Thanksgiving break, for me, starts tomorrow. I'm in the middle of a six-page essay right now that is to be turned in tomorrow before my departure.
This weekend has been extravagant. My cousin came up and we've spent the weekend thrifting, driving, talking, laughing, sleeping, eating, and just being friends. We're close for cousins and it's fun. We're friends.
Today at church was phenomenal and, honestly, not so groundbreaking. God confirmed a lot through Josh's message today on Daniel. It, again, goes back to the fact that we are to act in obedience to what God has called us to in order to activate His omnipotence. This particular passage caught my eye:
"By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward--to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything that God has for us. If any of us have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision--you'll see it yet!" - Philippians 3:13-16
That's it.
I'm not an expert at chasing after God. I'm easily distracted, really, but I'm doing my best to keep my eye on God's purpose. Sometimes that means keeping my eye on absolutely nothing. It sounds abstract, but God doesn't always reveal what He wants you to do until what we consider the 'last minute.' I've answered the "what are you doing after college?" question countless times with, "Well, I'm not sure yet. Maybe I'll move here or there or get a job somewhere over there." I've never been quite sure, but God provides because He is enough. Always. I don't want just half of what God has for me - I want it all. I want to be selfish with my 'purpose' in life and have it all. I don't want to get to 30 or 40 and feel incomplete because I failed to take an irreversible step for God (see Joshua 3). I want to totally commit. now.
Josh said the "bow" is that we have victory today. It sounds cliche, but victory is ours today because God's kingdom is alive in our lives. We have to live it.
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
20 November 2011
27 September 2011
Allison, Claire, Mark, Matt, Matthew, & Bruce
Tonight marks the last 11 days of the life of Cups & Mugs on Broad Street. The last.
I discovered this little gem in the recesses of my bedroom over Christmas break. After watching Passion 2011 live online and streaming every episode of Pushing Daisies like it was the next big thing, I spent hours watching Twitter and Facebook for some semblance of life. Sure enough - a coffee shop in Rome, something unheard of since the Nest's closing a good six months prior. I was ecstatic and searched through the photos chronicling the makeover of a tiny space on Broad between Ginger's and Johnny's Pizza. Teal, brown, black, red and brick were prominent colors. The faces of the people training and working laboriously to have the space ready for opening seemed inviting, open, fun. Soon after getting home, and by home I mean Rome, I insisted that my friends take me (a carless college student) to this new found glory. "Sarah with an h" became a regular statement when we came in - the baristas knew us well. The owner, Allison Cox, knew us by name. Homework got the better of us and we were often stuck huddled in our little dorms, but as often as possible we made our way to this safe haven. And I do mean safe haven. The mugs were fun - owls, mustaches, superheroes, and so much more. The choices were endless...and you never knew which would hold your toasty beverage of goodness. Now the baristas.. There was the ginger boy who was known for his espresso pours and rosettas - Matthew, not to be confused with Matt, a later addition though just as grand. He even once made a panda. Claire was precious and always in the cutest attire alongside Bruce, Jennifer Bruce. Mark and his mustache made marvelous mochas. And Allison - owner of it all.
I went on my official "date" here at this little coffee shop. I should've done homework that night, but I spent it talking over several cups of tea (they have the most marvelous teas in so many varieties!) with a boy I didn't even like, but found myself romanced by the atmosphere, a place I'd come to call home. My parents came to visit at Easter and I insisted the come by Cups and Mugs to take a gander. I bought my mother a tumbler and tea for Mother's day and she chatted about tea with Allison. Since then, my mom always asks how Cups and Mugs is doing (or mugs and cups) and insists I tell Allison she said hello.
I played guitar in the back where the upside down cake holder side table was with the tiny heater and television. Madison and I tried on our new mustaches and listened to the new Gungor CD. We spent our time in front of that TV doing homework in sour moods while our two other friends, Sarah and Susan, sat feet away chatting in the best of moods. Sarah and I spent countless nights in hoodies and pajama pants talking in front of that heater. We played games on the floor there and completed assignment after assignment for class and spent hours in the Word, being good to our hearts.
After a few visits, the four of us migrated to the couch with the two purple chairs in front of the "Chai me!" sign advertising Big Train Chai. We had many a laugh, many a conversation here. We took pictures of all of us with long curly hair (not too soon before we all had it chopped off...except for Sarah). We came here after Friday night Sunshine Gang dates. We came here on random Saturdays for crepes and pick-me-ups after days of shopping. Jordan had his 21st birthday party here.
Our Sundays consisted of craving Chickfila .... and Cups & Mugs, neither of which we could have on such a day.
This is where Sarah, Madison, Susan, and I became friends - best friends. This is where we bonded. This is where I asked Claire to turn the channel to the Braves game one time so I could watch it. This is where we watched the most random things on the news. This is where the door to the girl's bathroom wouldn't lock for the longest time so we served as "door watchers" for Allison and made sure no one embarrassed someone in the bathroom. This is where we saw many an artist play on Friday nights - even Marc Johnson! This is where we learned to love good coffee - not the kind of coffee that Starbucks makes, but the kind that requires no masking to be enjoyed. This is where I learned about the African Queen and her many flavors, from lavender to a nutty flavor. This is where I learned to love the Kenyan that one time at the beginning and never got it back again, but one day I will.
