What is this Season?

People who know me very well know that I do not enjoy Christmas.  This is for a variety of reasons.  The Christmas music can be a bit repetitive and annoying.  It is a holiday that is becoming increasingly consumeristic.  I don't enjoy the cold that comes with snow that many other people are so fond of.  Christmas socials and Christmas parties are exhausting for me.  And why have ugly Christmas sweaters become such a popular thing in recent years?  Isn't it counter-intuitive to go shopping to find the 'best' ugly sweater possible?  But I digress.

I have recently been using the Bible reading plans on my Bible app on my phone.  They are typically pretty short, but are a good way to begin my quiet time.  I recently finished one, and many of the suggested plans that popped up had to do with advent.  At first I was leery.  It's not that I don't like reading about the Biblical story behind Christmas.  I mean, the whole reason I don't like Christmas is because of how skewed the world has made it.  It's just hard, because frequently even church events can be overwhelming for me in this season.  I tend to go to Christmas events because it's the 'right thing to do,' instead of going to center myself.  In the end, it's just tiring and instead of learning or centering myself, I find myself exhausted.  (Life of the introvert.)  

  I finally decided that an advent devotional would be a good idea, and help me focus on what I really need to be focused on rather than being focused on how annoyed I get at the consumerism that surrounds me.  Through this I was reminded that the season of advent is not about awaiting Christmas.  It's hopefully waiting for Christ's birth.  But beyond that, I was reminded that advent is not just the season in our liturgical calendar that happens in the 4 Sundays before Christmas.  Advent is the season we are in at all times as we await Jesus' second coming.  

Advent is about remembering the hope we have in God.  Advent is about remembering God's perfect timing, both in sending his son for the first time and the second time.  Advent is about waiting, for God's perfect timing.  

For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a person may be weighed down by misery.  Ecclesiastes 8:6

And here is just a fun video in case you need a 'new' Christmas song.

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

One Night United

Purdue's Campus has an annual event called 'Unite.'  During that one night a year, all of the Christian groups, clubs, organizations, and churches in our area come together to worship.  In that one night it doesn't matter if you are Protestant or Catholic.  It doesn't matter if you're Baptist or Presbyterian.  In that one night, we all come together and worship God.  We pray together, that God would give us revival in our own lives so that we can spread revival with the rest of Purdue's campus, and to the rest of the World.

That night happened a few weeks ago.  While we were worshiping and singing praise songs, I stopped singing for a second and closed my eyes.  I let my ears be filled with the sound of hundreds of voices singing praise to our God.  I stood silently and opened my eyes and let myself bask in the presence of fellow-believers who had chosen to praise God on a Saturday night.  I let God's spirit engulf me and wrap itself around me and remind me that I am never alone.

While I stood there silently and the rest of the people sang, Psalm 133 came into my mind.

How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!

It is like precious oil poured on the head,

running down on the beard,

running down on Aaron's beard,

down on the collar of his robe.

It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.

For there the Lord bestows his blessing,

even life forevermore.

Psalm 133

I stood and sang, adding my voice to the hundreds of others, picturing us working together as one body to serve God.  I thought of literal muscles that contract and stretch to give us movement.  The sarcomere that has myosin and actin that use Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) to allow our muscles to contract or relax.  How our digestive system is used to acquire the nutrients to make ATP, which the rest of our body uses at a form of energy.  It's all extremely intricate.  

Every single little bit of our bodies has a purpose.  Without every single part working properly, the rest doesn't work either.  The same is true of the body of Christ.  We are all Children of God.  When we let the devil convince us that our particular denomination or local church is more important than God himself and the church as a whole, we're doing it wrong.  

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  Romans 12:4-5

I pray that Unite continues to happen in the following years.  But I also pray, that it makes an impact that is bigger than one night.  I pray that as a community of believers, we can come together outside of Unite and start the revival that was prayed for at the event.

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

A Semester of Thoughts and Struggles and a Tribute

This semester has been chaotic and crazy.  All of the classes I'm enrolled in are intense classes.  There is no way around that.  My grades are worst they've ever been, but this semester I've chosen to not make school my top priority.  It's not that I don't want to do my best.  It's not that I don't like my classes.  There are simply more important things to me than my grades.  

After a ten year battle with cancer, my aunt died partway through this semester.  She taught me how to paint and I spent numerous hours in her basement and art studio with her and my grandma with both of them teaching me.

When I told my church that I could help out with some of their artistic needs, I didn't realize how it would effect me.  I helped decorate a chalkboard with chalkboard markers for their coffee shop.  The Maple leaf, apple, and pumpkin were done by me.  While I used the chalk markers, I couldn't help but think back on my Aunt who had worked with me to show me how to paint with her.

This past week, I did a quick painting at a creative station at a service at church and someone told me that it was really cool that I knew how to use a spatula.  I wasn't using the spatula correctly and explained how I had seen my aunt use one in her paintings.  

My aunt taught me much more than how to paint.  She showed me what it looked like to not give up.  She showed me how to be joyful in circumstances.  Even as her body failed as a result of its own mutations, she kept trusting God.  

The last project that I painted with her was a few years ago.  We each painted  our own chair.  The legs of the chair are covered in my favorite Bible verses.  Each time I use my chair, I think back to her.  I think of her telling me to 'keep my tail up' as a reminder to keep my paint brush vertical.  I think of her giving me my giant stuffed frog on my thirteenth birthday, to remind me to 'Fully Rely On God.'  

This semester I have been unfocused as exams flew my way and I thought about my grandfather and cousin going through surgery while other social drama with friends slapped me in the face.  This semester has been insane while I try to be involved at church, do volunteer work, and keep writing papers and analyzing lab results for class.  This semester has been crazy while I run to work and class and complete math assignments and pre-labs.  This semester has been ludicrous, as I attempt to decide if becoming a doctor is really what I want to do with my life, since I now know that I don't want to study Biology.

