Ridiculous Information

This somehow made it on my list of things to share and yet it doesn’t really fit with anything else/is not really important at all. Since it is on the list though, it MUST be shared.

I just wanted to say that I signed up for the free month of HuluPlus with a .edu email so that I could watch the finale of Masterchef because they bogus-ly did not release that to the public. So then I watched a bunch of old Pysch episodes too. It turned out to be such a bonus though because I was able to watch the premiere of “New Girl” and “Parenthood” a week early. Huzzah!

The end. (I am embarrassed that this post exists.)

High School hair and other things I am learning about growing up

It’s hard to believe but most of the junior highers have become freshman now! How and when did that happen? Even though we had talked about it all summer, the transformation seemed to happen in a weeks time and take me by surprise.

The Wednesday after Labor Day all the girls came looking about 10 years older with beautiful new weaves and styles. The girls seemed to indicate it was a rite of passage of sorts- they now have “high school hair.”  (In my head at one point, I may have imagined us all in old world clothing standing around a Sabbath table singing Sunrise, Sunset- thankfully just in my head!)

They seem to be adjusting well though. I’m proud of them for jumping in to a new place with boldness. I know that there are even more voices now vying for their attention and I pray God’s protection over their hearts and minds. Sometimes I forget how much is coming with them to Bible Study- a full day of the world’s pressures and lies; a whole weeks worth of observing violence and trying to stand up for themselves.  It really is a miracle and gift that their hearts are tender and open to God’s Word by His Spirit.

High school is the hardest time because you are young enough to think that your decisions don’t matter that much- “you’re just a kid!” In reality though, those high school years are so formative in terms of the direction you go for the future. I had a little heart to heart with the girls about that last week…I probably sounded like a Mom to them, but I hope regardless of how relevant they thought I was or wasn’t, that they saw how much I love them.

Truly, I cannot explain what a love I have in my heart for these girls and for the Westside of Chicago. It is supernatural and I think this might be my mission field for a while.   

Introducing….

My new upstairs neighbors:
Malissa, Nate, Elliot and Aldyn (plus Nelson)

They moved here from Arizona because Malissa received a scholarship at UIC to do doctoral studies in urban planning. Hopefully they will be around a while because I pretty much love them already. (When Nate quoted Arrested Development it sealed the deal!)

Malissa and I have gone for coffee and studying at the Knock Box a couple times. We like to eat and play games together like Monopoly Deal. It’s fun to hear the pitter patter of feet upstairs (especially in the morning when I need motivation to get up). Sometimes I play “Guess the Sound” with other things that go bump on the floor. I love to have conversations about urban ministry and their life experiences. They are pretty involved at their church even though they are new. Malissa gets to wear a stellar orange vest because she is the parking attendant! Elliot and Aldyn are totally creative and fun kids. I love hearing about their day or overhearing them playing in the backyard. They have a cute dog named Nelson who had a stroke so his tongue hangs out one side of his mouth- it’s pretty endearing. We also had 2 ‘adorable’ brown mice living in the building, but they have recently moved on. Bottom line, I’m so thankful that they are my new “roommates”.

My new roommate, Judith:

The Lord provided Judith from what I thought was a magical land because I had never heard of it before. She was born in the Faroe Islands (owned by Denmark) and cam to the states for college. She graduated from John Brown University this year and did an internship this summer in Chicago. After so much anxiety about who I would find to replace Aubrey on short notice, she moved in on September 1st and left me totally humbled at God’s providing hand. She is clean and likes to play games and loves pumpernickel bread and has great style and a cool boyfriend, Josh. She and Josh introduced me to 2 new games- Blockus and Sequence. I am no good at either… yet! So excited to get to know her more in the coming months. God is good to me- all the time!

A Man in a Mexican Wrestling Mask Walks Into a Game Stop…

 

It reads just like the beginning a fantastic joke, but at the time it was so not funny. Jodecai and Zyleke went to Game Stop in Cicero last week so they could exchange some games for a new one. I had never even been to Game Stop so I was already getting quite an education about how these sorts of things work.

A man walks by the window. With a  Mexican wrestling mask on…

I pause and ponder how strange that is.

The same man walks back by the window and into the store- still wearing his mask.

I inch toward the door motioning for the boys to come with me because my imagination has gone into overdrive about this man robbing the store, holding us hostage and my Mom hearing about it all on the evening news. The boys are too absorbed in their game selection to notice my subtle movement.

The employees tell the man that in order to shop there he has to take off the mask.

The man grunts and growls and aggressively shakes a shelf of games.

I walk back toward the boys envisioning myself heroically shielding them from bullets with my body….

The man walks out of Game Works.

Me and the boys go to Taco Bell.

Overheard

1. A sweet 19 year old Moody male student in the plaza:
“My grandma is a blessing to me!”

2. A confused and mentally disturbed man on the el at 7am:
”Oh shit! I’m on the pink line? I got on the girly line? Oh Shit! How did I get on the girly line? I can’t believe I’m riding the pink girly line! Shit!”

3. Yakira in the van on the way to Bible Study:
”Rachel treats us like we are her own kids.”

4. The neighbor girl (8 years old) on the back porch through my bedroom window:  “Insert the words of a praise and worship song she was making up without knowing anyone was listening” (This is BY FAR the sweetest way to wake up on a week day!)

5. Zyleke at his baptism on Sunday:
“I know that when I mess up Jesus is always with me and will forgive me.”

6. A Moody Student headed to her dorm room:
“Going to watch Korean Dramas… I am obsessed and have to find out what happened.”

