God's Kingdom

As mentioned previously, our church has been going through a series on the Kingdom of God. Last night at bible study we looked at Revelations 19. (To be honest, I'm not sure if I've ever really done a bible study on Revelations.) Overall we focused on how the Kingdom of God ultimately defeats any corrupt system here on earth and it's clear in the end that God really is "King of kings and Lord of Lords."

Personally it made me think back to when I was in Bosnia listening to Bosnian friends pray for God's return. His return was something they were not afraid to ask for and you could sense that it was something they truely were waiting for. At the time, it made me ask, if I was really waiting for God's return? Last night's study made me ask the same question. Am I waiting in eager expectation for God's return?

Fall Colors

So living in the Midwest does have its advantages to California. We actually have color on the trees out here, and lots of it. It is really hard to drive because I (matt) am not only looking at all the trees instead of the road but I also want to stop every 5 minutes to take pictures. My newest thing is to look for large amounts of contrast and backlighting.

I hope you enjoy these pics.

UW Football

I guess we are true Wisconsinites now! We have been to our first Badger Football Game.
Oh it was a slaughter, Northern Illinois University lost one of their own men on the kickoff (a bad enough knee injury to bring out the paramedics, ouch) and 4 downs later Wisconsin scored the first of many, ending in a 44-3 victory. But that wasn’t the best part, watching all these crazy people in red (you get “booed” if you don’t wear red) singing songs, executing complicated cheers, a multi-speed - multi-direction “wave” and much more…it was a lot of fun. Hope some of the photos let you know what you missed!! Thanks to Kristen for the great tickets!!

Kingdom Thoughts

So our church has been focusing on Kingdom values for the past few months. It's been a good study and a challenging one. Here's a taste of what we are learning as summed up by a few of our bible study friends with way to much time on their hands.


Ok, so maybe we have a long way to go still in learning about the kingdom.

Ca Fires

It's strange being in Wisconsin and reading about all the fire stuff going on. It seems to hit so close to home yet also seems so far away. I do have to admit that it's a bit strange to know that Matt and I were just hiking in some of the hills that are now up in smoke and were visiting friends in some of the evacuated areas just a week ago. While it's comforting to know that our family is currently safe, we do know that many of our friends are being affected by the fires (particularly in San Deigo).

For those of you in the San Deigo area, we are praying that God will continue to keep you safe and that while it may be a fustrating time with work and life disrupted, you will continue to find your strength in our Lord.

For those of you outside California, please pray with us for those affected by the fire. It's going to be a while before things get contained and I know that there are many who covet your prayers right now!

Stardust

We were pleasantly surprised last night with the movie Stardust. Neither Matt or I had ever heard of the movie, but decided to try it out last night anyways. Overall it's a cute kids movie that has a lot of Princess Bride similarities. While it doesn't replace Princess Bride, I'd recommend checking it out...even if it's only for the performance of Robert De Niro, who was absolutely hilarious! Definitely a movie that snuck through under the radar.

Home

There is something so amazing about the feeling of coming home. Matt and I have been traveling for the past 2 weeks in California and it was interesting to notice how often I felt like I was home. There was the moment of walking into Mom and Dad's house and smelling the familiar and yet specific scent of my childhood and the overwhelming knowledge of being home. There were all the interactions with close friends and family which spoke to my soul in a way that only deep friendships can. And with each interaction, the fleeting knowledge of being at home in my soul.

Yet what surprised me the most was the overwhelming gratefulness of stepping off the plane at our journey's end knowing that we were finally home: to our small apartment that smells of dust and whatever our next door neighbor might be smoking, to a daily routine that probably wont change anytime soon, to bills, to new friends and to our own bed.

It's strange how I could feel the sense of "being home" in so many different circumstances and makes me wonder how much more intense and satisfying the feeling of being home will be when we are finally at home with our Father. It reminds me of Job's words in Job 19, "I will see Him with my own eyes, I and not another. How my soul longs within me."