TCX (2)

It so often occurs that God tries to get my attention, and I’m not really paying attention. I’m so concerned with my agenda and my needs that, if I’m not careful, I miss out on what He wants me to hear.

This week He showed up in a random chance meeting and blessed me unexpectedly. The second night of TCX prep, I got back to my room about 930, ready to relax for an hour, unpack, and head to bed. A single staff woman had been randomly got assigned to my room, and when I returned, she was packing up to switch rooms. She was only at TCX for one night as she’s leaving staff and getting married this week.

Despite it being her last night at a Campus Crusade event, after being on staff 6 years, and my plan to relax and go to bed early, she and I got to talking. We conversed about her wedding plans and the rest of her week, my role in the regional office, our mutual friends, and the craziness of raising support.

We talked for maybe 45 minutes, during which I learned so, so much and was incredibly encouraged. Through our short conversation I learned she’s in her early thirties, owns her own house and is getting married, moving to another state and leaving staff. Life is about to change in huge ways for her, yet she took some time to ask me about my life and really encourage me in my support raising. It was a housing mistake for her to be placed in my room for the night, but I’m glad it happened. It’s so fun to see God working in even the smallest details.

Food Challenge-Complete!

I still haven't wrapped up our food challenge situation. I really enjoyed it! The time I've saved from wandering around the Hyv and Wal-mart has been spent doing a little more baking/cooking. I find this activity surprisingly enjoyable. Then, there's the money I've saved. Wandering the grocery aisles in Wal-mart almost always leads me to wander other aisles and buy things I do not need (and I know there are others who give in to the same temptation! why is it so hard??). They are usually cheap, small items, but they seem to add up quickly. I only had a few fast food meals those three weeks, which is a surprise to me.

All in all, a great experience! I think I will unofficially be doing this food challenge in 2010! :)

TCX (1)

I am here in Minneapolis setting up for TCX, (Twin Cities Xperience) the annual winter conference of the Upper Midwest region of Campus Crusade for Christ. This year, over 1600 college students from MN IA SD ND and WI will converge on Minneapolis, MN for 4 days of speakers, corporate worship, equipping and training seminars, fellowship and FUN! There's also a day of outreach where students will share food and Jesus with hungry people in the Twin Cities Metro Area.

I've been here 3 hours, and I'm already wishing I were at my full support level so I could be here all the time. My teammates, this city, TCX, Campus Crusade, God's call on my life are all really great and excite me a lot.

I haven't always felt this way the last year. There have been many ups and downs, but I'm so glad I followed His leading into full-time ministry. There were so many days I ignored his promptings, but not being in God's will scares me a whole lot more than the challenges of life right now.

Christmas, Take 3: Coming to Terms.

I really like Carolina Liar's song Show Me What I'm Looking For. Though you grammar sticklers might agree it should be more appropriately titled Show Me For What I am Looking. Most people would probably agree the song's been way overplayed on the radio, thus becoming annoying. But I don't listen to the radio, so I don't consider it overplayed at all. Actually, you probably have no idea what song I'm talking about, as Carolina Liar is a secular rock band that isn't that famous.

Which leads me to my point (finally!): Carolina Liar has another song called Coming to Terms. I like that one, too. They are may not a super appropriate band for a christian to enjoy listening to, but I like them. Most of the group is originally from Sweden. And I love other Swedish bands too, so I'm not surprised- Ace of Base, ABBA, Roxette...I'm on a tangent again...

The real point: their song Coming to Terms helps me explain my most current feelings on the topic of Christmas and the holidays. This is the third time I've blogged about Christmas this year, and I'm, cough cough, coming to terms in the same way Carolina Liar describes it:

I’m coming to terms
I’m starting to learn
This ain’t all it’s cracked up to be...
It’s never as easy as we believe

Ok, so I took out one line of the chorus above, but it fits. I put way too much pressure on myself, immediate and extended family, friends and my church in making Christmas an amazing, memory-filled holiday that exceeds my expectations every single year.

