Teeth, flu, and the get "by"s of Life.

I hear it's that time of year. Holiday Season time.
Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, AND...

FLU.

I'm pretty sure I don't have swine flu, and I think it's more of a sinus/flu.
No fever, no drowsy, a lil achey, and very STUFFY!

Joshua on the other hand, has had immense pain due to those lil, strong, intelligent guys, better known as "Wisdom Teeth." And they gotsta-go. Thankfully, they will be removed on Friday. I am sure there will be more to come on that. But anyway, what an interesting analogy?
Humor me, please.

Pain: Wisdom Teeth :: sanctification:: Wisdom

Does that take you back to the SAT test?
Anyway, back on task. Joshua and I are sick, lil buddies this week. I've never seen such a long row of meds on one shelf. Our night-table looks more like a hospital room table, and the air in our apartment hovers with the feel of
"sterile-must-go-and-avoid-this-ill-place"

But, all in all...I am learning yet another lesson in dependency. Familiar? Yes, this is very familiar to me. When my body is weak, the funds low, eyes heavy, and conversations more like moans and groans, I am only left to conversations with God. They're in my head of course. And, all I can remember are one-liner Truths.

"Abba", "Comforter", "he who endured suffering", "my yoke is easy, burden light", "trust in the Lord", "Healer", "Provider","He will renew your strength", "blessed is the contrite spirit", "Merciful", "He who knew no sin, became sin for us", "Just", "Be still and know that I am God", "Come to me", "Bless the Lord, oh my soul"

These are the prayers, truths, if you will, that are getting me "by" this week.
Not that I just want to get "by" this week, but I want to flourish not in my sickly,ill strength...
but His.

Good-day, friends and family. I love you. Please don't come to my sick house this week.
We can talk on the phone.
:)

Lil-fun slide-show be-low.


Locea getting on her bike, while the boys work on Sadid's car


The sky looked incredible on Sunday outside our apartment.


Joshua & Sadid working on Sadid's car. (they are still working on it)


Sweet Locea, our Burmese neighbor (Mimaw's daughter)


Joshua and I going to a Banquet for my non-profit job, Peacemakers


I love this man.


Throat Coat Tea does the trick.


SOOOOOOOO many Tissues. I think I wiped out a box.


These are some awesome slippers from the mountains in India, brought back to me, thanks to Alicia Layton :)

Suffering, must we?

Wrought, rung, and ragged,
the cloth of My perfection,
did make clean nothing,
scattered dust and crumbs laid.

She said,"Shadow is sure,
'hidden' is concealment,
and safety there from peril,
now you're in comfort."

To my demise, was the Body,
in this Comfort-Land to stay,
But, I am a part.
I am apart.

My veil was now blackened,
the aisle no longer pleasing,
Rows and rows depleting,
Where was the church, now grieving?

Again she reminded me,
"Shadow is sure,
'hidden' means concealment,
and you are probably safe."

But my cripple was too much,
the ligaments were but a thread,
and what I knew of muster,
now lack luster,
I was smoked-alone.

Glow from an open tomb,
I saw crawling on the floor,
before seeing my Bridegroom,
my eyes beheld an open door.

Please, let it be so,
My Perfection has been deceiving,
wrought, rung, ragged,
cloths depleting,
A new garment for my soul?

And he said, "My daughter,
Light is only sure,
exposure means freedom,
and though no earthly comfort,
Eternity of joys."

My veil became white,
my rags no longer cleaning.
For Christ could only make,
my perfections white as snow.

Church, come and let loose,
take off your blackened veil,
safe are you in Jesus,
let perfection not deceive you.

Only He can keep you,
not in earthly-keeping,
Heavenly, the best place of being,
Suffering here in Jesus,
now your Joy.

