Pinteresting::Jewelry Board

Remember this project that I considered doing back in January?

This weekend, I made a simpler, more functional version that didn't involve lace or an expensive frame.

I began with JC's old corkboard. After I freed it from a 10-year layer of photos and push pins, I gathered these supplies:

• Leftover wall paint from the hallway
• paintbrush
• 1/2 yard of pretty fabric
• Wood or Elmer's glue
• One 1/4-inch wooden rod
• small package of hook screws
• hammer
• small nails

First I applied the paint, lavishly, since I knew the fabric would cover any mistakes. After measuring the face of the board within the frame, I cut the fabric to size and glued it down inside the edges of the frame.

The next phase was the fun part! I created racks for my hook earrings by inserting the hook screws as supports. Once the rods were threaded through the hooks, it looked like this:

I then hammered nails into the board for each necklace and bracelet, being careful that they didn't poke through the back. Voila!

God-Glasses

Did you know that James has often been called the "Proverbs of the New Testament"? Neither did I, until last week.

Perhaps it is because James is intensely practical, much like Proverbs. While the Apostle Paul spends a great deal of time expounding on doctrine and the mystery of our union with Christ, James cuts right to the heart of our complacency in short, concise phrases. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

I find it humorously ironic that in one of my homegroups, the topic is James; in the other, it's Proverbs. Hmm...a theme? 

As we plopped elbow-close on the floor, discussing and laughing, my friend said something about wisdom that startled me into new understanding.

“Wisdom” she said, “is seeing things the way God does.” “Like God-glasses?” someone asked. We all laughed, but the picture fit. *

We are born with faulty vision; distorted, warped. In our eyes, evil can look like good, people are devalued, and our own self-importance can inflate like an over-filled tire. We need some corrective lenses.

If wisdom is about accurate sight, then it can’t be merely a collection of facts and tips about how to behave, like a cheat sheet to whip out of your pocket when you don’t know what to do. I like systems that make sense, which can be codified like math. But God’s wisdom can’t be reduced to a code of conduct, though some have tried. If I use a cheat sheet enough, I might develop street smarts, but never true wisdom.  God says that “as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

OK, but how do I get his way of seeing things into my own head? I was wondering because I, like James, can be intensely practical.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10)The words suddenly scrolled like a newsflash across my memory.

 Someone once explained to me that if we see God accurately for Who he is—majestic, resplendent in untrammeled power, fiercely beautiful, Judge of hidden secrets—this true sight will produce in us the healthy respect and awe he deserves. To know him is to see him. 

Knowing produces accurate sight.
Sight produces accurate fear.
Fear is the beginning of wisdom.

When I set heart toward Him, resolving to spend time with Him, honor Him, know Him, my vision will clear toward Him first. I will see Him as He is, and the clarity will travel outward, like ripples on a lake.

Yep, it goes against every insta-fix instinct. Every urge to reach for a cheat sheet. Wisdom, like the relationship with wisdom's Source, takes time to foster. But it will be worth every moment.

*My friend got her definition of wisdom from a class taught by our Pastor, R.M. #tryingtocitesourcesbetter :)
  

Housemate :)

I have always wanted a home with a revolving door, like the one in my home growing up. It was a home where the table was large and well-used, where privacy was more like privilege than like constitutional right, and where fun took priority over fastidiousness. (Awesome word, look it up here)

Even during our engagement, we toyed with the thought of one day renting a bedroom in our home to a missionary on furlough or to anyone needing a short-term place to land for a while. In theory it would be an awesome situation, giving emotional and/or financial benefits to both parties.

This fall, we are getting an opportunity to put the theory to the test! A good friend needed a short-term place for the few months between the end of her lease and the start of her life with her new husband, which will begin in November. The fact that she is a close friend and has asked me to be in her wedding has only made the situation even sweeter.

Clearing out the front bedroom required some hefty consolidation since it had previously served as an office and catch-all storage room, but I have always believed in a good, periodic junk-purge. (Yay, Goodwill!)
Now it has been transformed into a friendly place with paintings on the wall and verses written on cards over the doorframe.

I love to chat with her in the evenings after work, discussing the things on our minds that have been waiting all day for a girlfriend with whom to share them. We are opposites in nearly every way, but, rather than conflicting, our differences complement, encourage, and sharpen.

The three of us feel like a family, especially when her fiance comes over and makes himself something to eat and then wrestles my husband in a grand tickle fight and we fold each other's laundry and our mail comes in a single stack.

I will really (and I do mean REALLY) miss her after November 3rd.

So give me your thoughts! Would you and your spouse ever rent to a friend?

Double Dipping

This fall, JC and I are taking a scandalous, groundbreaking step. We feel like rebels, cheating the system. It's so revolutionary that it just might start a trend. It's the thing your mom always frowned upon when she made chips and salsa or put out the ranch dip for veggies.

Yes--we are double dipping. But not in the salsa.

Instead of attending only the student homegroup, this semester we are also joining the homegroup for young, graduated adults. Appropriately named Segue ("SEG-way") because of the transitional stage of life in which most of the members find themselves, this homegroup has a mix of grad students, recent grads who are working locally, and even a few married couples.

But we've always loved Avalanche, our student homegroup. Everyone in it, from freshmen to super-seniors is a precious friend. We love the worship, the discussion, and the goofy, fun times. Why double dip?