This past week, I have been up until somewhere between 1am-3am every night doing homework, and had still made it to my 8:30 classes.  Last night, I went grocery shopping, came home and watched a movie while I crocheted.  I went to bed at midnight and rolled out of bed at 11:30 this morning.  It feels amazing to let my body take a much needed break.  I even took some time to cook while listening to praise music this morning. 

 

This morning, I have relished in taking the time to pray.  While I have tried to take the time to spend with God this semester, it has not been a simple task.  This morning, as I watched the chocolate melt on my stove and the snow fall outside my window, I realized that I don't know where God is going to lead me in life.  I know that He is calling me to Latin America when I finish my education.  But I don't know where precisely.  I don't know what I'm going to be doing.  I don't know if I'm going to be working with an organization or starting my own.  And this morning, I realized that I'm okay with that.  If this semester and my aunt have taught me anything, it's that trusting and finding my joy in God is the only thing that I can do in this world of chaos.  I don't get to control a lot of what happens to me, my family, or my friends, but I do get to decide how to react to it.  Today, I'm trusting God, with the faith and knowledge that He has the best plan for my life.

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors serve beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.  But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

Joshua 24:15

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Krystal's Testimony

This week, I have a guest blogger.  Meet Krystal, a friend of mine.  She has recently felt lead to share her testimony with the world.  I know that reading through it blessed my heart and I trust that it will bless you as well.  Here it is:

When I was in 3rd grade,  I wasn't a popular kid.  I didn't really even fit in at all. I was 
called names from kindergarten. They started with four eyes, then led to stupid and retard. 
Third grade was the worse. The other kids in my class was making fun of the way I read. 
They never stopped putting me down. Even some of my so called friends joined in. It never 
stopped, on the bus ride to school, at school, and on the bus ride home. I felt lost and had 
no confidence, and I had no self esteem. My reading problem wasn't the start, but it made 
it worse. I wanted to fit in so bad. I told myself I would do anything. 

Well by the end of the year, my parents had talked to my 3rd grade teacher. She told them 
what was going on. She told them to see about this private school. It was called Phillips 
Christian Academy (PCA). We checked it out. I was so excited about this school. My parents 
enrolled me that next school year. But the only thing was I had to take 3rd grade again. Yes 
this was my parents' and teacher's idea. I wasn't very happy, but I got over it.  

What I learned over the next 6 years is why I'm still standing here. Yes, I thought of 
ending my life because I felt like no one cared. I felt there was no way out. But a small voice 
came and said, "Don't! I love you, and you know it. You don't know what plans I have for 
your life. You are loved more than you will ever know."   I believe that voice I heard that day 
was God. See, I learned that Jesus was made fun of, and He didn't fit in either. People hated 
Him. I couldn't believe it. Why didn't He do something about it?  He was God's son.  Why
didn't He just prove who He was? But He didn't do anything.  He just let them make fun, bet 
on Him, and even kill Him. He died on the cross for me. He didn't do it just for me.  He did it 
for you.  He loves me and you so much He died for us. Wow!  I was on fire for God then.  I 
was baptized and accepted Christ in my life on September  13, 2002. It was a Friday, the 
thirteenth.  I gave my life to Him. 

 But my story didn't stop there. Freshmen year I decided it was time for me to go 
back to Pioneer.  I was afraid, but I remember I wasn't the same person anymore. God was 
right there with me. I found some pretty awesome friends, and most of them loved God. 
Wow!  Things were going better than planned.  But then I put God behind for what I 
wanted. See, like every teenager girl, I wanted a boyfriend more than anything. But I 
wanted to do it right.  I wanted him to have respect for me, good looking, of course, and 
love God.  Well, I went the opposite way. I dated someone that didn't believe in God.  It 
didn't seem like a problem, but it was. Summer happened, and we drifted.  We never saw 
each other.  We broke up a few months into the school year.  Yes, I was upset, but I 
remembered  what I asked God for.  I prayed my heart out so many times for my heart not 
to get broken, but it did because I was selfish and couldn't wait any longer.  That was a 
mistake, but God did protect my heart.  He was there through it all.  I didn't have to wait 
much longer.  Within a week, I was dating a guy that not only loved the Lord, but me.  

Why I'm telling you this part of my life is so you don't make the same mistakes.  Put 
God first in your life.  It might not be fun at times, but it will be worth it. Not everyone will 
find the one when they are 16.  Not everyone will marry their first kiss.  Yes, I did marry my 
high school sweetheart, my first kiss, and my best friend.  But I prayed and trusted God with 
it.  Also if you let God take the wheel, it will be amazing.  Just trust Him.  It is really hard. 
Trust me.  I have failed Him more than I ever thought I would.  I have fail so many time, but 
don't give up because you don't get what you want because God has some awesome plans, 
big plans, and way better than ours.  

Also my senior year, an English teacher told me if I would see my file, I would just 
laugh.  She said she read it so many times over and over again.  She couldn't believe I was 
the same girl.  She told me that little girl that is in your file is gone.  God did that.  He has 
changed me.   If you told me that I would be sharing my story of how God has worked in my 
life with others, I would have laughed at you and told you I couldn't do that.  But like I said, 
He has big plans for you.  Don't be scared.  Be on fire for Him!  Give all the glory to Him 
because I know I'm nothing without Him.  Plus God is still changing me. He will never stop. My story is still on going. Just know that He loves you and cares for you more than you know. He will never leave you or forsake you. 

Shinning His light in this dark world,
Krystal Shaffer

Finding a New Perspective

I recently stumbled across a some cool photo opportunities.

There is something interesting here.  Both of these pictures are of the same area.  In fact, I was standing in the exact same place for both pictures.  But for one of them, I chose to look up.  I then put the photo in sepia and added a spotlight effect to draw your focus to the most attractive part of the photo.

