The Top Ten Things I Learned From A Weekend With Former Housemates:
10. You can put a piano on wheels and play it on a street corner
9. It’s a lot more fun to be silly in a group of people when others are being silly with you, and weddings do not mean that silliness goes out the window
8. “Monk Fish Puller” is an actual job title
7. When I laugh hysterically for hours, I will end up with a headache instead of tears.
6. Taylor, the Latte boy will never cease to entertain
5. Weddings do not have to be expensive to be AWESOME
4. The “Sound” is actually the name of a body of water.
3. A vivid reminder of how God goes out of his way for us. Among many ways He showed up over the weekend, present at the wedding was the couple who GAVE my former housemate an engagement ring
2. Inside jokes never grow old
And the number one fact that I learned over the weekend?
1. The guest bathroom in our house proudly houses Robert F. Kennedy’s toilet.
Contentment.
What does that mean? The writer* of Ecclesiastes spends a lot of time discussing contentment. Over and over I read that “life is meaningless” yet still the writer manages to convince me that there is purpose and enjoyment in this meaningless life.
“For who knows what is good for a man in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who can tell him what will happen under the sun after he is gone?”
“Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.”“It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
The man who fears God will avoid all extremesThere is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right and never sins.”
As I’m thinking about the things that I long for, search for, and chase after, I read these and remember what this life is for. Life is not meant to be ‘accomplished’, but to be enjoyed. If you read the entire book though, you’ll also read that enjoyment doesn’t mean wasted.
Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?
There is much that my soul is longing for. I’ve determined that there will always be something I’m longing for. What I haven’t figured out is how to still long for those things, while resting in contentment of the present. But hey, I’m still young, so I’m working on the assumption that I’ve got some time to figure it out.
However many years a man may live,
let him enjoy them all.
But let him remember the days of darkness,
for they will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless.Be happy, young man, while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you to judgment.So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless.**
*do we know who wrote it? I’m thinking no, but I’ve been wrong before.
**thanks to Biblegateway.com
There is nothing in the world better than truly being known. I am convinced of this. To be known by another and still loved, how incredible it is to experience that.
This woman would agree:
Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon. A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)
The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)
Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”
The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?”
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”
The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!” He said, “Go call your husband and then come back.”
“I have no husband,” she said.
”That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.”
“Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?”
“Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.
“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
The woman said, “I don’t know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.”
“I am he,” said Jesus. “You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.”
Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn’t believe he was talking with that kind of a woman. No one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it. The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion she left her water pot. Back in the village she told the people, “Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?” And they went out to see for themselves. (taken from www.biblegateway.com, Message version, John Chapter 4)
There haven’t been many times when I’ve felt truly known by another person. However, after living in this house for two years,
With these ladies, 
and going through the many joys and growing pains of living in community, we became rather close. Next weekend, I have the privledge of going to this wedding, and spending some precious moments with my old housemates.
I. can’t. wait.
Thank you, precious Jesus, for knowing me and for allowing us to live in community where we can experience you through each other.
*disclaimer: one housemate is missing from these photos! I couldn’t get it to upload.
Part 5: El fin y el presente. Todo es nuevo
I hope you enjoyed the catch-up story over the last few days. I stopped blogging awhile back for many reasons. There were so many new things and transitions going on in my life. Everything was changing and uncertain. In the midst of that, I was in year 1.5 of culture shock after moving to Nashville. This tends to be the time in a move for me when I want out, am not sure what to do, and feel desperately empty and alone. When I look through my history, this is true for every time I’ve moved (which has been quite a lot). Add to that the uncertainty of general life, and I had my hands/mind full.
