Melody's Melodies

Recent things: It’s been a crazy couple of weeks as this...

Wed, 09 May 2012 20:59:00 -0400

Recent things:

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks as this school year comes to a close (I’m almost halfway done with college what?) but I thought I’d share some recent design/art stuff I’ve been working on.

I made some business cards for my sweet future roommate, Rae. She makes custom jewelry for her store, ARae Designs.

I submitted a tshirt to Apoc Apparel’s design contest and it’s getting printed! Go order one at apocapparel.com :)

I’ve also been taking a film black and white photography class - super fun. I love being in the darkroom. My little sister was kind enough to model for me, even when I wanted to dress her up in crazy tribal looking makeup! I even got mom in on the modeling thing - I’ll put those pics up when I get them printed.

This is the product of today’s B&W photography class!...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:38:38 -0400

This is the product of today’s B&W photography class! As you can maybe see, the print is still wet from developing. My phone doesn’t really do it justice and there will be more to come (this is a series) but I just had to put up my progress! This class has been so fun, and I love learning how to essentially “hand photoshop” my pictures. Many, many thanks to Haley Cohen for being my beautiful model. She’s so talented and natural!

I am never making normal cookies again. Target comes through yet...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:43:21 -0400

I am never making normal cookies again. Target comes through yet again with candy eyes! Emma and I had the greatest time making our snickerdoodles come to life. Speaking of which, the pillsbury box mix is the greatest. Thing. EVER. And it’s probably the easiest recipe in the world.

Wow my life is great.

6 months <3 Who has the greatest boyfriend ever? I do! :)

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:10:39 -0400

6 months <3 Who has the greatest boyfriend ever? I do! :)

ships in the night - mat kearney. i’m a fan.

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:39:40 -0400

ships in the night - mat kearney. i’m a fan.

#mylife

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:16:03 -0400

#mylife

"In the end, what we pay the most attention to defines us. How you choose to spend the irreplaceable..."

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:11:04 -0400

“In the end, what we pay the most attention to defines us. How you choose to spend the irreplaceable hours of your life literally transforms you.”

- Diane Ackerman

Two hours to go! I decided that I won’t blog at the...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 17:28:10 -0400

Two hours to go! I decided that I won’t blog at the airport, just to save precious battery on my ipod…I’m not sure if it can last the whole 15 hours.

We had a wonderful last Sunday at Grace. This church has been my home and my family for fourteen years, almost my whole life. What a huge blessing it is to be going on this trip with adults I’ve grown up with since I was five! Through every trial we’ve faced, Grace has been behind my family and I am eternally grateful for the friends we’ve had here. I must admit that I cried when Pastor Scott announced our move. I was so blessed by how many people showed up to help yesterday (yet again) and I was reminded of just how much my spiritual family means to me.

Mom and Katie are taking off right after I do. We need prayer for safe travels for everyone. I know this week is going to be so insane in so many ways, God is so infinitely good!! May he be glorified in everything we do in the following eight days.

Thank you everyone for supporting me and my family and praying for us thus far. We couldn’t have done half of what we did this summer without your help. I look forward to sharing stories with you all and visiting Hollister as much as possible!

mahal ka ni Hesus - Jesus loves you! :) Paalam, goodbye, USA!

Four movies are downloading. Two ipods are plugged in. Music is...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:31:14 -0400

Four movies are downloading. Two ipods are plugged in. Music is copying from a cd. Cell phone is charging. My third ipod is charging. My laptop might explode with all the activity! I’m just sitting here, writing in my new travel journal, practically twitching with excitement - and we don’t even leave until 10 pm tomorrow night.

Today has been such a crazy, crazy day. If I had a penny for every time I’ve said that this summer, I’d be totally rich by now. My family and I were SO blessed to have all the help that we did this morning. The men (and women!) of Grace really came through in some amazing ways, and we can now say that our entire house is clean and everything is loaded in a huge moving truck! I hoarded everything that I needed for the Philippines in my closet, with a big sign that said “Do NOT put on the truck!” All of that is now safely in the back of my Tracker, packed and ready to go. We had a little bit of a scare when our cat disappeared for the day and it looked like he wasn’t coming back - but thankfully the second time my mom drove over, he was waiting, inspecting the empty house and freaking out a little. The whole family is now at the Cooks’.

