Free

Today is Sunday, so I thought it would be appropriate to have a reflective blog. This weekend marks the six month anniversary of the day my life changed forever. In some ways, it's really hard to believe that it's been six months already, but the old adage is true - life really does go by quickly, both in good times and in bad.

Last weekend, our cousin came to visit us, and we took him to the lighthouse in East Gloucester. There is a really long jetty that you can walk out on, so we did that together. It was an extremely windy day - winds of about 25mph. As I was walking on the jetty, wind howling all around me and water surrounding me, I had the overwhelming sense that I was free. I felt really light and like the burden I had been carrying around for awhile was gone. I just felt completely and totally free.

Then the most remarkable thing happened. As we were walking along the jetty, we kept encountering seagulls. When we got close to them, they would stand up and fly away to get away from us. But because the wind was so brisk, they didn't really have to fly anywhere. They literally just jumped off the dock, opened their wings, and floated in the air. I have never seen anything like it in my life. It was as if God Himself came down from heaven and said to me, "That is how I want you to live your life. Jump off the jetty, spread out your wings, and float in My wind and just see where we go."

I think the coolest part about that experience is that it's true. I am free. Because of Christ, I am free. And I can trust in His love to the point that I can be carried through this life by Him, and ultimately, nothing else matters. We will all encounter difficult times in life - trials and heartaches that we wouldn't wish on anyone. But I can say that I have learned yet again that Jesus is enough for whatever He allows in our lives.

I tried to capture the birds floating in the air so I would have a visual reminder. Not sure that my pictures do it justice, but these are two of my favorite shots.

And so six months into this journey, I find myself excited and full of hope at all that God has in store for now and all of eternity. And that is the miracle of His love for us. "If His blood has set you free, you are free indeed."

Have a great freedom-filled week!

The New Job

Well, I have successfully completed three days at my new job! Sorry it's taken me a couple of days to post about it. So far everything is going well. I really like the company and the people I am working with have been extremely nice and helpful. The first weeks in a job are always interesting, but I know that I'll eventually get everything learned. I've stayed busy for these few days so far, which is nice. It was hard to get out of bed this morning. Not gonna lie - not working for over 2 months was rather nice! But it has been really good to get back into the world and be around people again. I'm excited about this next chapter and seeing all that God has in store.

I promise I will keep you all posted on what is going on. Below are some random pictures I took that I just really like, so I thought I'd share them with you. Love you all!

More Of Cousin's Visit

Michael and I took Joey to the airport this afternoon, and he is flying home at the moment, but we had a great time having him with us! It was so much fun to have someone we know and love up here to share the area with. Of course we had a great time in Boston (see previous post!) and then yesterday, we were able to show him around the North Shore. It was an absolutely gorgeous day - about 74 or 75, sunny, and cool - winds up to 25 mph. I have so many fabulous pictures to share, but I'll try to contain myself and use some of them in future posts. But enjoy the images below....

First we took Cousin to Ocean Lawn, and here are some pictures from there. The one of Michael with the yellow flowers (ragweed) was taken because he was trying to prove that 5 years of allergy shots had made him immune to ragweed. About 2 minutes after we took the picture, he started sneezing like crazy!





After Ocean Lawn, we went into Gloucester. We went out to the lighthouse, where there is a really long jetty. It was absolutely stunning. This is a picture of the lighthouse and then a view standing on the jetty looking inland. The town you see in the distance is Gloucester.



Pictures of Michael and Joey, some of them goofing off (Michael trying to be a mermaid!!) and some serious...





Thanks for visiting us, Cousin! We had a fabulous time and hope you did too. Anyone else who wants to come visit, feel free! :-)

Cousin In Boston

Yesterday was a fun day! We took the train into Boston and showed Cousin around the city. We saw Paul Revere's statue and the North Church where he hung the lanterns. We ate at the original Cheers restaurant, which was really awesome. Then we went to Fenway Park because Cousin bought Red Sox tickets on Ebay. The seats were amazing - out in center field - and we had a great time. It was fun because we have no emotional involvement in the Red Sox as a team, so we were not distraught that they blew a lead and lost - it was just cool to be at Fenway. Cousin was so excited to be there - he had many moments and it was fun to watch him. Today we are going to show him around the North Shore. Here are some pictures from our adventures yesterday. Have a great weekend!

Cousin's Coming!

Howdy everyone! Our cousin Joey is coming to visit us for the weekend, and he arrives this evening. We are SO excited that someone is coming to visit!! We are looking forward to showing him around our new home and being able to share in person what you have all seen in the pictures I've posted. It's supposed to be beautiful while he's here - highs in the low to mid 70s and lows in the mid 50s. Should be a lot of fun! I'll be sure and post pictures of our time together.

