more emery

i can't help it-- it's good stuff...

i definitely struggle with materialism, and this song is a good reminder.  while it doesn't always have to be all or nothing, it is a slippery slope in between.  i'm certainly looking forward to the next year as a great experiment to see how i handle life without all those little creature comforts i swear i can't live without.  i'm embracing the challenge, and i'll be doing my best to keep my shopaholic urges under control.  because it's true: in the end, you can't take it with you.

Take a look around  
Where is your hope found?
Is it the ones you love 
Or just your bank account? 
We all want to be 
The people we should never be 
We're trying things we just don't need  

It's a perfect day 
For us to make a change 
Forget about the watered down 
Mistakes that we have made 
And there's a way 
To clear our tainted names 
Just look ahead and don't be scared 
We've got so many choices to make  

Paint the things we don't need 
To impress those we don't know 
Indebted to our own accessories 
We hide behind our own lies 
But the fake dreams, it just can't be 
The only thing we have worth living for

Live Vicariously

For anyone wishing to lend support over the upcoming year, I THANK YOU in advance.  Prayer support is always, always, always appreciated. For those that have expressed interest in contributing financially as well, here is the info:

Contributions may be given as a one time donation, or a recurring monthly pledge.  Funds are collected through my program, TeachOverseas.org, making them tax deductible for you!  My personal account number is 209101.

To make a donation online or set up a monthly deduction visit:

http://www.teachoverseas.org/contribute.php

To make a contribution via check:

Please make checks payable to "TeachOverseas" and enclose a note with my name and account number, 209101.  Checks should be mailed to:

TeachOverseas.org 
444 East Huntington Drive 
Suite 200 
Arcadia, CA 91006

*A special ShoutOut to the Mission Ministries of Kingwood UMC and the Austin Stone, both of which have generously contributed to my mission.  I am SO appreciative to have their support!*

Cinema Wisdom

For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be.  There's no time limit, stop whenever you want.  You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing.  We can make the best or the worst of it.  I hope you make the best of it.  And I hope you see things that startle you.  I hope you feel things you never felt before.  I hope you meet people with a different point of view.  I hope you live a life you're proud of.  If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

A Song to Fit My Mood

"Inside Our Skin" by Emery

This is what comes of the best intentions we have
They get lost with the rest and soon forgotten
And the money we spend is to make amends
For the time that we’ve never given

We all feel real inside our skin
With selfish hearts that hide our sin
But everyone that runs a race can’t win
We all feel real inside your skin

If God is good, then what are we?
There is no plant without a seed
When morning comes, will we believe
All that was lost can be retrieved

You say you’re good, then let me see
A faith is dead without the deed

How can we fail if we believe
Let’s be who we were meant to be

We all feel real inside our skin
With selfish hearts that hide our sin
But no one really knows our deepest secrets

We will separate ourselves from everyone that we know
We can’t allow a single doubt or weakness to show
And just one more day without the shame
And I can move on
I’ll be happier, I'll be happier 

We say, we’re so misunderstood,
But I know we don’t do the things we should
So long to what I thought I was

We will separate ourselves from everyone that we know
We can’t allow a single doubt or weakness to show
And just one more day without the shame
And I can move on

I’ll be happier, I'll be happier when I’ve given up

Wisdom light my way into the dark
Your words, the melody that carries me
We can’t make a change ‘til we know who we are
What burns? The fire refining me
Wisdom light my way into the dark
The melody that carries me
We can’t make a change, know who we are
The fire refining me
Refining me

My Mission

So...quite some time has passed since my last posting, not for lack of things to write about, but simply because I have been overwhelmingly busy putting our (mine & God's) plan into action.  What is the plan exactly?  Oh, I cannot wait to share!

Who: Me!  :) 

What: I am moving overseas to work as a teacher and live as a missionary, sharing the gospel.

When: August '09 - July '10

Where: Ostrava, Czech Republic (near the Polish border, ~4 hours east of Prague)

Why: Because I think my Savior is Awe*some, and about a million other reasons (more on these to come).

The Charles Bridge, Prague - 2005

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:1

As mentioned previously, abandoning life and traveling halfway around the world is not necessarily the calling of every person.  Like Dorothy, we none of us need stray farther than our our backyard to fulfill our heart's desire.  I, however, have felt moved, called, guided, and pushed to move slightly further; to wipe the slate clean and begin again.  I moved out of my lovely house, quit my job (a scary thought in today's economy), sold and donated as many of my things as I could possibly part with, and put the rest of my belongings in storage.  

For those out there that have ever pondered doing the same, let me just confirm, it feels every bit as liberating as you would imagine.  The farther I am able to move away from what is familiar, secure, and drift into the abyss, the unknown, I am strangely comforted.  Paradoxically, my confidence in my future grows, as I know God is there to meet me, to share all His plans for me.

I'm the absolute first to admit, I honestly don't know the first thing about how to live life as a part-time, let alone a full-time missionary.  But this is precisely why I am so intent on pursuing this lifestyle for a year.  By pushing myself so far out of my comfort zone, I will have no choice but to put all my trust in Him.

I hope that you will pray for me, and for the unknown journey ahead.