It's just one day. Yes, it's full of family traditions, it's a celebration of the birth of my Savior, and it's the most important holiday to a large segment of society.

Do I love Jesus as much at Christmas as I do other days of the year? Does a bigger tree than last year mean I love Him more than others?

Once in awhile I see a movie or hear someone talk about the "magic" of Christmas. Putting aside our differences and grudges to come together as family is a sweet thing. Being nice to others, even loving our enemies, is great. How wonderful to give of your money, possessions and even your time to help those in need.

But those things are filth compared to the power of majesty of Jesus Christ- who I will worship, honor, and glorify, as much as I can, every day.

FC: Day Thirteen

I had lunch today at a graduation celebration- super good food, didn't have to cook, and it was free! But, the best part was being able to celebrate good friends' college graduations.

Supper was cheese tortellini and red sauce followed up by a snack of so many pistachios that my lips are sore from the salt. That sounds disgusting. But they were so, so good!

FC: Day Twelve- sponsored by the letter "L"

Today I had a late lunch with Lura- last night's leftover's! We had ham, bread and fruit salad from the supper party Thursday, and I brought over some frozen garlic potatoes.

Today's lesson: veggies in those steam bags that you can just throw right into the microwave and cook can also be cooked on the stove in a regular sauce pan. They taste just the same.

Supper: I conned JB into buying a frozen pizza for me and we polished it off so there weren't even any leftovers. I'm not even ashamed. It was SO GOOD!

Vespers.

For the last three years, I've played acoustic guitar/sang for Vespers, an hour of contemporary information worship at my church every Sunday night during the school year. Mainly college students attend, but we do pull in a few adults from the working world once in awhile.

As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be part of a band. Thus far, the dreams that actually have come to fruition in my life, whether small or large, haven't played out like I originally thought they would. The 'band' dream is no different.

This week God showed me how much I've grown in the last few years by being part of the Vespers band- both in my musical ability and my attitude towards leading worship. There were weeks in college that I'd play my guitar for 10+ hours, including church, Cru and Vespers worship times, and practicing for all of those things. My junior year I probably logged over 200 hours playing my guitar, most of which was during group practices. I'm quick to admit I'm not real great, but I'm a whole lot better than when I started, that's for sure.

But even more than my growing ability, my attitude toward musical worship has greatly changed. While originally I wanted to join the Vespers Band just to make music and be apart of the band with some cool people (and also to worship God, but that reason was smaller than the others), I find myself now not really caring about my personal enjoyment or any type of gain from the time of worship. It's about God, and providing an opportunity for others to worship God. Sometimes I just pick up my guitar and worship God in the privacy of my own home, but not everyone can do that. It's my hope that Vespers is a blessing for those who connect with God through musical worship (which is way above another other option on my chart, so typically I do really enjoy it!)

I had a weird ear issue last week in which I couldn't really hear the band at all, but I sang and played anyway, with the hope that people would be able to connect with God, even if I couldn't feel His presence like I usually do. But despite being able to hear well, I felt His presence there without a doubt. Sometimes it seems the only constant thing in life is that God will work unexpectedly!

FC: Day nine-ten-eleven

One word can some up two days: leftovers. I think I will appreciate more this year the wide spread of food at holiday celebrations. The first of which is tomorrow! Day eleven will be comprised of a quick lunch and a fun Christmas supper celebration with great friends from bible study/church!

FC: Day Eight

Taking a deep breath, I carefully opened the freezer door, peeking inside at the mountain of oddly shaped plastic packages. The Green Giant stared me in the face. I could not avoid his smile, from the small box of sugar snap peas to the bag of roasted red potatoes and green beans in a rosemary butter sauce. I carefully moved aside a paper package containing what I hope is still edible chicken, and peered into the very depths of the icy freezer layers.

