Reminder

From 1 John 2:12-14, re-phrased to remind me of the truths that I am told there:

I am writing to you, little daughter, because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake. (So be thankful and ready to humbly step outside of yourself)

I am writing to you, godly woman, because you know Him who was from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young wife and sister, because you have overcome the evil one. (In your emotions, in your attitudes)

I write to you, little daughter, because you know the Father. (Who loves you, who made you, who cares for you. You know why you are here.)

I write to you, godly woman, because you know Him who was from the beginning. (The God of history, from ages past, the Beginning and the End)

I write to you, young wife and sister, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (You must fight, and discipline yourself to the Word, and you will have victory)

New Favorite Thing

These are my new favorite thing. I have worn them every day since I got them. I really don't know how I made it through the winter last year without them.

Yes they are Uggs. I am a hypocrite. I used to mock and scoff the Ugg boots. Granted, I mocked them when I saw them multiply at alarming rates on the campus of Arizona State University, in August, when the temperature is right around 100 degrees, and they were most often paired a tasteless-ly short jean mini skirt. But, a hypocrite I remain. But seriously, how was I ever supposed to understand their worth when I could wear flip flops comfortably year round?

Now, I live in Chicago, where the winter is actually cold, with snow and all. And, I live in an apartment, with wood floors, and a land lord who is a bit stingy when it comes to turning on the radiators. So, as the temperature here began to dip into the 30s and 40s, I began to dream of some soft, cushy, deliciously warm and cozy slippers. My feet actually started to crave a slipper that could fill this need. My poor feet only had some moderate weight socks with those sticky dots on the bottom so you don't wipe out completely when you come around a corner.

I mentioned the slippers to my mom, who so generously offered to buy me Uggs. I was aware that these particular shoes are by no means cheap, and mentioned this to my mother, but she was insistent. And so, I was gifted with the finances to bless my feet with some cozy shoes.

Andrew can tell you, thought really hard about if I wanted to spend all that money on some Uggs. I anguished over it. Being somewhat of a miser about money (possibly an understatement), I searched and scoured the internet for some cozy, cushy, warm slippers that might be a bit more affordable. But always in the background, the question lingered, "Will these be as soft, and luxurious, as delicious to encase my feet in as those Uggs?" Shopping online did not help the dilemma, being that my feet were not able to test the merit of any of the other candidates. What to do? Are these shoes worth the offensive price I must pay to enjoy them?

And so, based mostly on the fact that my generous parents were giving me the money for the shoes, I chose to get the Uggs. And I have loved every minute that I have gotten to spend in my slippers. I had to talk myself out of wearing them to church on Sunday. So friends, you have no reason to worry about my feet this Chicago winter. They will be just fine.

And thanks Mom and Dad for the shoes. You guys are great.

L'Abri

Review of: L'Abri by Edith Schaeffer

I picked this book up because it was a suggested read on the subject of hospitality. However, the book actually is the biography of a ministry. Edith Schaffer tells the story of how the Lord formed L'Abri in Switzerland. This ministry still exists today, and now has grown far and beyond it’s humble beginnings. Though this is not a book written on the topic of hospitality, is certainly speaks to the subject in a powerful way.

Edith covers the period of time from when the Schaeffers first arrived in Switzerland up to the ministry of L'Abri becoming well established. Edith describes the journey of faith, obedience, and trust that the Lord led the family on as He shaped and formed a unique community where there were answers for questions of life, meaning, and God. This book describes what the L’Abri ministry started as, and how it grew and changed over the years.

L’Abri was able to provide answers to though questions about life and God, but also was able to serve and love the people asking those questions. Francis Shaeffer took guests on long walks in the Alps, while Edith prepared them meals. Guests stayed up till 2 A.M. in conversation with the family, and helped weed the garden the next day. The hospitality that the Schaeffers showed gave their words credibility. Guest showed up without reservation, were not expected to pay for their stay, and were treated as family. Edith’s hospitality clearly shaped and served the ministry of L’Abri. Simply by reading about the day to day and year to year life of the Schaeffers, Edith speaks volumes about being hospitable, being a servant, and welcoming the stranger in the name of Christ. The book also shows that the clear undergirding of the ministry was a wholehearted reliance on prayer. There simply would not have been a ministry but for the answered prayers that surrounded each step of the journey.

