what you do, but who you are and how you treat people, the relationships you develop over shared experiences. I kept opening note after note from Sarah and Malia (two friends since college) and they were notes just because, not for some special occasion. I am so thankful for the friends I have, so thankful that they are relationships based on unconditional grace and love.

Jan 3.10 Sermon

Being back in Seattle, one thing I was looking forward to was sitting in the pew at Bethany listening to Pastor Richard teach, singing worship songs, communion, serving in the nursery...

Today I felt like the sermon was specifically directed to me...not an unusual feeling. :) The title of the Sermon was "Finding our way to Meaningful Worship." Worship being intimacy with God. He took the example of the Tabernacle found in Exodus 25-30 to describe worship, contrasting the Old Testament and New Testament approach towards intimacy with God. It is the question I was asking in my last post on salvation as life, How does one become a disciple of Christ? How do we get to the point where we are so near Christ that he moves in and through us in our day-to-day actions. It was encouraging and affirming to listen to a sermon with the same focus. I hope that the series continues to focus on the life of discipleship.

Tabernacle - The place where God resides in the OT, the place where you meet God in worship. However, with the death and resurrection of Christ we can worship God directly...the tabernacle is no longer necessary, God is approachable through Christ.

• Door - only one way to approach God's glory, must enter through to worship God in the Tabernacle. John 10:9, 14:6 - Christ is the door, He is the one and only way to the Father. Intersting point made...sometimes people walk through the door, unknowing it is Christ that allows their access to God...Abraham, Moses, etc.


• Altar of Burnt Offering - approach God through the death of another, a sacrifice on your behalf because God is infinitely loving and just. Christ's death negates the need for animal sacrifice. God giving his Son for us is infinite love. Christ's death is infinite justice. We don't serve God to gain acceptance...we are loved and accepted because of Christ's sacrifice.


• Laver - washing of hands = confession. Without confession we hide sin which leads to frustration and stagnation in the Christian life. Must confess before entering the holy place.


• Bread - 12 loaves for the priests, but in the New Testament all can feast on the bread of Christ. Appropriation...He is what we cannot be...in order for us to represent his heart.
  
• Lampstand - only light in the room. Eph. 5:1-6 moving from darkness to light so that we may shine the light of Christ...an ongoing transformation.


• Incense altar - offering to God. 2 Cor 2:18 Paul's life is an aroma to God, among men. Live life as an offering to God...people will see the character of Christ in you.
  

What is hindering me from intimacy with God? failure to accept his love just as I am, failure to confess, failure to seek Christ in my weakness, failure to serve as light in a dark world? Again...the hope is to seek Christ in order to be likened to him and share his character with the rest of the world.

Some pictures from my morning run in Packwood...

Life as seen by a 3 year old

Yes...I let cute little Ibai borrow my camera for a bit this morning and these are pictures from his point of view...too cute.

Mom, Dad and little sister
new friend bekah
baby sis, India
dexter's bone
auntie leah

snow

Rachel and I tromped around Gold Creek Basin up at Snoqualmie yesterday. It was fun to leisurely adventure around a couple of lakes, ford across the creek and make our way through a forest maze...definitely not getting lost :)