Dwelling place

I'm sitting at a quaint little coffee shop in downtown Greeley in the midst of some changed plans. Does that happen to you as much as it does to me?

I showed up to a meeting only to find out it had been canceled. As I drove off, I thought I would try a new plan. Instead of going immediately back home, I prayed... "Lord, how should I spend my time today?"

I remembered a nearby coffee shop that inspires creativity. It seemed like the perfect fit since my new and creative Bible study book just happened to be in my bag.

I've been blessed with a new group of women in Greeley. The slow but good process of getting to know them has blessed me. We've just started a book called Dwelling with Philippians. I love it! I'm sure I'll post more, but for anyone looking for a new approach to studying scripture, this is one to check out.

Off to do some dwelling and see what the Lord has for me this cold and sunny afternoon in Greeley...

Hair Therapy

Photo credit: Nina Aguirre :)

I've come to realize that a chair in a hair salon is very similar to the one in a therapist’s office. Some of us make appointments at the last minute, hoping for a much needed fix before things get really bad.  Others make regular appointments, wisely planning ahead for continual care.

Some haircuts are staged on the back porch with mom trying to avoid nicking an ear. Some haircuts are overpriced but in fancy, relaxing salons. Other haircuts are blunt and to the point- pull out the razor and get it done.  Counseling can be much the same way.

I’m finding so many similarities; although these might be more applicable for women since most men opt for the Super Cut special.  Or is there an analogy to be had? Not sure I’ll go there today…

When it comes to good counsel, some advice needs to be straight up and to the point. Some of the best therapy can happen on the back porch with a trusted companion. Occasionally, we need the extended session where we are guided through the transition.  Often times, continuing care is an important course.  

To bring the two together, hair stylists can be great counselors. When they are doing their job, through listening and asking good questions they help us to be more of ourselves. By keeping us on track, encouraging a new style, or walking us through a makeover we experience care along the way.  While I will never be a hairstylist, I’m so grateful to be a counselor.  I love watching others discover more of who they are and who God intended them to be.  I love to see healing, growth, and good change. I’m privileged to walk with others through their grief and loss.  I’m honored to be trusted with the inner struggles of the heart.

Haircuts, much like therapy, give us the hope of something better.

----

Hair in reality is darker than it appears on camera!

For the record, these thoughts all came about because a week ago I went in for a haircut and a bit of change. For the first time in my life, I’m a brunette!  I’m still getting used to it, but have had lots of fun with the new color as I continue to grow my hair out (last summer I cut 8 inches off!).  P.S. Anyone looking for a new stylist-  let me know… Leslie is the best!  

New Notes for a New Year

"Forget the former things;

Do not feel on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I'm am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland."

Isaiah 43:18-19










New Year's has always been one of my favorite holidays. I enjoy the fresh start, new beginnings, and especially knowing the daylight hours are getting longer again! 


This year, I know several loved ones who could use a fresh start. Last year was a rough year for many.  For me, it was a year filled with new joys and new sorrows.  It seems the toughest times are often watching those we love experience pain.  


For 2012 I'm looking forward to seeing how things will come together. I feel as though the Lord is stirring all kinds of ideas and dreams in my heart.  It has taken a time in the wilderness to strip away the old. At times my heart felt as though deep roots had been dug up and painfully pulled out.  Now, my heart feels ready for the flood of new, fresh, living water.  A stream in the desert.


A new song is forming in my heart.  


A journal entry from 2005 rings true again this year:


I feel both excited and scared; 
freed yet burdened 
because of the cost of my healing and the call of my heart. 
Big things are happening- huge things are in store.
I can't wait.

Christmas from the Pub

I love traditional Christmas songs and hymns (see my last post).  I also love new creative songs.

Here's a refreshing new Christmas song in an Irish-pub style. From Zac Hicks at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church. Because you can't just listen once, I had to share...

Now, and Not Yet

I love Christmas hymns. Probably more than I like Christmas.

