Facebook

So,
it has been a whole year now
since this http://tammydykstra.blogspot.com/2008/12/reality.html
365 days of no facebook.
and if you know me well
you know that i enjoyed this very much.
it was so good for me to be able to let go of something that had become far too important to me
and i am so pleased to see that i was actually able to remain faithful to that commitment.
true, however,
there were times when i would use a friend's login to look at certain pictures or to find information that i otherwise would not be able to attain.
but derek's message a year ago was a blessing
and a wake-up call.
reality has hit in many more ways
and God has been far more faithful than i
i'm grateful for the last year and what i've learned.
and i think it is time to open that door again and see how it goes
[knowing full well that deactivation is an option at any point!]
so, i'm back.
we'll see how long this lasts
:)

Jesus

Yesterday didn't seem like Christmas
for some reason

maybe because my attitude was all wrong,
but more so apathetic.
i was not prepared for the day
because i failed to fix my eyes on Him...

I want to be able to say what Paul said
"I resolved to know nothing while i was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

it is only ever the times when i'm fixated on things apart from Christ
that i see my peace or my confidence or my joy slip away
and i hate days like that

it takes a day or two to recover.
when will i ever learn the importance of the morning watch that andrew murray writes so passionately about and that will so adamantly holds to and this pattern that Jesus so faithfully lived by?

Jesus Christ and Him crucified...

Next

We are excited to be winding down a bit for Christmas
(We get 10 days off)
I am going to take a little trip to St. Louis for a few days to see a good friend
(I can’t wait! Katie, I hope this trip is for me what your last trip to GR was for you…perspective, freshness, and answers…)
I am just finishing up finals- my 5th college semester
And I’ve found that it was all a little much this time around
Too busy [not in general, just in relationship with everything else]
A break is going to be very welcome.
And at the Boiler Room
I feel like, for me at least,
God is giving me eyes to see the value of the seeds that have been planted,
Whether they are dormant for now or not, I can appreciate their power
And His power
For our precious Dave and Tony Montana and Michelle Montana [but not really Montana] and Joe and Marvin [I’m excited to see what reawakens in him while he spends the next years back in prison: his self-declared mission field]
His arm is not too short
His people just need to be persistent.
In faith.
Night and day.
Give Him no rest.

Snow

Charla made me go outside with her last night
at 10pm.
it was cold and wet and cold and windy and cold.
"oh, its just so great, tam!" she said
"its like a little piece of hell," i responded (as echoed by john dewey across the street).
but it really was great
because we were out.
and so were a few neighbors.
and it was such a cool sense of community
in 10 minutes, we got to have conversations with 3 people that we don't usually get to talk to (one lives right across the street, one lives right next door, and one lives a few houses down.)
but there it happened.
actually, we met Mykwenis (sp?) for the first time.
She's lived here for 3 months, with her fiancee (they're getting married next friday!) and 4-year-old son.
it was an unexpected little treat.
because i really didn't want to go outside.
but then, i guess blessings come though obedience, not ease.