I’m hoping I get one last chance to blog tomorrow before we take off, probably from my ipod in the airport… I can’t even think straight right now because of nerves and excitement! All of a sudden I feel so completely inadequate - but I know that when I am weak, He is strong. I don’t remember if I already shared this verse, but I read this week that Romans 8:26 says “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” I find that so incredibly comforting - because even as I sit here, at a loss for what to pray for as I head into tomorrow, I know that the Holy Spirit has got me covered :) He knows the souls of the people we’re going to reach, he knows the entire plan, and he’s interceding for ME. How cool is that?!?

Well, seeing as it’s late and I’ve got pretty much the biggest day ever tomorrow, I’ll say goodnight! As usual, prayers are much needed. Love to everyone, and if I don’t blog again I’ll see you all when I return (Lord willing) from MINDANAO!!! Seee yaaaaa :)

Melody

So I kind of fail. I started writing blog posts three times this...

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:16:13 -0400

So I kind of fail. I started writing blog posts three times this week, after promising several people to keep things updated…and here it is, Friday afternoon, and I’m just getting around to posting! Apparently, being in SLO makes me super lazy. :)

It has, however, been a pretty busy week. I’ve been playing mom and feeling quite official as I sign syllabi and pick up school supplies for my little sis. I trotted around back to school night like a proud parent, and almost cried when she got out of the car to start her first day of high school. Go figure. My mom was laughing at me because I woke up at 6 am Thursday, worried out of my mind that the alarm hadn’t gone off and she was late for school. Then I realized the sun wasn’t even up yet.

In between, while Katie’s handling her first few days of school, I’ve been hanging at my favorite coffee shops doing quiet time and wandering downtown. The more time I spend here, the more I just want to be a beach bum! A sad aspiration to be sure, but Avila is just gorgeous and the weather this week has been absolutely perfect. I’ve also loved catching up on design work and spending time with friends, especially the ones I didn’t know I was going to run into!

I can’t believe I’m saying this - but I leave for the Philippines the day after tomorrow. Um, WHAT? Where did, like, this whole month go?? We pack tonight, and catch a redeye Sunday night. It’s been so great having everyone tell me they’re on their knees for us. We sure need all the prayers, so thank you to each and every one of you that’s been faithful in that area.

I bought a new journal the other day, just because it had a map on the cover :) It will be perfect for documenting my travels, starting with this missions trip. I probably won’t have internet access while I’m there, but expect a slough of updates when I return! There will be writing and photos, and possibly even video footage! I can’t wait to share with everyone the amazing things I’m sure God is going to do over there. I’ve been so encouraged this week, listening to Emily’s stories about her trip to Africa, and I can’t wait to have my own stories (well really, God’s stories) about Mindanao.

3 more short weeks and then I’ll be back to Poly! I have so many plans for projects, I just know this year is going to be even more incredible than the last. Much love to everyone, I’ll try to post once more before I take off. For now, enjoy the pictures from the past few days!

- Melody

Well, day three of packing is well under way. The stacks of...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:56:50 -0400

Well, day three of packing is well under way. The stacks of boxes grow ever taller. The best part has been discovering things hidden away in the depths of my closet…pictures are coming soon to prove it! The only problem is, we packed the camera cords. Go figure. But Katie W. and I stumbled upon our dressup bin from waaaaay back in the day, and of course we had to try all the stuff on to see if it fit! Most of it did, just a little bit differently than it used to. Everything was slightly short. I guess some lucky little kid will get many more years out of it.

Other than that….Katie W has been successfully stocked with nylons for life. Who knew I had a whole drawer full of them? Can’t wait to see what’s under my bed 0_o I did find my handpainted scarf from Russia, so I’m wearing that and feeling like a hipster. (haha, Kenzie!)

I think the only good thing about moving is that we now get to eat out every meal! Seeing as the whole kitchen is in a box and that the oven has been poisoned with easy off, we sort of have to go to Subway all the time now! I’m not complaining.

Tomorrow officially marks ONE WEEK until I leave for the Philippines! Yay! Everything is laid out on my bed…well, at least all my clothes. There’s still so much to do. It needs to go somewhere so I can sleep tonight…

Only one more day in the house I’ve lived in for fifteen years of my life. Weird.

Katie is yelling about the fact that there is no butter in the...

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:35:29 -0400

Katie is yelling about the fact that there is no butter in the house. She was making potatoes…in less than five minutes she had her instant spuds, but when she looked in the fridge for something to add taste (to the salty mess), she discovered we in fact did not have butter. This was, of course, unreasonable. I was therefore blamed for the problem. After some thinking about that, however, we discovered that it was actually her fault, because she used TWO sticks in yesterday’s cookies. I was blame free, but Katie is still very unhappy that her potatoes are inedible.

