Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
heat wave....
Today is my "late day" at work. Which means I arrive at 10:30 and leave at 7:00pm. I am used to riding my bike to work around 7:45am which is nice because the heat hasn't had time to become oppressive.
Today I rode my bike around 10:15am and I wanted to die. I will never complain about being cold again. I actually really enjoy the cold weather, and unless its bone chilling, hypothermia cant get warm cold and I have on a bathing suit...I probably won't complain about it. I will simply grab a blanket. The heat makes me want to run around naked. Which apparently is "inappropriate". I got to work and naturally, the first thing I did was look at record temp highs for Philadelphia. And what do ya know...this is what I discovered.
The best part about this is that Philly is supposed to reach 99 degrees today....breaking the record high from 1933. Congratulations Philly, my deodorant stopped working 15 degrees ago and I look like I just stepped out of the pool. I sure look attractive and my smell is out of this world.
Today I rode my bike around 10:15am and I wanted to die. I will never complain about being cold again. I actually really enjoy the cold weather, and unless its bone chilling, hypothermia cant get warm cold and I have on a bathing suit...I probably won't complain about it. I will simply grab a blanket. The heat makes me want to run around naked. Which apparently is "inappropriate". I got to work and naturally, the first thing I did was look at record temp highs for Philadelphia. And what do ya know...this is what I discovered.
The best part about this is that Philly is supposed to reach 99 degrees today....breaking the record high from 1933. Congratulations Philly, my deodorant stopped working 15 degrees ago and I look like I just stepped out of the pool. I sure look attractive and my smell is out of this world.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
today i am......
...listening to Bloodstream by Stateless...over and over and over and over................
...anxious for tonight
...thinking about buying a new bike with a lil help from my friends.. (ariel)
...feeling blessed by prayer this morning with my girls
...excited about this weekend
...anxious for tonight
...thinking about buying a new bike with a lil help from my friends.. (ariel)
...feeling blessed by prayer this morning with my girls
...excited about this weekend
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Who done it?!
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!! This absolutely MADE my Saturday. As I was spring cleaning the whole house the nice little post man delivered this to my doorstep. SO THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Whoever you are :)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Keep calm...
I need this somewhere in my house/room/office/life. I love this.
I read it and I have seen it in Jojos kitchen and I have always been curious about it..so I read up on it...this is what I discovered about my new favorite slogan:
Orginally made in 1939 by the British. The poster was third in a series of three. The previous two posters from the series, "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory" (800,000 printed) and "Freedom is in Peril" (400,000 printed) were issued and used across the country for motivational purposes, as the Ministry of Information assumed that the events of the first weeks of the war would demoralise the population. Planning for the posters started in April 1939; by June designs were prepared, and by August 1939, they were on their way to the printers, to be placed up within 24 hours of the outbreak of war. The posters were designed to have a uniform device, be a design associated with the Ministry of Information, and have a unique and recognisable lettering, with a message from the King to his people.
I just love history! Now who wants to buy me the poster?
Monday, March 14, 2011
...and we pray
A friend of mine, Esther, sent me this email from her pastor yesterday. I read it this morning and was completely moved and aware of how much we need to pray.
I copy and pasted the email below so you could be aware of whats going on in Japan as well. It's times like these that I feel so helpless and so unaware and so...we pray.
*******************************************************************
Geoff Bradford posted a prayer entitled "How to Pray for Japan -- From Danielle (formerly Guevara)" in the group Site Group:
Danielle & Matthias sent this to me--thought I'd pass it along. She was a liberti missionary for several years in Japan...
Dearest Friends,
Matthias and I really wish we could be in Japan right now. Oh, that God will use this suffering to draw millions of Japanese to Himself! I used to live in Sendai, the city closest to the epicenter and am still waiting to hear back from church friends and former English students. I used to teach an English class 3km from the shore where the tsunami hit and donot know if the students are okay.