Don’t get me wrong… I love seeing family. I love Christmas lights. I love snowy nights and Christmas break. I love Christmas cookies, shopping for my family, decorating, and maybe this year getting kissed under the mistletoe. There are a lot of things I like about Christmas. 

The problem is, sometimes they get in the way of, well, Christmas.

I could use any number or catchy phrases about where our Christmas focus should be, but I think it’s better said in one of my favorite Christmas hymns:

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.  

Did you hear it? Can you see it? Can you taste the weighted anticipation?  Can you feel the deep grief-laden expectation of a Savior?  The words seem heavy:  "ransom captive,” “lonely exile,” and “Satan’s tyranny.”

And yet, “Rejoice! Rejoice!”  There is joy in the coming Promise. Savior. Messiah. Emmanuel. God With Us.

This is why I love Christmas hymns so much. They are a reminder of Advent. Of Jesus’ arrival.  A reminder that He has already come, and the expectation that He will come again. The profound words above are still true.  This world still faces captivity, loneliness, exile, evil, tyranny, and mourning.  And yet we have hope.  He has come. He is here now. He is coming again, just not yet.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Three Days of Thanksgiving- Part 3

DAY 3: my future


As I wrapped up my last days at work, I knew I would go through a period of grief. A wise professor once counseled that we grieve for so much more than just death. Each change, each transition, is a loss. I'm so thankful for his teaching.

This wisdom prepared me for my most recent loss. After six years of learning, teaching, counseling, healing, tears and much joy, it was time for me to let go. It has left me abundantly thankful. I'm thankful for those I had the privilege of working with. I learned so much from the beautiful hearts at Alternatives Pregnancy Center. What a blessing it was to serve alongside amazing co-workers and volunteers.

It would be true to say I have grieved the loss of my job at Alternatives.  Six years taught me so much. One of my biggest lessons was understanding the need to grieve well.  When this doesn't happen, we find our hearts crippled; unable to fully engage in life before us. It is through grief that we find healing.  It is through grief that we understand the depths of those around us. It is through grief that we find our Lord.

The picture above was taken during another time of grief. It's a reminder to me that grief can be beautiful. Grief has a purpose.

I borrowed a book in the days after leaving my job. In it, the character finds a quote printed at a museum near the chapel Christopher Columbus prayed in before leaving for the New World. It's reported that he ended each night with the turning of his hourglass and words of hope for his future. On this Thanksgiving Day, my heart resonates with his words.

As I face this wonderful new season, I am thankful to say, there is much that awaits.  I am thankful for the renewed hope and purpose I have found in this time of transition.  I am thankful for what I have found in my time of rest.  I am ready for what's ahead and I'm excited for my future.

"The time spent has been good. The time to come will be better."
-Christopher Columbus
(Quoted from Canary Island Song)

Three Days of Thanksgiving- Part 2

DAY 2: my family


One year ago today, Heath asked me to be his wife.  Looking back, it’s amazing really… it was just six weeks after our first date, and four months until our wedding.  Were we crazy?  Maybe.  But I wouldn’t change a thing.

We found out the saying is true: When you know, you know.

There are many other things I know. Many things I know I’m thankful for. Today, I’m incredibly thankful for my family. I’m thankful that Heath is now the first person in my family. The one I’m most excited to see every day. The one I’m thankful to spend the rest of my life with.  He is the man God gave me, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I’m thankful for my parents. I’m thankful for the example they have been; that in the working out of their own faith, their relationship, and their love for their family, they have been honest in the struggle and the pain.

I’m thankful for my siblings. Those I grew up with and those I have gained. I’m thankful for their friendship. I’m thankful for their creativity, their love, their honesty, their uniqueness, and definitely for their sweet children!

I’m thankful for our extended families. We have a strong heritage. A heritage of faith, of love, of hardship, of strength, and a heritage of overcoming. We have an abundance to be thankful for. That I know.

Is our family perfect? No. But I wouldn’t change a thing.