An Open Letter to Everyone at JJ's this Morning, January 15th

Hello all,

It is so nice to be able to address you all in this moment that we are sharing. To tell you the truth, this is not the letter I'm meant to be writing. I came here with the intention of writing a missions support letter to ask people that I know to give me money and prayer so that I can go to Kenya.
However, as much as I need to write that letter, I felt the much more pressing need to take a moment to stop and let you all know how I feel.
To the man who was sitting in the corner table--I'm sorry that when you got up to get a refill I stole your table. The truth is the outlet is next to this table and I plan on being here for quite some time. You were quite kind not to make a stir when you saw me sit down. Some future advice: I would just leave your large leather bag at the table when you go to the counter. People will probably not steal it, and if they do, they will have to walk past you to get out of here anyway, and that will be very awkward for them.
To whomever is wearing perfume--I like your perfume. It has a very feminine smell. The only problem is that it smells quite different than my coffee and is completely throwing off my senses. Nonetheless, you are appreciated.
To the pretty Asian lady who found my seventy-five dollar check on the ground and took the time to walk around to every table and ask if the check looked familiar--Thank you. You are a very kind woman, and you did me a huge favor today. Please know that you are beautiful and continue to go out of your way to do such kind things. I will do my best to do so, too.
To the Spanish tutor sitting next to me teaching a young man the language--Your Spanish is beautiful. Thank you for speaking it near to me. The rhythm and the flow and the richness of your words is delicate and musical. I almost want to turn of my music and merely listen to your voice.
To all of you--I genuinely appreciate that I can trust you all not to steal my laptop when I have to go to the restroom. You are a kind people and I am honored to know you.
Also, if you do happen to want to give money to my missions trip that would be great. You can do this at choosetoinvest.org. I hope you have a blessed day; you have blessed mine.

Sincerely,
Ponytail Girl in the Back Corner

Greek Stuff, Guys!

So, I had to do this project for my Greek class. And we had to pick an avenue in which to use our exegetical insights from translating in a regular setting. So I used my blog as my setting. And I figured I may as well post it here. I had a lot of fun doing it. I hope you enjoy it!


       In Him also, having heard the Word that is Truth, the good news of y’all’s salvation, and having believed in Him, y’all were sealed for redemption through which you become God’s property for praise of His glory by the Holy Spirit of promise Who is the down payment of our inheritance.

Ephesians 1:13-14, BKT*

            So, my Greek class recently studied some verses from Ephesians 1. We had to translate them and annotate them, basically back up why we translated stuff the way we did. And in doing this some beautiful ideas in this passage really jumped out at me. Sometimes, knowing the Greek doesn’t exactly rock my world, but there are a lot of things in studying Greek that can make passages so much more rich. There are three things from this passage that I want to talk about.

            1. Y’all were sealed for redemption. Redemption is a very powerful word, and I think a lot of times our eyes and hearts jump to it and feel it deeply, but when I was looking at the Greek, the word for sealed is the one that added another layer to the verse. The word is σφραγίζω (sphragizo), meaning “to mark with a seal as a means of identification.” I think this word adds a lot of depth to the verse. The definition says that we are marked, that something differentiates us as the ones who are to be redeemed. We are identified by this mark. I think this word smacks of predestination. Of course, I wouldn’t take this tiny nuance in itself to prove the whole of this idea, but in the context of the rest of the Bible, and especially in the context of the rest of Ephesians 1, I think it’s a valid thing to pick up on. We are marked, chosen, identified, as those who are to be redeemed. How comforting is this idea?

            2 Redemption through which you become God’s property. This phrase is exactly how the Greek smarties who compiled a giant lexicon called the BDAG translated these words. I think this phrase is such an interesting and telling one. A lot of times we think of being redeemed as receiving freedom or being  brought from slavery to sin into liberty. But this verse says that we are being redeemed in order to be owned. This brought my mind to the Exodus. In Exodus 7:16 (and about 15 other times in the book), God says, “Let my people go that they may serve me in the wilderness.” As I was reading through Exodus recently, I underlined this sentence just about every time I saw it. Free my people so they can serve Me, God is saying. This gets to the heart of the Exodus. So many people interpret the event as God’s hatred of unjust social practices or of His passion for liberty, all of which are things I believe God values highly, but what I believe God values more highly is His own glory. Because, first, God’s passion throughout the Bible is for His own name, and second, as I’ve said again and again before, He wants the best for us, and the best for us is to be a part of glorifying Him.