We didn't know if beloved missionary friends in Sendai, Cal and Edie Cummings, were okay until late last night. Their daughter wrote,"After trying every couple minutes for about 17hrs, my brother Luke was finally able to get through to my parents on their landline. They have no water, gas, or electricity, but they are alive and their house is still standing. Their whole neighborhood is fine. They live far enough inland (8mi) that they did not get any flooding." The daughter of other missionary friends in Sendai writes, "Par ents' house and possessions destroyed."
This might be a helpful list of how to pray for Japan right now. Part of it comes from a message I received it from the PCA missions group, Mission to the World.
Love and comfort for grieving families
Rescue for those who may be trapped/ buried alive
Safety from aftershocks, which have been quite large
Shelter for those whose homes are destroyed
Wisdom and clarity for response of Christians in Japan
Open doors for Christians in Japan to share the gospel
Restoration of power and communication
To give some background to the spiritual condition of the area hardest hit:
The areas affected by the earthquake and tsunamis of Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki are some of the most spiritually needy places in Japan. With over 4.9 million people yet only about 9,000 active Christians (about 0.15%). Fukushima has the lowest average worship attendance with only 19 per church. There are one city and 44 towns with no church. There are 86 missionaries assigned to these prefectures.
One town in Ibaraki has over 46,000 people with no church and several others have over 24,000 people with no churches. Average attendance for all the churches in Japan is the lowest in Fukushima prefecture. Ibaraki prefecture has the least number of people claiming to have any religious beliefs. (Sources: CIS News 12/2012, JEMA Directory 2010)
Here is a clip from my former team leader, Michael Oh:
"Over the years I've often described our mission in Japan as praying and preparing toward the day of opportunity in Japan. In the back of my mind I've often thought of the possibility of great suffering being a part of the opening of the heart of the great nation of Japan. A massive earthquake or a nuclear missile from North Korea topped the list of possible devastating ways the Lord might awaken that nation that I love. This, perhaps, could be one of the ways the Lord pierces the darkness of Japan with His light (John 1:5)
Japan is the largest unreached nation in the world. In Japan they are reporting upwards of 1100 dead so far. Again, it is very possible that that number will multiply 10 fold. But every 11 days an equal number of Japanese (1100) take their own lives. In hopelessness they turn to suicide."
Mission to the World Japan team leader, Rev. Dan Iverson adds:
1100 killed= 12 day total of suicides in Japan
To put the spiritual darkness of Japan in perspective, Japan averages about 90 suicides per day. It is so sad that already 1100 people appear to have died in the earthquake/tsunami and that is making world-wide news. It needs to also break our heart that this very rich country is really so spiritually impoverished, with so many with no hope. But if indeed 1100 are dead from the killer earthquake, we need to also remember that a normal 12 days in Japan brings about this many suicides. But it does not make CNN news.
An exciting thought is that perhaps in these days there are more prayers being prayed for Japan throughout the world than at any time in the history of the world. What purposes could God have both in this tragedy and in the active response of the Church of Jesus Christ?
So please do pray. Pray not only for the physical life and well-being of the Japanese but for their spiritual salvation. And may the prayers of Christians around the world be used not only to bring the comfort of Christ to Japan but also as a prayer tsunami to break the powerful dams of the rock-hard hearts of the Japanese.
I copy and pasted the email below so you could be aware of whats going on in Japan as well. It's times like these that I feel so helpless and so unaware and so...we pray.
*******************************************************************
Geoff Bradford posted a prayer entitled "How to Pray for Japan -- From Danielle (formerly Guevara)" in the group Site Group:
Danielle & Matthias sent this to me--thought I'd pass it along. She was a liberti missionary for several years in Japan...
Dearest Friends,
Matthias and I really wish we could be in Japan right now. Oh, that God will use this suffering to draw millions of Japanese to Himself! I used to live in Sendai, the city closest to the epicenter and am still waiting to hear back from church friends and former English students. I used to teach an English class 3km from the shore where the tsunami hit and donot know if the students are okay.