7. A text from my neighbor after telling her I would bring the pot (of Chili) upstairs for dinner:
“Bring the chili too, we might get the munchies!”

8. Me (a bit to loud) to a friend in a public area at work recounting the story of unexpectedly saying goodbye late at night to a friend moving out of state:
“I wish I was wearing more clothes right now.”

A-U-B-R-E-Y .C. M-A-R-T-I-N

Aubrey was pretty much the greatest roommate I ever had (don’t tell my other roommates I said that though). She decided to move back to California though in August. I’ve never been to the LA area but I imagine the weather and views to be a bit more appealing than Chicago, so I guess I can’t blame her too much.

Top 5 fave things done with Aubrey C. Martin:

1. Sit on the floor on opposite sides of the kitchen and laugh, then cry about life.

2. Going to see Glee the Concert in 3D. Better than renting the Justin Bieber documentary only because of the cool glasses you can keep.

3. Sitting on the front porch reading.

4. Getting our oil changed at Quick Oil.

5. Eating pizza we ordered (ALWAYS a good idea!)

By far one of Aubrey’s greatest contributions to my life is teaching my how to use itunes. If you could have seen me grasping the concept of playlists and podcasts, you may have confused me with a 60 year old woman. I asked her questions like: “It’s really free?” “You don’t have to have an ipod to use it?” “Then where do you click?” “Are you sure it’s free?” “Why should I load my music to itunes if I already have it on CD?” “It’s free right?” hahahaha. It was one of those things I knew about for a long time but was too embarrassed to say I had no idea what to do with it, so now I know.

Aubrey’s patience paid off however and now I am an avid itunes user. I have made a playlist of songs about God’s love to go along with this season in life. I have plans to make as many playlists as possible for ordinary things (workout playlist, washing dishes playlist, blogging playlist, brushing my teeth playlist, doing my laundry playlist, cooking playlist- you get the idea). Also, I listened to a podcast about how you can sweat colors- it’s an actual medical phenomenon.See how important this addition is to my life?!

I’m thankful for all our times together, Aubrey– I will miss you most when I’m watching guilty pleasure television. Many blessings on your new job at camp!

Mid-afternoon Train to Memphis

It’s been awhile since I’ve been home. More importantly it’s been awhile since I’ve been out of the city. In time, too much concrete can make your soul weary…

In the past 2 months I have felt wearier (if that’s a word) than even college all nighters and the days thereafter.  Mentally and physically the hours at work were demanding. Emotionally I was over invested in my new role at work and in the pain of girls in Bible study. I was anxious over finding a new roommate and there was violence on my block. Spiritually, I felt conflicted about what it means to be loved by God and wrestled with if I had enough courage to believe the truth. There’s a lot more that could be said with all these, but suffice it to say…I am in need of a renewal of sorts. And I’m hoping to find it in the next 6 days at home.

It’s so glorious to sit on the train and watch the city fade and the endless fields come into view. The colors are just beginning to change on the trees, so there are these surprising bursts of red scattered across the landscape. Every single tree seems like a grace from Heaven… so thankful for these good and perfect gifts from the Father.

A list

Also, for those of you kind enough to check this blog even though I haven't updated it over the summer- please know it is not for want of material that I have been blog-less recently.

Be assured I have a list and will use my ample time on the amtrak Wednesday to fill you in on all the details. :) I don't want to spoil anything but the list may include a shopping trip where I terrorized the sales lady regarding percentage of polyester in pants...and the junior highers going to high school...and a man singing opera on the bus at 9pm (there's not really anything more to that story actually)...and so much more. :)

Squeeze

Do not be alarmed by the title of this post! This is not the embarrassing tale of bathroom advice your mom gave you, that malfunctioned at a family reunion while wearing Raggedy Ann culottes. (That's a true story for another time). It's actually the title of a song I hadn't heard in awhile by Eric Peters.

The first time I heard this song was in 2006 at my very first "Behold the Lamb" concert. Everything about that concert rocked my world and I am forever indebted to the Spirit's work in those songwriters life and their courage to share that with a bunch of strangers. I remember this man getting up and sharing about a crisis of faith and what it meant to him to know with certainty that God could handle his doubts. Maybe you have already figured this out about life, but at 20 and in bible college wrestling with so much knowledge; this felt like a brand new truth.  It spoke a freedom into my life I cannot fully express.

I've often thought of this song and even find myself making a fist and squeezing tight as a symbol of holding on to truth when it feels the most untrue. It is a powerful reminder of the refining work God is doing in our hearts and minds and souls- grinding away the rock to reveal the diamond inside.

Even though I don't know that I would have remembered the artists name (sorry Eric!), I did recognize it when I saw posters at work that he was coming to do a concert. And the timing could not be short of divine.

On Wednesday, I'm leaving for a 6 day vacation. A very necessary vacation. There has been a tremendous amount of dissonance in my life this summer, primarily in the past 2 months. I'm so thankful for the ways God is shaping me through that, but all that grinding is painful and exhausting as well.   It is so good for me to be reminded that this grinding I feel is not to destroy me, but to form me more clearly into the image of His Son. That is a hope my soul has been desperate to know!

It would have been cool to hear him sing it tonight, but it wasn't on his playlist and I was too chicken to call it out. :) I did talk to him after the concert though and I hope the story of how God has, and is using his music is encouraging. Take a listen- good stuff!

(And if you like that, check out him and other artists at Under the Radar)

4th Annual Lawndale 5K Walk / Run

4th Annual Lawndale 5K Walk / Run

The God of Peace

Please pray for my neighborhood... we are broken. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-cops-man-shot-killed-in-lawndale-neighborhood-20110906,0,6541481.story