Where, O death, is your victory?

On Sundays at church, my pastor is going through a series on the life of David.  Today, he preached about the death of Saul and how David mourned for Saul.  He focused on lessons we can learn considering the subject of death.  A few months ago, I heard on the radio something about the average person reaching the peak of their beauty at the age of 32.  As a 33 year old, I thought, "Oh great, now I have nothing to look forward to!" :)  There are many days that I feel really old.  Now, I know that those of you in your 60s reading this are thinking, "33 isn't old at all!  Wait till she's 60!"  But isn't it all about perspective.  I'm the oldest I've ever been, so it feels old.  I can look at the high schoolers and think, "Man, they don't know anything about being in their 30s!"  And to the 60 year olds, don't you think the 80 year olds are laughing at you when you say you are old?  But here is what I learned today about getting old and about death. 
1.  We cannot avoid death.
2.  Whatever God requires of us as we approach the end of our lives, He will provide the grace to go through it.
3.  We need not fear the day He has ordained for our death because, as a believer, death serves to introduce us to heaven.
4.  Death never has the final word for the believer because Christ overcame death for us.
5.  Our best days are yet to come!  Even if I feel old and my temporary body is wasting away (since I've already reached my peak :)!), Jesus overcame death and secured eternal life for me.  Because Christ died and rose again, all those who are in Him will die and be raised again.  I have something much more eternal to look forward to!

How fall is a lot like an extended fireworks display

Two things I love that I get to compare today!  Fireworks and fall leaves on trees.

Every year during leaf changing season I see a certain color tree and think, "Oooh, that's my favorite!"  And I get really excited.  But for some reason, every year, I forget that leaves change in shifts.  So then the next tree starts to change color and I think, "Wait, no, that's my favorite!"  But then the other tree has already lost all it's leaves so I cannot do a true comparison. :)  It doesn't really matter because they are all beautiful and I enjoy the extended display.

The other day, I realized it is the same with fireworks.  Every year one explodes in the sky and I think, "Oooh, that's my favorite!"  But then the next one explodes after that and I get really excited and think, "Wait, no, that's my favorite!"  But then they never explode side by side for a comparison.  So, I just have to accept that I can like both of them for different reasons.

So, fall leaves are a lot like an extended fireworks display without the booms!

Happy Beautiful Fall Day!

Highlights

Today was a good day!  Here are three reasons it was great:

1.  Friday was actually the best day I had at work (which is most interesting because I was originally going to take the day off and instead worked a full 8 hours).  It was a great end to a pretty stinky week.  Thanks everyone who prayed for me at Bible study last night.  Today was proof that prayer works!  I have been feeling like I have been overly pessimistic the last couple of weeks and shared in Bible study that I'd like to have a better attitude and be joyful and find the good things in a bad situation. 
2.  A relative of one of my clients likened me to the Antichrist.  Really it was my profession they likened to the Antichrist, but it made me laugh out loud!  And I feel like I'm going to use that for a good long time when I am feeling down at work.  My client defended me by saying, "She doesn't drink.  She doesn't cuss.  And I'm pretty sure she doesn't believe in premarital sex."  In other words, at least my client doesn't think I'm the Antichrist!
3.  I got to play with some great kids in the nursery at church while their parents attended the Creation Conference.  Nothing like a great group of 1-3 year olds who are willing to entertain themselves.  And sit in your lap to cuddle.  And have no accidents in their pants.  And make you laugh.  And say they want to stay and play instead of going home.  And didn't cry even though it was probably past everyone's bedtime before the conference was over.

And I don't even have any lowlights to share.  It was just a great day.  Take that pessimism!

TREES!!

I love fall! Today, as I left my apartment, I had to go back for my camera.  The early sun shining on the trees with the blue sky as the background inspired me.  Then, when my second client cancelled and I was driving back to my office frustrated, I happened to pass the bottom of Grand View Drive and decided to take a drive and take some pictures.  It was a great way to regroup.  And I got to play with my camera some more!

