So. I'm sitting here in the studio which I have justly entitled "The Armpit of Auburn University". Seriously that's where they put us. In a basement. With no windows. In a small, confined space. Yes, that's exactly where we shall put the creative people. In a concrete box.
Regardless of our glum location, classes are going well. I just finished passing off my corporate identity to my professor. I think he liked the concept but he kept up the mantra stating "It needs to find a niche". And you're sitting there with the same thought that ran through my mind "What does that even mean?"
The longer that I'm in this major the more that question makes itself known. I was telling one of my friends the other day that "Art is not about art. It's about the defense of art." If you can defend your idea the basic concept of "It's art because I say so" is a reality instead of a clever bumper sticker. With my major there is no consistency or predictability. You never know what your project will be, what your professor expects of you, what makes your project good enough or creative enough, what your final grade will be (that's always a game of Yahtzee), or if even though the professor loved it through the entire production he could conjure the deepest hate and disgust for the work during the final critique. You never know.
When I was a freshmen I remember my mom asking me "So, it's mid semester, what are your grades so far?" I recall staring at her blankly with a honest reply "I have no idea. I could be failing or passing with straight A's. They don't tell us a thing."
Well it makes for an interesting educational experience in the major of flexibility.
Man I'm exhausted. I want you to know that I ran a 1.5 miles yesterday. I'm training with Rachael for a 10k in October (that's 6 miles). I can sit here and tell you that the farthest I've ever gone in my entire life is 2.5 miles. I actually had a really great run last night. I found my rhythm even though I ran a 14 minute mile. C'mon...I'm a designer. I sit in a chair with my face glued to a laptop. I'd say it's an accomplishment.
I've got to get back to work. I have another presentation tomorrow. Oh how I miss sleep - we're running on 4 hours at the moment. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Another Day in the Neighborhood
It's raining.
For some odd reason it always rains when I have to go to the library and inevitably walk in through torrential downpours in order to get there leaving me wet down to the bone.
The past few days have been busy yet uneventful all at the same time. School is becoming routine and "personally annoying" as one of my classmates told the professor in lecture last week. Hilarious.
Biology is slow and has the possibility in the briefest of moments to be amusing. My professor likes to make the over-used Alabama football joke to break up his lectures about the composition of atoms. One of such tangent he started discussing shark attacks followed by rapid fire slide show of various "dangerous" animals. My favorite moment was after he showed a photo of Bambi: "What animal is responsible for the most human fatalities in the United States?" A girl behind me said "Is it because deer hit the cars?" One of my classmates sarcastically replied "No it's because they EAT people." Seriously, I laughed for a good 5 minutes through the lecture.
Everything else that I'm taking (Design I, 20th Century Art History, and Painting II) are tons of work with their own frustrations. I enjoy my professors I just can't seem to get back into the creative swing. I've got to find it again because the goal is "Graduation. Graduation. Graduation."
We had our first small group meeting yesterday. I think it went well. Erik and I work great together plus is was just fun to hang out with everyone. We had 7 people (including Erik and myself). Hopefully we will grow as the weeks pass.
Encounter rocked my face RIGHT off last Thursday. Man, it is like spiritual manna from heaven whenever I go. Matt discussed being impressed with God. If you want to listen to it, which I highly recommend, go to iTunes then type in "Grace Campus Ministry" for a podcast.
Well I'm headed back to studio to gesso some boards then read Art History until my eyeballs fall directly out of my head. I wonder if that's even physically possible and if it were could I get a University approved class excuse for it....
Haha, well once again friendly readers - thanks for stopping by.
For some odd reason it always rains when I have to go to the library and inevitably walk in through torrential downpours in order to get there leaving me wet down to the bone.
The past few days have been busy yet uneventful all at the same time. School is becoming routine and "personally annoying" as one of my classmates told the professor in lecture last week. Hilarious.
Biology is slow and has the possibility in the briefest of moments to be amusing. My professor likes to make the over-used Alabama football joke to break up his lectures about the composition of atoms. One of such tangent he started discussing shark attacks followed by rapid fire slide show of various "dangerous" animals. My favorite moment was after he showed a photo of Bambi: "What animal is responsible for the most human fatalities in the United States?" A girl behind me said "Is it because deer hit the cars?" One of my classmates sarcastically replied "No it's because they EAT people." Seriously, I laughed for a good 5 minutes through the lecture.
