Moving - Love it or Hate it??

Well, it's getting down to the wire before I leave for Belgium! It's coming fast. My departure date is less than two weeks away! That brings me to the topic of my post- moving! I Hate the actual work of moving, but the end result is always rewarding. Why can't moving and packing just happen on it's own. Moving sure is hard work and I have the aches and bruises to prove it. On Monday my parents and I moved my furniture (Which at this point in my life is not much) but it was still hard work. To make matters worse we were doing it in the middle of a snow storm. My parents rented a U-haul truck to load up my stuff. We had to load up my furniture at my apartment and drive across town and unload it at my parents house. I fell on the ice and got banged up in the process. Later I dropped a chair down the steps at Mom and Dad's and got banged up some more. More craziness happened while moving- Mom decided to sit in the back of the U-Haul to make sure everything was ok and when my Dad went over a bump, she went flying up as did all my stuff. The kick-stand on my bike got broken off. What a day! Thanks Mom & Dad- they worked hard! I've moved 4 times in 4 years, and when I get everything moved to the new place I enjoy settling in, it's just that in between time! So, my question is- Do you hate moving and packing as much as I do??

God as Water

Last weekend I went to a women's retreat with women from our church. The theme of the retreat was water. There are many different kinds of water- peaceful water to chaotic water. Israelites viewed water as chaos. Jesus calms the chaos and he is the living water. As I was thinking about different forms of water I was thinking about how water can destroy and it can also make things grow. Isn't that interesting to think about? God- as living water is our sustenance. Without him we would not and cannot grow. As I was reading different passages about water I read Psalm 107:29 and it says God is so powerful he can calm a storm to a whisper! How amazing is that?? If he can do that think of how much he can calm the craziness and chaos in our lives. Another cool thing that I learned at the retreat is found in Ezekiel 47: 6b- 9. It says "Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, 'This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh' " How cool is that?? I had never really thought about that passage before. If God is the river, wherever he flows he is cleansing and making it pure. God as the river flows into us (the sea) and when he fills us with his living water we in turn are able to touch the lives of those around us through encouragement and support.

So, where did I see God this past weekend?
I saw him in the silliness and joy of those around me at the retreat. He was in every moment of deep and lighthearted laughter. (Which there was alot of!)
He was also in each peaceful and soul searching moment of quietness throughout Saturday.
God was in the beautiful winter day as well.
He was in each meaningful conversation I had with my sisters in Christ.
Last but not least he was in the amazing Sunset over Lake Michigan Saturday night. (See Below pics)

Beginning a New Chapter

It's a month into the new year of 2008 and what a year it has been already! The year began with me losing my job, but in the midst of hardship God has been faithful! I have been at peace about the whole situation knowing that God is in control. I have had no control over the situation which usually would have me freaking out but God had been preparing me for losing my job even though I had no idea it was going to happen. God sure does work in mysterious ways, but in amazing ways. If I had not lost my job I would not be embarking on this new adventure in my life of moving to Europe! I CAN'T believe it, I'm moving to Belgium! I have always wanted to visit Europe I never imagined I would be living there! This last month has been an emotional roller coaster. I have been trying to reconcile all these conflicting emotions inside me. I am closing a chapter in my life that is hard to say good-bye to. Having my roommate and dear friend move out of the apartment was a sad time. Those 7 months were a time I will treasure. I could not have asked for a better roommate. It was amazing living with a friend who totally gets me for me. I have also been SO excited about this new chapter! What an incredible experience it will be. It's also scary going into the unknown, but I'm taking God with me and I know this is where he wants me. I really feel like this will be a good fresh start in my life. My goal in my new adventure is to really live in the moment (hence the name of my Blog) and to see God in each moment and each experience I have. This will be my way of sharing me with you how I see God at work and hopefully you will get a taste of what is happening in my life. I have one month of preparation till my departure. I will keep you posted on the moments to countdown!