Wait! A glimmer of hope. I saw a long, blue box, with familiar writing. I reached for them, full of hope that I had found my hidden treasure- a forlorn box of frozen toaster strudels, just waiting to be uncovered from the cold, dark cave that has become our freezer. I turned over the box, and was greeted by cheerful Mister Pop'n'Fresh, the delightful Pillsbury Dough Boy mascot. Hurrah! I had found my beloved box of breakfast strudels. Kudos to my roommie, Allison, for suggesting I look again.

Of course, I celebrated my find by immediately toasting a strawberry-filled dessert-like-breakfast-pastry. Once I got the coffee going, the morning had begun.

Lunch was a much less exciting affair; a quick glance into the fridge revealed what I had been fearing most: leftovers. I still had one bowl of tuna noodle helper. Sigh. At least the noodle-y tuna is now gone!

I cooked up some pancakes for Al for supper, and a bag of pre-mixed teriyaki chicken, rice and veggies for myself. It was definitely tasty. I'm hoping the leftovers that will probably be consumed tomorrow will be just as good.

FC: Day Six & Seven

Dual post for the weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday breakfasts were coffee and cookies...maybe not the most healthy. Sadly, the oatmeal raisin cookies are now gone. I wonder what I will find for breakfast tomorrow morning? Suggestions?

Lunch Saturday was leftover tuna noodle goodness. Saturday supper was Subway, and Sunday lunch was a McDonald's chicken salad. These meals leave me wondering if it's against Food Challenge rules to eat fast food? I don't remember specifying the rules, so I will give myself some grace in this circumstance. But I think it probably should be against the rules, if I can help it.

This has been really fun, by the way! I like the idea of blogging about a goal. I probably should have been blogging about my 40-40-40 fund-raising challenge from November. Oh well.

That leaves...supper tonight. Will have some leftover pizza for a small lunch at 430, and will eat more after Vespers is done at 9.

Christmas, Take Two.

This was a big week: the first blizzard of the year snow, showing winter is seriously here to stay. I'm lining up the final Vespers set for the semester, and I've been searching for a good handful of Christmas hymns to finish off with.

I love this time of year. The Christmas spirit is in the air. Vacation is in sight. NFL teams have worked out the kinks and really start to shine. I even enjoy winter- at least the beginning of it. (And when there is minimal wind!)

Lately, I've felt like the Grinch. I did my Christmas shopping; my gifts were the first ones wrapped, even before the tree was set up at home. I bought candy canes several weeks. My cupboard is bursting with sugar cookie ingredients and festive cookie cutters. N*Sync and Point of Grace Christmas CDs have been promptly rotated from the back of my cd collection to the front.

For some reason, this year feels different than others. Maybe I'm finally growing up. I feel like a kid who found out Santa Claus isn't real this year.

I looked up 'Christmas' on wikipedia and there I learned that the letter X (chi) is the first letter of Christ in Greek. The similar Roman letter X has been used as an abbreviation for Christ since the mid-16th century. Therefore, Xmas is often used as an abbreviation for Christmas. People freak out that the X is taking Christ out of the holiday.

And that word: holiday. I love saying happy holidays. It's not that I want to be politically correct. I'm just too lazy to say "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year." I think that's actually what a lot of people mean when they use that word. Could it be that when people extend a happy holiday greeting.

I wish I knew a Jew. I wonder if I would wish them Happy Hanukkah because that's what they celebrate, or a Merry Christmas because that's what I celebrate. Why is Happy Holidays such a bad thing?

FC: Day Five

Today, I ate my last toasted apple dessert treat for breakfast. Sigh. I'm going to have to get creative now. Or I could just eat oatmeal cookies with my coffee in the morning.

Lunch was tuna helper with a little cheese supplement and some pineapple on the side, while supper was a frozen pizza.

Yummy Salsa.

Awesome Salsa Recipe

1 Can Corn, drained
1 Can Black Beans
drained & rinsed
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 small avocado, diced
4 tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped
(I use 1 tbsp Cilantro leaves)
1/2 cup Green Onions, diced
1/2 cup Italian Dressing

Mix, Chill, Enjoy!


