Grateful

How much in my life do I take for granted?

Think about this question as you go through your day today and as you live life this upcoming week; you might be surprised.

Think about this question as you go through your day today; you might be surprised.
I know I was.

Today's Discoveries

Today is great, but weird.  And as Cecily put it, "it is leap day, no wonder why everything feels weird!"   Those are my thoughts exactly.  On this day that comes only once every four years I cannot explain the weird, good but crappy-ness of this day.  Today, this is my attempt to put together the good, and the weird, of this leap day 2012.  

So here it is the good the bad and the weird, Leap Day edition:

Good:

• It was spring-y outside this morning on my walk to class (a nice 48 degrees and sunny and windy morning).
• Waking up slowly.
• Catching up with friends.

Bad: 

• As I left class the sky turned ominous-looking and, see ya later Mr.Sun rain is on its way.
• Wanting to snuggle under my favorite blanket all day long.
• Having an exam to study for while having absolutely no motivation.

Weird: 

• Wisconsin weather in general is just inexplicable and crazy, but I have learned that Patagonia is my best friend in these weird weather times.
• Having a coffee pot break thus making our kitchen a steam room complete with foggy windows.

Another Really Really Really Good:

God.  He knows exactly how I am feeling through this weird day without giving me the ability to express it.  Through the Word, He has been sending me words of comfort and wisdom and giving me purpose in these seemingly insignificant days.  

Today, He is teaching me how to Pray, how to be constantly in conversation with Him.  He is teaching me that prayer is an amazing form of WORSHIP.  

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. -Colossians 4:2

I will strive to do just that.  Today, I am striving to devote myself to worshiping Christ in prayer.  I am striving to be watchful of the little things in my life on this day being thankful for each and every weird thing.  

Happy Leap Day

72 Days of Freedom

72 Days for the 27 million

Starting yesterday Passoncity Church in Atlanta, Georgia began this period of 72 days last night.

This art installation created at Passion in January was rebuilt and now stands at the Church being a visual reminder of the 27 million people in the world that are trapped in slavery right at this moment.

Modern day slavery is real.

The human trafficking industry is thought to bring in around $32 billion dollars.

Indifference is not an option.

These 72 days, from February 27 to May 8, are meant for prayer, reflection, and action.  For more information on what you can do and for specific topics to pray for visit the website: 72daysforfreedom.com

Servant's Heart

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others about yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interest of others.

Philippians 2:3-4

Lord, prepare in me a servant's heart.  Let me serve without being served, expecting nothing in return.

True Silence

A very wise person gave this to me to read:


True silence is a suspension bridge that a soul in love with God builds to cross the dark, frightening gullies of its own mind, the strange chasms of temptation, the depthless precipices of its own fears that impede its way to God.

True silence is the speech of lovers.  For only love knows its beauty, completeness, and utter joy.  True silence is a garden enclosed, where alone the soul can meet its God.  it is a sealed foundation that he along can unseal to slacken the soul's intimate thirst for him.

True silence is a key to the immense and flaming heart of God.  it is the beginning of a divine courtship that will end only in the immense, creative, fruitful, loving silence of final union with the Beloved.

-Catherine de hueck Doherty, Poustinia

Running running running

I love running.  That is just one of those crazy things about me.  I love everything about it.  I especially love that I get to run everyday with an amazing group of girls.  Running track at UW Madison is the one of the greatest things I get to experience in my college career.  I love each workout, although many kick my butt, and I love every long run.  

Running the 800m has challenged me in ways I never thought possible.  I never had to rely on God and His power in workouts before running track in college.  I have slowly learned what it looks like to rely on Christ in every aspect of my life, using prayer to strengthen my mind and my body.  

Last night, after many injuries (a torn ACL and ongoing plantar fasciitis) and setbacks and three years of training, I finally got to race wearing the Wisconsin jersey!!!  This was the most amazing experience.  The excitement of my coach and my teammates made that race unforgettable.  I ran the 600m last night, and despite not running the best time in the world, I had so much fun.  I have found my love for racing again and cannot wait for outdoor season to start up.  I am so thankful to have the opportunity to represent my university doing something I so dearly love.  

Liz and I after running the 600m at
the Red & White Open (2/17).

