Journey of a Thousand Miles

I feel I owe it to my one or two readers of what’s going on in my crazy life right now. Just recently I found out I am once again out of a job. It’s all good though- I actually prayed for this to happen.   Maybe not in that particular fashion, but I’ve been needing a change in my environment lately, especially in my job. I truly didn’t want to work full-time anymore, and I was begging for a chance to go home and rest and be able to write and work on my other ventures without the distraction of a “job.” And since I wasn’t brave enough to quit myself, God took it upon Himself to release me and give me a nice severance check that would hold me over until I applied for unemployment. How nice of Him.   So here I find myself at home with my parents, eating their food, and using their internet. It was hard to get used to the slower pace of life at first, and I miss my friends in Austin, but I’m quickly getting used to it. I’ve taken up gardening! Pulling weeds and working with ...

There are days like today when I feel distressed with all the suffering that goes on in the world. Why am I drawn to read about these things? I feel it's good to know what is really going on in this world. It's good to know where God's light needs to shine. I am tempted to be angry at God for allowing the suffering to happen. I was reading Redeeming Love on my lunch break today and literally started crying in the coffee shop- bawling my eyes out- because although it is a fiction book, I know there is sexual abuse going on in the world today, some of it even worse than what I was reading about. Sometimes it's hard to believe that a loving God would allow that, but I know about God's sovereignty and how He uses our suffering to bring us closer to Him. You are the Wise One, Lord, not me. I am also getting involved with Redeemed Ministries, which was founded in Houston and is launching another chapter in Austin. They work to stop human sex trafficking, and I did ...

I was going to write a post about my mission trip, but I am still processing that on my own. In the mean time, I will continue where I left off on Donald Miller's Storyline Exercises.  In Exercise 3, we are to list our role models and their characteristics we would like to cultivate within ourselves. These character models can be pioneers in our industry, parents, grandparents or fictional heroes from stories. They can be living or dead, friends or complete strangers.  I had a bit of fun with this exercise and got to know myself and my inner goals just by picking out my role models. Here they are: 1. Nick Vujicic The effect his story had on the world: Nick is the founder of Life Without Limbs , an organization whose mission is to "cross boundaries and break down barriers, to build bridges that bring people to the love and hope found in Jesus Christ."  Nick has gone all over the world, even to the prisons of Columbia, to declare the gospel of Christ and the hope tha...

In lieu of my 3 year anniversary in Austin, I decided to compile a list of lessons I've learned in my stay here. I cannot count the full extent of what I've learned, but I did my best to summarize. I hope you can reap the reward of knowledge learned from my own difficulties: Wherever you go, there you are. If you have certain problems in one job or city, they will follow you to the next job or city. You cannot escape yourself. So deal with your problems where you are. God is going to take care of you when the going gets tough. He will not abandon you.  Our suffering is meant for our good.  I don't need a fancy job, house, or husband to be happy, content, or fulfilled. God is the only true stability and security. To seek that security anywhere else would be idolatry. My emotions are trying to tell me something. Pay attention to them! My feelings are valid, and it is okay to express them. (You don't understand how hard this was for me in the beginning.) Setting boundari...

I am continuing the exercises from Donald Miller's Storyline .   Exercise Two Where are you going? Evaluate where your life will be in 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years if nothing changes in the following categories: 1. Personal relationships 2. Career 3. Personal Health Personal relationships Having a better relationship with myself has helped me have better relationships with others. The  Austin Stone  has introduced me to great Christian men and women who have taught me about real community and how to be totally exposed to others. I used to fear intimacy, and the Recovery program has wiped that fear right out of me. As I learn to share my true thoughts and feelings, I gain deeper friendships with healthier, like-minded individuals and have learned to distance myself from unhealthy people. I still have much to learn about loving difficult people and confronting conflict, but that grows with time and maturity. 1 year - I think I will have stronger,...

Looking at the previous exercise , I have discovered 3 recurring themes in my life: People, Places, and Passions. I will go into further detail here: People: Relationships have always been very important to me, and discovering my one true love has been an ongoing journey. It seems I have found my one true love in Christ, but I am still in search for my earthly husband. Because of my value for people, I have been hurt deeply by those I gave my heart to. I have built walls to keep people out, but my desire to connect with others trumps my fears and pushes me to open up. It has been a lifetime journey learning how to relate better with others and build lasting relationships. Letting go has never been my forte, but I have learned that some people can be detrimental to my growth, and letting go is sometimes the only way to become all that God wants me to be. I can't wait for the day when God finally blesses me with the most intimate of relationships and gives me a husband and family...

Using our Backstory and Redemptive Negative Turns , we are now to list them in chronological order and rate them from 1-10 on how positive or negative they were. Then we transfer them to a timeline and find a recurring theme in our life. Here's my life in chronological order:  1. Leaving home for the first time for college proved to be harder than I expected but was good for my self-confidence and attaining my goals. I loved being a student, living in a college town, and having my independence.  Positive: 7 2. My boyfriend got a girl pregnant. Very harmful but good that it happened. Would not want to experience that again. Negative: 8 3. Got involved in a worse relationship that still affects me today. Will never experience that again. Negative: 10+ 4. Majoring in Fashion Design. At first, this seemed a useless degree, but I am finally using it with my current job, and I just may start my fashion business after all. Positive: 5 5. Moving to Houston...