I will warn you- this salsa is super addicting! Tostitos Multi-grain chips are my ultimate favorite with this recipe. I think I like it so much because there are no onions or tomatoes, which aren't really favorites of mine (I leave the green onions out). Other helpful tips: don't substitute green peppers for red- it totally changes the taste- and you can use Kraft Lite Italian Dressing to save calories without much of a taste difference.

FC: Day Four

Today was good. Breakfast was a frozen apple pastry, heated to perfection by my toaster and drizzled with some type of yummy frosting, officially making it a dessert instead of a breakfast item.

Yesterday I made my yummy awesome salsa, since I had purchased an avocado and red pepper at Wal-mart. I will upload this recipe in a separate blog. Lunch was microwaved rice, grilled chicken and the salsa in a wrap. It looked amazing - just like Chipotle - but tasted nothing like it.

I was in a baking mood this afternoon- luckily it was Thursday (bible study night)- so I made a box of brownies. While they were baking I cleaned out my section of the kitchen cupboards, finding many hidden treasures I forgot I had. When the brownies had cooled, I frosted them with some cream cheese icing and threw on some Heath bar toffee bits. Yum.

I also tried my hand at homemade oatmeal cookies- 1/2 with raisins, half plain. I cut the recipe in half so we only have a dozen cookies, which a good amount for two people and will last us for days. While these were baking I cleaned the kitchen and finished of our Bible Study book- Tozer's The Pursuit of God. I've enjoyed the book despite feeling very distracted in the midst of almost every chapter. I think this is due to being unable to get a clear outline of each chapter. I like seeing the big picture.

Supper was another tortilla pizza- threw on some Chicken and a dash of Italian seasoning and Garlic- MUCH better than the pepperoni one I made yesterday. And way less greasy.

FC: Day Three

Today was pretty chill. Allison didn't have school due to our massive blizzard. After we spent a good 45 minutes digging out our cars, we visited Wal-mart for ribbon, snow boots and groceries. BUT WAIT! We are not supposed to buy non-necessities. But I did not tell you that the last time we went to the store (Sunday night) we meant to buy an avocado, tortilla chips and a red pepper. We forgot these items then so we picked them up today. I feel the need to explain my actions, since it was part of the deal. We also rented a redbox movie: Julie/Julia. Feel free to check out my post on that below.

So today. Breakfast was a pistachio muffin (that was an odd shade of neon green) and coffee. Lunch was tortilla pizza- thanks for the idea, Christine! Supper was leftover shrimp alfredo- and it was delish! Now on to a productive night of writing, editing and designing...just heard the dryer finish its cycle, so add some towel folding to the list.

Watching Yourself on TV.

My roommate Allison and I are watching "Julie & Julia" right now. I feel like I'm watching myself. Julie decides to blog about her life (cooking through Julia Child's cookbook in a year). She is talking with her roommate (boyfriend/husband) about it and he expresses a concern about his super-acidic stomach - same as my roommate (not my boyfriend, though her nickname is allen, haha). Then Julie admits a fault of hers- the inability to finish what she starts. Uh, hello- totally a flaw of mine.

We'll see how the rest of the movie turns out!
---
Ok, I'm closer to the end of the movie now, and I feel Julie's pain. She is crazy. She had a meltdown and wanted to give up, and then a reporter from Christian Science Monitor calls her for an interview. Maybe this goes to show that when you've hit your breaking point, you're right on track.

FC: Day Two

Tuesday. Day two of the food challenge was the same as day one, except soup for supper and shrimp alfredo for lunch. Good stuff, I have to say. I started clipping coupons this afternoon when the Broadcaster arrived. Then I realized I am not going shopping for the rest of the month. I did save coupons for milk, flour and eggs, since I think those constitute as necessities.

kids.

Kids. I can't wait to have em! I'm so excited to teach them things and see them discover things and watch them grow up.

FC: Day One

Monday. Day One of the Food Challenge.

Breakfast was a frozen Apple Pastry item toasted golden brown.
Yummy soup and crackers for lunch with a tall glass of milk.
Supper = eggs, pancakes and apple-cinnamon muffins.