My one criticism is that Edith spends almost all her time on the blessing, the answered prayer, the sweet fruit of their labor, and leaves out the challenges. Edith alludes to the difficulties, but leaves out much of the details. For example, Andrew told me that Francis Schaeffer supposedly had a temper. Edith doesn't say a word about this. There is so much good to write about, and that’s what the book contains. I wanted to read about more of the hardship, the struggles, and the irritations. God uses broken people, and it is helpful to read about that process especially in such a unique and effective ministry.

This book is a testimony to the God who is there in the lives of the Shaeffers. It shows what true community, hospitality, and commitment to the God of the Word can produce in the world by God’s grace.

Review: Hospitality Commands

Review: The Hospitality Commands by Alexander Strauch

I’ll be honest, Andrew is the one who suggested getting this book. Being the MDiv student that he is, he was drawn to a book on hospitality that was based in the exegesis of scripture related to the subject. And praise God that he is my husband, because this book is incredibly valuable and helpful.

In a mere 59 pages, Strauch deals with the main passages of scripture that command hospitality, and even manages to give practical tips for putting hospitality into practice. Strauch sets up the need for his book by pointing out how Christians have become lax in the practice of hospitality. He then places it within the rich historical background of the early church and Christian family where sharing your home and resources with brothers and sisters was commonplace and integral in building up love and unity in the early church. He also describes how the home was the place that evangelism took place before the time of church buildings. He then addresses the passages of scripture that command (yep, it’s a command) the practice of hospitality. And, as if all this were not enough, he provides tips as to how to practice hospitality, that are terribly practical and approachable.

What was most helpful about this book was the understanding it gave to the context biblical hospitality. In the early church, the home was a place where the believer could display love to brothers and sisters in Christ. The main texts that command hospitality are within the context of showing love and unity within the body of Christ. The home was also a place where friends and strangers would see displayed in the day to day and ordinary lives of those who are becoming like Christ. The gospel is adorned with the obedience of compassion, and sacrifice displayed in opening the home to others. The unbelieving world saw the faith of early believers displayed in the way that they welcomed one another and strangers into their houses.

Strauch does not make hospitality out to be the chief of all Christian virtues, but rather holds up a virtue that has become lost. While not making too much of hospitality itself, Strauch shows how this practice will cast vivid light onto the love of God in the lives of His people. This book is an approachable, clear admonition to the church to take up again this mark of brotherhood and love.

Book Reviews

By the encouragement of my husband, I will now be posting book reviews for the books that I pick up in an effort to think about them well and discerningly. I hope you enjoy them!

Review: Practicing Hospitality

Review of: Practicing Hospitality by Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock

I saw this book sitting out when I visited Mars Hill Albuquerque with my brother. I saw it and thought, “Great, a book on hospitality being promoted by these Acts 29 types.” And following that thought, I immediately formed some ideas about what the book would be like, in it’s theology, it’s practicality, and so on.


Ennis and Tatlock collaborated to provide, in one book, a biblical basis for hospitality, insight into various aspects of hospitality, and some very practical tips such as recipes and ideas for gatherings. It is organized in a topical manner, each chapter addressing “Hospitality and…”. Though not the systematic, expositional treatment of hospitality that I was hoping for when I first saw the book, there is some valuable and helpful content to be had.