True Love

Song of Solomon 2:10-13

My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.  The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come and the voice if the turtledove is heard in our land.  The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.  Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.


So happy to be a part of this amazing love story.

The Future

The future is a vast, unknown place where hope and dreams can be fulfilled or be changed completely.  The future is scary, yet exciting.  The future will soon become the present and then the past.  It is in this ever changing aspect of time that I find the most uncertainty, but along with that uncertainty I also find exciting moments of hope.  I have always struggled with the concept of future and what my life will look like a couple months or years from now.  Somedays I find it hard to concentrate on the present moments that God has given to me.  I tend to lose focus, gazing into the future while dreaming about what is to come.  This sense of being lost in the present has come to full force in the past few weeks.

A few weeks ago I got an amazing phone call.  I had applied for an internship to work at Saranac Village (a Young Life camp in the Adirondack Mountains) late fall.  After volunteering a month last August at Saranac, my heart was touched in ways I never dreamed possible.  I absolutely fell in love with the atmosphere that this particular Young Life camp offered.  The final week I was there, after a few great and insightful conversations, the wheel was set in motion for me to consider applying for an summer-long internship position.

After a lot of prayer about what this upcoming summer would look like and a lot of wondering where God really wanted me, I took that final step and started filling out the application.  Then it was out of my hands.

Almost two weeks ago as I was walking to class I got the call.  I was officially offered one of nineteen intern positions at Saranac and I was going to be one of the waterfront interns.

Honestly, I am still have moments when this does not seem like a reality, that I dreamt it all.  But, somehow, someway God has given me this amazing opportunity to serve Him, touching the lives of college and high school students this summer.  I feel so incredibly blessed to be doing what I love, working on the water all the while worshiping Christ and letting His light shine out from the work I do.  I could not have asked for a better way for my summer, and I am especially excited to see just what God is going to do in me and for me in this experience.

This is one of those things that I just want to get up and dance and celebrate everyday.  At the same time, thought, I am scared that I am looking towards the future too much.  I pray that I keep my head in the present, loving my amazing roommates and friends, just being present.  I can only hope that I keep my head on straight and fully enjoy the last few months of my Junior year of college.

In the Life of Mel

It is officially a new year, and although this is old news (yes, I am a month late... oops!), I am still embracing the newness and the new possibilities and opportunities I have to look forward to.  The start of the new semester has been filled celebrations, joy, laughter, friends, and surprises.

Also since the last time I posted, I got the amazing opportunity to travel with my family to the Dominican Republic (I can officially check that off my bucket list) for Christmas.

After the DR, I was off on another plane headed to Baltimore where I got to see some amazing people whom I worked with during the month of August at Saranac Village (a Young Life camp in upstate NY).  After the ball dropped on New Years, I headed in a car to Atlanta!

Travel was my middle name during winter break.  Atlanta welcomed us weary travelers with open arms as we headed to Day 1 of Passion Conference (there probably will be a few posts about this later as well).  Passion was one of the best experiences of my life; being surrounded with 45,000 college students worshiping and praising God was an eye opening, once in a lifetime, experience.  I was moved to actually take a stand for Justice becoming an active part in the movement of freeing the 27 million trapped in slavery today.  The 4 days spent at Passion were, all in all, indescribable and life changing.

After one last worship session led by Chris Tomlin and the gang, some amazing people and I headed back on the road with our eyes focused on our final destination, Virginia.  After a crazy, and semi-scary, experience through a teeny-tiny old Southern town just to find a Sonic and many gas stops later, we finally reached Ashburn, VA.

Ashburn was my home for my final 2 days of adventure.  And, after a quick pit stop in DC and a delicious lunch with friends I headed back to an airport.  I hopped on a plane a whopping 16 days after leaving for the DR with my family.  Milwaukee bound I reflected on just how blessed I truly am in my life.  Flying always provides me with the quiet time I need after a long vacation to revisit the places I have gone and the ways God worked in the situations I was placed in.

My travels were a whirlwind, but I would not have had it any other way.  I got to experience a vast amount of God's beauty, both in scenery and in the way He moves in those I am surrounded with on a daily basis.