We didn't know if beloved missionary friends in Sendai, Cal and Edie Cummings, were okay until late last night. Their daughter wrote,"After trying every couple minutes for about 17hrs, my brother Luke was finally able to get through to my parents on their landline. They have no water, gas, or electricity, but they are alive and their house is still standing. Their whole neighborhood is fine. They live far enough inland (8mi) that they did not get any flooding." The daughter of other missionary friends in Sendai writes, "Par ents' house and possessions destroyed."
This might be a helpful list of how to pray for Japan right now. Part of it comes from a message I received it from the PCA missions group, Mission to the World.
Love and comfort for grieving families
Rescue for those who may be trapped/ buried alive
Safety from aftershocks, which have been quite large
Shelter for those whose homes are destroyed
Wisdom and clarity for response of Christians in Japan
Open doors for Christians in Japan to share the gospel
Restoration of power and communication
To give some background to the spiritual condition of the area hardest hit:
The areas affected by the earthquake and tsunamis of Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki are some of the most spiritually needy places in Japan. With over 4.9 million people yet only about 9,000 active Christians (about 0.15%). Fukushima has the lowest average worship attendance with only 19 per church. There are one city and 44 towns with no church. There are 86 missionaries assigned to these prefectures.
One town in Ibaraki has over 46,000 people with no church and several others have over 24,000 people with no churches. Average attendance for all the churches in Japan is the lowest in Fukushima prefecture. Ibaraki prefecture has the least number of people claiming to have any religious beliefs. (Sources: CIS News 12/2012, JEMA Directory 2010)
Here is a clip from my former team leader, Michael Oh:
"Over the years I've often described our mission in Japan as praying and preparing toward the day of opportunity in Japan. In the back of my mind I've often thought of the possibility of great suffering being a part of the opening of the heart of the great nation of Japan. A massive earthquake or a nuclear missile from North Korea topped the list of possible devastating ways the Lord might awaken that nation that I love. This, perhaps, could be one of the ways the Lord pierces the darkness of Japan with His light (John 1:5)
Japan is the largest unreached nation in the world. In Japan they are reporting upwards of 1100 dead so far. Again, it is very possible that that number will multiply 10 fold. But every 11 days an equal number of Japanese (1100) take their own lives. In hopelessness they turn to suicide."
Mission to the World Japan team leader, Rev. Dan Iverson adds:
1100 killed= 12 day total of suicides in Japan
To put the spiritual darkness of Japan in perspective, Japan averages about 90 suicides per day. It is so sad that already 1100 people appear to have died in the earthquake/tsunami and that is making world-wide news. It needs to also break our heart that this very rich country is really so spiritually impoverished, with so many with no hope. But if indeed 1100 are dead from the killer earthquake, we need to also remember that a normal 12 days in Japan brings about this many suicides. But it does not make CNN news.
An exciting thought is that perhaps in these days there are more prayers being prayed for Japan throughout the world than at any time in the history of the world. What purposes could God have both in this tragedy and in the active response of the Church of Jesus Christ?
So please do pray. Pray not only for the physical life and well-being of the Japanese but for their spiritual salvation. And may the prayers of Christians around the world be used not only to bring the comfort of Christ to Japan but also as a prayer tsunami to break the powerful dams of the rock-hard hearts of the Japanese.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Office Space
So most of us spend a lot of time in our offices. As a counselor, it is really important to have a calm, welcoming, soothing environment. Since I am not a calm, welcoming or soothing person, I needed to work really hard to make my office display these characteristics. To celebrate my 8 month anniversary at PIT, I have decided to post pictures of my office space, a "then-and-now" if you will. I would like to note the lamp in the corner cannot be used because I would need a desk lamp in order to see anything in my office (if anyone has one, I will gladly take it off your hands). Also, I asked if I bought the paint if I could paint my office when I moved in. The office manager said no, but you can buy two posters and hang them up wherever you like! So really it's like the same thing.
And yes, that is a microwave on the ground under the double trash cans.
Tomorrow I'll take pictures of Tim's office and you can compare and contrast the two very different counseling environments :) Enjoy.
And yes, that is a microwave on the ground under the double trash cans.