I've had a good week enjoying the last few days before going back to work. I'm looking forward to starting my new job on Monday though. It's time to start moving forward into this new chapter, and I'm excited about it!

Below I've posted a few random pictures for your viewing pleasure. I always take lots more pictures than get posted, so every now and then, I'll add a few that didn't make the cut the first time around. :-) Hope you all have a great weekend!

Reflection on Luke 13

Throughout this next year, my brother Michael will be adding periodic blogs to my blog when he writes deep and profound things. This is his first contribution..... Enjoy!

Over the last week, I have been struck with an overwhelming sense of urgency to be a better Christian. I must note, however, that I use the word “better” specifically within the context of sanctification. I do not wish to add anything human, or otherwise, to the fact that I am counted as righteous by the efforts of Christ alone. That being said, I think I oftentimes think, even if at a subconscious level, that I will live forever. The terrible things that happen in the news, the stories I hear from people telling me about their aunt who is suffering from breast cancer, or countless other tragedies seem a long way off. They don’t seem very real to me. I live like I have plenty of time to get my act together; plenty of time to stop my perpetual sin cycle; plenty of time to stick my neck out in the world for the sake of Christ. For now, I say to myself, I will go with the flow and play it safe. I mean after all, I am sure that one day I will sell out for Jesus. Maybe once I graduate from seminary really understanding things then I will consider everything a loss for the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Sure, I do sin. But my sin isn’t nearly as bad as that person’s. Unfortunately, each time I say “one day”, or “next time”, another day goes by wasted.

The sense of urgency that I alluded to above struck me as I read Luke 13:1-5. It reads, “There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’” I think the point that Jesus is making here is that everyone is a sinner and everyone deserves to be on that bridge in Minnesota as it collapsed. All of us deserve to be living in the trenches in Iraq watching as stray bullets kill our family members. We all deserve to be on the coast in New Orleans as the high waters wash everything that we call home away. The only reason any of us have not been faced with such a tragedy is because of the mercy of God. My point is that we are all going to die. It may be tomorrow, or it may be fifty years from now. You may die peacefully in your sleep or perhaps you will suffer greatly through a long battle with cancer. Each day that we continue living is nothing but a mercy granted by God for His purpose, not our own.

Therefore, I believe that we should urgently repent of all our half-heartedness and wavering commitments and with great joy say, “The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! (Ps. 97:1). Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy! (Ps. 67:3-4). Let the oppressed see it and be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive” (Ps. 69:32). May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, God is great! (Ps. 70:4). If we don’t finally “…consider everything a loss” (Philippians 3:8) , then the day of tragedy will eventually come and we will meet our Savior face to face and have nothing but broken promises and wavering commitments to offer Him. It is so easy to get caught up in the affairs of the world. But let us be able to say, as Jesus did, “…for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). The greatest possible joy in this life is found in living a life of utter subjection to Jesus. I hope you can find a sense of urgency, as I have, in becoming the person that you were born to be. The person that Jesus died to liberate for the sake of the good news of Jesus Christ!

Feel free to comment should you be interested.

Kind Regards,
Michael

Philadelphia

Hi everyone! Happy Sunday to you! Michael and I are back safe and sound in Gloucester after traveling to Philadelphia to watch the Braves play the Phillies last night. And HOORAY for a win!!!! We had a blast going there. We rode Amtrak down to Philly yesterday and arrived around 3:30. We made our way over to the ballpark, where we ate in a bar near the stadium to have a real Philly cheesesteak (which was quite fabulous) and watch Tiger play golf. Then, we picked up our tickets and made it in the stadium in time to watch the Braves take batting practice.

The ballpark is absolutely gorgeous - reminded us a lot of Turner Field. Our seats were very high up, but they were still not bad. Phillies fans booed us when they saw our Braves shirts, which was fun. I also had a very drunk Phillie fan tell me he was in love with me and wanted to marry me....I guess it really is the city of brotherly love! Here are some pictures from our adventure.

This is the view from our seats - of downtown Philadelphia, how close we were to the top, and the ballpark...




Here are some pictures from the game...




After a really good night, we caught the 12:15am train home and arrived in Boston at 7:30 this morning. While I'm a little tired, I'm really glad we went. It was great fun, and it's another ballpark off the list!

I GOT A JOB!!!

Hooray! I finally got a job!!! I got a phone call this morning with the offer from the company that I liked the best from my interviews and really wanted to work for. I am very excited (and relieved) to know that I will be working again soon and able to pay my bills! I start Monday, August 20th, so I have one more week to relax (and enjoy Cousin coming to visit us!!!!) before I head back to work.