'tis the season

Tis the season...

to be jolly

to feel loved

to love

to learn

to study

to grow.

to party

to improve

to give

to recieve

to celebrate

to grieve.

to sing

to dance

to cry

to laugh

to drink coffee

to sleep.

Most importantly tis the season...

to read

to anticipate

to prepare

to ready your heart

to plan

to wait.

The wait is finally (almost) over.

Christmas Cards

With only 12 days left until Christmas and only 10 short days before I leave with my family to the Dominican Republic, I finally found the motivation to write and send out Christmas Cards.  Along with the newly found motivation I also lost a a bit of study-motivation (which I am not so sure I had in the first place).  That is beside the point however as everything must get done, no matter the order of accomplishment.

I found these amazing and unconventional cards to send out for the holidays from Anthology, a cute crafters boutique on State Street in downtown Madison.   I automatically fell in love with these perfectly simple cards that have hints of the holiday season.









The pears brought to my mind the verse from the song "12 Days of Christmas" which is repeated over and over again: And a partridge in a pear treeeee...

I was also reminded of this wreath from desire to inspire.  I absolutely love the green apples giving a freshness to Christmas.
















And now sadly it is time to return to studying physics, only 9 days until I am done with this fall semester.  Praise theLord and Happy Holidays!

Crafty Crafts

Procrastination- (n) The art of crafting, baking, watching movies, taking pictures, singing, basically doing anything to avoid the inevitable thing called studying.

And procrastinate I did (with the help of some friends and pinterest).

Christmas time is here...

and, even though I gave in to listening to Christmas before the Thanksgiving holiday was over, I am now fully immersed in the Christmas-y spirit.

Hello beautiful tree.

205, my beautiful house which I now call home, has been Christmas-ized by Santa's elves creating an oasis from the busyness that is always found during the end of semester.  Fully decked out with a perfect tree and more itty-bitty trees, lights, snowflakes, Christmas stars, and stockings, our house is one hundred and ten percent ready for the holidays.   I am filled with joy every time I step back into this Christmas wonderland.  This joy, although partially stemming from the sparkle of our decorations, comes from those whom I get to share the Christmas cheer with.

The nine of us at 205 have become an amazing family and this makes me so joyful.  This Christmas season has become one full of love and happiness found in the friendships in our family.  I am so blessed to be stuck in this winter wonderland with these nine beautiful women who, whether they like it or not, get to live with the crazy and excited Christmas-y Melissa.

Stockings, lights, and snowflakes
oh my!

After preparing our house for this season of love and joy, I realized the necessity of preparing myself.  Despite the amount of joy I find in the decorations and the excitement that comes with it, I am so much more excited for what the Christmas season is truly about.  This year, more so than any other year, I am preparing my heart and mind for the coming of Christ.  In years past this preparation only occurred for me on Sundays during church.

Thanks to pinterest, I found a easy and fun way to get ready for the celebration of Jesus' birth.  For the twenty-five days before Christmas day I am learning about the life and teaching and just who the person of Christ is. (These scriptures can be found here)

This Christmas, I am more excited than ever and I hope you all are too!  Happy Holidays!

Lauren's baby tree.

The upstairs' beautiful tree.

                                                                                     

Always

Thankful. Blessed. Grateful. Loved. Cherished. Fortunate.

As the thanksgiving holiday comes to a close, I can only dwell on the fact of which I am extremely and undeservingly blessed.  Though I have daily struggles, these battles against my humanity are serving a higher purpose of sculpting me in to the greatest version of myself.  These small hurdles seem miniscule in comparison to the majority of humanity and, in pondering this over the past two days, I discovered the truth behind just how thankful I am.

There are so many things I am thankful for and I am so fortunate to be where I am today surrounded by so many people who cherish me.

four words

Today, Jesus Calling (a devotional written by Sarah Young) brought me to Philippians 4:6-7.  This is a tidbit of goodness that I love, and, sadly, this morning I went to this passage with the feeling of I have already read this and thought about it so, why is God taking me there today?  Despite this attitude (fueled in part by the coffee-less morning) I picked up my bible and read:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I paused for a minute and realized just why God had led me here this morning.  Four little words popped off the page in front of me.  These four words caused me pause, got my brain thinking, awakened my soul.

will guard your hearts...

