The End

My first day on campus, I drove over the sidewalk and nearly died of mortification.

My first year, I completed a triathlon and ran a half-marathon.

The second year, my sister came :)

The third year, I became a nurse!

I just finished the last semester: a BSN graduate.

No longer does driving over sidewalks embarrass me (in fact

I don't do it anymore because I've learned

where the sidewalks are!).

I've participated in the triathlon many years as I've been at Southern. 

My sister is now going to have a year without me,

as I did without her.

I leave so many things behind: memories, friends, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Its the end.

But wait!

I take something with me! I take my degree. I take a deeper understanding of what it means to

be a Christian, an Adventist, and what it means to serve. I take memories. While I leave friends

behind, I don't leave behind what they have meant to me. I take away from Southern somthing

I didn't have when I came: a college education and the ability to put it to use.

Now this is my prayer:

  Take my life and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing,

Always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect and use

Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,

 It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee.

In, Yet Out

"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, 

but that thou shouldest keep them from evil."

~ John 17:15

yet:

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will 

come again, and receive you unto myself; that where

 I am, there ye may be also."

~ John 14:3

but this has to happen first:

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things

whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo,

I am with you always,

even unto the end of the world. Amen!"

~ Matthew 28:19-20

A Lost Art

Today I had to tell someone where to put an address on an envelope.

Writing by hand is definitely becoming a lost art

(as evidenced by using the internet to post this piece of information!)

But at least I know where to put an address on an envelope.

And still hand-write letters. ;)

The Day I Lay My Isaac Down

I have a prayer as pure as gold

That where You lead me I will go

And I'll embrace the holy plea

Each time Your Spirit calls to me

And in that hour, and in that time

When I must lose my will in Thine

My true devotion will be found

The day I lay my Isaac down

Each sacrifice You call me to

I'll die to self, I'll live for You 

Take up the cross forsake the crown

The day I lay my Isaac down

Your Lamb of Love Thy blessed friend

Nailed to the alter for each sin

There in my place Your Son was bound

The day You laid Your Isaac down

~ Scott Krippayne

The Carpenters Shop

The bench was well-situated. Anything the carpenter did could be seen from it. Yet I shifted restlessly around while I watched. It all seemed so slow to me. One shaving at a time, he patiently worked the wood, seemingly unaware of my fidgeting.

"I think I've got it, " I said at last, "Thanks for the lesson. I can probably do it now."

"There are still many things I could show you, why don't you stay a while longer?"

"Thanks, I think I can do it. I've got the important stuff down."

"You've got the main concepts, but its the little things I haven't shown you yet that make the trade. Stay a little while more." He patiently went back to shaving.

 I sighed. I could do it, I knew I could. After all, wasn't he the best carpenter around? I'd watched for a long time. All you do it move the plane back and forth along the board.

The carpenter straightened up. "Why don't you work here with me?" he invited.

"I want to go somewhere else," I replied, "There is more to do out there and I'll get more experience. Besides,   everyone says theres a lot of need for carpenters in surrounding areas."

"There is a lot of work here, " he reminded, "And we can do it together. I'll show you some areas that you can work on to improve."

"But...."

"You can be useful here. There are people all around you and more come in every day."

"It seems more exciting to go further away. People  think about you differently when they know you are out on your own."

"I don't. It doesn't matter to me whether you are working here with me or if you go far away. Its work that needs to be done, child. Don't wait to use your talents till the situation seems perfect. Using them now will gain you experience and at the same time help those who need it."

"....in the humblest duties and lowliest positions of life, we may walk and work 

with Jesus..... You are not to wait for great occasions or to expect

extraordinary abilities before you go to work for God. You need not have

a thought of what the world will think of you. If your daily

life is a testimony of the purity and sincerity of your faith, and others are

convinced that you desire to benefit them, your efforts will not be 

wholly lost."

~ Steps to Christ pgs. 82 & 83

Thanksgiving

Still life can sometimes be easier to capture than moving targets, thus here you see portrayed that aspect of

our Thanksgiving gathering. I assure you, however, that the people that attended

this dinner were by far the better half :)

The Tea Table

One of my favorite teacups :)

 

Amazing cookies (oat-date)

Place setting

Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and walnuts
(even if you don't like Brussels Sprouts, you'd like these!)

Veggies!

The "Turkey"

Cous Cous Salad with winter squash (Made lovingly by dad)

Cranberry sauce

Stuffed Mushrooms

Yams and Sweet potatoes

Tea time

Ginger Coconut Pecan Pie
(I left out the coconut and only put half the ginger....and it
was much better that way...though a little soupy. I can't
figure out how to make it gel. I think I should try flax seed...)

