He is there. He is good.

I have quite a few drafts of blog posts waiting for pictures, editing, and for me to push the publish button.  They are coming.  I promise.

I thought I would share what I listened to today and post part of it.  If you head over to the Veritas Forum, look up Os Guinness as a presenter, and find his presentation at California Polytechnic State University titled The Journey: A Thinking Person's Quest for Meaning.  (Sorry if that is confusing, but I could not figure out how to link you there.)


One of my favorite, favorite parts of this presentation happens in the Question and Answer session (if you don't have time, you can skip to the 1:12:30 mark).  If you have time, listen to the whole thing and take notes.  (I listened to it like 4 Saturdays in a row during my long runs this past spring).

Os Guinness brings up the parable of the resistance fighter.

In time of war in an occupied country, a member of the resistance meets one night a stranger. They spend the evening in conversation. The stranger tells the partisan that he himself is a member of the resistance, indeed that he is in command of it; and urges the partisan to have faith in him no matter what happens. The partisan is utterly convinced of the stranger's sincerity and constancy and undertakes to trust him.

They never meet in conditions of intimacy again. But sometimes the stranger is seen helping members of the resistance, and the partisan is grateful and says to his friends "He is on our side." Sometimes he is seen in the uniform of the enemy handing over patriots to the occupying power. On these occasions his friends murmur against him; but the partisan still says, "He is on our side." He still believes that, in spite of appearances, the stranger did not deceive him. Sometimes he asks the stranger for help and receives it. He is then thankful. Sometimes he asks and does not receive it. Then he says, "The stranger knows best."

-- Basil Mitchell

In case you had a rough day or your flesh wants you to believe otherwise, remember that He is there and He is good.

Things I am Lovin' {and not so much}

Waaaa!  I have not blogged in awhile.  Sorry about that.  We are doing great!  Ian is rocking out his classes. I have learned about 10 Greek words from him so far.  And by learn I mean I can say the words, I can't read Greek.

Moving on...

Here is a list of things I am loving these days:
1.) Coffee Creamer - In Korea, I drank about one cup of black coffee a day.  Now we live in America and we have access to liquid coffee creamer.  It is addicting!  I easily drink three cups (American-sized) cups of coffee a day now.

2.) Speaking of which - DECAF COFFEE - waaaaaaaaaaaa!  It is so nice to be able to go out to coffee after 8am :-)  I know some of ya'll think decaf is gross.  I feel deep sorrow in my heart for you.

3.)

This is a picture taken out of our bedroom window on Ian's phone (and I did not edit it).  Ya'll should come visit us so you can see it in person!

4.) Thrift stores!  Yay!  I am so happy to be able to shop at thrift stores again!  And clothes in America fit me!  Double Yay!  We have donated quite a bit to the local Goodwill (for some reason, we had 5 potato peelers and 4 ice cream scoops...).  And we have done some shopping. Ian got a pair of shoes for $3.50 US Dollars (that is like 4,000 won!)  And they are nice.  I got a pair of jeans for 5 dollars!  I love thrift shopping!

5.) Speaking of which, if I can't find clothes that I want at thrift stores, I can order clothes on-line.  And they come to our apartment.  In less than a week.  And if they don't fit, I can return them to a store. (happy sigh) Life is so convenient in America.

6.) If you are in Korea, you may want to skip to number 7.  You have been warned.  FOOD!!!!!!!!!  I love American grocery stores.  We have made meatballs (twice), meatloaf, lasagna, Mexican Chicken something in the crockpot (with BROWN rice - Hallelujah), homemade salsa, homemade granola.  I have not really cried too much with our transition from Korea to America, but when I get in American grocery stores, I tend to get emotional - I am not really sure why, but God is good.  If you live in America, you are blessed.  American grocery stores are overwhelming.

7.) Kakao Talk!  I have a smart phone now!  And I have Kakao Talk!  Kakao allows me to text (and potentially call) my friends in Korea for FREE.  Granted, my friends in Korea are texting me in the middle of the night and I am replying in the middle of their night, but we can talk to each other and share pictures.  AND they have about a bajillon emoticon- that are so Korean.  (Friends in Korea: my Kakao ID is ianda0605).

And the {short} list of things I am not lovin' so much:
What is the deal with the weird code thing on the top of my blog?  Can you see it?  I am not sure how it go there or how to get rid of it.

Life is expensive, especially in America!  It makes me feel like a grown-up when Ian and I discuss money in thousands of dollars (that is millions of won).  But at the same time, God is so faithful and He provides for our every need, every day....and our wants too. (Thanks God!  You rock!)

God is good.  Life is good.  What are you lovin' in life right now?

A new place, a new month, and a new look

Whew!  August 2012 is over.  It was a pretty big month for us.  We started it in Korea teaching and we ended here, in Colorado, on a new adventure.

Since we have so many changes going on, I thought it would be fun to update my blog a bit.  I did all the design myself.  So if something is funky, please tell me :-).  I will try to mess with more computer code and online tutorials to fix it.

I had two different color inspirations for the new look: a flower and a rooster.

From Design Seeds (Becuase I love you, I included the hex and RGB values for you.)

Also from Design Seeds

I am saying this as your friend.  Do not go check out Design Seeds for color inspiration unless you have a lot of spare time on your hands.  It can totally suck you in.

On an unrelated note, you might notice that Bible Reading is missing from the tabs to choose from. Why you may ask...(ask for my sake) BECAUSE, I FINISHED reading through the whole entire Bible.  Booya!  I am done.  I now everything about God and Christianity (just kidding).  My new favorite chapter of the Bible is Ezekiel 16.  It explains, grace, salvation, idolatry, and God's enduring patience all in one chapter, albeit a bit graphically.

I just realized that I have not posted a picture of what we wake up to each and every morning.  So I will end this post with our gorgeous view.  Running trail, golf course, and mountains. (sigh of perfection)