This book addresses the Biblical mandate to be hospitable, and the manner in which our hospitality reflects the character of God. Chapter 2, Hospitality and Strangers, describes how our love for strangers displays the love of God in a very practical and tangible way. We are to pursue it as if we are chasing it down, not just tack it on to our lives. Ennis and Tatlock provide some much needed guidance for those who desire to be hospitable, in reminding readers not to neglect family in the midst of company, and including singles, widows, and the needy who are easily over looked. The book is full of examples, and even recipes to use, but these are paired with an emphasis on the attitudes and motives of biblical hospitality. It is both a “how to” and “how come” book. Scripture is cited through out the book, build up and fleshing out the material. This book is also the Type A personality’s dream in that it includes charts, tables, and the instructions for how to make a personal hospitality notebook. Each chapter concludes with questions to help the reader apply the information in the chapter.


There are two critiques of the book that I would offer. The first is that this book, which contains Biblical substance and wisdom, is not organized in a way that best displays what it has to offer. For example, the first chapter contains a “word collage” that also happens to be an acrostic, which also happens to contain another acrostic within the first acrostic. Triple woman cliché. For this reader, that’s the equivalent of having a bunch of flower shaped confetti come showering out of the pages. It might look nice, but it’s messy, and distracting. Second, while there is an emphasis explicitly placed on defining hospitality outside of dinner parties and good table decorations, this standard still lingers in the background. The examples provided, and even some of the content, hold up the slightly formal, aesthetic, image of hospitality. Being the wife of a grad school student, I would have appreciated some more “war time” hospitality examples.


I would recommend this book for someone who understands biblical hospitality and wants to read a book that will reinforce that idea and provoke thought as to how to make that happen.

butterflies

This is probably going to border on corny at some point, but I am utterly sincere in my excitement of this!

I just finished reading Francis Chan's book Forgotten God. In the book, which is about the Holy Spirit, Chan says that he asked his wife if she ever thought about what a caterpillar thinks about. For a while it just crawls and eats, then it goes to sleep, and bang, next thing you know, it emerges with the ability to fly! He posits, does the butterfly ever think that it is still a caterpillar, and forget that it has wings and a new body? He makes the connection to the fact that believers are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and often do not act any differently than they did before.

So, I started thinking, how exactly does a caterpillar complete the physical process of becoming a butterfly? Yes, I learned back in elementary school that it makes a cocoon and one day emerges as a butterfly. But really, how in the world does that happen? Where does the pudgy body go? Where do WINGs come from?

Well my friends, according to the experts at Wikipedia, once that pudgy body gets into the cocoon, it excretes digestive juices that break down cells leaving a few behind that grow into a new body, using the nutrients from the broken cells to build the new ones.

So, to continue the spiritual analogy here, I suppose one could say that the old flesh of the caterpillar is put to death, and the new body of the butterfly is made. There is death of the old to make way for the new. Is there a better picture of the transformation that the Spirit makes molding believers into the image of Christ? The old must die, and the new will be made.

And when the new is made, there is the temptation to live as if a change has not taken place. How foolish would the butterfly be to not use it's new wings? To remain grounded when it can take flight? But I often meet the day racking my brain for how I am to serve the Lord, and trying to drum up the desire to do it. I have the Holy Spirit! I have God's very spirit in me to give me direction, and desire to be like my Lord. Why do I persist in trying to figure out how to be a follower of Christ all by myself? Use your wings! (and we have reached the cory threshold, hopefully without compromising the message itself)

Relocated

Thanks to the help of our brothers and sisters, we are moved into the new place. Even though the night before the move, when we went to pick up the U-Haul and found out that they had "confirmed" we would have the truck 1 1/2 hours less than we reserved it for (which was never confirmed with us) we finished with plenty of time to spare. The highlight of the move was definitely the team of guys hoisting the king size mattress up the OUTSIDE of the 3 flights of stairs using straps and running from one floor to the next until it reached our apartment. It was pretty amazing. We had so much help and it went really smoothly. This week I have toiled away at finding places for all of our stuff, and trying to put things in order again. I have been able to walk to get groceries, and coffee, and supplies for fixing up a book shelf. We are so grateful for our friends here, who made moving so quick, and served us so well. It was great.

On the Move: Part 2

We are T minus 2 days and counting from the move. There are boxes filling the front room of the basement, and there are still a few things to be packed, disassembled, and readied for the journey. Andrew is plugging away at summer school reading and I am plugging away at work and last minute preparations for our new place.

