Carving out time

So. Halloween is tomorrow.  

Costumes. 

Candy. 

Ghosts.

Leaves.

Darkness.

Fireworks.

Pumpkins. 

Did you say pumpkins? I love pumpkins. I like their cheery orange colour; I like their different shapes and sizes; I like their prickly stems and their earthy pumpkin smell. 

I like carving pumpkins. There is nothing quite like the orange, squishy, seed-filled guts of a good pumpkin. This year Janelle and I carved a rather delightful image of Wall-E into our chosen specimen, with the help of our little nephew.

What a joy it is to embrace the little traditions of fall. To spend time scraping out the inside of a fruit or telling a 2-year old a story about a robot. Time. What a gift. Autumn is one of the seasons that really shows me how fast time goes. 

Change is so visible in this season. Leaves change colours. The wind strips them from the trees. The clouds become constant companions. The sun comes up later and sets sooner. It's around this time of year we start saying, "I can't believe it's almost Christmas! Where did the time go!"

And yet, as time flies by us, we are still blessed with little moments whether it be pumpkin carving, crunching through leaves on a walk, watching fireworks or starting up the first fire of the season. 

"Life Means so Much" as Chris Rice puts it. Are we missing out on the gift?

The Genius of Ancient Man is here!

Hey all! You will recall, if you have been a long time reader of my blog, that I was in Wyoming for 6 months working on a book with Pastor Don and a team from JHBC. (read posts about the project here, here, here, and here) Well...after over 2 years of research and another year of writing and editing, the book is done! If you would like to see the finished product, look it up at Amazon.com or check out this link from Answers in Genesis! There is a short promo video on the right hand side that is pretty fun.

So blown away by what God is already doing with this book and excited to see it for myself! Thank you for your prayers and support!

Too blessed

A week ago I told you all of my upcoming adventure: my fears, my prayers, my confidence in God. I thought I would update you on how He has truly blessed me this week.

I am thoroughly enjoying my course! I am learning so much, far more than I really thought I would in just a few days. Truly these professors know how to pack loads of information in just a short period of time.

I get up each day around 6 and I am headed out by 6:40 to the train. My journey continues to the busy Waterfront station. The masses of people the disembark from the transit move like a never-ending, unstoppable force. One little face in the crowd; I feel small and yet part of something bigger. Footsteps from shiny heels, scuffed sneakers, and polished leather soles join together in the muffled cacophony of noise, nearly overwhelmed by the train whistles, cellphone talkers, car engines and horns of the great city.

Up the block to the university I go and then up the escalator to my class where I am met with the smiles and greetings of now familiar faces. I know that God hand-picked my classmates. Each one of them with a unique story. I am intrigued by the truly different people He has brought together. Of course, none of my classmates would give God the credit for our new found acquaintance with one another but I know without a doubt that He has a purpose for each of us in this class together. I don't know what it is but I pray for courage each day to be His light in that place.

Six hours of class and an hour lunch break later I am back on the train and headed home. Exhausted and ready to relax, I instead work on assignments. My excitement to experiment with new knowledge and tools keeps weariness at bay until I can fall into bed.

I've watched with exasperation and yet a smile as my room slowly becomes more and more cluttered with news articles and brochures in addition to the general untidiness that I don't have time to combat. College life I suppose. I'm not too worried about it. How bad can it get in 5 weeks???

Suffice to say, my first week has been a delight - exhausting, stressful at times, but truly an exciting and enjoyable time. I am so very thankful that God lead me here and I cannot wait to see how He continues to work and teach me during this time. He truly has taken care of all the details.

As part of my course I am require to participate quite heavily in multiple social media platforms leaving me very little free time for this blog. I hope to keep it up, posting at least once a week. If you would like to follow my new blog, supposedly "professional," feel free. I'd love to have you stop by there or my new Facebook page. Personally, this blog will probably always be my favourite place to write. For here, I am truly myself.

Thanks for reading and spending a little time with me! Hope your week is filled with God's blessing as well.

Tomorrow...

Well I had grand intentions of writing a few more detailed blog posts about my trip this summer but time, it would appear, has gotten away from me. Perhaps I will yet come back to the topic but for now, I am about to embark on a whole new adventure.

A train.
A big city.
A fast paced intensive course.

New people.
New places.
New challenges.

I've been waiting anxiously for this day to arrive and now it is only hours away. I am taking my first big step towards a career in journalism... I am tempted to dissolve into tears of anxiety; to drown in the dread of the unknown. But...

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

I believe in God's promises. I can not thank Him enough for His provision and His peace and His protection. I am blessed beyond imagining. He has promised to guard my heart and mind in Christ and I believe He does and will continue to.

I know that He has lead me here. I know taking this course is my next step. Now I know I need to give God the little things that have me worrying. Because He is sovereign over them too!

I remember, on our trip this summer, being fascinated by the little things; the tiny details God has designed in creation. I marvel over the work of little caterpillars.

I stare in awe at the intricacy of a flower.

I study the tiny designs in the leaves.

God's glorious fingerprints are everywhere; the evidence of His care and precision and attention is all around me in the inanimate world. How much more will He give His care to the details of my life? Small things like getting a good sleep tonight, arriving at the train on time, finding parking, where I sit in class, who will sit beside me, who my professors are, and what they shall teach me...all this is in His hands and will follow according to His sovereign plan.

And so. Tomorrow is coming. No sense in worrying. I rest in Him. May His will be done, for His glory alone.

Would appreciate your prayers as I embark on this journey.

the spaces between

"I have an idea! Let's go to Disneyland this summer! We could go just before we drop Danae off at school in Wyoming! And oh! Let's throw in a trip to the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park and maybe Bryce Canyon too! About three weeks on the road sound good to everyone?"

Big ideas. It's kinda my thing. But even more than that...planning out the big ideas! 

Big enthusiasm. Also my thing...sometimes a little too much but these plans needed all they could get. 

Big places. Some new, some old. All full of happy memories.

Bryce Canyon

Disneyland, the "Happiest Place on Earth" was probably the ultimate highlight. Followed closely by the Grand Canyon and of course my beloved Wyoming. These delightful places, close to my heart, make me smile to think of them.

Grand Canyon National Park

Zion National Park

But I can't help but expound on the spaces in between. The little things that filled all the long hours. Things like singing in the car, starting each day with a rousing rendition of "Little GTO". Things like looking for natural gas stations, oh the places you'll go... or being always on the lookout for Starbucks, or gagging at the thought of eating even one more chicken wrap! Things like stepping out into the oven-like temperature of the Mojave desert and feeling your eyeballs shrivel or finding one hundred and one ways to get comfortable in the back seat of the truck with two other people. I've said it before, I'll say it again and again: it's the little things. Hours and hours of driving (big thanks to my dad who did the vast majority!!) were passed (mostly) pleasantly by our engaging discussions, silly antics, the occasional game (for Danae), dance sessions, audio books, chocolate, and much music. Oh how I love my family. How I am blessed by them every hour. How I thank God for them. Throw me in an RV with them for 3 weeks anytime.

For years we will wonder what ever convinced us this trip was a good idea. But for forever we will cherish the memories and be SO glad that whatever it was, it did it's job. 

I think I have really discovered through this trip that the "Happiest place on Earth" is wherever you want it to be. It's wherever you are, if you find joy in God's sovereign control over your life. Embrace the challenges, enjoy the joyous moments, wait on Him and trust in His will. That is a truly happy place.