Tomorrow I'll take pictures of Tim's office and you can compare and contrast the two very different counseling environments :) Enjoy.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Six cavities, maybe seven
Went to the dentist this morning for the first time in nearly 3 years. This is because for 3 years I didn't have dental insurance. I have never been scared of the dentist...even with the run-in with Dr. Quinn when I was about 6 (traumatic). Whenever I get cleanings, I'm in and out, fast as lightening, I wear my free sticker with pride with my head held high. But not today. My dentist pretty much slapped my with her drill, made me cry and declared I had 6 maybe 7 cavities to the 3 dental assistants sitting around watching...it was awful, I walked out stickerless with my head down.
I will leave you with this quote from my devotional this morning..
"When all is said and done, the life of faith is nothing if not an unending struggle of the spirit with every available weapon against the flesh." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I will leave you with this quote from my devotional this morning..
"When all is said and done, the life of faith is nothing if not an unending struggle of the spirit with every available weapon against the flesh." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sexual Violence in the Peace Corps
Having more than one close tie to the peace corp, this shook me to the bones...more people need to know.
Sexual Violence in the Peace Corps
Sexual Violence in the Peace Corps
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Beauty Queen
My friend Kayla, competed in the Miss America pagent this past weekend. I went to high school with Kayla and there has been all sorts of buzz about the fact that she's bald...I found this video of her on 20/20 and HAD to share it because I think Kayla shares a great message and because 20/20 is my favorite!!!
Congrats on making it as far as you did Kayla!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6WQGrmPiOM
Congrats on making it as far as you did Kayla!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6WQGrmPiOM
Friday, January 14, 2011
perspectives
I have been having dinner with people I don't normally see this week. I think when you don't see someone for a long time you realize that when you see each other your conversation should be rich and deep because you don't know when you will see each other again; and because so much has happened since the last time you saw that person.
I like seeing old friends because it reminds me of how much God has been working in my life and in others, of how much I have changed and how many things in my life have changed; some good, some bad. I love eating good food and listening to a person talk about their life from their perspective, it is honestly one of my favorite things.
This week while I was participating in my favorite activity of eating and talking, a friend said something that has really stuck with me all week.. "you can't follow a Christian who follows Christ, you have to just follow Christ" While you should learn from other Christians, follow their years of wisdom and education, following them or pouring over every single word their say or write is dangerous. Because, to put it bluntly, they will be wrong at some point, you need to learn what your faith is. You need to know what the Bible says.
I'm learning this. Many times I don't want to do the hard work. I don't want to research, I don't want to read multiple sources, I don't want to read Leviticus. But I have to, but I need to know what Christ says, not what Tim Keller or Francis Chan or Matt Chandler say about Christ. I need to be grounded in Him first and grow from other perspectives after.
I like seeing old friends because it reminds me of how much God has been working in my life and in others, of how much I have changed and how many things in my life have changed; some good, some bad. I love eating good food and listening to a person talk about their life from their perspective, it is honestly one of my favorite things.
This week while I was participating in my favorite activity of eating and talking, a friend said something that has really stuck with me all week.. "you can't follow a Christian who follows Christ, you have to just follow Christ" While you should learn from other Christians, follow their years of wisdom and education, following them or pouring over every single word their say or write is dangerous. Because, to put it bluntly, they will be wrong at some point, you need to learn what your faith is. You need to know what the Bible says.
I'm learning this. Many times I don't want to do the hard work. I don't want to research, I don't want to read multiple sources, I don't want to read Leviticus. But I have to, but I need to know what Christ says, not what Tim Keller or Francis Chan or Matt Chandler say about Christ. I need to be grounded in Him first and grow from other perspectives after.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
ryan adams on repeat
Ryan Adams melts my heart. Really and truly. I have been listening to him on repeat this week and there are two songs I'm obsessing over...Two and Desire.
Here are some excerpts from my new obsessions...
"TWO"
And i'm fractured from the fall
And i wanna go home
But it takes two when it used to take one
It takes two when it used to take only one
"DESIRE"
You know me. You don't mind waiting.