Prayer

How to Pray?

For Peace: that suffering will come to an end

For Persecution: that Christ’s return will be hastened

For Patience: that we might live peaceable with one another

For Zeal: to finish the work quickly so that we can go Home

For Forbearance: to accept everyone as a child of God

For Boldness: to share His life-changing message with them

For Love: to see everyone as His creation

For Perception: to discern the things that are not of God

For Wisdom: to know the things of God

For Meekness: to walk humbly with Him and our fellow men

“O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.” ~ Psalm 65:2


~ Allie Westermeyer

Thankful

a colored leaf

water

hope

a smile

my family

clouds

running

forgiveness

mountains

a Savior

                               
                       
                          For this, I am Thankful

The Light

Allana was just a shadowy figure in front of me. The only noises she made were the rustle of leaves and the snapping of twigs as we ran down the trail. It was almost dark, but we were searching. Peering through the dusk, we hurried down the trail towards a clearing.

The moon glowed deep orange-yellow, hazy in the autumn dusk. Though it first appeared to be stuck in the last trembling leaves above us, it slowly tugged free of the branches and climbed higher into the gathering gloom.

We stood, transfixed for a few moments, mesmerized by its surreal light. Slowly, we turned and walked back down the trail in the dark.

Its dark now. The sun seems very far away. But we are not left completely without light. There is something left to guide us. Something reflecting, mirroring the sun that seems invisible now. Yet there is a reflection. With no light of its own, the moon radiates the light that is given to it from the sun. 

And I can't help but wonder: How are we doing reflecting the light of the Son?

Travel

"It is God to Whom and with Whom we travel, and while He is the 

end of our journey, He is also at every stopping place." 

~ Elisabeth Elliot

By Faith

When I go running in the morning, it is still dark.

This isn't a problem when I take a friend along, but if I can't find

someone to go with me it can be a little scary.

Near the beginning of the route, there is a set of train tracks

with a tunnel going underneath them.

Its pitch black under there and all I can see is the light at the

other end. I have no idea what the path looks like at my

feet. I just have to keep looking straight ahead, 

trusting that nothing is lying in the trail. 

"For we walk by faith, not by sight"

~ 2 Corinthians 5:7

I can't always see, but I can always trust.

Giving Up

"God does not require us to give up anything that it is for our best interest to retain."

~ Steps to Christ, pg.46

Perseverance and achievement  is looked upon in todays society as something

 to be desired.I think of posters like the following:

Yet in the quote above, its the exact opposite that God calls us to do.

We are called to give up.

"But what do we do when we give up all? -- A sin polluted

heart, for Jesus to purify, to cleans by

His own blood, and to save by His matchless love. And

yet men think it is hard to give up all!"

~ pg.46

Giving up trying to fix things on your own; giving up struggling

to accomplish your own purposes; giving

up plans, ideas, feelings.

"You can give Him your will; He will then work in

you to will and to do according to His good

pleasure."

~ pg. 47

Turning everything over to Him will allow for the character

 to be molded and shaped. In return from 

giving Him your life, you will gain everything.

"You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast,

and thus through constant surrender to God you

will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of

faith."

~ pg.48

GAVE UP ALL

"To do"

I love lists. I like to write them, cross things off, rewrite and revise. There are so many opportunities to write lists: for the day, for the week, for things that need to be done in the next month. At any given time if you look at my desk you will probably see 2-3 lists going at once!

You can make lists about people too: who you need to talk to, call, or email. I can make lists of places I want to go: China, Vermont, Siberia, Chile. School is most frequent topic of my lists: the paper I need to write, the book I need to read, an assignment that is due. 

Today I found a new list. One I think that will take me a while to cross off. Its in 2 Peter 1:6-8. It says, "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

I think I've found some new things to add to my lists. Lord, give me Your strength to follow after You.

Migration

It was 37 degrees and my nose was tingling pleasantly. As I walked along the road, my breath made white puffs in front of my face. The sun was just peeking over a hill wrapped in orange, red, pale yellow, and green. Beautiful!

Then I noticed something. At first I couldn't distinguish where it was coming from; it was a muted muttering, warbling, and chirping noise. Looking around, I finally looked above the treetops to the sky. There they were, hundreds of tiny birds, fluttering in a great cloud towards the rising sun. As of one accord, they swerved and dived. Calling out encouraging chirps to their fellow travelers, they took turns being in the front, back, and sidelines. As I watched, a few little birds resting on a tree nearby gave flight and joined the flock as it disappeared into the sunrise.