Tim Tebow.

Two weeks ago, I had never heard of Tim Tebow. Born in the Philippines to American missionaries, Tebow was home-schooled on a farm in northeastern Florida. He thrived on his high school football team, despite a bit of controversy over his home-school status. As a top recruit, he chose University of Florida and won the Heisman Trophy (most outstanding college football player) his sophomore year (the first player to do so).

I happened to turn on the Florida v Florida State game last week (I couldn't resist a good in-state college rivalry). This was where I learned of Tim Tebow, now in his senior year of college. I wasn't sure right away why everyone made a big deal about him, but after watching him play, seeing his interaction on the field with other players, refs and media, and, of course, googling him, I see why he's a big deal. He is a stand-up guy.

Last Saturday's game against Alabama was broadcast nationally, it being the SEC Championship game and all. Tebow's face was one of the most shown on TV throughout the game. Under his eyes was the typical black face paint. But on the black, he had written in white letters "John" and "16:33" ("I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.")

The New York Times featured a story last week not only about Tim, but also his brother, Pete, who is on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. It's an interesting read and I'd recommend it to those who like a good story (and, especially those who enjoy football).

What a great lesson from Tim- we are more than our resume, our skills, our talents. He is more than a good football player. I can't wait to see where he ends up in the future, and how he will use his gifts to glorify God. He's already doing an outstanding job of that.

Food Challenge!

My roommate likes to do late-night grocery runs, something I've never really done much of. We just finished wandering the aisles of our local HyVee (fondly pronounced hiv-ee in this college town). Due to the late hour and a small snowstorm today, we were the only customers in the store for most of our trip. We were both in silly moods and had an enjoyable time talking through some menus and poking fun at each other.

We were settling in with the groceries in the car, when my roommate is struck with a genius idea: Boycotting the grocery store until Christmas Break, eating all the food in our freezer and cupboards and giving away any nonperishable that we haven't consumed by then. Shear genius. We discussed the benefits of this plan and the fact that we probably would have to go to the store for perishables (I took care of it! I got the milk, eggs and fabric softener!) and essential items. We talked about planning menus, holding each other accountable and getting creative with meals, (with the help of google, I'm sure)!

I'm pretty glad we're doing this. At one point last month, we had 9 opened, half-eaten bag of chips in our kitchen! I don't have the funds to do any kind of shopping this month, groceries included. And my personal benefit aside, it's just more responsible. So look for more posts on this in the future! :)

Learning.

Before Church Sunday morning I was talking with a good friend about school and learning. I mentioned that I believe I hit my intellectual peak in about 5th or 6th grade. I was a fairly smart kid in my elementary years, but by the time I graduated from high school my GPA definitely ranked me lower in my class.

I've known others who have felt the same way, so I figured this occurrence wasn't very unique.
My friend commented that this fact makes sense. She's currently pursuing a PhD in educational psychology, so I figured she'd have a good reason: I was probably relying on my ability instead of effort to get me through elementary school. This explains a slightly tough transition to college, where I had to rely much, much more on my effort than my ability.

This reminds of addiction to caffeine. Or any drug, I guess. You need more of it as time goes on to be as effective as before. To be successful in college, I needed to increase my effort as compared to my effort in high school. When I first started reading the Bible every day, I could read almost any passage and learn something I didn't know. I'll definitely never know everything in the Bible, but I have to dig a little deeper the more I learn.

football!

I love football. Part of me wishes I knew what it felt like to be surrounded in the huddle, set on the line, back in the pocket, sprinting in the slot, juking a defender, celebrating a touch down! Ok, I'm done. I definitely enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, for the food and family... but I also really like the football. Last weekend I watched 8 games in 3 days. The MN state prep bowl was on Friday and Saturday, along with Florida v. Florida State and the Vikes on Sunday. High School, College, NFL, it doesn't matter I like it all!

Roommates- part two.