Everything else that I'm taking (Design I, 20th Century Art History, and Painting II) are tons of work with their own frustrations. I enjoy my professors I just can't seem to get back into the creative swing. I've got to find it again because the goal is "Graduation. Graduation. Graduation."
We had our first small group meeting yesterday. I think it went well. Erik and I work great together plus is was just fun to hang out with everyone. We had 7 people (including Erik and myself). Hopefully we will grow as the weeks pass.
Encounter rocked my face RIGHT off last Thursday. Man, it is like spiritual manna from heaven whenever I go. Matt discussed being impressed with God. If you want to listen to it, which I highly recommend, go to iTunes then type in "Grace Campus Ministry" for a podcast.
Well I'm headed back to studio to gesso some boards then read Art History until my eyeballs fall directly out of my head. I wonder if that's even physically possible and if it were could I get a University approved class excuse for it....
Haha, well once again friendly readers - thanks for stopping by.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Back to the Grind
Hey there friends!
I hope this post finds you doing well in the hustle and bustle of another school year. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I have only 2 more semesters left of college. In reality I have to repeat the refrain "2 more semesters 2 more semesters" when I wake up at 6:30am for my classes.
I was sitting in class yesterday morning and my professor inquired why I was so early every day. First off (although I did not mention this to him) I wanted to prove to him that I could be on time. I had him for Illustration last year and was perpetually late. I continued to inform him that I have an strenuous, yet effective, alarm clock system which operates as follows:
Step 1: The alarm clock next to my bed is set but sometimes unreliable.
Step 2: Another alarm clock across the room set 5 minutes later than step 1 even though its buzz is slightly pathetic.
Step 3: My cellphone is set 10 minutes after step 1 and rests on my dresser diagonally from my bed. I usually never hear this alarm. Occasionally I set more than one alarm on my cell phone just for precautionary reasons.
Step 4: I have my iHome set with my iPod to go off in melody with step 1. I crank the volume and every morning David Crowder wakes me up screaming at the top of his lungs.
Step 5: A second alarm clock located next to step 1 that goes off 15 minutes from step 1. This is to ensure that in the process of turning off all of these alarms that I haven't simply hit snooze on all of them and proceed to sleep through my classes.
This might seem extreme but I think this system has been 3 years in the making. It takes an act of Congress or the tornado siren to wake me up from a deep sleep. Sad, but so very true. I am happy to report that I have yet to miss any of my classes.
Speaking of classes they're going well. Granted we have yet to hit the harder stride of assignments but I will suffer through.
I must confess to you that over the summer I had forgotten how insufferably busy college life is for me. I don't know how to express the hectic nature of my life in Auburn but I do believe it has the potential to drive any sane person to the state of utter madness in which I reside daily.
Now, the average individual would make the assumption that college students have "tons of free time". Jim, our campus minister, would make us plot out our schedules as freshmen to see how much time we really had on our hands. I did this and as soon as my "calendar" was completed I laughed. It was full. Of what, you might ask and it was the following: church.
"Oh splendid Megan! You're doing what you need to do!" replied those sitting around me.
Really? Am I REALLY doing what is best? One thing I learned this summer while I was in Africa was that I had forgotten how to breath; not literally of course but spiritually speaking. I had forgotten how to soak in the simple presence of God. As I sat in the middle of the Village of Hope listening to the kids laughing and the birds in the trees it hit me like a brick in the face. Life at Auburn was complex. I saw myself running from one church session to another, from small group to prayer group to devo to church on Sunday to Speak rehearsal to making tshirts for the ACSC or the AUCoC or Encounter or Invisible Children meetings...I mean the list goes on and on.