 In this picture, I made it black and white and did some cropping as well as some adjustment of the lighting.  Again, I was standing in the same exact spot for both of these photos.

In the first one here, you see the sun shining through the leaves.  In the other, you see the same thing, but the big white spot of light (the sun) is distracting and the colors are not nearly as vibrant because the shadows because of the light is making them appear darker because of where I'm standing in relationship to the source of the light. The leaves are casting shadows on each other from this perspective.  I had to move where I was standing to capture the true and most beautiful effect of the sun shining through the trees.

All of this is pretty cool to me.  There is beauty everywhere, which can be seen in a lot of these photos.  However, all of that depends on your perspective and your lighting.  This has made me think about my perspective on life.  Do I need to move to experience something in a better and beautiful way?  What is my source of light? Am I letting Him shine in all areas of my life or am I casting a shadow on some parts?  Do I just need to look up and focus on the right thing?

Because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.  Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  

2 Corinthians 4: 14-18

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Crazy Time

They tell you in college you should be doing 2-3 hours of studying, reading, and homework for every hour that you are in class.  This semester, I am in 17 credit hours and in class for about 20 hours per week.  (I have lab classes that are 1 or 2 credit hours but meet for a total of 3-4 hours each week)  I recently did the math to learn how much free time I had.  First, let's say that there are 6 days in a work week, in order to give myself a Sabbath.  This means that there are 144 hours in a work week.  If I sleep 8 hours a night, am in class for 20 hours a week, study 40 hours a week, and work my part time job for 10 hours, this leaves me with 4 and 1/3 hours a day to make food, eat, shower, chill with friends, volunteer, travel between locations on campus, go to club meetings, blog, and just recharge doing any other recreational activities.

This is super interesting to me.  Quite simply, I do not sleep for 8 hours every night.  Nor did I feel that I had time to volunteer at the after school program this week that I like to volunteer at.  Nor did I talk to my parents.  I also did a pretty bad job of having a meaningful prayer and Bible-reading time with God this week.  Why?  Because it requires a daily commitment.  An hourly commitment.

Saying that I'm walking with God is easy.  Actually walking with him is another.  I like to spend a daily time in prayer and Bible reading.  I call this my 'devotions.'  But am I really devoted to these things?  Am I devoted to living a life for God?  I just broke down that I am (or know that I should be) spending 60 hours a week doing academic work.  This is a life choice.  It's a choice that I am glad that I've made.  How many hours a week am I working toward growing in God?

Something that I've remembered lately is that everything I do needs to be for Him.  Right now, He is calling me to be a student.  Because of that, I should be the very best student that I can be.  I also need to remember that while I'm working and studying.  My motivation shouldn't be a good grade or a raise at work.  My motivation to do my best should be bring glory to God.

He has made me aware that this is something I need to work on.  It is something that I will be working on for my entire life.  It is easy to forget about the true focal point, but the picture is much more beautiful when you're focused on the right thing.

The foreground of this picture is clear, the fence is well-defined.  The gorgeous mountains behind it, however are not in focus, so you miss much of the potential beauty in the photo.  

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:1-2

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Warning: The Cheesiness of this Analogy is Overwhelming

I went on a trip to Indianapolis with my church this weekend.  It was from Friday evening through Saturday morning, and it was a great chance to connect with new people and just enjoy some time away from the academic world of studying.  On the drive back, I asked a friend of mine what I should blog about for this week.  Her reply: You should blog about cheese.

I sat there for a moment trying to think of the various things and memories that I knew about cheese.  Friday night I had sat with a few new acquaintances and we had combined Cheez Its with the filling from Oreo cookies (not as bad as you may think).  I also ate cheese puffs on Friday.  For supper, I had a salad that had a little bit of cheese sprinkled on it.  But as I thought about cheese, the thing that my brain flashed back to was a skit from the old Carol Burnett show (Yes, I know that I should be too young to remember it, but my parents raised me on the classics!).

There was a skit with Tim Conway from the Carol Burnett show where he has to weigh a half pound of cheese.  I found a video of the whole skit on YouTube, and it is below.  If you're in a hurry, the part that  I will be referencing is from 8:55 to 11:00, although it's all pretty funny.

Basically the butcher has the whole block of cheese and can play it like a flute.  Then, when there is only a little of bit of cheese, the customer tries to blow through it and can't bring out a single note.  While using cheese as a flute probably isn't all that realistic, it does create an interesting analogy about the body of Christ. 

One of the things that we really focused on during the road trip was how important having community is.  In order to serve God, we need every single piece of God's body.  We also have to be willing to be vulnerable with each other and be our true selves when we are together.  This is messy, and it can be difficult to show your true self at all times.  It can also feel burdensome to let people see your rough edges.  In the end though, when we all come together as the body of Christ, or as one block of cheese, we experience a kind of community that is without description.  It' a kind of community that can't be broken down.  When one part hurts, the other part hurts.  And when one part rejoices, the whole body can dance (or be a cool cheese block flute).

  For just as each of us has one body with members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Romans 12:4-5

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

F.y.I.  I know I've missed 2 weeks in a row on my blogs.  Once I figure out a day when I consistently have time, I will hopefully start blogging once a week again.

First Day of Classes

Tomorrow is my first day of classes of my sophomore year here at Purdue University. Their isn't much of a difference between this year and last, but this time, all of my course numbers start with a number 2 instead of a number 1.

This weekend, I have not had a whole lot of time to recharge.  I spent several hours on Saturday working through some relationship issues with a friend of mine.  On Sunday, I was helping out in the nursery for the first church service and then went to the next church service with a few people that I had invited to come with me, as it was their first Sunday on campus.  I definitely enjoyed worshiping next to people that I have grown up with and have become close to over the years.  One of my friends snapped this picture of the worship.

After the small crowd at church during the summer, it was pretty cool to see the crowd of people again, as everyone is back on campus and no one is distracted with schoolwork yet.  The sanctuary was full and the overflow area downstairs was packed as well (they have the service on monitors downstairs). After the second service, we all had pizza together.

