Light Amidst Work

Pandora plays every day at my desk, keeping me going throughout the day.  Just as it seemed like I wouldn't be able to take much more, this song burst through the speakers. I couldn't help but smile.  Work is insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and even when some days feel like they're crashing down, God's love never changes.

You Never Let Go by Matt Redman

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back
I know you are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
(Chorus:)

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We'll live to know You here on the earth
(Chorus)

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” - Galatians 6:7-8

World of Paperwork

Some corporate offices have opted to operate paper-free.  No pens, no paper, no paraphernalia.  Nothing but a screen, a keyboard, and a mouse.  These corporations amaze me.  One, I can't even answer the phone without jotting down the name of the person on the line.  Two, I work for a man who doesn't believe in anything BUT paper.  Paper calendars, paper memos, and paper phone messages.  When he returns from a business trip, it's common for him to make my office his first pit stop.  He plops his briefcase on the guest chair and proceeds to plunk folded boarding passes, wrinkled receipts, random business cards, and the like on my already pile-ridden desk top.  Before long, the mountain on my desk is so large I can't look over it even if I tried.  You may wonder how I manage to operate in such an disorderly fashion--especially for those who know me well.  I'll be honest--at first, I didn't manage it at all.  My eyes hazed over, and my heart beat could be seen through the blue vein in my forehead.  This non-technology way of operating was new to me 10 months ago, but now, it's become second nature.  My boss is gone today, yet my desk looks like this...

 I'm the culprit for making it look this way now.  I've found two solutions to operating in a world of paperwork.  One:  LISTS.  No big surprise that I, Heather, formerly Nelson, Field would resort to utilizing lists.  At NASCAR my lists were electronically built through Outlook, but not any more....they're...yep you guessed it...paper post-its.  (Sorry Trees)  Two:  Well, just look...

Girl Scout cookies.  My boss has a habit of buying them in bulk from every cute little girl who knocks on his door.  The girls have caught on and have become quite smart, leaving at least five XL shipping boxes full of cookies to be "taken care of."  I am his assistant after all...I have to take care of everything...including eating cookies from 2010 so the 2011 batch can come in.

I came across this photo and thought what a wonderful picture to share on this slow Wednesday afternoon.  Here's the before picture:

 And here's the after picture:  Don't mind the blue finger...they still haven't fixed the thermostat in my office so it's still FREEZING.

Spiritual Journey

Tomorrow evening, we are meeting with two youth pastors from our church in hopes of serving in the high school youth group.  Both Jesse and I have a heart for youth, and now that we've found a church, we're pluggin' in.  In preparation for our meeting, I filled out the application this morning.  Here's a sampling of some of the questions: What are your expectations for the youth ministry staff?  Why do you want to serve in youth ministry?  What are you spiritual gifts?  These questions are easy to answer, but it was the Personal & Spiritual Background section I found to be difficult. Not difficult because I didn't know the answers but because I realize I need to think about these questions more often.  What is a significant event in your life that impacted you spiritually?  What are three major ways you've grown in your spiritual walk?  How would you best describe your spiritual journey now?
If I thought about just one of these questions once a week, my life would surely be sharpened.  My words would be delivered softer, my thoughts would be holier, and those around me would feel more loved.  One of the things I explained in my application was that some of my poor decisions in college opened my eyes to a new side of Jesus Christ. At the end of the day, when every girl in the dorm had fallen asleep, I lay awake on my bunk bed with teary eyes and an open Bible.  When night fell quietly over me, Jesus was the only friend I had to comfort me, to forgive me, and to love me.  He's not just a historical figure who calmed storms and fed thousands with crumbs.  He's here right now, holding our hands each step of the day.  I'm thankful for the little reminders God sends us to remind us of what is important in life. The future often dominates my thoughts as I dream about where we might live in a few years, what our family might look like, and what goals we will have achieved.  The future is good to look at, but perhaps spending some time in the past of how God got me here is important as well.  We need to focus on our spiritual journey.