The tree below is actually right by our dumpster :).  It makes throwing away the trash a little more beautiful of a task!

The shot below is natural light.

And this next one is taken with the "pop" feature on my camera.  It makes all the colors pop (duh!)

The Chair, Part 2

Here's two ways this post could go in order to best follow-up with yesterday's post:
Post #1:  Emily said, "Forget you!  I live here too and you can't tell me to put my chair outside!"  Because obviously, Emily and I yell at each other very emphatically all the time.

Post #2:  I relented and told her she could move her new chair in today, but only because it is raining outside.  Then it has to go back outside.

Reality is, Emily picked up her new chair yesterday, but they had just sprayed it with the protectant stuff.  They suggested she leave it outside for a little while to air it out.  The chair was only outside for about 45 minutes.  And I had nothing to do with it! :)  I wish I could have taken a video of Emily trying out her new chair last night.  We were both laughing at the seriousness with which she approached the responsibility of finding the perfect position to sit in her chair.  She loved her old chair, and this one will take a little getting used to, but I think she is going to like it!  And it is made specifically for shorter people.  I'm not really sure why she felt the need to get a chair made for short people.  I think it was because it would fit better in the apartment.

Living with a roommate

Emily got a new chair.  She brought it home.  I said, "No way!  You can't have a new chair!"  And I made her put it outside.

How do you define comfort?

Last weekend was the Singles' retreat at my church.  I almost didn't go.  I actually fought with myself about why I didn't want to go.  I was very assured in the fact that I'm getting too old for these things.  I like my own bed.  I don't like when I don't get enough sleep.  And I am kind of grouchy to be around when I don't get enough sleep.  And it lasts throughout the whole next week when I don't get enough sleep for two days in a row.  Plus, I have not been hanging out with the group as much and felt like it might be a little awkward.  I tried not to be reassured when I learned that many of my friends were going.  I tried not to be reassured when I started forming friendships with the newer people in the group now that I am attending Bible study with them.  I just didn't want to go.  I was  comfortable not going.

But, when my stubbornness is not kicking in, I am kind of a pushover.  So I got talked into going. Friday night came and I was still a little skeptical.  I was willing to go, but I didn't have to be super joyful about it!  Friday night I loaded into one of the church vans and headed to a camp about 45 minutes away to join around 40 other people.  We arrived at the camp at 8:30 and, to this old soul, it was already late.  But we had our first session that night.  And what did Dan start off talking about?

How do you define comfort?  Really, God?  Is this a joke?  Because I define comfort as laying on the couch with a good book or a good movie or a good TV show.  Not listening to a speaker at 9:00 at night.  And yet I was sucked in.  Yes, I find comfort in these things.  Plus a hooded sweatshirt on a cold night.  And hot chocolate.  And lazy Saturday mornings.  And family.  And bright sunshine on a clear day.  But do any of these things bring me lasting comfort?  The Bible clearly says no!  Only my relationship with Jesus Christ can bring me the kind of comfort that I crave.  Everything else will not last.  The cup of hot chocolate will get cold.  The book will end.  The sweatshirt will shrink or fade with age or it will get too hot and I won't be able to wear it.  The sun will set or it will rain.  None of these things can bring me lasting comfort. 

Over the course of the weekend, Dan spoke from the first four chapters of 2 Corinthians.  We talked about comfort in the midst of suffering.  I realized how easy it is for me to want to be delivered out of being uncomfortable instead of seeking comfort in the midst of a situation.  I learned that I am to be the aroma of Christ to an unbelieving generation.  I learned that I cannot know Christ if I am not seeking His promises and claiming them as my own.  I learned that I am like a jar of clay that should be clean, ready to be filled by Christ, and available for God's use. 

And to top it off, I got more sleep than I expected.  I was still tired and it was still a hard week.  But it was worth the things I learned.  It was worth it because I grew in my knowledge of who God is in my life.  I had great fellowship with friends in Christ.  I made new friends and reconnected with old friends.  I laughed until I cried on at least three occasions (and there were probably more).  I was humbled by my sin.  And I rejoiced that God has not given up on me yet.

