The Byrds, the bees, and me?

 A warning before reading this blog 
1. I do not deem myself as one whose ministry is preaching.  
2. My life has been transformed by what I'm about to share.
3. I want to share it with you, but it may be long and I might sound, ack! preachy! 
4. Hang in there, it'll be worth it. Thanks to Pastor Brian for sharing it with me in a time when I desperately needed it. 

For the past 3 weeks, the pastor at my church has brought us through the first few chapters of Ecclesiastes. If you're like me, the only thing you knew about the book of Ecclesiastes was....well.... nothing. Oh, yes - wait! I do remember something slightly about, "to every thing, turn, turn, turn.. there is a season turn, turn, turn....and a time to every purpose - under heaven". Are you singing yet? The only thing I remember about a book in the Bible is - ta da - a song written in the '60s? I'm sure the Lord LOVES that. I am quite the hippie, now. Don't count me out of much. 


We have been using the sermon on Sundays as a guideline to discuss more in-depth questions on Wednesday nights in our community groups. Here are the verses we read on Sunday: 

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-15 

A Time for Everything

3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

The God-Given Task

9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.

14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.

 I challenge you to not skim over these next paragraphs. Take the time to read, chew, and process the seriousness of what God is trying to tell us. This idea has changed my way of thinking recently, for the good. 

The Byrds almost ruined this text. They turned a driving & difficult text into a little ditty associated with Forest Gump and the sweeping pluralism of the 1960s. The times Solomon reminds us of in this text are not about simple seasons in our lives, rather Solomon's point is to follow on from his conclusions in Chapter 2, to describe the providence of God in all the events in our lives. He lists 14 pairs of situation and attributes them to the sovereign purposes of God. He has ordained their times, starting with the time we were and the time we die. This is devastating to our sense of autonomy and it builds on Solomon's confession in Chapter 2, that the enjoyment of our toil as well as our eating and drinking is a gift from God. 

We shouldn't think for a minute that Solomon envisions a capricious or arbitrary God. He tells us that God's ways are inscrutable, but they are purposeful ("He makes all things beautiful in its time").  He sovereignty is total, and it guided by a good purpose. His purpose is to be known, obeyed, trusted and loved. This is the great beauty God intends of us. Solomon ends by commending to us that this sovereignty serves as the basis for Christan contentment. Because he is sovereign, because our circumstances are guided by a purposeful good God, joy is made possible. This may seem surprising after 2 chapters of vapor. But this is Solomon's preliminary conclusion. God reign, so enjoy your short and vaporous life. 

 Okay, there is bad news and good news here. Which do you want to hear first? I'd always go for the bad news (And believe me, the good news is REALLY good. I've got you in suspense, don't I?), so here it is: 


  Your life is vain. Plain and simple. Society tells us that everything under the sun matters, right? I mean, if you just get that right promotion, marry the right person, buy perfect house, have the perfect child - everything will be okay. If we just drink the right wine (ha! that makes us seem smarter, doesn't it), fill our lives with the pleasures of the world, consider ourselves wise - then surely this will make life seem satisfactory. Surely! We search for things that we think are going to make a name for us in this world. Something that will set us apart from one another. But, the truth is that we live in a cycle. We live, we die. The same things re-occur over, and over, and over again. Nothing is new. And we will die. Every part of our lives that we lived for, gone. Depressing, right? 


I had to stop and ask myself this question, " What are you looking at to provide lasting happiness??"  


At this point, you should be asking yourself, "Get to the point. I want the good news". That was totally me.  I longed for that life application where I could dig myself out of such a self-serving hole I had dug and was absolutely stuck in. *See previous blog where I talked about my funk* 


The good news - JOY! What gain does a worker have for his toil? Solomon tells us to find JOY in our toil (AKA those things that we deal with on a daily basis). Eat, Drink, and take JOY in your toil. Celebrate your daily life because in the end it doesn't matter. All that matters is holding onto that rock that you can feel, but can't see because of the vapor in your life. Solomon wants us to see 3 things: 


 1. Your life has a purpose.
 2. Your life cannot be seen from beginning to end. God has put eternity in man's heart that makes us groan for something solid. 
 3. Nothing can be taken or added from what He wants to do. God's purposes are beautiful and you can't see how the dots connect for a reason...however, know that his purposes are unstoppable and beautiful. 


