Thank you for hose who put in their input! :)

I too, have thought both the things that both of you brought up; especially as I consider my future family in the environment that God calls me to minister in.  I think what i have taken from this so far is the idea that Jesus' response to this situation...to loving and being with people whom  are "sick" is something he never "fled" from.  I hope that I can have this kind of mentality, while being considerate of the family in my life whom I will have to surrender to God as well.  This topic, as was said, is not easily answerable. 

So, today...actually, in 5 minutes, I am going on what I would call a prayer retreat.  I will be in a cabin on the grounds of a convent for 24 hours, to read, pray, walk in the woods, journal, and all that good stuff.  I will tell you how it goes.  In all honesty, I am a little nervous, but I want to go with this expectation......the same expectation people had in the Old Testament when they went to the temple...or to Bethel....or Jerusalem...places to meet with God. 

So, if you can, send up a prayer that I may truly experience what God wants me to experience. 

Dios se bendiga!

Today I spent most of the day with my best friend Nicki.  Good times were had by all. :)  It was a great time to catch up.

Throughout the events of our time together, we went to her brother and sister-in-law's house to help them clean their garage.  Living across the street is a family whom the neighborhood has had to call the cops on before, for different reasons.  Well today, that happened.  When one would expect just one or two cop cars for a neighbor's phone call, there were two or three cop cars, a fire engine, and an ambulance. 

After seeing many of the teenagers from the house brought into cop cars, a policewoman came over and talked to us.  "Did you hear any gunshots?" She asked.  We said no, as we hadn't heard anything. The policewoman informed us that they knew the mom of the family was almost never around, and that there were many differnet kids running in and out of the house. 

Unfortunately, someone in the household was shot.  I  have no idea how or why, but it was very upsetting to me. 

I just finished this book called "At Risk".  It talked about at-risk teenagers.  The author of the book, Scott Larson, and his wife, volunteer at numerous juvenile centers leading bible studies and helping kids who are in these places know about Jesus, true love, life after prison...

The whole time I just kept thinking about these kids in this family.  I pray for justice to be done against those who have done something wrong or illegal, but I can't help but feel such sorrow for these kids who have probably lacked so much in a family structure.  I know certain families that are leaving this area to get away from these kind of families and issues in their neighborhood, but is there another way?  Can we change our neighborhoods, rather than leaving them?  I am not to say that I wouldn't consider leaving too, because I would be lying if I said I didn't...but this is my community too.  And if people keep "fleeing", is there going to be a time where we can't "flee" anymore?

What do you guys think? 

Currently Reading Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul By John Eldredge, Stasi Eldredge see related

I am pitiful.....

I had time today where I was by myself for like three hours.  At first, it was nice.   I read a little, then I laid down for a little while, then I made some phone calls....

And then, I started to feel really bored.  Gosh, there are so many things that I want to learn, so many things I want to grow in, so many gifts that God has given me that I know I can develop in the quiet as well as in the moment of obvious application.  I am just lacking some kind of motivation. 

And I know, by the time this spring semester at North Park comes to the point where I feel overwhelmed, (which I am hoping I will handle much better this year) I know I will feel that I want to pause everything to just be still.  And that's where I am now...but without such a high desire for it.

I went to church today with some friends of mine.  A new church.  I really enjoyed the service and the sermon. But one thing that really stood out to me was the main song they used for the service.  It repeated the phrase

"we will wait upon the Lord.  We will wait upon the Lord." 

And I couldn't help but think how important waiting is. 

"Waiting" is something I have been thinking about a lot lately during this Christmas season.  In the psalms, the command to "wait upon the Lord" is usually followed by "Be strong and courageous."  I thought at first, why would we need to be strong and courageous if we are just waiting?  But then, after time, God revealed to me that we need to be strong to truly wait upon God and his word, rather than making a decision hastily for the sake of having an answer.  It can be tempting to answer something, or make a decision because of pressure. 

And then, we need to be courageous to truly act upon the thing God reveals to us after waiting on Him.  Sometimes God reveals things to us we just don't want to do, or are hard to do.  That's why we need courage. 

But God is our provision, because those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  So as we need strength to truly wait upon the Lord, God gives it to us in the midst of our waiting.  Another assurance that God will bring us through what he calls us to.

 The Office has become a very big fad in my life currently!

I never knew I'd have a show addiction....haha

I'm already on the 12th episode of the 2nd season!

"I feel like I should start collecting things like dishes, silverware......useful things that I will need for after college.  Dang!  That's what I should have asked for for Christmas." - Me (not a direct quote)

"You have so much time.  You don't have to worry about that now.  Cross that bridge when it comes. " -Danny (paraphrased) :)

So, today I went to Goodwill and Annie pointed out a 16 piece dishware set for only $10.  I am talking 4 big dishes, 4 saucers, 4 mugs, and 4 bowls.  All a creme color with a "sage" border.  Very modern, very nice, very worth it, and nothing broken.  So, I debated in my mind whether I should make the investment for at least 5 minutes. 

Let's just say I am a proud owner of new dishware. :)

Oh, and also...... I played Guitar Hero for the first time in my life today and it just happened to be Guitar Hero II! I think I found another evil temptation for procrastination at college! Aggghhhhh! haha