This is the place I cried when I realized October 8th Cups & Mugs would be closing its doors.
Most of this is for memory's sake. I don't want to forget this place and the memories I've had here. The coffee will be gone and the company will be different, but I'm so thankful for the lessons I've learned and the people I've met. I'm thankful for the laughs and relationships that are irreplaceable. Thank you Allison, Claire, Mark, Matt, Matthew, & Bruce.
It was an "honur."
I discovered this little gem in the recesses of my bedroom over Christmas break. After watching Passion 2011 live online and streaming every episode of Pushing Daisies like it was the next big thing, I spent hours watching Twitter and Facebook for some semblance of life. Sure enough - a coffee shop in Rome, something unheard of since the Nest's closing a good six months prior. I was ecstatic and searched through the photos chronicling the makeover of a tiny space on Broad between Ginger's and Johnny's Pizza. Teal, brown, black, red and brick were prominent colors. The faces of the people training and working laboriously to have the space ready for opening seemed inviting, open, fun. Soon after getting home, and by home I mean Rome, I insisted that my friends take me (a carless college student) to this new found glory. "Sarah with an h" became a regular statement when we came in - the baristas knew us well. The owner, Allison Cox, knew us by name. Homework got the better of us and we were often stuck huddled in our little dorms, but as often as possible we made our way to this safe haven. And I do mean safe haven. The mugs were fun - owls, mustaches, superheroes, and so much more. The choices were endless...and you never knew which would hold your toasty beverage of goodness. Now the baristas.. There was the ginger boy who was known for his espresso pours and rosettas - Matthew, not to be confused with Matt, a later addition though just as grand. He even once made a panda. Claire was precious and always in the cutest attire alongside Bruce, Jennifer Bruce. Mark and his mustache made marvelous mochas. And Allison - owner of it all.
I went on my official "date" here at this little coffee shop. I should've done homework that night, but I spent it talking over several cups of tea (they have the most marvelous teas in so many varieties!) with a boy I didn't even like, but found myself romanced by the atmosphere, a place I'd come to call home. My parents came to visit at Easter and I insisted the come by Cups and Mugs to take a gander. I bought my mother a tumbler and tea for Mother's day and she chatted about tea with Allison. Since then, my mom always asks how Cups and Mugs is doing (or mugs and cups) and insists I tell Allison she said hello.
I played guitar in the back where the upside down cake holder side table was with the tiny heater and television. Madison and I tried on our new mustaches and listened to the new Gungor CD. We spent our time in front of that TV doing homework in sour moods while our two other friends, Sarah and Susan, sat feet away chatting in the best of moods. Sarah and I spent countless nights in hoodies and pajama pants talking in front of that heater. We played games on the floor there and completed assignment after assignment for class and spent hours in the Word, being good to our hearts.
After a few visits, the four of us migrated to the couch with the two purple chairs in front of the "Chai me!" sign advertising Big Train Chai. We had many a laugh, many a conversation here. We took pictures of all of us with long curly hair (not too soon before we all had it chopped off...except for Sarah). We came here after Friday night Sunshine Gang dates. We came here on random Saturdays for crepes and pick-me-ups after days of shopping. Jordan had his 21st birthday party here.
Our Sundays consisted of craving Chickfila .... and Cups & Mugs, neither of which we could have on such a day.
This is where Sarah, Madison, Susan, and I became friends - best friends. This is where we bonded. This is where I asked Claire to turn the channel to the Braves game one time so I could watch it. This is where we watched the most random things on the news. This is where the door to the girl's bathroom wouldn't lock for the longest time so we served as "door watchers" for Allison and made sure no one embarrassed someone in the bathroom. This is where we saw many an artist play on Friday nights - even Marc Johnson! This is where we learned to love good coffee - not the kind of coffee that Starbucks makes, but the kind that requires no masking to be enjoyed. This is where I learned about the African Queen and her many flavors, from lavender to a nutty flavor. This is where I learned to love the Kenyan that one time at the beginning and never got it back again, but one day I will.
This is the place I cried when I realized October 8th Cups & Mugs would be closing its doors.
Most of this is for memory's sake. I don't want to forget this place and the memories I've had here. The coffee will be gone and the company will be different, but I'm so thankful for the lessons I've learned and the people I've met. I'm thankful for the laughs and relationships that are irreplaceable. Thank you Allison, Claire, Mark, Matt, Matthew, & Bruce.
It was an "honur."
28 July 2009
"Live In Me"
Jennifer - if you haven't checked Facebook yet, don't read this. Go there, read my comment, do what it says, talk to me, then read this. :D
I have this friend that I've known for four years now. We spent so many summers listening to Boys Like Girls, Cartel, Relient K, and Hawk Nelson together. We fought like cats and made more brownies than should be legally allowed in the state of Georgia. She was one of the first people who understood my upbringing and could out-wit me when it came to knowing hymns. She understood what it meant to grow up in a strict Christian household under almost ridiculous standards at times, not to sound disrespectful.