In the afternoon on Sunday, I had another event to attend that took another 2 hours of my day.  Now it is late Sunday and I am headed into this new school year with a full heart.  I pray that God will continue to reveal his path for me this year and that He will teach me to love all of those around me.

Mark 12:29-33

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Rainy and Refreshing Roadtrips

I've been a bit busy, so this blog is a summary in pictures of my last weekend.

I recently went on a trip with a couple of really good friends of mine, Emma and Jamie.  It started around the time of a sunset, as we all had to meet up after we got off of work or got done with our regular workweek lives.  Emma had planned this and had decided to make it more of a surprise trip for us.  We had some pretty heavy rain on our way to where we were staying that night, but we got through, and the clouds and sky are always pretty if you ask me. 

On our first fantastic stop, we enjoyed a video tour of the Jelly Belly warehouse and ate some delicious jelly beans.  We weren't allowed to take pictures during the tour, but they had a cute sign.

We then proceeded to Mars Cheese Castle where we bought some Wisconsin cheese and made some lunch in the minivan.  Wisconsin cheese is delicious.  

On our way to the next location, it rained a lot.  This is a picture of my window that I thought looked pretty cool.  Of course, our next location was to our campsite, so we were all hopeful that it would stop raining soon.

We only had to sit in the van for a little while before the weather cleared up and we got to see this gorgeous view as we trekked around the campgrounds after the tent was set up.

 The campgrounds had an amphitheater, so Jamie and Emma put on a play for me.  Jamie has a stick in her hand, by the way.

Later that night, we overheard some women talking about a church service on Sunday morning at the amphitheater.  We ended up going to church with a little group from a local church that happened to be camping in the same campgrounds as us!

 We climbed 2 observation towers and were amazed when we reached the top of the second one.  It was pretty cool to see this weather happening so far away.  I was amazed at the contrast that you could see from that distance.  It made me think of about the fact that God is with you, even when you can't see Him working and don't feel Him.  The people that were stuck in that storm were probably not all that happy about having to get wet in order to do anything outside.  Children in the storm may have felt trapped inside.  But the sun was still there.  It was still warming the earth around them just like it has been for a very long time.  They just couldn't see it.  

And on a good note for the three of us, it didn't rain on us for the remainder of the trip.

On Sunday, we headed to the National Mustard Museum.  I had no idea there were so many kinds of mustard, but there are!  Some of them are weirder than others, like Cranberry Mustard or Chocolate Mustard.  

Next to the Mustard Museum was a cute, local diner so we grabbed lunch from there before heading back to Indiana to plunge back into our 'normal' lives.  The diner had some pretty delicious looking carrot cake, but was known best for it's pie, which was delicious!

One last picture of all three of us together at the campgrounds!

On the way back to Indiana I just kept thinking about how grateful I am to have these awesome friends.  These women of God have continuously pulled me back to God through my various highs and lows.  This trip was super refreshing for me.  From laughing at our ridiculous level of silliness together to singing Psalms with made up melodies while sitting on a hill overlooking gorgeous views of God's creation, I am more than happy that these girls decided to get together with me this weekend.  This weekend-long expedition has finished but my friendship with these amazing people has only begun!  

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo 

Growth

The top picture was taken by my mom while the bottom picture was a picture that I found somewhere on the internet when I decided that I wanted to sketch that day.  Both of the sketches were drawn by me.

This weekend, I took the time to clean out my room at my parent's house so that moving into my apartment this weekend could be as efficient as possible.  While cleaning out my desk at my parent's house, I ran into a couple of sketches that I had done previously.  I was amazed at the different skill level represented between the two sketches.  Both of them are far from perfect and I can definitely see areas where they could be improved, but you can also see that one is done by a better artist.  The one of the bottom has better shading and is less choppy.  Her nose is still a bit crooked, and her eyes aren't drawn right on the line, but in the top one, her forehead is drawn too small and the pencil strokes are much more individual rather than united.  In the top one, the sketch is drawn with her face too wide.  The texture of the top girl's shirt are drawn too dramatically, so they appear more as stripes than as wrinkles.

A lot of people have asked me how I have become reached my current skill level at sketching, and my response is always the same.  I practiced.  This was abundantly clear to me while I looked through my old artwork this weekend.  I have some pretty terrible sketches that I did when I was younger.  The thing is, if I had never drawn those terrible ones, I would never have been able to draw the better ones.  If I had given up and been frustrated with my inability to draw more than sticks with circles to represent a tree when I was 5, I would never have been able to paint a tree on my wall when I was 16.  

This is applicable to many areas of life.  I was not naturally good at very much when I came out of the womb.  I could do the normal baby things pretty well, like sleeping, eating, and pooping.  I was not born with an inherent knowledge of Calculus or how to sketch people.  But I did work at those skills.  I practiced.  I pursued that knowledge.  I ran after them, wanting to become good at them and become one of the best at those things.

I also have to make a very intentional effort to follow God.  Just as I was not born with an inherent knowledge of math, I was not born with natural wisdom.  God is teaching it to me every day as I make an effort to learn what it means to be wise.  I have to work for it.  God is pursuing me, and all I have to do is turn around and ignore the distractions in my life.  I am learning what it means to live a life of faith.  

"Persistently perfect practice procures perfect progress."~Mark Marshall

Only through consistently continuing on this journey of faith will I become better at following God.  Only by the grace of God will I be able to continue on this journey of hope and growth in my spiritual life.  

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever! Amen

2 Peter 2:18

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Serene Recklessness

The following was written throughout the day on Sunday as I had time between things:

Today I woke up early and sat on the roof as I watched the sun rise over Popocatepetl and enjoyed the cold stillness until the Zaragoza's 2 St. Bernards pushed their noses into my space, effectively getting slobber and dirt on my clothes.  Both dogs eventually settled down enough for me to finish my morning reading and then I went down to the Zaragozas' house for cereal before my friends drove me to the airport.

