Boxing Class

I used to love the boxing class I took and was really dissapointed when it was cancelled about 4 years ago. Since then, they've brought it back, but it's never fit in my schedule. This semester it actually fit! I was so excited! And then last week I went. It was okay, just not as fun as I remembered. Now I have to go three more times because I already paid for it (you have to pay a month at a time). So tonight I go back and I'm really not looking forward to it... I'd much rather just have a night to myself to do what I want.

School, crazy, and faith

School is back in session and the days have become crazier! I can't believe that I am a junior this year. It boggles my mind that time has flown that fast! Wasn't it just yesterday that I was starting high school?!?! I'm already tired of the homework, but I'm enjoying my classes. Almost all of them are sign classes this semester.

So my church is having this challenge of reading through the entire New Testament. I'm really excited to do it. It was supposed to start yesterday, but I'm doing two days today because yesterday was just too crazy. Then on top of that I am still doing the read through the Bible in a year plan. And then if I wasn't crazy enough before Woodside is doing something called Re-Formation. The prayer room will be open from 6 am to 10 pm, they're doing an in depth study of the book of Acts and there's an option to read through the Bible in 100 days. Cause that's how long Re-Formation is supposed to last-- 100 days. I'm really excited. It seems that the more Bible study I've committed myself to do, the better I am at doing it and not letting myself get behind. I never got behind when I was doing 40 and reading 30 chapters of the Bible everyday, but when I'm doing my read through the Bible in a year plan I get behind all the time. (It seems a lot easier to catch up on 2 days worth of reading than having to read 60 chapters in one day :-)

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately... I have grown so much in my faith this last year and if you had asked me a year ago how my walk with God was going I would have responded great, that I was really close to God. Growing as much as I have this year, I feel like I'm closer to God than I have ever been before, but at the same time I have never felt so far away. It's like I understand a little better just how far I have to go in my walk. God got bigger when I wasn't looking.

Kairos is back in session... and I'm really looking forward to it. I've missed hanging out with people who I know help me grow in my faith. The one thing that I think might be a little hard is that our Kairos group from last semester, isn't really together anymore. There are a lot of new people and a lot of our old Kairos girls switched groups. I was finally getting to a place where I could open up a little more and now it's a bunch of new people that I have to get comfortable around. I've been praying about it... that God would just really help me be open this semester. And somehow I know that he will answer it.

40, Twins, and Actively Waiting

Wow, it's been a really long time since I updated... I really should get better at doing this.

It's hard to believe but 40 is almost over. These past 40 days have been an amazing time of growing closer to God and to the other young adults at Lighthouse. This time has almost been like a mission's trip experience... You're somewhat cut off from the world, you have all the support in the world to grow in your faith. Now is the time where we have to go back to the real world and continue to grow in our faith. Pray that we won't put down our swords when these 40 days are finished but that we'll keep fighting.

I've been working at Hallmark for a few months now and it's hard to believe that I've been there that long already. What's really hard to believe is that school starts in just a few weeks. I'm not really ready to go back. I'm liking sleeping more :-)

Sarah went back to KY and I'm missing my twin already. We're trying to make plans to see each other again soon. There's a conference in October that we both want to go to but we both have to figure out how it will work with our school schedules. The conference would be in Brentwood TN. So it would be close enough for her to probably drive, but I would need to fly and I'm having a hard time finding a flight that works with my schedule. Not too mention that I have no idea where I would get the money for the flight. Guess it's just another area that I need to trust God in right now.

A few weeks ago the young adults pastor at Woodside spoke about waiting. Ever since then it's just been something that's been pressed on my heart-- this concept of waiting. And not waiting the way we normally think of waiting, but actively waiting so that when God opens the door for us we can step through immediately saying yes. I just feel that lately I've been in a compete state of waiting. There are so many things that I want right now that God has not opened the doors for yet. Lately I've just been realizing the things that God has placed a desire in my heart to do and have but hasn't yet opened the doors for yet. It's caused me to start thinking about what I can do so when the door opens I can step through immediately and say yes. Whether it's waiting for my future husband, a chance to tour again, school to finish, or any one of numerous other points, I've been called to actively wait. To pursue God with everything that I have, to let him make me into the woman he wants me to be, to let God be enough right now knowing that he will provide everything else in HIS perfect timing. I've been called to go deeper with God, work to the best of my ability at school and work, and to continue training my voice so when the doors open I can step through without hesitation.

So, here's to waiting...because HIS timing is perfect and mine is far from it.

Prayer and Ornament Premiere

Yesterday was my first day in the prayer room and it was absolutely amazing. Actually amazing doesn't even begin to describe it but I don't think the English language has a word to describe the experience. It was incredible to have a whole hour to just talk to God, knowing that there was no way I'd be interrupted. It seems when I do my quiet times at home I'm always being interrupted for some reason or another, but here I knew there was no chance of that happening. Now I wish that I had had my work schedule farther our so I could have signed up for more hours... all the hours have been filled as of Tuesday. It made me realize that I need to get away uninterrupted with God more often.

What else is going on in my life? hmmm... Well Ornament Premiere is this weekend at Hall mark so you can all come in and pick out your Christmas ornaments. There is so much to learn regarding ornament premiere... I really hope I can learn it all.

Well I guess that's all for now, I need to go do homework.... Only 2 more weeks of class!

