Dancing in the Rain

Hello, blogworld!! Actually...I'm pretty sure my "blog audience" is mostly imaginary, since my last blog post has a whopping 1 page view. But, I am OK with that. Because I was reminded recently, as I typed out a "happy birthday" e-mail to a dear friend, how much I miss just putting thoughts into words via a keyboard. The sound of the keys and seeing the words appear and tweaking them to be just so...it's   almost   as inspiring as a blank sheet of paper and cool pens. So maybe I mostly blog for myself.  Or maybe I'm just weird. :) So I could try to go back and recount life up to this point, but the thought of that is overwhelming and a large part of why I haven't blogged so much in the last couple years. Therefore, I believe I will instead fill everyONE ;) in on my life ...   currently . Currently, I am sitting outside on our steps, enjoying some gorgeous 91 degree weather (for real, it's beautiful), a gentle breeze, birds chirping, th...

"Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well."   (Psalm 139:14) My soul knows, with greatest certainty, that His works are wonderful . Knows it because I have seen it, experienced it,  tasted it,  walked in it,  lived it. But what about when I can't see it? What about the times when my soul is dry and thirsty, my heart fragile and broken and longing for something more? His works are still wonderful. When life is hard -- His works are wonderful. When the way seems long -- His works are wonderful. When life is not turning out the way I expected -- His works are wonderful. When teenagers die and we at House of Faith have to walk through that valley with the families and other students and we are surrounded by pain and grief and questions with no answers... His works are wonderful. So when I don't see it, feel it, taste it -- the truth doesn't change . I just have to remind myself of it, rehearse it over and over until it is th...

Hello, people! :) So, a friend recently mentioned my blog and I had an "oh, yeah" moment--like, "oh, yeah, I have one of those!" Then I got on to see when I'd last posted and realized it was a little over a year and a half ago. Wow, sorry, y'all!! I'm working on learning to be more intentional with life, not letting my time and energy be so much controlled by "the tyranny of the urgent". I'm still definitely a work in progress!! But one of the things on my "live life on purpose" list is blogging, so I'll try to be more consistent with this! For tonight, I'm just going to post something I wrote a while back. I've been, in various ways, a part of House of Faith for nearly 3 years now, but it feels somehow like I've always been there. :) One of my favorite things about HOF is the opportunity to be involved in TWO of the Backyard Bible Clubs, where we take Jesus into the yards of the elementary schools and the live...

If you're looking at the title to this post and scratching your head in confusion while wondering if I've lost my mind in the 8 months since I last "blogged"... good , and probably . :) House of Fizzle is an affectionate nickname for House of Faith. Because things are usually "fizzling" around here. Or something. I didn't come up with the nickname, I just laughed at Mindi and Eva the day I heard them answer the phone like that and then decided it was a fitting nickname somehow. but I digress. So...since it's been forever since I blogged, I guess a long, rambling post catching everyone up on my life is in order. sorry. Maybe someday I'll get around to said long, rambling post, but tonight is not that day. In the words of Inigo Montoya on "The Princess Bride" : "Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up." :) So here's the summary of my life since January. For the really short version, just read the stuff in...

Well...since it's been pretty much forever since I really blogged, and I'm getting ready to leave the country, I thought maybe I should at least try to post a quick update on life. (Besides...it's right here on my to-do list: "blog" :D ) So first, a quick recap summary of the AMAZING summer I had at House of Faith! It was a summer of growing, stretching, being challenged, walking and working outside my comfort zone, learning more and more and more of God, getting to know and love some precious kiddos, working with some of the most wonderful people on earth, developing friendships and loving life! It would be absolutely impossible to do a "typical day in the life of a House of Faith 2010 summer intern" because every day was a new day and just a bit different. And "House of Faith" and "typical" (or synonyms such as "normal" and "usual") do NOT belong in the same sentence! House of Faith is anything but typical. That...