celebration :)

So today happens to be my 6 month anniversary with Eric. I can't believe it's been a half a year! seems like just yesterday that i was smitten with him at dinner. he he :) And yet, things have been better than I'd ever have imagined. God is good.

God is good. He has been teaching me and guiding my heart-- which is a good thing since I want to be His tool for guiding other people's hearts this coming school year. My soul is at peace; I am no longer incredibly intimidated at the task before me. I'm even growing more and more excited about the future-- about being a Barnabas but also being able to grow in other ways-- like serving and even teaching(!)

It has been on my mind for a long, long time to study the disciplines. I made an attempt my Freshman year as a result of the "Dinner and a Discipline" dorm events, and was introduced to Richard Foster's book Celebration of the Disciplines then, as well as to The spiritual Disciplines Handbook (introduced to me by Heidi, my now-amazing-mentor) and I struggled to get into it on my own in Yellowstone last summer. Then, in Scotland, I read The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard, and though it was an amazing and convicting book, I still haven't quite gotten as far as you'd think I'd be after all of this prompting! (I think it's pretty obvious that God has been nudging me in this direction, eh?)

So, today, I finally had an hour or so of quiet time to myself while mom and Jessey were off at church, and I gathered together my Bible, the handbook, and a journal I had begun last summer about the disciplines. I didn't know quite where to start, so I thought I'd read the intro and just jump in by learning about all of them, without necessarily committing to practicing them right now. The first chapter was about celebration.

You see, I consider myself to be pretty content and pretty celebrative. But when I started reading about this discipline, it hit me how much I've been slacking on being in the moment and enjoying what is at hand. It's not that I resent these moments, but rather, I'm usually caught up in anticipating the 'next big thing'.

I also realized how much more I celebrate when I am in nature. (I was sitting outside while reading the chapter, after all!) something about the natural rhythms of the earth and the beauty that is undeniable draws me into a spirit of celebration. And yet, so far in 2007, I've spent hardly any time outside. (Working in GR and commuting doesn't help.) Last year, in 2006, I was in Yellowstone for 3 months and then in Scotland for 3 and a half, and in both circumstances I was left without a car-- meaning I did a LOT of walking. And even in the huge city of Glasgow, I walked through beautiful parks every day, and there was so much to notice and enjoy. I miss that. I really ought to be out going for a walk or bike ride for the sheer joy of it. This next year, I want to make that a goal: spending more time in nature, over in the preserve or paying attention to the world around me just going to class. :)

Thank you, Jesus, for reasons to celebrate. Thank you for filling this world with beautiful things that catch my attention and toss it up toward heaven. I love you.

Bets