Christmas in Silverton

Before I recap on our trip to Oregon for Christmas, I had to share a photo of my sweet little friend, Bella.  I was invited over to her house to decorate Gingerbread Houses before we flew out, and I had a blast.  Most candies made their way to little mouths, but the houses managed to get decorated.

 Jesse very excited about his three Star Wars movies.

 Modeling my new hat and boots.

 Visiting Grandpa and Grandma Nelson

 Gary reading the Christmas story

 Christmas morning!!!



Living a Purpose

Oftentimes we strive to be bigger and better.  We desire nice things, and we're told we must be successful to obtain them.  I can't help but smile when friends and coworkers share with me their New Years resolutions.  In the past few days I've heard everything from the most common: lose weight and save money to some very unique goals: swim with sharks and feed the homeless.  Regardless of what the resolution is, there's one commonality between all of them--to become a better person--to find satisfaction in a good decision.
This morning was a Starbucks morning--meaning rather than heading straight to work, my car continued on toward the famous green circle.  It didn't take me long to realize they'd increased their prices since the last time I had visited.  Sure enough, my Grande Decaf Mocha, Extra Hot was going to cost about fifty cents more.  Despite my disappointment, I placed my order and got in line to pick it up at the other end of the counter.  Much to my surprise the Barista handed me a Venti cup and said, "Thank you for coming to our store.  You're one of my regulars."  Now, perhaps an increased size in coffee isn't the most miraculous thing that will happen today, but it will most-likely be the most miraculous thing that happens to me today.  I'm not sure if this man woke up this morning and repeated his New Years resolution in his head to be kinder to customers, or if God whispered in his ear that this girl needed a special treat.  Regardless, he was bigger and better today, and success happened to have nothing to do with it.
Five days into the New Year and I'm beginning to see how I can make not just a New Years resolution, but rather a life resolution.  Rather than thinking about being a better person and what I'd like to do for others, I need to BE  a better person and DO those things for others.  The radio host on our local Christian station said yesterday that it donned on her that the last year passed by without a specific purpose or meaning.  She decided she was going to thrive and not just live. 
God didn't create me to just live.  He created me unique and quirky to fulfill His mission.  It may be silly that a free Venti coffee could make me realize it, but hey...perhaps that's why God told the Barista to do it.   

Snippet of Christmas

While in Oregon, Jesse and I drove out to St Helens to visit Grandpa and Grandma Nelson.  He had just undergone open heart surgery and was being cared for at a rehabilitation center. An added treat was that Holly drove out, and Dad was already there. It was a mini Christmas minus one important person: Mom.

I sliced my finger open, leading us on our way to get some emergency stitches. Fun way to spend Christmas!!

We'll Be Home For Christmas

After our snow fall, most cars in this area look salty and crusty.  Perhaps I wouldn't care so much if we were still driving Higgins, our Honda Civic, but somehow our bright red 2010 Corolla screams "Clean me!"  What better afternoon adventure is there than driving through a car wash?

 Last night, Jesse and I celebrated Christmas together, opening gifts from each other before boarding our flight to Oregon on Tuesday.  So far, since being married, we've yet to have a "normal" Christmas where it occurs on just one day...I guess we have a knack for spreading out the Christmas cheer!

So, we're headed home to Silverton to spend Christmas with Jesse's family.  We'll also get to see some Nelson clan, hop-skip-and-jumping over to St. Helens to check in on Grandpa Nelson.  Oregon, here we  come!

Snow

We got snow yesterday!!!  My thermostat at work is still broken, so I decided to take some action...hence my hat!

There's our little red car burried under snow.  It was very exciting to watch about 5 hours of snow fall during work.

At the Cross

To the cross I look.  To the cross I cling.
Of its suffering I do drink.  Of its work I do sing.
On it my Savior, both bruised and crushed,
Showed that God is love, and God is just.

At the cross you, beckon me, draw me gently to my knees,
And I am lost for words, so lost in love, I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered.

What a priceless gift: undeserved life, have I been given through Christ crucified.
You've called me out of death, You've called me into life.
I was under Your wrath, now through the cross, I'm reconciled.

In awe of the cross I must confess,
How wondrous Your redeeming love, and how great is your faithfulness!