So, whatever vapor you may find yourself in  (anxiety, fear, depression, etc.), God is chasing you. It is only in this realization that you can say there is nothing better than to be joyful - to see life through your toil. To look back on it and, laugh, maybe? To be JOYFUL and surpass that circumstantial happiness, understanding to the fullest degree that life is a mere vapor in the wind. 


I pray that this message will take ahold of you and change your life. I have been so worried about what is next in our life. If I'm preaching, I'm totally preaching to myself. So, there you have it. 


And here are some pictures of what my vaporous life has been like today: 


This was the view outside our door for the majority of the day today - what is a woman to do? 

Wrigley knew what to do, play outside in the snow! 

These pots were filled with orchids that needed to be re potted and replanted. The pots had no holes in them and the plants were in plastic pots that were not at all the right environment. I went to home depot and bought supplies..... 

And voila! After cutting the rotted roots and giving the orchid new soil and a new pot with air holes on the sides - hopefully my orchids will send up a new shoot pretty soon so that I can enjoy beautiful bloom this spring! This is the most healthy of the 2.....my other one was pretty sick looking.

Here is the 2nd orchid that was much more sickly. It's growing a new leaf and hopefully it will be happier in this new pot.

So then, my Nook and I spent about 100 pages together reading about a girl with a dragon tattoo, which was quite entertaining!

All in all, my Saturday was quite vaporous and beautiful. I'm no long searching for the next best thing (at least, I'm trying not to), and focusing on my daily life, not focusing on the future in which I'm trying to force that would "make my life better."


I love you, love wins!

You're so vain.

Chaco slowly walks toward the couch. She knows that dad isn't home and that mom has out the magical zebra blanket. Of course, this could only mean one thing. A nap. YES! She places both front legs onto the couch, slow and methodical (as if I don't see the 65lb dog crawling up in my lap). She has a troubling time hiking her back legs up to the couch, jumping just isn't an option today. Once she's up, she take the usual position - on the side closest to the back pillows (of course) with her nose stuck directly into my armpit. Her body lengthens as her snout is lodged into my left armpit. Slowly, she digs her head so that her entire skull is plummeted underneath the blanket. She sighs. I sigh. I slowly come to terms with the fact that my nap won't be quite as comfortable as planned - Chaco is snoring. Her breathing patterns become soothing and soon I drift off myself. 


Tonight, in church, we sang a hymn that was quite familiar to me. "Rock of Ages", heard of it? As I sang the first verse, my dog - of all THINGS, right? - popped into my mind: 


Rock of Ages, cleft for me
Let me hide myself in thee
Let the water and the blood 
From thy wounded side which flowed. 


I had a visual of Chaco literally shoving her nose into my armpit and then taking a big sigh. Oh, how we do the same to our Lord. Let me hide myself in thee. I'm tired, Lord. I'm doubting, Lord. I need rest, Lord. Let me hide myself in thee. I'm anxious, Lord. Let me hide myself in thee. My hope is that you do the same. Allow yourself to become so close to the Lord during those valleys that you can hide in his arms (I suggest not thinking about his armpit, could be a little strange). Our lives are but a vapor. A chasing after the wind, so when those doubting times come into your life, realize that the only rock that you need to hold onto is Christ. 


I haven't written in quite a long time because my heart has been dealing with stuff (for a lack of a better word) and writing about it just seemed like it would open a wound that needed to heal. So I strayed away. Christmas passed, New Years, and my birthday. Three very important events that one would deem worthy of blogging. I struggled to find the words to express what was in my heart, so I pushed it aside. BUT! Hallelujah! I'm coming out of this funk. A funk of all funks that was brutal and self-serving. Have you ever caught yourself so involved in, well, you, that nothing else matters? I've had to truly pray that the Lord would place serving opportunities into my life so that I had to focus on others. Focusing on your own junk - It's horrible. Time consuming and dreadfully painful. But, the Lord says that our lives are all vanity. Nothing - not pleasures, careers, wine, or even wisdom (and Solomon was a wise man) - will make your life seem satisfactory. Something is always missing. Only God will bring you that joy that surpasses circumstantial happiness. Joy that lasts through hardships and pain. Joy that gives one hope. How incredibly uplifting, and Lord knows we all need some uplifting.