This past week and a half have been intense and amazing.  For me, the hardest part about mission trips to Mexico with Fishers of Men has been leaving. Even though I know that when it is God's will I will see them all again, I never know when that will be.  In this aspect, this trip is not different.  Leaving was the hardest thing that I had to do during the entire duration.

But this trip is different in that I am experiencing more peace.  Without me telling the new people working with me on this E.M.M.C. that I would be back or that doing medical missions south of the border was my call from God, they were all asking me when I was coming back.  They would tell me that they were looking forward to working with me again.  I do not understand God.  I do not know how his timing will look on this earth, but I know that it will be perfect.  I do not know why God is calling me to serve in Mexico.  There are parts of my life in the U.S. that I do not want to give up, but I know and trust that God will show me how to do so.  It may look reckless or crazy, but in my soul, I can feel God's serenity.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:3

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Forgetting

A few months ago, I made a decision to make a trip to Mexico this summer.  If you want to read about that decision, click here.  When I made the decision to follow God and head to Mexico, I knew that I was going struggle to be able to pay for my week and a half trip from my own budget.  I also knew that it was God who was leading me there this summer, and that God would provide.  I knew that in my heart.

But even though I have seen him provide many times, I was still nervous.  I talked to a few people about how excited I was to do this, which I would have done even if I hadn't been worried about funds.  Now, a few days before I fly out, I am seeing God at work.  I am seeing him provide through people who love me, the church.  I am amazed and in awe about God's provision.  Despite the fact that I have seen Him provide countless times before, I am still surprised.  I am glad that I am in awe of God.  I am disappointed in myself, that I am just as forgetful as the Israelites, walking through the desert to the Promised Land.  I knew that God would somehow provide, but yet I am still surprised.

Today, I attended a church service where the Bible reference for the sermon was Psalm 23.  I was reminded of God's infallible provision and humbled in my lack of trust and my ability to forget every other time that God has provided for me and for those I care about.

After the service, I was surrounded by people who prayed for me and for safe travels in the next couple of weeks.  They also prayed that God would work through me while I am there.  I know that a lot of these same people will continue praying for me while I am there.  God is working through these people already.  These people are reminding me how mighty God is.  These people are showing me how infallible and ceaseless the grace and mercy that God gives is.  These people are showing me God's love.

It is illogical, and it is awesome.

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Deuteronomy 4:9

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Sidenote:  As I cannot guarantee internet access or time to write a blog for the next two weeks, any of my adventure stories from Mexico may have to wait until I have both of those things in conjunction.

Comfort

I asked someone what to blog about and they told me to blog about tea.  I then decided to research the history of tea, as I felt that it would probably be an interesting topic.

I found that we really don't know how tea was invented, but one of the common legends is that some herbs or leaves blew into a pot of water accidentally.  Honestly, I did not think that the origins of tea were the most interesting part.  The development of brewing tea as a ritual was fascinating.  You see, tea drinking became a similar to religious ceremonies.  When someone drank tea it was to be a quiet and peaceful drink.  It was a drink to have when you wanted to be in a meditative sort of mood.  There was a specific way to brew tea and a specific place where you were to drink the tea.

This concept is quite fascinating for me.  I love a good cup of hot tea when I am up late studying.  Holding a mug of tea can warm your hands.  It's also a nice drink to curl up with when you want to spend a cold day reading.  But while I was reading about the history of tea, I began to think about what people use to calm them down in modern society.  Some of us go to food to handle stress.  This is why we have the term "comfort food."  Some of us go to friends.  It's nice to have an ear to listen and a mouth to tell you that it isn't your fault.  Some of us go shopping.  Some of us choose to drink alcohol, consume tobacco, or use drugs.  Some of us exercise.  Some of us go to social media or the internet in general.  Still others go to self-help books, in the hope that we can somehow "fix" ourselves, and so won't become stressed.  These things are not necessarily bad, but it is important to be aware of what we go to first when we need help.  When we go to other things for help instead of going to God, we have made them into our idols.

There are obviously a multitude of ways to handle stress.   There are many things that we can use to comfort ourselves, including tea.  I enjoy a lot of things that I just listed in the above paragraph.  The thing is, that is not what God has asked me to do when I'm afraid and "stressed out."  He asks me to go to Him.  He tells me that I can find comfort in Him.  His Word reminds me that God's comfort is the only comfort that is everlasting and never-changing.  Tea can be taxed, overeating can cause obesity, and internet connection can be lost, but God's loving protection is a priceless gift in which we should abide.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3

Thoughts when I'm Awake at Ridiculous Hours

It's 4:43am and I am wide awake.  I have been awake for the last hour.  Life is funny sometimes.  God gave me a job with regular hours: 8-5, Mon.-Fri.  It's great.  Unlike many jobs available to college students, I have my evenings and weekends to do as I please.  On this night, or early morning, I've chosen to volunteer at the homeless shelter.

I took the last volunteer shift so stay up and watch the security cameras, so I have the privilege of the early wake up calls.  Some wake up as early as 3:50 to set out toward their low-paying jobs for the long day.  Tonight has been relatively quiet.  No drunken or sick vomiting, or drug addicts going through withdrawal, which are all things that I've observed and helped with here.

It has been raining off and on for the past hour, so I'm praying that it will stop soon for the sake of the guests who may be spending all day outside after they leave the shelter at 7am.

God gave me a job with regular hours and I decided that I would volunteer through some nights.  It's exhausting sometimes, when I spend the entire night awake to help out rather than just taking my shift.  But it's worth it.  I gain stories, both my own and listening to others'.  During this listening, I've tried to gain what knowledge and wisdom I can, even though my brain is never at its sharpest at 2:30am.  The thing is, the more education I receive, the more I realize that what they say about learning is true, "The most important lessons aren't learned in a classroom."  I'm learning that this summer, in the middle of the night at a homeless shelter.

