Chasing After Permanence (or Why is Life in Your Twenties Constantly Shifting?)

          We are well into that time of year where most Americans living in the Northeast have developed a steady habit of complaining about this freezing weather and counting down the days to summer. It’s an annual tradition passed down through the generations and as everyone knows, it begins just after New Year’s Day because for some reason, if it isn’t the holiday season, most people do not see the point in it being cold outside. As with many other cultural traditions in this American life, I do not quite understand all this misery over the cold. I actually rather love these specific few weeks that come to New Jersey almost every year where the weather descends into a “deep freeze” and the air, sky and trees all take on a very arctic look and feel. It’s absolutely wonderful, refreshing and invigorating…at least in my opinion (which has not usually been shared in most conversations I’ve had recently).

       Last evening, I went out for walk through town for some much needed weekend fresh air and exploration. Admittedly, it was freezing, but is it not magical when something so extreme and so uncontrollable lifts your thoughts outside of your own introspection and into a totally different field of reality? Maybe I am sounding a bit too weird, but for a constantly over-analyzing introvert who is often trapped in the cyclical thoughts inside my head, these moments where the sub-freezing air arrests the attention of all my senses are so very refreshing and renewing for my spirit. It’s something else. It’s something more. It’s something beautiful and sacred.

     It's been about two weeks now since I have moved to this town and while I have been attempting to settle in, life (or maybe God’s plan)has been attempting to unsettle me one eventful day after another. I cannot even count the amount of times circumstances have changed in the past two weeks and frankly, I don’t want to try because I have worn quite thin from it all. During my time in Warsaw this year, I learnt to become so incredibly trusting of God and His provision. It would seem now that He is using those lessons to send me even deeper into faith in Him at the same time that this winter freeze has been going deeper and deeper. I’ve had some very dark days, but I have been clinging onto a couple truths and my faith in the Savior to see me through this, even though it can be hard to hear His voice amidst all the noise of life. One of the truths I have anchored into is that God has brought me to this place for this time. I have such a strong peace and excitement for this chapter and I am so thankful to be in a place where I am falling in love with both town and community. In this, I am feeling settled, even as some externals remain unsettled.

     The second truth I have been holding onto with all my (very weary) might is the promises and sure hope I have grown to love this past year in the Biblical book of Ephesians. God, through Paul’s writing to the Gentile believers in Ephesus, tells of how His children are chosen in Him to be lavished on with His great and eternal grace and love. We are born again in Christ for a purpose: to glorify God and be ever poured into with the wonder of His love. When life’s immediate goals and needs are a constant shifting target and physical security and accomplishments feel ever just an inch out of reach, the children of God can anchor their hearts right into this never changing, never ceasing, always dependable and unfathomably strong love God has chosen to lavish on us.

Ephesians 1:3-23 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (ESV)-You can read more from Ephesians  here.

It's That Time Again (and other interests of mine)

     I think at this point, it is quite safe to say that I never have any idea of how long I'll be in one place. It's not at all that I am not striving to have some sense of permanency, it's more that it just seems God has a lot of short chapters for me to walk through on this journey. On that note, I have been home from Warsaw and back in the States for about four months now. It has been four of the strangest months of my life, mostly because I had thought everything was sorted ahead of time, only to find out my original plans were actually rather not doable for me at the time. No, I do not suggest stepping off a plane after living abroad for five months and expecting to be able to function at full American-life capacity a mere one week later. It just doesn't work. I say this to say that I have spent these past four months readjusting, resting, and pursuing Christ both in my personal relationship with Him and in which path He would lead me down next. At times, it honestly seemed as though there was no plan or point or anything. For me, waiting on Him to lead is not very easy, but I am learning.
     This week, though, everything suddenly fell into place and I am so grateful and excited for this. I won't bore you with details, but I've been hired for a position working for a small nonprofit who does work in public schools with students with autism. I am thrilled to be in a position where I am working one-on-one with students and I am equally excited about the specific work this organization does. The location is also right near one of my newest favorite Jersey towns near New York City and this week I was able to find a tiny apartment in a big old building in walking distance to downtown (if you know me at all, then you know how perfect this is). In a lot of ways, this is feeling like a whole new adventure and I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the school year.
     As a side note, this does not at all mean that I won't be returning to Poland (or even somewhere else in Europe) as that truly is where my heart lives. Like I said at the beginning of this post, I never know how long each chapter will be and there is still a very real possibility of me returning to Poland in the semi-near future. So, that's a brief update of my life.
     What I really wanted to write about today, though, is actually quite different from everything I've just written. This blog was originally intended for me to keep friends and family (and whoever else stumbled on this) updated on my life in Warsaw, but seeing as how I am not there anymore, I don't think it would be very interesting to anyone if I were to blather on constantly about daily life in New Jersey. So, I'd like to try something different and maybe change the direction of this blog sightly so that in future I feel freer to chat about whatever it is that is currently rattling around in my brain. With that being said I feel like this past year or so I have come to discover some completely wonderful things out there in the worlds of entertainment, music, news and spiritual encouragement. In a sense, often they've overlapped and discovering one thing has led me to discover another thing. Anyway, I've chosen a few specific interests of mine that are wonderful enough for me to want to share them with you. Here goes...(also, I think I'll go from least serious to most serious).