My community was shifting. Again. Over and over I heard that Holy Spirit telling me to stay. For once, just stay. The easy thing would be to move and start over again. I knew that in the end that wouldn’t hold true, for according to history, in less than 2 years I’d be in this same emotional turmoil. So I stayed. I still don’t know what that means here. For now it means that I have a steady job (thank you, to Luke, who had this job before me and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska of all places), a place not only to store the belongings God has given me but to live with them, a city that I don’t get lost in as much because I finally know my way around, a car that is miraculously still running, and a slowly growing group of friends. It means attempting to train for a 1/2 marathon in April, spending every Monday night with the Homeless, trying to get out of debt, and spending lots of time in prayer.
Work is slowing down a little, so in my free time I’ll try to blog, but my community has shifted. For one, I have coworkers! I don’t sit in an empty room by myself all day and hope for life on the internet. I’m going to try and do other things. Life-giving things (for you, Sarah). Maybe I’ll write a book. Maybe I’ll exercise more. Maybe I’ll volunteer more or get a second job. Either way, I’m back on the blog with a new look and a new perspective. The end and the present. Everything is new.
All praise and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part 4: Home?
Yesterday’s post was on homelessness and my wandering over the last few months. Now I get to tell you about part 4 of my transition.
The last update that I sent before starting this 5-part..um..series, I was headed out on a road trip. After spending several months of stress and jobless/homelessness (sort of), I really needed a break. Well, more truthfully, I had no idea what I needed but I needed SOMETHING. So in steps our hero of the story (uhm, that would be the Holy Spirit), and all of a sudden Flo Paris needs someone to travel with her to California. It just so happens that the trip is less than two weeks before my brother would be in Nebraska on military leave, which was only one week before my parents would be traveling to Mississippi for our annual family reunion (which happens to be only 5 hours away from Nashville). The timing was just too perfect, so off I went to California, then flew to Nebraska to see the family, then waited a week to travel with the folks to the family reunion, then let them drive me back to Nashville. Whew! Did you catch all of that?
The details are just too good to leave out. Flo, her two daughters, and I traveled for one week, stopping each night for shows with friends of hers. I got to meet some great folks! Including someone who had greatly influenced my life ….eleven years ago! I knew the girl for less than 10 days, but remember Chelsea very well and was thrilled to meet her again and thank her. How did she happen to be a close friend of Flo’s? I love it. In that same city, I also enjoyed dinner with a cousin that I hadn’t seen in two years. Then, not 24 hours later, I went on the best date I’ve ever been on in my life. Sorry, guys, but this was good. An evening trip to Disneyland with a great man and no pressure. Come on, Disneyland? How does a girl with no money who, only two weeks before, thought she would never be able to afford to leave Nashville, end up on an awesome date in Disneyland? I cannot forget to mention that I got to ride the Indian Jones ride. Twice. My favorite! AND I got to watch the fireworks from inside the park this time. I wasn’t so fortunate when I was there eleven years ago. You just can’t beat Tinkerbell flying above you with fireworks going on everywhere.
Ahem. Moving on.
I then flew (thanks, Flo!) to Nebraska where I got to spend great time with my brother and the rest of my family. Soooo good. Family time is important and now that we all live in different parts of the country we are making more of an effort to see each other when possible. Follow that up with my favorite time of the year, a family reunion, and there you have it – the month of July. Awesome. Thank you, Lord!
At some point during this trip, the friends I’ve stayed with for most of the summer contacted me. A close friend of theirs was going to be out of the country for August, and needed someone to stay in her house as her roommate was moving out. Since her roommate moved out the day before I returned to Nashville, the timing was once again, perfect. Let’s put the facts together here, folks. The girl’s roommate just moved out, I needed a place to stay, house was empty, ta-da! Housing for August. Take it one step further and in September I moved in.
Quite the unexpected, as I had planned on finding my own place. It’s an adjustment, and one which I’m grateful for.
All praise and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part 3: Homeless
When I left the country in February, I also moved out of my residence in East Nashville. Although I would only be gone for six (ish) weeks, I knew that I could not afford to pay rent, and I had no idea what I would be doing when I returned. When it was time to make a decision, it was clear that I was to move.
Fast forward to April 15.