I'm learning that some of the best stories are spoken in a homeless shelter.  Between the war veterans and the conspiracy theorists, you start to hear some pretty good stories when you're listening.  You hear about some of the lessons they've learned in life.  You hear about when they had a family, and you hear about their rough days when it just won't stop raining and they have no where to go.

I'm learning that alcohol and other drug addictions are very real and very perpetual.  It is not that I did not believe my health teacher in high school.  It's just different when you see it up close on a day to day basis.  While some of these people really are trying to work their way up from these circumstances, it's difficult to remove yourself from the environment surrounded by the abused substances when you have nowhere to go.  Many of these people no longer have control of their lives, these substances do.

Not only are addictions a perpetual cycle, so is homelessness in general.  It is very easy to become homeless and very hard to escape.  It's very easy for people to become hopeless as they spiral around in the cycle of finding a job, starting to save money, and then being laid-off and going right back to where they started.  A lot of the success stories that I've seen from the homeless shelter are from people who have been in the system and working their way out of it for years.  They chose the long, slow upward process rather than the quick downward spiral.

I'm learning what it really means to have the joy of the Lord and to be content in all circumstances.  Nothing is more humbling than asking a homeless man how his day was and receiving the response, "Very blessed."  This old man who walks with a cane, who is coming here for free soap and shampoo and access to a shower.  This old man who doesn't even have a friend or family member to ask if he can sleep on their couch.  He tells me that he is, "Very blessed."  If he is very blessed, then what am I?  I've seen poverty before, it's nothing new, but those impoverished people at least had a friend to lend a hand.  What does this man possess that he can say that he is "Very blessed?"  He must have something intangible, something beyond human understanding.  This old man, who walks with a cane and doesn't have a bed to sleep in, has Jesus.

I'm learning a lot this summer, which is pretty awesome considering I am not enrolled in a single course nor am I formally studying anything on a regular basis.  My class this summer is living life, and the lessons I'm being taught are invaluable.

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Getting to Know Myself

At the very beginning of this summer I started attending a study on Ecclesiastes that my church does on Thursday night.  That very first night, when we just talked and got to know each other, one of the questions that each of us answered was, "What is one thing you would like to learn this summer?"  My reply to this question was that I wanted to learn more about myself this summer.  I wanted to take a lot of my time and do prayer and meditation.  As I am in college, pursuing a degree that will hopefully have a lifelong impact, this seems an ideal time to learn about myself.  But I have also spent much of my summer running around like a madwoman trying to do everything.  I volunteer at the homeless shelter and help lifeguard at a boy scout camp.  I work a full time job.  Just tonight I arrived home, made myself supper, learned how to make pie crust from a roommate, made No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, and decided to blog.  I have not allowed myself a whole lot of time to sit and pray by myself.  I just keep exhausting myself with people.

However, I have given myself some time to read.  I just recently finished The Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller, which was recommended by a good friend of mine.  The whole book hit me pretty hard, but the last chapter made me realize something.  I realized that one of the best ways to get to know myself if to spend time with others, not to spend time by myself.  I definitely need to spend more time in prayer.  But when it comes to really discovering my passions and realizing what I excel at, I need to spend time serving and in fellowship with others.  This seems to come naturally to a lot of people, but I am an introvert and most of the activities I enjoy are solitary, helping me cherish the seclusion and silence of lonesomeness.  This means that in order to get to know myself, the best methodology is not to make goals to spend time in thought by myself.  I do that naturally.  The best way to get to know myself it to make goals to spend time with others and actually spend time with others.  The Prodigal God had the following quote from C.S. Lewis about this topic:

In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out.  By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets.  Now that Charles [Williams] is dead, I shall never again see Ronald's [Tolkien's] reaction to a specifically Charles joke.  Far from having more of Ronald, having him "to myself" now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald...In this, Friendship exhibits a glorious "nearness by resemblance" to heaven itself where the very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each of us has of God.  For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest.  That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah's vision are crying Holy, Holy, Holy" to one another (Isaiah 6:3).  The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall have.

Whether I am with people who call me 'Jo' or 'Joanna,' I am the same person.  Whether I am with people in an informal situation or in a professional setting, I have the same character.  But each person teaches me a little bit about who I am.  Each person brings their own unique perspective that I can learn about.  I will continue to work on my prayer life and my time alone with God.  But I will also strive to spend time with others and learn from them.  I will be able to learn about myself and others.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

1 John 1:7

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

A Father from Heaven

This Sunday was Father's Day.  A month and a half ago I took the time to acknowledge my mother.  Now it is my dad's turn.  My dad was the parent who was almost always cracking a joke while the other parent was trying to do one hundred other things.  The parent who would start a wrestling match with the kids just before bedtime.  But when it came down to it, he was also the parent who enforced the rules.  I only remember being spanked once.  It did not come from my mother, but from my father (and yes, the spanking was earned).

My earthly father here on earth showed me who my Heavenly Father is.  My father fixed physical things around the house.  He was a handy-man.  My Heavenly Father fixes my soul and dries my tears.  My earthly father spent time with me as a child, amazing me with his knowledge of the world and teaching me things I did not know.  My Heavenly Father reminds me that I am still a child and continues teaching me lessons with incredible patience.  My father showed me where the rules were and taught me to respect them, just as my Heavenly Father convicts me and lovingly shows me when I need to turn and go a different direction.  My father has shown me how to work hard, but also how to play hard, just as God asks us to be a servant but reminds us to rest.