Earlier I wrote a post about housing and roommate situations. Part of me would like to live on my own when I move to Minneapolis in the coming months, but with such a high cost of living and the desire to spend less than 35% of my income on housing, I'm thinking a roommate is a good idea and really the only option.

Aside from financial benefits, I've been considering other benefits to having a roommate. I figured boundless.org would have something to say about this matter, so I took a look an article named "20-Something Reasons to Live at Home." The article cites five benefits for singles living in a Christian family environment instead of on their own: Training, Protection, Finances, Community, Service. I feel the need to add here that I am going to be biased on this, because I didn't grow up in a Christian family and I feel that I'm growing in all of these areas on my own without one.

The training section had to do with developing personal habits while living alone that may not be very beneficial. The article cited an example of a single woman living on her own, expressing her enjoyment of a daily/weekly routine involving some of her favorite things. Boundless says this isn't necessarily a good thing, that a person can lose their flexibility and ability to flow with others. To quote the author,

"Living alone, or even with other singles, promotes independence in ways that are not always good. In practice, "independence" often translates to "self-centeredness." This is bad training for life. It's bad training for marriage especially, when we'll need to deal with the intrusions of others, look out for them, and handle changing circumstances with grace."

I think one of the toughest aspects about this topic is this difference between independence and self-centeredness. While living on your own provides all kinds of opportunities to grow and develop as an individual, there is definitely a chance that it can lead to an increase in self-centeredness.

The author of the article goes on to state that living in a family home "has provided me with excellent training for the future. Much of this training comes disguised as annoyance and inconvenience, but it truly is a blessing! It keeps me pliable, so I'm not going to shatter if life drops me into a hard situation. When we embrace family life and keep ourselves open to correction and change, life at home will prepare us to be happy, others-centered people."

I think I see the author's intent here, but I question the use of "shatter if life drops me into a hard situation." I just visited Minneapolis this week, and my car got towed. I had to withdraw $300 from my bank account to get my car out of the impound lot. I handled the situation on my own, and must deal with the consequences of my actions. My parents aren't going to bail me out (I didn't ask them). I'm not sure if all my bills will get paid this month, but I'm not going to cry myself to sleep tonight. Maybe the author had a more tough life situation in mind, I'm not sure what they meant.

The next area of concern was security. I don't doubt that people feel safer when living with a family. When I was little, I couldn't fall asleep until both my mom and dad were home and in the house. I think a lot of kids are like that.

I still remember my first night in my first apartment alone. While I had spent nights at my home alone, and at the farm house alone (which was even more scary!), this was different. I knew that this would be the first of many nights alone. I must admit, I was a bit nervous and scared. But part of this was due to overall feels of nervousness, as I was also a senior in college and unsure about my future. After the first few nights, I got over it. I grew more comfortable with the silence and with being alone. I learned a lot- how to deal with noisy neighbors, heating and electrical issues, setting up internet service, a leaky roof, etc. Maybe these aren't super important, but they were to me. But, my town and apartment complex I lived in were both small and generally safe.

The article cites another benefit of protection from living with family: "When you don't have parents or parental figures limiting the time you spend with your sweetheart (as well as supervising how you spend that time), you're likely to spend too much time with too little (commitment) in return."

Accountability is incredibly valuable and essential while a relationship may be developing. A parental figure can be a great source for this, but proper accountability can also come from roommates, coworkers, other Christian friends of both people in the relationship. Should a 20-something woman in a relationship be depending on a parental figure to monitor her time with her new boyfriend?

Roommates of any kind are almost always a more financially wise option. It's the American way to rent or buy as big as we can. I think that much of the housing market mess is due to the fact that people get into situations they cannot financially handle. Ok, I'm off the materialism and consumerism soapbox and back on the other, which I'm not sure what to call. Maybe my anti-Boundless soapbox! Ok, seriously, I digress.

Living on my own taught me big lessons about finances and budgeting. After 5-6 months on my own, I invited a good friend to move in with me so we could both save money. It was really a great decision- spiritually, personally and financially, which was the motive right away.

