Me. I am inquisitive, curious, thoughtful – in the sense that I am full of thoughts, always. I am careful and cautious, but I crave adventure, and so I am constantly conflicted in my decisions. I am persistent, task-focused, and a bit of a perfectionist. I am slightly more introverted than extroverted. I like being outside – hiking, tennis, the beach, swimming, Frisbee, and just about all other outdoorsy things. I really like waterfalls – I do not know why they are always mesmerizing, no matter how many I see. (Good thing I live in the Waterfall Capital of the World – how does one get that title anyway?) I am a bit of a skeptic and I ask a lot of questions – out loud and in my head. I have been cleaning my hair with baking soda for over a year now. (In case you are wondering, this method has not been successful for me. My hair is still oily and I have not yet discovered a balance of honey, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, or anything else that makes my hair soft. However, I am determined to make this work, so I continue experimenting. I may have to take a hiatus once I depart on the WR.) I want to grow my own food someday – enough to sustain me for the year. I like it when people find new ways of living sustainably. I like our Earth. I want it to be healthy and I want to explore as much of it as I can.
My story. It is hard for me to pinpoint when the Jesus stories became real to me and when I really began to converse with God. The idea of a loving Creator and Father was introduced to me at a young age. I began searching for what this meant for my life in the later years of my elementary education. I remember, while lost in thought late one night, coming to the conclusion that though I had many questions, I knew I never wanted to live my life apart from God. From then on, God has revealed different aspects of Himself to me over the years. I began to understand grace after reading Philip Yancy's What's so Amazing About Grace: "There is nothing you can do to make God love you more; there is nothing you can do to make God love you less." In my mind, grace is what sets the Christian faith apart from all other faiths, and I am humbled and thankful that I do not have to earn salvation, happiness, or fulfillment – it has already been freely gifted to me. Only recently, I think I have finally begun to accept that the love that is so prevalently spoken about in the Bible, the kind of love that I believe God is – agape love – is available for even me. Over the last few years, I have witnessed and participated in these kinds of loving relationship with the most wonderful mentors and friends I could ask for. Thank God for community. I am sure I have much more to learn and I know that participating in the WR will allow God to continue to teach me (and many others) more about who He is.
My song. Okay, so it is actually Josh Garrel's song, but it resonates so deeply in me every time I hear it. This guy is an amazing artist and I am pumped for his new album this year.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:16-21