I am truly blessed.  God chose to put two incredible people in my life to act as role models during my most vulnerable and malleable years.  They have both taught me the love of God through the way they live their lives.  They each live their lives as an act of service.  As I continue on this journey of life and learn the lessons that God is teaching me, I can not think of a way to say thank you enough to both of my parents. They have been showing me what it means to live a Godly life from the first day I was born.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him

Psalm 103:13

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

An Unplanned Thursday

My church has a bible study every Thursday this summer.  This past Thursday, I decided to go grocery shopping before Bible Study to pick up some things that I knew I was going to need over the weekend and for this upcoming week.  While I was in the store my brother called me and informed that he was stranded on the side of the road because his truck had broken down.  Since my parents were out of the state for the past week on a mission trip with their church's youth group, they couldn't help him.  Basically, I needed to go pick him up from Dayton and get him to Logansport.

By the time my brother had explained everything to me, I had most of my groceries in my cart, so I checked out and headed towards Dayton with the fear that my refrigerated groceries would not be very cold by the time I got my brother from Dayton to Logansport and then went back to my house in West Lafayette.  If the amount of elapsed time isn't enough to convince you that my groceries were a potential concern, I will take this moment to point out that the car that I drive doesn't have air conditioning, and on Thursday the high was around 89 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity.

With such high heat I was also wondering if my brother would be thirsty, as he hadn't told me how long he had been stranded. However all of my concerns were for not.  When I was about 5 minutes away from Dayton, my brother called me to inform me that his truck had started and he was going to try to make it back to Logansport.  I proceeded to turn around and head back towards my house in West Lafayette.  Upon arrival to my house, an acquaintance saw me in the driveway and asked if I was going to my church's Bible study.  Since I had originally planned on going and my plans hadn't really changed so much as been delayed, I said that I would indeed be able to go to Bible study.

During Bible study I was not very focused as I waited on a text from my brother saying that he had arrived in Logansport, which came towards the end of the bible study.  I like things to go by my plan.  But the thing is, God is trying to show me that even if I have my own plans, I still need to trust Him.  God has the full picture while we only have one puzzle piece.  We may not know why our piece seems ugly, but in the end, when it all fits together, it is a beautiful masterpiece that we wouldn't have been able to imagine.

I don't know why my brother's truck broke down or why I had to spend extra time in a car on Thursday night.  But I do know that God has a purpose for everything and that his timing is perfect.

The best part?  This was the topic of discussion in Bible study on Thursday. :)

He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human hear; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Salt

At the beginning of this past week I took an inventory of what I have in my kitchen so that I can decide if I needed to go grocery shopping.  During my inventory I discovered that I had a lot of potatoes that needed to be used very soon, or they were going to go bad.  Not wanting to waste perfectly good food, I decided that I would need to eat lots of potatoes this week.  Each night for supper I had something with potatoes.  I steamed potatoes and put a variety of things on each one for a different night.  One of the easiest things I like to make is scrambled eggs with potato and shredded cheese.  It may sound weird if you've never tried it, but it's quite good.  Basically, you bake or steam the potato first and then cut it into cubes and fry it with your scrambled eggs.

One night while I was cutting a hot potato into cubes to add to my scrambled eggs, I ate a plain piece of cooked potato.  I didn't really like the way that it tasted.  I have written a previous blog about that fact that I really enjoy potatoes, so why didn't I like this potato?  Quite simply, it needed salt.  It needed something to add flavor and suppress the bitterness so that I could taste the potato (salt brings out flavor in food partly because of suppressing the bitterness in any given food).

Once I had finished preparing my meal and there was a little bit of salt added, I was able to much more wholly enjoy my potato and egg mixture with all of its flavor.  While I sat and ate, I began to think about being the salt of the world.

You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  it is not longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

Matthew 5:13

  Quite simply, salt is super important.  God asks me to be salt.  He asks me to bring out the good in the world for Him, just as salt helps to bring out good flavor in food.  He will help me to do so.  He asks me to preserve the morals of the world, just as salt helps preserve food.  Biologically speaking, life is not possible without salt.  Spiritually speaking, it is not possible to have a healthy faith if I am not being salt.  I hope that I am the salt of the world, showing God's light by bringing out the good.  

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Home

This past weekend I made a trip to my parents house.  I was there to go to several people's graduation open house parties.  It was really fun to say hello to many people from my old high school and see where they are planning to head in the next year.  Some of them have plans for the rest of their life.  A lot of them ask me what I am doing for the summer and how my past year has gone.

I am not living at my parents' house for the summer, as I have found a job close to campus so I am subleasing a house on West Lafayette for the summer until my apartment lease starts for the school year.  The only problem with this is that I have two "homes" in Indiana.  This weekend I found myself saying that I was going to go home when I meant my parents' house, and when I left my parents' house I said that I was headed home.

As I thought about headed home from home on my drive, I wondered when I would feel 100% at home.  When I lived in Mexico, I felt at home, but I still missed people from my "hometown."  On my trip home, as I contemplated my predicament.  I felt as if I had so many homes that I'm homeless.

I then realized that my home is Jesus.  He is my hope and my refuge.  When I am with Him, I will be at home.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Psalm 91:1-2

Jesus is my home.  Spending time with God and being with other Jesus-followers is the closest I will be able to come to feeling at home while I am still on the Earth.  The most amazing part about that, is that it doesn't make me homeless, it means I have a home no matter where I go.

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Learning and Preparation

I've met some pretty awesome people recently through doing some volunteering at the local homeless shelter.  Recently I enjoyed meeting a man who was also a volunteer.  We were able to have a fairly lengthy conversation about life and faith.  One of the things that he said repeatedly was, "We are both here tonight for a reason."  That made me thing about all the times in my life when God was preparing me without me even being aware of what was happening.

Every day that I live, God is trying to teach me and prepare me for the next thing that He has planned for me.  When I had a break in my schedule in Mexico, I worked with a couple of the kids on their reading.  When I moved back to the U.S. and dove back into public school, I became a peer tutor, and started helping a young boy with his reading skills.  I was pretty far from a perfect teacher, but I know that the previous experience certainly helped me in the endeavor.