Boundless says "Once again, this benefit is best experienced when we actively use it to build for the future. I'm not advocating mooching off your parents!" Glad she added that. The goal of financial freedom or more financial security is a great benefit of living with roommates or with a family, especially for those who have lots of college or personal debt.

The author also adds in that it is easier for people to eat normal, healthier meals while living in a family home. That is very true, but I think 20-something singles are capable of learning how to eat right on their own.

The fourth aspect of family living from the article was community. The community of a Christian family is something I don't always understand. Though I will say, I have had a really strong desire for the last year to be actively involved in the lives of people around me- and I wish that I could take part in this in a big scale. The article lists things like asking questions, spending time together, doing small acts of service, and working toward common goals as aspects of family life that can be beneficial. I definitely want this in my life. This is the part of college life from the farm house that I miss most.

The author goes on to say that "Men and women were not designed to live alone. God's first commandment to the human race was "Be fruitful and multiply." By staying at home, we're able to live within the blessings of that multiplication — trading a cold, empty living room at the end of the day for a household full of warmth. This is healthy, good, and right."

Ouch. I get this, but it doesn't make me feel very good. It's things like this, and comments that marriage is the right way to live, that leave me wondering about the way I can live a purposeful single life.

Finally, service is a great thing for a Christian to take part in. A single person has more time for serving their community, family or roommates.

To quote the article, by living at home, "I don't have to fight to preserve my independence, so I can focus on the needs of others." I don't understand this- what does she mean by fighting to preserve my independence?

Ok, it's time to wrap up this huge post. In sum, I think the 'who to live with' decision is a personal one that depends on many, many things. Many singles would probably thrive living in a family home, but I think it is possible to thrive on your own as well. The success of both depends on many of the issues that the Boundless article discussed, along with others that are unique to each individual. The article brought up some great points, but I don't think it gives 20-somethings enough credit. This is the time in our lives to have fun, learn things and grow up into who God wants us to be.

Housing.

I've been thinking a lot lately about living situations for single women, probably because I'm pretty darn excited to finish raising support and move to Minneapolis. I play lots of scenarios in my head about potential situations...and I may or may not have a folder in my bookmarks tab labeled 'apts' with my favorite living options so far.

So this leaves me thinking about a roommate. I've been incredibly blessed with having amazing roommates for the last 5 years! Freshman year my roommate was a true Joy, a Christian with a strong and passion walk with the Lord who was a great example to me. Sophomore year I lived alone in the dorms since I was an RA. Junior and Senior year I lived in a charming old farmhouse with 3 good friends. We commuted 20 minutes to college, which was an experience in itself, and had a great two years there.

Then all my roommates either graduated or got married, while I still had one semester left. Bummed that I would have to go through my last semester of college without my besties, I ventured out on my own, renting a 2 bedroom apartment in lower Vermillion (but not the 'ghetto'). I loved living in town, and grew to love living on my own. I learned a lot about myself and gained independence in several good ways. For me, and probably for a lot of single women living on their own, my biggest struggle during this time was with self-centeredness.

After six months on my own, a new friend moved in with me. She'd been living in her own 2 bedroom apartment in a nearby town and decided she should downsize to save money. So she moved in to my apartment, in my tiny second bedroom. I had a roommate again!

At present, I'm living with a friend in a small 3 bedroom rental house. It's a great situation because I'm not tied into a lease, can help her with the bills and the one-story house is the perfect size for us.

Ahhh. What nice memories I have from some great college roommates! This leaves me contemplating my next move: my own place (very appealing, but very expensive and many negative aspects)? An apartment/house with friends (potentially the best option, but how likely)?

A good friend of mine prayed for me and this rooming situation the other day. I really appreciated her thoughtfulness - I had not asked her to pray about this, or even mentioned it at all in our 30 minute conversation. It's nice to know people are praying for me in all aspects of my ministry right now. And it's nice to know God's got it under control!

the Office!

I'm in Minneapolis, about to head into my soon-to-be office, and I'm pretty excited! :)

(Sorry if this title made you think this post was about the beloved tv show).