communitas. less drain. more gain.

hi all. well, all, 5 of you ;)

so, my brain is a little tired right now. i just composed 23 personalized letters trying to figure out who is interested in this housing initiative moody's got going.

Communitas is a housing initiative that hopes to:

1. get moody grads to live together off campus and out of dorm-like settings

2. provide those students with affordable housing with other grads

3. work out covenants for each house to deal with common problems before they arise (cleaning, public food, visitors, etc.)

4. help students integrate their class studies through real, purposeful life ministry in the community where they have chosen to live (most likely by connecting with current outreaches in the community)

i'm really really excited about it. but it's been a lot of work. worth the effort, but it's just turning out to be more hope and heart investment than i thought. if it comes to fruition, i'll be happier than i was as an 8 year old at my little mermaid birthday party.

i think that happened when i was 8. oh man, was that a fun party. i remember pinning the tail on ariel. and i think that year my dad did a walking handstand across the monkey bars we had in the back yard. i was so proud. still am i think.

on a nice note, the God, people, text, beauty idea is working out well. currently investing peter drucker's the effective executive. hoping to hear something new about efficiency and running things. not that i've anything to run. haha.

beauty lately has been a nearby park. in fact, just yesterday i sat at the park down by the shore and journaled. and it was wonderful.

i think i'm going to go look at photos from my family's visit. yay!! slow mail, but it eventually gets here ;)

a bit of this and a bit of that.

so, to those that know me, it's no real surprise that i don't do well with large amounts of free time. i get depressed. it's a family thing, i think. or maybe it's just a humanity thing. either way, it happens. i get stuck in the empty moment. i get stuck in this feeling of "yech, how do i fill up this empty, empty moment??"

i stayed in chicago this summer to be able to work and earn money. so far that's not going especially well. although i did finally hear from my catering boss (yay!! thanks for the prayers). i've got like, 15 shifts scheduled...all after july 10. so, i'm still facing a lot of empty time. even then it'll only be two shifts a week or so. grateful for what i've got though. nice money for pleasant work.

anyway, so in the emptiness of the days until i find another part time job (or magically conjure up more catering jobs) i've got a bit of a plan. yep, you guessed it. it involves a bit of this and a bit of that.

the most meaningful things to me, the ones that keep me fully engaged in life and able to deal with the tough stuff, are God, people, books, and beautiful things (generally found in nature). so my goal is to interact with a little of each every day. not trying to become a legalist here, just wanting to stay sane in my small, but wonderful, apartment in humid, but lovely, chicago.

lately i've been getting a pretty strong message from God...that i need to rest in Him. that the real glory of Christ isn't 'becoming a better Christian' - it's the fact that i get to encounter God. i re-read an assigned book from last year, try it out if you want. it really helps me reorient. remembering that knowing God is central and "stopping sinning" isn't helps me read Scripture in a really different way. love it.

today i talk with a dear friend in california for two hours. literally. lucky we're on the same phone plan! free mobile to mobile. yay. talks like that are deeply refreshing. like getting to talk to my mom.

today's beauty was reading on the beach and stopping by the lily pond on the way back home. definitely worth the energy to change into my suit, walk to the shore, and read.

sorry it's been a month again. sheesh. what's wrong with me?? hope you're doing well.