            This idea is probably really unattractive to some people. They want freedom, liberation; they do not want to be owned, but Scripture chants to us: Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty! Thinking about this “owned-ness” that we are redeemed to, I also recalled another passage we translated in Greek class, some verses from John1. This verse says, “He came to His own things, and His own people did not receive Him.” BKT.* That “His own” is the Greek word ἰδοὺ, meaning “one’s own.” I think these two verses taken together paint such a beautiful picture of redemption. We were God’s own, but we rejected our owned-ness. We chose to depart from being owned into our own interpretations of liberty. But in response to our rejection, Christ died to redeem us to be owned again. We’ve been sealed, marked, and identified to be redeemed for refusing to be God’s own. We are redeemed into owned-ness!

            3. The Holy Spirit Who is the down payment of our inheritance. The word down payment comes from the Greek word ἀρραβὼν which literally means, “payment of part of a purchase price in advance.” In one word, that’s a down payment. So let’s look closely at this phrase. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance. Seriously? The Holy Spirit, the expression of God given to believers is just the down payment of our inheritance? I mean, down payments are just a part of a larger sum, and usually a really small part at that. But to think that the Holy Spirit is just a small percentage of the inheritance that we await blows my mind. Because that’s just a really good first taste.

            If the Holy Spirit is just a small part of what I am to receive, I am so looking forward to the rest of that package. I think, too, that this echoes an idea that we see throughout Scripture and especially in Hebrews. Our inheritance is not something. It is not crowns in heaven, or a nice mansion next to Peter’s. Our inheritance is God Himself! If the down payment of our inheritance is the constant presence of God, then the entirety of our inheritance must be the fullness of Him! And that is excellent news. What we have to look forward to is both to know YHWH more fully as we walk with His Spirit here on earth, AND to know Him completely in heaven! We will no longer see dimly in a mirror, the veil shall be gone; we shall know our bridegroom in full! How wonderful and terrifying it will to be to receive the rest of our inheritance!

---

* Becca Kennedy Translation

* Becca Kennedy Translation

Shania.

There is no room for jealousy in love, I think.
Cause jealousy is self and love is others.
I know it's not that insightful but I'm thinking it and teaching it to myself.
I always want people to love me the most, but that is not what is important.
I know that, but feeling most is nice.
I'm working to love out of a heart that gives more than it takes and provides more than it needs.
I'm trying to decrease, here.

Also, I really love the Alabama summertime. That's kind of where I wish I was right now.
I'm afraid of the days that will come when I won't have it.
But I s'pose an Alabama December will do for present.

Someone called me Elizabeth Bennet this week.
Today my belly was hurting, so I had a prison meal for lunch:

Goodnight!

Cheeks.

Hello!

Here's some pictures of me holding things I'm happy about:

1. I am reading this lovely book. Even though I don't exactly have the time to be doing so. It is so worth it. When I was in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago, my dad and I went to 2nd & Chalres to glance around and to be friends and I picked out this book to buy. But then He bought it for me. He's a gem.

2. I got mail from the real Zimbabwe!! My BFF Haley lives there. It has a real Zimbabwe stamp and everything. Hales is so good at writing letters in both senses: a) she is great at writing kind words and b) she is very good at handwriting. 

3. I bought this necklace today because I felt like a tiny treat, and it was only $4.99! It has an R on it. And I didn't get it when I was born, but I am TOTALLY pretending I am the 3rd Parker/James triplet. (I do like my oreos and peanut butter.) [It's hard to take a picture of a tiny locket.]

4. This is my cool new phone. No, it doesn't have snake.

5. This is a delicious snack I have been having for lunch these days. It is served warm.

Have a nice night!

Alpha Beta Dorcas.

Hey guys!
How are yall doing? I'm well.
I was just thinking about an interesting thing. Last night, I had to interview some of the sophomores who are applying for the LEAD program, part of the honors program at Belmont (the elite part). Anyway, my friends Emily, Daniel, and I were interviewing our friend LT. Which was more like a conversation because we all already know and love her. And she is having a hard time with a decision she is making. Anyway, we started talking about Emily flipping a coin in order to make the same decision, and then it moved to the fact that last year, Emily drew lots to see which immersion trip she should go on for spring break. And we were laughing about it, but it's such a cool thing.
We were talking about how they used to cast lots for everything. And Daniel said that it just came out of complete trust in the sovereignty of God.
And that just kind of blew my mind. I've been thinking about it a lot. (hehehe). But really, what if I had that much confidence in God's sovereignty?