Something about moving makes it seem like we get a fresh start at things. I have it in my head that once we move, I will keep our apartment a lot more neat and clean. That I will keep the decor simple and smart. That we will have people over more. That I will cook more, and walk to the store more. And that we will plug into the community in which we live. And all this because we are transplanting. It's not New Year. It's not our anniversary. It's just a move. And moving is not something I would recommend doing very often if you can help it. But the idea of getting to break out of the rut we got into in the old place is fantastic. I would encourage anyone who reads this to think about ruts that you may be stuck in and how to break out of them even though you are not moving anywhere for a while. What changes do you want to make and haven't yet? I'll let you know if these ideas of mine stick or not. But we'll see...

Resting on the Run

For the past 3 weeks at least I've been pretty busy. Work 3 days in a row, go to Albuquerque for a cousin's party, work 3 days, have family come visit me, work some more, and then get ready to move next weekend. Sheesh. I feel tired and like I haven't had time to get my feet back on the ground. I have always had at least an afternoon each week that I don't HAVE to do anything with and can regroup. But the thing is, there's not really a time for that yet and there won't be for a while. At first, I was mad at God, thinking "How am I supposed to do all this without time to breathe?" The truth is though, that it is possible to rest while I am running. The time I get to read the Word, the brief moments of quiet in between on thing and the next, they are chances to catch my breath before diving into the next thing. My schedule is funny in that there isn't always a weekend, there isn't a certain day off each week. So now I am learing how to find the Lord and time to rest in Him while all these things are happening. And it's made the days so much sweeter.

Family Video

Andrew and I discovered an awesome rental place called Family Video in the last month. This lovely establishment rents new videos for $2.73 for 5 days, and classic movies for $0.99. And, as a new renter, for the first month all your rentals are half off! Amazing! So, since we were able rent for cheap, here are some of the ones I enjoyed enough to recommend:

- My Sister's Keeper: Beautiful, heart wrenching, honest, and well done. It made me laugh and cry, and was up-front about death, which is not easy in our culture. There is a strong emphasis on the value of a life and relationships, though the thoughts on what happens once life ends were shallow. Andrew and I both liked it.

- Good Night and Good Luck: Directed by George Clooney, a film about the Red Scare in the 50's and the use of TV to stand up to Mc Carthy for the unfounded accusations that he was making against people. The ideas about the use of television are awesome in the movie. Really great civics lesson.

Not so great:

- The Informant: Way dry, way random, not as funny as I though it would be. Not really worth seeing.

- Whip It: Drew Barrymore, please do not try to direct any more. You can pass for an actress.

On the Move

Well, it's coming. Andrew and I are going for the move into the city of Chicago! We decided to be a part of a church that is in the city, and I already work in the city, so we are going to be living near these things. We are planning the move for the end of July. We will be on the 4th floor of a great, open, lots of windows place, and the lady who is moving out is even leaving us her window AC units. Sweet. And, we will be one floor up from some friends from Arizona who also moved to the city. I am so excited to be able to walk to things like the grocery store, great resturants, and to friends! We've made some good progress on the packing, so we should be good to go soon! Yay!

Run Free?

Well, I just got through reading a book called Born to Run by Christopher McDougal. By the end of it, I was almost ready to go out and buy Vibram Five finger shoes (here) and attempt to run the marathon in them, and be injury free for the rest of my running career. Things this book also made me want to do were: eat the seeds that Chia Pets sprout from, which apparently are amazingly nutritious, look into Ultra Marathons which involve insanely long distances over rugged terrain, and possibly try and chase a deer until it passes out (because if you can run a marathon, you might be able to accomplish this feat). Great book right?

