the sweetness of settling in

After the chaos of last year, I finally feel like my life is settling into a...well... LIFE. After Jake and I got married it seemed like we were going a million miles an hour. My 2 week trip to California, our trips back and forth to the cabin, train rides to the city, trying to find a teaching job, working at Parkview, no friends... It was endless business, fun, and loneliness combined.

When I think back over the last week or two, I am beginning to see the resemblance of what I would like my life to look like. We have a wonderful church, where we are making wonderful friends. We have a bible study that feeds and encourages. I am getting involved with the youth group which I love. I finally am a professional substitute teacher, which is amazing. I am still working at a gourmet shop which is too much fun. We have friends. We can enjoy being in the beautiful city of Chicago, or running in our quaint suburban neighborhood. We know when enough is enough and we need a night to be home and quiet. I could not ask for a better life than one I have been gifted with. I do miss my family, but the times we have ahead to be together make me so excited.

I am a planner and a lover of routine. Although I have learned to flexible, and my days reflect the need for flexibility, I love getting up and going to the gym. I love working, making dinner, watching my favorite tv show and crawling into bed to cuddle with my husband at the end of a long day. I have found that there is a broad routine that creates comfort, and a fluctuation that happens daily to keep me on my toes.

WOOO HOOOOO

I finally went to orientation today at the Libertyville High School and I already have a teaching (subbing) job for tomorrow lined up! It has been a long road to get where I am now, but I am so excited I cannot wait!

WOW

The Prosperity GOSPEL

I found this video on a friend's Facebook page (Thanks Heather!) and thought it was quite interesting. It seemed almost harsh to me, offensive even. But when I think about what the message at heart is- it's true.

Extreme Home Makeover VS. The BIG GIVE???

Extreme Home Makeover is one of my favorite shows. I love the stories of the families and watching Ty and the gang bring the family's dreams to life. I'm not sure what the motive behind the show is, but I like the message of giving back without any reward (that I know of) other than seeing the joy giving brings and helping people.

The Big Give is Oprah's new TV show. To be fair I am not a huge fan of Oprah. I used to be, but after her "Spirituality" bent and cheering for Obama, I have really lost respect for her. I digress.... The premise of the show is there are a group people chosen to give away money (Oprah's $) to those in need. They have a partner and are "graded" on how much money they raised to give, how creative they were, teamwork, and attitude. What they don't know is that Oprah will give the last person standing 1 MILLION dollars.

Alright, so this is good right? People are giving instead of taking... They are doing good for others... I guess my struggle is that they are doing it to win a competition. There is a criteria for their giving. I don't think the people on the show are bad, or even that everyone has selfish motives to be on TV or win the competition... But it makes me think about the parable of the Pharisee and the poor man who went to the temple to pray, or the rich man who made a generous gift to the church known while the poor woman with only a penny gave it away quietly... The obvious lessons of the parables are that the motive for giving or praying is not to be seen and heard. Giving is to be from the heart.

God is the only one who can judge the heart, let me make that clear. I just wonder what the "heart" behind turning giving into a competition is...