never been here before

Last week I went through extremely patchy internet service, with most nights not being able to connect at all. It wasn't my modem, Charter said, and it took them a week to get someone here to fix it. I'm really glad I can go to the office after hours and get done what I need to get done online, because I don't know what I would've done without that option. So, it looks like I'm back to a somewhat stable internet connection tonight. After the Charter technician was here for an hour and a half this morning, he swore he fixed it. Time will tell. I've never been a fan of Charter Communications, but they are the only non dial-up choice in town. Last Wednesday I met with a local pastor I'd met briefly a year ago through the Midwest District of E-Free Churches. With a paid staff of 23 and an insurmountable number of volunteers, they may not be a mega-church but they are close. As much as I dislike the idea of mega-churches, if I've heard my call from God corre...

Today I did two important things... I called the housing director at Bethel Seminary and told her I would not be moving into the apartment they had reserved for me. Then I signed my financial aid package form, checked "No, I will not be attending Bethel Seminary and I reject all aids and grants", then mailed it. I've been sad for the last couple of weeks with the startling realization that as a single woman, I have no idea how I can afford to go to seminary. The grants Bethel offered me were quite paltry and in their words, "It's based on your 2006 income." Which makes no sense to me, because I wouldn't have that same income as a student. So I'd be forced, as Bethel's MA program is three years, to take out about $50,000 in loans just to pay tuition and student fees. I'm starting to understand why it's best to go seminary right after undergraduate school, because most likely the grants offered would be a lot more because my income was nex...

... who give me great gifts like this. How lucky am I?

Welcome Home, 734th Battalion. My City Celebrates . I hate war, and I love that they are back home.

I am like Peter. The one who promises Jesus over and over again that I won’t do it. That I could never… that the sin tastes so bitter I’ll never want it again. But then the rooster crows and I do it. More than three times, even. (Not like once isn't enough.) I could blame it on all the temptations of this world. I could try to justify it by remembering that I’m not such a bad person compared to the next guy. I could remind myself that God forgives it anyway, and I’m not hurting anyone, so what’s the big deal? I am hurting myself, though. And more importantly, I’m hurting Him. Sometimes I think it’s the hardest thing in the world to fight what comes naturally over doing what Jesus desires me to do. I know that He fights on my behalf (see the top video to your right), but I let myself get dragged down. And I have to say it – most of the time, I don’t try to fight back. “Sin is fun,” my friend Angie once said. But I have to ask myself if this fun is better than what Jesus offers me. C...

A plethora of great music is emerging from the world as of late, and I cannot help but wonder if it's a direct result of the death of the CD. We live in a world of down-loadable singles, and unless each and every song on an album is good, we won't buy it. That works for me, because I hate wasting $15 on a CD that only has two good songs on it. I am thankful those days are gone. Aside from my favorite artists still producing quality stuff, there are some new (to me) artist I've discovered that are also keeping up with the big dogs. Jason Gray 's All the Lovely Losers .While this is straight-up power pop, which is not usually my thing, the thoughtfulness of the lyrics grabbed me from the beginning. From the song This Far : It’s hard for me to walk by faith in the face of all that I can see Sometimes I fear I’m just a fool for my belief But then I feel You come and move in me And I hear You whisper in my ear and for a moment I can see This is how You brought me here I don...

My first family member joined the blogging world back in May and I've been neglectful to promote it. Meredith is a lovely writer, an even lovelier person and I know you'll appreciate what she has to say. confessions of a slacker mom Head on over there for the chance to read a blog that is truly honest about oneself and about a God that changes us if we let him. Very Left Reverend - go easy on her. She likes Beth Moore.

I had lunch Friday with an old friend I haven't been in touch with for about three years. He's one of the first friends I made in this town after I moved here, and we lived in the same building for 5 years. Far more than just neighbors, we spent 3-4 nights a week together and developed what I thought was a good, solid friendship. Back then, he was going through a lot - the death of his mother, a major move, a career change and above all else, a breakdown in his faith in Christ. Once he learned about my relationship with Christ, the questions came. He grew up in the church, called himself a Christian, but didn't have a relationship with Christ. A good amount of his questions were just factual, and many of them required me to stretch my apologetics. (I quickly learned that defending my faith is not always something to be learned from a book.) So our bond was strong - he at one point called me his "spiritual adviser". (Typing that now makes it sound in the vein of e...

As a once self-proclaimed pop-culture junkie, I've stopped keeping up with a lot of it in my old age. There really is too much to do, and there are much betters ways to spend my time than trying to feign interest in E!'s Daily Top Ten. (I do occasionally enjoy The Soup , though, probably because they make fun of everything.) I did, however, happen to catch Best Week Ever last week, and wow... what a week for diva meltdowns. 1.) Lindsey Lohan arrested , again. 2.) Brittney goes crazy , again. 3.) Paula Abdul cries and acts crazy , again. The second video I have in my sidebar has been there for a while. Craig Ferguson is eloquent and honest in his concern for the stars who clearly need intervention, and he wonders why the friends of these stars don't say anything. As someone who's never had a close friend or family member with a major addiction or obvious meltdown like those mentioned above, I really don't know how I would act in a situation as this. Where do we draw...