Broken for You...I'm broken for You, my Lord.
Jesus, all that's left, oh I am sweetly broken.

Ritual

The past four sermons at church have been on ritual.  When I first sat down and read the topic, a few things came to mind: sacrifice, religion, and even evil.  Of course I didn't think the pastor would get on stage and teach about witchcraft, but I honestly wasn't thinking on the right plain of intellect.  In fact, the last thing that came to mind was tradition, habit, and recurrence.  Now that the term ritual has broadened, I've begun to think about the importance of ritual inside our home.  What traditions or practices do we keep, and why are they important to us?
Just this past weekend, I went to a Christmas party.  There, the hostess, a good friend of mine, shared with all of us a family tradition she's continued on in her own home.  Growing up as an Army Brat (as she likes to call herself), her family moved frequently. One year, their move was around Christmas, and the packed-up decorations didn't make it to their new home in time.  Karen's mom decided the girls should bake and decorate cookies to hang on the Christmas tree that year.  Every Christmas since then, their family has baked and hung their cookies on the tree along with the other ornaments.  After the Christmas party, we were each encouraged to take a cookie home with us as a reminder...little did Karen know that her cookie reminds me about a lot more than just a fun loving tradition...it reminds me of other rituals more important: blessing, gifts of love, Christ's sacrifice, and family.   

Catering for the Heart

Lunch was catered today, meaning two things.  One: Everyone eats lunch even if they aren't hungry--who misses a free lunch?  Two:  Everyone congregates at various desks and converses over their plates piled high with sandwiches and double servings of cookies. The topic today within our group was cursing.  The general opinion was that children still living at home should not include four letter words in their vocabulary, at home or on the street.  Curious to see where this topic would lead, I took backseat and listened rather than contributed.  While the commonality poo-pooed children cursing, a very large issue was neglected.  No one uttered a word about the adults cursing. In fact, the general neglect of that matter was that it's a no-brainer that parents will curse, but children shouldn't let anything slip off their tongues.  Interesting, huh. 
It's now a couple hours later, and this topic is still fresh on my mind. It makes me wonder what around me influences the words I say or the tone I use?  Who around me rubs off on me and affects my personality?  The answer to these two questions alarmed me.  We're not currently highly involved at our church, so the majority of our time is spent with coworkers. Would I want to resemble my life after theirs?  Not particularly.  All the more reason to be aware of how I act, what I say, and how I say it.  Funny how catering turns from a plate of food to food for thought. 

Randomness

Here's just a little bit of randomness captured on my phone.

Smithsonian

 Washington Monument

 We couldn't get the timing quite right, but I wanted to capture the bright sunset anyways...excuse the blurry photo.

 I guess Mom just realized I was sitting next to her or something...

 We went to a Sports Bar to watch the Oregon vs. Arizona game while my parents were here.

 Christmas has landed in our home.  Out of curiosity I looked outside the window to see if other apartments in our area were decorated (yes, I was a peeping Tom for a second). Much to my surprise I could only see a few Christmas lights or trees through windows...what's wrong with these people?!?  I guess I'll have to make up for them!

Thanksgiving 2010

The table was set.

 Places were marked.

 Desserts were made with love.

 Breaks from the kitchen were enjoyed.

 Sparkling Cider bubbled.

 Thank you, Dad and Mom, for flying out to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with us.  We enjoyed the hugs, the laughter, and just getting to enjoy time spent with both of you!

We ventured to Mount Vernon. but the rain and dark sky directed our steps to the restaurant instead.

 Mom enjoyed the Peanut Butter soup...she may be the only person within 50 miles who actually liked it.

After lunch at Mount Vernon, we decided to drive to the Natural History museum. Jesse and Dad parked the car while Mom and I waited in the freezing cold (and drippy) weather.

 The sun decided to come out on Monday, so while Jesse was at work, Dad, Mom, and I ventured back out to Mount Vernon to explore the plantation.

 Mom was kind enough to ride in a wheelchair to prevent her knee from killing her.  I have the callouses to prove that we pushed her up hills and through aisles.  What a fun memory!

 Aladdin the Christmas Camel...