Living Between the Trees

I'm hanging out at my desk right now watching a Nooma video called "Trees." (Nooma is a ministry consisting of short films that was started by a pastor named Rob Bell a few years back. The videos are amazingly artistic, deeply moving and just all around cool, so check them out if you're not familiar with them. You won't regret it.). Anyway, "Trees" is all about how we live in a fallen time between the Garden of Eden (tree #1) and what's to come when Jesus comes back (tree #2), and how we can take part in planting trees of Paradise around the earth while we're here. The video covers so much about our world and what it means to truly live,. One part that really struck me was when Rob talked about the beauty that God so lovingly created and that he allows to exist in our fallen world -- laughter, music, nature, the list goes on and on and on. This reminded me of a quote I have been obsessed with lately (keep up with this blog and I'm sure you'll find that every week there seems to be a new quote that's my favorite). Frank Lloyd Wright once said that "the longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life." I'm not sure if Wright was a Christian, but I cannot help but think of how this quote speaks to Jesus and the beauty He brings. We live in a crazy world, but amid and even within the chaos, pain and destruction there is so much beauty that we miss because we're so consumed with all of the craziness. The longer we live, the more time we have to seek God and see the beauty he has blessed us with. So today I am looking beyond the craziness of the election, the economy and everything else in order to appreciate the little things in life, which are often the most beautiful.

Hello Blogland!

I'm a first time blogger so you'll have to bare with me. My journey with the youth team at St. John's began on Monday morning, and the past two days have been a whirlwind packed with bible studies, an incredible trip to Good Shepherd, Coffee Talk, devotions, and so much more. I am in awe as I look around realizing that my job is to hang out with amazing people talking about eternity and pointing each other to Jesus and His Word. I feel beyond blessed. So, as a way to say hello, I figured I should give a few facts about myself. While I am in no way an artist, I love admiring other people's art, whether it be in film, books, music, etc. I love it all. I majored in Creative Writing and minored in Film while at USC (fight on!), so while my friends were studying calculus and writing 20 page papers on quantitative theory (whatever that is), I was creating stories and watching movies. It was a college experience that I wouldn't trade in a million years. Ask my dad for a funny story about me and he will, without fail, tell you about when, as a child, I pinned my older, larger brother off of his feet and up against a wall because he called me a funny name. I have grown up with three brothers and two male cousins on my dad's side, so I know how to hold my own with the boys. I love to travel and some of my favorite memories are from my summers spent in Nicaragua and Spain on missions trips. I love fall, Christmas, crisp weather, snowboarding, playing board games, and those conversations where you walk away in awe of the heart and depth of the person with whom you were speaking. I could go on and on about my likes and passions, but I think I've bored you enough for the day. Blessings!