While the book is a bit on the mystic side when it comes to the ethos of running, and how man was "born to run", I did find it really interesting to read about how the modern running shoe actually makes the foot weaker, and teaches you to run in a way that the foot was not designed to run. I am evidence of this, as when Andrew and I lived in a second floor apartment, one could hear my footfalls quite clearly as I land on my heel with each step. If I tried to do this shoeless, I would certainly be in a lot of pain after a short time, because your heel is a lousy cushion. Feet were made so that impact with the ground would be with the ball of the foot, which can absorb shock and then turn around and propel you forward. But nicely padded running shoes allow you to smack down on your heel no problem. Apparently, this ends up weakening the muscles of the foot and your arch.

For a few hours I was ready to abandon shoes all together, but Andrew talked me out of that. I am interested in trying to do some things like walking with minimal shoe, and running in the grass a bit to strengthen my feet (and feel like a hippy at the same time). This is supposed to help prevent injuries to my knees, feet, and muscles. I am curious to see if this will help really make me any faster, or protect my knees. At the least, I hope it will make me walk a bit more quietly on second story floors.

Has anyone else read this book? Let me know what you thought!

Blogging failure

So, I must admit that my hope of using my blog as a means to keep friend and family updated has not been what I had envisioned. I believe this is mostly due to the fact that I feel the need to blog about big events, decisions, and moments. And let's face it, there are more of the normal, everyday moments than the big ones. I still want to be able to allow people dear to us who are far to see what life is like out here in Chicago, but I believe I need to start writing about little things, and not wait for big things.

To those who read this blog: I will try my best to write of little things and big things, and still give you a window into what the Lord is doing in the lives of the Stravitzs.

Bruises

I held him in my lap. He gulped whole milk from the neon green and blue sippy cup I was holding for him. He wanted to be the one to hold the cup. But one of his arms was encaged in a foam arm restraint meant to protect his IV, and the other arm was encased in a hard plastic and an ACE wrap, meant to protect his broken bones. The result was him reaching for the sippy with his pudgy fingers and pitifully trying to get it to his mouth without the use of elbows. So I held it for him as he drank deeply.

He was thirsty and hungry because in the course of events in his tiny life last night, he had missed dinner. The rest of those even I chose not to replay in my mind.

I held him facing the desk that had become our makeshift table at midnight. It was easier that way. That way his inquisitive blue-grey eyes did not meet mine so often.

He had beautiful eyes. That wasn't the problem. Looking at his chubby one-and-a-half year old face, my gaze was drawn from his eyes, to the dark purple marks on his forehead, cheeks, and chin, and to the red scrapes and cuts the dotted his scalp, his nose, ears, and spilled down onto his neck and chest. Looking at his face, the effect was almost like a palate of purples, reds, pinks, and flesh, mingled together, with a terribly darker theme that I wanted to see.

Sitting with him in my lap, I was caught in a strange tension. A sweet boy, eating, drinking, babbling, playing, whose face conjured up the awful images of the blows that marred it. He made me want to cry, to hold him, to protect him. He made me want to look away. Looking at him forced the reality: Someone did this to me.

So the reaction is then, why? How could a person unleash such brutality upon this defenseless, fragile child? What on earth would motivate a person to this evil? How is it possible? I don't particularly care to know, to be honest. The fact that it happened, it does happen, and it will happen was sitting in my lap.

What do I believe about life that helps me to face this little boy and care for him? The fact that men are wretched, and are capable of things like this. That I know. The fact that one day, the Avenger of the weak, the marginalized, the abused, will come to make all things new, and to bring justice, that I also know. YHWH says that bad things will happen, but that in the end, they will not have been so for nothing.

This doesn't mean I can make sense of why this particular child, these blows, this night. And the lack of those specific answers leaves in me in the tension of faith. Do I believe what I know to be true, when it hurts?

I am thankful I live in country where children have rights, and abuse is a crime. I am thankful that when this happens in Chicago, there is a justice system to step in and punish the ones who are responsible. I am thankful for hospitals, where children can come to be safe. And I am thankful for social workers, who try to find a safe place for these precious ones.

I write this mostly for myself, and for my coworkers, who face the same things that I do. Keep loving the least of these, keep caring for them. It's good work.