This company is a valet company that provides valet services for hospitals and healthcare systems. I will be working in the corporate office, where there are only 10 people, as the office manager. I think it's a great fit for me and this time in my life, and I'm excited to see how it goes! And thanks God for providing at just the right time!

So to celebrate this new job and because I promised myself that I was going to take advantage of living up in this area, Michael and I are getting on a train in the morning to Philadelphia to go to the Braves/Phillies game tomorrow night. We'll then get on the train at midnight to arrive back here at 7am. :-) Yes, I have issues, but any real baseball fan would do the same! I'll be sure and take lots of pictures and post them on Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

Shea Stadium

Those of you who know me well know that I would love to see a game in every major league ballpark in the country. I have a LONG way to go towards that goal, but I made a bit of progress yesterday. My beloved Braves played the Mets in New York Tuesday, Wed., and today. On Tuesday night, Michael was like, "The Braves are in New York playing. Why are we not going to a game?" So we got up yesterday, talked about it a bit, looked online and saw tickets were available, purchased two tickets, and hopped in the car and drove 4 hours to New York. We made it in time - no major traffic jams, and while the outcome of the game was not fun, it was really cool to be there. New York fans are quite vocal and will cheer their team, cuss out their team and all of the umpires and all in the same play! It was hilarious! After the game, we drove 4 hours back home, arriving at 3am to get a few hours of sleep before I had to get up for an interview today. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our adventure....

This is a view of Manhatten from the top of the stadium - check out the Empire State building! It was very smoggy and hot, but still cool looking.


The Mets are building a brand new stadium, set to open in 2009 I think. Here is a picture of the new stadium. One weird part about Shea Stadium is that there are no outfield seats except the small box you see in this picture.


Michael holding his Mets beer close to his Braves shirt so we know he's really a Braves fan...


Pictures from the game....




So the Braves might have lost last night, BUT they won the first game and pulled out a great win today and are still in the playoff chase! All in all, it was a great night and an awesome adventure!

Happy Half Birthday!

Greetings! Well, for those of you who know me well, you may join with me in celebrating my half birthday today! It is official - I am now 29 1/2. Yes, I still celebrate my half birthdays, and if you don't, you should. :-) I do plan to bake myself some cookies after dinner tonight to celebrate!

In job news....I had 2 interviews today, and I have the 3rd of three interviews at another place on Thursday. So these are good developments! Of the 2 interviews from today, one seems extremely promising and like something I would enjoy. I will keep you all posted, but keep praying for the right doors to open!

After only living here a month, I am discovering that the ocean has very different and distinct personalities. The pictures I shared with you the other day showed it at its most glorious blue. Today, fog has rolled in - which is really cool by the way. You can literally see the fog floating through the air when it happens. It's so thick, you really can't see the water at all. When I saw it this afternoon, I was struck by the beauty, even in the veiled mist. It's a great reminder that in all things - no matter how bleak they appear - there is beauty, and God is found even in the midst of the fog. These pictures don't really do justice to how pretty it looks, but I thought I'd share. Enjoy!

A Beautiful Day

Okay, not to rub it in to all of you fabulous people living in Hotlanta in August, but today was absolutely gorgeous! The high temperature was in the mid-70's, there was a nice breeze off the ocean, and there were crystal clear blue skies and a blue jewel ocean. It was a taste of the fall that is coming soon. Our neighbors were telling us that this is basically the start of fall. It will get warmer, but it won't get as hot as it was last week (in the 90's), and it will get cooler each night. It's only supposed to be 61 tonight. I plan on enjoying the fall weather, although I'll probably freeze to death this winter! :-)

Anyway, I went for a walk this evening and got some good pictures of the sun on the water and just the blueness of the ocean. Enjoy!

Saturday Salutations!

Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing well on this warm August day. We're having a heat wave here in Boston, and with no air conditioning, that has made life slightly sticky.... This is a picture of Ellie trying to find somewhere cool to lay - in this case the bathroom floor. :-)



The weather is supposed to start cooling off soon, so hopefully it won't be too bad for much longer. I am getting used to sweating for an entire day, which is kind of interesting!

In other news, I ended up not going to paint because the guy we were supposed to be working with had company come in town. I have made it through 2 rounds of an interview process for a job in Boston and have the final interview Thursday at noon. I will have to stand on a street corner and beg if nothing happens soon, so pray that God will open some doors really quickly! I am hoping to now paint at the first of the week before this final interview on Thursday.

I have been practicing using the timer on my camera so I could figure out how to take group shots and stuff and actually be in the picture. Since I haven't really put my own picture on the blog, I thought I'd include my latest test from my camera. :-)



I promise to start updating my blog much more regularly, so check it often! Thanks to all who are staying in touch - I miss you all! Have a great weekend!