All Things New

Thanksgiving was last week, so it almost seems like this post is a bit late. But really, thankfulness is becoming a theme of my life lately, so why limit it to a single holiday? I am thankful for so much, but there are a few things that are really on my heart... I am thankful for the generosity of the people around me. I have been overwhelmed by the giving nature of some people I know. There are those who give financially - many have supported me in raising funds for my trip overseas this Christmas. They have given without hesitation. And what's even cooler is that they are giving how God leads; for example, one of my friends wrote out a check for an amount that he felt God was leading him to give. It ended up being almost exactly what I needed to meet a certain goal. Not a coincidence. Then there are those who give their time. And for me, time is almost just as valuable as money. I have friends that continually make time for me in their busy lives or let me pop into their live...

I've been going through Romans recently with my friend Chelsae, and the past 2 weeks we've been studying one of my favorite chapters -- Romans 8. There is so much truth and hope in that passage, so I was excited when we finally got to it. I've always clung to verse 28, loving that fact that God promises that He is working things for good . But this time, it was the verses preceding it that encouraged me in a big way.  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For  we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is  the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 How incredible is that? We know that believers in Christ have been given the Spirit, but we often don't think about what it actually means. The Spirit is interceding on our behalf. That's amazing...

Have you ever become frustrated with superficial conversation? How many times have you spent an entire day at work, school, or with family and friends and never got below the surface? Or perhaps an entire week, or even months?  It's so normal to live a surface life, maybe because it's so safe and easy. What do I mean by surface life? Well, for me, many times it looks like this: Spend a day in class --> talk to classmates, but really only about projects and papers, how crazy the professor is, and maybe what we are going to do over the weekend.  Go to work --> talk to coworkers about crazy job situations, class, the weather (earthquakes!), and the usual "When are you graduating/what's your major/where are you from" questions.  Head home --> hang out with roommates, talking about the busyness of the day, the homework you should be doing, the movie you watched last night, when you are going grocery shopping, etc. Time with friends --> talk about sch...