We are now watching Psych, which turns out to be the only decent thing instant Netflix has to offer. Thanks, but I’d rather not watch “Redneck Mexicans”. The movie department is a leeeeetle lacking. Katie bets Sean has butter in HIS house.

Yesterday was mom’s birthday, happy birthday mom!! We’re going to officially celebrate once we’re in SLO. But we did have some mud pie, and she got to go out to dinner!

The Webers are here for the weekend - they’ve been family friends since I can remember. We’ve all been packing like crazy…only a week and a half left before I leave for a different country, and mom takes everything we own to a different city. That’s so hard to believe!

So much is going on that I think my brain is going to shut down. I’ve been trying to think of something important to write about, but I think that will just have to wait til I’m relaxing on the beach next week and can think :)

Until then, I’m keeping a running tally of the spiders we’ve killed in the process of moving. Please enjoy the pictures.

Well, the family is suiting up for the battle that the next few...

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 20:51:38 -0400

This is the school we're going to!

Can you tell I just woke up?

Well, the family is suiting up for the battle that the next few weeks are going to bring. I’m taking Katie for a week so she can start school. As soon as I get back, I’m leaving for the Philippines…and when I return, my home will no longer be in Hollister. It’s going to be a whirlwind of packing, packing, packing with life in between.

We really kicked things off yesterday with a massive garage sale. We got rid of lots of furniture that we can’t take with us. The only thing we couldn’t sell was the couch, so that’s still up for grabs if there are any takers out there! After a long day in the sun, Jessica and I ended up deciding to go out for dinner - Red Lobster and Coldstone was the perfect way to relax with my BIFFLE :)

This morning I was privileged to teach the 3rd and 4th grade Sunday school class. It was a great practice for what VBS is going to be like in the Philippines. Somehow I always forget how much energy little kids have! It probably doesn’t help if you give them cookies, either. We talked about compassion and prayed for the kids I’m going to meet in the Philippines. I told them the children in Mindanao are going to VBS for the first time, and are going to hear about Jesus for the first time too. They thought that was pretty cool, since most of them have grown up going to VBS every summer.

When I got home I was a little wiped out. I taught preschool and kindergarten Sunday School while I was a senior, but I’d never worked with older kids in a class setting. Of course, I’ve done lots of VBS over the summers, but that involved skits, music, and rec at the park…it’s completely different to be stuck in one room, and if you run out of things to do, how do you keep things under control? I’ve got some good ideas now of what we can do in the Philippines so that I’m not exhausted every day.

I plopped down on my bed to relax and picked up “Heaven is for Real,” my mom’s other birthday present that I got to borrow when she finished it :) I just finished it. It was such a quick read and so captivating that I didn’t realize how many hours I spent, curled up with my eyes glued to the pages.

It’s funny because I just finished “Erasing Hell” yesterday - so within the span of three days I’ve read a book about heaven, and a book about hell. And I’ve learned some incredible things.

One of the things in “Erasing Hell” that stood out to me the most was the fact that often times we apologize for God. When something doesn’t fit with our human understanding, we brush it aside or twist things to suit our own purposes. I had forgotten, and was duly reminded, that God’s ways are infinitely higher than my own. Francis Chan challenged me by his words - can I love a God I don’t always understand? I need to stop apologizing FOR God and start apologizing TO Him…for neglecting to share some of His truths.

I was already planning a new arsenal to take on the missions trip, and when I read “Heaven is For Real” today it made me even more adamant that the gospel needs to be heard in Mindanao. The book is about the amazing story of Colton Burpo, who went to heaven when he was four years old, during a surgery. He affirmed his trip by describing perfectly accurately what his parents were doing in other parts of the hospital while he was unconscious. He then proceeded to amaze them over the years by telling them things scripture confirms, but that he had never heard about before in his short life. I love one part of the book where Colton’s parents take him to a funeral for the first time. He freaks out when he finds out that the man who died might not have been saved. He insists that the man “Had to have Jesus in his heart!” to get to heaven. He also repeats over and over to his father that Jesus “REALLY loves the children”.

I’m so excited to care for children in another part of the world. I want them to know that “heaven is for real”. I also want them to know that hell is for real…but that there is an incredible alternative, made possible through Jesus Christ.

Please continue to pray for me, my family, my team…after reading in these books about how God directly answers prayer, I know so much more that I truly need it.