Catching Up: Part 3

The last thing Andrew and I have been able to do in the past few weeks is go on a real and true vacation. And irony of ironies, we decided to journey back to my home, the Land of Enchantment.

Andrew loves to snowboard. Also ironic because he grew up in Arizona. However, this did place him in proximity to some awesome mountains accessible on various youth retreats through church. Said youth trips also afforded him the opportunity to teach other people how to partake in the sport. I on the other hand, had tried snowboarding once in a half-day lesson where I got off the lift successfully and down the bunny slope facing forward a few times. So, I wanted to re-try and see if Andrew and I could form a dream team of snowboarding excellence. Or just enjoy it together.

So, we decided to venture to Taos New Mexico for the trip. This enabled us to spend a little time with my parents as well.

We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in Taos. This was a first for the both of us, and was a winner. You should read the breakfast page for the Cottonwood Inn in order to understand how great the food was. We had home-made plumb and raspberry syrups on french toast, eggs with green chile, fresh fruit, coffee, bacon, sausage, and biscuits to name a few of the dishes. Normally, the leftover food goes to the chickens that the Innkeepers have. Andrew managed to diminish their rations significantly, to the point that the rooster was following him each time we walked by the chicken coop. There were cookies waiting for us each day when we got back, a movie and book library to borrow from, a hot tub, and did I mention great breakfasts?

So, as to the snowboarding. I was able to borrow a board from one of Wes' friends in town. Before going on the trip Andrew warned me that my calves were going to be on fire the first few days, that I was going to fall often and have to get back up, so I was ready for some pain. And the first day there was lots of pain as I "leafed" down runs, and had to stay on either toe side or heel side for long periods not knowing how to carve. Taos has some awesome blues and blacks, but the greens are often narrow and kind of flat. Two things that I had a hard time with as I was just starting out.

The second day I was bound and determined to learn how to carve. Time to get serious. Problem is, to carve to have to start pointing the board down hill. And down a pretty steep hill. Turns out, this terrified me. Really. I had this image in my head of me shooting off the side of the run into trees, or just careening down the hill unable to stop myself. And so, even though my head was trying to tell my feet to let the board point down that hill, my feet refused. (And by that I mean I was plain chicken) This made it a bit more difficult to learn how to carve. Andrew, by grace, was really patient with me the whole day. Slowly, I started to figure out that I WASN'T going to fly off the mountain if I worked up the courage to point down that hill. And by the end of the day, there was a little, weak carving going on.

We took the next day off, which made me realize how amazingly sore my entire body was. But the rest was great. It also started snowing on the mountain that day.

When we got to the mountain the next day, it was still snowing, and there had been 8 inches over night. The powder made carving more interesting, and falling a lot softer. I ended up feeling sick half way through the day, and we took the rest of the day off.

The last day was the best. 10 more inches of powder had fallen, and the sun was out. We decided to rent me a board that was more my size. The one I rented ended up being a good 3 inches shorter that the borrowed board which helped my confidence more than anything. As the day went on I was actually carving back and forth down runs and not having to stop at all. We snowboarded the whole day without stopping and finished with some steins of great beer.

Snowboarding ended up being hard for me to learn not from the physical aspect, but the mental one. I was such a frady cat of pointing down hill, going fast, and actually taking some risks. There came a point where I thought to myself, "What's the worst that can happen if you go a bit faster than you want? You fall, maybe hard, in some snow. And then you get up. Take the risk already!" And when I was able to be ok with a little speed, a little uncertainty, a little risk, that's when I actually got better, and enjoyed snowboarding! I really like the feeling of being in control, of know the outcome of my actions. And being in new situations does not afford me that feeling. So I can either get anxious about them, and be somewhat paralyzed, or I can move forward and see what happens. And it was great when I did. The sensation of smoothly sliding over the side of a mountain covered in snow felt like a mixture of calm and freedom, if that makes any sense.