Don't misread me - these things are wonderful and I enjoy each of them. At the same time I need you to understand what that is like. On top of having the voice of school screeching in my head: "You have a paper due in Art History, a lab to finish in Biology, 3 paintings due by Thursday, a logo proposal in a week" on top of my physical body shouting: "I'm hungry! When was the last time you showered? Are you ever going to see more than 4 hours of sleep!? What about exercise? Stop eating so much cheese and drinking gallons of caffeine!" In chorus is the domestic voice: "You haven't washed clothes in 2 weeks. Your room is a disaster zone. Have you seen the study? There's art supplies every where. Your car hasn't seen a good washing in 4 months. Is something growing under the seat cushion? Have you deposited that check?" Let's not forget the design mantra: "Where is the tshirt design for the ER crew? Why haven't you done an ACSC tshirt yet? Why haven't you emailed me those jpegs for the website? Where is that logo? What about the tshirt design for fill-in-the-blank?" Oh there's more, the relationship voice: "Where have you been Megan we haven't hung out in ages!? Have you been spending enough time with ACSC people? People from studio? Friends in your new classes? Freshmen? Your family?"
I'm not complaining. I know everyone has those kind of voices in their head. It doesn't change when you graduate, or move, or get married, or have a family. In all of that, the resounding question is "Where is Jesus?" I think I ask that question every single day. That was always an easy question to answer this summer. He was right there in my face and in the center of all that I did. I can't help but feel that I've suffocated him with my schedule.
God doesn't need a grand performance to prove that we love Him. All of my life I thought on some level I had to perform for God. I knew that my works were not enough but through the church I some how dug up the idea that if I wasn't filling my time then people would whisper "She's falling from the way."
In all actuality I want to learn how to truthfully and honestly "Be still" to know that "He is God". I want to fall into the way - the way of Christ. So that's what I'm doing this semester.
As always, thanks for stopping by!
ps: Read Colossians. It rocked my face right off tonight, as a matter of fact I'm still looking for it...
I hope this post finds you doing well in the hustle and bustle of another school year. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I have only 2 more semesters left of college. In reality I have to repeat the refrain "2 more semesters 2 more semesters" when I wake up at 6:30am for my classes.
I was sitting in class yesterday morning and my professor inquired why I was so early every day. First off (although I did not mention this to him) I wanted to prove to him that I could be on time. I had him for Illustration last year and was perpetually late. I continued to inform him that I have an strenuous, yet effective, alarm clock system which operates as follows:
Step 1: The alarm clock next to my bed is set but sometimes unreliable.
Step 2: Another alarm clock across the room set 5 minutes later than step 1 even though its buzz is slightly pathetic.
Step 3: My cellphone is set 10 minutes after step 1 and rests on my dresser diagonally from my bed. I usually never hear this alarm. Occasionally I set more than one alarm on my cell phone just for precautionary reasons.
Step 4: I have my iHome set with my iPod to go off in melody with step 1. I crank the volume and every morning David Crowder wakes me up screaming at the top of his lungs.
Step 5: A second alarm clock located next to step 1 that goes off 15 minutes from step 1. This is to ensure that in the process of turning off all of these alarms that I haven't simply hit snooze on all of them and proceed to sleep through my classes.
This might seem extreme but I think this system has been 3 years in the making. It takes an act of Congress or the tornado siren to wake me up from a deep sleep. Sad, but so very true. I am happy to report that I have yet to miss any of my classes.
Speaking of classes they're going well. Granted we have yet to hit the harder stride of assignments but I will suffer through.
I must confess to you that over the summer I had forgotten how insufferably busy college life is for me. I don't know how to express the hectic nature of my life in Auburn but I do believe it has the potential to drive any sane person to the state of utter madness in which I reside daily.
Now, the average individual would make the assumption that college students have "tons of free time". Jim, our campus minister, would make us plot out our schedules as freshmen to see how much time we really had on our hands. I did this and as soon as my "calendar" was completed I laughed. It was full. Of what, you might ask and it was the following: church.
"Oh splendid Megan! You're doing what you need to do!" replied those sitting around me.
Really? Am I REALLY doing what is best? One thing I learned this summer while I was in Africa was that I had forgotten how to breath; not literally of course but spiritually speaking. I had forgotten how to soak in the simple presence of God. As I sat in the middle of the Village of Hope listening to the kids laughing and the birds in the trees it hit me like a brick in the face. Life at Auburn was complex. I saw myself running from one church session to another, from small group to prayer group to devo to church on Sunday to Speak rehearsal to making tshirts for the ACSC or the AUCoC or Encounter or Invisible Children meetings...I mean the list goes on and on.
