Baby Steps

this morning, Pastor Paul talked about the steps leading to the temple, and how they were so uneven. some were long, others narrow, some tall, others shallow. no two steps were the same. when he showed a picture of the stairs, I turned to Kelsey and said "i would definitely trip on those." she told me when steps are off even a millimeter, they'll cause people to trip. Pastor Paul went on to talk about how the Jewish leaders saw these steps as a metaphor for the faith journey: you had to be very intentional with each step, or you could get pretty bumped and bruised on the way to your destination. you had to be aware of which steps took more effort, which steps were longer. each step required thought.

i got to thinking about what Pastor Paul said along with what Kelsey told me. People trip when the steps are a millimeter off, because they aren't used to the small changes. They're expecting something they've already encountered; they're planning on each step being the same as the others. When the steps aren't what we expect, we struggle for our footing. This happens with life too- we plan on one thing, and when God throws us for a loop, when we get a tall step or a long step, we say, "BUT GOD, THATS NOT HOW THE OTHERS WERE!" After awhile, after walking on several uneven steps, we get used to it, we're prepared for whats to come, and we can say "Thank you God, for helping me to be aware and get through whatever I come up against."

I was really struck by today's sermon, so I thought I'd put this out there for anyone else who was interested. Finding God in the little things like a set of stairs= one of the best parts of being alive.

January.

i just watched Julie and Julia, and needless to say, I felt compelled to reunite with the blogging world. who knows how often i'll blog- like i said, i'm trying to disconnect a little, after being overly dependent on social media for the last couple years [well, lets face it, since high school].

after a rough start to 2010, including tonsilitis on New Years Day, two friends in and out of the hospital, and loads of stress, things are finally on the up and up. I've decided 2010 is my year. maybe I have said this before about other years, but i definitely have a good feeling about this one.

i've been cooking this year- if you know me, you know how unbelievably frightening this concept is. however, i see each mistake as a lesson learned. for instance, aluminum muffin tins have paper in between them to separate them, not line them. i found this out the hard way when my dough refused to easily peel away from the paper. lesson learned.

i've also decided this is the year to get organized. i've lived in my apartment since august, yet most of my boxes remained unpacked until last weekend. I tore through them- some haven't been opened since college- and i sorted, tossed, and stored. it felt wonderful. tomorrow's project is the closet. if i don't make it out alive, someone make sure Dogzilla gets dinner.

it seems like a spark was lit beneath me this year. part of it comes from extensive conversations with friends, part of it comes from a greater understanding of who i am, and part of it comes from an even greater understanding that this life is mine, and i can do nearly anything i want with it. it's sort of refreshing. i've started diving into art again- music, history, painting. i nearly forgot how much i love art history. i've got a great story about Michelangelo for you, if you're ever interested.

so i guess that's january in a nutshell. i've been working out, cooking, baking, cleaning, organizing, painting, studying, and working. it's been busy. it's been rewarding. it's almost over, which is pretty unbelievable.

if you want less sporadic updates, check out www.twitter.com/gigitastic. i tend to update it more frequently. otherwise, add me to your RSS feed and I'll see you next month!

Last Person

this is awesome for several reasons:
1. the song is fun. jenny is the best.
2. shervin made a great video.
3. i know maybe half the people in this video, so it's fun to watch :)

it's been awhile.

i havent entirely abandoned my blog, guys. i know it seems that way. i've just been taking a break, and i'm posting this to tell you that the break will probably continue for a little longer.

i've been thinking a lot about personal brand vs sacred space, as well as blogging vs journaling. part of my personality is that i'm fairly transparent, so i've never really had any hesitation in putting my thoughts and feelings out into the universe. the downside with that is for some, reading my blog seems to replace face-to-face conversations, and general statements are turned into a guessing game, both of which bum me out a little. This year, I'm going to try to find a good balance of public vs private as opposed to just putting it all out there. it should be an interesting journey, to say the least :)

The PT Stocking Project

i haven't written in awhile- life has been happening- BUT there's something really special that i wanted to share.

last night, i spent a good 2 hours organizing 100 stockings filled with all sorts of great stuff, donated by people in our church for kids at a local housing community. 5 large totes and a giant cooler overflowing with a community's response to God's call.

for a lot of the kids at this housing community, this will be their only christmas present. I know christmas isnt about presents- it's about hope coming into the world- but when you're five years old and youve been waiting for a month to see what Santa will bring you and nothing shows up under the tree, it kind of makes you not feel so great. the goal with this project was to show these kids that people genuinely care for them, and i'm so excited to see their response tonight at the christmas party.

God has been showing up big time in this project- the office manager freely gives Erin and Amy keys to the office; you never see that kind of stuff- "oh, hey stranger, have some office keys." the response from the church has been incredible- eight 25-gallon trash cans overflowing with coats, 100 stockings overflowing with presents, 20 or so extra stockings that came out of nowhere for kids who have just moved in or whatever we need them for- people are responding to Jesus's call to bring heaven to earth, to value each other, to care for one another. it's the coolest thing in the world.

i've had a hard time getting in the christmas spirit this year, just because everything has been so rushed and the weather's been weird, but this, THIS is what Christmas is about- spreading the hope of Christ, sharing life together, not going it alone. i'll post tomorrow with an update and some pictures of the party. if you're not doing anything tonight and you're around CCity, stop by Park Terrace anytime from 5-7 and have a cookie with us. God is at work, and it's unbelievably cool to see His people respond to the call.