The peace of God, His amazing peace, will guard my heart, will protect it from the outside world.  My heart will be protected in His peace.  

There's only one problem...

How do I find that peace which transcends all understanding?

Because right now my heart does not feel completely guarded.  It is too easy for me to slip into moments where I am vulnerable, but in a good way, not in the way God intended me to.

In Proverbs 4:23 it is written:

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

above all else, no ifs and or buts.  Above all else.

Musical musings

Today as I am sitting trying to find the motivation to study for my two exams tomorrow, I have been getting little nudges from God through the wonders of pandora.  Here are a few of them:


Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.


There's a voice that cries out in the silence
Searching for a heart that will love Him
Longing for a child that will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all
And there's a God that walks over the earth
He's searching for a heart that is desperate
And longing for a child
That will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all

And He says love me, love me with your whole heart
He wants it all today
Serve me, serve me with your life now
Bow down, let go of your idols
He wants it all today [x3]
So give it all


God so desperately needs our love.  He feels so much pain when just one of us turn away from Him.  I cannot even fathom how much He truly loves us.  In one sole action I can hurt the one person who loves me the most and who will never let me go.  My God is in such a deep relationship with me that He cries out when I forsake Him.  How easy is it for me to rush through life, not even taking a second glance at God's amazing work in my life?  This is God, my God.  He is the most POWERFUL, he is my TRUE WORD.  All of Him is with me forever, in everything.  His great power is in me, yet I can't even go one single day without causing Him pain.  This love is the love only love I need.  This amazing Agape. 

Studying??

Study- (verb) The act of texting, eating, and watching TV with an open textbook near by.

This is happening right now. I am so blessed to be "studying" with some amazing roomies and friends. These lazy day Sundays make the rest of the week worthwhile.

Lord, thank you for studying Sundays filled with football and amazing friends.

Helper

I can do ALL THINGS through Him who gives me strength.    Philippians 4:13

Reflecting on this passage I have realized that I do not rely on God for strength in all things.  In fact, I rely on God on only the tough things, the things that I know in my heart of hearts that I cannot possibly accomplish on my own.  In those situations I should be turning to Him for help and guidance, but what of the other moments in my life?

Does God not want to assist me in the small humbling tasks in my life?  Of course He does! HE helps me in all things, in every single thing I attempt in my life.

I pray that I use His amazing strength that He so willingly gives in the "easy" situations of my life.  I pray that I am constantly working alongside the Strongest Person in my life.  Lord, let my life be continuously strengthened by Your AWESOME POWER.

It's all about You

I'm coming back to the heart of worship,

and it's all about You, all about You Jesus.

My run today was an act of refocus, an act of return.  I gave it all to Him today remembering that He is my provider.  Without Him, I wouldn't be in the position I am in, able to run each and every day.  So often do I take that for granted.  It is so easy for me to forget that running is more than a stress relief, more than a fun hobby, more than provider of praise.  Running is a time of worship.  

I feel extremely close to God while running as the world He so awesomely created goes whizzing by.  I love the melodies created by the pounding of the pavement, my heartbeat, my breath, and the sounds of the world.  I feel attuned to the Spirit and how much I truly and desperately love the breath and the life that It gives me.  Running is an act of worship and should be treated accordingly; this I need to always remember.  I need to remember how I felt today, after this run and be worshipping You in each and every step I take on my run.

blessed life

Feeling good, feeling great.  My life is slowly increasing in pace allowing for gradually less free time, but somehow I am adjusting accordingly.  I am absolutely in love with the beautiful new house I am living in (you can see all of our amazing crafts and DIYs here).  And despite some major construction going on, were just getting a new roof, siding, windows, and porches (no big deal) I find peace and joy every time I walk in the door.  It has been an amazing blessing being in this community of 9 lovely friends.

Though I am injured (again) track has been surprisingly great.  Even through the changes in training and coaching I am once again falling more in love with Christ through my running and the amazing women I get to practice with each and every day.

That is all the update I have time for today as I am about to go enjoy the amazing sites and the beautiful weather by having lunch with an amazing lady at the Union in Madison.  I am thankful and feel so blessed today.