Saturday, September 29, 2012

hello nclex.

in just three days i will be taking the biggest, hardest test of my life, aka the NCLEX.

breathe in, breathe out.

"hello, nclex.  i really hope we can be friends!"  (shake hands, give the NCLEX a warm cup of coffee, a fresh pastry, a warm blanket, a crackling fire, anything anything anything that will promote friendship)

breathe in, breathe out.

but really seriously, NCLEX, what would you like? i can share with you random facts about the renal system or different classifications for antihypertensive drugs...or perhaps you're more interested in details about labor and delivery or why infants receive a Vitamin K injection after birth?

no fear, no worry.  why?  because my God is bigger than the NCLEX.  He's written me so many verses on the topic of fear and anxiety, so many beautiful truths that i want to permeate my thoughts with as i face this 75 to 265 question test.

i want to be flooded with peace during this possibly-6-hour-long test.  i will not worry what the future holds, because i know Who holds the future.

thanksgiving & prayer --> peace. (phil. 4:6-7)

Jesus, this test is Yours.   It's in Your hands, Your capable hands.  And I'm in Your hands too.  That's a peaceful thought!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

beginnings

i'm at viento y agua right now, studying for the nclex.  i got a medium iced coffee with a shot of caramel syrup for here, which means it comes in a cute glass jar.  the little ice cube squares tinkle against the sides of the jar and a generous splash of half-and-half makes such a lovely picture.

this crazy love for coffee got me thinking about where it started.

when i was little, we spent a lot of time with our good friend mrs. kelley.  she would cut our hair, teach us how to feed dogs biscuits and not be afraid of them, let me eat grapefruit with sugar, learn how to dissect animals in 2nd grade and peel skin off a frog, ride horses, watch 'where the red fern grows,' and see puppies be born, among a myriad of lovely childhood memories.  she also introduced me to my love for all things kiwi-jam-related.  the first time i ate kiwi jam at her house, i loved it so incredibly much that i literally licked a drop off the table (it may have been  my plate, but i think it was the table).  i was reprimanded for that, but i also got to take home a jar of jam.  instant love.

well, i think she is where my obsession for coffee began (did i just say obsession? um yes, it's true).  she would always have a cup of coffee near her.  i remember it being in a white mug with that creamy look of deliciousness from the milk or cream she would add to it.  and her breath always smelled so sweetly and distinctly of coffee.  that may be weird, but i absolutely adore coffee breath.

and now i love coffee.

and she bakes and cooks all the time.  i think that rubbed off on me too, but that's another story.

thank you, mrs. kelley.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

the wedding ring of faith

Martin Luther, must you be so cool??

Just read what he said:

By the wedding ring of faith, [Christ, the bridegroom] shares in the sins, death, and pains of hell which are his bride’s. As a matter of fact, he makes them his own and acts as if they were his own and as if he himself had sinned; he suffered, died, and descended into hell that he might overcome them all.

How cool to think of faith being our wedding ring to Christ!

Here this rich and divine bridegroom Christ marries this poor, wicked harlot, redeems her from all her evil, and adorns her with all his goodness. Her sins cannot now destroy her, since they are laid upon Christ and swallowed up by him. And she has that righteousness in Christ, her husband, of which she may boast as of her own and which she can confidently display alongside her sins in the face of death and hell and say, “If I have sinned, yet my Christ, in whom I believe, has not sinned, and all his is mine and all mine is his,” as the bride in the Song of Solomon [2:16] says, “My beloved is mine and I am his.”

Jesus, I love You.  I am Yours and You are mine.

Thank You, thank You, thank You!

Monday, September 3, 2012

rejoicing in the moment

there are so many new puzzle pieces in life right now!

new roommates, no school, studying for the NCLEX, teaching new sign language classes, different involvement in ministry, pretty open days, seeing the boyfriend once a week, spending time in new coffee shops, studying on the couch, hanging out with friends.

this morning i met with the sweet woman who is discipling me, and she encouraged me to love and enjoy every moment of the season of life that i'm in now.

i want to do that.  i want to rejoice in the Lord in every one of these circumstances.

and i realized i can enjoy all of this, i can revel in every moment, i can experience all of this change and newness all at once.  it doesn't have to be compartmentalized.  i think it might make my mind explode, but i want to experience every new moment with open eyes and an eager heart.

this is exciting.

"...Now I declare new things..." Isaiah 42:9