You just can't show me, but God I'm praying,
That you'll find me, and that you'll see me
That you run and never tire.
Desire
If I had Ryan Adams and Deb Talan singing me to sleep every night for the rest of my life I could die a happy person.
Here are some excerpts from my new obsessions...
"TWO"
And i'm fractured from the fall
And i wanna go home
But it takes two when it used to take one
It takes two when it used to take only one
"DESIRE"
You know me. You don't mind waiting.
You just can't show me, but God I'm praying,
That you'll find me, and that you'll see me
That you run and never tire.
Desire
If I had Ryan Adams and Deb Talan singing me to sleep every night for the rest of my life I could die a happy person.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
i know its long, but so impressive!!!!
BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
(thats what she said?)
BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
(thats what she said?)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
its cold out. wear a coat!
December 21 marks the first day of winter. So I would like to know why when I woke up this morning, on December 8, the temperature on the ever so accurate weather.com read "27 degrees". I have been holding off getting my winter coat out until it was officially winter but this is getting ridiculous. I'm cold. I had to do it. This morning I went in my basement and found my winter coat. It's AMAZING how much warmer I was in a winter coat....and my red and white mittens of course.
I do love this time of year because of the season (see below post) but also to see the kind of bundling people come up with! It's amazing to see the kind of lengths people will go to to stay warm..its always funny to watch a grown person waddling due to excessive layers.
For now, I leave you with the best video I have seen in a while. Mainly because it reminds me of when my friends and I go out to Plough and Stars...two of the people are literally doing the same move that I thought Sarah Pisano created...how wrong was i?!
I do love this time of year because of the season (see below post) but also to see the kind of bundling people come up with! It's amazing to see the kind of lengths people will go to to stay warm..its always funny to watch a grown person waddling due to excessive layers.
For now, I leave you with the best video I have seen in a while. Mainly because it reminds me of when my friends and I go out to Plough and Stars...two of the people are literally doing the same move that I thought Sarah Pisano created...how wrong was i?!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
hello, december.
December first. It means it is officially Christmas season. And I get to officially begin my advent calendar. My favorite. I love this season. I love the weather and how festive everyone feels and how people gather for holiday parties and exchange gifts and food and spend time together. People sing and dance and spike the egg nog. Really, whats not to love scrooge? Just to show my cheer, I'll show you a picture of my Dad and I in front of a 21 foot Christmas tree made of oreos....whats not to love about this holiday?!
Tonight I cannot get these lyrics out of my head....awake my soul by Mumford & Sons...I think everyones soul needs to be awaken. This is a joyous time. A King is born.
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life
Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul
You were made to meet your maker
Awake my soul, awake my soul
Tonight I cannot get these lyrics out of my head....awake my soul by Mumford & Sons...I think everyones soul needs to be awaken. This is a joyous time. A King is born.
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life
Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul
You were made to meet your maker
Awake my soul, awake my soul
Friday, November 26, 2010
pray.
My very wise sister, Anne, sent this quote to me last week. We have been discussing prayer at length in my church and bible study so I thought it would be fitting to share it with everyone else too..
"God rules the world in constant consultation with those who pray, God determinations are wrought in dialogue with those who call for help, God is free to rule unbounded by the humanly inferred laws of finite nature and free to rule in spontaneous dialogue with us. Prayer, thus is unfathomable Powerful, yet it also places an enormous obligation upon us to pray constantly for the needs of the world. Also remember there is no way to put God to the test, and that's exactly what you are doing when you design a study to see if God's answers prayers. In terms of free will, I believe God gives us free will to choose salvation or not, God does know the outcomes however he does not allow Godself to intervene for the sake of free will. God is omnipotent and all powerful. So in actuality Christianity is not a contradiction but rather an invitation to the Kingdom of God after death, and prayer is how request God to react in this sinful world. Amen!"