Blessings in Christ,

Melody

No, I’m not cheating! Hopefully my posts will still update...

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:45:21 -0400

No, I’m not cheating! Hopefully my posts will still update to facebook, even without me logging in. I won’t see any comments until September 12th, however. Unless of course you comment directly on tumblr.

The point of today’s post is to share some thoughts that have been rolling around in my head this morning!

Thought #1 - I keep trying to think of a goal for this blog. For some reason it makes me feel better when a blog has a specific purpose. As I tried to pick a focus however, I realized I was trying to think of a way to separate my design life and my spiritual life. I love sharing thoughts and lessons I’ve learned, but I also love making pretty things and posting pictures. Then I stopped and was like, “well, why can’t they be one and the same?” So, if anyone cares, the focus of this blog is going to be about me discovering more of Jesus and making art along the way!

Thought #2 - Moving is ridiculously overwhelming. How am I supposed to put my whole house in a box?

Thought #3 - Mint ice cream tastes like toothpaste.

Thought #4 - Actually, more of an announcement. I emailed Francis Chan and got a reply from his secretary! She says she forwarded my email to him and that he was encouraged…he also remembers my mom from when they went to youth group together in high school! I gotta admit I was hoping for a “Let’s get together and catch up” invite… but some day I will fulfill my goal of kickin it with Francis, haha :)

Thought #5 - Life is nice without television.

Since I finished “Don’t Waste Your Life”, I’ve nabbed my mom’s birthday present and started reading “Erasing Hell” by the aforementioned Francis Chan. I’m already halfway through it, and I must say it’s amazing and completely sobering. I’m hoping my next post can work in some of my favorite highlights.

Back to the thoughts.

Thought #6 - People look really funny when they concentrate.

Thought #7 - Having more clearly solidified a plan for VBS in the Philippines, I am getting even more excited about this trip. It will be weird coming home to a new house - but I must say it will be nice to recover from jetlag at the beach! Please continue to pray for our whole team as we prepare, we always need it.

Thought #8 - I want to sleep for like, a whole week.

Thought #9 - It’s pathetic, but I already miss facebook. This is SO good for me.

Thought #10 - There’s not enough hours in the day to tell everyone how much I love and care for them.

It’s a strange passion…but I just love designing...

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:12:45 -0400

It’s a strange passion…but I just love designing tshirts. Maybe I like it so much because I get to see the shirts being put to good use? I hate design going to waste, so that’s probably it. I came home one day and my little sister and friends were each sporting a different shirt I had made over the last couple years. Two were from Grace Bible Church’s vacation Bible school, and the other one was from the same Church’s youth group. I realized I’d done quite a few tshirts since I started high school. My portfolio includes speech and debate shirts, AP Lit shirts, and drama shirts…as well as all the previously mentioned church shirts.

I have to laugh when I look back on my first designs - it’s so hilarious that people actually gave me a chance. My favorite is AP Lit, because absolutely no one gets it. My class chose to use a quote from the book “Heart of Darkness”…and the back of the shirt has two creepy eyes with “AP Lit” in them, and below it reads “The horror, the horror”! Don’t ask.

I’m so thankful for all those opportunities. If my teachers had not graciously agreed to let me make class shirts, I probably wouldn’t have a job right now. All this summer I’ve been in the art department at a local screenprinting and embroidery company. The best projects are the ones where clients say “Be creative!” They’re also the most challenging, but in the end when they approve the final product, I’m incredibly happy. The best part is driving around town with my mom shouting, “HEY! I made that company shirts!”

But just designing shirts for the purpose of designing shirts is not enough. I firmly believe that everything I do must glorify God. I’ve had this little dream for a while, and now it’s not so little. I’m thinking seriously of launching a Christian apparel website, which will of course have to happen after my family moves, and after I go on my missions trip. That’s the thing though - I’m always so busy, so if I’m serious about this I have to MAKE time.

Not only would it be clothing, but I want a blog to go with it that discusses modesty. I want Christian guys to give input, and I want Christian girls to give input to guys. Right now I’m leaning towards a mix of styles…but I think NOTW has got most of the hardcore stuff covered. My influences are a little more vintage, a little more Urban Outfitters :) We’re gonna start with v-necks and go from there.

I’m tossing around two slogans, either “I design because HE first designed me” or, “Dressing to further the gospel”. I want a clear goal in mind. Because as one of my favorite rappers says, “There’s more to life in Christ than just shirts”. What you wear definitely says something about you, and I want these shirts/other clothing to initiate conversations, inspire, be reminders, start a movement. Any and all of the above. Oh, and I also want the clothes to look GOOD. Stuff people would actually wear, you know.

