Colorado Sunset

Jared and I went on a walk the other night and saw a gorgeous sunset. The sun had already sunk below the mountains, but the clouds still captured its rays. First the deep blues of the night sky, then the light blues of day shone as the eye traveled towards the horizon. Then the clouds, wispy and vast, were a golden orange against the fading blue sky. Finally the clouds just level with the mountain top reflected rich pinks on their bellies. The setting sun was gone, out of view, set for the night, and yet the scene which followed its ascent was breathtaking.

"But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" (John 16:7).

Is the sun and the sunset a picture of the Son and the one he sends?

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It's been a while since I last posted. I have often thought about writing on the blog, but for some reason I haven't wanted to. We have been pretty busy since we got here - exploring the area, hanging out with family, and having friends stay with us. I could label my lack of desire to post as business, and while that is part of it, there is more. Since this is my first blog, I think I'm still unsure on how to write about life without getting too detailed or personal. All my life I have journaled, so I am familiar with writing my thoughts and reflecting on life. But this is different than journaling because anyone can read it. It will take some time for me to figure how to express myself in this new way, and to be comfortable writing things that won't fully say everything I am feeling. Words, especially words on a screen, fail to paint the whole picture. Even words spoken face to face fail to say everything. So with that in mind, I am going to do my best to write about what's going on here. If you want to know more, just let me know and I'd be happy to share! 

If you'd like to see pictures, we posted some on Facebook.

An Interesting Thought

I debated about posting this quote from Love Wins, but I figured the only people who will probably read the blog are people who know me. Regardless of your beliefs, these could be some good things to ponder. So here is a little something I read today...

"It's important that we be honest about the fact that some stories are better than others. Telling a story in which billions of people spend forever somewhere in the universe trapped in a black hole of endless torment and misery with no way out isn't a very good story. Telling a story about a God who inflicts unrelenting punishment on people because they didn't do or say or believe the correct things in a brief window of time called like isn't a very good story.

"In contrast, everybody enjoying God's good world together with no disgrace or shame, justice being served, and all the wrongs being made right is a better story. It is bigger, more loving, more expansive, more extraordinary, beautiful, and inspiring than any other story about the ultimate course history takes.

"Whatever objections a person might have to this story, and there are many, one has to admit that it is fitting, proper, and Christian to long for it. We can be honest about the warped nature of the human heart, the freedom that love requires, and the destructive choices people make, and still envision God's love to be bigger, stronger, and more compelling than all of that put together. To shun, censor, ostracize someone for holding this belief is to fail to extend grace to each other in a discussion that has had plenty of room for varied perspectives for hundreds of years now."

Beginning of a New Journey

There is a sliding glass door that leads to a small, wooden patio off the kitchen of the house. From this porch I can see the mountains, giant and peaceful. Today the weather is mild, partly cloudy with haze gently resting on the peaks. The wind is blowing the trees and wind chimes that fill the yards of this neighborhood. Birds are singing and so is a distant ice cream truck. I can't believe I'm here. And even more unbelievable is the fact that I'm going to be here for a season and a half. Summer and fall in Colorado. It almost feels like I am living someone else's life, but this is my own. I could have never imagined that one day I would be graduated from college, married, and house sitting out West - and yet here we are! I guess I hadn't really planned on going to Bethel either. And I hadn't planned on going on a missions trip with Moraine Church. And I hadn't really planned on wanting to live so close to family. I had imagined graduating with an unmasked sense of freedom - nothing tying me down. (I hadn't even considered school loans!!) In my mind's eye, I could go anywhere, with any purpose, for any amount of time. Now I realize that things I may have label "restrictive" back then, I consider a great joy now. I had the opportunity to go to a great school and I don't regret it, so the loans are merely a reminder that I must trust God to provide. I didn't think I would care about living close to my family, but now I am glad that there is a hole in my heart missing them very much. I hadn't planned on getting married so young, but now I have the unique opportunity to live these young years (and old years!) with my best friend. So I guess planning on following God's leading is the best plan to chose because he brings good out of unforeseeable (and often unexpected) circumstances. As long as God is with me on this little porch at the base of the mountains, today is a good day. I have great hope for tomorrow too.