Don't misread me - these things are wonderful and I enjoy each of them. At the same time I need you to understand what that is like. On top of having the voice of school screeching in my head: "You have a paper due in Art History, a lab to finish in Biology, 3 paintings due by Thursday, a logo proposal in a week" on top of my physical body shouting: "I'm hungry! When was the last time you showered? Are you ever going to see more than 4 hours of sleep!? What about exercise? Stop eating so much cheese and drinking gallons of caffeine!" In chorus is the domestic voice: "You haven't washed clothes in 2 weeks. Your room is a disaster zone. Have you seen the study? There's art supplies every where. Your car hasn't seen a good washing in 4 months. Is something growing under the seat cushion? Have you deposited that check?" Let's not forget the design mantra: "Where is the tshirt design for the ER crew? Why haven't you done an ACSC tshirt yet? Why haven't you emailed me those jpegs for the website? Where is that logo? What about the tshirt design for fill-in-the-blank?" Oh there's more, the relationship voice: "Where have you been Megan we haven't hung out in ages!? Have you been spending enough time with ACSC people? People from studio? Friends in your new classes? Freshmen? Your family?"
I'm not complaining. I know everyone has those kind of voices in their head. It doesn't change when you graduate, or move, or get married, or have a family. In all of that, the resounding question is "Where is Jesus?" I think I ask that question every single day. That was always an easy question to answer this summer. He was right there in my face and in the center of all that I did. I can't help but feel that I've suffocated him with my schedule.
God doesn't need a grand performance to prove that we love Him. All of my life I thought on some level I had to perform for God. I knew that my works were not enough but through the church I some how dug up the idea that if I wasn't filling my time then people would whisper "She's falling from the way."
In all actuality I want to learn how to truthfully and honestly "Be still" to know that "He is God". I want to fall into the way - the way of Christ. So that's what I'm doing this semester.
As always, thanks for stopping by!
ps: Read Colossians. It rocked my face right off tonight, as a matter of fact I'm still looking for it...
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
And they're all back....
You know those scenes from Lord of the Rings where the armies of Mordor surge into Helms Deep?*
Okay take that magnitude, but instead of terrifying creatures of the underworld replace them with blond 115lb girls in bright pink shirts scurrying around downtown Auburn and you've got the picture.
Man this town is PACKED! I fear it will only get worse as school approaches. Incase you've never had the pleasure of visiting the loveliest village on the planes this place simply isn't meant for traffic especially girls in over-proportioned SUVs.
Regardless of the automobile congestion, Auburn hasn't changed. Granted they have begun more road construction right before the first day of class on key streets like College and Gay, but for the most part Auburn is just how I left it.
I've been spending my days sleeping in and hanging out late with the posse. Everyone is back in town and I can't tell you how much fun we've had playing Wii while laughing into the wee hours of the morning. Man it's good to be back in the JAR house! (Oh yes let me clarify - JAR stands for Jessica, Amber, and Rachael it's easier to abbreviate)
I'm about to venture out into the heat wave to seek my Biology Lab book and planning a quick route via bicycle across campus to make it to my classes on time. Pray that I don't get hit by a car because the likelihood of that happening is startlingly high. As a matter of fact, one of my classmates got hit by a car on her bike last semester. It was quite a nasty tumble, but she healed up rather nicely.
This week is our first devotional at the Auburn Christian Student Center. It's been quite an adjustment to get into the ACSC routine but I'm getting there. I hope to lead a small group this semester. Be praying about who they place me with! I have no idea what I just signed myself up for but it felt like it was time to take what I've learned this summer into ACTION. (For some reason I envisioned SuperMan music playing through that last sentence...)
Okay out into the lava-esque climate I go! As always, thanks for stopping by.
*Yes I made an LoT reference. I'm a dork with NO shame!
Okay take that magnitude, but instead of terrifying creatures of the underworld replace them with blond 115lb girls in bright pink shirts scurrying around downtown Auburn and you've got the picture.
