December Fun

Yes folks, that's right, Snow in TEXAS! For two minutes last wednesday night, it snowed. It is evidenced on my car.
You, can't really see the snow on the roof of my car, but it's there.

And so to prove that it's there I made a hand print.

The Christmas season has arrived! And all the holiday lights are on display. In fact, tonight our church is taking a tour of the Longview Lights display...and I must say from the the displays I've seen already, Longview goes all out! But I've always loved the Christmas lights. When I was a little girl, my sisters and I would run to our car when we were getting ready to head to church and wrestle over who got to sit on which side of the car...all because we knew who get the better view of all the Christmas lights on the way to church...and we'd make a competition out of it too...who ever counted the most lights on their side would win! Now, of course we never actually won anything, but bragging rights, and as the youngest of three girls, I needed all the bragging rights I could get. :)
So, in some ways seeing all these lights just brings up really fun memories for me as a little girl.
This past saturday I went to Jefferson, the historical town filled with antique shops (Dad, you'd be in heaven) with some friends from the church and we did some Christmas shopping. A very festive and fun occasion to get me in the Christmas mood. Here are just a few pictures from that night.

Alicia, making a new friend.

Of course we found the cowboy hats. Yee HAw!

Here are the animals that were part of the strange manger scene made out of metal. We werent' exactly sure what the small middle animal was supposed to be, we actually thought it was a giant fly, but I don't recall a giant fly being a part of the manger scene.



There are some crazy things found in the Jefferson General Store...We found the crazy sunglasses section. Here, Alicia Nevius is sporting her "winged pig" sunglasses.


Hey, what's life without a little fun, eh?

Tidal Wave of Grief Meets Strong Tower of Love

Many of you might have already read this note that I've written on facebook, but I also wanted to include this on my blog so that those who are not facebook users could also be included in this. Please be praying for Jennifer. I've really felt compelled lately to make sure that as the one month mark approaches, and the two month mark, and so on since Scott's death that I need to be praying all the more. It's easy to remember to pray when the news hits you, but harder as the time moves on. So, those prayer warriors out there who read this, I beseech you, PRAY for Jennifer and those you know who have lost loved ones. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Where O Death is your victory?
Where O Death is your sting?
These verses bring hope for the child of God who has walked through death's doorway, and entered into the eternal presence of his creator, into the presence of his Savior because death is not the end, it is the beginning. It's the triumphal entrance into the heavenly throne room where the almighty God sits enthroned with JEsus Christ as His right hand...what an amazing realization that Scott has entered into this reality...he is abiding with his God.
It does take away the sting...somewhat. But I can't help but experience a little bit of a sting as I process this death and how it affects the friend I love so dearly. It does seem there is a bit of a sting for those who are left behind. Wife, children, parents, friends.
Many of you who read this might wonder what I'm talking about and many of you are experiencing it with me. 10 days ago my dear friend from Toccoa, Jennifer Robertson Mason, lost her husband in a tragic accident. The news has left many of us shocked, and at a loss of how to bring true comfort to Jennifer and the rest of the family during this time. It also has left many of us to reflect on how quickly life can change and that we are not promised tomorrow. But it also makes me marvel at how intense grief can be.
Let me reflect a bit.
Over the past several months in many ways I have felt some incredible feelings of grief as my dad's best friend, a man very dear to my heart, died in a tragic motorcycle accident. I saw how death affected my dad, my mom, and this man's wife, and how it affected me.It's horribly painful, and something we cannot control.
Other feelings of grief of having to start my life over in an unfamiliar place...losing a life that I loved and gaining a life I do not know and does not yet seem like mine.
Grief...it comes upon you like a tidal wave, with intense emotions that the human body can't control, and often times can't stand up against. it causes an ache that is haunting and often debilitating...but yet it is a stage in the healing process. and it is a place where God's compassion flows with strength and his comfort warms. His presence during those times is like nothing else...it nourishes, it cleanses, and it heals and it protects.
You see, God knows what it is to mourn. Jesus, away when he hears word of Lazarus' death, was full of grief. God the father, as He watched from above as His son was crucified, had to turn His face away, and allow it so that mankind would recieve redemption and reconciliation. He knows what i means to grieve, and i believe and have been praying for Jennifer in such a way that God would reach deep into the depths of her being and whisper words of love to her, and would satisfy her soul in the times of weariness ahead. The tidal wave of grief meets the strong tower of God's love. For nothing can separate us from the love of God. Death is, for those who belong to God through Jesus, the entrance into complete knowledge and experience of His love. Now Scott sees with unveiled sight, for he is in the presence of God, where He was always meant to be. Jennifer will see him again and the reunion will be beautiful.
Where O death is your victory?
Where O death is your sting?