Upon returning from South Africa, I had no job, no place to live, and little money. What I DID have, was exactly what I needed, no more and no less, at all times.
I stayed with friends.
Alicia, Jonathan/Tish, Holly/TJ.
There was never a night where I even had to consider not having a place to stay. Not once. For a good part of June, I dog/house sat. The timing was fantastic, and the homeowner was gracious to allow me to host several guests. This was a great joy for me, as I love being a hostess and hated the idea that friends could not stay with me for a visit. These gracious friends all opened their homes to me, and reminded me how joyous it is to live in community with one another. Not only did they allow me to stay in their homes, but generously provided for me through food or free internet, and friendship. There is never anything that I could do to repay friends for the way that they have cared for me, and I know that I don’t have to. And the recurring theme of this blog? How beautiful, the body of Christ.
Shortly after returning to the U.S. I was invited to join “Monday nights”. I was told a little about it, but didn’t realize the impact that it would have on me. It started nearly one year ago, with a group of people who had some leftover food. Instead of tossing it, they decided to put meals together and offer the food to the homeless in downtown Nashville. Starting out with six meals, it was sometimes an effort just to get folks to take the food. The small group didn’t give up, knowing that God had asked them to do this and they needed to continue. In the last year, the group has grown to more than 20 people serving 17o+ meals each week.
I will never claim to relate to the people that are daily living life on the street. I do believe that God allowed me to go through what I did to allow me a further glimpse into poverty. To continue to see people as people, not as homeless or poor or whatever other title society (read: me) gives to them. They are Theresa, John, Tonya, and Richard. I was one step away from being homeless. My education and relationships kept me from the street. This time. Poverty is isolating, my education and Facebook friend list prevent me from the deepest of poverty (whether it is financial or emotional or physical or spiritual), even in my lonliest of times.
Please watch the below video and be encouraged. You are greatly loved by a great Savior. It is an overflowing joy to share that with others, and I hope you have found a place to do so. Thank you to those of you who have invested in and cared for me. Not only did the Lord abundantly provide through you my trip to South Africa and the last few months, but He allows that care to overflow into others. I hope that you continue to find ways to serve Him and give all that you have.
Visit www.peoplelovingnashville.com for more information about caring for Nashville’s Homeless.
All praise and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part 2: Work
This summer was one of the best times of my life to date. With no steady employment, I was forced to depend daily on Christ and rest in His great love for me. My faith grew immensely as I knew that I was a loved child of God who wanted to care for me. Along with that, I had to acknowledge that His idea of caring for me and my idea might be a little different. While fully knowing there are millions that are unemployed and struggling for every bite to eat, I was forced to see Christ from a perspective that I so easily had forgotten. What a tragedy to forget God as being the God who provides for my deepest needs. This summer I had no choice but to remember.
I dog sat, and house sat and baby sat. I did a lot of sitting. I taught anger management classes. My favorite job all summer was interpreting. I applied for jobs. Lots of them. Nearly 100. My goal was to apply for at least one job a day, and I did! I tried not to be picky, but can acknowledge that sometimes I was. I had interviews. Not nearly as many interviews as jobs for, but interviews nonetheless. Some of them went great, others not so much. I found out that no matter how well or terrible the interview went, I was not going to get a job until the Lord wanted me to.
Some thought I was foolish for leaving my job in the midst of a recession and going overseas. Perhaps I was. It definitely didn’t make my life easy. The fact that I have a job now doesn’t change anything that happened or any decisions made. I could very well still be unemployed like many others. I don’t deserve what I’ve been given, but I’m grateful for it. I pray that I use these gifts well. I think it’s crucial to add that even were I still unemployed, I don’t think the decision to go to South Africa was a foolish one. The Lord did a lot of great things through that decision, both in my life and the lives of others. I hope that the last nine months have been a testimony to God’s faithfulness and love. Sometimes the most joyful and productive journey isn’t the easiest road to travel.