Work, Prayer, and Surrender

So I haven't updated in a really long time. I started a new job for those of you who are wondering. I now work at a Hallmark store. Surprisingly, I enjoy it most of the time, provided customers leave the store when we close and don't keep us there forever. In addition I have now been selected to purchase all my family's cards for however long I work at Hallmark. I'd really like to try and keep working there during the school year but we'll see how that works later.

40 has officially started. For those of you who don't know what it is, I'll explain. Woodside's college/young adult ministry is taking 40 days and praying nonstop. There is also a plan to read through Nehemiah in 40 days and the entire Bible in 40 days (the 2.5% reading plan). They're are also planning to do 40 service projects during the time period. I am really excited and have already signed up for a few hours in the prayer room. I'll (hopefully) sign up for more once I know my work schedule farther out.

So at Lighthouse on Sunday night, Cliff was talking about the passage in Exodus where Joshua goes into battle and Moses has to stand with his hands raised or the Israelites get slaughtered. Whenever I had read that story before it always reminded me of the importance of having people beside you to lift you up when you are to weak to hold yourself up. Cliff's message encompassed that but the idea that I came away with the most was Moses' position. Moses had to have his arms straight up in the air and keep them there. Before this he might have had to raise his hands, but keep them there... never. Cliff was talking about how this is a picture of surrender. Moses couldn't win the battle on his own. This way no one but God could take credit for what was about to happen. Now if you know me, you know that during worship I love to raise my hands... I've never been able to figure out why exactly I love to raise my hands, but I know I worship better with my hands either moving in ASL or in the air. Cliff mentioned that a lot of people raise their hands as a sign of surrender. Just think of a police officer chasing down a robber. He's got him cornered...what does he say? "Get your hands in the air". It's a sign that you've stopped running and now God's in charge. It's solidifying who God is; that he is in charge.

Guess I have another reason to raise my hands now.

Lessons from Narnia, Learning to Count the Cost

I just finished rereading Prince Caspian in preparation of soon (I hope) seeing the movie. Now it had been several years since the last time I read this series, but I've always found C.S. Lewis to be an amazing person and story teller. In the Chronicles of Narnia series one of my favorite (okay so I don't really have favorites as you'll soon see but humor me) characters is Aslan. For those of you who for some reason have yet to read the Chronicles of Narnia, the whole series is an allegory, with Aslan representing God. The first time Lucy sees Aslan again in Prince Caspian the dialogue goes something like this:

"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
" Not because you are?"
" I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger." (p. 136 in the 1960 edition)

This is so like God. As we grow in our faith, mature, move from being babies to children, to adolescents, to adults, instead of getting smaller because we've found out everything we know about God. He gets bigger, because we can never know everything about him. There will always be something to learn about him. When I was growing up, I would spend the night occasionally at my Aunt Jo and Uncle Dave's house with my two cousins. All three of us would fit on one air mattress with room to spare in one bedroom. I thought it was one of the biggest rooms ever. Imagine my surprise when I spent the night over there a few summers ago and realized that there was barely enough room for two of us in the room. Because I had gotten bigger, everything else seemed to have gotten smaller. It's the exact opposite with God. As we grow up in him, he reveals more of himself to us in ways that we might not have understood before.

There is one other part that I want to mention. On page 148 of my version, all the children all finally able to see Aslan. A couple of them are reprimanded for not trusting what Lucy saw, except for Edmund. Edmund had believed Lucy right off the bat. Why? I think because he knew the cost that Aslan had paid for him. He knew the cost of unbelief. He took his past and learned from it. Because of that, because he trusted what Lucy saw, he was rewarded with hearing the words, "Well done". We need to remember the cost of our unbelief, the cost of our sin, Jesus died for us, took our place, just like Aslan took Edmund's place in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Count the Cost, because he counted the cost for you.

Jobs, grades, and second graders...

I hate looking for a job. I don't usually mind working a job, but I hate looking for one and putting in applications upon applications. It doesn't look like I got the one job that I interviewed for last week, so I am still looking. I know that God has the perfect job out there for me, I just wish he'd put up some big shiny flashing arrows to let me know where I'm supposed to apply. Then I'll apply there, only I haven't seen the giant flashing arrows yet.... has someone else seen them and neglected to inform me?

So my grades were posted from last semester and I pulled a 4.0. Now my total GPA is a 3.93 which is pretty sweet and in the Sign Language Studies program I still have a 4.0. Alas, my break is now over and I'm back at school. My class only has 6 people in it, but it's really not where I want to be lately. Don't get me wrong, I love school, I just want a break right now. But I have to take this class or add a whole year onto graduation. Stupid pre-reqs.

I worked with the second graders on Sunday... I think every single one of them (wait, there was one who was fine) had sugar before coming into the small group time. I have never seen the group so loud and obnoxious. They were in rare form. We really didn't get anything done, because I wouldn't talk until they all were quieter. I don't expect them to be angels, but not name calling, hitting, kicking, sitting on, and a bunch of other stuff would be nice.

What else has happened lately????? Hmmmm.....I had my first shift at the writing center of the new term. It was incredibly boring... it was the first day of the semester... no one needs help yet. Relay is fast approaching and I have a ton to do for that... but I don't even know what that ton is since I haven't had a chance to look at my Relay stuff. That's pretty much it... rather boring lately.

Till next time....

Holly