The reason I’m writing about this now is because I need help. I definitely don’t have the time to manage this all on my own. So, if anyone has input, if anyone wants to help once I actually get this thing going, shoot me an email or call me. First of all, I need help figuring out what to call this whole project. I need a brand name. I have a few ideas, but I need suggestions too!

Of course I’m praying about all this - I have a habit of never finishing big projects, but this one is important to me, and if God would use my abilities like this right now, then I want to do it. It’s sort of come down to choosing between two big projects (the other one is a secret), and right now I’m leaning towards this one.

Like I said, I’m taking a month off facebook, but I would love to hear feedback about whether or not I should start this venture, and if anyone would step out on it with me.

Melody

There is more to this post than nails, I promise! But I read...

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:56:31 -0400

There is more to this post than nails, I promise! But I read somewhere that having pictures always helps a blog, so….yeah. Kenzie came over yesterday and we had a blast doing newsprint nails. We watched old disney movies and drank tea while we held strips of newspaper on our nails for hours. It was pretty great, and I thought they turned out kinda cool! :)

I finished reading “Don’t Waste Your Life” this morning, and I’m wishing it wasn’t over. Definitely one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read. I’m still going to say “Crazy Love” is my all time favorite, but Piper has joined the running, for sure. I’ve been convicted that I need to give facebook a break for a while. As I continue to prepare for the Philippines, I’m worried I’ll want to put things on facebook for the wrong reasons. Motives are everything, and I want to make sure mine are pure. That’s why, as of this Friday, I will be taking a month off (until Sept. 12). Not only will this keep me from making much of myself, but it will also help me focus on moving and preparing for the missions trip. I also want to prove that I can give up facebook, haha. There’s more to life than comments and pictures.

I will still be blogging, I just won’t receive comments…and blogging will be purely based on updates about the trip, needs, prayer requests, etc. It may also include things I’ve learned that I want to share. Feel free to text or call me, I know lots of people want to talk about us moving and find out when we’re leaving.

“There was a time love felt like this - when I could not conceive of any joy greater than the honor of my name…”

But

“How could I stand before the setting sun, between the mountain range and the vastness of the sea, and think that everlasting joy should come from making much of me?”

I will boast only in Christ!

Can we talk about how awesome Spirit West Coast was?!? Lecrae is...

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:55:15 -0400

Can we talk about how awesome Spirit West Coast was?!? Lecrae is one of my favorite rappers, hands down. Yes, I am proudly reppin my Rehab shirt today :) Not only did he perform some of my favorite songs, he gave some really cool messages…I think my favorite quote of the evening was from a story he told about priests who were asked to denounce their faith so that they would not be put to death. One by one the priests got up and cursed God. The last man looked at his wife, who said “I would rather be the widow of a martyr, than married to a coward.” It’s sobering to think that a lot of Christians would walk away from their faith if it meant keeping their life. But didn’t Jesus say “those who lose their life for my sake will find it”? I want to be like the priest and his wife in that story! I’d rather be a martyr, or married to one, than walk away from saving faith.

He also made a really cool analogy with the stage lights. He said no one probably even noticed them before he said anything. They’re just up there, doing their job, making him look good. That’s how we should be, shining on God, glorifying Him, making HIM look good, not ourselves. No one should even notice us. We need to play the background.

Other highlights…got to kick it with my favorite boys from Bakersfield, I just love hanging out with them! We met Trevor, the lead singer from Thousand Foot Krutch, then watched them give an amazing show. I ran into friends from high school and church, and we even got clam chowder from fisherman’s wharf in Monterey. Shout out to Andrew, cause it’s his birthday today! I am so, so thankful for Christian friends who keep it real. I’m completely stoked for going to the Philippines, which is right around the corner! I’m also really looking forward to this next school year…I can’t wait to trade stories with people about what God did this summer in their lives.

Something I was thinking about yesterday is how completely amazing it is that there’s not specific type of “worship” music. Worship doesn’t even need to be music, necessarily! As I listened to rap and heavy metal artists spill their hearts and proclaim truth, I was struck by how genuine they were. It’s not that I ever doubted them, it was just cool to witness how REAL they are in person. I love that no matter what gift you have to praise the Lord, you can do it!

Life is so good right now - just gotta throw a big thank you out there to the Giver of all joy.

