One of my Bible studies has 6 senior girls this semester and meets Tuesday evening every week. We're going through the Gospel of Luke using the book Dawn of the Messiah by Dr. Sri from the Augustine Institute. Since it's on Tuesday, we had Bible study the night of Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday. To celebrate we went to a little bar downtown called The Jager. It was so much fun! We were the only people there so early and they have a fireplace surrounded by couches. We got a drink and talked about life and decided to have Bible study there every week since it was a fun, quiet atmosphere. It's kind of odd to think we have Bible study at the bar, but it's been really great!
We had a really good discussion last week about the roles of men and women. Since Joseph is so quiet in the writings of the Gospels, and during the finding in the temple it seemed like Mary was the "dominant" parent, they wondered about what it was like to be Joseph. To be the head of the family where you are the only imperfect one and are supposed to lead them. We talked about the humility and charity it would take to be Mary, the things we appreciate in men, and how we can allow them/encourage them to "be men".
This past weekend Kelley, Tommy and I went skiing at Copper Mountain!! We stayed with a friend of Kelley's and her family; Chris and Erika and their almost year and a half old daughter Elanor. We got snowed in there with the blizzard Sunday! We stayed and went sledding and painted wine glasses and hung out in Vail Village at the Yeti Grind coffee shop. It was so fun to play in the snow again! Unlike popular belief, not everywhere in Colorado is snowy mountains. Greeley (where I live) is flat and usually brown and smells like cows. If we get some snow, we get about half an inch and it is melted by the next day. We got about half a foot this weekend! and it hasn't melted yet! In the moutains where we were staying there were shoveled sidewalks with two feet of snow on each side - reminded me of home and made me so happy!
On another note: I applied to be a team director for next year and have my interview Friday morning. If you could offer up a prayer for me, I would appreciate it!!!!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
TwentyThirteen
I can't believe it's nearing the end of February and this is my first post of the new year! I have a lot to catch you up on...
1. New year's resolutions. I've never really been a goal oriented person, so I've never really loved making a forced resolution. However, I do like the idea of idea of it and usually do it anyway :) This year I decided that I want to work on gratitude. Being grateful for the gift my life is and the will of the Lord in my life. Near the end of her life, St. Therese of Lisieux said, "I do not desire to die more than to live. It is what He does that I love." My resolution is to be more aware of what He is doing everyday and being grateful for it, whatever it is - since He is doing it, and is doing it to bring me to Heaven. I bought a small journal that I am writing in each night before bed. Each night I write one thing that day that I was grateful for.
2. We got a new teammate! Steph is from South Dakota and studied something I can't remember the name of, but it means event planning. She is also into art and music. She is discerning a vocation to the religious life after FOCUS. Super bubbly and joyful! Love her :)
3. SEEK2013! We spent six days in the Florida sun in January with 40 students. The 30 hour bus rides there and back were actually fun! We got a lot of bonding time and made new friends! We had some members of the Community of the Beatitudes come on our bus with us - including two priests! This means we were able to have Mass on the bus while going down the highway. SO LEGIT! There were over 6000 college students there wanting to grow in their relationship with Jesus. We heard talks from so many different theologians and lay Catholics living out their faith in the secular world... on all sorts of things - from prayer to relativism, pro-life to environmentalism, womanhood to discerning the will of God in your life. We had daily Mass and one night there was adoration, during which over 4000 people received the sacrament of reconciliation! wow. Grace everywhere. We had other fun, too! Between disneyworld, concerts, friends, watching the Bison football team win the championship, a 20s themed swing dance, and a great pool we found things to do :)
4. I bought a pass at the student rec center. As great as insanity is, sometimes I get bored with it. Not for lack of it being difficult, just repetitive. I've joined a Zumba and a kickboxing class!! I'm making some new friends, too! Yay for relational evangelization! I'm all signed up for the Rugged Maniac race on May 11th! Kelley is doing it with me :) She couldn't talk me into running a half marathon with her the week before, though. ugh.
5. For Valentine's Day we hosted a free swing dance at the university. L'Angelus, a Catholic Cajun band, played live music for us :) They are from Nashville and are the four oldest siblings in their family. They stayed at our house and we got to know them a little! So fun!!
6. Lent is here!! I've been super convicted this year about sacrifice. Two years ago my good friend at the Bad Catholic blog put it this way:
I've also been reading another book by Francine Rivers called A Voice in the Wind. It is about a woman who becomes a slave to a rich, selfish girl. She says something along the lines of "We were created to serve. We all serve something or someone, but we get to choose what or who that is." Do I serve Christ by serving the least of these? by serving His body here on Earth? Do I anticipate the needs of those God has placed in my life and show them mercy? Do I do it joyfully, as an unprofitable servant?
