My favorite time of year!

Unfortunately, I can't take the credit for this photo...but it is really close to Corvallis! Fall in Corvallis is amazing...definitely my favorite time of year here. I am so blessed to be able to spend another fall here! Lately, I have been hiking to the top of a butte in town, Chip Ross Park, to enjoy the fall colors. We do this as a school sometimes, as the entrance to the park is literally at the entrance to the church. But I have also gone it alone a few times to study or whatever at the top. Its a great hike, not too strenuous, only about 15 minutes, but it gets your blood pumping enough that you are warm for awhile at the top. I think for me, God's beauty of creation is the most overtly evident in the fall. Seeing the magnificent colors change lets me know that our Creator God is all the more magnificent in His Glory! I also like the month of October for the plethora of costumes to be worn (I am so excited for Friday!), the pumpkins to be carved, the yummy spiced things to be eaten and drank, and the signal of the coming of the Holiday season. This year, I am going to dress as "Susie Homemaker" for Halloween, although only during the day. Friday night, I am working at a childrens Harvest Carnival at the fairgrounds for school. My classmates and I are responsible for "Bible Land" where we get to dress up as Bible characters and tell our stories to the kids as they walk through...so cool! That means two costumes in one day...I'm so happy! :) I am not sure yet who I will be playing, but pictures will follow soon!

School has been going well...although we have midterms this week. I may change my opinion after this week. :) I thought I could give you a little taste of what we have been learning. In my prayer class two weeks ago, we had to write devotionals based off of a passage of scripture about prayer. The boys did one passage (Luke 11:5-13) and the girls did another (Luke 18:1-8). Both are great passages about praying with persistence, or boldness. Here is the devotional I wrote:

In the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus is contrasting himself/God with the unjust judge. The judge responded to the woman's pleas because he became frustrated and impatient. But God is giving the woman what she asks for because she was persistent, not relenting in her request. She was also asking for something good, something that would be in line with God's will, by asking for justice. We know God is a just God; therefore he wants to grant justice to his children as well. He is choosing to give the widow something that is in line with his character.
The application I take from this passage is two-fold. First, I see the value of praying persistently. This is something that challenges me, because a lot of times I become like the unjust judge, and get impatient with God's timing. But I know that if I am praying in line with God's will, he will give me the things I ask for. The tricky part is the timing, which is my second application. Verse 8 is a promise from God, that he will answer prayers, and quickly. But what does quickly mean to God? In my experience, it is much different than my definition of quickly! This is encouraging and discouraging at the same time. It is encouraging to remember that he is hearing my prayers, and he wants me to continue praying for them. But it is discouraging because I have to keep going! But I have faith in his timing, even if I don't understand it sometimes (ok...most of the time) and I will continue to boldly approach his throne to ask for things that are good, that are in line with his character, and are according to his will.

What's new?

The annual family feud football weekend happened last weekend as OSU stomped on WSU...sorry dad! We were given tickets, and got to enjoy the game from really great seats. What a blessing! We also had a sweet tailgater before the game, as you can see in the picture. Complete with a cardboard box table! So innovative! :) Maybe next year we will have to take our feud on the road and travel to the game in Pulman.

This weekend another friend is getting married, Mikaela. Ashley and I were asked to do the flowers for the wedding, which is kinda fun. I see a new career "budding" on the horizon! :) Actually, doing your own flowers is pretty easy...except for the wrist corsages. That took a little figuring out, but I think they turned out ok. So this is my last wedding for the season, and boy am I glad. At the end of every wedding season, I get really tired of going to them. So that's a clue if you are getting married in the future. Plan your wedding early in the season and people won't be wedding-ed out yet. :) Its funny to think that before college I could count on probably one hand the number of weddings I had been to. Now I think I would need about five hands and five feet! I guess it's a life stage thing.

Not much else new is happening...just schooling away. I am really loving my classes...it is such a blessing to be able to take this year and kind of set it apart for the Lord. It is amazing though how much work their is. It is definitely an ego check for me, because I thought since I got through my Master's program, I could do anything academic-wise. But this is really challenging, for two reasons. One, I am having to think about my beliefs, and the Bible I have read my whole life in a really different way. Sometimes it is all I can do to wrap my head around the concepts we are learning. Second, I am always trying to make sure I am not only learning with my head (which comes really naturally for me) but also with my heart. This is proving to be much more challenging than I ever would have thought! But it is a challenge that I am loving to embrace. And I know spiritual growth will result.