Undomestic Pearls

I have to admit I have really dived into the world of the "domestic housewife." Not because I feel pressure to be the martha stewart-cookie-cutter-50s type. I genuinely enjoy coming home and making dinner. I enjoy cleaning my home. I enjoy having order to the chaos that is Joshua & I's stuff. However, I am learning even with all my well-intentioned attempts to have this "perfect home," the great sin that entered the world (the fall as we know it) has wounded and forever marred my humanly efforts.

Case #1:




These pearls were 50% off at Kohls--$10 max. As you can see the left pearl earring looks a little different than the right one. "Why?" you may ask. Well, in my domestic attempt to make dinner last night, I leaned over pulling out the oven rack to check on the chicken, without realizing the back of my earring had come off with the pearl stud needing only a slight tilt of the head to fall out, rolling down the inside of the oven door underneath the heat element (the bottom of the oven).

Have any of you ever tried to get an earring out of the oven? Out from the middle of the oven floor, underneath the heat element?

Haha. Well I tried and to no surprise...no luck.

Joshua swooped in as my "mechanic with shining tool box" to see what he could use to scrap it out. Only to my dismay, did I find the outside lacquer was burned off. No more shiny pearl. Looks like they weren't really even pearls at all. Just some kind of stone with a pearl-like glaze over it. Serves me right, for my $10 earrings.

But hey, I didn't get burned. I didn't get my flesh coat burned off. And more importantly the chicken cordon bleu was DELICIOUS.

Thanks oven for destroying my earring, and not destroying my dinner.

And Lord, thank you for another lesson in perfectionism. It's a vain chasing after the wind.

Sabbath Sundays

Joshua and I have decided to rest on Sundays. No really, rest. Not semi-rest, still tackle the 150 million to do's, but actually take the day to remember what Christ has done for us.




Sun up till sun down. stillness.




Some of it includes cooking (like the amazing whole wheat oatmeal banana nut bread below), reading, sleeping, and spending time relaxing with neighbors.
NO work though.




Funny enough, today is Saturday and we are sabbathing today. Work will be tomorrow (this once). However, no matter next week Sabbath Sundays are back on strong.

Honey.

Joshua told me that the pictures I posted were a grade B. So I decided to post some more pictures. Hopefully these are a little better. Oh, and I am positive that there was a smudge over our camera lens the whole time, so forgive the blur in the middle of the photos. It kinda looks like it was a special effect added in. Our camera is a digital camera, but its the kind where the pictures are still based off of the lens. Hmmm...I don't know exactly what it's called. All of you photographer extraordinares might know what I am talking about.
Anyways, Enjoy :)

The Moon.

pre-wedded life

I think it's important that I document pre-wedded life on my blog before I get married.
In no time, Lord willing, I am going to be walking down the aisle & covenanting to spend my life faithful & submitted only to Joshua as my husband and leader, till death.
It's beyond words. It is incredible to say this, and I have to admit, I feel often like I am having an out-of-body-experience.

How could God be so gracious to lead Joshua to pursue me?
How could God be so gracious to put in Joshua and I this passionate love and attraction to one another?
It's great!

We have had months of tumbling, falling, slipping, and getting up. Repeat. Better known as sin, repent, plead. Repeat.
It's bittersweet experiencing reality. Through counseling and learning one another, I see now more than ever Joshua & I's desperate need for God. We need Him. We need to know Him, experience Him. learn Him. It is by far the most important thing, and what I crave more than anything else in these "pre-wedded weeks."

Finally, now weeks before our wedding there has been light seen in our depravity. (though it was always there) But to see it, what a joy--to see God working in us.
We do desire to choose God over each other & the desires of this world.

We say "I do" to live our lives walking down a narrow path of following Christ. The past months, while defiled by our sin, is not without use by the hands of our God, who takes ugly and makes beautiful.

So light is ever-present in my soul. I am strengthened by the joy of the Lord, the God of my Salvation.

White I will be, come August 22nd, and pure I will say, "I am, and I do", despite my past.
Praise God for such a work!