Mike has his bus route planned for in the morning. A new job! An opportunity to build new relationships, develop new skills, change the lives of kiddos. I am so excited for him and for our family. After months of drought, it finally rained! I'm praying this is a job that Mike can see himself working at for a while - may we grow some roots here and surround ourselves in our community. Yay! Good jobs!


My good friend, Abby, came to visit last weekend. We went snowshoeing - here's a quick video of our dogs bounding in the snow.

















I could probably go on forever, but, I do have to work tomorrow. I'll cover my work situation in the next blog. This song has been playing in my head over and over; may it provide the same peace for you as it does for me. Until next time, Love Wins!

good times, good times.

I have had a rather exciting week! I actually worked an 8hr day on Monday and to my surprise, worked 8 hrs Tuesday, too. Wednesday I worked 4hrs at Sable and then 4hrs at Bear Creek. Holy Cow! I was on my way to working my first 40hr week since July, probably. Wed night our community group met and ate a lovely dinner together. Thursday, Mike and I went to the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, CO to see Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds do an acoustic performance. It was a small, random venue but pretty intimate and the entire show was amazing. 

Friday was rough, as we got home late, but after a short nap I was ready to enjoy some awesome Mexican food at a small restaurant. A coupon for buy one get one free entree made our bill super cheap and the strawberry margarita was delicious. We slept in this morning and after some cleaning, we went to Kohl's to do some Christmas shopping (who doesn't love the deals you get at Kohl's?). We bought a few gifts, then came home to do the rest of our shopping online. We shipped all of our gifts to either Louisville or Winchester that way our car won't be extremely packed in 2 WEEKS when we drive home for Christmas. I heard this new Amos Lee song on the radio this week and immediately fell in love with it. Any anxiety I have had recently about life, this song seems to melt away. I've found a version of it that Amos played at Farm Aid this year:




I am now waiting for our Zuchinni Lasagna to finish baking in the oven, ah! there's the timer now! Yummy. Then we'll probably watch a movie or take it easy for the night. Tomorrow, more doing of nothing, then church. I've been trying to run on a more regualr basis and one of my new year's resolutions is going to be running in a Mini-Marathon. Sounds like fun, right? 


The Lord is faithful - I know this - but sometimes when you are in the midst of a valley it's hard to see beyond what's right in front of you. This is how I feel about Mike's job situation. Resume after resume I wonder if this is the one.....then.....nothing. I am so ready for this season of our life to be over and move on. I'm ready to look back on this time and see the Lord's hand throughout the "no's" and closed doors. I'm ready to not drive 45 min to work and be placed in a facility that is more challenging to my clinical skills. I'm ready to move on. But, until then ... I will continue to be patient and live each day as it comes. Love you, love wins!

Where's the snow?

So, by this time last year, Mike and I had to shovel the driveway at least 5 times, this year? Not even 1 inch of snow. How ironic that my Old Kentucky Home has had snow when 5,280 feet in elevation hasn't had a dusting...? I'm confused, but not complaining. I'm sure that by the time the week before Christmas rolls around (right when we are getting ready to leave for KY) there will be a blizzard, it's just our luck.

Last night, Mike and I went to the Parade of Lights with our friends Lee and Tanya in Downtown Denver. The beginning of the night was surprisingly warm - then the cold set in and I was thankful I decided to put on the long johns. Between 2 nights, the parade hosts 400,000 people! It was well worth it...being involved in the community you live in is so important. Knowing your neighbors, loving your neighbors, that sort of thing. Our church views community as vital to the growth and development of the people within the church. Thus, meeting in community groups in homes of people in the community seems only natural.

Rudolph! That means Santa's a'comin!! And somehow, I missed Santa. Oh well, I think y'all know what he looks like.















And this is what Chaco and I do after a long, busy day....nap!

So, nothing too exciting. Mike and I are planning on skiing next weekend, if the snow decides to grace us. Work is the same...I am becoming increasingly restless in my job. Hopefully there will be an end in sight, soon. Keep praying for a job for Mike....it would be a nice Christmas present.

Love you, Love wins!


I leave you with a vaulting performance of a USA vaulter....take the time to watch it, pretty amazing.

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Christmas? 