My dad didn't realize he was being called into ministry until I was in the third grade.  Before that, he had been working as a mechanic.  I could easily say that it would have been easier for me if my dad hadn't needed to go back to college when I was in elementary school through my junior high years.  However, when we went to Mexico, the organization we were working with (Fishers of Men) really needed someone who could repair and maintain their vehicles.

My fellow volunteer's words echo in my mind.  "We are both here for a reason."  There is certainly truth in that statement.  God wants to use my experiences to teach me.  God has bigger plans for me than what I've already done, because what I've already done has been part of the process of Him teaching and molding me into what He wants.  I haven't always been willing and He has had to work with me on my stubbornness to give up sinful habits.  This will be a lifelong process and struggle.  But I know that I will endure with His power and strength.  I know that I need to learn to depend on His love, and nothing else.  God is teaching me to live his love everyday that I am alive.

I don't know how my current circumstances are going to be used later, but I know that God has a use for every single day of my life.  It is up to me be a good student and learn from Him.  It is up to me to wake up and give Him every single day, both to serve Him and to learn from Him.

The person that I was volunteering with took some time to share his testimony with me.  I was amazed at his story.  He has such a strong, new faith that left me in awe.  His life before God had not been one of happiness.  It wasn't until he realized that only God could pull him out from where he was that his life became what it is today.

In much the same way, God has plans for everybody.  He wants to help each and everyone of us learn how to live his love.  We just have to humble ourselves and pray.

When I shut up the heavens so that here is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14

I don't want to be content with a drought and locusts.  I need to learn to humble myself, pray, and seek God.

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Servanthood

This past week I started a job at the financial aid office.  Right now, there are eight new people, and we are all in training.  In a few weeks we will be the people who answer the e-mails the flood into the financial aid office each day.  We will be able to answer phone calls of people who call with more urgent questions than the questions in the e-mail.

The only thing that we are to do is serve people.  It is so easy for me to forget that serving people needs to go beyond just my work.  I am supposed to serve people everywhere in life, not just when I am being paid to do so.

I'm supposed to serve people when I am in a hurry or when I don't feel good.  It is very easy for me to be self-absorbed and forget to take the time to listen to others and to help others.  That needs to become more of a focus for me.

Christ was a servant and I need to follow his example.

Matthew 20

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Mother's Day

This past Sunday was Mother's Day.  I would just like to take a moment to acknowledge what an amazing woman my mother is.  I, being the daughter that I am, did not give her a card for Mother's Day this year, so I will write this as a late replacement for it, even though it probably isn't quite as pretty.

My mama is a great role model.  She rarely complains about everything she does.  And she does everything.  Cooks.  Cleans.  Bakes.  Laundry.  And much more.  So I would say that the little bit of complaining that comes out of her mouth is justified and she could easily say much more and do much less.  She is probably the most consistent reader of this blog and most definitely the most regular commentator (I don't write for other people, but when it's published, it's nice to have the affirmation).

My mama has encouraged me to grow in my faith and encouraged me to grow in all areas of life.  She has shown me what unconditional love looks like as she lives her life loving everyone around her, even the ones that are hard to love.  She has taught me how to make some pretty fantastic cookies (albeit, they're never quite as good as hers).  She has shown me the importance of being motivated by God, and not being motivated by people.  She has shown me what it means to live out the fruits of the spirit.  She has lived the joy of Jesus, even when she is in hard circumstances.  She demonstrates restraint and self-control in ways that I don't know I will ever be able to manage.  She is faithful and gentle.

My mama is not perfect.  But she seems pretty close to me.  Thanks, Mama, for all you do!  One day of gratitude a year is not enough for you!  I love you!

The Saturday Before Finals: A Story of Seeking the Internet, Poop, and Strange People

This past Saturday I woke up early, knowing that I needed to get a lot of studying done before Monday morning when my first and most ridiculous final was going to take place.  After I ate an early lunch at 11:00 am, I decided to head to the library, where I knew I would be more efficient.

Unfortunately, upon arrival to the library that is closest to my dorm, I discovered that it does not open until 1:00pm on Saturdays.  Since it was a beautiful day and I didn't want to walk to another library, I decided to sit outside an study to enjoy the warm weather.  I proceeded to a shady location(so that I could see the screen on my computer) and close enough to a building that I had internet connection.  This location seemed absolutely ideal.  It was decently secluded, the grass was green, the sun was warm, I could search the internet, and download my professors' powerpoint slides as necessary.  As I continued to study I laid down on the soft grass and enjoyed the spring day.

Eventually my elbows grew tired of me leaning on them, so I sat up.  I then proceeded to look at the imprint on the grass that my body had left.  I had flattened the grass quite well.  Now that the grass was flat, you could more clearly see things that had been formerly been hiding between the blades.  Much to my dismay, I discovered that I had been laying on rabbit poop.  And I'm not talking about just one pile.  As I looked more closely at the unflattened grass around me I realized that I was surrounded by multiple piles.

At this point I decided that it would be best if I took a study break to stretch my legs and find a bathroom to blow my nose, as Spring allergies are my reality this time of year.  I also decided that it would be best to find a new location that was a bit cleaner.

I ended up switching locations another time after that (in pursuit of an internet connection outside).  However, that was when I ended up next to the Engineering Fountain.  I decided to just enjoy people watching.  It was quite humorous to watch as people ran through the water and screamed at the stark temperature change.  There was also a man with a pineapple duct taped to each hand.  I questioned the efficiency of this, as he was only eating from one of them, but I decided not to ponder this for too long since it didn't really concern me.

My last Saturday as a Freshman in college I spent sitting in rabbit poop, looking for a sunny patch with internet, and watching people run through a fountain.  It was great.  I was able to study but also be at peace with realizing that my grade isn't and shouldn't be the most important thing in my life.  I was also able to laugh at myself, realizing that I was sitting in feces.

Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:15-16