Man this town is PACKED! I fear it will only get worse as school approaches. Incase you've never had the pleasure of visiting the loveliest village on the planes this place simply isn't meant for traffic especially girls in over-proportioned SUVs.
Regardless of the automobile congestion, Auburn hasn't changed. Granted they have begun more road construction right before the first day of class on key streets like College and Gay, but for the most part Auburn is just how I left it.
I've been spending my days sleeping in and hanging out late with the posse. Everyone is back in town and I can't tell you how much fun we've had playing Wii while laughing into the wee hours of the morning. Man it's good to be back in the JAR house! (Oh yes let me clarify - JAR stands for Jessica, Amber, and Rachael it's easier to abbreviate)
I'm about to venture out into the heat wave to seek my Biology Lab book and planning a quick route via bicycle across campus to make it to my classes on time. Pray that I don't get hit by a car because the likelihood of that happening is startlingly high. As a matter of fact, one of my classmates got hit by a car on her bike last semester. It was quite a nasty tumble, but she healed up rather nicely.
This week is our first devotional at the Auburn Christian Student Center. It's been quite an adjustment to get into the ACSC routine but I'm getting there. I hope to lead a small group this semester. Be praying about who they place me with! I have no idea what I just signed myself up for but it felt like it was time to take what I've learned this summer into ACTION. (For some reason I envisioned SuperMan music playing through that last sentence...)
Okay out into the lava-esque climate I go! As always, thanks for stopping by.
*Yes I made an LoT reference. I'm a dork with NO shame!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Stuff.
I've been putting off my unpacking process for at least four days.
For the average person, unpacking would be the tip top priority on their list of things-to-do but for some reason I couldn't get it done. I do believe that part of my hesitation to unpack is a manifestation of denial to the obvious truth that I now live in Auburn. In this apartment. In this room.
With all of this stuff.
When I walked upstairs on Tuesday into my room I was overwhelmed. My closet was full and as soon as I opened the door my stomach turned sour. I have so much stuff. Clothes that I never wear or have grown out of just sitting there staring blankly back at me. More than 15 pairs of shoes. Jeans. Shirts. Sweatshirts. Skirts. It's disgusting really.
All I could think about was Senya. I know that guilt isn't what God wants me to be burdened with over the blessings that He has provided, but at the same time didn't Jesus say "Sell all of your possessions and follow me?" Sometimes I feel like we don't take that seriously. We just skip it over as "Oh this can be interpreted in reference to the culture." I mean, what if we DID what Jesus ACTUALLY said to do? Literally. No interpretation - just take it like it is and act on it.
My automatic thought was to take everything out of my closet, drive to the GoodWill, and leave it. I certainly don't need it. I don't even want any of it. All I can see as I look into my closet is one of the Senya kids pulling at my skirt asking if they could have my shoes as I looked at their bare and calloused feet. I feel responsible for that. Responsible for my brothers and sisters who NEED to be blessed and we are overly capable of delivering that blessing.
I want to be a delivery-girl of God's blessings. I know they aren't mine to give because everything is the Father's. That makes it even better thought, doesn't it? We have the honor, not the obligation, to be the hands and feet of Jesus right here. Right now.
I'm speaking to myself more than anyone else at the moment. Jess and I are cooking up something to act through what we've been discussing about responsibility with our blessings.
Well I should keep going. Thanks for stopping by!
For the average person, unpacking would be the tip top priority on their list of things-to-do but for some reason I couldn't get it done. I do believe that part of my hesitation to unpack is a manifestation of denial to the obvious truth that I now live in Auburn. In this apartment. In this room.
With all of this stuff.
When I walked upstairs on Tuesday into my room I was overwhelmed. My closet was full and as soon as I opened the door my stomach turned sour. I have so much stuff. Clothes that I never wear or have grown out of just sitting there staring blankly back at me. More than 15 pairs of shoes. Jeans. Shirts. Sweatshirts. Skirts. It's disgusting really.
All I could think about was Senya. I know that guilt isn't what God wants me to be burdened with over the blessings that He has provided, but at the same time didn't Jesus say "Sell all of your possessions and follow me?" Sometimes I feel like we don't take that seriously. We just skip it over as "Oh this can be interpreted in reference to the culture." I mean, what if we DID what Jesus ACTUALLY said to do? Literally. No interpretation - just take it like it is and act on it.