*Entertainment(or as I like to call it: therapy): A little bit over a year ago now, I came across the incredibly talented British writer/comedian/actor/ect. who is John Finnemore. Most of his work consists of radio shows that he has written and acts in, but he also does several other projects from time to time. (I will include links after I stop rambling about him.) I really cannot say enough positive things about this person or even count how many times he has made me laugh out loud (alone in my car, on public transportation in front of strangers, ect...) this past year. Why this man is not just as world famous as some of his colleagues (which include Benedict Cumberbatch and David Mitchell) is not something I really understand. I will also add that in comparison to most comedic work out there, John Finnemore is very nearly squeaky-clean when it comes to adult language or rudeness. Obviously, parents will still need to review his radio shows first as not every single piece will be appropriate for the youngest audiences, but overall, Finnemore's work is some of the cleanest currently out there. If intelligent, sarcastic, witty, often satirical, but more often just outrageously silly humor fits your fancy, then you will find John Finnemore's works...well, absolutely brilliant! The following are some links on which I very much suggest you click...
1. Cabin Pressure is a radio sitcom about a barely-holding-on airline and it's crew and so much more. You can find out more about this here and here.
2. John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme is a radio sketch comedy show that has a sketch for almost every situation and topic in life. Click here.
3. John and Kevin's Sunday Papers have appeared almost monthly this year with a video review of several Sunday editions of various British newspapers. For a heavy dose of satire click here.
4. Finally, for information about all the above and more hilarious musings, you can just read John's blog over here.

*Music: The latest music group that I have been introduced to is called Rend Collective. They are a very talented bunch of musicians from Northern Ireland. They are Christians and their music very much reflects this. During my time in Warsaw, and ever since, I have been so encouraged in my walk with God through their worshipful and celebration-style tunes. You can find a good collection of their songs here.

*News: I think we all know that staying current with world events and trends is very often frustrating or overwhelmingly stressful or both. I have recently become a little acquainted with a Christian Southerner-moved-North named Jonathan Merritt who is senior columnist over at Religion News Service. Jonathan's articles and interviews provide very intelligent, helpful and balanced insights to those of us interested in a fairly conservative, but open-minded religious view coupled with a fairly moderate and reasonable political view. You can find Jonathan's articles over here and here. Jonathan has also written a book called Jesus is Better Than You Imagined which I have not read yet, but plan to very soon (and if someone reminds me, I'll write about it on this blog).

*Spiritual Encouragement: It goes without saying, but as a Christian adult living in the northeastern section of the United States, I find it takes constant vigilance and effort to ensure that I am taking in as much spiritual food as possible so as to go further into my journey with Christ and ward off the advances of the enemy. This past year, I have been so thankful to find a couple new sources for such spiritual food. Here are a couple I will suggest to you for now:
1. Think Theology is a website with which I am still getting acquainted, but thus far, I have found it very insightful and challenging in the process of thinking through current world trends and eternal Biblical truths.
2. There is a longer back-story here, but for now I will simply tell you that Kings Church over in the UK was a great source of encouragement to me while I was in Warsaw. I would often watch their sermons online on the weekend in part of my recharging process before another week of teaching and navigating a foreign city on my own. Even since I've been home, I have still been encouraged and challenged each time I've watched a sermon. What makes Kings Church so unique is that without trying to be stupidly "hip" or "cool," they really are frankly addressing very relevant topics from the pulpit and doing so with very sound doctrine and in a very loving manner. I am excited to watch from afar as God leads more people to Himself through His work at Kings.

     This is all for now. I sincerely hope that whoever stops by here finds at least one of the above sources to be a positive or helpful force in life. Also, obviously, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I do not have many pictures yet of my new town, but these two are of a beautiful little park there I visited in October.

Hippos Are Cool (and other aquarium adventures...)

     About three and half years ago, I took my oldest niece to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey for her very first visit. I will never forget the look of absolute surprise and thrill on her face as we walked just inside and she saw a turtle about three times her size (and I snapped a photo of the moment, so when my memory fades...there's still that...). What followed was one of our most fun days together and it has become one of my favorite memories with her.

     Since then, her and I have been successfully conquering other equally exploration-worthy destinations around the Garden State. In a way, this has sort of become our "thing" and we really do risk it all. No matter the weather, the drive distance, or even the crime rates of the general area, if there is advenure and family-friendly fun to be had in our home state, then we want to have it. Science and history museums, farm festivals, beaches, massive jungle gyms...we really should consider writing a guide book as we go along. 

     Anyway, I say all this to say that today, we finally made it back to the Adventure Aquarium for a brand new visit. It was perfect timing and such a blessing in the midst of a time in my life that's been particularly confusing and difficult. Below are some photos from the day, if you'd like to have a look.