Cali for a Day

Typing this from my favorite place in the world...my home! Yep, Nick and I are about half way through our trip to Arizona. We made a day trip out to Cali so Nick could meet Grandpa and Grandma and some other fam and of course...see the west coast! He had never been before. It was a big blur and way to fast, but we had a blast!

Empowered.

A whole month has blown by since I last blogged, and when I look back on the past few days alone I am amazed at how much can happen within such a small time. Things have been transitioning fast it seems, but somehow not fast enough. But I am learning to be content in every situation, good or bad. Northeastern is coming along, I am still in the process of a few things but I have registered for classes there and really can't wait to start in January. Even more exciting, this past week Chris ( one of our really close friends, also one of the pastors at WestRidge) connected with the Christian club on campus and 2 days later was leading their bible studies and is starting a study called Transformations with them. There are thousands of lost people on this campus and to see God integrate us into the campus is so beautiful. People are going to come to know Jesus and walk with Him. I still do not have a place to live, so I am praying continually that God would show me His will and where He has me. I know He will provide and protect me through the whole process. Wedding plans are great, we are having a blast together. We are really enjoying the whole process and journey together. We are learning a lot about how relationships work the best when Jesus is the motive our hearts, and trying to make that a reality for us. Music at WestRidge is growing. Two weeks ago we had 2 people to play for Sunday, and this Sunday we had 6 (a full band). God is multiplying our resources and we are really starting to see the worship become an intimate time with God and with each other as worship as one body.

A few weeks ago Chad (the pastor at WestRidge) told us this analogy that really hit home for me. It has really shaped me the past few weeks. He said that someone who follows Jesus without the Holy Spirit is like buying a car without the engine, and then having to Fred Flintstone your way around. How ridiculous right? His point being that the Spirit inside of us is how we do anything. Human beings aren't hard wired to love unselfishly or embrace suffering or welcome inconvenience or forgive those who hurt us or think about themselves last, it just isn't anyone's first response (definitely not mine). These things come from the Holy Spirit, in us, empowering us to live and to follow Jesus everyday. I am learning to stop taking control and letting the Holy Spirit empower me to live in a way I never thought I could. When I fail over and over again I have to remember to stop Fred Flintstoning my way and to turn on the engine to empower me to go.

Nick and I go to Arizona for Thanksgiving. 8 days! Can't wait to see my beautiful family.

Another blog...

One of Nick and I's professors, Scot McKnight, who is a very well-known author and an incredibly intelligent man writes a blog called jesuscreed.org. Well, a few weeks ago he asked Nick and I to write a book review on a new book that is about to come out by Shane Claiborne. It is a book on prayer and social justice. So we did, and he posted it on his blog. This blog is also one of the most read blogs in the Christian circles, especially in the emerging circle, and he gets thousands of hits and comments on his blog everyday, so it's fun and pretty cool that he used our book review.

CHECK IT OUT! The blog is -----> www.jesuscreed.org

The blog is titled "Prayer as Activism"
And you can read what we wrote about this new book called "Becoming the Answer To Our Prayers" By Shane Claiborne.


P.S. It is supposed to snow this week.

WE BUILT A PLAYGROUND!

Well, it happened! And we did it! We have a finished beautiful playground next to our facility now and the kids from the neighborhood just can't wait to get playin. Really exciting. This is a huge step for our community. Check out how this was all possible with all the volunteers that came out from across the city. WE BUILT A PLAYGROUND IN 7 HOURS!











Isn't it beautiful!?!

Finals Over + Fall = Mini Road Trip

I finished all my finals today! I made it through 3 of my classes. This means my life will be incredibly manageable and I will actually be able to slow down, I know, an amazing luxury. I really hope I can multiply all the extra free time God is giving to me these next few months, such a blessing.

Anyways, to celebrate, Nick and I drove out to an Apple Orchard/Pumpkin Patch. It was so beautiful, like I mentioned in my last note, all of the trees just blow me away. (cactus don't change colors you know).
Here are some pictures from today, enjoy. Happy Fall!

They have homemade apple cider and homemade apple cider glazed donuts. My heart skipped a beat when I tasted them for the first time.

Fall, as in the season that comes after Summer and right before Winter.

The leaves are changing here. Purple, deep red, yellow, orange. The trees outside my room are even bare. It is about 70 degrees out everyday. The sun is shining with a little breeze. And so I guess (I'm not really experienced with this whole fall thing), with all those signs, it means fall is here. I can't believe it is already that time. The time when holiday after holiday, time starts to fly away in just one big flash.

New things seem to bloom here in my life everyday. I'm just trying to keep up with all of it and trying not to miss any of it. So, finding a place to start seems a little impossible.

Well, I have officially been accepted at Northeastern Illinois University. And I will be transferring there in January. I am incredibly excited! This door of opportunity you could call it has just been placed in front of me it seems like. It all sort of happened on it's own. But I will be finishing my Bachelor Degree in Art with an emphasis in Art History at Northeastern. This is a commuter school, meaning that there is no "on campus" housing, which also means that in about 3 months, I will be moving yet again into a new living space. The campus is less than a block away from North Park, so I am not going far. I cannot even begin to understand how God managed to work all of this out. But, apparently, I moved 1700 miles away from home to go to a school that no one has ever heard of, to lead worship with a brand new church plant 2 miles from the North Park campus, then to meet my husband, once again at a school I wouldn't be at for more than a year and a half, and the craziness continues...I know, take it in. Life is way beyond me.

Speaking of my husband to be...wedding plans are coming along. The big day is May 28th, 2009. We couldn't be more excited. We just took some of our engagement pictures, and a few of them are posted. There will be more to come, but you can have a little sneak peak. And the story of how we met the girl, Sasha, who is taking these pictures is amazing all in itself.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theoperamafia

This upcoming Friday, there will be close to 300 volunteers from all over the city helping to build a playground next to the WestRidge facility. A non-for-profit organization, KaBoom, is donating a $40,000 playground, that the kids from our neighborhood designed, right on our property. We are so stoked. This is going to be such a blessing to our community, that is filled with kids who just need some love.

A few exciting things going on here that I wanted to share with you!
I will be better about updating life in the windy city so all of you can continue to share in my journey.

The Brohon