Sisterly Adventures

I have once again been inspired by my students' blogs to revive my own with a new post!

The exciting event of the last two weeks has been my sister, Tamara's, visit from Australia. She arrived last Monday night and is staying until Saturday morning, when she flies out of Kansas City to meet our brother, Allen, and his wife, Eleni, in Chicago. I am not looking forward to her leaving, as she has been so much fun and such a help to have around!

Our adventures started with a road trip to Colorado Springs last Tuesday through Friday. We stayed with my husband's aunt and uncle and their family, the Milroys, where we were welcomed as if we had always belonged to them. My sister-in-law, Olivia, is currently working in Colorado Springs and living with them, so we had a nice time catching up with her, too. Tamara wanted to go snowboarding, so we spend Wednesday at Monarch Mountain with Olivia and the two youngest boys in the Milroy family. Though the twisty two-hour trip up the mountain was a bit rough for some of us, we all had a lovely day, with them out on the slopes and me acting as the "lodge mom," reading, grading papers, and chatting with those who came in for breaks. Thursday, I stayed at the Milroy's house while Tamara went with Uncle Craig and the two boys to another mountain for a full day of snowboarding and skiing. I got to catch up with one of my friends from Indiana and see her new house, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Our trip was pretty short, as we traveled back Friday morning. But I was glad to get home to my husband and to be done driving at the end of the day!

That evening, we went to see bull riding at K-State. Tamara and I had never been to anything like it, and I must admit it was a lot more entertaining than I'd first imagined! I did get startled every time the raging bull came out, trying everything in its power to dismount the rider on its back. There were some scary calls and also humorous moments. I am glad I didn't personally know any of the riders because I was afraid enough for them knowing they were only strangers! I think you have to be a bit crazy to pursue the bull-riding hobby!

Saturday was a more leisurely day, with a long breakfast, a short jog with Tamara, and an afternoon hike at Konza Prairie to watch the sun set over the beautiful hills. We also had an Australia Day celebration, which included ANZAC biscuits, Tim-Tams, and Milo. We sang the Australian National Anthem and watched a video of my family and some Australian friends singing at our church International Conference this past summer. It definitely warmed my heart to remember my old home in Australia!

It was great to have Tamara at church with us on Sunday, and she spent Saturday and Sunday nights with our pastor and his wife, who visited Australia a couple years ago on a missions trip and got to know my family well.

This week, Tamara got to come to see me teach and has shopped, cooked, and cleaned with me. We have both had work to do, so there has been some productivity but also some interruptions with laughter or mini-adventures to clear our heads and help us get re-focused. Tonight, we are having a sushi party with people from church, and Friday we plan to do some shopping with my pastor's wife. The week will be over too soon, and Tamara will be off on other sibling adventures, but I'm thankful for the time she took to spend with me here in Manhattan!

Holidays!

I am sorry to admit how sadly I have been neglecting my blog! Garrett and I just got back on Monday from our 10-day holiday in Indiana. It was wonderful to see family and friends there, to spend time having DnMs (deep and meaningful conversations), playing in the snow, and attending two weddings. I was the matron of honor in one wedding, and it felt strange to not be around for most of the wedding preparations. We got to help out quite a bit the day before the wedding, though, and we also spend a long time helping clean up. Garrett and I were happy to help because we were thinking about how after our wedding, we simply left and let everyone else clean up the mess late into the night!

Some of the highlights of the couple of weeks included the following:

• Seeing my brothers, sisters-in-law, and niece for the first time since our wedding
• Having breakfast with Garrett's sister and brother-in-law before they headed to Kansas for the Mann family Christmas
• The Indiana blizzard that yielded about 7 inches of snow, which we all went out and attempted to play ultimate frisbee in! Felicity, my one-year-old niece, got uncomfortable in the cold very quickly, so our game didn't last long...and running through the snow was rather hard work, too!
• Staying up late talking to our old pastor and associate pastor and their wives
• Driving for 20 hours with Garrett, talking, reading "Jane Eyre" aloud, and enjoying the beautiful snowy scenery around us
• Spending two nights in a cabin at Tuttle Creek back in Manhattan over New Years, taking a long walk with Garrett in the beautiful snow and spending a lot of time praying and talking about the Lord and what He has for us right now
• Making a whirl-wind trip to Kansas City the day after we were finally home, just to watch the K-State football game with Garrett's family and see the Indiana siblings one more time

Yes, it's been a wonderful couple of weeks, and now it's back to "reality." Honestly, though, the Lord has been helping me have a lot of peace and contentment about "normal life." He is helping me to find my place here in Manhattan, giving me good things to do, providing deepening new relationships with people, and giving much spiritual refreshment after our holiday time. And with those, and many other blessings, I am very thankfully looking forward to 2013!

