Vamos a la Playa

The beach in my place of solitude. I am leaving tomorrow for my favorite week of the year. It is isolated despite the constant ambiance of tourism. There are two important aspects of this week that I love the most:

1. It is a week of self-forgetfulness. One of my favorite quotes of all-times comes from John Piper when he states, "The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self-satisfaction, but self-forgetfulness." At the beach, there is so much beauty, so much grandeur, so much vastness that it is seemless task to become overwhelmed at my insignificance. This is worship. God is great and the maker of all the things that I find lovely. The beach is teeming with those things that I find beautiful in this life: the laughter of my little brother symphonizing with the seagulls cries, the feeling of the blazing sun evaporating the droplets of salt water from my back, the array of colors across the sky against the water as the sun begins to set, the view from the top of Jockey's Ridge with the bay to one side and the endless ocean to the other, exhaustion after a day of sun and smiles, being present with my family, noticing the little things that make them all so important to me, looking into the bleakness of the ocean at night and failing to differentiate where the sky meets the sea. There is so much beauty, driving me to worship the Giver of them all.

2. It is a week of fellowship. I feel so close to my family here because we only have each other. It forces things to go back to the way that there once were, free of the complications of suburban networks and commitments and obligations. I can revel in the good relationships that God has given me.

I love this.

This is what needs to be told. This is what kids these days should believe. Most importantly, they should be taught about Jesus. Secondly, they should also realize that it is the small things in life that matter. Watching  the sunset. Stopping to chat with a friend and see their smile. Showing kindness and patience in a time when it is costly and would be easier to just keep walking.

I also love this speech. It has good thought done justice by good words.

Take the time to watch it.

I'm all about the youtube artists

First, we have the cover of Never Gonna Leave This Bed by Justin Robinett and Michael Henry. They are phenomenal.

And their cover of If I Die Young. uhmazing. 

Also, Boyce Avenue's cover of We are Young makes me melt. His falsetto. Mmm. I will never get over it.

I am in awe of how sovereign our God is. He is orchestrating the perfect redemption of this world. I was re-reading some of my old sermon notes and I came across one sermon from Slate that was encouraging to me. Our story as Christians is not over. It looks forward. It is working for the redemption of His kingdom.

I have been reading Isaiah through my quiet time. I have always shied away from the Old Testament because it lacks the bluntness of the New Testament. At the beginning of summer break, the Lord blessed me with a a sweet friend who asked me if I would like to go through a book of the Bible together. God-stop. I had been worried about my accountability and growth this summer because last summer was a spiritually dry time. It was disappointing after all I had learned during the first year of college. Together, we decided to go through Isaiah. God-stop. I wouldn't have gone through this book if I did not go through it with my dear friend. We decided to read 6 chapters a week and then go through and discuss it. On Sunday, I read the passage of Isaiah 25:8-9 which states, "he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace form all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, 'Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.'" I then sent this verse to a family that has been on my heart in hopes of encouraging. Then, in church this passage was part of the passage on which our pastor spoke. "'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' ' Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'" This is found in 1 Corinthians 15: 54b-55. So many things and events had to line up in order for that to line up. How crazy is that?

Monday Musings

1. Friends are such a gift. I have been blessed this summer by such a diversity of friendships. I have felt close to friends from Charlottesville and at home. I feel like the Lord has blessed me with friendships that stemmed from high school. I especially appreciate and feel blessed by two high school friends whom I have gotten much closer with this summer and who have become some of my dearest friends. I would not have anticipated these friendships at all, which makes me appreciate them that much more. I also have felt an increased closeness with my long-time best friends. I have been able to see how the Lord is working in their lives and I have been challenged and encouraged by the steadfastness with which they are walking with the Lord. I feel so honored to call them my friends because they are women of the Lord. I also have gotten to reflect on how the Lord has grown my friendships that began in Charlottesville. I feel so much freer in UVA relationships. I keep up with friends because I miss them and want to know what's going on in their lives this summer. This is such a change from last summer, where I felt the pressure to keep in contact with everyone and know about everyone's life. In doing so, I put unrealistic pressure on myself and did not really get to love them well. The Lord is good. He has blessed my friendships. Thank You, Lord!
2. The life of a nanny never fails to be entertaining. This is a comment I overheard at the pool today: "Wait, is it practices or practici?" Sheesh. Kids these days.
3. If you have not yet seen Brave, you must go do so. I'm not kidding. I may or may not be seeing it on Friday...after going on the opening day! I thought it was so cute!
4. Pinkberry.is.addicting. nom
5. I am not sure whether this love of music has been enhanced by being best friends with a girl who has always been in love with music. Regardless, I have been playing some certain songs on repeat as of late. The first is "Come Wake Me Up" by Rascal Flatts. 

Secondly, I love "Wanted You More" by Lady Antebellum. 

Lastly, "Come Back Down" by Greg Laswell featuring Sara Bareilles.

Thoughts

1. I have the absolute BEST summer job. If you want to take me up on this argument, please see below.

I just can't get over how stinkin' cute she is!

2. I "house-sat" overnight for the first time last night. I slept in a love sac. I want one. 

3. I fell off a bike today and scrapped my elbow up. Typically. I am really living like a kid this summer. I was flung to the ground because I was messing with something in my hand while I was starting out on the bike. I pumped the brake a little too hard which flung me forward a little bit. Instinctively, I grasped the handle harder. Problem being that my hand was wrapped around the handle AND the hand brake so the bike basically came to a halt and I kept going. That, ladies and gents, is called inertia. I caught myself on my elbow and my phone. It could have been worse. 

4. I need sleep. 

Nannying 101

My job this summer is playing "mom" to a 10-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. I go to their house 4 days a week while their mother works. Now, I have had various babysitting jobs, but nothing this long or regular. These kids are great, but there has been much I have learned in the past week about kids and being in charge of a household, even for a little bit:

1. The recorder is without a doubt the worst instrument created. I am seeking vengeance on whoever created the recorder, whoever decided it was a good idea to give it to elementary aged kids, and whoever taught these kids how to play it. Mom, I'm sorry for all those years. I now know how you must have felt.
2. Kids are M-E-S-S-Y. Keeping the kitchen clean is next to impossible. Kids like to snack. Maybe they have a snack impulse that is triggered by a clean kitchen. Seriously.
3. Kids have no filter. They say what's on their mind. It is hilarious, great, and refreshing.
4. Kids are innocent. It's awesome to watch kids who love the Lord. One day this week, I was driving the kids to go see Madagascar 3. Matt Redman was serenading us with "10,000 Reasons." I was singing along when I heard a little voice pipe up and start to sing from the back seat. Before you knew it, I had two kids in the car singing their little hearts out to the Lord. A mundane task of driving to the movies became a sweet moment of praise to the Lord.
5. Safety becomes an issue for most activities. I worry about them when we bike places. I become hypervigilant.
6. I am not ready for kids as much as I love em.