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To know, or not to know…
Coming from this side of Christmas, Iām sure many of us have been going through our spoils whether they be toys, games, gift cards, memoriesā¦you name it. For me, I call myself a book dragon for a reason. I hoard books like it is my job and protect my booty with detailed attention and old school library check out cards (I wish I were kidding). This Christmas, I was gifted Yes, Andā¦Daily Meditations by Richard Rohr. I found it very fitting with my love of acting and theology. Today, I thought I would play some book roulette and see where it landed. Page 222: (Yeah, I probably should have retyped…
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mood.
I didnāt grow up celebrating Advent. I vaguely remember getting things around Christmas where I could punch things out of cardboard and there would be prizes or candy inside, so Iām assuming that is what that was. I usually just opened them all at once, though. My understanding of Advent didnāt really surface until I was in Seminary. Now that I am a mom, my husband, Justin, and I want to implement Advent as something that our daughter, Lucy, looks forward to every year. This is the build up to the celebration of the birth of our Savior. Now, of course we can take a deep dive into how Jesus…
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In Loving Memory of Georgina Lynn Jones
There were a lot of friends and family that were not able to be there with us for Gina’s visitation and funeral. I thought I would leave this here if any of you would like this time for processing. Click on the highlighted sections to be connected to a playlist created for Gina’s funeral. We love you, Gina. Opening Songs:Let It BeYou Raise Me UpLighthouse Words of Grace and GreetingOn behalf of all of our family and friends, we want to welcome and thank you for coming to remember and honor the life of Georgina Lynn Jones. Let us begin in prayer. Bow your heads. Father God we come before…
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(I’m)Perfect
Immediately after my first post declaring my challenge to write every day of Advent, I donāt write again for almost a week. I will say, it made for a great title, though, right? I am really digging the parenthasis lately. Anyway, Iāll be honest, this post will be brief. I am exhausted. Partially from the insanity from the holidays, life in general, but a lot from the catatonic state my perfectionism has left me in recently. I have an on going to do list in my mind and if I think too much about it, I get so overwhelmed that I canāt move. Itās like that Kim Kardashian meme of…
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Mo(u)rning
The first day of Advent, and the first day of my challenge to write each day leading up to Christmas. I had a different plan in mind to what I would be writing about, but when life comes at you, you adapt. My Aunt died last night. She was my Dadās sister, the oldest of three. A few years back while I was in Seminary, I got a call in the middle of a class and was told she had a stroke. We didnāt know what that would mean for her in the long run, but my Aunt had always been strong willed and stubborn (a Jones family trait we…
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What Do You See?
How do we engage all students? Why does that one student not want to join in? How come, no matter how much they connect with that group of friends, or that volunteer will they not come to camp? Or come to that event? Or jump in on that game? Or help lead in worship? This question will forever be asked by youth workers both in and out of ministry. Most conversations on this topic circle around answers like, āthey donāt like what you are playing,ā āthey donāt like the topic you are teaching,ā or āthey donāt like YOU!ā But. I want to paint a different perspective really quick. There is…
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Sick and Tired
I don’t know about you, but I have never understood the difference between allergies and being sick. Yeah, I mean I get that they are different things, but I feel just as bad either way, so when people ask, “What’s wrong? You don’t look so good.” I just say “It’s allergies” and move on. Who knows if it actually is or not. Regardless of if I am recovering from a cold, or it’s just the change of the season, I feel like crap and I can’t seem to get enough sleep. Which, for me, marks the official end of the summer vibes; enter in the fall season.Ā You guys, I…
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Square Dancing
Do you guys remember elementary or middle school gym, when you walked in and expected “steal the bacon,” the pull-up test, the mile run, or any or all of the above, when instead you are met with squares made with duct tape on the floor and told to line up boy-girl-boy-girl…then assigned a group and a square to stand around. And, of course, there are more girls than boys, so some girls either had to stand alone, or get paired with the gym teacher and it was humiliating because somehow the boys who were somewhat decent in your class always got nabbed by that girl who somehow radiated confidence that…
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Swim
In 2009, I went touched down in Austin, Texas for the first time. Walking across the campus of UT Austin for the Hell Froze Over Tournament, I entered the classroom where I was to compete in Poetry along with a group of other collegiate forensics members.Ā I saw a man walk up and give tribute to his brother who had passed away and was also well known on the speech circuit. One of the key words he used in his performance was from “Swim” by Jack’s Mannequin, a song I was familiar with, but never fully listened to. The words stuck with me starting on that day, though. You gotta…
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Christians Gave Me Unrealistic Expectations of Love
From when I was young, I had a dream where I would be whisked away by Prince Charming. He would be tall, and muscular, rough around the edges, with a soft spot for me. I could depend on him for anything, and would never have to question his actions, motives, ideas…we would have a perfect life. When I started a relationship with Christ when I was a freshman in high school, this mentality didn’t change. Instead, it became wrapped in the theology I was attempting to understand. If I am x amount devoted to God, then God will provide me with a man (described above). A few years later, I…