I am completely convinced that I am exactly where the Lord wants me right now. This isn’t my “dream” job, not at all. I’m working in data entry at a university, something that I tried so hard to avoid. However sometime in the last two years I’ve found out that I like administrative/data work. Shocker. And I’m great at it! I am content, and grateful. An added bonus? I have great coworkers!
Tomorrow’s Post: Homeless.
All praise and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part 1: Recap
I left my job back in February, and by the end of the month I was in South Africa. A lot has happened since then. Here’s a re-cap. Next week will break it down in separate posts. I’ve got to keep your attention somehow!
March 1 – April 15:
Volunteering with Angels of Mercy Pregnancy Crisis Centre. Curious? See previous posts starting here.
April – May:
Spent time with my family in Nebraska, as part of sending off Alicia to Bolivia with Word Made Flesh.
May – June:
LOTS of job searching, interviewing, and working part-time jobs. I did everything from babysitting to house sitting/dog sitting, interpreting, or teaching classes.
July:
Road trip! Nashville to California, to Nebraska, to Mississippi, to Nashville.
August:
One final job interview, which led to my current and permanent employment.
September – Present:
Learning the ropes as a Database Coordinator at a local University.
That’s the outline. Next week you’ll get the book.
All praise and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s been awhile since I’ve written here. Partly out of being busy and experiencing an overabundance of transition, partly from a desire to focus on community outside of the www, and partly from just plain not wanting to share any of my thoughts. Although I’m still debating on how much I want to re-enter the blogosphere, I felt that I needed to post the following.
Through various job/volunteer opportunites, I have become familiar with a program called Magdalene. The Magdale program operates a non-profit called Thistle Farms, which the women of the program run as they grown and learn that they are loved. Below is a portion Magdalene’s “About us” section. Please read it and consider how you can support this organization, or others like it (two separate links are above). If you’re not involved in supporting your community in someway, I encourage you to do so. Find what makes you angry, and do something about it.
Magdalene is a two-year residential community founded in Nashville Tennessee in 1997 for women with a history of prostitution and drug addiction. Magdalene was founded not just to help a sub-culture of women, but to help change the culture itself. We stand in solidarity with women who are recovering from sexual abuse, violence, and life on the streets, and who have paid dearly for a culture that buys and sells women like commodities.
At no cost, we offer women a safe, disciplined, and compassionate community for two years, paid for by the gifts we receive from individuals and private grants. Magdalene stands as a witness to the truth that in the end, love is more powerful than all the forces that drive women to the streets.
Alright people, here’s what’s going on in my life.
Still no job. I’ve had a few interviews, but I’m still waiting. So, in the meantime, I found some things to do.
Tuesday morning I’m going out on the road with this lady. Final stop: Los Angeles. From there, I will fly to Nebraska to spend some much needed time with my family. My brother will be home on leave for a week, and my grandparents will be there to see him also. It’s like Christmas, in July!
The first weekend in August every year is our big family reunion in Mississippi. Since my parents will be driving there, I am going to spend the next couple of weeks with them in Nebraska, then made the (long) road trip to Mississippi. This is my favorite event every year. What other place can you get great food, southern accents, and 100 years of family history conversations? It’s beautiful, and I can’t wait. On the return trip, I’ll be dropped back off in Nashville to start the job search once again. On the off-chance I am offered a job before the first weekend in August, I’ll fly back to Nashville early. On the other hand, should I be offered a job in Nebraska……
This means a few things:
- I’m going to be away for several weeks.
- I get a to see family!
- I can have time to heal/recover from the depression that the past few weeks have thrown me into.
- I can look into jobs in Nebraska
- I can find new motivation to job search in Nashville
- etc.
So, yes. Things are changing. There is much that I am dreading (hearing my grandfather say “i told you so” and a slew of other comments) and things that I am looking forward to (duh – road trip!).
Please pray. And stay tuned.
The end.