This is what I feel Jesus is trying to teach me this lenten season... that His heart is one of mercy and service and I was created to reveal His heart to the world.
1. New year's resolutions. I've never really been a goal oriented person, so I've never really loved making a forced resolution. However, I do like the idea of idea of it and usually do it anyway :) This year I decided that I want to work on gratitude. Being grateful for the gift my life is and the will of the Lord in my life. Near the end of her life, St. Therese of Lisieux said, "I do not desire to die more than to live. It is what He does that I love." My resolution is to be more aware of what He is doing everyday and being grateful for it, whatever it is - since He is doing it, and is doing it to bring me to Heaven. I bought a small journal that I am writing in each night before bed. Each night I write one thing that day that I was grateful for.
2. We got a new teammate! Steph is from South Dakota and studied something I can't remember the name of, but it means event planning. She is also into art and music. She is discerning a vocation to the religious life after FOCUS. Super bubbly and joyful! Love her :)
3. SEEK2013! We spent six days in the Florida sun in January with 40 students. The 30 hour bus rides there and back were actually fun! We got a lot of bonding time and made new friends! We had some members of the Community of the Beatitudes come on our bus with us - including two priests! This means we were able to have Mass on the bus while going down the highway. SO LEGIT! There were over 6000 college students there wanting to grow in their relationship with Jesus. We heard talks from so many different theologians and lay Catholics living out their faith in the secular world... on all sorts of things - from prayer to relativism, pro-life to environmentalism, womanhood to discerning the will of God in your life. We had daily Mass and one night there was adoration, during which over 4000 people received the sacrament of reconciliation! wow. Grace everywhere. We had other fun, too! Between disneyworld, concerts, friends, watching the Bison football team win the championship, a 20s themed swing dance, and a great pool we found things to do :)
4. I bought a pass at the student rec center. As great as insanity is, sometimes I get bored with it. Not for lack of it being difficult, just repetitive. I've joined a Zumba and a kickboxing class!! I'm making some new friends, too! Yay for relational evangelization! I'm all signed up for the Rugged Maniac race on May 11th! Kelley is doing it with me :) She couldn't talk me into running a half marathon with her the week before, though. ugh.
5. For Valentine's Day we hosted a free swing dance at the university. L'Angelus, a Catholic Cajun band, played live music for us :) They are from Nashville and are the four oldest siblings in their family. They stayed at our house and we got to know them a little! So fun!!
6. Lent is here!! I've been super convicted this year about sacrifice. Two years ago my good friend at the Bad Catholic blog put it this way:
So, now comes the time when everyone tells you, “Lent isn’t just about giving things up, it’s about taking things on. Think about what you can do, not what you can remove from your life.” Which is all fine and dandy, to be sure, but also stupid. Mortification is important. Mortification is what’s necessary. I want a bumper sticker that says “Put the pain back in Lent!” or “Self-denial is the reason for the season!” Just because it would shake things up. The world can understand us ‘getting more into’ our religion – they may even encourage us, give us a cookie. But what stands in contradiction to the world – and especially to the American world – is the Christian not eating. The Christian not drinking, not because drinking is bad, but because it is good. The Christian in pain.
What will convince the world, and – infinitely more importantly – what will convince us of the validity of our faith and all the truth she professes is not comfort, not the statement that “this will make me happy”, but the witness of those being happy when they have nothing but their faith. The rich, old, country club preacher saying grace is not much to rally around. But what hope there is in finding out that there is tremendous grace after a day without eating! What affirmation it is to learn that no, we do not believe because we are comfortable, we believe because it is true! To have the grace to praise God in our suffering!Amen. What a witness it is to the truth of our faith if we can rejoice in our suffering! How countercultural!
I've also been reading another book by Francine Rivers called A Voice in the Wind. It is about a woman who becomes a slave to a rich, selfish girl. She says something along the lines of "We were created to serve. We all serve something or someone, but we get to choose what or who that is." Do I serve Christ by serving the least of these? by serving His body here on Earth? Do I anticipate the needs of those God has placed in my life and show them mercy? Do I do it joyfully, as an unprofitable servant?
This is what I feel Jesus is trying to teach me this lenten season... that His heart is one of mercy and service and I was created to reveal His heart to the world.
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