How do you define comfort?  And how will you be challenged to define comfort different than you have in the past?

Tis the season

Tonight was a night of firsts for the fall season. First fire pit at small group. And first hot chocolate. I love fall! :) And another opportunity to play with my camera. Here are the fire pictures I took tonight.  It was windy, so the fire was kind of blowing all over the place.  I came home smelling like campfire.

Below is a picture I took last year with my old camera.  No comparison!

And also an orchard

When Sara, Todd, Autumn, and I went to Tanner's, we conquered the corn maze!

Autumn and I took a break for a self-portrait.  It was really sunny, so this is not the best picture!

Which way do we go?  Which way do we go?  This was a particularly tricky part of the maze and we were having a difficult time figuring out exactly where in the flower we were.  Again, I took a break from trying to figure it out in order to take a picture.  Usually I am the map reader when I go through the maze, which I still helped, but it was good to have someone else to help with the task.

Checkpoint.  For those of you who have never been to Tanners, the maze has 12 checkpoints that you are trying to find.  This year was similar to last year in that you were also trying to solve a mystery kind of like Clue.  The farmer is missing and you have to figure out what farm animal did it, in what part of the farm, and with what weapon.

Checking out the big map of the maze before starting.  Each of us had a little card with the same map.  And just so you know, the lines are the path! :)  Very important to understand before you go through the maze.

We survived!  And we found all twelve checkpoints.  And we figured out the right clues.  But I can't share just in case you go too!

It was great to have family come and visit.  Autumn requested that next time, I come to their house.  She didn't so much appreciate the 2 1/2 hour drive to come visit me! :)  But she sat by me at dinner, so I think she forgave me.

A day at the zoo

Zoos might be in my top 3 places I love to visit.  If I'm ever dating anyone and he is looking for a special date to take me on, my readers can remember this and let him know I'd like to go to the zoo.  Any zoo.  My cousins Sara and Todd and their daughter Autumn came to Peoria to visit yesterday.  We had excellent weather to be outdoors all day.  We went to the Peoria zoo, to Avanti's (where we had the worst service ever, which is sad because Avanti's is normally a great place to take people), and to Tanner's. 

So, before you look through my millions of pictures, there are a few things to keep in mind.  1.  I just got a new camera and was experimenting.  2.  I took over 100 pictures, so this really is a highlight.  3.  As mentioned above, I love the zoo.  and 4.  I accidentally loaded all my pictures backwards.  I didn't mean to start with the snakes :)

But with the snake pictures, I did discover that my camera takes very good pictures through glass without a flash.  Something I could not do with my old camera.

Everybody look left....

Everybody look right...  We quoted lines from the Lion King a lot as we traversed the zoo.  The spider monkeys are in my top five favorites at the zoo.

The zoo decorates for Halloween and this was my favorite decoration.  Nothing to do with animals, but everything to do with fun childhood memories.

Look at that giraffe tongue!  Did you know that a giraffe's tongue is black so that it doesn't sunburn.  Apparently they spend a good portion of their day eating, and their tongues are like 12 feet long!

The zookeepers fed the giraffes while we were there, so they came really close.  This is zoomed, but not much.  The giraffes are also in my top 5 things to see at the zoo, as you can tell from the numerous pictures I took!

Autumn, taking a break from the sun and heat while we watched the giraffes.

During this picture, the lions were looking off to the left and me, Todd, and Autumn were all saying, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" to try and get them to look at us.

Pretty lionness.

Very majestic!

Turtle!

There is a new Australian exhibit where the emus, black swans, and wallabe wander around while you walk through.  No cages for these guys.  We couldn't find the wallabe, but the sign said he liked to hide and you have to stay on the path so you can't really go look for him.

The tiger recently had 4 tiger cubs.  Tigers are also in my top five. :)

Autumn checking out some weird looking animal that I can't remember the name.  Maybe the takin.

Awww....I want one!