The True Hero of the Story

Last night, we had our first KSURF Konnection. "KSURF" stands for Kansas State University Reformed Fellowship and is a club on campus made up of college students from our church. This "Konnection" was our first attempt at a more formal campus event and was modeled after an event held by the church college group that I was in at Purdue University and included game-playing, testimony-sharing, Psalm-singing, and an interactive Bible study.

The topic for the evening was Fellowship. What is fellowship anyway? Does it just have to do with eating (fellowship meals), talking with people (enjoying "good fellowship"), or being an a small space with lots of people ("close fellowship")? We were challenged to think about God's view of fellowship, including His plan for the privileges as well as responsibilities we share. As Christians, we belong to one another and are required to love, honor, pray for, and help one another. In turn, we should expect those things from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. And, in order for these things to happen, we need to be willing to know people and be known by people.

I was thinking a bit about that this morning, but I was also thinking about another aspect of the meeting last night. A man from our church shared his testimony of God's grace in his life, and he shared it with the metaphor of a "good story" plot - including setting, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. He began by describing where he was born, his goals of being good at everything and eventually getting married (which would be the "climax"), getting old, and eventually dying, with people remembering him well and naming scholarships after him. Of course, he later retold the story from a different perspective, challenging us to think about the reality of Jesus Christ truly being the hero of his story and ours.

I've been reading some pretty amazing stories in the Bible recently - first the life of Paul in the book of Acts and just beginning the story of Joshua. Wow. Take some time to read through those stories over a few hours or days. Both Paul and Joshua had amazing accomplishments and adventures, unbelievable happenings in their lives. But, you know what? They're not the heros. Who made them able to do all of those amazing things? And who chose to record those stories for us?

It's the obviously simply Sunday school answer: God. But the reality is anything but simplistic. GOD, the Creator of the universe,  the Savior of those once enslaved to sin, the Keeper of those who are His--He is the hero.

And He is the hero of my story. He is the one who saved me from living for myself. He is the one who has given me any talent I have or goodness I demonstrate. He is the one who gives me life and breath each day. He is the one who is working all things for my good--and ultimately for my becoming more like Jesus. He is the one who has numbered my days, determined my steps, and will take me Home at the end of this life (which is really more like the prologue to the REAL story of eternal life!).

So, as the speaker last night challenged us, I challenge you to seriously consider: Who is the hero of YOUR story?

Mann Memories

My peanut butter pie

We had a wonderful time with the rest of the Manns at Thanksgiving. Garrett and I arrived on Wednesday morning, armed with peanut butter pie, pumpkin roll, and lots of luggage for our several-day stay. We loved being able to walk in the door and be immediately greeted by enthusiastic parents and siblings, happy to see us even though we hadn't told them exactly when we would arrive. The morning went by quickly as we talked, and after lunch, we visited the World War I museum in Kansas City. Now, I am not a huge museum buff, but I am learning more about it being married to Garrett. He is a serious museum guy. Like read-every-word-of-every-sign serious. So, it kind of takes a long time to get around the museum with him. A couple times, I wandered off to find one of my sisters-in-law and we giggled as we looked at the different displays (not that war artifacts are something to giggle about...it just seems to happen a lot when I'm with them!). Garrett and I had a Skype date with my parents and siblings in Australia and my brother and sister-in-law in Indiana. It was nice to have some time with them, though I wish it could have been in person!

The whole family for Thanksgiving dinner

Thursday was, of course, filled with baking, game-playing, eating, and reflecting on things for which we are thankful and the things God has been doing in our lives. Dad Mann asked us all to go around the table and share one thing that God has been doing to encourage our souls over this past year. That was a wonderful time of praising God and remembering how good He has been to all of us. I am so thankful to have such a godly family-in-law!

That night, we watched "October Baby," which is about a girl who survived an abortion and was adopted but didn't find out until she was in college. I won't give away the story line, but I would highly recommend it. I was impressed that it shared a very clear gospel message of the forgiveness that Jesus grants to us and allows us to, in turn, give to others. Beautiful story. I think I was the only one in the crowd crying (I'm a little more emotional than the Manns, it seems!), but it made me so thankful that I have been able to start volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center here in Manhattan. The fight against abortion has been on my heart for many years, but I have never made a huge effort to help consistently for that cause until this opportunity came up.

On Friday, we girls and Mom Mann decided to venture out into the chaos of the shopping world. None of us are traditionally Black Friday shoppers, but we figured we might stand a chance getting a few deals without too many bumps and bruises from the crazy crowds if we went in the afternoon. It turned out to be a very good plan, as the lines were not terribly long, and we all found a good deal or two that made the trip worthwhile. That night included a live performance of our favorite blue-grass band!

The Mann Brothers Blue-Grass Band

Saturday was a more leisurely day, with some of the siblings gone. Garrett and I went out to coffee with Mom and Dad Mann, which was very encouraging. We talked about ministry, future plans, and I was encouraged both by their counsel to us and their sharing of their own life and ministry experiences. Their example of faithfully sharing their lives with others continues to amaze and challenge me. I hope Garrett and I can continue in the same spirit of hospitality and love that both sets of our parents have modeled to us!