Okay, let me be honest here. I'm no Scrooge, but I'm no Santa either. Maybe my inner Christmas Child has never bloomed secondary to limited time in my own home during the holiday season. Let's be honest, apartments aren't really condusive to excessive amounts of decorations. Why fuss with a tree when you're not even in your own home on Christmas Day? Or even the entire week before Christmas. You're right, they're all just excuses. So, ta da! a small, cheap Christmas tree appeared in our humble abode this week. Mike wouldn't let me put it up until the day after Thanksgiving (talk about someone who needs some Christmas cheer) which is fine. She's a little bare - our ornaments are in a box, somewhere, but she's cute! And it's a start! I've also pulled out all of my Willow Tree Nativity scenes and put those up on my hope chest. Ah? Do I feel a little bit of excitement in the air in this Colorado Curry household? Si!

 How was your Thanksgiving? We spent our with our friends that we met at Buffalo Wild Wings (crazy world). It was nice to be a part of a family, but I did miss my Sandy Hook family, a lot. I was joking to Mike before we started to eat that I missed the Skaggs clan gathering together in a circle and saying what they were thankful for - then John Paul praying and crying as soon as he started the prayer. It's so classic and I love every moment of it. Anyway, I went to pray for the O'Keefe Family Thanksgiving, and wouldn't ya know it, I started crying. It was all a little emotional, I'm sure they thought I was crazy. Mike said something about it later, and I almost felt more connected to home during that moment of tears. 


Our dogs got a little turkey for dinner that night. They liked it. 

Christmas is only 4 short weeks away and I am anxiously awaiting what adventures we'll be in for during our trip home. Last year we drove through a blizzard. This year looks like it includes a Christmas Eve with the Currys/Buckles in Henderson, Christmas Morning on S & G Farm, Christmas evening with the Louisville Currys. The day after christmas at the Yankee Swap in Sandy Hook, and the day after that with the BernheiselsSwindlers/Lyles. Makes me tired just THINKING about it. Oh well, we always have a good time and it's possible a bon fire might be in the making as well for New Year's Eve. 


I didn't mean to go so long without blogging. Ah, life. Love you, Love Wins!

Old Man Winter? You're not welcome.

Do you ever dread winter? I mean, truly, within the bottom of your heart, despise winter and all that it brings? This girl does. 


But my life right now, this very second, is delicious - let me try to describe to you exactly what I see at this moment in a small side-room of a coffee joint in downtown Leadville, CO called Provin' Grounds:

a blue mug of coffee holding a Bolivian Fair Trade Coffee 

several plants ranging in sizes are directly in front of me - from really tall stalks and pointy leaves, to ferns that look almost inviting to lay on (at least run across my face for comfort). some plants are in tiny pots and since my repertoire of plant naming is slim, I am at a loss for their names. one looks like a cactus. 

a window that overlooks "Main Street" although here, it's called Harrison St (and not for the president, although he has visited here). 


below the window is a really old heater - one made of steel with vertical rectangles that stick up from the ground. very old school, but it looks antique. i'm too lazy to get up from my comfy rolling chair to check out if it is indeed, putting off heat. 


beside me is a man, in his 50s enjoying a cup of coffee (in a mug that has Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on it, how serendipitous!). he has a book, reads a little then puts it down. he'll draw his pin out from his shirt and underline something in this mysterious book, ponder, then take a sip. he's up for another refill, wonder what kind of coffee drinker he is? any guesses? 


i can barely see outside secondary to the plants that take up the majority of the left side of the window, but i can see a small sign that says "CINEMA" and a small wooden building that, from the sign, says it shows movies. it looks similar to the cinema in Sanibel Island - small, quaint, and blends in delightfully with the town. 


but, here's what blows me away about my view right now. beyond the cinema sign, are mountains - and i'm not talking about the Appalachians (although that is home to me). i'm talking about stark, white, jagged edges that pierce the horizon. small flakes of snow float through the sky, although it has to be at least 45 degrees outside, blogging at 10,150ft in elevation will create that kind of atmosphere. i'm sure every peak has a name, the only one i can remember right now is Mt. Massive, no joke. maybe that'll get your mind chewing on how big these babies are. delicious, right? 

another couple has sat down where the 50s guy left - and life moves on. that quick. 

bikes, dogs, people dressed in layers with boots, big trucks and lots of firewood. i think i've summed up Leadville. 


one more thing, and then i'll stop being so random - i just witnessed a bumper sticker that might have summed up Leadville better than my lowly observations : We're here, because we're not all there. I love it! Perfect!  My weekend here is complete. 


