To Avoid Swine Flu don't...

FUNdraising

"Fundraising is an art form in which creativity, connections, marketing, and luck converge to produce tremendous results."

~ Elizabeth Millard, Writer for MSP Magazine

Priorities

I've still been trying to figure out this whole getting rid of idols thing.  I want God to be my #1 priority, but I get confused with how to balance that with living.  I'm not great at multi-tasking.  So as I continue to meditate on this, I am figuring out ways to make God my number one while still functioning in society.  So far this is what I have:

• Observe the Sabbath to keep it Holy (Deuteronomy 5:12) - based on my study yesterday.
• Commit your way the Lord (Psalm 37:5).
• Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
• Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
• Give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39)
• Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37) - sometimes I still struggle with knowing what this looks like.
• Make disciples (Matthew 28:19)

So I think I'm realizing that the Lord makes his will for us something that we can do in ANY situation.  It's much more simple than I often make it.

The Sabbath Revisited

Today's a day for me.  Life has kept me surprisingly busy over the past week or so, and I haven't had a moment to rest.  After last week when I felt so burdened with my never-ending and constantly growing to-do list, I pulled out the handy dandy Book along with a couple books that I had read for my Sleep, Surrender and Sabbath class last semester.  I sometimes have to keep reminding myself that rest is not a luxury, but rather a necessity - not to mention another way to die to myself.

Yesterday Brent talked about idols.  I know I have idols in my life.  The one that comes to mind and has consumed me most recently is my auctioneering.  I feel like every second I'm not doing something else, I'm trying to figure out how to move ahead in my business.  I struggle with seeing this as an idol, seeing as I need to keep it on my mind quite frequently in order to be successful.  As I spent the day praying about how I can keep this as a priority without placing it in front of the Lord, I felt the Him saying, "Just rest in me.  The world will still keep on turning even if you're not doing anything to move it along."

We are required to work; that's what we get for sinning.  And although we cannot experience God's presence the way we were intended to in the Garden of Eden, we were still given the Sabbath to have a time where our mind, body and spirit can come to Jesus.  Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote in his book The Sabbath:

"The Sabbath is the most precious present mankind has received from the treasure house of God.  All week we think: The spirit is too far away, and we succumb to spiritual absenteeism, or at best we pray: Send us a little of Thy spirit.  On the Sabbath the spirit stands and pleads: Accept all excellence from me..."

I could go on forever about the Sabbath.  I think it may be my favorite Biblical topic.  The idea of having a designated time of rest to come fully into the presence of God - assuming we can die to ourselves to make the time for it - is so freeing.

Busy and Broke

9:00 - Wake up and shower and get ready.

10:00 - Work on PowerPoint for Pine Harbor Christian Academy Auction.

1:00 - Interview for part-time nanny job.

2:00 - Work at BE.

7:00 - Meet with BJT about website and to catch up.

After that - Work on PowerPoint more...it must be done by tomorrow.

Oy Vay, for being so broke, I sure do a lot of work.  

Pray for Nate; he's waiting to hear on an internship.

Pray for Laura; she's waiting to hear on a job.

Pray for Me; I'm interviewing and will be waiting to hear on a job.

Pray for Amanda; she needs a car stat.

Pray for Daddy; still needs a job.

Pray for Kate; she needs focus to finish this semester.  She comes home soon!

Pray for everyone else I'm forgetting; they have stuff that needs prayer.

Out of Reach

I lost my phone.  I'm at a standstill because I have so much to get done this morning that requires my phone.  I've been frantically searching every nook and cranny in this entire house/purse/car/parent's house.  I had it this morning, but now it's gone.  It also happens to be dead, so don't try to call it to help me out.  It won't work.  

I can't rest until I find it.  That is my life right now: I can't rest until...

I've been go go going without rest and without getting anywhere.  Still no job, and still no more BIG auctions in sight.  Sure, I have some small ministry-type and private school auctions, but nothing BIG.  I can't rest until I'm fully booked.  I can't rest until I get a job.  I can't rest until my student loans are paid off.  I can't rest until I... 

Until I, me, by myself without help.  That's my problem.

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

Thank you, Lord.

Free Ice Cream!

The sunshine is out again today!  What a blessing!  I'm going through the tedious task of sorting through winter/summer clothes to see what I need to keep/store/donate/reinvent.  It's a big project, but completely necessary and it gets me organized for the next few months.  Speaking of which, does anyone have any cheap ideas to organize shoes?  I don't like regular shoe racks.  I prefer to keep my shoes scattered around my room so I can sit on my bed and make the decision based on what I can see.  Not really, but that's the system I have right now.

Still no news from the nanny job.  Gosh, it would be nice to have steady income, but it's not in my hands anymore.  I had a dream last night that they texted me to tell me I didn't get the job.  Talk about passive.  Luckily it was just a dream.  I'm still praying.

It's free ice cream cone day at Ben and Jerry's!  I love ice cream.

Tea Party

I think pouring tea into bodies of water is a tasteful way to protest.  If I had more tea, I'd throw it into the pond behind my house too.  

Thank you for the debt.  Enjoy the chamomile tea.

Flight 155 from Minneapolis to Seattle

I'm in the Seattle airport waiting for my shuttle to arrive.   Now is a good time to share some things about my flight this morning.  

I had perfect timing.  By the time I got to the F10 gate and sat down for less than 30 seconds, the flight attendant announced that they would now be boarding all passengers.  Sweet.

I had an entire row of seats to myself.  I was sitting next to an older couple - the husband was quite overweight and this causes inconvenience when flying coach.  They spotted an exit row, which has more leg room, that was not being occupied so they left me by myself.  

I read The Bell Jar the entire flight.  It is a book I've started to read half a dozen times, but every time I tell someone I'm reading it, they tell me it's depressing...good, but depressing.  I do not enjoy being depressed so I don't read any more.  After the flight, I am far enough in to stay committed to the read.

I got confused trying to find the baggage claim.  They use very few words on their signs, mostly symbols.  I just guessed.  Luckily the train did in fact lead me to the baggage claim.

After my long journey to baggage claim I went to get a bagel and an impulse purchase of chocolate milk.  After paying I walked around the corner to find an empty table.  Instead of an empty table, I found one with Brad Fendler sitting at it.  I see him about 3 to 4 times a year, and of course I would run into him in Seattle.

That brings me to where I am now.  Sitting at a table with three too many chars huddled around it and next to the rack of travel brochures and a giant fake rock, waiting for the shuttle to Tulalip, WA.

I love the airport.

I hope I don't trip

Walk by faith, not by sight.  

Easier said than done.