It was nice to be able to go to Garrett's parents church on Sunday, since we hadn't been there since last Christmas, right before we went to Australia and got engaged. There were many times during the course of the week that I reflected on what a joy and privilege it is to be married this year, to not have all the uncomfortableness and uncertainty of the dating state and all of the agonizing waiting of the engagement stage. We had a Psalm sing in the evening with other nearby RP churches, which was an encouraging time of praising the Lord together. Garrett and I decided to stay another night so we could have one more evening with our family. With both of us being from pastor's families, we have many memories of "Sunday night sillies" after church in the evenings, when our dads were more relaxed and we could all enjoy family time together. That meant a very early morning departure for us, but it was worth it. I drove home so Garrett could sleep, and I was once again thanking the Lord for my husband and for the fact that instead of driving to the airport to say goodbye to each other again, we were able to drive back to our home in Manhattan. Together.

"Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!"
--Psalm 106:1

Simply Happy

Yes, I am happy today. I am happy about the beautiful weather outside. I am happy about the fact that my husband is getting a holiday on Monday, so we get to enjoy a three-day weekend together. I am happy that my husband took me on a coffee date last night and that the Lord encouraged us both through conversation--reflecting over the things He has done for us in the past and anticipating things He will do in the future. I'm happy to know the Lord, to be able to talk with Him throughout the day, to know that He is good and merciful and in control of all things.

Sometimes when I get like this, I wonder how long it will last. As they say, "What goes up must come down." But what a cynical way to view life! Shouldn't we be allowed to be simply happy sometimes? Aren't there things to be happy about? Shouldn't God's people be among the happiest?

I have been reading for my Biblical counseling class recently about "simple pleasures" - the ability to enjoy things because we are created in the image of God, and He has given us many things to enjoy! However, as sin affects everything else in life, it also adversely affects our ability to take the right kinds of pleasure in the right kinds of things. Even the enjoyment of good things is tainted by sin when we let that pleasure drive us and become the chief desire of our hearts and lives.

But, just as sin has corrupted all aspects of life, Jesus Christ is redeeming all aspects of the lives of those who belong to Him. "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age" (Titus 2:11-12).

So, we can be happy! We can live joyfully. We can enjoy the beauty of the world God has created. We can enjoy the comforts of the relationships He gives us. We can enjoy a cup of coffee or a dish of ice cream or an invigorating run or an enthralling book. We can enjoy those things as part of enjoying the Creator of all things.

We, too, can exclaim, "Blessed [or happy] are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!" (Psalm 144:15).

Blessing of Weekends

I have been growing in appreciation for weekends since Garrett and I got married. I love sleeping in (you know, 6:30 or 7:00 - which is a sleep-in compared to the normal 5:30 a.m. wake-up!). I love getting coaxed out of bed by my husband for a brisk morning run. I love coming home and settling down on a comfy chair to spend some time with the Lord. I love hearing the beans grinding as Garrett makes coffee. I love having a leisurely breakfast, talking and laughing together, having a longer family worship time, not having to worry about running out of minutes. I love knowing that Garrett is home all day long, not rushing out the door to work. I love running errands together and working side-by-side on things at home. I love going to bed, knowing the next day is the Lord's day, a day of rest and worship and fellowship.

It's like a little present every week, a gift from the Lord. Not that we deserve it for working throughout the week. Not that we are to use it carelessly and mindlessly. And not that I am to live life in full anticipation of the weekend, forgetting to be grateful for all of the days God gives me.

Because the weekend always brings just that - the end of a week. It always comes to an end, so it's not something that is worth living my whole life for. In one sense, Monday mornings are just as much a blessing as Saturday mornings. It's a blessing each day to wake up, to live and breath and have the ability to do things. My husband helps me remember this, but I need to keep learning to be thankful each day and to ask the Lord for help to serve Him with gladness.

"Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days."
--Psalm 90:14

A Change in Perspective

I'm sitting in the K-State library at a large grey table, looking out the tall window to my left at the cloudy day. I walked with my husband to work today, and he exclaimed, "I love this weather! It reminds me of Fall." I must admit, that was not my first thought upon looking up at the gathering grey clouds. But somehow, his simple comment started a change in my whole perspective of the day. Instead of words like "dreary" and "dismal" I thought of describing the day as "refreshing" and "invigorating." It is nice to have a break from the heat. And it is wonderful to know that the seasons are beginning to change. It is a little reminder of God's goodness to us as He gives us change. It can be a hard adjustment at first; sometimes we don't like what we see at all. But He promises grace for each new day, grace to be diligent and obedient to Him, grace to find fulfillment in living as a child of His.

So here I am, looking out the window, looking at a day that promises shelter from the heat and new possibilities for what lies ahead.

And I'm thankful for a changed perspective.