Also, I am going to Texas this weekend! I have never been to that state. I am so excited to see my dear friend Emily's homeland and to spend time with Zeke, who I don't get to spend as much time with lately. Also I think I am going to try to finish The Two Towers. Because I just need to do that in order to be a more complete person.
Additionally, I am registered to vote.

Happy Tuesday Night, World!
Happy Birthday, Heidi! (my roommate)
Keep up the good work. Buy yourself a London Fog at your local coffee shop. Wear an entirely gray outfit. Have soup for lunch. Slip on your favorite socks. Gather that hair into a ponytail. Rest.
These are all things I have done today, and I recommend them.

Autumnal.

Confession: I do not have time to be blogging right this moment.

Anyway, tonight I am sitting cross-legged in a cozy leather chair at Starbucks (weird cause I don't usually go to Starbucks), wearing my brand new gray socks and a long-sleeve t-shirt and a ponytail. (Confession: when I first typed that, I typed money tail.) And I just feel so warm and cozy and autumnal. I am listening to my Campfire playlist from Oh, Pioneer! and it's real nice. Have you guys heard of Oh, Pioneer!? It's just a tumblr, but if Walt Whitman would have been alive now, and had he not had an ethical problem with the whole concept behind tumblr (which I'm assuming he would have),  it's the kind of tumblr he would have glanced at from time to time. Anyway, the boy who runs it puts up playlists for download seasonally and they are so so nice. The kind of music that makes you want to be a better person, you know?
Anyway, kids, it's a great day to be alive. This morning when I stepped out my door to walk to church, it was cold. Cold. Yes, cold might be a strong word for today if you are one of those snotty Northerners who likes to brag about not wearing coats until the temperature hits freezing, but I am not talking to you, snotty Northerner. I am speaking from my Alabama soul. It was cold. And I loved it. And relished it. And I had a beautiful lonely walk to church.
And tonight, I am reading a little about Tillich and a lot about Gandhi, and this week is going to be wild and I am going to have to do a couple things that terrify me and maybe stay up til all hours a few nights, but right this second I feel real good. And calm.
I miss my dad, of course. But that will be okay.
And it's okay that I am scared of a lot of things, and it's okay that I need to sleep more than my friends need to.
Today I celebrate socks.


Here's the link to the free download of the mix I am listening to: Campfire Mixtape. Do yourself a favor and download it. It'll do your heart good.

Thanks, Jesus, for socks. Amen.

Lists for the Day.

Things I blame my dad for:
1. When I meet someone named Rich, and he says, "I'm Rich," I say, "I'm poor." (AKA being Hilarious.)
2. Sneezing loud.
3. Loving Steely Dan.

Things I blame my mom for:
1. Falling asleep on the couch at night and not getting up to go to bed.
2. Eating ice cream out of the carton.
3. Having conversations with all of the people.

Things I am up to:
1. School. I am a Junior. (old.)
2. Work. I mostly drive the kids places and listen to all the Disney songs.
3. Having friends. I do have some.
4. New church. The Village Chapel. It's real cool. I go to church at 10 on Sundays, and to college group on Wednesday nights. I really like it and maybe I love it.
5. Young Lives. This is a ministry to teen moms that I am beginning to work with. I'm pumped about it.
6. YL Bible study. This is a book study actually. It is early early on Tuesday mornings with some Young Life ladies. We are reading The Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen. I'm pretty psyched.

Things I am doing right this second:
1. Wearing my nice new Young Life tank top that is a giant on me.
2. Avoiding writing my paper.
3. Wearing contacts.
4. That's all. Earlier I was jumping a lot. Cause I guess I was hyper.

Things I am trying on for size and/or am aspiring to:
1. Memorizing verses.
2. Not drinking Dr. Pepper.
3. Being good at using money wisely.
4. Peace.

Can I tell you a secret?
This is how I feel honestly right now:
"And peace is a ladder up to the clouds
That I’m wishing I could climb but I don’t know how."
~Noah Gunderson, "Middle of June."

I know it's not true and that Christ left His peace with me.
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
~John 14:27.

But sometimes getting peace feels like hard work. 
So there's that.
Bye, guys. See you later.