I also must say that New Mexico is one of my favorite places. I love the food. I love the culture. I love the vast landscapes and the variety of outdoor adventure stuff you can do there. I love seeing streets names in Spanish, adobe, green chile, sun, and little pretension. It's a pretty great place.

Catching Up: Part 2

As to the second major event Andrew and I attended in the last few weeks: The Adopting for Life Conference.

As to the questions that are raised by our attendance at this conference:

- Yes, we do hope to adopt in the future

- We do not currently know if we are infertile, and frankly this has little to no bearing on a decision to adopt. (You were wondering though, weren't you?)

- We are undecided as to whether we would do domestic or foreign adoption

Ok, so now that we have that all straight:

The main drive that was only furthered at this conference is this: Adoption is the orphan care of America today. That's what our society has done with orphans. And historically, the church has done that job (orphan care). So, adoption is the ministry that a church can have to the orphan today. Not only that, but it is a living picture of our adoption into the family of God. Taking a child that is not your own, making him or her your own, and giving him or her the inheritance of being a part of your family.

So, as Christians, why isn't adoption something we talk about more often? How come most people only think of adoption when they find out that they can't have kids of their own? As the church, we should be all about this!

Andrew and I learned a lot of things ranging from the practical aspects of how to start the adoption process, the financial side, the organizations that can help with finances, and how to start church adoption funds. It was really sweet to see such a broad range of topics covered. And it was great to meet people who were excited about adoption. We really enjoyed the conference!

Catching Up: Part 1

Andrew and I have had a busy past few weeks. I'll start with my birthday.

I ended up working until the morning of my birthday, which was fine. Allie, one of my friends at work made me brownies, and my manager Heather brought a cookie cake. All delicious. After going home and sleeping, Andrew and I watched a little Lonesome Dove, and then headed to a surprise dinner. I didn't know where we were going, and we ended up at an Irsih pub called Birdie McKenna's. As we walk in the door, the lady who was going to seat us asked if we were there to eat or to go to the wiskey tasting. I immediatley knew Andrew was thinking, "Um, yes." Unbenownst to him, this pub was having a tasting of various kinds of Jameson wiskey that very night. No charge, no reservation needed. Who am I to say no to that? So, for my 24th birthday, I sampled a smattering of Jameson whiskey, concluding with a kind called Rarest which runs about $200 (or more) a bottle. And I can say that by the end, I could appreciate the differences in the types. Am I now a wiskey drinker? Hardly. We concluded the night with some friends from Trinity and some yummy curry fries (my new favorite pub food). Does my husband know how to treat a girl or what?

Time away

Andrew and I are going to be able to do a little traveling in the next 2 weeks. It has been a solid 2 months of hard work and lots of school, and we are looking forward to the time to take a little break. Work at the hospital is going well, but it will be wonderful to step away for a bit. Andrew is plugging away at his assignments, and will most likely still have to do a little work while we are away.

The Stravitz's current travel plans include:

- Conference in Louisville this coming weekend on Adoption at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

- Trip to snowboard in Taos NM March 3-10th! We are staying at a Bed and Breakfast called the Cottonwood Inn which had a web site that left us both drooling. ( http://www.taos-cottonwood.com/ )

There will be updates as to what transpires at each trip. I am really excited to learn to snowboard! Andrew promised to teach me and that I will hurt by the end. Bad. Good to know there is a hot tub at the B&B we are staying at. :)

Happenings

It's a good almost 3 months into winter and I have just started to wear the thermal pants under my jeans. Guess I held out long enough and am now just not all that interested in being cold all of the time. And there are clothes that you can wear to prevent that. Go figure. Ah, Chicago.

Things are progressing, at least in somewhat more of a unified direction for Andrew and I this semester. We have decided to start goi

ng to a church in the North Side of the city that has recently been planted and is starting to establish their ministries and their church as a whole. The one aspect we have consistently been impressed with is the depth of the fellowship among believers that really don't know each other all that well yet. The spirit has been granting sweet unity and transparency among these brothers and sisters, and we are excited to be a part of that.