-Goetz, Christian Century
"God rules the world in constant consultation with those who pray, God determinations are wrought in dialogue with those who call for help, God is free to rule unbounded by the humanly inferred laws of finite nature and free to rule in spontaneous dialogue with us. Prayer, thus is unfathomable Powerful, yet it also places an enormous obligation upon us to pray constantly for the needs of the world. Also remember there is no way to put God to the test, and that's exactly what you are doing when you design a study to see if God's answers prayers. In terms of free will, I believe God gives us free will to choose salvation or not, God does know the outcomes however he does not allow Godself to intervene for the sake of free will. God is omnipotent and all powerful. So in actuality Christianity is not a contradiction but rather an invitation to the Kingdom of God after death, and prayer is how request God to react in this sinful world. Amen!"
-Goetz, Christian Century
Monday, November 22, 2010
Teach me how to dougie
In the past, I have been known to inmitate two things well. A snail named Fred and a man named Carlton. Believe it or not, I can actually do "the carlton". Today I saw this video and it reminded me how much I 1. love the fresh prince show, 2. how much I love new dance crazes...they are so ridiculous and 3. how much this song gets stuck in my head ALL THE TIME.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Kiss from a Rose
The year is 1995. The movie Batman Forever is released and the song "Kiss from a Rose" is re released and topped the charts for a whopping seven days. Everytime that song came on VH1 or MTV back in the days of music videos, my siblings and I would dance around and sing at the top of our lungs while dramatically acting like Batman and Robin fighting evil and winning the girl.
I was 10. I listened to the song on repeat and I sang the words I thought Seal was singing. And I sang them with authority and confidence. I had no idea what he was talking about though. Kiss from a rose on a grave? What? I decided this was due to the fact that I was 10 and didn't know much of anything.
I was driving home from Lebanon on Sunday morning trying to find something on the radio to keep me from drifting off to sleep behind the wheel when Kiss from a Rose started playing on a random Central PA radio station. I of course blasted Seal and sang at the top of my lungs...picture it. I stopped midway through the song and thought...okay, this came out 15 years ago, I am now 25 and I still don't get why Seal is talking about Kissing roses on graves.
Now if you know me, you know I am notorious for making up words to songs and singing them confidently (please see Ellen DeGeneres's stand-up: Here and Now for the funniest reference to this ever...and while you're at it, just watch the whole thing because its the best http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ellen+degeneres+here+and+now&aq=f). Well today I was thinking about that song and I thought, I'm going to look up the lyrics for the first time ever. And to my surprise I have been singing them wrong for the last 15 years!!! Now I get it...
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray.
Ooh, the more I get of you,
The stranger it feels, yeah.
And now that your rose is in bloom.
A light hits the gloom on the gray.
There is so much a man can tell you,
So much he can say.
You remain, my power, my pleasure, my pain, baby
....oh wait. nope, still confused.
I was 10. I listened to the song on repeat and I sang the words I thought Seal was singing. And I sang them with authority and confidence. I had no idea what he was talking about though. Kiss from a rose on a grave? What? I decided this was due to the fact that I was 10 and didn't know much of anything.
I was driving home from Lebanon on Sunday morning trying to find something on the radio to keep me from drifting off to sleep behind the wheel when Kiss from a Rose started playing on a random Central PA radio station. I of course blasted Seal and sang at the top of my lungs...picture it. I stopped midway through the song and thought...okay, this came out 15 years ago, I am now 25 and I still don't get why Seal is talking about Kissing roses on graves.
Now if you know me, you know I am notorious for making up words to songs and singing them confidently (please see Ellen DeGeneres's stand-up: Here and Now for the funniest reference to this ever...and while you're at it, just watch the whole thing because its the best http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ellen+degeneres+here+and+now&aq=f). Well today I was thinking about that song and I thought, I'm going to look up the lyrics for the first time ever. And to my surprise I have been singing them wrong for the last 15 years!!! Now I get it...
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray.
Ooh, the more I get of you,
The stranger it feels, yeah.
And now that your rose is in bloom.
A light hits the gloom on the gray.
There is so much a man can tell you,
So much he can say.
You remain, my power, my pleasure, my pain, baby
....oh wait. nope, still confused.
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