I was suddenly struck with the thought: Oh that God's people could be more like that! All traveling together with one mind; encouraging one another and taking part in different tasks and roles. Moving ever towards the Son and not resting until we reach our new home. Drawing others to us by our excitement and enthusiasm. We are, in a sense, on a great migration. The place where we were before no longer satisfies us and we long for a better place. We are traveling towards it, towards the Son, with the knowledge that its only in His light that we will find rest.

The birds vanished into the lengthening rays of the sun and I was left alone with my thoughts. My nose protested the nippy air and I continued to exude puffs of white. But I wasn't thinking about that anymore. Instead I was thinking: am I doing all that I can to move towards the Son and encourage others along the way? What I can do to help others speed their journey toward home?

:)

ACLS

"Sir? Are you ok? Are you ok?" I called futilely several times. Obviously, he was not ok.

"I need some help in here! You, get the crash cart. You, start an IV. Peter, start compressions! Lets get a monitor on him."

As the team settled into organized confusion, I frantically racked my brain for things might be forgetting.

I watched as they began thumping on the chest of the dummy and giving two rescue breaths to every 30 compressions.
Once the heart monitor was in place and I saw the rhythm, I had to figure out what to do next. V-tach, ok, so that means......

I was in the middle of a class of ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support). Now in addition to compressions and rescue breathing, we get to learn things like defibrillation, pacing, and when  to give meds. Although I enjoy it, its pretty intimidating when you look at the heart monitor, see it flat-line, and then have to decide what to do about it!

Leaning all this reminds me of just how amazingly intricate our bodies are! So much complexity involved in even the twitching of  a muscle.

Acts 28:17 says, "For in Him we live and move and have our being." Talk about advanced cardiac life support! If you take out the phrase 'in Him' there is no more living, or moving, or having being!

So as I give epinephrine and shock aberrant heart rhythms (hopefully) back to normal, its a reminder to me to remain 'in Him' and keep my heart in the right place.  

Plans

I sat at my desk and Shama reclined on the bed.

The Philippines

"So," I began, my pen poised above the paper, "What do we need to do to get ready?"

Between the two of us, we were able to come up with a reasonably coherent plan for fundraising and advertising. We'll have a concert, we decided, and take up an offering. Lovely! Now...who will help us with the concert?

Three or four pieces of paper and about an hour later, we had divided up tasks, projects, and people to contact.  By next week, we concluded, most of the churches should have been contacted and participants in the concert commandeered (we have amazing friends...I am sure no actual force will be needed!). 

With only a limited number of weekends between now and graduation (only 5, to be exact), it was essential to pin down actual dates to do fund-raising. We decided on Nov.20 at Shama's home church down in Georgia, and December 2 at the East Ridge church. 

This is just the first step in the journey, but it has me excited already! God has already worked so many things out, its going to be amazing to see what He does next!

And then....?

"So, you are graduating in December? And then...?"

Those words have been asked multiples times in the last few months. I have yet to be satisfied with my answers.
Two days ago I received yet another letter about up coming graduation. I've received many such letters  this semester reminding me to do various things: order graduation regalia, take the MAPP (exit exam), etc. I think they are ready for me to leave. I've still got 41 days left! I am feeling rushed.
Rewind just three and a half years and you will find me, a scared freshman, tiptoeing shyly around campus. While I still go around somewhat shyly, I no longer tiptoe: I belong here. But as soon as I walk down the aisle of the gym and meet Dr. Beitz half-way across the stage, where will I belong? Not a Southern student anymore. I'll join the multitude of 'alumnus' who return every five years or so to view the progression of knowledge.
Plans for the next year at least are certain: I'll be going with Shama to the Philippine's! We'll spend 10 months teaching and doing clinic in a village together. I like that part of my answer :)! Missions are always a great thing to talk about.

But then...? God knows. I can't wait for Him to tell me!

A Quote

"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." ~ E. Majors

The Purpose of a Post

As far as I can tell, there are  reasons to post blogs:

1) To share thoughts and ideas
2) To keep friends who may not be in close proximity updated about what is going on in your life
3) To dialog with others about the ideas and thoughts shared
4)  For personal reflection

I am sure there are many other motives behind blogs, but the above mentioned are my main areas of focus. Hence, this blog shall mainly a chronicle; a glimpse of my journey toward Home :)