Andrew is all languages this semester, with classes on Greek exegesis, Hebrew, Greek reading, advanced Greek grammar, and a TA position in an u

ndergrad Greek class. Challenging, certainly, but stimulating as well.

Most exciting has been the development of fellowship with some of the other couples at Trinity. Andrew has been meeting weekly with a group of guys who want to hold each other accountable to spiritual growth during seminary, which has produced sweet friendships. I have started meeting with the wives of these men,

to be able to encourage and support one another, which has been wonderful. There are some awesome women in this bunch, and though we have only met once so far, we were able to be truly honest with each other the first time we gathered. It was amazing. Andrew and I are both very glad for these sweet believers to get to know at Trinity.

I joined a book club that was started for the nurses on my floor, and was able to hang out with some of those ladies this week. Most of my co-workers live in the city, which makes it a bit more difficult to hang out with them. So it was great to get the chance to do that.

Officially, we have decided that curry is the new chili, perfectly suited for delicious cold weather food. And, Dark Horse Brewery has officially become my favorite brewery upon the discovery of their seasonal stouts which included:

- Coffee Dopplebock

- Cream Stout

- Smoked Stout

- Blueberry stout

- Oatmeal Stout

All delicious, all amazing, all favorite. Sigh. If only they were year-round.

And those are the happenings in Chicago for a while. More to come.

Good Mistakes

Andrew is a wonderful husband. Recently he has been asking me when I come home from work if I made any good mistakes during my shift. You see, I used to feel bad when people would point out to me little things I didn't do right, or forgot to do, or didn't know I was supposed to do. And I would feel like I hadn't been a good nurse that shift. Andrew pointed out to me that the small mistakes I make like not charting someone's orange juice that they drank, or calling the pharmacy instead of sending them a message, or forgetting to check a box on the admission screening tool, these things, especially when pointed out to me by someone else, they cement in my mind that certain thing. And I am far less likely to forget it again. These are mistakes where I am working hard, doing the best job that I can, and really there is not a negative outcome to be seen. So now, when someone has to tell me to do something, or points out what I missed, I think of it as a good mistake to learn from, and ultimately both myself and my patients benefit. And, I get to practice humility all the while. Sweet.

Husbandless

Andrew stayed in Phoenix this week for a wedding, and I returned to Chicago to work. Boo. We both would be utterly miserable if not for the fact that the Lord uses difficulty to grow and mature us. I would love to be with my husband almost every minute of the day. And I enjoy getting to live life with him immensely. So, the long distance thing is really rough. But it truly has reminded me that Andrew is not my all in all. The Lord is my maker and sustainer. He is the one I rely on to get me through the hard days at work and the lonely nights at home. We both find our hope and joy not in each other first and most, but in the Lord. So praise God He enables us to be apart and to do so with a joy rooted in Him. And how sweet that we do get to be together in 37 hours!

Being home

Andrew and I were able to visit both Albuquerque and Phoenix last week for the holidays. I really enjoyed both places. In New Mexico there was lots of crazy family fun, great food, luminarias, and Christmas. Phoenix was wonderful. We were greeted so warmly by our church family, and got to enjoy the hospitality of our good friends who let us stay at their house. (Thanks Colin and Lindsay!).

Talking to people there made me realize that there was a strange mixture of things that were just as we left them, and things that had changed. People dating, people moving, people changing jobs. But the same place, the same flow of life, the same feel. On afternoon there I had along conversation with Andrew about this feeling of getting trapped somewhere where things stay the same. If we move back to Phoenix, will we buy a house, and never move, get stuck in a comfortable life? I don't do well with comfort. It makes me complacent, much less intentional. So do we really want to go back to Phoenix? Andrew and I talked about the fact that we want to be where the Lord is going to use us in ministry. That will be where home is. I have not made much of an attempt to be a part of a ministry out here in Chicago. And thus it feels like there is not much reason to be here. We want the Lord to use us where He has placed us. And so I am looking forward to seeing how the Lord will use me here, and where He will take us in the future to be useful to His kingdom. And where ever that is, we will be home.