A chance to rub it in a little....

Well it is the middle of November here in Texas and.....yesterday I was wearing shorts and flip-flops! Now, really I feel awfully for all of you northern folks who have already been cursed (oops I mean blessed :) ) by several inches of snow. After the harsh winter I experienced in Chicago last year, I am ready for a couple years without snow and all the work that comes along with it. A friend posted on her blog some pictures of the snow they've already received and I just shivered looking at it. I don't miss the cold. I love the blue skies, the warm weather with a little bit of a chill, and the clear night skies with bright and shining stars.

The leaves have just now begun to fall off the trees...and right into my newly planted garden, so I am constantly out there gathering the leaves out of my flowerbed. :) Planting my new flower garden gave me a real physical sense of accomplishment. I got a chance to really get into the dirt, dig around and plant beautiful colorful flowers. I still have work to do to keep it up and to keep the flowers fresh and healthy, but really now I can sit back and watch as the plants take shape.

It has been therapeutic for me to get out there and get my hands dirty while planting something beautiful. And in a sense it is a great parallel to ministry as well. When we really get involved in the lives of people and the church often we have to get down on our hands and knees and get dirty. We have to dig around, find the right placement for people where they will grow the best, place them there, nourish them, give them water, till the soil and then watch them grow. And as much of the mystery of the growing process happens beneath the surface with plants so is the mystery of our sanctification and maturing process in the souls of humanity; it is done in the secret places and we don't often see the fruit until the time is right.
And we wait. Pray. Wait. Pray. Encourage. Nourish. Pray.

And finally....I am getting a roommate! I've really enjoyed having a house to live in and having my own space, but for all of you who know me well, you know how much more I enjoy living life with people. So I've been thinking that it would be great to find a roommate, and viola! my friend Audra was planning on moving out of her apartment and trying to figure out what she was going to do! So, this week she is movin in! She's hilarious, provides much laughter in my life, a deep thinker and a spiritual encourager. I'm looking forward to our friendship!

Adaptations

This past week I got a chance to see parts of Texas that made me want to don my cowgirl hat, get myself a horse and drive some longhorn cattle out west. Did this midwestern girl, gone urban chicago, just really say that she wanted to be a part of a cattle drive? Yes, she did. :) If anything, these past two months have taught me how to appreciate many different ways of living life. Now, I didn't say that I'm going to turn Texan, there is too much Yankee in me to go native southerner, but I can at least appreciate all this southern hospitality and let it rub off on me a bit. And you know, it really is easier to just say ya'll instead of you all or you guys. :)

Okay, now I need some help from all of you who read my blogs. I want to paint some walls in my house but I'm still trying to figure out the colors. Got any ideas? I'm open for creativity here!

Life has certainly been interesting for me lately. I've been here for almost 3 months now and I'm still trying to settle down. I don't think there has been two weeks that have looked the same since I've arrived here, which makes it hard to really have a schedule or to know what to expect. On the positive side though it helps me to live for the day instead of living for planning the following weeks. I've also realized how much I have to learn, but I don't see there being any better place for me to learn than right where I am, working with the people God has placed me among. In some ways I feel myself resisting some things because they seem different or aren't the way I've seen them done before and right there I see that I have some work to do in my mind set. That was the very thing that all my profs both in undergrad and graduate school taught us to be aware of. Being ethnocentric-thinking our way is better than the way of the certain culture you are working among. It's so easy to enter into a situation and do what I've done or seen done before without really looking at the people and the culture of the area and asking the question: "how will the gospel of Jesus Christ be effectively proclaimed and demonstrated here?" And the answers could and will look different from the ways I've done it before. A lot of lessons in adaptation. Adapting to the climate. The pace of life. The value system. The Bible belt. Recreational activities. Lack of good coffee shops ;). Social and political structures. Communication styles. Ministry styles...and many more!
All of this makes me certain that I am right where I am meant to be.

