New York City: A Wintertime Dream

By far one of the most amazing 3-day trips i've ever been on. There was snow, there was rain, there were warm beverages, there was laughter, and there were moments of just being in awe at how blessed I am. It was the most surreal experience. New York in the wintertime with people you love is the perfect balance between "wow" in the "I must be dreaming sense" and "wow" in the "we are just really this blessed" sense.

It's Been a While: Inspired by Inspiration

The dust is finally settling (quite literally, I swept our hardwood floors for the first time and you should've seen the results of that!) from our move from the 5th St. Apt. to Casita Termino.

After about a week and a half of being surrounded by a maze of boxes and with clutter as forced decor, Amber and I are finally settling in--or at least trying to as we're both busy with work and life. It's the first time that it's just the two of us, and we're really excited that we share the same aesthetic amongst other things. She is a blessing. This new home is a blessing. We both desire that it is a place that brings life to all who come through those doors--a place of community and a place where we witness the many shades of Love.

A friend came over today to just chat (she's a full-time mom with a knack for capturing creative moments with her camera) and was inspired by the set up of our new apartment [Friendly Snapping]. As I watched her snap away, I was reminded what a blessing it is that i'm surrounded by inspiration.

As I took in my surroundings, I was overwhelmed by God's goodness--thankful for the people in my life, the love I experience, the home I have over my head amidst a plethora of other things. As I prayed, I was reminded:

With the eyes of His Spirit, that which is already deep meets new depths, all that is color embraces new vibrancy, that which is mundane transforms into beauty, farfetched dreams become reality, all that is still becomes a dance, that which is broken is restored and all that was dead comes to know Life.

What a gift it is that He gives us eyes to see out of His vision and His reality. May we see beauty in the big things, the little things, and the things we often too quickly deem as normal.  

An ode to our new home:

Tree stumps courtesy neighbors who decided to throw them away

Sweet pot/planter-->  a find at a neighborhood garage sale

Barrel courtesy of someone's alley trash-->Our treasure

Our mustard couch-->$20 dollar find from a slightly clueless neighbor :)

One of these things is not like the other...

Goodwill finds

Courtesy alley sale-->some of them are from the Prohibition

We were delighted by the older details but slightly shocked that there's no

trash disposal in the sink

Some call it old and worn down. We call it character

Our coffee table for the time being-->A trunk given to us for freeninetynine a

few years back

Our $40 couch find with its pillow friends

Our cacti. The little dude on the right is currently going

through a growth spurt 

Well, I suppose on some level I just gave you a small tour of our home :). Thanks for coming along! 

'Gainst the Grain

If you planted a seed in the soil and then started to tamper with it--move it around, dig up the dirt around it, etc... What would happen? Would that bring life to the seed, or would it disrupt its growth process?

Being still.

This goes against what many of us know and consider a normal aspect of our lives: busyness, hurriedness , overbooking, and multitasking.

It's funny what I am realizing more and more as I write this. Busyness, hurriedness, overbooking, and multitasking are all encapsulated in this issue of control.

Being still requires us to trust and relinquish control.
Being still also slows us down enough to feel. Frankly, sometimes feeling seems too much to bear. Issues are going to surface, and we're going to have to sit in them, and allow time for healing to enter into those places in our lives. The posture of stillness requires of us a commitment to intentionality. It requires us to give up many levels of comfort, and it also asks us to acknowledge our needs and weaknesses. Being still puts our spirits in a place of acknowledging the realities of our existence whereas being busy gives us a false sense of knowing how everything will turn out--it's a sorry attempt to safeguard our lives and futures.

***

Being still reminds me that the accomplishment of tasks and the meeting of due dates will not determine the course of my life. In fact, it reminds me that there is something far grander that IS in control. Even more importantly, it reminds me that my existence is not for the sake of self. I'm just a small part of a much larger, more magnificent Story.

Love, mercy, faithfulness, gentleness, joy, patience, etc... (you get the picture) have no room in busyness or hurriedness. Self takes the throne in those tendencies.
I don't belong in that throne, and I don't want to place myself there--even unintentionally.

Being still is a discipline. And it's one that I fight frequently. I fight it with excuses (yes, some of them would even seem justifiable or somewhat appropriate).
It's funny that I often run from the very things that give me life; being still and being in the presence of my Maker does give me life.

Being still allows me, allows us, to be refined. Feeling pain or discomfort in light of becoming better, stronger, and more whole is worth it. The old adage of 'what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger' is true for being still. It's not going to kill you.

I'm finding time--no, i'm making time to be still, and I invite you to join me. Yeah, it'll feel awkward and uncomfortable. But the result of this will be the building of a habit that will change our lives and how we live.


"BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD."
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD, AND THAT I AM GOING TO:

-love you
-provide for you
-guide and counsel you
-lavish gifts upon your life
-bless you
-teach you
-lead you
-heal you
-challenge you
-forgive you
-celebrate you
-delight in you
-speak to you
-draw near to you
-use you
-give you purpose