My automatic thought was to take everything out of my closet, drive to the GoodWill, and leave it. I certainly don't need it. I don't even want any of it. All I can see as I look into my closet is one of the Senya kids pulling at my skirt asking if they could have my shoes as I looked at their bare and calloused feet. I feel responsible for that. Responsible for my brothers and sisters who NEED to be blessed and we are overly capable of delivering that blessing.
I want to be a delivery-girl of God's blessings. I know they aren't mine to give because everything is the Father's. That makes it even better thought, doesn't it? We have the honor, not the obligation, to be the hands and feet of Jesus right here. Right now.
I'm speaking to myself more than anyone else at the moment. Jess and I are cooking up something to act through what we've been discussing about responsibility with our blessings.
Well I should keep going. Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Walking in Auburn
I'm back. Well, in Auburn that is.
I just wanted to let all of you know that I'm alive and well back in the good ole 'Burn. The drive was uneventful and smooth. I have to say that it has been overwhelming to be in my apartment again. It's so quite here and there's no one to play Wii bowling with or laugh about Nick or have a late night prank or.....I mean, uh... I've been educated on arming our new alarm so it feels like the triple wide whenever the beep goes off as the door opens. Maybe I should get some flamingos...
I do miss Memphis and everyone at WhiteStation. Even so, my parents were highly relieved to have me back with a 10 mile radius.
I want to keep this blog up so that my TN buds know how life is treating me here. Granted these posts probably won't be as exciting as the summer edition, but I'll do my best to make it worth your while to stop by every now and then.
I'll be getting my things in order to start school next week. I'm headed to the doctor tomorrow for a check-up just to make sure everything is alright from Ghana. Don't panic. I feel GREAT (besides the fact that I miss WSYG) they just want to be doubly sure. It's "The-Forrester-Way".
Other than that I plan to be catching up with friends, scoping out my new studio, or chatting anyone's ear off who will listen about my summer and what God has done because man, it's a lot.
Thanks again for all of your love, support, and encouragement. Don't be a stranger and once again, thanks for stopping by!
I just wanted to let all of you know that I'm alive and well back in the good ole 'Burn. The drive was uneventful and smooth. I have to say that it has been overwhelming to be in my apartment again. It's so quite here and there's no one to play Wii bowling with or laugh about Nick or have a late night prank or.....I mean, uh... I've been educated on arming our new alarm so it feels like the triple wide whenever the beep goes off as the door opens. Maybe I should get some flamingos...
I do miss Memphis and everyone at WhiteStation. Even so, my parents were highly relieved to have me back with a 10 mile radius.
I want to keep this blog up so that my TN buds know how life is treating me here. Granted these posts probably won't be as exciting as the summer edition, but I'll do my best to make it worth your while to stop by every now and then.
I'll be getting my things in order to start school next week. I'm headed to the doctor tomorrow for a check-up just to make sure everything is alright from Ghana. Don't panic. I feel GREAT (besides the fact that I miss WSYG) they just want to be doubly sure. It's "The-Forrester-Way".
Other than that I plan to be catching up with friends, scoping out my new studio, or chatting anyone's ear off who will listen about my summer and what God has done because man, it's a lot.
Thanks again for all of your love, support, and encouragement. Don't be a stranger and once again, thanks for stopping by!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Back to the 'Burn
Well ladies and gentlemen, tonight was my last night as intern for White Station.
I can't tell you how many times I've tried to start this post but have ended up too blurry eyed to finish it.
To say that this summer was amazing is quite an understatement. I have seen the face, hands and feet of Christ through this entire experience and I wish I could truly convey what God has done in my heart. Unfortunately, words fail me once again.
Before I came to Memphis I starting to loose hope in "Christianity". I wondered if anyone had actually read the gospel to fully understand what Christ was calling us to be. Radical. Passionate. Joyful. Risky. Dangerous. Exciting. Alive. I felt like "the church" was in a deep self induced coma and didn't even realize it. I begged God to show me that the diagnosis wasn't accurate - that there was something more, something alive, something real. A real Christianity.