Alas, my friends, Old Man Winter is coming and sooner than later I'm going to have to test out a ridiculous number of hand lotions until I find one that doesn't burn when I put it on my cracked, bleeding hands. Skis will top our trusty Jeep and we'll be Keystone bound; snow shoveling will ensue. The silver lining? Colorado has more than 300 days of sunshine per year - hence my red face after our 6 mile walk yesterday - and that makes me happy. Worth it. 


My Bolivian coffee is now cold, and down to the last sip. I feel rejuvinated and thankful for some time alone to reflect on my thoughts, regardless of how random they may seem. Blogging has provided me a creative outlet to do something that has always provided me satisfaction - writing. True satisfaction though, only comes from our Heavenly Father and that is something that I strive for daily. Living my life for Him not them. 


Thanks for listening - Love you, love wins!

And then I served Communion....

In all my Christian years, I had never served communion until earlier this year. Park Church serves communion weekly,  which is a different theology than the Methodist Church who serves once a month. I'm not one to focus on small theological debates, like how often to take communion, but it has been mind changing to observe this passage weekly. The timeliness of communion is irrelevant, it it not my intention to blog about when it's "right" to take communion. Moving forward, the leaders in our community group asked Mike and I, along with another couple, to serve communion one Sunday evening.

We are still considered a new couple at our church (although everyone there is new as the church is only 2yrs old - an Acts 29 church plant from TX) and when asked to serve I thought, "No one is even going to know who we are".  Clearly, we are just going to look dumb at the front of the church while everyone wonders why these clowns are serving the body and blood of Christ. We hadn't even attended the church for a year! I obviously had my doubts. However, I can guess you probably know the ending to this story, as the Lord uses every opportunity to create humility within our hearts.

Humility lesson #1 - Serving communion to a body of believers with your Husband is incredibly intimate. To be in sync with your soul mate while completing a task that is so overwhelmingly vital seemed almost heavenly.  As people would take a piece of the bread from Mike, then dip it in my chalice I thought  'You can't have one without the other'. How true of a marriage to your husband and of our relationship with Christ. It is the underlying idea behing marriage, right? To serve Christ together. And the body without the blood is, nothing. Christ gave us both (His whole life) so that we could be free of sin. Talk about humbling.

Humility lesson #2 - There is something extremely holy about holding that chalice as people dipped their bread into my wine. As I watched our congregation file in line in front of ME to receive one of the holiest moments in the Christian church, I cried. Can you imagine? Me, crying, while trying to hold the chalice and say "the blood of Christ, shared for you".  I'm not much of a multi-tasker, but I hope people felt the presence of the Lord as I did in that moment. It is so humbling, to be the one that holds these precious gifts and then serve it to your fellow brothers and sisters. I think I probably experienced one of the most intimate moments of my Christian life. 

In all my years in the church, at camp, and throughout the many "church" things I've done, no one had ever asked me to serve communion. I think the Lord was waiting for the right moment so that my heart would be ready to receive and understand the meaning behind such a sacared moment. And I am so grateful. 

And speaking of the right moment, I am currently in quite a doubting phase. How quickly life can change. For example, I really thought Mike had this particular job sealed this past week after his in-person interview. I just knew that we were going to get to stay around the Foothills area, I could get a new job closer to where we live now, we could buy a home, settle down, heck! We could actually know what our purpose was here. We could stay in our church, now that is comfortable.  I totally thought this job was the "right" moment. The "right" thing for us. Psyche! How frustrating after so many "no's" - doesn't my husband deserve just one "yes"? We've been in this job battle for over a year now, battling money, place, happiness, etc. Can you see my doubts? And now we start from ground zero. Hoping that the Lord will open the right door for us. Ack! Life. 

The visit from Mike's cousin and his fiance was great! Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies make Autumn fun! Especially noting that Winter is next. Ken and Becki have planned a short trip up here for the week before Thanksgiving! Have I mentioned we like visitors? Amazing! 

Love you! Love wins!