Oh Ike!

Well finally I am able to put up some pictures from Hurricane Ike.
Here we have the tree resting quite nicely on the side of my house. Now in the pictures it looks as if the tree is actually sticking into the house, but it's really not.

this is just a few days later after our great great team of guys cut down the tree and then began to repair the roof. I was back in my house a few days later. And my house is back to it's old new self. Oh the exciting life of East Texas. Haha, what's next???!!!!

Casa Del Summer

Welcome! I invite all of you to take a tour with me of my Texas abode!This, obviously is my front yard. Someone from the church comes to cut my grass and take care of the flowers here in the front. Which is good, otherwise it would probably be a jungle in my front yard with who knows what kind of animals!

This is the view from the front door. If you walk straight ahead, it opens into the family room.

This is the view that you find when you look immediately to the left once walking into the house. This is the living room/welcome room. I really don't spend too much time in this room, although during the day, the sun shines right through the big picture window and makes is so bright and calming!

This is the family room, the room where I spend most of my time. (Sorry the picture is so dark, I took it at night time. As you can see I have another picture window in this room which also brings in a lot of sunlight...ahhhhhhh.

Here is my spacious kitchen! There is so much storage space and space to move around, you can actually fit three-four people in it at a time and not be bumping, elbowing and tripping each other while cooking! Hmmm...not that I have that problem though living alone...however when I have people over, which I do a lot it makes things easier.

This is the view of my family room from the kitchen. It's all so open which is great for having people over, you can discuss and keep conversation going even while in two different rooms.

This...is the hallway. Ooooh. Ahhhhhhh. ;)

The guest bathroom! Actually I use this one instead of the one off my room because it's bigger and I like the colors better. :) You can't see it in the picture but I have a bath tub! Which means...yes you all know....bubble baths!

Here we have the spare bedroom, which is where all my guests will stay when they come to visit...hint hint. ;)

This is my bedroom...and yes I still sleep with a stuffed animal. His name is samson. He's a big mouse.

View of my room from the bed. In the right of this picture you see part of a door. That is the door to my "walk-in-closet". yeah, it's huge! Lots of space for shoes. :) If the picture would have extended a little bit to the right of the closet you would have seen the bathroom that connects to my room. sorry, i only had so much time to download pictures-I couldn't get everything. :)

And this is my backyard. Perfect for parties, bonfires, a hammock and to plant flowers and herbs. :) So much potential!

So, there you have it folks, the tour of my house in Texas. It's great. I really enjoy the house a lot. God has been good. He's good all the time, and this is just some of the evidence of His goodness and provision.

And so it begins.....

It's a beautiful day today, the skies are bright blue, the crape myrtle trees are in full bloom with beautiful magenta flowers and the grass is a vibrant shade of green. The air is a bit crisp as well which tells me that fall is on its way; and this....refreshes me.

I'm beginning to settle in here. I'm finding local stores to frequent, I even found a coffee shop that isn't starbucks, it's called the Java Lounge! As I'm getting to know people I am finding out the small, unique quirks about Texas and hearing about fun places to go in nearby cities. There is antiquing in Jefferson, a rodeo in gladewater, a boardwalk in Shreveport, LA (which is the casino junction for this area), live blues music at the the local coffeeshop, sweet tea everywhere (it wouldn't surprise me if it started flowing in fountains here....mmmm sweet tea fountains!), the fitness center on Letourneau Campus where I can go to exercise, a 4 mile bike path, several state parks nearby in which I can get away for a weekend and camp, tall tall pine trees, magnolia trees, well just trees everywhere-and many more things that I'm looking forward to finding! I'll definitely be posting more about my excursions in East Texas so you'll have to visit my blog frequently to hear all about it!
This blog really is all for you! Many have asked about life in Texas and so I thought I'd have one place for people to go to hear and see the things happening down here. There is a southern charm and I do believe it's growing on me!
Ya'll come back now, ya hear?! haha!!!! (oh dear...what's happening to me????!!!!)