I was frustrated and exhausted but more than any of that I was overwhelmed with sadness. I craved to see uninhibited joy in my Christian family but saw the barriers that kept us locked in fear. Satan began to sow a lie in my heart that the fight we were fighting was useless. He whispered that people had messed up "Christianity" so much we'd lost the gospel that countless others had died to save. I prayed for God to show me that Satan was wrong.
Our God is a good God.
He did just that. He showed me passion, sacrifice, humanity, laughter, service, humility, and love through normal every day people who just happened to be in the family of the WhiteStationCoC. I couldn't get over it. I came here and I felt LOVE manifest itself not out of duty but out of a desire from blessings they had received from their Father. I saw it in the teens, in their parents, in the elders, their pulpit minister, secretary, even the janitor. I saw it in Ghana as well as downtown Memphis.
It is so hard to leave a good thing once you find it. God has taught me so much through this church family that the two words "thank you" seem inadequate. My heart is heavy to leave my new family but at the exact same time I know what lies ahead.
God has big things in store for Auburn. I mean, we're talking BIG. One of the things that Duncan said at camp was "Don't suffer from small God syndrome". I want you to know that the power and grace and love of God isn't small. It isn't just in Ghana. It isn't just in Memphis.
It's in Auburn and I plan to join Him on His mission there. What that looks like I have absolutely no idea but I do know that I'm ready and excited to get started.
I can't wait to see each of you. I will be back in Auburn in the afternoon on Tuesday. I want to hear your stories and what God has done for you and with you this summer.
As always, thanks for stopping by. *
* If you were curious, this blog will continue to be up regardless of my residence. I want my Memphis peeps to know how things are going in Auburn so have no fear - more updates will be here!
I can't tell you how many times I've tried to start this post but have ended up too blurry eyed to finish it.
To say that this summer was amazing is quite an understatement. I have seen the face, hands and feet of Christ through this entire experience and I wish I could truly convey what God has done in my heart. Unfortunately, words fail me once again.
Before I came to Memphis I starting to loose hope in "Christianity". I wondered if anyone had actually read the gospel to fully understand what Christ was calling us to be. Radical. Passionate. Joyful. Risky. Dangerous. Exciting. Alive. I felt like "the church" was in a deep self induced coma and didn't even realize it. I begged God to show me that the diagnosis wasn't accurate - that there was something more, something alive, something real. A real Christianity.
I was frustrated and exhausted but more than any of that I was overwhelmed with sadness. I craved to see uninhibited joy in my Christian family but saw the barriers that kept us locked in fear. Satan began to sow a lie in my heart that the fight we were fighting was useless. He whispered that people had messed up "Christianity" so much we'd lost the gospel that countless others had died to save. I prayed for God to show me that Satan was wrong.
Our God is a good God.
He did just that. He showed me passion, sacrifice, humanity, laughter, service, humility, and love through normal every day people who just happened to be in the family of the WhiteStationCoC. I couldn't get over it. I came here and I felt LOVE manifest itself not out of duty but out of a desire from blessings they had received from their Father. I saw it in the teens, in their parents, in the elders, their pulpit minister, secretary, even the janitor. I saw it in Ghana as well as downtown Memphis.
It is so hard to leave a good thing once you find it. God has taught me so much through this church family that the two words "thank you" seem inadequate. My heart is heavy to leave my new family but at the exact same time I know what lies ahead.
God has big things in store for Auburn. I mean, we're talking BIG. One of the things that Duncan said at camp was "Don't suffer from small God syndrome". I want you to know that the power and grace and love of God isn't small. It isn't just in Ghana. It isn't just in Memphis.
It's in Auburn and I plan to join Him on His mission there. What that looks like I have absolutely no idea but I do know that I'm ready and excited to get started.
I can't wait to see each of you. I will be back in Auburn in the afternoon on Tuesday. I want to hear your stories and what God has done for you and with you this summer.
As always, thanks for stopping by. *
* If you were curious, this blog will continue to be up regardless of my residence. I want my Memphis peeps to know how things are going in Auburn so have no fear - more updates will be here!
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