About Me

My life is not my own, for I belong to Christ.

It is because of God's grace and for His glory that I "live and move and have my being."

I am currently back in Indiana, studying English Education at Purdue University, far from the home I've come to know and love in Victoria, Australia

My family means the world to me.

Living in America and loving in Australia, I am blessed indeed. Complete Profile

Music

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Just so ya know...


My purdue blog is now up and running! I'm not on the home page for the bloggers yet (apparently the admissions office people are super busy and haven't had time to update the front page with the new bloggers), but you can see my posts here: http://www.boilermakerlife.org/blogs/?author=27. I've been getting some comments from my family, which has been a lot of fun. Feel free to leave a comment, silly or serious, as well! I may try to find time to post some other stuff on this blog, too...but we'll see if that is possible as the semester goes on. I don't feel like I can post on my Boiler blog a lot of things that I enjoyed posting on here. But, hey, I'm getting paid to do something I enjoy!

Charity | 11:34 AM

Monday, August 17, 2009

Who knew?

When I started my blog at the age of 13, I had no idea that it might one day get me a job.

That's right, a job! Like a real paying job! I had an interview in the Purdue admissions office this morning, and they would like me to blog a few times a week for them. I still get to write my conversational posts about every day life, in the hopes of engaging possible incoming students. I can do long posts or short posts, include photos or songs, and I don't have to worry about making it formal or professional. I am pretty excited about it. Maybe I'll do double posts on this blog. We shall see how it goes.

I will start posting sometime next week, so please visit the Purdue blogging page and check out my posts!

Charity | 11:55 PM

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

I feel like such an adult these days

Adultish things I've done lately:



• Taken myself to the doctor (my dad made me make an appointment after being sick for 4 weeks...and all I had was a sinus infection and a very slight case of pnemonia in my left lung. What's the big deal anyway?)
• Taken myself to the social security office (and the guy was so impressed that I had actually taken the time to fill out the form for a new card before I came in. Apparently people don't really do that. But I did!)
• Taken myself to the BMV (I know, I know, so this means I drove to my driving test. It makes no sense. Weird things happen when you switch countries, okay??)
• Prepared to move (for the 3rd time since I've been back in America...which has only been a little over a year!)
But then, those things are always counteracted by the not-so-adultish things that I tend to do, including:



• Giggling when I mess up on the alto part in church (or when Zachary tries to sing it with me)
• Attempting to do an ab work-out with some friends and collapsing onto the floor in laughter (there is no disclaimer to this. It just happened. And we definitely got more of a workout from the laughter)
• *Unintentionally* insulting my friends in a large group of people (It just comes out all wrong sometimes!!!)

Charity | 6:44 AM

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

"The bravest thing I have is Hope."

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
--Psalm 42:11

I so often put my hope in the wrong things. I put my hope in people. I put my hope in circumstances. I put my hope in the things that will pass and fade.

And I wind up disappointed. Every time.

There is a Hope that doesn't disappoint. Oh, how my longing soul needs to be reminded.

Charity | 1:51 AM

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Rain
By Shel Silverstein

I opened my eyes
And looked up at the rain,
And it dripped in my head
And flowed into my brain,
And all that I hear as I lie in my bed
Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.
I step very softly,
I walk very slow,
I can't do a handstand—
I might overflow,
So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said—
I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.

--

*gasp* I know, TWO POSTS IN A ROW! It happens.

Charity | 12:31 AM

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Though I'm sure no one will bother reading this...

...I'd like to spill out a few of my thoughts. I know that's not always the best idea, especially in such a public form, but I figure I'm most likely only writing to myself anyway.

So what's on my heart? Well, I'm thinking about love. Yes, what a girl I am. Always thinking about love. Truly, though, it will not cease to bewilder and amaze me. Love can be such a wonderful, beautiful thing. But so often it is turned into such a painful, difficult thing. Why? Why is one of God's most precious gifts so often distorted and disfigured and disappointing?

Almost everyone I know is in some way or another affected by a hardship pertaining to love. And these are not small heartaches; these are instances of sometimes nearly unbearable emotional pain.

So, again, why?

I was once again reminded in my visit to the Tippecanoe county jail with the Lafayette RPC jail ministry team: we have to go back to the beginning. When one of the women asked why God allows suffering, Mrs. Faris took us all back to Genesis chapter 3, the fall of man. We are sinful and broken, so our dealings with love are tainted by this sin and brokenness. So all the perversions of love are due to sin.

I know this. But that doesn't make the reality of it any easier.


"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one..."
--C.S. Lewis

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
--Romans 8:18-28 [italics added]

What a wonderful thing to know that we can taste of Christ's perfect love in this life and we will know it in fullness in the next life. God is going to turn our pain into something unspeakably glorious.




p.s. the time zone is still Australian. Oh well.

Charity | 2:37 AM

Monday, December 01, 2008

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes...

I forgot how much I missed this part of winter. One of the things on my top ten list of extremely exciting experiences is waking up and looking out the window to be surprised with a breath-takingly beautiful blanket of pure white snow.

I thoroughly enjoyed my walk to and from school today, with soft snow beneath my feet and fresh flurries swirling around me. It was amusing to try to read people's faces and discern what they thought of the snow. There was the "I hate driving in this stuff" look, the "I'm going to ruin my shoes" look, and, of course, the child-like look of pure delight, combined with the "I wish there was more" look. You can guess which one I wore beneath my smile.

What a wonderful Creator to give us the gorgeous seasons with their distinct markings!

What a wonderful Saviour who has promised to make our sinful hearts "whiter than snow"!


~~~
p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROOMIE RUTHY!!!!!!!!!
p.p.s. I'm going home in 17 days!!!

Charity | 4:08 PM