One reason is that, at age 31 and 25, we are feeling the age gap a teensy bit. I've read that the stage between age 18 and age 24 is formative, which means that it is chock-full of change and transition. When I got to college I was single, almost always broke, still very connected to my family, and my greatest sources of stress were homework (ohhhh the homework!) and paying for gas. Now, half a decade later, I am married, have a full time job, and my evenings are filled with people, not papers. It's just different.

Also, as I've mentioned in earlier posts, saying goodbye each year to friends as they graduate has been difficult for me.  Many wise people in my life have counseled me to form friendships with people who are planning to stick around for a while.

The final reason is the most powerful for me. We want to follow the same model of discipleship that Paul gave his young friend, Timothy in the time of the early church. It is a model of balance. We need to surround ourselves not only with young believers, but also with peers and mentors so that we continue to be challenged and encouraged toward maturity. If we stagnate, it will end up being a bad thing not only for us, but for the younger believers who see us as leaders.

I'm learning that I am responsible for my spiritual health. Sometimes this means I must be proactive, even slightly aggressive in the changes I am willing to make.

If you, like me, have been feeling out of balance lately, ask Jesus and some wise friends. Maybe double dipping is a good idea for you too. 

I can take a hint

In the spring, I did this Bible study on the book of James:

I never got around to blogging about it, but that was partly because it (and life in general) was so intense. We had daily homework, and every week we watched hour-long videos of Beth Moore's teaching that unpacked the verses even more.

By the time we finished, I had decided that the apostles James and Paul were not contradictory, as I had always secretly feared. I also had a fuller picture of what my life should look like as a follower of Jesus, and a deeper appreciation for James'  Jewish style of writing and reasoning.

Now, five months later, guess which book of the Bible my homegroup has decided to study for the fall?

Ok, God...I guess you're wanting me to REALLY study James this year, huh?

I can take a hint, and when it's a hint from my Savior, I don't really want to respond halfway.

So I decided to commit James to memory.

I've memorized scripture before, but never an entire book, so I'm going to need some encouragement from all of you! Now that I'm not in school, I have more free brain cells, and I can think of no better employment for them than to memorize words that give, rather than take, life.

We'll see how it goes!

Word Fun:: Kerfuffle!

Ever been in a kerfuffle?  

Say it: "ker-FUFF-ul". 

Say it again, faster. You're smiling, aren't you? I can't help but grin absurdly when I say kerfuffle. There are certain words in the English language that tickle the tongue, that come out Dr. Seuss-esque and make me feel like I'm five. 

The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines kerfuffle as "a disturbance, a fuss." Something like an ado, a bother, a bluster, a ballyhoo, a furor, or hoopla. 

For example, "When my co-worker found out that they were out of Pumpkin Spice lattes, she raised quite a kerfuffle." (FYI, this is a true story from Wednesday.)

It's a chiefly British word, but the origin is probably Scottish Gaelic, a combination of cearr (wrong or awkward) and fuffle (to become disheveled). I am becoming increasingly convinced that the ancient Gaelic and Celtic languages might be the coolest on the planet. 

Apparently, I'm not the only person who thinks kerfuffle is a fun word. Google revealed that there is a website devoted to kerfuffles, a slew of rather cheesy memes, a musical band, and even a board game by that name!  Family game night, anyone?

But my favorite definition of kerfuffle comes from urbandictionary.com:

Kerfuffle: a cough that makes you fart. 

A New Season: "Real World" Edition

After two decades of school, and a lifetime of planning and preparing for adult life, I'm here!  The fabled "real world" at last. *deep breath* 

It's been a crazy two weeks since beginning my new full time job at the bank. This is partly because I've been waking up two full hours before school buses even start roaming the neighborhood, and partly because the first weeks of the fall semester are inherently insane when you do college ministry. A plus B equals no time to do laundry, let alone blog.

Now that I have a moment, here are some first impressions: 
This "real world" is a world of hazy morning drives, herbal tea steaming at my elbow.
It's a world of pencil skirts, paperwork, procedures and numerical passcodes for every door, computer screen, cabinet and vault.
It's a world of complex office culture that I'm just beginning to decode, and a world of constant sweet-tooth temptation.

(Did you know that the kolache guy, the donut guy, AND the cheesecake guy all bank with us? Oy vey. The fact that hubby and I just joined a nearby gym is probably the only thing that will keep me in check. More on that later.)

A secondary thought: I really miss studying.

Last week, my "work" consisted of observing the other tellers and poring over the training materials. It was a tantalizing taste of school. After work last Wednesday, I wrote this in my journal and realized afresh that I'm a nerd to the bone:

 "My little heart has warmed over the chance to study again, even if the textbook is the new-associate manual.  I am already making mental connections to the financial procedures at the church, and it's like going behind the scenes of a familiar movie. Lots of "aha!" moments."

Of course, all that has ended now that I have my own cash drawer and set of keys. I still have much to learn, but gradually, through mistakes and slow skill building.

My thankfulness swells when I think of the blessings attached to this job. I have work that I can leave at work, a timely and generous paycheck, a commute that barely touches three miles, the hope of friendships just begun. I will simply have to fan my own curious flame, studying for the equipping class at church, reading strategically, intentionally.

For now, we have a fun weekend planned! Resting, visiting family in Dallas, and celebrating my 25th birthday. :)