See Something More

Standing on my tip-toes and peering through the peep hole, I waited excitedly as I watched for my dad to come around the corner and walk down the sidewalk with the christmas tree. After he brings it through the front door and sets it in its designated spot, we step back and take a look. Eleven months of sitting in the attic plus a trecherous journey down the attic stairs and through the front door does a bit of damage to that poor tree, and it dosn't help that the tree has made that journey approximately twenty-nine times over the years. My parents have had that tree since they were newly wed, and when it first comes down from the attic, it looks the part. Similar to the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, our little scruffy tree looks a little lacking when I see it for the first time each Christmas. But then we turn on the Christmas music, unstring the lights, and unpack the ornaments. "Awww...here are all my Halmark puppy ornaments!" ...

$100 down. $4400 to go. I debated whether or not I should embark on this trip to Tanzania, Africa, but when I put down that $100 deposit, it was a done deal. $100 is not really very much in the grand scheme of things, but it does signify that I am committing to the trip. It seals the promise that more money will be collected later. That's what a deposit does. It confirms that there is more to come. I like the Bible's definition of a deposit: something that "guarantees what is to come." A deposit is just a small portion of a grand total. A deposit says, "There's more to come." When the Bible talks about this deposit, it is actually speaking about the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 1:22 says that God "put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." Isn't it amazing that God has a spirit? I believe that I have a spirit and you have a spirit - it's that innermost part of you that no one else can really understand...

A room full of laughter. A closet full of warm colorful sweaters and scarves. Hot apple cider and chocolate chip cookies on a cold evening. Sitting in the living room with my whole family as we watch our favorite show. Catching up with friends over a cup of frozen yogurt. The sound of melody and harmony blending in my favorite songs. Every year at Thanksgiving, I make a list of things that I am thankful for. That seems to be a pretty common tradition this time of year, but this season, I am beginning to see Thanksgiving as something much more than a day out of the year when I list my favorite things.  Thanksgiving is not really a time to remind us to be thankful for all the things we have forgotten to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is a time to remind us to reorient our entire lives on the attitude of thankfulness. In the Jesus Calling devotional for November 20, I read these words from the heart of Jesus: "Your responsibility is to be receptive to this ...

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which have looked at and our hands have touched..." I began to read softly aloud. "...This we proclaim concerning the Word of life." For the next ten minutes or so, we went around the room, reading aloud from the book of 1 John from start to finish. We do a lot of talking about the Word of God, but we don't often do very much listening. So this evening (in our weekly friend-gathering/devotional time) we decided to read the entire book of 1 John from start to finish together and listen to God's words instead of our own. What we found was a beautiful message of love. "But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him." "Whoever loves his brother lives in light." "How great is the love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God." "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Ch...

Let me tell you about the nursing students' event of the week: colostomy bags. I didn't even know what an ostomy was until this semester, so for those of you who may not understand colostomies, allow me to explain briefly. A colostomy is a surgical procedure performed to re-route the bowels. A section of the colon is actually brought to the outside of the body and covered in a bag. Therefore, instead of waste coming out where it normally comes out, it comes out of a hole in the abdomen and enters the bag. Our proffesors decided that as a class of nursing students, we not only needed to learn about colostomies, but also needed to experience them. In order to provide the best care for our patients, we needed to understand the physical, emotional, and social implications that the procedure can have on a patient. So instead of just reviewing a powerpoint, we actually applied colostomy bags to each other in class and then wore them for the week. So this week I have worn a col...

Have you ever called a particular person only to be caught off guard when someone else answers the phone? Sometimes, it only takes that one word - "Hello?" - for you to know that you are not talking to the person you thought you were talking to. It doesn't take much for you to realize that you don't recognize that voice. Or consider it the other way around. Have you ever walked into a room knowing who was in there before you even saw the faces? That certain voice or laugh was familiar enough that you knew who was present before you even entered the room. The other day, I heard my roommate talking on skype. Without looking, I yelled, "Hi, Amber!" across the suite, recognizing my friend on the other end of line by the sound of her voice. Or the other night, I was sitting in our living room studying with my suitemates when we heard footsteps in the hallway accompanied by a loud burst of laughter. "Ann is home!" my suitemate broke the silence in ...

Enter the gymnasium on campus for the all-club gathering during club week, and you won't know what you've gotten yourself into. You will find yourself surrounded by screaming college students chanting their club cheers while dressed up in colorful costumes and willing to do anything - no matter how ridiculous - for the sake of their club. Every club is represented at the all-club devo, but there is still a spirit of unity as everyone comes together in one place for an evening of enthusiasm and fun. You can feel the energy and taste the excitement. It really is quite a crazy sight, but I must admit that I enjoy every minute of it! At the end of this year's club week, I cannot help but reflect on all the activities and see something more . As a student pledging last year, I wrote about that experience in a previous blog post here . I also wrote about club week as a freshman  here . It seems appropriate that I also record a few more reflections from thi...

It had been a rough day. It was one of those days that I didn't know how to answer people when they asked me how I was doing. Part of me wanted to be honest and spill all my woes...but part of me wanted to just say I'm fine and let the world move on. The truth is that I was feeling very bitter toward nursing school. Sometimes, it feels like the busyness and work load has swept me away from campus life and locked me in the library and nursing lab. At the beginning of the semester, I was all "gung-ho" about everything, but as the weeks have worn on, I have lost motivation and energy. I have become tired - maybe even exhausted. I felt like I had been robbed of sleep, energy, free time, and even joy. I was stuck in a rut - in a funk - and I was finding it difficult to snap out of it. So I went to Bible study that Wednesday night, hoping for some encouragement. As soon as I walked into the room, the warm scent of fall filled the air. I took a deep breat...