And now, some things I will shamelessly promote and ask for prayer for, because I can!

My team from Grace - pray for us, we leave for the Philippines on August 28th!

Kyle Lowery, aka K-Low & his bro Zach - They’re working on a new project, so pray for them. They also make super cool music, check it out! www.k-lowraps.com

Apoc Apparel - my friends make awesome clothing. www.apocapparel.com

I have a TON of friends all over the world, especially in El Salvador. They’re doin the Lord’s work, lift em up if you think of them!

“Lord I wanna stock up, pack a bag and walk up, in a country where sharing my faith may get me shot up…anywhere I go, whether my city Lord, or far abroad - I just wanna show them Jesus Christ the risen Holy God” ~ Lecrae, “Send Me”

Things I made today: 1. A thank you card for my Aunt, Uncle,...

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:14:42 -0400

Things I made today:

1. A thank you card for my Aunt, Uncle, & cousins - the verse is 1 John 2:17, which reads “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

2. My design notebook I carry everywhere…I figured I should do something to the blank cover. It says, “Melody’s book of design (and other awesome things)”. I enjoy stroking the mustache when I think.

3. A jewelry hanger out of my old artist’s palette. Katie and I splattered more paint all over it, then ran down to Ace Hardware for some decorative nails with little flowers on the tops, as well as hooks so that I could stick a paintbrush on there somewhere.

What I learned today:

Lots of Christians are stuck in a pattern of avoidance…they avoid the bad things in life, but they forget about DOING good things. Love love love “Don’t Waste Your Life”. Reading through it so slowly is definitely worth it.

…And six hours later, we have a super cool present for...

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:41:33 -0400

…And six hours later, we have a super cool present for Serena!

Kaitlin and I were at a loss for what to get Serena for her birthday, so we wandered over to Logos in Santa Cruz. That’s when I had the bright idea to buy some vintage books and make her a box. I had no idea what I was getting us into. Thankfully, Kaitlin was so patient and we had a fantastic time making it!

We wandered around at first, searching for a hardcover copy of Moby Dick we could cut up (long story.) We’re convinced one doesn’t exist. I mean, why pay more for a hardcover when no one wants to buy the awful book in the first place? But I digress. We settled upon three beautiful books all published in 1908. It killed Kaitlin to destroy them, but the covers were too pretty to resist! We later learned that most of them were about Oedipus.

We took them home, got out the modge podge, exacto knives, tea (lots of tea) and cookies - and sat down to work. Kait first glued all the pages together. We then spent the better part of Sunday carving out the innards of each book. We removed the back covers from the top two, then glued them to each other. A hairdryer turned out to be most useful in the process. Finally, we wallpapered the inside with leftover pages from the book. We think it turned out wonderfully!

Happy birthday Serena - we love you lots! :)

I’ve come to the conclusion that no photo could ever...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:29:38 -0400

I’ve come to the conclusion that no photo could ever capture the entirety of the magnificence of Kings Canyon. Of course I tried - but I think it’s God’s simple way of reminding us that no human can completely replicate something divinely created. He is most beautiful - and I could spend hours drinking in the view of the mountains, the redwoods, the shimmering lake. Phil Wickham got it right. “I see your face in every sunrise, the colors of the morning are inside your eyes - the world awakens in the light of the day, I look up to the sky and say - you’re beautiful.” The beauty of creation reflects on the Creator. How much MORE beautiful must He be?

I’ve always been disappointed returning home after a trip to Hume. Let’s be real, Hollister just can’t compare. It reminded me of how I felt coming home from camp, where my sister is this week. Just as my house is more boring than a cabin in the woods, my spiritual life felt more boring after the high of being at camp. However, God has led me to a lot of realizations the past year, changing my perspective. Two of them go hand in hand.

First, He does not always proclaim His might in a big way. Hollister still declares the glory of God. Second, most often, the voice of God comes as a whisper.

Here’s what I read this morning in I Kings 19:11-13.

“So He said, ‘Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him…”

God doesn’t always raise His voice over the busyness that consumes our lives. He doesn’t always speak clearest during the emotional high of a summer camp. The wind, the earthquake, the fire - they proclaim His coming…but He’s not in them. Just when I think He’s left because I can’t hear His voice, He forces me to listen for His whisper - pulling my attention from the world and back to Him.

I can’t explain how much that verse means to me. I’m no longer looking for hurricanes, no longer expecting fire in day-to-day life. The Lord has taught me subtlety.