We were introduced by a mutual Literature teacher of ours and were inseparable for two years of high school. We stayed up until all hours of the night coloring with our crayons and writing. She played piano and we had long conversations that we probably had no business having with people on Myspace about theological and psychological things we didn't understand.
During these few short years, she became part of my family. My grandparents knew her by name and face. My parents called her their own, and she was overly familiar with everything good and bad that accompanies the Barrons.
When I left for college we had a pretty fight that left us without talking for many months, during which we both grew tremendously in the Lord.
While I don't think Anne and Diana ever truly stopped talking in L. M. Montgomery's books, they did have a few hiccups here and there. :)
Needless to say, we've both watched and helped each other grow over these four short, yet incredibly long years. And I am so proud of her. She has an incredible heart for the Lord, though she is not perfect.
I can still listen to her sing day and night and be perfectly content. We definitely aren't as close as we once were, but she is still a special part of my life. She always will be.
Now, for what brought this on.
Her dad had a heart attack last week that gave her quite a scare. I'm not going to lie, I was scared myself. [He's fine, by the mercy of the Lord! :)] And I got to spend basically two days with her just hanging out late last week. We talked and caught up and remembered crazy things.
She let me listen to a hard-copy of the song she'd written a while back [I'd heard it before, but it had been...at least six months but most likely more than that since I'd first heard her play it]. She recorded it with the help of some of her friends in Macon. I immediately started singing along because I knew the words. They'd stuck with me. The song held such significance...when I close my eyes and listen to it, even now, I see the past four years and how we have changed - how God is living in her more and more, and consequently how He has changed my life in an extraordinary way.
I am just so thankful for God's hand in both of our lives and how we've grown so much and changed..but still remained friends.
I cannot count her as a friend who, with distance, I have lost. No, we are still very much friends. :)
You can listen to her song here:
Studio Seven Myspace
All of this brings me to an even deeper point - I have been blessed to overflowing by God. He has given me the best friends anyone could possibly wish for in their wildest dreams.
I could go on for days because words will never express how much I love my friends...but I won't.
I will just say that if I needed them, they would each be here in a short amount of time...even if they had prior commitments.
Dear Jennifer - thanks for showing me that friends are supposed to accept you for who you are, but sisters are meant to tease you about it. :) heart
I have this friend that I've known for four years now. We spent so many summers listening to Boys Like Girls, Cartel, Relient K, and Hawk Nelson together. We fought like cats and made more brownies than should be legally allowed in the state of Georgia. She was one of the first people who understood my upbringing and could out-wit me when it came to knowing hymns. She understood what it meant to grow up in a strict Christian household under almost ridiculous standards at times, not to sound disrespectful.
We were introduced by a mutual Literature teacher of ours and were inseparable for two years of high school. We stayed up until all hours of the night coloring with our crayons and writing. She played piano and we had long conversations that we probably had no business having with people on Myspace about theological and psychological things we didn't understand.
During these few short years, she became part of my family. My grandparents knew her by name and face. My parents called her their own, and she was overly familiar with everything good and bad that accompanies the Barrons.
When I left for college we had a pretty fight that left us without talking for many months, during which we both grew tremendously in the Lord.
While I don't think Anne and Diana ever truly stopped talking in L. M. Montgomery's books, they did have a few hiccups here and there. :)
Needless to say, we've both watched and helped each other grow over these four short, yet incredibly long years. And I am so proud of her. She has an incredible heart for the Lord, though she is not perfect.
I can still listen to her sing day and night and be perfectly content. We definitely aren't as close as we once were, but she is still a special part of my life. She always will be.
Now, for what brought this on.
Her dad had a heart attack last week that gave her quite a scare. I'm not going to lie, I was scared myself. [He's fine, by the mercy of the Lord! :)] And I got to spend basically two days with her just hanging out late last week. We talked and caught up and remembered crazy things.
She let me listen to a hard-copy of the song she'd written a while back [I'd heard it before, but it had been...at least six months but most likely more than that since I'd first heard her play it]. She recorded it with the help of some of her friends in Macon. I immediately started singing along because I knew the words. They'd stuck with me. The song held such significance...when I close my eyes and listen to it, even now, I see the past four years and how we have changed - how God is living in her more and more, and consequently how He has changed my life in an extraordinary way.
I am just so thankful for God's hand in both of our lives and how we've grown so much and changed..but still remained friends.
I cannot count her as a friend who, with distance, I have lost. No, we are still very much friends. :)
You can listen to her song here:
Studio Seven Myspace
All of this brings me to an even deeper point - I have been blessed to overflowing by God. He has given me the best friends anyone could possibly wish for in their wildest dreams.
I could go on for days because words will never express how much I love my friends...but I won't.
I will just say that if I needed them, they would each be here in a short amount of time...even if they had prior commitments.
Dear Jennifer - thanks for showing me that friends are supposed to accept you for who you are, but sisters are meant to tease you about it. :) heart
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